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Monday, January 02, 2012

Indian Missile Programmes - Some Updates

Blogger Tarmak007 recently concluded writing a series of articles on India's indigenous Missile development programmes. Titled Cracking India's Missile Code, they contain quite a bit of updates & previously not known information. Especially refreshing it was to read the Director of DRDL calling for increased participation of the private sector in Defence production & R&D & his [DRDO's] commitment to lend them a helping hand in their effort. All the right noises made. How well it gets implemented, is yet to be seen. Good Read.

Jotting down some of the significant statements from the articles. Must read the complete articles, though.

"A missile typically carries huge number of such ICs making the total weight of the OBC close to 4-5 kilograms. The SOC with its power supply unit and connecters will weigh less than 200 grams."

"DRDO hopes to get the first block of SOCs in December and later test it the on short-range air-to-air Astra missile by mid-2012. Astra – a BVR (Beyond Visual Range) missile – will be initially integrated with Su-30 MKI and later on Tejas and MiG-29."

"Tactical missiles will be the biggest beneficiaries and we are now aiming to standardize and offer SOC to more platforms in future,"

- Missiles to get smarter & lighter with onboard desi chip

 

"the project promises to deliver over 450-plus MRSAMs and 18 firing units at an approved cost of Rs 10,075 crore [~$1.9 Billion USD].The MRSAM system has an intercept range of 70 km for a fighter class aircraft target"

"the trials of MRSAM system are likely to take place in 2013-2014 and the induction of the first firing unit into the Services, now planned in the third quarter of 2014."

"Presently the weapon system is in the development phase with the preliminary, detailed and critical design reviews completed. Realisation of the prototype hardware has also been initiated for development trials."

Read details of the missile & its auxiliary system in the article.

- MRSAM gains momentum; India, Israel developing 450 missiles & 18 firing units under the project

Watch: Technology development through Global collaboration - Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai [Aero India 2011]

 

"Some guidelines can be put in to identify private industries so as to evaluate their capabilities. Hand-holding is the key and we are ready to travel a long way with the industries"

"...the Services have started to repose faith in DRDO, from a 'no-faith scenario' of the past. "From a time when the DRDO was highly mistrusted, there's a sudden change in the way people and Services look at us."

- Industries must propel India's missile projects: DRDL chief

 

"What makes all the difference is the freedom at which we all work. AD is a very complex programme and highly technology-cum-software intense mission. We constantly upgrade our knowledge levels and undertake lifetime surveys on weapon systems"

"Amidst the pressures of delivering AD systems to protect the nation, these youngsters said that they had to literally start from the scratch. “There was hardly any open literature available when we began and that didn't let us down."

- India's young air defence bravehearts say yeh dil maange more!

 

"the new seeker will undergo tests in 2012 before getting onboard Programme AD, during exo-atmospheric intercepts. A milli-metric wave, all-weather capability seeker was recently successfully flight-tested on anti-tank Nag missile. “Currently, both seekers (against a battle tanks and against missiles\aircraft)  are undergoing a series of tests to prove its performance in a simulated environment and could be launched in a missile within one year"

"The cost of an imported seeker is Rs 2 crore [~$0.38 million USD] and upwards and the Indian version is claimed to be 60-70 per cent lesser."

- TERMINAL GUIDANCE: Made in India seekers dressed up for fire play

Watch: Missile & Ammunition seekers & sensors: types, features & characteristics overview [Aero India 2011]

 

"The competitive evaluation of reconfigured NAMICA is possibly the last hurdle before the Army places the order"

"DRDL claims that the missile can hit target up to 4 km in favourable conditions and up to 3 km in adverse conditions. “It is a very potent warhead which can pierce in excess of 850 mm of armour. A new seeker being developed in-house will take the range to 4.5 km, and guaranteed 4 km under all conditions."

- Climax in Pokhran during carrier re-validation trials

Watch: India's Helicopter-launched Air-to-Ground Missile HELINA [anti-tank missile Nag-derivative]

 

"During this lock-on-after-launch (LOAL) mode trials, to be conducted from a ground-based launcher, Helina's capability to establish  full range in excess of 7 km will be tested"

"So far two missiles have been fired from ground launchers over a range of 4.2 km (K K Ranges in Ahmednagar, near Pune). At Pokhran, one Helina was fired from the out-board weapon station location on Rudra for the first time. The chopper was hovering at an altitude of approximately 25-meter above ground"

- Helina ready for full-range ground-based trials in Pokhran

 

"the radars of Akash could hold track of all aerial targets despite the jammers, conclusively establishing the operation of built-in electronic counter-counter measures (ECCM) features."

"The numbers of the current combined orders will definitely make any desi defence devotee proud: 2,500 missiles, 112 launchers, 28 multi-functional phased array radars (MPARs) and 100 3-D Central Acquisition Radars (3-D CARs)."

"The first firing unit will be ready by March, 2012 and the second squadron will be ready by October 2012,"

- HAPPY HOURS: 2,500 missiles, 112 launchers, 28 MPARs & 100 3-D CARs

Akash-Missile-01

Source

"Prahaar can be be adapted to existing maritime platform as well as to an aircraft increasing its utility"

"With all weather, day and  night launch capability, Prahaar's range, if launched from an aircraft (read as Sukhoi), can be extended up to 350 km"

"The missiles are controlled and guided from lift off to impact and maneuver continuously so that the prediction of both launch point and impact point are difficult."

- Prahaar awaits Army intent; DRDO luring IAF, Navy

Watch: India test-fires indigenous, short-range, tactical missile Prahaar [Prahar]

An increasing number of critical technologies taken up for indigenous development are inching their way towards maturity. Such development bodes well for India's Technological efforts towards self-reliance.

The following presentation explains the concept of Ballistic Glide Re-entry Vehicle [BGRV] & its possible application in India's indigenous Missiles, especially the Shaurya Missile. Presentation made by Arun_S, who formerly maintained Bharat Rakshak's much-detailed, & referred to Missile pages, till he parted ways on an acrimonious note.

Ballistic Glide Re Entry Vehicle (BGRV) and Indian Missile Program

Watch: India's Missile Programme: Past, present & future by Dr. V.K. Saraswat 01 of 03

Godspeed