Indian Navy News & Discussions

[sancho]

Indian HALE UAV Requirement Draws Interest

The Indian navy's interest in a long-endurance maritime-surveillance unmanned aircraft system is drawing the attention of vendors in Israel, Europe and the U.S., and Northrop Grumman has been cleared by the U.S. government to conduct preliminary discussions with the Indian navy on the MQ-4C Triton...

...Elbit Systems' Hermes 900 MP is another maritime-patrol UAS that has caught the Indian navy's attention. Boeing InSitu's ScanEagle small UAS, which can be launched from ships but is not a long-endurance vehicle, is also in the mix.

In 2010, the Indian navy announced its interest in acquiring a fleet of high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) maritime UAVs. It stipulated at the time that it was looking for an aircraft with a mission endurance of at least 25 hr., maximum all-up weight of 15 tons, cruising speed of 100 kt. and service ceiling of 40,000 ft...

...For more than two years, the navy has also been in the market for shipborne rotary-wing UAS. Competitors include the Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout, Saab Skeldar V-200 and EADS Cassidian Tanan 300. The requirement was floated following slow movement on the naval rotary UAV program, on which Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) is working with IAI, based on the locally built Chetak (Alouette III) helicopter. The program has run into several hurdles with the autopilot and other systems, delaying it indefinitely and compelling the navy to remove it from its immediate requirements list.

India's indigenously designed Rustom-H HALE UAS is slated for a first flight in February 2014 and has commenced ground tests. Powered by twin turboprop engines, the UAS will be developed into three variants: one for land surveillance, one for extended maritime reconnaissance and a hunter-killer variant that will be built to deploy stand-off strike weapons.

Indian HALE UAV Requirement Draws Interest

 

[IndoUS]

@sancho, sir what are your thoughts about the deal and which system would be better. Would going with Israel from whom we already buy majority of our UAV form or with US whom we are buying the P-8 fro, or go neither route and buy from Europe?

 

[quranak343]

Admiral Sekhar points out that both shipyards have a common aim: to construct this largest-ever order of seven frigates without any delays. He explains, “We will have a common design for all seven ships of Project 17A. MDL can be the lead shipyard, since they have more experience in building bigger ships. They can start work on the first frigate; after six months, we will start work on the second one

 

[sancho]

@sancho, sir what are your thoughts about the deal and which system would be better. Would going with Israel from whom we already buy majority of our UAV form or with US whom we are buying the P-8 fro, or go neither route and buy from Europe?

Hi, the deal is still pretty confusing and imo is not the best option. For once, if HALE drone are required, the Hermes 900 would not fit, since it's just a medium altitude drone:

Hermes® 900 - Multi-role, Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE)

Performance:

Service Ceiling 30,000 ft

Elbit


That leaves only the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton, which is a highly capable but also more expensive and in combination with the P8Is a very good option:

Performance:

Service Ceiling 56,500 ft

http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/Triton/Documents/pageDocuments/Triton_data_sheet.pdf


However, US laws will put high operational restrictions on export customers, while the Israeli offer won't have such limitations.
Personally I think there is only one good way for us, getting the Israelis into a co-development for a new jet engined HALE drone and based on the same systems and engine also the stealthy UCAV (AURA). We will have full operational freedom, can develop them according to our requirements, add indigenous systems and most importantly Kaveri engine, besides benefitting from Israels high experience and know how wrt drone developments, electro-optics and sensors!

The chance for such a co-development is there, since the Israelis are planing to develop a UCAV as well and IAI had tried to co-develop a HALE drone with EADS too, which rejected, since they went for the Euro Hawk. So this would be the perfect chance for us, but I'm afraid DRDO will claim again, that they can do it all alone.

 

[S-DUCT]

Not sure if posted before but anyway..

INS vikramaditya out at sea

 

[sudhir007]

Hi-tech ship joins Coast Guard fleet in Porbandar - Times Of India

AHMEDABAD: Indian Coast Guard Ship 'Rajratan', the fifth of a series of eight indigenously built inshore patrol vessels, will now be based in Porbandar.

The 50-metre-long ship has been placed under the administrative and operational control of the commander, Coast Guard Region (North West) to augment the force levels required for continuous vigil along Gujarat maritime frontiers.

The ship was commissioned by director general Indian coast guard, vice admiral M P Muralidharan in Kolkata on February 11. The ship arrived in Porbandar on Thursday with a complement of five officers and 30 other ranks.

Equipped with the state-of-the-art weaponry and advanced communication and navigational equipment, the ship makes an ideal platform for undertaking multifarious close-coast missions such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue, and medical evacuation. The special features of the ship, include an integrated bridge management system (IMBS), integrated machinery control system (IMCS) and an integrated gun mount with indigenous fire control system (FCS).

The ship can achieve a maximum speed of 34 knots and has an endurance of 1,500 nautical miles, an official release said.

 

[S-DUCT]

INS Vikrant in the process of movement into dry dock.

 

[S-DUCT]

INS Viraat being refitted at CSL.

 

[sudhir007]

P-8I Patch

 

[kurup]

INS Vikrant in the process of movement into dry dock.

INS Viraat being refitted at CSL.

The past and future of IN together in kochi

 

[S-DUCT]

Primary flight control bridge, Flag bridge, Radar electronic, Chart-room , Flight deck control..

 

[aniyan2020]

a leader of tamilnadu state

 

[jha]

Courtesy NR from BR..

ShinMaywa looks to India for US-2 amphibian sales

Japanese airframer ShinMaywa is confident Japan will order a sixth US-2 amphibious search and rescue (SAR) aircraft within the next two years, and is optimistic about the type's chances in an Indian navy requirement for nine amphibious aircraft.

The company delivered a fifth US-2 to the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force last year, and the defence ministry has already budgeted for the sixth, says Kanji Ishimaru, who leads ShinMaywa's aircraft division. The type is gradually replacing the US-1 SAR aircraft in Japanese service, with only two examples of the US-1A remaining in use.

Ishimaru says it can be challenging producing aircraft in such small numbers, but the company can use employees from its commercial aircraft sub-assembly business and the US-2 maintenance team that supports the type in Japanese service.

Because the US-2 is unarmed, Tokyo allows ShinMaywa to market the design overseas. In January 2012, New Delhi issued a request for information for nine amphibious SAR aircraft. India's requirement could eventually be expanded to total 18 aircraft.

Ishimaru says the US-2 is uniquely suited to flying long-range SAR missions in support of military operations. Powered by four Rolls-Royce AE2100J turboprops - the same powerplant used by the Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transport already operated by the Indian air force - the Japanese type has a maximum range of 2,540nm (4,700km) and can take off and land in 3m (10ft) swells.

In addition to its 11-man crew, the US-2 can carry 11 passengers. In pure troop-transport configuration it can carry 30 fully-equipped soldiers.

Ishimaru lists rivals for the Indian requirement as the Beriev Be-200 and Bombardier 415. Other possible markets for the US-2 include Brunei and Indonesia, he adds.

US-1A and US-2 aircraft have been involved in more than 900 at-sea rescues since the introduction of the former model in the early 1970s, Ishimaru says.

 

[kurup]

a leader of tamilnadu state

WHAT ????

 

[jha]