xanaduISRO chief for greater cooperation with BARC
PTI[ THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2006 08:00:44 PM]
MUMBAI: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Madhavan Nair on Thursday appealed for greater cooperation with the Bhabha Atomic Research Organisation (BARC) to jointly produce a nuclear fuel for satellite launch rockets.
Speaking at BARC here, Nair said, “We have been successful in using solid fuels and cryogenic engines that use hydrogen and oxygen in liquified form. But future missions would be long haul ones for which we have to develop a launch vehicle propelled by nuclear fuel,” he said.
ISRO and BARC are exchanging ideas at the scientific level, he said.
xanaduTough task ahead for new Navy chief
Rajat Pandit
[ 2 Sep, 2006 0150hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
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NEW DELHI: When vice-admiral Sureesh Mehta takes over as the new Navy chief on November 1, his topmost priority would be to “consolidate” his force’s rapidly-transforming role from being just “a silent service” to a potent maritime power acting as “a stabilising force” in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Though reported much earlier by TOI, the government on Friday formally announced that Mehta, at present chief of the Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Naval Command, would take over from admiral Arun Prakash when he retires on October 31.
Mehta would take over at a time when the Navy, though much smaller than Army and IAF, has emerged as the most “visible” symbol of India’s growing military might in recent years. The role played by it as a diplomatic instrument to further the country’s geostrategic objectives came through when it escorted American ships through Malacca Straits in 2002, rapidly deployed warships to help neighbouring countries during the killer tsunami in 2004, or even evacuated Indian nationals from war-torn Lebanon recently.
Though the foundation for this was laid by admirals Madhvendra Singh and Arun Prakash, Mehta will have to make it a major thrust area. Mehta, who will serve till August 2009, will of course have to ensure force-levels do not fall below the present 130 warships and 16 submarines.
Experts say India’s resurgence as an economic power depends to a large extent on peace being maintained in IOR. “Apart from optimum utilisation of available warships and networking of weapon and sensor capabilities, he will have to convince the government for long-term committed budgetary support,” said one.
While the Rs 18,798-crore project to build six Scorpene submarines at Mazagon Docks between 2012 and 2017 has now kicked off, Navy also has as many as 33 warships “under production or order” from indigenous or foreign shipyards. These include three more Talwar-class “stealth” frigates, the indigenous air defence ship and the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier.
Not only will Mehta have to ensure all these projects progress smoothly, he will also have to get the government’s firm support for another 30 warships after these 33. This is necessary since over 70 existing warships will have to be gradually replaced in the coming 10-15 years.
Another thrust area would have to be the induction of nuclear submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missile capability, which are needed for effective and secure “second-strike capabilities”.
As someone from the naval aviation wing, Mehta should also take a hard look at Navy’s rather thin fleet of Long-Range Maritime Patrol (LRMP) aircraft despite India having a 7,516-km coastline, 1,197 islands and a 2.01 million sq km exclusive economic zone. At present, Navy has only three IL-38s, recently upgraded with the multi-functional “Sea Dragon mission suite”, and eight aging Tupolev-142Ms, apart from a small fleet of Dorniers and Israeli UAVs for medium-level snooping missions.
Though the acquisition process for eight LRMP aircraft has been now initiated, the process needs to be fast-tracked so that deliveries can commence before this decade ends. Pakistan, of course, is on course to induct P-3C Orions from the US.
xanaduHAL signs MoU with aerospace giant EADS
Special Correspondent
Agreement envisages long-term cooperation and joint strategies
Bangalore: Aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and EADS, global leader in aerospace and defence from Europe, today signed a memorandum of understanding here to develop long-term co-operation and joint strategies for different market segments. HAL Chairman Ashik K.Baweja and EADS CEO Tom Enders signed the documents.
Expanding their cooperation into new market segments, the two organisations will conduct in the coming month joint analysis of mid-term and long-term strategies related to aerospace business.
Dr Enders said, “we are already long-term partners, working together to manufacture helicopters and passenger jets. HAL’s skills in design and manufacturing make them a valuable partner. During visits to HAL facilities here I was impressed by the quality of production and technological capabilities.”
“HAL can benefit from teaming with a global player like EADS to accelerate its development and access the export market through joint marketing agreements. The MoU will define the products for which we will join our efforts,” A.K. Saxena, Managing Director, HAL Bangalore Complex said.
Eurocopter, the helicopter manufacturer owned by EADS, has been cooperating with HAL for over 40 years. More recently Eurocopter decided to subcontract airframe production for all Ecureuil type versions to HAL. The first airframe is to be delivered before end of this year.
India was the first country with which Eurocopter signed a license agreement for technology transfer. Fennec, the military version of Ecureuil series is one of two helicopters shortlisted by the Ministry of Defence to replace the current fleet of Cheetah/Chetaks of the Indian Army in the near future. In the past, Eurocopter was associated with HAL in developing the advanced light helicopter, Dhruv, for which the European company supplied rotor blades. Eurocopter has expressed its willingness to be ready to team with HAL, to develop 10T helicopter, which HAL plans to co develop with an overseas partner.
