DRDO delivers 5 Daksh ROVs

The first batch of five remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Daksh, designed and developed by Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) [R&DE (E)], Pune, was handed over to Maj Gen Rakesh Bassi, SM, Director General Combat Engineers, by Shri S Sundaresh, DS and CC R&D (ACE&SI), DRDO, in a flagging off ceremony held on 19 December 2011 at R&DE (E).

A limited-series-production order for 20 Daksh has been placed by the Indian Army after extensive trials, testing and acceptance.

Daksh, a state-of-the-art ROV, will be an invaluable asset for Bomb Disposal Units of the Army, Police and Paramilitary Forces for handling improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and hazardous objects. It is the first indigenously developed unmanned vehicle or mobile-robot in the country.

Maj Gen Bassi said that it is an excellent effort made by DRDO and congratulated the Robotics Group of R&DE (E) for their tireless efforts. He added that the users will exploit the full potential of the system.

Shri Sundaresh, in his address brought out the importance of Daksh and added that future battlefields will prominently contain different unmanned ground vehicles. Dr S Guruprasad, Director, R&DE (E), said that the system has been trial-evaluated by the Indian Army and proven at various locations.

The technology has been transferred for production to three firms, viz., M/s Dynalog (I) Ltd, M/s Theta Controls and M/s Bharat Electronics Ltd.

Shri Alok Mukherjee, Project Director, Daksh, gave a brief account of the developmental efforts put in by the scientists and engineers from concept to production stages and said that the development was a joint effort with active participation of the industry right from its inception.

United States has not offered F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to India: Pentagon

Press Trust of India has quoted Pentagon spokesperson Commander Leslie Hullryde confirming that, contrary to press reports, the United States has not made available Lockheed Martin's advanced, fifth generation fighter jet F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters to India.

However, it was noted that should India express an interest, the United States would submit technical information and initiate a discussion.


"Should India indicate interest in purchasing the JSF, the United States would be prepared to provide information on the JSF and its requirements (infrastructure, security, etc) to support India's future planning"


The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability. The F-35 has three main models; one is a conventional takeoff and landing variant, the second is a short take off and vertical-landing variant, and the third is a carrier-based variant.

The F-35 is descended from the X-35, the product of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. JSF development is being principally funded by the United States, with the United Kingdom and other partner governments providing additional funding. The partner nations are either NATO members or close U.S. allies. It is being designed and built by an aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin. The F-35 took its first flight on 15 December 2006.

BAE Systems to deliver 145 M777 Ultra Light Howitzers to the Indian Army

The Defence Ministry on Friday cleared a Rs 3000 crore deal to buy 145 M777 ultra light howitzers from the USA defence manufacturer BAE Systems.

The M777 artillery guns are essentially used in the mountains. These guns are air transportable and are currently used in Afghanistan by the US Army where their performance has been commendable.

India will procure the M777 howitzers from the US through the Foreign Military Sale program. The M777 is a 155mm 39 calibre towed gun and is the world's first 155mm howitzer weighing less than 10000 lbs (4218 kg). The M777 can fire 5 rounds per minute and its firing range is about 30 km maximum.

The US and Canada are currently using the howitzers. This gun has also a digital fire control system. The US Marine Corps and US Army inducted the M777 for the first time in November 2002.

The M777 matches the firepower of current generation 155 mm towed systems at less than half the weight. The howitzer is equipped with a 39-calibre barrel. The muzzle velocity (at Charge 8 super) is 827m/s.

The lighter weight and smaller size allows the M777 to be transported by USMC MV-22 Osprey, CH-47 helicopter or truck with ease, so that it can be moved in and out of the battlefield more quickly than the M198. The smaller size also improves storage and transport efficiency in military warehouses and air/naval transport.

The gun crew required is an operational minimum of 5, compared to a previous size of 9. It was first fielded in Iraq in May 2007 and in Afghanistan in February 2008. The M777 can be transported by helicopter, transporter aircraft and ship.

The M777 is equipped with two wheels. When the M777 is in the firing position, a firing platform is lowered to the ground under the forward part of the carriage and the wheels are raised clear of the ground.

