India's indigenous UCAV ‘Aura’ taking shape in DRDO labs

[angeldemon_007]

BAE Mantis might be displayed in Aero India 2011. Those in Banglore must take the glimpse of this UAV and don't forget to share with us...

 

[Dash]

Hi Dash, of course this will take time and as you know, I would like to see them focusing more on AURA than on AMCA, but with an experienced partner like Dassault, or the Israelis, things would be much easier.
Not really sure about the RFI, because the reports were not clear if it was for AURA, or for an armed UAV like Predator, or Mantis.

Your first point on focusing more on Aura than AMCA is certainly a call of duty at this moment. with naighbours fielding a 5th Gen fighter bomber, I think its time for us to move on to AURA.

I certainly dont envisage AURA to be a 6th Gen fighter but I am sure its going to be on the same lines like Mantis. To be honest they are calling it a secret project and the naming AURA is on the same line like ATV. So expect the surprise.

But thats what I expect. But the news on livefist says this.

Deep inside a non-descript building in Bangalore’s Vimanapura area, Indian military scientists are working hard to define the country’s first unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), one of India’s least known government-sponsored defence programmes. Still classified and “off the books”, the programme is steeped in conceptualizing a robotic drone aircraft that can autonomously seek, identify and destroy targets with on-board guided weapons.

But same article on livefist also says something else.

According to information made available for the first time, the project has a typically evasive name – AURA, for Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft. But the working title of the drone aircraft itself leaves nothing to the imagination – Indian Unmanned Strike Aircraft Programme (IUSAP). In other words, a pilotless bomber.

But I dont believe we have the ability to develope a pilotless bomber and no matter who we tie up with will give us that tech. So it has to be on the lines of Predator and a heavy one.

 

[sancho]

Your first point on focusing more on Aura than AMCA is certainly a call of duty at this moment. with naighbours fielding a 5th Gen fighter bomber, I think its time for us to move on to AURA.

I certainly dont envisage AURA to be a 6th Gen fighter but I am sure its going to be on the same lines like Mantis. To be honest they are calling it a secret project and the naming AURA is on the same line like ATV. So expect the surprise.

But thats what I expect. But the news on livefist says this.



But same article on livefist also says something else.



But I dont believe we have the ability to develope a pilotless bomber and no matter who we tie up with will give us that tech. So it has to be on the lines of Predator and a heavy one.

That's what I said, the reports are very confusing, but when you look at it, AURA UCAV is way easier to develop than AMCA.

We already have "some" experience in developing UAVs, the recent developments with Israel for unmanned helicopters will add more and such a co-development with EADS would be perfect as a base for AURA.
The stealth design and the internal weapon bays could be made by HAL, or ADA way easier than similar things for AMCA, because a stealth UCAV must only as stealthy as possibly and have a single big weapon bay. AMCA instead is a fighter, so must have a maneuverable and agile designs, besides beeing stealthy. The flight performance is way more important and difficult than at a stealth UCAV.
Moreover, one could use the FGFA development as a base to get the stealth design and weapon bays for AURA as well. Not to forget that AURA wouldn't need a radar, less avionics and n engine that is easier to make.
However, the biggest point for AURA and against AMCA is still FGFA! We already will have a 5. gen fighter that offers all that AMCA is aimed on too, AURA instead offers a capability that IAF won't have so far and would be the much more logical choice to relace Jags in the deep penetration strike roles.

So a stealth UCAV is not that unrealistic imo, but I agree that we need normal UAVs that can be armed as well and that might be the first step. Adding LAHAT missiles on HERON, or Rustom could be such a possiblity.

 

[angeldemon_007]

@ Sancho
Agreed if ADA is planning for predator like UCAV but have you forgot about our ADA "Think more than you can achieve" .

I think AURA is in the line of Northrop Grumman X-47A Pegasus and Dassault Neuron because it makes no sense that on one side our agencies are developing a product and on the other side we are in the market to purchase the similar kind of product.

 

[sancho]

@ Sancho
Agreed if ADA is planning for predator like UCAV but have you forgot about our ADA "Think more than you can achieve" .

I think AURA is in the line of Northrop Grumman X-47A Pegasus and Dassault Neuron because it makes no sense that on one side our agencies are developing a product and on the other side we are in the market to purchase the similar kind of product.

I know and that's what I meant as well, "stealth UCAV" with internal weapon bays!

