DRDO, PSU and Private Defence Sector News

[RPK]

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bangalore-metro-coaches-will-come-from-palakkad_1478256

Bangalore metro coaches will come from Palakkad

Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), the country's first rail coach manufacturing company, will provide the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) some of its coaches. The first set of 134 coaches for the first phase of the project will cost Rs1,672 crore.

"The BEML has already started manufacturing the first order of 134 cars for BMRCL. We should be ready to deliver them by March, 2011," said P Dwarkanath, director (rail and metro), BEML.
Coaches for the second phase of the Bangalore metro will be provided by the unit of BEML located in Palakkad, Kerala. The Palakkad unit of BEML produces metro coaches, stainless steel EMU coaches, overhead inspection cars, utility vehicles, AC/DC electrical multiple units, broad-gauge rail bus and spoil disposal units for trains and coaches.

The Palakkad unit, which was only inaugurated on May 16 this year, will take care of the bulk of defence manufacturing that the BEML takes up. All-terrain vehicles used by the Indian army will be manufactured at Palakkad after March 2011. The pontoon mainstream bridges used by the Indian Army will also come out of the Palakkad unit.

BEML, through MoUs with the government of Kerala, has acquired 350 acres in Palakkad; 650 more acres are expected to be acquired. "Within five-and-a-half months of the inauguration of the Palakkad unit, we have set up two hanger units and manufactured 122 all-terrain vehicles. Work is sometimes done in three shifts," said chairman of BEML, VRS Natarajan, adding that 70% of defence products will shift to Palakkad.

BEML has seen a turnover of Rs100 crore from the Palakkad unit already. Strategic management planning is being doneby IIM Bangalore.

BEML's Mysore unit is set to be the hub of aerospace manufacturing, producing ground handling equipment, and components for aerospace applications. An exclusive aerospace manufacturing unit is also planned in the Devanahalli SEZ.

Asked about the human resources for Palakkad, BEML officials said nothing firm has been decided yet. It is likely that a few officers might be shifted to Palakkad from Karnataka, 90% of the labour force is expected to be recruited locally. BEML also clarified that none of its staff will be retrenched.

 

[RPK]

Indian defence research agency plans $110 mn nano foundry

http://sify.com/news/indian-defence...n-nano-foundry-news-national-kmixuieejjh.html

Bangalore, Dec 8 (IANS) India's state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) plans to set up a nano foundry with Rs.500 crore (about $110 million) investment to roll out products for various applications, a top official said here late Wednesday.

'In the run-up to setting up the nano foundry, we are designing a nanofab as a national facility. The foundry will be set up in partnership with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs),' DRDO Chief Controller for R&D W. Selvamurthy said at the Bangalore Nano 2010 exposition here.


Noting that nanotechnology had several applications spanning from agriculture to defence, Selvamurthy said that the industry and academic institutions needed to work as centres of excellence instead of islands of excellence to achieve scientific and technological breakthroughs.


'Research in one specialisation need not be limited to applications in that specialisation but contribute a lot to other areas. For instance, a breakthrough in our labs are not only enhancing the capabilities of armed forces, but also contributing to businesses and public outside the defence purview,' Selvamurthy told delegates participating in the two-day event.


Joint collaboration between defence labs, industry and academia will enable the country to churn out products in healthcare, medicine, sensors and energy harvesting.


'Our research and development (R&D) facility for nanotechnology can be used by the private industry as well as academic institutions for developing nano materials and applications. One of our labs is working on safety of nanotechnology for individuals and environment,' the noted scientist said.


In this context, Selvamurthy said nanocomposite coatings, developed by the Ahmednagar defence lab in Maharashtra, could be used in several anti-corrosive industrial applications.


'Our defence bio-engineering and electro-medical in Bangalore is developing several biosensors to ensure safety of soldiers in the warfare and those applications can revolutionise medical diagnostics,' Selvamurthy added.


Drug maker Cipla is set to take up the production of nano particle drugs that can be directly deposited into lungs, though it was originally developed for soldiers at high altitudes.

 

[RPK]

 

[RPK]

 

[RPK]

Development of Green Toilets on Trains

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=68301

Efforts are on in several directions for development of Environment Friendly Toilets in trains. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by Ministry with Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)for Joint Technology development using Defence Research & Development Establishment (DRDE) bio-digester technology for passenger coach toilet systems. Designs have been developed jointly by RESO & DRDO based on this technology and Indian Railways Production Units have been instructed to manufacture two rakes based on this technology. Zero Discharge Toilet System (ZDTS) has been developed jointly by Research Design & Standards Organization (RDSO) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur. Efforts are also in hand to carry out trials of vacuum retention type toilets on Shatabdi Trains.

