India Pushing Russia For Faster Development For Stealth Aircraft As Rafale Deal Stuck

Faced with delays over its biggest airforce deal, a worried Indian government has asked Russia to expedite production of the planned fifth-generation fighter aircraft and given up its earlier condition that it should be a 50-50 joint venture, a report says.
The deal for buying 126 Rafale fighter aircraft from France's Dassault has been delayed over negotiations over the $11 billion price tag and guarantees over quality. This has delayed India's plans to expand its airforce at a time it is underprepared.
The government has asked Russia to speed up the development process of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft, Su-35S, and has agreed to drop some crucial conditions in return. For instance, India is no longer insisting that all aircraft be built by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics. According to a source quoted in the report, India has agreed to the existing practice of importing the initial lot of the fighter aircrafts and manufacturing the rest here under technology transfer programme. In return, India wants the first models to start arriving in 36 months, instead of the earlier eight years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing for higher manufacturing in India under the 'Make in India' initiative, and this move would go contrary to that. Given that the airforce wants to upgrade its squadrons urgently, this is not a surprising move. But the new timeframe that the report quotes is ambitious, given that the technology is the most complex in defence aviation.
Fifth-generation aircrafts have stealth, or the ability to avoid being detected by radars. Currently, the United States is the only country to possess such a combat aircraft, the F-35 joint strike fighter.
The Indian airforce has been struggling to build enough airforce squadrons to counter dual threats from China and Pakistan. India requires at least 45 squadrons to repel a joint attack by both countries but has only 25 active squadrons. 14 of those have old jets that are set to be taken out of service this year. The Rafale deal involves sale of 126 fighter fighter aircraft to help bridge the shortfall.
The airforce cannot afford to cancel the Rafale deal and go back to square one. “The air force can’t go through the process of selecting another aircraft,” said Manmohan Bahadur, a distinguished fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for Air Power Studies and a retired air vice marshal. “That would delay induction plans."
Nor can the Rafale be replaced with the Russian combat aircraft because the airforce needs both. "MMRCA and Sukhoi-30, the requirements are slightly different. And they have their own capabilities. They complement each other but do not replace each other," said Arup Raha, Air Chief Marshal, in this interview. MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) refers to Rafale. Sukhoi-30 is the fifth generation aircraft that Russia is building.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Paris in April, where this deal could come up for discussion. This was also one of the main points of discussion during French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Drian's recent visit to India and meetings with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar. But a clear timeline could not be established.
While Pakistan's airforce is still smaller than India's, China has raced ahead. It has built the world's third-largest airforce with about 1,900 fighter aircraft including its indigenously-developed J-31 fifth generation stealth model, which was unveiled last November.

 huffingtonpost

Israel, India about to start building MR-SAM system for the Indian army

India and Israel might soon start building a Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) system for the Indian Army in a bid to replace Russian-made air defense systems. "The Army has urgent requirement for one regiment (18 systems) of MRSAMs at worth of $1.5 billion, but the total requirement for these systems is about $6 billion," an Indian Army official was quoted.

The land version of MRSAM that has a range of up to 70 kilometers, is an extension of the ongoing Air Force MRSAM project, which is expected to begin induction by 2017 that is three years behind scheduled.

The Army mobile MRSAM systems will be produced together by India's defense research agency, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), and Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) of Israel.

Both sides will develop subsystems. The system will be produced by India's Bharat Dynamics, in participation with domestic private sector companies Tata Power SED and Larsen & Toubro, the source added.

MRSAM is useful for army to defend mechanized formations operating in the plains and desert regions of the country. First delivery is now expected by 2017.

Both the nations have jointly developed Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM) and have successfully tested it in 2014.

