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Indian UAV's and the Road Ahead

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I thought i might Write a post about what Rustom is and the Road ahead
This may help clear up some Confusion a lot of people are having.


http://*****************/album/d/2532-2/Rustom_male_drdo.JPG

Aircraft pictured above : Rustom-1 MALE UAV
A smaller derivative Rustom-1, a prototype/technology demonstrator,

Rustom (English: Warrior) is a (MALE)Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
-A designed endurance of 12-15 hour, 25000 ft. altitude and 75 kg payload


Rustom is derived from the NAL's LCRA (Light Canard Research Aircraft) developed by a team under the leadership of late Prof. Rustom B. Damania in the 1980s。

The aircraft has been named after Rustom Damania, a former professor of IISc, Bangalore who died in 2001. DRDO decided to name the UAV after him because it is derived from National Aeronautical Laboratories’ light canard research aircraft (LCRA) developed under Rustom Damania’s leadership in the 1980s.

CurrentStatus:
The Indian government has allowed the development of the Rustom MALE UAV project in association with a production agency cum development partner (PADP). The ADE officials indicated that the requests for proposals (RFP) would shortly be issued to four vendors which are the Tatas, Larsen and Toubro, Godrej and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-Bharat Electronics (joint bid) who were chosen out of the 23 firms that responded.
Currently, negotiations are underway between these companies and the three Indian armed forces since the private majors are looking for support and commitment from them before they start executing any development and production plans. This is because of the fact that the chosen PADP will also have a financial stake in the Rustom project. The Armed Forces would also be asked to take up a financial stake and the Indian government may have to guarantee that a specific number of Rustom UAVs will be bought.

The Hindu : News / National : Significant step toward indigenous UAV
DRDO’s Rustom UAV To Roll Out Soon | India Defence Online

A prototype to validate the technology for the project has been built and the taxi trials has been completed
At least 10 more test flights of the Rustom design are expected before the system can be taken up for production. The test work is being performed using a sub-scale version of the air vehicle (Rustom-I TD) with a 1.5*m (4.9*ft) wing span and an overall length of 3m.


Rustom-1 MALE UAV is a forerunner to the more advanced Rustom H and Unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) or Project AURA.


*Rustom-H HALE(High Altitude Long Endurace) (Under development)

RUSTOM-H.JPG


Most likely following a similar model to Rustom-1, with ADA/DRDO developing the Basing Underlying technology with some one else Implementing it and manufacturing it.


* Project AURA (Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft)

India's proposed unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) ,

AURA.jpg


prototype technology demonstrator being conceptualised goes by the working title
Indian Unmanned Strike Aircraft (IUSA) or Indian Unmanned Strike Aircraft Programme (IUSAP). The Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) and Agency (ADA) are currently conducting a feasibility study of two UCAV designs and expects to freeze a concept in 2011. The National Aeronautics Laboratory is also involved in the concept study of the IUSA. While the Nishant and Rustom UAVs have been publicly shown before, the Defence Ministry has asked ADA to keep the IUSAP classified and out of sight as far as possible. Sources say that the first demonstrator is likely to be an all composite swept-wing model, though a lot of design elements haven't been frozen just yet.

AURA.JPG


AURA-3.JPG


here are the first ever manifestations of what India's UCAV, codenamed AURA, could look like. These are images from an official presentation (see slide) by India's Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) director PS Krishnan, outlining AURA (Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft)

ADE describes the AURA as a "self defending" high speed reconnaisance UAV with a "weapon firing capability"

With the programme still in its project definition stage, the images used in the slide above are likely just representative (the tacky flag-on-underbelly routine a-la Lockheed Nighthawk with stars and stripes)
, though it's a definite indication of how the programme's scientists are thinking. It's all fully in line with what former DRDO chief controller for Aeronautics said in 2007: that India's combat drone would be a stealthy flying-wing concept aircraft with internal weapons and a turbofan engine.


____________________________________________________

Short Look at India's Unmanned Aircraft Vision

The IAI-HAL Naval Rotory UAV
NRUAV+INSIDE.JPG



Nishant UAV

NISHANT-787764.JPG

The Nishant, as it stands of course, doesn't ever need a tarmac -- it can be launched using a truck-based mobile hydropneumatic launcher. And then Land Using parachute , making it especially usefull in the Rugged terrain on Kashmir , where Runways and Landing strips are hard to come by.