ZDTS has been tried out on one coach based on design jointly developed by RDSO, Lucknow and IIT, Kanpur. The action is in hand by RDSO to carry out extended trials o one rake based on this technology.

Suitable technology option for Indian Railways operating conditions are yet to be established for which Railway is working on various technology options as described above. Further course of action regarding adoption of suitable technology mix for all trains will be taken, based on the outcome of trials with different technology options.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways, Shri K.H. Muniyappa in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

 

[youngindian]

Maiden test of Agni-II Plus slated for Thursday .



http://netindian.in/news/2010/12/08/0009060/maiden-test-agni-ii-plus-slated-thursday

 

[nitesh]

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=68117
Achievements of DRDO

A large number of DRDO developed systems have been productionised and inducted into Services and many are in the induction stage. The value of these systems comes to about ` 1,00,000 Cr.

 

[Patriot]

DRDO objects to Orissa's four port projects

BHUBANESWAR: Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) has objected to four proposed port projects, while another is facing hurdles from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF).

This was stated by Orissa's commerce and transport minister Sanjeev Kumar Sahoo while replying to a series of questions on port projects in the assembly.

The five proposed ports were among the 14 planned to be set up in the state, the minister said.

DRDO had opposed the plan of setting up port projects at Inchudi, Chandipur and Bahabalpur (all three in Balasore district) from the begining and raised objection on the proposed port at Chudamani in Bhadrak district after the state government signed an MoU with the Aditya Birla group for a captive port, the minister pointed out.

State government officials had held several rounds of talks with DRDO over the proposed Chudamani and Bahabalpur port projects. "We have apprised the defence ministry on the state government's views of port projects at Bahabalpur and Chudamani," he said.

Replying to a question on the proposed port at Barunai Muhan in Kendrapara district, he said the project faced objection from MoEF as the place was close to Gahirmatha beach, the world famous nesting site of Olive Ridley Turtles . The state government ,therefore, is considering changing the project site, the minister said.

The proposed port sites at Palur in Ganjam district was near Rusikulya river mouth, a proposed port at Astarang had been located close to Devi river mouth, both nesting sites of the turtles.

Sahoo said a port had already become functional at Gopalpur in Ganjam district and another would soon come up at Dhamara in Bhadrak district.

Though the Gopalpur port has been operational since 2007, its second phase work was delayed due to non-availability of required clearance from MoEF.

Meanwhile, the state government had already signed concession agreement with Gopalpur Ports Limited, Creative Port Development Limited at Subarnarekha river mouth and Navyug Engineering Company Limited at Astrang, official sources said.





http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/newsrf.php?newsid=13944

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

DRDO: US Firm Keen On Our Explosive Detection Kit

DRDO: US Firm Keen On Our Explosive Detection Kit

[DRDO Press Statement]: An American firm has shown keen interest in an Explosive Detection Kit (EDK) developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). An agreement on transfer of technology is likely to be signed soon between the two sides. The EDK, developed by the DRDO's High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) in Pune, comes packed in a box the size of a vanity case which contains four reagents capable of detecting explosives even in trace quantities. It can be used to identify a range of explosives such as PETN, Black Powder, Dynamite, NC, NG, CE, Inorganic Mitrates, TNT, RDX and HMX based plastic explosives. The EDK kit can be easily carried to the spot and is found useful both before and after the blast. When the explosive substance is mixed with the different chemical reagents given in the kit, the drop turns into specific colour as given out in the instruction leaflet. Verification can normally follow using the Raman spectrometric test. Costing about Rs 5,000 (less than $100) apiece, the EDK is being commercially made by Noida-based Vantage Integrated Security Solutions Pvt Ltd under a Transfer of Technology pact with the DRDO. It is being widely used by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads of the Army, Paramilitary and state Police Forces in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The American firm is soon to enter into an MoU with the DRDO, which has patented its EDK. "The Americans have their own EDK kits but the foreign technology has certain drawbacks, for example they lack confirmatory test," said Reny Roy (photo), a scientist at the HEMRL. "Since they use a test paper instead of liquid drops, that's another disadvantage as the test paper is not long lasting and gets torn," she added. Following the success of the EDK, scientists at HEMRL, Pune have now developed an aerosol based EDK kit that costs around the same price as the conventional EDK kit and has the advantage of being more portable, convenient and trendy. Another Use-and-Throw kit with reagents packed in the kind of medicinal injection bottles has also been produced, the cost of which works out around Rs.1,800 for each set.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) A US firm has shown 'keen interest' in a patented explosive detection kit developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and a pact will be signed soon, an official statement said Tuesday.

