Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) : News and Updates
- Thread starter Ashwin
- Start date
Looks like all this soul searching in public is messaging to the opposition but more importantly to prepare the public for imports of presumably Rafales but maybe some Su-57 too. The more we've statements like these the more MRFA tender seems to be a no no. Expecting RST to go ballistic in 3.2.1....
Given the number of truth bombs the bigwigs have dropped today, henceforth 7th Jan should be declared as National Truth-bombing Day
(I jest ofc).View attachment 4cMgeENalPv18RV7.mp4
Today, We invest only 5% of our defense budget on R&D. This has to increase to 10 to 15% if we have to achieve all our goals. I think the government is sanguine about this and hopefully in the next 5 to 10 years we will transition from 5% of the defense budget on R&D to about 15% of our defense budget being used for R&D.
If you look at what we need to do in terms of technologies, the first priority of course is the aero engines. Today we have demonstrated a fourth generation aero engine for our fighter aircraft But going ahead we would need a sixth generation aero engine where the thrust weight ratios exceed 10 For that we have to develop several technologies such as single crystal blades with electron beam PVD thermal barrier coatings, powder metallurgy discs, ceramic matrix composites for the static parts to begin with, And if we have to do this and deliver an aero engine, the only way I can see is if we do a co-development with a foreign OEM. But one has to realize that if we want this capability, the country will have to invest close to 4 to 5 billion dollars. That's 40 to 50 thousand crores. Because we should not repeat the mistakes that we have made in the past.
If we want to develop an aero engine we have to set up testing capabilities for each subsystem We have to set up a high altitude test facility We have to set up a flying test bed We have to set up manufacturing capabilities to make a disc which would need investing in a forge press which can press 50,000 tons. So it's a commitment which the country has to make if we have to become Atmanirbar in this critical technology of aero engines.
When it comes to platforms, we have reached a certain level of maturity in our fighter aircrafts, but we need to build capacity. Today we are not able to deliver 16 aircrafts per year. For that, we have to increase our capacity. And whether it should be in a public sector or whether it should be in a private sector or joint, is a decision which we all have to arrive at That a country can afford two players in the fighters Only US if you see has two players and maybe Russia also has two players But overall in other countries you have only one major player because the volumes are not sufficient So we have to take a call and support whatever decision we arrive at after due deliberations. But the way warfare is evolving, we have to invest heavily in unmanned platforms and manned-unmanned teaming. We have to look at development of male UAVs, hail UAVs. We have to look at stratospheric airships or HAPs. If you want persistent surveillance in the battlefield, we will have to look at these platforms. We will have to look at AWACS. We have a huge shortfall today and unless we invest in these technologies, true Atmanirbhata will not come.
Today, We invest only 5% of our defense budget on R&D. This has to increase to 10 to 15% if we have to achieve all our goals. I think the government is sanguine about this and hopefully in the next 5 to 10 years we will transition from 5% of the defense budget on R&D to about 15% of our defense budget being used for R&D.
If you look at what we need to do in terms of technologies, the first priority of course is the aero engines. Today we have demonstrated a fourth generation aero engine for our fighter aircraft But going ahead we would need a sixth generation aero engine where the thrust weight ratios exceed 10 For that we have to develop several technologies such as single crystal blades with electron beam PVD thermal barrier coatings, powder metallurgy discs, ceramic matrix composites for the static parts to begin with, And if we have to do this and deliver an aero engine, the only way I can see is if we do a co-development with a foreign OEM. But one has to realize that if we want this capability, the country will have to invest close to 4 to 5 billion dollars. That's 40 to 50 thousand crores. Because we should not repeat the mistakes that we have made in the past.
If we want to develop an aero engine we have to set up testing capabilities for each subsystem We have to set up a high altitude test facility We have to set up a flying test bed We have to set up manufacturing capabilities to make a disc which would need investing in a forge press which can press 50,000 tons. So it's a commitment which the country has to make if we have to become Atmanirbar in this critical technology of aero engines.
When it comes to platforms, we have reached a certain level of maturity in our fighter aircrafts, but we need to build capacity. Today we are not able to deliver 16 aircrafts per year. For that, we have to increase our capacity. And whether it should be in a public sector or whether it should be in a private sector or joint, is a decision which we all have to arrive at That a country can afford two players in the fighters Only US if you see has two players and maybe Russia also has two players But overall in other countries you have only one major player because the volumes are not sufficient So we have to take a call and support whatever decision we arrive at after due deliberations. But the way warfare is evolving, we have to invest heavily in unmanned platforms and manned-unmanned teaming. We have to look at development of male UAVs, hail UAVs. We have to look at stratospheric airships or HAPs. If you want persistent surveillance in the battlefield, we will have to look at these platforms. We will have to look at AWACS. We have a huge shortfall today and unless we invest in these technologies, true Atmanirbhata will not come.
Why these guy keep talking in dollar terms ?.... Dollar is not India currency.... indian Rupee is & Rupee value is in tatters.
I'm assuming Beidou B1 is the frequency band reserved for military users like L1 is for GPS. Would that be available to us though?
Dont know, its a satellite navigation system simulator HILS test bed they are making.
Got it. Also, I understand GAGAN SBAS has both civilian and military applications. Does it give us access to GPS L1 signal? Recall the time when a Brahmos test failed because GPS 'blinked'. Does SBAS address that in any way?