Flight.jpg

Features
  • Day/night capability
  • Battlefield reconnaissance & surveillance
  • Target tracking and localization
  • Artillery fire correction
  • All terrain mobility
  • Target designation (using integral laser target designator)
  • Endurance: 4 h 30 min

Performance
  • Maximum speed: 185 km/h
  • Cruise speed: 125 km/h to 150 km/h
  • Range: 160 km (100 mi)
  • Service ceiling: 3,600 m (up to 11,800 ft)
 
India's Mini Gas Turbine Engine For UAV/UCAV Programme

GTRE_UAV_mini_turbine.JPG


GTRE.JPG


India's indigenous minaturised gas turbine technology demonstrator for UAVs/UCAVs. The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE)

Finally the Vision

UAV2.JPG


UAV1.JPG


The first slide you see shows an unmanned network centric battlefield scenario 2020 and is possibly the first such depiction by the Indian military research establishment (the Phantom Ray and Neuron are representative!). The second slide depicts India's UAV roadmap as it stands today .

Apart from the AURA, every other Indian UAV platform is either in trials or in some stage of prototype development. DRDO is now developing a Mk-II Nishant with higher endurance and service ceiling and an Mk-II Lakshya target drone with more autonomous features.
 
Is Rustam capable to fire surface to air missile....??
If "YES" then how much capable these missiles are.

Pakistan home made Burraq (UAV) is capable to fire laser-guided air-to-surface missile. Details are still secret ....not publically available
 
Maiden flight for Indian mly drone

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India said Sunday it had completed a maiden test flight of an indigenously-built unmanned drone developed as part of the country’s efforts to reduce military imports.

“The aircraft was flown in a manner exactly as planned, up to a height of 3,000 feet, remained airborne for 30 minutes and completed all mission requirements,” Defence Research and Development Organisation spokesman Ravi Kumar Gupta said of Saturday’s flight.
The drone, named Rustom, has a maximum flight time of 15 hours and is a prototype that the military intends to develop into more advanced models, officials said. Israel, which in 2005 signed a 220-million dollar deal to sell 50 unmanned spy planes to India, remains one of the country’s largest suppliers of drones.
India has accelerated military procurement, including the purchase of drones, since the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, which left 166 people dead and more than 300 injured.
 
Is Rustam capable to fire surface to air missile....??
If "YES" then how much capable these missiles are.

Pakistan home made Burraq (UAV) is capable to fire laser-guided air-to-surface missile. Details are still secret ....not publically available

no I guess, cuz burraq is unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) while while Rustom is a UAV
 
no I guess, cuz burraq is unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) while while Rustom is a UAV

That is partially correct. This from an official statement from DRDO...

Rustom with a designed endurance of 12-15 hour, 25000 ft. altitude and 75 kg pay load is forerunner to the more advanced Rustom H and UCAV.

So a rustom variant with higher payload and combat capabilities is already in the offing! It is just a matter of time!

Well, are there any other reports on burraq apart from the one in air force times a year ago? We also have such one report craft like AURA. Though your project looks a more achievable one than AURA.
 
Gogbot great treasure man..

You have the specs of it?...
For UCAV this wont be sufficient right? it looks less capable for that big one

According to live fist they have yet to release those details.

Only Info we really have on the programme is that
And i quote liveFist on this info

The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) -- this photo is from a presentation they made not long ago -- has according to the presentation, completed "preliminary design, configuration and analysis" of the engine, under development ostensibly to power AURA, India's stealth UCAV concept, and the Nirbhay cruise missile currently under development by the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL).

I have not been able to fine more info on this sorry, It might be out there and i just have yet to come across it.

Sorry to disappoint.

However Info will most likely start to make its way to the press as Nirbay makes that test flight
 
Is Rustam capable to fire surface to air missile....??
If "YES" then how much capable these missiles are.

To quote some one , whom you can't disagree with.
Details are still secret ....not publically available

However My own Personal opinnion:

With a payload of only 75kg, It seems to too small to carry munitions , targeting equipment and Fuel. It is highly unlikely that the Rustom can carry missiles. At least Smart missiles

A single Nag Missile wights 42kg , not including the equipment need to operate it.

The Man portable Nag is meant to weigh only 10 kg , but with the smaller range, The UAV would need to be very close to the surface to fire the missile.

So really speaking no.

Also if you looked at info i posted , there is never any reference to A UCAV outside of AURA.

Rustom (MALE) will augment the Fleet of Searcher UAV's
Rustom (HALE) will augment the fleet of Heron UAV's

AURA project will yield the first Indian Combat drone.

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Also its Rustom not Rustam , uderstand Msubair
 
According to live fist they have yet to release those details.

Only Info we really have on the programme is that
And i quote liveFist on this info



I have not been able to fine more info on this sorry, It might be out there and i just have yet to come across it.

Sorry to disappoint.

However Info will most likely start to make its way to the press as Nirbay makes that test flight

No problem dear.. it was great... i didnt know this exist in the first case :agree:
 

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