An Indian Army official said the service has needed a new surface-to-air missile system for more than a decade to replace Russian-made Kvadrat, SA-3B, and OSA-AKM systems bought between 1970 and 1980.

defencenews

HAL, Dassault to be ‘Joint Prime Contractors’ in Rafale MMRCA Deal: Eric Trappier

Dassault Aviation and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will be ‘joint prime contractors’ to manufacture 118 Rafale fighters in India clearing the way as to who will assume responsibility for timely delivery and quality of the aircraft.
Negotiations between Indian MoD and Dassault have been deadlocked over the past three years over various issues, many of which have been cleared but assuming responsibility for the aircraft made in India was considered the major stumbling block.
The decision on naming both companies’ as ‘joint prime contractors’ was described by Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier as a ‘new development’ implying that it may have been arrived at during the last few days or weeks.
If this is correct, then the last big hurdle to clear the US$20billion deal is on its way to be ironed out. Dassault as well as the Indian MoD are keen to decide on the deal before the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France in April where contract is likely to be signed.
Trappier, who had accompanied French President François Hollande on a visit to Dassault’s factory in Bordeaux today was quoted as saying in French media reports that he expects a second Rafale contract this year in addition to the one signed with Egypt.
“India existed before the Egyptian contract, so we must continue talks with India, and we know they will be long. We must also talk to other countries that have shown interest in the Rafale since the Egyptian contract, and we must neglect no lead,” Hollande said in a speech to Dassault employees as quoted in the French media.

French Submarine 'Sinks' Entire US Aircraft Carrier Group During Wargames

A series of joint naval drills between the United States and France recently didn’t quite turn out the way the US, no doubt, expected. The practice scenario ended with the French nuclear submarine that was acting the part of an enemy ship “sinking” the American aircraft carrier and most of its escort.

 The exercises took place over 10 days starting in mid-February off the coast of Florida. The French nuclear attack submarine (SNA) — named Saphir — joined US Carrier Strike Group 12, comprising the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (nicknamed the “Big Stick”), several Ticonderoga cruisers or Arleigh Burke destroyers and a Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine.

The exercises were meant to test the newly upgraded carrier, which had undergone a four year, $2.6 billion overhaul, ahead of the Strike Group’s deployment.
“We are going to experience real combat situations from all angles, there will be training evaluations from a hostile ship boarding, submarine attacks, and enemy ships or vessels trying impede their justice upon our strike group,” said Capt. Scott F. Robertson, of the USS Normandy in a statement about the exercises.
Better Friend Than Foe
And all those exercises went well while SNA Saphir was on the American side of the imaginary conflict, in which fictional states were attacking US economic and territorial interests. The French sub supported the American vessels in anti-submarine warfare drills.
However, the second phase of the exercises found the French ship playing on the enemy side, charged with a mission to find and attack the Theodore Roosevelt.
And so it did, sneaking deep into the defensive screen of the Strike Group, avoiding detection by the American anti-submarine warfare assets, and, on the last day of the drill, “sinking” the Roosevelt and most of it’s escort.
Aircraft Carriers Iconic, but Vulnerable, Naval Giants
Aircraft carriers travel with these escorts, and train with submarines, precisely because they are so vulnerable to submarine attacks, the USS Theodore Roosevelt proving no (theoretical) exception.
“For every sailor who’s not in a submarine, submarines are real scary,” writes David Axe at Real Clear Defense.
“Stealthy and heavily-armed, subs are by far the most powerful naval vessels in the world for full-scale warfare—and arguably the best way to sink those more obvious icons of naval power, aircraft carriers.”
The original report on the drills was published March 4 on the website of the French marines under the headline, “Le SNA Saphir en entraînement avec l’US Navy au large de la Floride,” but has since been removed. A link in a Marine National tweet about the drill likewise, leads to a blank page. Parts of the article, however, are reproduced in French language reports.

 SPUTNIK

The competition between India and China’s submarine fleet

China and India, the world’s two most populous states, share the world’s longest contested land border. The two nations also have the dubious distinction of being the largest weapons importers on earth.

Although China and India have attempted to improve relations, the two countries remain locked in a geopolitical struggle for influence. This competition has become especially apparent in Chinese and Indian designs for the Indian Ocean.

