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mist_consecutive

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If there is no need to re discover the wheel, then why import the wheel? Why not try to make it inhouse?

Reason. The profit margin would come down drastically in such a scenario and gestation period would be too high. Example- DRDO WhAP/TATA Kestrel.
So the easiest way out is to partner a established firm and make profit with valuable outflow of money. From business point of view there is no problem, but when you talk from technical point of view, even after being in vehicle manufacturing, we are trying to reinvent wheel here from a foreign OEM.

We already have a platform in form of Casspir in operation. We could have learnt and worked on that in terms of design and metallurgy part. But .......
If OFB would have done the same, people would have drawn out sword. But when Kalyani is doing the same?

I am not against the deal here nor against the platform. But Baba turned out to be a disappointment for me. He too preferred screwdriver-giri instead of investing in R&D.
If there is no need to re discover the wheel, then why import the wheel? Why not try to make it inhouse?
It will be made in-house by Kalyani?


Reason. The profit margin would come down drastically in such a scenario and gestation period would be too high. Example- DRDO WhAP/TATA Kestrel.
So the easiest way out is to partner a established firm and make profit with valuable outflow of money. From business point of view there is no problem, but when you talk from technical point of view, even after being in vehicle manufacturing, we are trying to reinvent wheel here from a foreign OEM.

We already have a platform in form of Casspir in operation. We could have learnt and worked on that in terms of design and metallurgy part. But .......
If OFB would have done the same, people would have drawn out sword. But when Kalyani is doing the same?
We bought Cassipir, and then OFB made it into Aditya MPV, which is being operated in large numbers. I see this as a win-win.
Of course, if we start re-inventing the wheel, we might get breakthrough discoveries around it, file patents, and improve our manufacturing. But that is the work of DRDO Labs/Universities, and that takes time.

If we let Kalyani/Tata/Mahindra bring supply lines into India, set up manufacturing, and start producing here, there are numerous advantages apart from getting a proprietary technology/patent.
  • We set up the necessary ecosystem in India for manufacturing armoured vehicles. For example, after some time, to push profit margins higher, Kalyani/Private manufacturers will turn to local vendors/in-house manufacturing for parts & raw material that are being imported.
  • We not only generate jobs but train workforce & experts upon these technology & manufacturing. That is where you get skilled labour. This will also bud entrepreneurs trying to create a breakthrough in this field.
  • We have the freedom to manufacture & modify according to our needs. Which is a big deal only some people realise. It also means we can choose to sell or ramp up production during our needs.
I am not against the deal here nor against the platform. But Baba turned out to be a disappointment for me. He too preferred screwdriver-giri instead of investing in R&D.
There are some ideal goals, and there are realistic goals. The ideal goal is we invent the APC platform from scratch, everything from metallurgy to the relaxed-stability suspension being our R&D. But that takes like 25-30 years and a lot of $$$.

Realistic goals are, we buy/copy/steal/JV existing technology & try to make it in-house because our army needs them now, while trying our best to learn & improve upon it.
 

sorcerer

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World-Class Dredgers will be made in India soon


Memorandum of Understandings signed between Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) and largest dredger maker of the world, Royal IHC Holland BV, in the presence of Shri Mansukh Mandaviya Minister of State (I/C) for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Mr Marten van den Berg, Ambassador of Netherlands in New Delhi today.

"As part of Government of India’s thrust on Blue Economy, there is an ever-increasing demand to develop and maintain existing major ports, building new ports, offshore resource exploration, deployment of ultra-mega-size vessels, promotion of tourism, and beach nourishment. Considering India's vast coastline of over 7,500 km along the east and west coasts this would in turn lead to significant dredging in the country. This partnership will help the country grow." said Shri Mansukh Mandaviya.


"CSL and IHC Holland BV have arrived at an understanding to work together to provide locally built world-class dredgers. High-capacity dredgers in the range of 8000 Cu Meter to 12,000 Cu Meter are complex equipment being built in India for the first time. It is also significant that IHC Holland BV, the world leaders in design and construction of dredgers are also part of the Make in India initiative. For the first time three giants in the industry are joining hands for making world class dredgers within India. This initiative is concrete proof of the Ministry, CSL and DCI's commitment to the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat, and sets a benchmark in building capabilities within India drive 'Make in India' said Shri Madhu S Nair, Chairman and Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard.


The MoU of CSL with Royal IHC would be a great opportunity for India to showcase the capability under ‘Make In India’ and establish the capability to construct such large dredgers. M/s IHC, Holland, is the world leader with largest market share in the world for the design and construction of dredgers and is renowned worldwide for their quality and performance. M/s IHC is an integrated solution provider and is much ahead of any competitor in knowledge, expertise, technology, Research & Development, Innovation etc. in the field of Dredger design and construction.





