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

Prashant12

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Rustom-2 (Tapas) flies on SATCOM mode.




Rustom-II (Tapas), the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Aeronautical Development Establishment flew in the Satellite Communication (SATCOM) mode for the first time.

Sources at DRDO headquarters confirm that the UAV also flew with the long range electro optical payload. They claim that these two capabilities are not available on the Heron and Searcher UAVs being operated by the tri-Services now.
https://www.onmanorama.com/news/nation/2020/07/31/india-must-leapfrog-in-military-technologies-air-marshal-suresh.html
 

Shadow

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Abhi iske baad aur kaun kaunsa test baki hai b4 it gets operationalised??

Rustom-2 (Tapas) flies on SATCOM mode.




Rustom-II (Tapas), the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Aeronautical Development Establishment flew in the Satellite Communication (SATCOM) mode for the first time.

Sources at DRDO headquarters confirm that the UAV also flew with the long range electro optical payload. They claim that these two capabilities are not available on the Heron and Searcher UAVs being operated by the tri-Services now.
https://www.onmanorama.com/news/nat...military-technologies-air-marshal-suresh.html
 

WolfPack86

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TAPAS BH-201 tested with SATCOM

Rustom-II (Tapas), the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Aeronautical Development Establishment flew in the Satellite Communication (SATCOM) mode for the first time. Sources at DRDO headquarters confirm that the UAV also flew with the long range electro optical payload. They claim that these two capabilities are not available on the Heron and Searcher UAVs being operated by the tri-Services now. The future of this UAV programme is still unclear, with the Services yet to give any firm commitment. Sources say the Tapas team is determined to prove several new capabilities during the next set of trials.
 

fire starter

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Cold weather, hot weather, from high altitude areas, monsoon, spring, desert, mountains, ocean, island, high winds, low winds, with flat tyre, with full fuel, half fuel.... and many many more.
good thing is that we are getting data which will help us to develop more bigger UAV in short period.
 

Tuco

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good thing is that we are getting data which will help us to develop more bigger UAV in short period.
Yes sir, specially ghatak. But operational experience matters much too. So unless they are inducted in a timely manner we will see a repeat of things.
 

Raj Malhotra

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Atleast with Rustom-2, the whole credit for Mess up goes to DRDO & HAL. They won in a tender against L&T in 2009, had to complete whole programme by 2015 but are running 10 years late. Aircraft is overweight, engine is low power piston, while design is sub optimal. Hence dead end. ADE has failed in all programmes inspite of getting very prestigious projects.
 

proud_indian

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Atleast with Rustom-2, the whole credit for Mess up goes to DRDO & HAL. They won in a tender against L&T in 2009, had to complete whole programme by 2015 but are running 10 years late. Aircraft is overweight, engine is low power piston, while design is sub optimal. Hence dead end. ADE has failed in all programmes inspite of getting very prestigious projects.
what tender are you talking about?
 

Dash4119

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Such media reports should not be believed.
India has almost developed tapas drone which has more features like SATCOM and more endurance so why India would buy a foreign drone ?
Such drones have been purchased by India in the past, the drones built-in India don't have the required striking capabilities compared to the Israeli and American counterparts. Moreover, India will be manufacturing
drones with the help of IAI in India, they are not buying drones they are manufacturing them in India with the help of a private company. Tapas drone may or may not suffice the need for a UCAV even after 20 years of the project
 

airtel

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Such drones have been purchased by India in the past, the drones built-in India don't have the required striking capabilities compared to the Israeli and American counterparts. Moreover, India will be manufacturing
drones with the help of IAI in India, they are not buying drones they are manufacturing them in India with the help of a private company. Tapas drone may or may not suffice the need for a UCAV even after 20 years of the project

In the past we had no drone but in the future we may build many good drones including tapas .

What do you mean by manufacturing , the correct term is licence production ; it will still be called purchase , just like we are doing licence production of sukhoi 30 mki in India .


Tapas is not the only drone project in India , we have many more under development by many government and private companies .
 

airtel

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Atleast with Rustom-2, the whole credit for Mess up goes to DRDO & HAL. They won in a tender against L&T in 2009, had to complete whole programme by 2015 but are running 10 years late. Aircraft is overweight, engine is low power piston, while design is sub optimal. Hence dead end. ADE has failed in all programmes inspite of getting very prestigious projects.

Let them develop the technologies like SATCOM , flight control system , datalink, automatic landing and take off , radars etc ,
Engines can be changed there is nothing special about these engines ; weight can be decreased too by using better manufacturing process .
The important things are it's electronics and Software , let these things mature properlyl

PS : here is the photo of more powerful engine for tapas drone which is under development by DRDO.

 
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FOXBAT ALOK

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Rustom-H UAV spotted with It’s EO System & SATCOM Link
source : https://defenceview.in/rustom-h-uav-spotted-with-its-eo-system-satcom-link/



The Rustom-H, India’s Medium Altitude Long Endurance [MALE] Unmanned Aerial Vehicle [UAV] is now under test with enhanced set of capabilities.​

Recently, for the first time it flew with a Gimbal-mounted Electro-Optical [EO] Sensor Payload & was able to “talk” to it’s human operators via onboard Satellite Communication [SATCOM] system.​

Rustom-H MALE UAV - EO System - SATCOM Link - ADE - India - 01
7 years ago, it’s principal developer, the Aeronautical Development Establishment [ADE], had tapped into the Indian Private Sector for the development of a secure SATCOM link. The Instruments Research and Development Establishment [IRDE] is believed to have developed the EO package.

ADE-Rustom-II-UAV-India-R



These are significant expansions in the Rustom’s capability envelope. While the EO sensors enhances the quality of it’s ISR missions, the SATCOM would permit exploitation of the UAV’s full operational range, allowing human intervention at any point.​


A progressively maturing programme, occasional hiccups notwithstanding.​
 

Okabe Rintarou

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Let them develop the technologies like SATCOM , flight control system , datalink, automatic landing and take off , radars etc ,
Engines can be changed there is nothing special about these engines ; weight can be decreased too by using better manufacturing process .
The important things are it's electronics and Software , let these things mature properlyl

PS : here is the photo of more powerful engine for tapas drone which is under development by DRDO.

In all fairness, one design engineer from the Tapas/Rustom project did accept his mistake of trying to go with a twin-engine configuration for Rustom which, he says, caused the entire system to become chronically overweight thereby delaying the project.
I don't like those who criticize DRDO without reason, but @Raj Malhotra is correct here. Rustom being delayed is DRDO's own unforced error.
 

Tuco

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In all fairness, one design engineer from the Tapas/Rustom project did accept his mistake of trying to go with a twin-engine configuration for Rustom which, he says, caused the entire system to become chronically overweight thereby delaying the project.
I don't like those who criticize DRDO without reason, but @Raj Malhotra is correct here. Rustom being delayed is DRDO's own unforced error.
This was said by them while giving presentation in airshow Bangalore, I think a couple of years back they also said they are planning to redesign it.
 

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