 

[angeldemon_007]

Zardari to ask for drone technology during US visit

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is likely to seek drone technology from the US during his official visit to America at the end of February or in early March, a media report said. Zardari will hold meetings with President Barack Obama and other US leaders. "The president will visit the US by the end of February or in early March," Dawn quoted presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar as saying on Sunday
Zardari recently returned from an unofficial visit to the US where he had gone to attend the memorial service for Richard Holbrooke, the US special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The media report said that though the trip was not official, Zardari called on Obama for an informal meeting that lasted for 40 minutes.

Babar said the meeting between Zardari and Obama focused on the efforts the two countries had made in the war on terror and its fallout on Pakistan's economy.

At the forthcoming talks, Pakistan is likely to press for the transfer of drone technology.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said his country has asked the US to share its drone technology so as to enable Pakistan's military to hit more militant hideouts on its own.

"We have asked the US to hand over the drone technology to us, so that we can carry out these strikes ourselves," said Gilani.

The US' pilotless drones have been carrying out strikes in Pakistan's restive tribal region near Afghanistan border, targeting Al Qaeda and Taliban hideouts since 2004. Several high-profile targets, including former Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, have been killed in these attacks.

When these guys get some self respect ....

 

[angeldemon_007]

UK unveils Taranis stealth combat demonstrator
By Craig Hoyle

The UK has lifted the covers off its Taranis unmanned combat air system technology demonstrator, which will be flown for the first time in 2011.
Revealed at BAE Systems' Warton site in Lancashire on 12 July, Taranis is the product of a more than £140 million ($210 million) project involving the UK Ministry of Defence and an industry team including BAE, GE Aviation, Qinetiq and Rolls-Royce.
The development programme was launched in December 2006, and is intended to prove the UK's ability to produce a stealthy UCAS while maintaining sovereign capability over its technologies and equipment.

"We have no dependencies on others beyond the UK," says Nigel Whitehead, group managing director of BAE's Programmes and Support operating unit. Should an operational requirement stem from the Taranis effort, a system could possibly be available in the 2018-20 period, he adds.
Air Chief Marshal Simon Bryant, commander-in-chief of the Royal Air Force's Air Command organisation, says a future UCAS could meet three of the service's key operating needs. These cover control of the air, attack and intelligence/situational awareness, he adds.
However, any future need hinges on the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, which will conclude around October.

Whitehead confirms that Team Taranis has encountered "significant integration challenges" during the programme to date, citing areas such as aerodynamics, engine and systems integration and the demands of manufacturing a low-observable structure.
"A number of these technologies have been looked at before, but not all brought together in one platform," he says.
BAE has now invested more than £100 million in developing unmanned systems technology such as those needed to support autonomous operations, he adds.

 

[angeldemon_007]

Old news but still...

Industry Lukewarm To Indian UCAV Ambition

The Indian government may have to reassess its strategy to field a fleet of unmanned combat aircraft after initial outreach to potential industrial partners elicited little response.

Most companies that received the request for information (RFI) in June, when India launched its surprise effort to procure a fleet of stealthy unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV), have shunned the approach, saying they were unable to respond. Company officials note they were unable to offer any meaningful response to the Indian air force’s stated requirement.

One exception is BAE Systems, which recently unveiled its Taranis UCAV demonstrator. The company’s India spokesman, Guy Douglas, confirmed, “We did reply to the RFI.”

However, even BAE Systems responded with a caveat. “We stated in the RFI response, [that] we are unlikely to be able to offer a realistic response to a UCAV request for proposals within the immediate timeframe,” Douglas says. “As Taranis is still in the prototype phase of development,” he added, “it would be incorrect to suggest it is available to compete for this program. Instead, we have made it clear that we are very interested in working together with the [Defense Research and Development Organization], and other agencies and companies in India to help develop an indigenous [unmanned air system] capability.”

France’s Dassault, which has the industry lead for the European Neuron UCAV demonstrator, decided not to respond to the RFI, but has similarly conveyed to the Indian government its willingness to partner with the Indian UCAV program to speed it up. A Dassault official says the inability to pitch the Neuron was principally linked to other companies and countries involved, and responding within an immediate time frame on the Neuron as a potentially available platform was not feasible. Italy and Sweden are also major stakeholders in Neuron.

The project is not aimed at delivering a production system. French officials view it to a precursor to an operational UCAV, but Swedish officials so far have shied away from that step.