Costing about Rs.5,000 a piece, the kit will be commercially produced by the Noida-based Vantage Integrated Security Solutions under a transfer of technology pact with the DRDO, the statement said.

'An agreement on transfer of technology is likely to be signed soon between the two sides.'

The explosive kit, developed by the DRDO's High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) in Pune, comes packed in a box the size of a vanity case and contains four reagents capable of detecting explosives, even in trace quantities.

It can be used to identify a range of explosives such as black powder, dynamite, inorganic nitrates, TNT and RDX based plastic explosives.

It is being widely used by the bomb detection squads of the Indian Army, paramilitary and police in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

'The Americans have their own EDK kits but the foreign technology has certain drawbacks, for example they lack a confirmatory test,' said Reny Roy, a scientist at the HEMRL.

Following the success, scientists at HEMRL have now developed an aerosol based explosive detection kit that costs around the same price but has the advantage of being more portable, convenient and trendy.

 

[RPK]

BEL, Terma join hands to develop naval radar technology

http://tarmak007.blogspot.com/2010/12/bel-terma-join-hands-to-develop-naval.html

Bengaluru-headquartered Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) and Danish company Terma have signed a strategic memorandum of agreement (MoA) to cooperate in various fields of defense technology. BEL Design Director I.V. Sarma confirms to Aviation Week that the MoA primarily will focus on offsets and other general business in electronics. "It is a very general MoA and we would want Terma to pass on their offset works to us," Sarma says. "Both companies also are eager to work together in the fields of advanced electronics." Under the MoA, BEL and Terma will cooperate on naval radar technology and aircraft self-protection. The agreement sets the framework for current and future cooperation between the two companies, leveraging and complementing the unique strengths of each.

 

[SHASH2K2]

Defence Ministry Likely to Amend Offsets Policy ​

New Delhi-- The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the Indian Defence Ministry’s apex body, is shortly expected to take some tough decisions regarding the Defence Offset Policy. The Defence Ministry has been wary of any changes in the policy since it would benefit foreign players and push back the local Indian industry. However, consistent pressure from international players and other industry bodies has forced the DAC to consider changes in the offsets.

The current offset policy stipulates that international firms that win defence contracts above $66.6 million must invest back at least 30 per cent of the value into Indian defence production or research and development in India. However, the international vendors as well as industrial bodies feel that India cannot absorb the over $10 billion worth of offsets that has been speculated in the next five years.

One of the key issues in the offsets policy that seeks amendments is the services that fall under the purview of the offset obligations.
Some of the services include upgradation, life extension, engineering, design, testing of defence products, defence related software or quality assurance services. The DAC may include other options including training in this offset clause. The DAC is also considering the liberalisation of the policy that will enable indirect offsets in civil aviation and homeland security which is being pushed by the US-India CEOs Forum.

A crucial amendment that may be effected in the offsets policy is that the transfer of technology may be allowed to function as offset credit. The current modus operandi is that the Defence Ministry pays for technology transfer upfront. However, this new amendment may lead to the foreign vendor to circumvent its offset obligations to a large extent. This is also an area of concern for the Defence Ministry. It is felt that India could end up paying much higher than what that technology actually cost since its cost is not a stipulated amount and it can be overstated and pushed up by the vendors.

Other changes in the offset policy may include the permission to foreign vendors to invest ‘in kind’ in the Indian defence industry. While the current policy allows foreign direct investment (FDI), the above-mentioned permission to allow investment ‘in kind’ will enable vendors to claim the supply of goods and services as offsets.

Ever since offsets policy was introduced in 2006, pressure from the international vendors has been mounting due to the inadequate incentives and a lack of level-playing field. Recently, six defence and aerospace bodies representing almost every major US, British, German, French and Canadian arms corporation has sent a joint memorandum to the Indian Defence Ministry seeking liberalisation of the offset policy.

From the Indian perspective, the opinions are somewhat divided. The industrial bodies like the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) feel that raising the FDI limit from the current 26 per cent will not ensure transfer of technology since that is related to the government of the country and not the foreign vendor. In fact, raising the FDI to 49 per cent will ensure more clout to foreign vendors and their domination in joint venture and the management and culture of the businesses. Only if certain terms are met, the FDI can be raised to 49 per cent. However, other industrial bodies like ASSOCHAM feels that defence is as an opportunity for mass manufacture rather than high-tech capability creation and liberalising the policy would benefit India as well. They feel such protectionist views of the Defence Ministry may stifle the growth of defence related business in the country.