Both nations are aggressively seeking to expand their projected maritime power in the region, especially through the use of submarines. The following Reuters chart compares their submarine fleets.

In terms of both quantity and technological advancement, China’s submarine fleet drastically outperforms India’s. Beijing has nine nuclear submarines alone compared to India’s one nuclear Chakra sub.

The Chakra sub is an Akula-class Russian nuclear attack submarine that India is leasing for ten years, USNI News reports. China’s nuclear submarines, on the other hand, are a mixture of attack and ballistic missile vessels that were indigenously built.

Nuclear submarines are far superior to their diesel counterparts. Whereas nuclear submarines can stay submerged for months and are nearly silent, diesel subs are significantly louder and must surface more frequently for oxygen. All of this contributes towards diesel submarines being significantly less effective than nuclear submarines, which have a greater range and are more easy for the enemy to spot.

In response to a lack of effective subs, New Dehli has reached out to Japan on a possible initiative to build submarines in India, The Diplomat reports. This offer is part of a move by India to update its submarine fleet, and New Dehli is also considering acquiring submarines from France, Germany, Russia, and Spain.

India’s desire to acquire more submarines is closely related to concerns over China.

Beijing has been steadily investing in port installations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. These ports have allowed for Chinese merchant vessels, in addition to submarines and warships, to have safe harbor throughout the entirety of the Indian Ocean.

China recently raised Indian suspicions by docking submarines at the port of Colombo in nearby Sri Lanka, and there is concern that Beijing is trying to construct a “string of pearls” through the Indian Ocean in order to establish naval and commercial superiority on India’s strategic turf.

defencenews\business insider

Terminate the Rafale Deal

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha has repeatedly and publicly declared “there’s no Plan B”, that in effect it is Rafale or nothing with respect to the Indian Air Force’s dubious Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement. It merits his dismissal from service, because these words denote gross incompetence, failure to anticipate the unexpected and prepare for it—axiomatic in all military planning and, hence, of leadership. For every plan there is always an alternative plan of action in case things don’t work out as envisaged.
The absence of a fallback scheme is, of course, a ruse by Raha to pressurise the government into acceding to IAF’s wishes for the Rafale, despite defence minister Manohar Parrikar spelling out an alternative—the cost-effective, Nasik-produced Su-30MKI, which won’t require multi-billion dollar investment in another production facility and beats the French combat aircraft by any performance standard.
The prohibitive cost and questionable fighting qualities of the Rafale apart, the unwillingness of the French consortium headed by Dassault to guarantee the aircraft licence manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), and to fully meet transfer of technology (TOT) obligations involving Indian public and private sector entities directly or by way of offsets, too, are factors of serious concern. Source codes, flight control laws, and “black box” technologies, including all aspects of the engine, advanced sensors and avionics are likely to be left out of any TOT agreement or worse, paid for but not delivered, if previous defence deals are any guide. Dassault plans on supplying critical components and technologies for the entire production run of the “Indian-made” Rafale to ensure massive recurring profits, whence its insistence that its novice Indian partner, Reliance Aerospace, be part of the local production cycle. One other aspect is equally worrying. HAL assembling Rafale may face the kind of troubles Mazgaon Dockyard Ltd. is experiencing with the French Scorpene submarine where French vendors are delaying the supply of material and hence delaying induction and raising the direct and indirect costs.
The Price Negotiation Committees (PNCs) instituted by the defence ministry to hammer out contracts with foreign firms are to blame for such flawed transactions. Voluminous contracts are drawn up—the Rafale document reportedly exceeds 1,500 pages—but the use of indistinct language deliberately leaves large enough loopholes for even middling technologies, what to speak of the more sensitive “know why” knowledge, to be legitimately denied even as the suppliers pocket the monies the defence ministry is quick to disburse in full at the start. The PNCs need investigating, particularly for the vast leakage of the national wealth through this route.
A recent visit to HAL facilities by Dassault officials is a pointer to things to come. They complained to the US-based Defense News about the low productivity of HAL workforce and lack of economies of scale to argue that Indian-built Rafales will be costlier. Besides indicating that defence PSUs are not proficient in even the low-end screwdriver technology, the French hinted at further escalation of realistic cost beyond the presently estimated $30-$35 billion!
Flawed contracts drafted by PNCs that do not insist on penalties for time and cost overruns, and on staggered payments to fit delivery schedules, moreover, substantiate the fear repeatedly voiced by this analyst, of manipulation of assembly kits and spares supply, for foreign/economic policy reasons by France to ground the IAF squadrons at any time, is real. Such apprehensions are sought to be doused by Paris claiming that owing to TOT India will achieve “industrial autonomy”. But considering the guaranteed high level of French content in the supposedly “indigenous” Rafales, this is a laughable claim.

