Rustom 2/TAPAS/BH-201 MALE UAV News Updates and Discussions

[WolfPack86]

BREAKING: A @DRDO_India Rustom-II drone has crashed during flight test at Chitradurga, Karnataka, reports @BangaloreMirror.

 

[Skdas]

Fir se...?

And those sand niggas used theres travel 1500Km and bomb the siht out of Saudi Oil reserves. This really puts things in perspective.

 

[sorcerer]

Better now during testing phase rather than after induction.

DRDO's unmanned aircraft Rustom 2 crashes in Karnataka's Chitradurga

Reported By: Jaipal Sharma | Written By: Zee Media Bureau | Edited By: Ipsita Sarkar | Updated: Sep 17, 2019, 09:57 AM IST
BENGALURU: The Defence Research Development Organisation's (DRDO's) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Rustom-II crashed at Jodi Chikkana Halli in Karnataka's Chitradurga district on Tuesday morning. The aircraft's test flight was underway at Challakere Aeronautical Test Range, an outdoor testing and evaluating facility of the DRDO, when the incident took place.

Initially, the crash created panic among villagers and they rushed to the spot to save the passengers. To their utmost surprise, no person was inside or around the UAV. Soon, a large crowd gathered around the unmanned aircraft with many villagers clicking selfies till DRDO officials and police reached the spot.


The DRDO had first displayed Rustom 2 at Defexp-2014 in the national capital and successfully flew the aircraft at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Chalakere at Chitradurga for the first time in February 2018.


Rustom 2 is a Medium-Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle and is expected to replace the Heron UAVs currently in service with the Indian armed forces.


It has been developed to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles for the armed forces with an endurance of 24 hours. The UAV is capable of carrying different combinations of payloads like synthetic aperture radar, electronic intelligence systems and situational awareness payloads.

The UAV has been designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru and aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd to fulfill the requirements of the Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force, said the DRDO in a previous statement.

https://zeenews.india.com/india/drd...rashes-in-karnatakas-chitradurga-2234885.html


Video of Rustom-2 spinning out of control.

Errrmmm..... Some report say its the TAPAS UAV..
well!! is it another version of Rustom?

 

[Chinmoy]

Errrmmm..... Some report say its the TAPAS UAV..
well!! is it another version of Rustom?

Rustom-2 known as Tapas.

Please enter a message with at least 30 characters.

 

[vishnugupt]

After watching crash video it seems, crash was due to one of engine failure.

 

[WolfPack86]

Mobile video captures the Rustom-2 spinning out of control and crashing today. The @DRDO_India is on site to begin an accident investigation.

 

[amit19]

Better now during testing phase rather than after induction.

DRDO's unmanned aircraft Rustom 2 crashes in Karnataka's Chitradurga

Reported By: Jaipal Sharma | Written By: Zee Media Bureau | Edited By: Ipsita Sarkar | Updated: Sep 17, 2019, 09:57 AM IST
BENGALURU: The Defence Research Development Organisation's (DRDO's) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Rustom-II crashed at Jodi Chikkana Halli in Karnataka's Chitradurga district on Tuesday morning. The aircraft's test flight was underway at Challakere Aeronautical Test Range, an outdoor testing and evaluating facility of the DRDO, when the incident took place.

Initially, the crash created panic among villagers and they rushed to the spot to save the passengers. To their utmost surprise, no person was inside or around the UAV. Soon, a large crowd gathered around the unmanned aircraft with many villagers clicking selfies till DRDO officials and police reached the spot.


The DRDO had first displayed Rustom 2 at Defexp-2014 in the national capital and successfully flew the aircraft at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Chalakere at Chitradurga for the first time in February 2018.


Rustom 2 is a Medium-Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle and is expected to replace the Heron UAVs currently in service with the Indian armed forces.


It has been developed to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles for the armed forces with an endurance of 24 hours. The UAV is capable of carrying different combinations of payloads like synthetic aperture radar, electronic intelligence systems and situational awareness payloads.

The UAV has been designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru and aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd to fulfill the requirements of the Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force, said the DRDO in a previous statement.

https://zeenews.india.com/india/drd...rashes-in-karnatakas-chitradurga-2234885.html


Video of Rustom-2 spinning out of control.

good thing is at least nobody got hurt on the ground!

<BS start>
if possible they should add a big para-shoot ... so that if it starts crashing the para will safely land the bird on ground ... just kidding :biggrin2:
<BS ends>

 

[ezsasa]

good thing is at least nobody got hurt on the ground!

<BS start>
if possible they should add a big para-shoot ... so that if it starts crashing the para will safely land the bird on ground ... just kidding :biggrin2:
<BS ends>

It’s a legit ask, and such a product already exists.

 

[amit19]

It’s a legit ask, and such a product already exists.

GREAT FIND !

Will be interesting to see if this para-shoot thing is workable for bigger UAVs as well.

 

[mist_consecutive]

Mobile video captures the Rustom-2 spinning out of control and crashing today. The @DRDO_India is on site to begin an accident investigation.

Case of engine failure. Went to stall speed and pilot tried to increase speed by powering the other engine, lead to uncontrollable stall spin.

These days nearly all the twin-engined planes have the capability to glide with failure of one engine. Which means engines of RUSTOM - 2 are underpowered.

 

[vampyrbladez]

Could it have been sabotage???

India is likely to buy only naval surveillance drones from the United States, scaling back its plans after holding talks on acquiring armed Predator drones under the foreign military sales route.