 

[RPK]

India successfully flight-tests pilotless Lakshya

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-successfully-flighttests-pilotless-lakshya/727063/0


India on Monday successfully flight-tested the indigenously developed micro-light Pilotless Target Aircraft Lakshya from the integrated test range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea in Orissa's Balasore district.


Lakshya, a sub-sonic and re-usable aerial target system remote controlled from the ground and designed to impart training to both air borne and destroying incoming enemy targets took off from ITR at 1.50 pm. DRDO sources called today's version as Digital Lakshya. The flight lasted for about 45 minutes, said director of ITR, SP Dash.


Lakshya has been developed by India's Aeronautic Development Establishment (ADE), Bangalore to perform discreet aerial reconnaissance of battlefield and target acquisition. It is launched by a solid propellant rocket motor, and sustained by a turbojet engine in flight. It has radar, IR and visual signature augmentation. Lakshya can be launched from land or ship and be recovered by a parachute system safely on land or sea. Lakshya's Ground control station and telemetry station allows pilotless control of aircraft and real time data acquisition. Till now, more than 200 Lakshya launches have been carried out





Meanwhile, DRDO is planning to test the nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile on December 22 and 24 instead of the Advanced Air Defence Interceptor as planned earlier. The last tesfiring of Prithvi-II missile with a maximum range of 350 km on September 24 ended in an embarassing failure as the missile dropped off a few seconds after its launch from Integrated Test Range in Chandipur-on-sea of Orissa. DRDO had blamed the failure of the rocket engine on the failure.






DRDO sources said the faults in Prithvi-II has been rectified and the improved version would now be test-fired on December 22 and 24.


Bhubaneswar.




On December 11, the maiden testfiring of Agni-II Prime, a two-stage, surface-to-surface missile with a range of about 2,500 km failed as it veered off its trajectory and fell into the sea. Agni-II Prime was meant to fill the gap in the range between Agni-II and Agni-III.

 

[sesha_maruthi27]

Nice to hear this news. Good JOB by the DRDO..........:emot112:

 

[Patriot]

India Thought Leaders: India will need $8.8b worth of missiles & systems in 5 years: Chander

India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has set its sights on some big-ticket missile projects, driven by a new philosophy aimed at combating program delays, cost overruns and controversies. The man in the thick of the action is Avinash Chander, director of DRDO's Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), who has been developing some critical programs, especially the Agni class of missiles. With industry showing signs of confidence in being party to India's future missile missions, Chander feels the time has finally arrived to step on the gas with renewed focus. "There were many issues in the past with our missile programs and we have analyzed them all threadbare. It is an era of collaboration, sharing one's strength. DRDO, [for] its part, has also realized that the success mantra for our survival is to deliver quality products on time," Avinash tells Aviation Week during the India Thought Leaders (ITL) interview series.
AW: What kind of potential are we looking at for India's missile programs?
A.C: For the first time, India is seeing a huge potential in missile programs. It is predicted that we will need Rs 40,000 crore ($8.8 billion) worth of missiles and systems in the next five years. We haven't seen this kind of a magnitude before. There's a huge potential for long, medium, [and] short-range surface-to-air missiles (LR-SAM, MR-SAM and SR-SAM). Then there's a need to develop more anti-tank and anti-radar missiles. Another area in focus is precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and shoulder-fired weapons. The list is long and we have to work concurrently to meet the needs.









http://tarmak007.blogspot.com/2010/12/india-thought-leaders-india-will-need.html

 

[nitesh]

good achievement:

http://tarmak007.blogspot.com/2010/12/us-firm-to-ink-tot-pact-for-explosive.html
US firm to ink ToT pact for Explosive Detection Kit, says DRDO

An American firm has shown keen interest in the Explosive Detection Kit (EDK) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). An agreement on Transfer of Technology is likely to be signed soon between the two sides.