EADS also has been cool to the effort. Despite the company’s work on the Barracuda demonstrator, EADS notes that it is not pursuing UCAV projects. “UCAVs are not part of the EADS product portfolio. What EADS Defense and Security does offer is a range of highly advanced UAVs used for reconnaissance and surveillance,” a company official says. The Barracuda work is now focused on developing technologies to support the Talarion unmanned aircraft concept EADS has been trying to sell to several European governments, so far unsuccessfully.

Both BAE Systems and Dassault have signaled to the Indian government their willingness to partner on the Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft (AURA) program, revealed in May. The program is aimed at defining a high-speed, flying-wing stealthy UCAV with internal weapons bays.

Run by the Aeronautical Development Agency, which also develops the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, the program does not have an official timeline or approved budget. There has been no indication from the Indian government so far that the program will hire an international technology partner, although that has been the strategy on several other projects.

Officials from MiG Russian Aircraft Co., which is is developing the Skat stealth UCAV demonstrator and competing for India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft fighter program, and from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) did not respond to requests for comment. However, industry officials suggest IAI has shown interest in working on the AURA program. IAI is developing a naval rotary-wing UAV in cooperation with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and the Indian navy.

The Indian air force RFI appears to acknowledge that there are no UCAV platforms operational in the world today that quite match its stated requirements, although there are several in various stages of development. The RFI asks potential bidders to indicate if the product they choose to propose is operational or still under development. The exercise, therefore, is likely only to reinforce the Indian government’s unspoken view that an indigenous program, with selective foreign technology infusions, is the way forward.

U.S. companies were not included in the Indian air force RFI. Industrial ties with the U.S. are still restricted by lack of progress on three technological sharing agreements, chiefly the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (Cismoa). U.S. Undersecretary for Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy tried to generate some movement on those discussions during a visit last week to New Delhi.

A General Atomics officials say the company is not pursuing business in India, and Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman also indicate they are not discussing the UCAV initiative with the Indian air force.

 

[Kompromat]

The picture in the original article is actually X-47

 

[tanlixiang28776]

The picture in the original article is actually X-47

I noticed it a while ago but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

 

[angeldemon_007]

Actually guys Taranis also looks like that and Dassault Neuron too...This is the actual pic of Taranis.

Just go through this link, there is a video too...enjoy

Taranis: The £143million unmanned stealth jet that will be hit targets in another continent | Mail Online

 

[IndianArmy]

Some pictures from DRDO's Brochure

 

[angeldemon_007]

one more video

 

[Kompromat]

making photos on Adobe is a kid's game but the blunt truth is that India has no experience what so ever in flying wing technology , idealizing x47 is great but actually coming up with something that is as effective as X47 is just what indian aerospace industry with its current capabilities can just dream of and draw good looking drawings of it to get PR.

X-47 for your general info is actually a "semi autonomous UCAV" which means it uses artificial intelligence to carry out its ops and can complete part of its mission on its own without being flown by a pilot on the ground , where as India at the moment cannot even come up with a reliable basic UAV design with some really useful surveillance package on board , how can they come up with "flying wing technology , internal weapons bay , Artificial intelligence , long endurance , suitable jets Engines , stealthy materials and smart weaponry , self protection systems" ? Indian industry has no or very little experience in this field and as far as i am aware Indian aerospace industry in its current form has none of those capabilities as India still imports basic UAV's from Israel.

If the Indian fanboys can explain to me how India plans to produce those technologies in a reasonable amount of time for this project without foreign help ?

 

[IndianArmy]

making photos on Adobe is a kid's game but the blunt truth is that India has no experience what so ever in flying wing technology , idealizing x47 is great but actually coming up with something that is as effective as X47 is just what indian aerospace industry with its current capabilities can just dream of and draw good looking drawings of it to get PR.

X-47 for your general info is actually a "semi autonomous UCAV" which means it uses artificial intelligence to carry out its ops and can complete part of its mission on its own without being flown by a pilot on the ground , where as India at the moment cannot even come up with a reliable basic UAV design with some really useful surveillance package on board , how can they come up with "flying wing technology , internal weapons bay , Artificial intelligence , long endurance , suitable jets Engines , stealthy materials and smart weaponry , self protection systems" ? Indian industry has no or very little experience in this field and as far as i am aware Indian aerospace industry in its current capability has none of those capabilities.

If the Indian fanboys can explain to me how India plans to produce those technologies in a reasonable amount of time for this project without foreign help ?

No one had any technology, It was Evolved over a Period of Time With changing necessities... Same the case with India....