Indian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Developments

Apparently, NAL has found an industrial partner for manufacturing their 30hp Wankel engine:


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There are other IC engines at various stages of development for use on UAVs.


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The 30hp Wankel engine is going to be used on NAL's upcoming loitering munition:


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Domestic alternative to the IAI Harop & Harpy.
More details about Wankel Engines by NAL for UAVs.

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India to Launch New Drone PLI Scheme: Focus on Efficiency & Indigenous Components​


New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) The government plans to come out with a new Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the drones sector that will be more effective in terms of implementation, documentation and other aspects.

Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam on Wednesday said the government is looking at moving to the next PLI scheme for the drones sector.

The first PLI scheme for drones, introduced in 2021 with an outlay of Rs 120 crore for three financial years starting from 2021-22, has ended.

While acknowledging that some procedures under the first scheme were onerous on startups and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the drone sector, the civil aviation secretary said the government will look at a more efficient PLI scheme in terms of implementation, documentation and the processes that are adopted.

According to Vualnam, the drone sector has to be segregated into three segments -- those for civilian use, security/ defence forces use, and the rogue or unregulated use of drones.

"We have to be very clear about how we approach the three areas," he said and highlighted that certain incidents of rogue use of drones could become impediments when youngsters, startups and women self-help groups are to use more drones.

"We have to be cognisant of that... counter drone technologies are being developed," he said, while speaking at a conference organised by industry body Ficci.

In a discussion paper, Ficci suggested that the government should bring counter drone systems and components under the next phase of the PLI scheme.

The outlay under the new scheme should be increased to Rs 1,000 crore to support startups and new entrants to develop drones with more indigenous components and sub-systems.

The civil aviation secretary also said tenders are ready for procuring 3,000 more drones under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme. The scheme seeks to provide agricultural drones to rural women and 15,000 drones will be given to women-led self-help groups.

The first set of 1,000 drones have been acquired and distributed. The tenders for 3,000 drones under the scheme are ready and will be issued by the agencies concerned soon, Vualnam said.

Additional Director General at the Army Design Bureau Major General C S Mann stressed on the importance of indigenisation.

"We need to have truthfulness in the claims of indigenous capabilities... Only then will we be able to address the challenges... we need to identify the critical components," he added.

 
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Amid concerns about use of Chinese parts in drones, Army general urges industry to be transparent

New Delhi: Concerned about the use of Chinese spare parts in drones supplied to the Army, a top Army officer Wednesday sought honesty from companies dealing in drones. This comes after intelligence agencies flagged the use of Chinese components in drones purchased by the armed forces.

Speaking at Bharat Drone Varta-Road to Indigenisation—an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi— Major General CS Mann, additional director general, Army Design Bureau, said, “Since it’s a matter of national security concern, there have to be truthful claims of indigenous capabilities. That’s the start point for every one of us. Only then will we be able to address the challenges which are there.”

Intelligence agencies have raised concerns about Chinese components in drones purchased from domestic private players, mostly for deployment in border areas in the northern and eastern sectors, as reported by ThePrint earlier.

Moreover, it came to light in August that the defence ministry had put on hold an order for 200 logistics drones from Dhaksha Unmanned Systems Pvt Ltd, following allegations that it was using Chinese components.

Earlier, in a letter on 25 June, the defence ministry had warned industry bodies—FICCI, the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM)—to “sensitise” their members so that they exercise “caution” while procuring defence items from Dhaksha and two other companies. The ministry and the Army are now formulating protocols to ensure Chinese parts do not go unnoticed.

Maj Gen Mann also talked about how the requirement for indigenisation had long been seen in the light of logistical concerns—to have “adequate protection against supply chain disruptions, which have been felt more in the near past”—but events such as the pager blasts in Lebanon had now made it a matter of national security.

Israel’s Mossad spy agency had allegedly planted a small number of explosives inside 5,000 pagers ordered by the Lebanese group Hezbollah months before the detonations that killed nine people and wounded nearly 3,000 others last month, as has been reported by Reuters.

Therefore, indigenisation must go far beyond lip service, he said. “We need to look under the hood and we need to do it seriously.”

Referring to the Drone Shivir, a conference held by the Army in collaboration with the Drone Federation of India this month, he said, “The biggest takeaway from the Drone Shivir, conducted only six days back, was that unless we have full indigenisation of components within the country, it is actually difficult.”

He listed out the “vulnerable and critical components” that India needs to pay special attention to in drones. On a broader spectrum, he said, “Anything to do with data, communications and command and control are the components which are critical for us, which have to be indigenised. These are the ones which create security vulnerabilities. Hardware is also important.”

The major components that need to be indigenised, he said, are autopilots with redundant sensors, secure communications with short- and long-range radios (short-range being anything from 5 to 10 km, long-range 25-50 km), handheld ground stations and remote controls with integrated radio. He also referred to electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payloads—sensors used for purposes like target acquisition and tracking—and brushless DC (BLDC) motors with compatible speed controllers.


The need for R&D and investment is a major challenge when it comes to indigenisation, he said. “But I can assure you that because of the various provisions available, under the defence procurement and specifically talking about the Army Technology Board, we are ready to do the funding. That funding is direct funding and not in terms of incentives later on.” He said that the Army would give industry “any amount of funding” based on the means and financial powers at various levels.

India to Launch New Drone PLI Scheme: Focus on Efficiency & Indigenous Components​


New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) The government plans to come out with a new Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the drones sector that will be more effective in terms of implementation, documentation and other aspects.

Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam on Wednesday said the government is looking at moving to the next PLI scheme for the drones sector.

The first PLI scheme for drones, introduced in 2021 with an outlay of Rs 120 crore for three financial years starting from 2021-22, has ended.

While acknowledging that some procedures under the first scheme were onerous on startups and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the drone sector, the civil aviation secretary said the government will look at a more efficient PLI scheme in terms of implementation, documentation and the processes that are adopted.

According to Vualnam, the drone sector has to be segregated into three segments -- those for civilian use, security/ defence forces use, and the rogue or unregulated use of drones.

"We have to be very clear about how we approach the three areas," he said and highlighted that certain incidents of rogue use of drones could become impediments when youngsters, startups and women self-help groups are to use more drones.

"We have to be cognisant of that... counter drone technologies are being developed," he said, while speaking at a conference organised by industry body Ficci.

In a discussion paper, Ficci suggested that the government should bring counter drone systems and components under the next phase of the PLI scheme.

The outlay under the new scheme should be increased to Rs 1,000 crore to support startups and new entrants to develop drones with more indigenous components and sub-systems.

The civil aviation secretary also said tenders are ready for procuring 3,000 more drones under the Namo Drone Didi Scheme. The scheme seeks to provide agricultural drones to rural women and 15,000 drones will be given to women-led self-help groups.

The first set of 1,000 drones have been acquired and distributed. The tenders for 3,000 drones under the scheme are ready and will be issued by the agencies concerned soon, Vualnam said.

Additional Director General at the Army Design Bureau Major General C S Mann stressed on the importance of indigenisation.

"We need to have truthfulness in the claims of indigenous capabilities... Only then will we be able to address the challenges... we need to identify the critical components," he added.



PLI should be calibrated to include sub component levels listed by the Maj Gen
 
Cross posting about Addverb's defense products:

specifically this interview @4:10
 
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