There are operational reasons as well why Rafale will be a liability. The IAF has always been wary of buying foreign aircraft accessible to its Pakistani counterpart. This was a reason for the rejection of F-16s as MMRCA given that they outfit the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) strike squadrons. Now consider this: Dassault is cock-a-hoop about the likely purchase by Qatar of some 66 Rafales. The Qatari Air Force (QAF) has traditionally been run by PAF pilots, with the understanding that these squadrons will switch to PAF use in any conflict with India. So, IAF Rafales will go up against Pakistani-flown Qatari Rafales that potentially will be better equipped and periodically upgraded with more sophisticated sensors, avionics, and weapons that Saudi Arabia will happily finance, as it did the $500 million deal for PAF’s F-16s and Pakistan’s acquisition of nuclear weapons and missile technologies from China. The Gulf regimes, after all, consider the Pakistan military their palace guard.
And, Rafales cannot be effectively used against China either. Why? Because, firstly, it will not survive sophisticated Chinese air defence; secondly, Dassault won’t allow the indigenous Brahmos supersonic cruise missile to take out targets inside China from standoff range to be integrated with it; and thirdly, because the Rafale is a compromised system for another reason. Pakistan is the prime conduit for Western military, especially aerospace, technologies to China. A Qatari Rafale will be disassembled in Pakistan for Chinese engineers to scrutinise, or wing its way to a Chengdu Aircraft Industry Groupsite for its best features and technologies to be reverse-engineered and incorporated in Chinese combat aircraft, and otherwise permit the Chinese military to familiarise itself with its technical weaknesses and configure appropriate counter-measures and counter-tactics.
Every demerit attends on the Rafale aircraft deal, including its outrageous cost and negligible effects in growing a self-sufficient Indian defence industry. It should be terminated also because of the country’s meagre resources—the capital defence budget of `94,588 crore for 2015-16 remains unchanged from last year, and careful inter se choices will have to be made from among myriad military procurement programmes. In the competition for the defence rupee, the Rafale is eminently expendable. It is time Parrikar told IAF, using the words of former US defence secretary Robert Gates, that “there’s no endless money”. If a Rafale deal is still signed to crown Narendra Modi’s April 10 visit to France, the government will have much to answer for.

 newindiaexpress

India’s Defense Minister Says Unclear When Rafale Deal to Be Finalized

Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said that it is yet unclear whether the deal on the deliveries of French Rafale fighter jets will be finalized before the April's visit of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France.

 It is yet unclear whether the deal on the deliveries of French Rafale fighter jets will be finalized before the April's visit of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar told Sputnik Wednesday."It's not clear," Manohar Parrikar said.Last Tuesday, Parrikar discussed the multibillion-Dollar Rafale deal with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian who came to India on official visit.