It uses a digital fire-control system similar to that found on self propelled howitzers such as the M109A6 Paladin to provide navigation, pointing and self-location, allowing it to be put into action more quickly than earlier towed and air-transported howitzers.

India takes up AWACS programme for air superiority

India has just taken up development of the Rs 6,000 crore Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) that will have the capability to penetrate "longer distances" enemy territory by way of radars and electronic warfare systems without venturing into the region physically, a top defence official said on Friday.

Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, Secretary in the Department of Defence (R&D) and Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) VK Saraswat said DRDO just started the programme, after clearance from the government recently.

Asked how it's different from the indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system, he said: "AWACS is a heavier and high endurance system, which can give you in terms of coverage about 360 degrees as against AEW&C which is about 270 degree coverage."

In addition, (compared to AEW&C) AWACS flies at a higher altitude and it can penetrate into the enemy territory - not physically - (but) by way of radars and EW (electronic warfare) systems to longer distances and it can be in sky for larger durations, besides giving better visibility.

Both has a role. All over the world, people have AEW&C and AWACS in a tandem mode because each one does its role and that's what our country is also doing", Saraswat said.

He said two AEW&C aircraft would be ready this year, adding, "By 2014, we will complete delivery of all the three aircraft (AEW&C) to Indian Air Force".

Meanwhile, Saraswat also said that the DRDO has conducted a flight of "guided bomb". "It's a bomb which can fly for about 40-50 or even more kilometres in a guided mode and it can be released from an aircraft," he said

He said the guided bomb is a totally indigenous effort, from designing, development and realisation including explosive content in them, as also guidance and control.

China mulls buying Russian submarines





State arms exporter Rosoboronexport has signed a framework agreement
with China on the joint development and construction of four non-nuclear
Amur-1650 conventional submarines for the Chinese Navy, a news report
said Thursday.

The final contract is tentatively worth $2 billion and is expected to be signed
by the parties no earlier than 2015, Kommersant reported.

The agreement stipulates for two of the submarines to be built in Russia and
two in China, with special provisions in place in the contract to ensure that no
intellectual property is copied from the Russian side, a source close to
Rosoboronexport told the business daily.

An additional agreement for the first stage of work could be signed by the end
of the year, he said, adding that a Russian contractor had not yet been selected
for construction of the submarines.

China may become the first buyer of the Amur-1650 submarines, beating out
India and Venezuela, both of which previously expressed interest, Kommersant
said.

Another source close to the arms exporter said the submarine contract "is very
important for Russia and tops the presidential list of projects with China."

WZ-10 armed helicopters in flight training


An army aviation brigade under the Nanjing Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People's
Liberation Army (PLA) organizes a helicopter flight training, in a bid to temper the tactical skills of the pilots and the helicopter operation-and-control capability.

Cheng Jianzhong, chief of staff of an army aviation brigade under the Nanjing Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), is China's first batch of super-level pilots of WZ-10, first batch of all-weather pilots of WZ-10, and also the first batch of pilots who completed the fire test with WZ-10's all kinds of weapon systems.

China's First Heavy Transporter Y-20 Takes Off

The prototype of China's first indigenously-developed heavy transport aircraft, Y-20, takes off from an unidentified airport for its first test flight Saturday afternoon, January 26, 2013. [Photo: Xinhua]



China began test flights Saturday for the prototype of its first indigenously-developed heavy transport aircraft, Y-20, a craft similar in size to the Russian IL-76 and somewhat smaller than the U.S. C-17.

The plane took off at around 2:00pm, according to CCTV News. But it didn't specify where the test was conducted.

The Y-20 program is part of an effort to develop an indigenous long-range jet-powered heavy transport aircraft, a top priority in China's "Medium- and Long-Term National Science and Technology Development Program (2006-20)" (MLP).

Y-20 is developed by Xian Aircraft Industry, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading military aircraft maker.

Earlier reports said it's able to accommodate most large PLA combat and support vehicles, including the Type 99 series tanks, with a capacity to carry up to 66 tons of goods.
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