The two sides have been discussing a $2 billion deal for unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) but a lack of interest from the Indian Air Force and commitment to an indigenous programme by the Indian Army are likely to come in the way, people aware of the matter told ET on condition of anonymity.

The army has pledged to procure over 80 of the Rustom 2 drones that are under development and are being weaponised by the DRDO.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/de...y-naval-uavs-from-us/articleshow/70882886.cms

 

[vampyrbladez]

Case of engine failure. Went to stall speed and pilot tried to increase speed by powering the other engine, lead to uncontrollable stall spin.

These days nearly all the twin-engined planes have the capability to glide with failure of one engine. Which means engines of RUSTOM - 2 are underpowered.

They were probably testing the single engine recovery mode. This was after all a maiden test as per news reports.

The UAV, according to district officials, was on a maiden flight experiment and DRDO officials alerted the local police soon after the UAV lost contact with radar.

https://www.deccanherald.com/state/...crashes-in-karnatakas-chitradurga-761936.html

 

[vampyrbladez]

They were probably testing the single engine recovery mode. This was after all a maiden test as per news reports.



https://www.deccanherald.com/state/...crashes-in-karnatakas-chitradurga-761936.html

UPDATE :

This was probably the first flight of the 4th pre - production prototype. "TAPAS-04-19" aka 4th model and year of manufacture is 2019. The wing has "TAPAS-04" above the ADE (Aeronautical Development Establishment) roundel in Hindi.

This could be the maiden flight being talked about.

 

[IndianHawk]

Could it have been sabotage???





https://m.economictimes.com/news/de...y-naval-uavs-from-us/articleshow/70882886.cms

Don't think so. It's still in testing they maybe pushing flight envelope or using new algorithms. So many things could go wrong.

It's good that they are testing thoroughly and aggressively. Crash is simply a learning curve .

 

[vampyrbladez]

Don't think so. It's still in testing they maybe pushing flight envelope or using new algorithms. So many things could go wrong.

It's good that they are testing thoroughly and aggressively. Crash is simply a learning curve .

How much do you think it will affect the program? Given that this may be the 4th prototype, they already have a production line going.

 

[patriots]

How much do you think it will affect the program? Given that this may be the 4th prototype, they already have a production line going.

Definitely this will delay the user. Trial

Which is going to happen on octOcto

 

[vishnugupt]

Now we will see the flood of articles for UAV requirements for Forces and they all will point toward the crash of Rustom 2 and justify why India should buy Foreign UAV of urgent basis. Armed forces must have started formulating RFI and soon they will present to MOD. you will see, every article for the next 20 years will mention about this crash like INSAS eject oil in soldier's eyes and its magazine cracks easily in winter

 

[Armand2REP]

Now we will see the flood of articles for UAV requirements for Forces and they all will point toward the crash of Rustom 2 and justify why India should buy Foreign UAV of urgent basis. Armed forces must have started formulating RFI and soon they will present to MOD. you will see, every article for the next 20 years will mention about this crash like INSAS eject oil in soldier's eyes and its magazine cracks easily in winter

Has anyone stopped to think that it might have been a bird strike? If so it would hardly delay the programme.

 

[vishnugupt]

Has anyone stopped to think that it might have been a bird strike? If so it would hardly delay the programme.

You might be correct even after seeing the video it looks like one engine failed but you know how propaganda runs.
I have seen a lot of soldiers with INSAS and I haven't noticed oil stains on their face but still, INSAS eject oil into soldiers eye. neither I noticed cracked magazine. But when we see an article about INSAS these two things always there

 

[WolfPack86]

India may go for only Naval UAVs from US, IAF backs out
India is likely to buy only naval surveillance drones from the United States, scaling back its plans after holding talks on acquiring armed Predator drones under the foreign military sales route.

The two sides have been discussing a $2 billion deal for unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) but a lack of interest from the Indian Air Force and commitment to an indigenous programme by the Indian Army are likely to come in the way, people aware of the matter told ET on condition of anonymity.

The Indian Navy has an interest in acquiring US-made surveillance drones as it needs more assets for maritime domain awareness in the region, said the people. However, this requirement is for a long endurance, unarmed drone that can work in coordination with other surveillance platforms like the Boeing P8I aircraft, they said.


The navy is likely to go ahead with a limited purchase option of 10 Sea Guardian drones that are interoperable with other US assets in the region. The activation of the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) will help the navy exploit the platforms for joint surveillance and intelligence sharing.

Officials said the air force has not been keen on an offer of 10 armed Predator or Avenger drones from the US as it finds their cost prohibitive and does not see them useful in the context of its operational role in the region.

An armed drone would have been of little help in an operation like the Balakot air strikes, said an expert, since the relatively low speed aircraft would have given the enemy enough warning to launched counter measures. Besides, drones are easy to shoot down in enemy airspace with anti-aircraft systems and the air force feels that resources could be better utilised by shoring up fighter jet strength in the fleet.

“These drones cost almost as much as a Rafale fighter jet and are not equipped to operate in a contested air space scenario like the one we are in,” said an official.

The air force is also committed to a project with Israel to upgrade and weaponise the Heron drones that are already in service. Similarly, there has not been keen interest by the army on a proposal to acquire 10 of the armed drones as it is committed to an indigenous project by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The army has pledged to procure over 80 of the Rustom 2 drones that are under development and are being weaponised by the DRDO.
http://defencenews.in/article/India-may-go-for-only-Naval-UAVs-from-US,-IAF-backs-out-586787