In 2012, French Dassault Aviation won a bid to supply 126 Rafale multirole combat aircraft to India.
However, on February 16, 2015 Indian Defense Ministry said that the $10-billion deal with France on the acquisition of Rafales was too expensive.
Local media outlets reported that India could pull out of a deal with France's Dassault and go for cheaper and more reliable Russian-designed Su-30s instead.

sputniknews

Rs 2,082 crore deal: Anil Ambani’s Reliance acquires Pipavav

In the biggest deal in the defence sector, billionaire Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure on Wednesday announced acquisition of controlling stake in Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering for up to Rs 2,082.3 crore. Reliance Infra will buy 18 per cent stake from promoter group led by Nikhil Gandhi at Rs 63 per share, aggregating to Rs 819 crore.

It will make an open offer for an additional 26 per cent shares at Rs 66 apiece, totalling Rs 1,263.3 crore. In case the open offer fails, Reliance Infra will acquire additional shares from promoters to ensure its shareholding is not less than 25.10 per cent.

Promoters at present hold 44.50 per cent stake in Pipavav Defence, which is reportedly is looking at debt recast. The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, which has announced foray into defence manufacturing, will buy 13 crore equity shares from promoters together with sole management control. The acquisition would be done by Reliance Infrastructure, together with its wholly owned subsidiary Reliance Defence Systems Pvt Ltd. Pursuant to the buyout resulting in a change in management and control of the Pipavav, Reliance Defence Systems Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure, made an open offer to acquire 26 per cent from public shareholders of the company at Rs 66 per share.

"As per the agreement with the promoters, Reliance will also acquire from them such number of additional equity shares of the company, at the same price of Rs 63 per share, as is required to ensure that Reliance's shareholding is not less than 25.10 per cent of the target company, after taking into account the acquisitions made under the open offer," a company statement said.

Post the transaction, the existing promoters of Pipavav Defence will continue to retain a minority stake in the company, together with two non-executive Board seats.

"The transaction is subject to certain conditions precedent and various statutory approvals," the statement said, adding Ambani will become chairman of Pipavav Defence.

Commenting on the transaction, Ambani said, "This is a unique opportunity for Reliance Group to participate in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' programme for the high-growth defence sector."

"We are confident that our strategic investment will create long term value for all stakeholders," he said.
Nikhil Gandhi, the founder promoter and chairman of Pipavav Defence, said: "This transaction is an endorsement of the vision we set out to achieve almost 10 years ago. Aside from the commonality of vision, we share a philosophy of long-term value creation for all stakeholders."

timesofindia

Tata Advanced Systems looks to manufacture planes in India

The Tata group is keen to make planes in India, venturing into an area where Indian companies have traditionally not done well. “Tata Advanced Systems now has the capability to build an entire aircraft structure,” said Sukaran Singh, chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). “In Hyderabad, we have now built capability and can build a full aircraft.” Singh said TASL is making parts of aircraft and wishes to send an aircraft out of India in a so-called fly-away condition over the next few years. India imports most of its civil and defence aircraft. The only aircraft manufacturer of note is the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. 
Over the past decade, the Tata group and the Mahindra group have gradually built a presence in the aerospace sector and have insinuated themselves into the global supply chain. The Tata group has four joint ventures— with American Lockheed Martin Corp., RUAG Aviation, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. With a base in Hyderabad, Tata is making Pilatus PC-12, Dornier 228, the main tail and fuselage parts of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules turboprop military transport aircraft, and Sirkosky helicopter cabins. Singh said production is also being stepped up. Tata makes two empennages (tail assembly) for the Lockheed Martin C-130 a month right now and plans to take this up to four a month when sought by the manufacturer. 
By the end of 2015, Tata will become the sole supplier to Lockheed Martin for this empennage. Matching global quality standards is key, “otherwise global manufacturers won’t buy from us”, Singh said. More parts for Lockheed Martin could be manufactured at this facility soon, said a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. Singh said Tata will also bid to manufacture planes—including with Airbus Group NV—in the contracts being opened by the government. “(The ambition is) to actually build a full platform. We are actually bidding for large aircraft we will bid..., as and when the government allows the private sector for full helicopter platforms. 
We have partnered with Airbus for the Avro replacement project. That is part of the process that ministry of defence is currently processing. Should that process move forward, and should we win..., part of that (aim) is to build full aircraft out of India—the final assembly line,” Singh said. On 11 February, the Tata group said it expects revenue of Rs.2,500 crore, or more than $400 million, from its defence and aerospace business in the year ending March 2015. An analyst said the group has taken one step at a time—from building parts to planes; and if cleared to make cargo planes, its next step could be passenger jets. “In the private sector, Tata is ahead of others; the group is doing little more value added and complex work. 
But having said that, right now no company in the private sector is ready to make a full plane. The Tata group can always have a tie-up for avionics and engine..., even big aircraft makers do the same. This is the way to go,” said Laxman Kumar Behera, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, who has published research papers on aerospace. Behera said India is a decade away from making a passenger plane. Even China took 15-20 years to make such a plane. But the process requires government support, he said. “The aircraft industry is always supported by the government; in India there is no vision on how to develop (the industry). One the one hand we want HAL to develop civilian aircraft and (on the other), the Tata group is seeking to replace the Avro. You can’t have large number of people in this business, it has to be a consolidated country effort and driven by the government.” 