Costing about Rs 5,000 a piece, the EDK is being commercially made by Noida-based Vantage Integrated Security Solutions Pvt Ltd under a Transfer of Technology pact with the DRDO. It is being widely used by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads of the Army, Paramilitary and state Police Forces in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The American firm is soon to enter into an MoU with the DRDO, which has patented its EDK. "The Americans have their own EDK kits but the foreign technology has certain drawbacks, for example they lack confirmatory test," said Reny Roy, a scientist at the HEMRL. "Since they use a test paper instead of liquid drops, that's another disadvantage as the test paper is not long lasting and gets torn," she added.Following the success of the EDK, scientists at HEMRL, Pune have now developed an aerosol based EDK kit that costs around the same price as the conventional EDK kit and has the advantage of being more portable, convenient and trendy. Another Use-and-Throw kit with reagents packed in the kind of medicinal injection bottles has also been produced, the cost of which works out around Rs.1,800 for each set. "I got the idea for making an EDK kit in pellets form when I saw my daughter working with her colour palette," says a blushing Roy.

 

[nitesh]

http://www.india-defence.com/reports-4915
DRDO Aerostat Radars Undergoing Full Payload Trials at ADRDE Labs

Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has developed the Aerostat radar which will help strengthen the air defence network of the armed forces and boost the country's surveillance and air defence capabilities. Developed by DRDO's Agra-based Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) laboratory, the Aerostat is undergoing final trials with full payload and is expected to be delivered to the armed forces in the near future, DRDO officials said.

 

[Rahul Singh]

DRDO develops Aerostat "Akashdeep".

India's Akashdeep is ready: DRDO's Agra lab tests critical surveillance technologies successfully on Aerostat

DRDO is scheduled to demonstrate the features of its Aerostat (Akashdeep) in Agra to the Media on December 28.

The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)'s Agra-based lab -- the Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment (ADRDE) – has successfully tested and flown some critical technologies on Aerostat(s) developed for various surveillance purposes.

ADRDE Director Balraj Gupta confirms to Aviation Week\Tarmak007 on December 27 that the scientists have completed successful testing of electro-optical payload and COMINT (communication intelligence) systems onboard the Aerostat, which carries the Indian name Akashdeep. "We are planning to conduct a live trial of Akashdeep for a select-group of media and invitees tomorrow (December 28). We have a blanket clearance to go up to a maxim altitude of 100 m and above that we need special clearances from the local Indian Air Force station here," Balraj said.

The lab has been working in the field of parachutes, lighter than air (LTA) systems, floatation systems and aircraft arrester barriers for a long time now. It has also developed and supplied various types of parachutes for wide range of applications, like: paradropping men\weapons\combat vehicles and stores etc. The lab has also supplied braking systems for fighter aircraft, recovery of payloads pertaining to missiles, UAV and spacecrafts.

Over the last few years, ADRDE has diversified in the field of LTA technologies and developed small and medium size Aerostats. "Recently, we have successfully test flown a medium-sized, helium-filled Aerostat up to one km at Agra. A number of state-of-the-art technologies have been developed for the platform, including aerodynamic design of balloon, fabrics, fabrication, hydraulic winch, electro optic tether, high pressure helium cylinder manifold and active pressure control system," Balraj said.

Bangalore head-quartered Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and its Hyderabad division played a pivotal role in the development of Aerostat along with a multiple DRDO labs and large\medium-sized industrial partners in India.

A DRDO official attached to its HQ in New Delhi says that the payload for the Aerostat was taken from India's Nishant UAV for technology demonstration. "We are working on independent systems and payloads for the Aerostat, but our mission was to prove the effectiveness of these platforms and our capabilities. We are now confident that the platforms can take the actual payload and beam output through various sensors," the official said.

Aviation aficionadas will get an upclose of the home-grown Aerostat during the 2011 Aero India. ADRDE is also in the process of exploiting this airborne platform with radar payloads, too. "In future, in addition to Indian armed forces, these platforms will also be used for civilian applications and disaster management," says sources.

 

[SHASH2K2]

So finally Aerostat is out in the open after spending so much time in hanger. Its really painful to see something as simple as this taking so much of time. There is definitely a problem with our country .

 

[nitesh]

http://tarmak007.blogspot.com/2010/12/indias-akashdeep-is-ready-drdos-agra.html

The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)'s Agra-based lab -- the Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment (ADRDE) – has successfully tested and flown some critical technologies on Aerostat(s) developed for various surveillance purposes.
ADRDE Director Balraj Gupta confirms to Aviation Week\Tarmak007 on December 27 that the scientists have completed successful testing of electro-optical payload and COMINT (communication intelligence) systems onboard the Aerostat, which carries the Indian name Akashdeep. "We are planning to conduct a live trial of Akashdeep for a select-group of media and invitees tomorrow (December 28). We have a blanket clearance to go up to a maxim altitude of 100 m and above that we need special clearances from the local Indian Air Force station here," Balraj said.