LRSAM Control Navigation Tests successfully conducted in Israel.

By Anantha Krishnan M

Express News Service

Bangalore: Indian and Israeli missile scientists achieved a breakthrough with the successful control navigation tests (CNTs) of the Long-Range Surface to Air Missile (LR-SAM). Being jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Rs 2,606-crore Project LR-SAM aims to develop an advanced naval air defence system for Indian Navy’s P-15A Kolkata Class destroyers. The missile has a range of 70 km, weighing around 275 kg. Interestingly, both the DRDO and the IAI officials succeeded in keeping the test schedule and its results under wraps for over a month.

Sources confirm to Express that the CNTs were held at one of the test ranges of IAI near Tel Aviv on July 16 and July 18. “Earlier tests (inclined launches) were to ascertain the ballistic performance and now we have done the CNTs. The latest tests (vertical launches) are initial steps towards validation of the systems. We will now have another set of tests with seeker and guidance systems, scheduled to be held in Israel, at the end of this year (December). This should pave way for production,” sources said.

During the recent tests, the missiles have reportedly shown good navigation and control performance, achieving all mission objectives. The missiles followed the text-book flight trajectories and all the onboard algorithms performed as designed. “We are excited about the test results as both the front and rear servo actuation systems performed as expected. The launcher performance and the critical vertical launch process were also achieved,” sources said.

The final validation tests are expected to begin in India by early 2013, followed by user trials from the ships. “This is a very important joint venture weapon development project for India and Israel. We are developing a new weapon and there were some hiccups, which we have overcome now. The completion of CNTs shifts the focus to home-on-target tests and subsequent delivery of the LR-SAM systems to Indian Navy,” sources said.
Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), a top-rated DRDO lab, is spearheading LR-SAM’s activities from the Indian side. The missile had its first successful ballistic flight test (short-range) in Israel in May 2010. The rear section of the missile is being developed by DRDL and the front section by IAI.

Naval sources tell Express that the weapon system, including radar, is currently being integrated on the first ship at Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai.

Copyright@The New Sunday Express

Why not look at AgustaWestland’s website? The T129 is listed, with characteristics.

BTW, the A129 was developed in the 1980s, & has been in service for over 20 years.

And the Tiger data appears to be from Wikipedia, where it is marked as ‘dubious – discuss’, & differs from that on the Eurocopter website. Engine power & max T/O weight, for example.

I’ve not checked any others, but just from those two, I’d take the numbers in that comparison with plenty of salt.

they claim to have taken it from open sources and just a cursory search reveals that the figures for the Tiger are not that far off from what you get from open sources

Tiger HAP specs

another link for Tiger specs

Those are very smart looking Peruvian Fulcrums.

IAF MiG-27 with USAF F-16

IAF Su-30K, MiG-21Bison, MiG-27, MiG-29 and Su-30MKI with RSAF F-16

IAF Jaguar, MiG-23 and MiG-21

IAF Su-30K with French AF Mirage-2000s

IAF Su-30Ks with French AF Mirage-2000s

IAF Su-30MKI with USAF F-15C and agressor F-16

USAF F-16C with IAF MiG-27s

image

More images

IAF MiG-21 Bison and Mirage-2000TH with RAF Tornados.

RAF Typhoon twin seater with IAF Su-30MKIs

IAF MiG-27s with USAF F-15Cs

Actually they are both Malaysian ( this is not color scheme for RAAF F18, but matches RMAF and when you zoom you can see RMAF roundel on the fuselage )

No he was right- it is an RMAF F-18D with a RMAF MiG-29 and a RAAF F-18A.

Agni-II missile tested successfully by Strategic Forces Command.

Agni II test by Strategic Forces Command proves reliability

Well, the Agni-II intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) was tested from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha today and this happens to be the third successful training launch of this missile by India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC). This launch will certainly go a long way in burying the ghost of the two infamous failed launches of 2009 that had made some doubt in varying measures either the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO’s) design capabilities or the quality of India’s missile production line. This third successful launch in a row by the intended user i.e the SFC of a production stock missile of course lays to rest such apprehensions. Reliability is after all a religion in the realm of strategic deterrence.

SFC launches are typically dubbed as a ‘user training exercise’ by the Ministry of Defence because that is precisely what they are. Such a launch is different from developmental flights conducted by DRDO, naturally. Instead in an SFC launch, Army units designated to operate the missile conduct the proceedings with DRDO staying in the background providing mostly logistical support in the form of telemetry and electro-optical tracking.

The unit launching the missile evaluates its performance by simulating deployment conditions to the extent possible and of course gains training experience through an actual launch. This third launch by the SFC could therefore mean that a significant number of Agni-IIs are now available to it and are being operationally deployed, because it is likely that different units come in for these training exercises to wheeler Island.

At any event, this launch does indicate that the production of the Agni-II has indeed stabilized and is providing the SFC with a degree of reliability that it may find comfortable. As for the performance of the missile itself, DRDO says that it reached its pre-designated target with the accuracy of a few metres. If ‘few’ implies a circular error probable of less than 10 metres than that is rather impressive. DRDO further states that ‘all the systems, Propulsion, Control, Actuators, On-Board Computers, Missile Interface Units and the Navigation, Guidance systems functioned fully to the perfection’. This is good news since there were reports that one of the tests in 2009 had failed due to a control related problem.