 livemint

Tata Advanced Systems looks to manufacture planes in India

The Tata group is keen to make planes in India, venturing into an area where Indian companies have traditionally not done well. “Tata Advanced Systems now has the capability to build an entire aircraft structure,” said Sukaran Singh, chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). “In Hyderabad, we have now built capability and can build a full aircraft.” Singh said TASL is making parts of aircraft and wishes to send an aircraft out of India in a so-called fly-away condition over the next few years. India imports most of its civil and defence aircraft. The only aircraft manufacturer of note is the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Over the past decade, the Tata group and the Mahindra group have gradually built a presence in the aerospace sector and have insinuated themselves into the global supply chain. The Tata group has four joint ventures— with American Lockheed Martin Corp., RUAG Aviation, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. With a base in Hyderabad, Tata is making Pilatus PC-12, Dornier 228, the main tail and fuselage parts of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules turboprop military transport aircraft, and Sirkosky helicopter cabins. Singh said production is also being stepped up. Tata makes two empennages (tail assembly) for the Lockheed Martin C-130 a month right now and plans to take this up to four a month when sought by the manufacturer. By the end of 2015, Tata will become the sole supplier to Lockheed Martin for this empennage. Matching global quality standards is key, “otherwise global manufacturers won’t buy from us”, Singh said. More parts for Lockheed Martin could be manufactured at this facility soon, said a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. Singh said Tata will also bid to manufacture planes—including with Airbus Group NV—in the contracts being opened by the government. “(The ambition is) to actually build a full platform. We are actually bidding for large aircraft we will bid..., as and when the government allows the private sector for full helicopter platforms. We have partnered with Airbus for the Avro replacement project. That is part of the process that ministry of defence is currently processing. Should that process move forward, and should we win..., part of that (aim) is to build full aircraft out of India—the final assembly line,” Singh said. On 11 February, the Tata group said it expects revenue of Rs.2,500 crore, or more than $400 million, from its defence and aerospace business in the year ending March 2015. An analyst said the group has taken one step at a time—from building parts to planes; and if cleared to make cargo planes, its next step could be passenger jets. “In the private sector, Tata is ahead of others; the group is doing little more value added and complex work. But having said that, right now no company in the private sector is ready to make a full plane. The Tata group can always have a tie-up for avionics and engine..., even big aircraft makers do the same. This is the way to go,” said Laxman Kumar Behera, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, who has published research papers on aerospace. Behera said India is a decade away from making a passenger plane. Even China took 15-20 years to make such a plane. But the process requires government support, he said. “The aircraft industry is always supported by the government; in India there is no vision on how to develop (the industry). One the one hand we want HAL to develop civilian aircraft and (on the other), the Tata group is seeking to replace the Avro. You can’t have large number of people in this business, it has to be a consolidated country effort and driven by the government.” 
 livemint

US to supply missile warning systems to India

The United States will supply a missile approach warning system to India to help military aircraft in deploying counter-measures when an enemy missile is fired upon.