Passenger jet manufacturer Airbus in which EADS owns 80 per cent and HAL have been cooperating for over 15 years.
In 1988, HAL was selected to build passenger doors for the A320. HAL has a contract to provide 600 aircraft sets of doors and has delivered 30 of them till now. A new batch of A320 doors was ordered recently.
HAL has also made parts for the A320 nose undercarriage. The production of A340 emergency doors is due to start in the near future.
xanaduReactor for nuclear submarine fully operational
Reactor for nuclear submarine fully operational
T.S. Subramanian
Mini version of reactor to be built and fitted into the submarine
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The reactor went critical towards the end of 2004
Mood upbeat about building of submarine
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CHENNAI: The reactor for India’s nuclear-powered submarine project at Kalpakkam, near here, is working smoothly at its full capacity of 100 MWe, informed sources said.
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee inspected the project on July 18 while taking part in the 20th anniversary celebrations of the commissioning of the Fast Breeder Test Reactor there.
The project is called the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) programme.
The sources said the reactor, which went critical towards the end of 2004, was fully operational now.
A miniaturised version of the reactor would be built and fitted into the submarine.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the ATV facility on October 23, 2004, when he launched the construction of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) there.
Substantial progress has also been made in building the submarine’s hull at Visakhapatnam, the sources said.
The ATV is a joint project of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Navy and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The ATV has facilities at BARC in Mumbai, Kalpakkam, and Visakhapatnam.
The mood is upbeat in these facilities about the progress made.
The fuel for the reactor, which is highly enriched uranium, comes from the Rare Materials Project near Ratnahalli, near Mysore.
xanaduAny one have any idea what the K-15 missile is ?????????????????????
xanadui would appreciate if you or anyone else can give me link for this article. thanks.
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Well couldnt find an online version. I read it in a hardcopy…
xanaduArticle in todays timesofindia says India will spend 30 billion dollars in the next five years on arms purchases including the MMRCA order and the 155mm howitzers.
xanaduWell regarding nuke plants the US has not manufactured a new design in decades. Most of the nuke plant deals will go to France and Russia. It’s the military deals that the US is more interested in.
xanaduIn the other thread that was locked it was argued that Pakistan was getting stripped down versions of the F-16 and the US would dictate where they could be flown. There were arguments that no other country has to undergo this restrictions. My opinion on this is that its not so much aimed at degrading Pakistan’s ability as much as the fear that top of the line technology will pass into Chinese hands via Pakistan. So be prepared for stripped down versions. :rolleyes:
xanaduWell the Indo-US nuke deal passed a major hurdle getting through the House of Representatives.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/jul/27ndeal5.htm
Looks like it will be the F-18 for the 126 MRCA order and 40-50 Migs for the Indian Navy. The F-18’s cause uncle will want his pound of flesh. Remember in most of the recent fighter competitions US made planes have won not due to the superiority of their aircraft but cause of politics.
xanaduDid anyone pick this up?
http://defenceindia.com/company_news/news193.html
DRDO shortlists developers for Kaveri project
Mumbai, July 09, 2006 (PTI)
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is believed to have shortlisted three aeroengine majors, including France’s Snecma Moteurs and Russia’s NPO Saturn, for joint development and production of India’s indigenous jet engine Kaveri.
Two other aspirants – General Electric and its trans- Atlantic rival Rolls Royce – were understood to have not met certain criteria for the tie-up, leaving Snecma, NPO Saturn and Canadian firm Pratt & Whitney in the race for the defence contract valued between $ 1.2-2.4 billion.
When contacted, GE and Rolls Royce declined to comment on the issue, saying that it was up to DRDO to comment on it.
DRDO sources said they had shortlisted three firms out of five. “Its up to the individual companies to decide whether to participate in this programme,” they said.
The ministry of defence is expected to take a final decision on the project soon, the sources added.
The project includes a risk-sharing, joint development and production relationship on the Kaveri or any other engine that can be developed afresh for India’s homegrown warplane, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas.
Last year, DRDO had invited tenders for global partners with proven record in combat aircraft engine development to help its one-and-half decade-old engine development programme.
Started in 1989, the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a Bangalore-based DRDO lab, is developing Kaveri engine.
GTRE has so far spent Rs 1,300 crore on the engine project. Last year, the Cabinet Committee on Security revised the estimate for Kaveri’s future development to Rs 2,800 crore.
xanaduAm I missing something? What pics are you guys talking about. I dont see any…
xanaduWell u guys are right. Only aircraft that will be in production 20 years down the line should be considered.
xanaduF-16 deal: US firm banking on India ties
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1724022,0035.htm
F-16 deal: US firm banking on India ties
Rahul Singh
New Delhi, June 19, 2006
With the Defence Ministry’s keenly-awaited request for proposals (RPFs) for 126 fighter jets yet to be published, US aeronautic giant Lockheed Martin is banking on “burgeoning Indo-US ties and the F-16’s technological superiority” to streak ahead of its rivals in clinching what’s being dubbed one of the world’s biggest arms deal worth around $7 billion.
