Interceptor missile to be launched today from Wheeler Island
Test aimed at establishing capability for a BMD shield

— Photo: Courtesy DRDO

ALL SET: The interceptor missile ready for launch on Wheeler Island.

Wheeler Island (off Dhamra, Orissa): The tranquil Wheeler Island, off the Orissa coast, has turned into a beehive of pre-launch activity with a crucial, hypersonic interceptor missile test scheduled to take place on Thursday.

The 7.5- metre tall interceptor missile named Advanced Air Defence (AAD-02) stood on its mobile launcher on the beachfront on Wednesday afternoon. The missile, painted in white, carried the emblem of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on top and the legends “Programme AD (Area Defence), AAD-02” below.

This interceptor missile will lift off within seconds of an incoming, “target” missile, which will be launched from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea, about 70 km across the sea from Wheeler Island. The interception will take place in “endo-atmosphere,” at an altitude of 15 km.

This test, in which two live missiles will be launched as a target and an interceptor, is aimed at establishing India’s capability for a two-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) shield for protecting vulnerable areas from an incoming enemy missile.

DRDO scientists were glued to their computer consoles at the Mission Control Centre (MCC) on Wheeler Island on Wednesday to complete the range integration checks.

Top missile scientist and Mission Director V.K. Saraswat told The Hindu that the target missile, a modified Prithvi, would be launched by the Army in an independent manner. The Army is the custodian of the Prithvi because it had already been inducted into it. The vehicle director for the interceptor missile is D.S. Reddy.

The interceptor is equipped with state-of-the-art inertial navigation system and electro-mechanical actuators to enable it perform critical manoeuvres required to engage the incoming missile during the latter’s terminal phase, Mr. Saraswat, who is also the Chief Controller, DRDO, R and D, (Missiles and Strategic Systems), said. The target missile would ‘mimic M-9 and M-11class of missiles in the world, which are with the adversaries,” he added.

The health of the interceptor missile and radar systems was checked as also the communication links between various elements of the weapon systems such as radars, MCC, Launch Control Centre.

Mr. Saraswat said both the target and the interceptor would be flying at a velocity of Mach 4.5. He called the single-stage AAD “a totally new missile.”

The DRDO conducted a successful interception test of a missile at an altitude of 50 km in exo-atmosphere on November 27, 2006.

Crucial review meeting on Tejas aircraft today
Ravi Sharma

IAF, ADA, HAL will participate in it

The LCA is already flying with dummy missiles

Air Marshal Nak Brown will head the IAF’s team

Bangalore: The three players most tied up with the Tejas, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme – the user (the Indian Air Force), the designer Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and the manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) – will come together on Saturday for their monthly review meeting. But this month’s Bangalore meeting will be anything but routine.

On the flying front, the LCA’s PV-1 (prototype vehicle) is expected to undertake its first low speed taxi run after the integration of drop tanks. The low speed taxi run where the aircraft is pushed to almost its take-off speed but does not actually take off, is the prelude to the actual first flight with drop tanks.

The drop tanks are expendable and jettisonable external fuel tanks carried by the aircraft giving it longer endurance and range, enabling pilots to fly longer. An important milestone for the LCA programme, the first flight with drop tanks could happen next week. A successful run with drop tanks will enable ADA to move into the LCA’s weaponisation programme, where the R 73 air-to-air missile and bombs will be integrated onto the aircraft. The LCA is already flying with dummy missiles.

But it will be issues on the ground that will take centre stage. With questions over the LCA’s combat performance especially climb, acceleration and how fast it could turn at certain altitudes having cropped up during the recent sea trails at Arakonnam, a detailed assessment of what can be managed within the time frame will have to be undertaken. Sources said the IAF would have to be asked to lower certain aspects of their air staff requirements for the LCA, which at the moment were unrealistic.

According to the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Chief Controller Research and Development (Aeronautics and Material Science) D. Banerjee, there is no doubt that the aircraft and engine have to improve, but any improvements will have to suit the time frame.

“The IAF will have to be asked how many aircraft they take with the current performance.”