CAPS session videos are up now, watch in the last link
www.youtube.com
Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS)
The Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) is an Indian autonomous defence research and analysis body for research and focused analyses on issues related to national security, defence, and aerospace issues in the evolving strategic and international security environment.
www.youtube.com
@Parthu @Abingdonboy @BlackOpsIndia @Aashish @Gautam, others
Any update on DRDO DEW programs, like on DEW pod which they highlighted? Is it related to version-2 of DURGA (Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array)
I stumbled upon this pic which shows
example of DARPA Excalibur Laser,
concept of Fiber laser (Fiber laser - Wikipedia),
using it in phased array Laser like phased array Radar.
When i googled i found - just like AESA radar electronically steers beams, this phased array laser optically steers beams, not requiring gimbal. IDK if it may have been demonstrated. There are numerous complex diagrams found through Google:
So just like AESA radar, this AOSA (Active Optically Steered Array) laser.
On different 5gen jets we have seen side AESA radar, EO-DAS, DIRCM, RF-DAS (antennas distributed across airframe for radar, SPJ/EW, etc on wing, rudder, spine, belly).
On a matured future jet (6/6.5gen) we may see AOSA laser as part of Laser-DAS.
HPM (High Power Microwave) is also being R&Ded to be minimized, so we may see MW-DAS also.
Electricity required would be produced real-time from jet engine generators &/or carry internal energy/battery bank being charged by generators, impacting overall size & weight of aircraft, hence requiring much higher thrust engines to maintain TWR.
A J-36/NGAD like jet would be able to accomodate a truck-load equivalent of modular system in say 6x2x2=24 cubic meter IWB space.
These would be sufficient for short range defence against anything - BVR-AAM, CCM, gunfighter. It'll have to be a DEW fight, unless saturated with incoming missiles. So it might also result in R&D on missile with multiple sub-munition like in BMs & Starstreak SAM.
There is another fan-art pic depicting this system on a fighter jet, but by Eastern artist rather than by a Western artist like Rodrigo Avella, etc.
I hope our ADA & DRDO would come up with a surprise - DURGA-# + AHCA.
Any update on DRDO DEW programs, like on DEW pod which they highlighted? Is it related to version-2 of DURGA (Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array)
I stumbled upon this pic which shows
example of DARPA Excalibur Laser,
concept of Fiber laser (Fiber laser - Wikipedia),
using it in phased array Laser like phased array Radar.
When i googled i found - just like AESA radar electronically steers beams, this phased array laser optically steers beams, not requiring gimbal. IDK if it may have been demonstrated. There are numerous complex diagrams found through Google:
So just like AESA radar, this AOSA (Active Optically Steered Array) laser.
On different 5gen jets we have seen side AESA radar, EO-DAS, DIRCM, RF-DAS (antennas distributed across airframe for radar, SPJ/EW, etc on wing, rudder, spine, belly).
On a matured future jet (6/6.5gen) we may see AOSA laser as part of Laser-DAS.
HPM (High Power Microwave) is also being R&Ded to be minimized, so we may see MW-DAS also.
Electricity required would be produced real-time from jet engine generators &/or carry internal energy/battery bank being charged by generators, impacting overall size & weight of aircraft, hence requiring much higher thrust engines to maintain TWR.
A J-36/NGAD like jet would be able to accomodate a truck-load equivalent of modular system in say 6x2x2=24 cubic meter IWB space.
These would be sufficient for short range defence against anything - BVR-AAM, CCM, gunfighter. It'll have to be a DEW fight, unless saturated with incoming missiles. So it might also result in R&D on missile with multiple sub-munition like in BMs & Starstreak SAM.
There is another fan-art pic depicting this system on a fighter jet, but by Eastern artist rather than by a Western artist like Rodrigo Avella, etc.
I hope our ADA & DRDO would come up with a surprise - DURGA-# + AHCA.
Torpedo? don't know, so far ehwt NST-240 is all I know. Maybe futuristic, supercavitation tech was listed under NSTL work in the fore site.
Underwater Defence Technologies | Defence Research and Development Organisation - DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Government of India
Technology Category Technology Development Task Lab AI/ML Technology Swarm Algorithms for multiple AUVs NSTL Adaptive/Cooperative control & guidance algorithms for AUVs NSTL AUV Sub-system level Fault Detection & Identification from Post Trial Data NSTL AI/ML algorithms...
Navy wanted their upcoming SSNs to have a significantly faster & thus lethal torpedo. Something like the British Spearfish torpedo. NSTL has made the Varunastra/EHWT compatible for submarine launch & has upgraded the battery of the torpedo. But even then, the best we can do right now is 50 knots. Wrote about this sometime back:
Indian Sonar and Torpedo developments
So, super cavitation is an area of active research to make the torpedoes faster with current propulsion technologies.
Dr. Samir V. Kamat at IIT Bombay TechConnect 2024
The facility RM visited in USA recently , was that related to this research work or different ? In there Dr kamat sir said speed upto 200 knot which is crazy !
Rajnath visits submarine testing facility in U.S.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during his ongoing tour in the U.S., visited the William B Morgan Large Cavitation Channel (LCC) in the Naval Surface Warfare Centre at Memphis, Tennessee
I think thats far more advanced.