The MoU of CSL and DCI, in turn would necessitate procurement of additional high- capacity dredgers. The decision to get the vessels constructed in India is in line with the ‘Atamanirbhar Bharat’ vision of the Government of India. Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) controls the majority of the maintenance dredging market in India and dredging services for the major ports. With increased dredging requirements on the East & West Coast of India, being projected as part of Port developments, DCI envisages a requirement to increase their dredging capacity. With more infrastructure projects on the anvil across the major Ports in India, the requirement of such dredgers in the future can also be met in India once we acquire the expertise. This joint effort by CSL and DCI sets a precedent for Indian private and public players to build large complex vessels at global standards in India, and extend support to Government of India’s vision of building an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
 

Arihant Roy

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Indian Army starts process of acquiring 556 Augmented Reality Head Mounted Display ARHMD Systems under Make-II Category. After successful evaluation of responses, Project Sanction Order has been issued on 22 Feb'21 to 6 vendors to start developing the prototype.

The Augmented Reality Head Mounted Display System is conceived as capability enhancement to Land Based Air Defence Weapon Systems such as IGLA shoulder fired SAM & ZU-23mm 2B AD Gun System which will provide the operator with radar/Thermal Imaging sight outputs as overlays.

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Karthi

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1-1-1.jpg



India’s $3-billion ISTAR Takes Shape, MoD Clearance This Year

The Indian government is all set to clear paperwork in the coming months to acquire a U.S. ISTAR (Intelligence Surveillance Targeting and Reconnaissance) battlefield and ground surveillance aircraft platform, the first step towards a larger joint project that will see India’s Defence Research & Development Organisation develop sensor technologies for an additional four aircraft. A model of proposed Indian ISTAR jet was displayed for the first time at the Aero India 2021 show earlier this month, which is a signal that things are on track after a troubled journey thus far.

The first official literature on the Indian ISTAR describes it as ‘cutting edge technologies for the nation in support of precision strike’. That the speeding up of the program has happened in the aftermath of the Balakot air strikes by India on Pakistan is no coincidence. Tomorrow marks two years since the military operation that saw Indian Air Force jets, supported by Indian airborne surveillance assets, striking terrorist targets deep in on Pakistani soil. Laboratory literature on the Indian ISTAR program goes on to say, ‘ISTAR is a MULTI INT Solution capable of exploiting image, SIGINT and track info from sensors and provide actionable intelligence for tactical and strategic advantage.’

In 2019, a Livefist newsbreak had revealed that efforts to acquire ISTAR aircraft had been bedeviled by a DRDO-Indian Air Force turf war over testing. Since then, the Indian and US governments have managed to bring things back from the brink. Sources familiar with the Indian ISTAR program confirm that paperwork to support the Indian MoD’s procurement clearance is under creation and will be moved by the middle of this year. The Indian Air Force is said to have expressed urgency in the program, and has provided full backing to the indigenous ISTAR as a priority future asset.

In the mean time, work on the Indian ISTAR’s radar, electronic intelligence, communication intelligence and other sensors has already begun at the DRDO’s Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), with two years of work already in. The team that developed the Netra AEW&C airborne system in service with the Indian Air Force has now been split into two expanded teams — one focused on the ISTAR program, and the other working on the Netra Mk.2, a program where the existing Netra radar system will be integrated with pre-owned Air India A320 passenger jets. Livefist has detailed that latter program here.

Described by the DRDO as a ‘system of systems’, the ISTAR comprises airborne and ground segments based on a ‘high altitude, high endurance, transport jet’ sporting very high resolution imagery from long range SAR and EO/IR, ground moving target detection of slow moving objects, the ability to track mobile ground targets, map natural disasters, area monitor vessels, monitor activities near border and littoral areas. It also states that the ‘multi intelligence system’ uses AI/ML/DL to infer actionable Intelligence IMINT and SIGINT information to form a common operating picture (COP).

A formal decision hasn’t been taken yet, the Indian ISTAR — like the U.S. aircraft to be procured under the Defence Technology & Trade Initiative (DTTI) — will be based on the Bombardier Global Express business jet platform. A separate procurement of four jets will commence as the program matures in the next two years. Much of the work done on the Netra Mk.1 AEW&C program will expectedly flow into the DRDO’s ISTAR, though a large number of Indian private start-up companies have been enlisted to contribute to the indigenous software architecture will be proprietary to Indian battlefield and ground surveillance needs.

Apart from airborne intelligence aircraft operated by India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), the Indian Air Force currently operates three Phalcon AWACS (with two more to be contracted) and two DRDO-Embraer Netra AEW&C jet. A third of the type is being used by the DRDO as a sensor testbed. The DRDO was earlier also developing an AWACS system based on the Airbus A330 widebody jet platform, though that has, at the very least, been pushed down the priority ladder, if not shelved for now. On the other hand, with priority backing, and transactional muscle provided by the India-US relationship, the ISTAR program is expected to move smoothly forward.

Live Fist
 

Karthi

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Dear members Need a Help here, for long range surveillance radar India issued tenders few years back (may be in 2013-14) 3 companies with their radar participated . EL/M-2288 AD-STAR, THALES-built Ground Master 400, and SELEX RAT-31SL does any body of you know anything about the process , i think no one is selected till 2019
 

WarriorIndian

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Dear members Need a Help here, for long range surveillance radar India issued tenders few years back (may be in 2013-14) 3 companies with their radar participated . EL/M-2288 AD-STAR, THALES-built Ground Master 400, and SELEX RAT-31SL does any body of you know anything about the process , i think no one is selected till 2019
Not sure if you are talking about Swordfish here.
 

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