Dr. Banerjee under whom ADA functions, told The Hindu that improvements can be made to the aero dynamism of the aircraft by ‘technical cleaning’ to remove drag, and also improving the LCA’s propulsion system. ̶ 0;We knew when the GE 404 (engine) was installed that there will be issues. The question is can we look for an alternative engine? Can we improve the performance by using the GE 404 IN20? These questions have to be answered.”

Commenting on the long delayed Kaveri engine, which if ready could have solved the propulsion problem, Dr. Banerjee said that while it was operating on full design capacity on dry thrust (50 kilo Newton), it was only achieving 90 per cent aft burner thrust (80 kN). It was also 15 per cent overweight, an issue that “was killing it”. The Gas Turbine Research Establishment that is developing the Kaveri is still looking to find a partner who will bring in technology to build the hot end section (turbine and high pressure compression) of the Kaveri.

Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Nak Brown will head the IAF’s team at Saturday’s review meeting.

Army to induct BrahMos missiles on June 21
Press Trust Of India
New Delhi, June 15, 2007
First Published: 20:03 IST(15/6/2007)
Last Updated: 20:09 IST(15/6/2007)

After a string of successful trials, the land version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia will be inducted into the army on June 21.

The missile will be handed over to the army chief, Gen JJ Singh in New Delhi in the presence of President APJ Abdul Kalam, Defence Minister AK Antony and Finance Minister P Chidambaram, official sources said on Friday.

Kalam was one of the pioneers who initiated the BrahMos project with Russia and signed the agreement with the Russian government for the missile’s development in his former capacity as Scientific Advisor to the government of India.

The land version of the missile, which has a range of 290 km, was tested for the 14th time from a range at Chandipur in Orissa on April 22. The test was termed by scientists as a “100 per cent success”.

During the test, the missile’s high reliability and new operational capabilities were established, the sources said.

The army will be the second service to induct the missile. It has already been inducted into the Indian Navy and scientists are developing a miniaturised version for the air force that can be fitted to Sukhoi-30 combat jets.

The BrahMos will be the third missile to be inducted into the land forces. The army has raised missile groups equipped with the Prithvi surface-to-surface missile with a range of 150 to 250 km and the 700-km medium-range Agni missile.

The naval version of BrahMos has been installed on the Rajput and Ranvijay class of frigates.

Forty new ships to be commissioned in coming years: Mehta
MUMBAI, MAY 1 (PTI)

Asserting that its objective is to “get smarter and not merely larger in terms of numbers”, the Indian Navy today announced that it would commission 40 new ships, most of them to be built indigeneously, in the coming years.

“We are currently in the process of acquiring 34 new ships and have asked for funds for 40 more ships as part of ongoing process in the next three five-year plans,” Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta told reporters here.

“This is an ongoing process and we need to scrap certain ageing ships in the fleet to make way for the new ones. The objective is not to get bigger in terms of numbers but smarter in terms of our capabilities,” he said.

Mehta also said that a majority of the 40 new ships will be built indigeneously itself and said it is his “vision” to have a strong ship building industry in the country which includes both warship building as well as merchant navy ships.

The Naval chief also said that “assymetric threats” emanating from smaller vessels, mostly used by terrorist elements, were the next big challenge for the Indian Navy and welcomed US navy chief Admiral Mike Mullen’s concept of “1,000-ship international navy”.

“We are concerned that the economic assets of the country can come under the scanner of certain groups (terrorists) and we must be prepared to tackle them,” Mehta said.

Regarding cooperation between countries, which is the key in Mullen’s concept, Mehta said India is already strengthening relations with countries in the Indian Ocean and South East Asia like Mauritius, Myanmar and Thailand.

Mehta said maritime threats emanating from the terrorists would increase with time and asked the Navy to be more professional to meet the challenges while addressing the personnel of the Western Naval Command at INS Kunjali here today.

According to Mehta, the Indian Navy is being globally recognised during its participation in the joint exercises across the world and advocated an increase in such programmes which helps it in “shaping the maritime battlefield”.

Mehta was at INS Kunjali to preside over the investiture ceremony commemorating naval officers and men for meritorious services and gallantry in the last year.