Developed by Alliant Techsystems Operations at Florida, the missile warning system for the Indian Air Force and Navy would come by around 2017. India is purchasing the system using the foreign military sales route.

The firm has received a $30 million contract from the US government to made these systems for the American armed forces as well as for India, Australia, Spain and Norway. The AN/AAR-47 (V) missile warning set comprises of electro-optic counter-measure sensors, counter-measure signal processors and counter-measure signal simulators.The commercial contract was finalised within a month of the summit meeting between the US President Barak Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi and Washington negotiated the texts of the Defence Framework Agreement between the two countries for the next 10 years as the existing framework signed by then defence minister Pranab Mukherjee and his counterpart Donald Rumsfeld expired in 2014. The new pact, which is yet to be signed, focuses on co-production.

The two countries identified four joint pathfinder military projects besides creating a working group to explore the possibility of using cutting edge American technologies for Indian Navy’s future aircraft carrier, whose design is still being worked out. A collaboration on jet engine technology is also in the offing.

The pathfinder projects are on mini-UAV, a proposed roll-on/roll-off mission modules for C-130 and other aircraft, mobile electric hybrid power sources and uniform integrated protection ensemble for the nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) warfare environment.

“While these pathfinder projects have stand-alone value, we intend for them to serve as pathfinder or pilots for deeper levels of cooperation between our military. I envision a day when American and Indian engineers sit side-by-side – or at least virtually – producing cutting-edge designs to be produced in partnership,” Frank Kendall, US Under Secretary of Defence for acquisition, Technology and Logistics said.

Kendall, who is visiting India for the third time in five months, held talks with Indian officials to kick start the projects under the defence technology and trade initiatives between New Delhi and Washington.

deccanherald

Indian Navy seeks to buy ship-borne UAVs

Seeking to enhance its surveillance capabilities on its warships, the Indian Navy (IN) has now announced a global competition for procuring ‘Ship-Borne Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’ (UAV) that can augment various patrolling and search-related tactics on its vessels. The IN currently operates two squadrons of UAVs, but they are land-based platforms operating from naval air stations in Gujarat and Kerala.
The Request for Information (RFI), issued by the Directorate of Naval Air Staff (DNAS) last month seeks 50 Naval Shipborne Unmanned Aerial System (NSUAS) for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and monitoring of Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC), Exclusive Economic Zone safety, anti-piracy and anti-terrorism functions along with Search and Rescue (S&R) roles, naval officials said. At present, the IN operates two squadrons of Israeli-origin Heron and Searcher Mk.II UAVs at the Indian Naval Air Station (INAS) 342 at Kochi and INAS 343 at Porbandar in Gujarat.
“However, the smaller UAVs launched from ships increases the vessels’ surveillance range. They also enhance the ship’s communication with other friendly vessels by relaying signals, especially from the Rukmani, the dedicated naval communications satellite. It is part of a larger intertwining communications network in a naval manoeuvre coordinating with other aircraft, ships and satellites.
An important function is also to track the trajectories of friendly missiles towards their targets,” explained an IN source. One such NSUAS was also tested here when the Austrian make Schiebel S-100 Camcopter being launched from an Indian Coast Guard ship a few years ago.
While the RFI does not specify the type of ‘recovery’ provision — whether ‘assisted’ or ‘auto’ for the UAV — it does stipulate that the craft should also be capable of operating from ashore, although it is primarily intended to be controlled from ships. According to defence industry sources, Boeing firm Insitu is one of the interested companies, looking forward to pitch their ScanEagle NSUAS.
Various technical queries in the RFI the interested bidders are expected to answer also includes questions on whether the system’s control can be handed over from one ship to the other and whether the control station can be miniaturised into a ‘stand alone laptop control’, indicating the IN’s needs for a versatile platform.

 asianage