Joseph W Stout, director of communications, Lockheed Martin, said the F-16s could form an important element of Indo-US strategic partnership in the long term and provide strong relationship with the US Air Force in areas of training and tactics development. “As the RFPs are not yet out, we are anticipating Indian requirements to tailor F-16 aircraft configurations that best suit the IAF,” he said.
Referring to the aircraft’s Block 60 version, Stout said the aeronautics company was constantly incorporating new technologies to make improvements in cockpit, avionics, sensors and weapons for scaling up combat efficiency. An important feature of this version is the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar that combines increased pilot situational awareness with improved reliability.
As for competition from Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornets, he said the twin-engine aircraft was essentially a navy aircraft suited for operating from aircraft carriers. “We have competed with F-18s many times and haven’t lost to them in 10 years. Twin-engine planes add to costs towards spare parts and maintenance,” Stout claimed.
He said the F-16 had the record of being the safest single-engine multi-role fighter in the USAF history. “Though F-16 has a single engine, its safety statistics are the same as F-18s.”
The F-16s, however, face competition from a clutch of other makers to whom the IAF had sent requests for information two years ago. They are Boeing IDS for F-18s, Dassault Aviation for Rafale, Russian MiG Corporation for MiG-29 and Sweden’s SAAB for Gripen.
As per the government’s offset norms, public and private sectors get 30 per cent of related business in some form, ranging from co-production, R&D to components supplies.
There are reports that apart from HAL, Tatas and L&T, the offsets business is also being eyed by TCS and Wipro. Stout said, “We are looking at possibilities like technology transfer, co-production and tie-ups in the IT sector.” Lockheed is also in the running for a deal to supply eight P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft to the Indian Navy.
xanaduhttp://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006/06/14/story_14-6-2006_pg4_26
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
India may buy advanced Israeli aircraft
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: India may be buying Israeli-made advanced fighter aircraft, according to Defence News, an online military and defence news portal.
In a Tel Aviv-datelined dispatch, it said, “Fighter jets vying for India’s $8 billion Medium-range Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme may have to make room for a late entry: the Israel Air Force F-16I Sufa, or Storm. In an unprecedented move aimed at sharpening its edge over fellow US and international competitors, Lockheed Martin is eyeing the F-16I as a low-cost, high-performance alternative to the French Rafale, the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing’s F/A-18E/F and the Russian MiG-35.”
The report, quoting US and Israeli sources, said that the precise configuration of the single-engine aircraft offered would depend on the operational and industrial requirements detailed in New Delhi’s upcoming request for proposals (RfP). However, Lockheed’s Fort Worth, Texas, Aeronautics unit has begun asking the US government for third-country export licences.
“We have submitted a request for licensing of an F-16 configuration that we think will match the Indian Air Force requirements, pending our receipt of the RfP,” said Lockheed Martin spokesman Joe Stout. He declined to elaborate on specific technologies and subsystems that could be included in the company’s bid. He said a team dedicated to the MMRCA programme has been working since the beginning of the year on a number of F-16 configurations that may prove more compatible with operational needs as well as New Delhi’s requirements for offsets and industrial cooperation. Other options could include a variant of the F-16 Block 60, which carries advanced US avionics and the Northrop Grumman APG-80 active electronically scanned radar, or on the Block 50/52 versions flown by the US Air Force and now being produced for several air forces.
Defence News said if Lockheed offered the F-16I to India, it would be the first time an extensively modified US fighter containing non-US-made avionics, weaponry and major sub-systems had been offered at the front end of an international competition. Lockheed has sold to Chile and Singapore F-16s that contained significant Israeli content, but those items were demanded by the customers from the start. “To the best of my knowledge, the idea of pitching a US fighter with significant, technologically advanced third-party content hasn’t been done before,” said Richard Aboulafia, vice president for analysis at the Teal Group, a Fairfax, Va.-based aerospace and defense consulting firm. “If this is the case, and the US government allows Lockheed to offer a clone of the Israel Air Force plane, it’s another indication of the unprecedented military and diplomatic initiatives being taken to promote a US win in this strategically important programme.”
The new MMRCAs are expected to complement New Delhi’s high-end fleet of Su-30MKIs and the lower-end, locally developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. Initial requests for information called for 18 aircraft to be delivered directly from the prime contractor, with 108 to be produced under license in India. Since then, however, the Indian Air Force has been lobbying to expand the buy to more than 200 planes, as a hedge against additional delays of the Tejas. Indian Air Force sources said MMRCA orders could be split among two countries. According to these sources, a decision to award more than one contract would speed deliveries to the Air Force while doubling the political benefits to be accrued through tandem cooperative programmes.
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