Tuesday, December 1, 2020

IAC-1 Completes 75-Day Basin Trials, DRDO In Kyrgyzstan & New Interceptor Craft For Indian Army At Panggong Tso Lake

Basin Trials of the Project 71 Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1), which got underway in mid-September, were successfully concluded at Cochin Shipyard Limited on November 30, 2020 in the presence of Vice Admiral A K Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command and Madhu S Nair, Chairman and Managing Director Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). Despite the restrictions imposed by the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, CSL and the Indian Navy worked as a cohesive team to ensure timely completion of all essential tasks leading up to the Basin Trials of IAC-1.

Basin Trials are primarily aimed at proving the main propulsion plant (developed with the technical consultancy of Fincantieri of Italy) of the vessel in harbour and is a precursor to the ensuing sea-trials. Onboard IAC-1, extensive trials of all four LM-2500 gas turbines, main gear boxes, shafting and controllable-pitch propellers, along with their integrated control systems, were carried out during these trials. In addition, major auxiliary equipment and systems such as steering gear, air-conditioning plants, compressors, centrifuges, all 60 critical pumps, fire-main system, power generation and distribution system, major machinery fire-fighting and de-flooding systems, all deck machinery  as well as entire internal communication equipment were also proved during the harbour trials phase.

N V Suresh Babu, Director Operations, CSL, Commodore Ishan Tandon, Director Carrier Acceptance Trial Team (CATT), Commodore Sameer Aggarwal, Chief Staff Officer (Technical) of Southern Naval Command, Commodore Cyril Thomas, Warship Production Superintendent (WPS) and Commodore Vivek Dahiya, Commanding Officer (Designated) also witnessed the event. With successful completion of Basin Trials, IAC-1 has entered the final phase of the project. The sea-trials are planned in first half of 2021.

Close to 75% of the material and equipment on-board the IAC-1 is indigenous. This includes raw material such as 23,000 tonnes of DMR-249A steel, 2,500km of electrical cables, 150km of pipes and 2,000 valves as well as finished products such as anchor capstans, rigid-hull inflatable boats and LCVPs, galley equipment, air-conditioning and refrigeration plants, steering gear, RO plants, main switchboards, energy distribution centres, more than 150 pumps and motors, AK-630M guns, Kavach chaff launchers, internal and external communications equipment, all network systems, including ship data network, integrated platform management system and the CMS-71 combat management system (developed and built by TATA Advanced Systems Ltd). More than 50 Indian OEMs have been directly involved in this project. Close to 2,000 Indian citizens received direct employment on-board IAC-1 on a daily basis and over 40,000 received indirect employment. In addition, about 85% of the project cost of approximately Rs.20,000 crore has been ploughed back into the Indian economy.

IAC-1 At A Glance

The ongoing Rs.20,000 crore naval base expansion work—Project Seabird Phase-IIA—is expected to be completed by 2023. Once operational, it will be the largest naval base in Asia and will be the home base for 50 warships and submarines. The number of Navy personnel at the base will increase to around 5,000.As part of the expansion work, the naval air station will come up at Alageri village near Ankola and it is expected to start functioning in 2025. The naval air station will come up in 1,328 acres. There is no need for additional land as the required land is already available with the Navy. In the naval air station, the Navy is planning to construct a runway measuring 2,000 metres for the landing of their aircraft. The Karnataka state government, which has plans to construct a civilian airport in Uttara Kannada district, has initiated talks with the MoD to use the upcoming naval air station for civilian operations. The MoD has agreed to this proposal and it has asked the Navy to add an extra 1,000 metres to the planned runway. The Phase-IIB expansion work, which will begin after Phase-IIA work, will be another big project at INS Kadamba. After Phase-IIB works are completed, Karwar will be home to more than 100 warships and submarines. US-based AECOM is managing and overseeing the planning, design, contracting, construction and acceptance of the entire works, including construction of the naval air station.

DRDO In Kyrgyzstan

In September 2011, the DRDO’s Naval Scientific & Technological Laboratory (NSTL) gained long-term access to Kyrgyzstan’s Torpedo Testing Centre located at Issyk Kul Lake in Karakul province, 250km away from the capital Bishkek. The Centre, previously known as the 954th Anti-submarine Weapons Test Base of the Russian Navy is located at Cape Koy-Sary, has a network of submerged acoustic sensors that can monitor the speed, velocity, homing-in accuracy and direction of any torpedo once it is launched. This enables the developers of autonomous torpedoes to make the necessary modifications in the on-board navigation system and homing sensors to make the torpedoes more accurate and fool-proof. 

The torpedoes launched in the Lake are also recoverable, thereby enabling the developers to make physical verifications of their structures for further studies. The Centre also hosts OAO Daastaan, now a Kyrgyz company that remains engaged in R & D work on new-generation, autonomous lightweight and heavyweight torpedoes.

New Interceptor Craft For Indian Army At Panggong Tso Lake

The procurement of 24 high-speed interceptor craft each weighing about 20 tonnes is being fast-tracked for eventual deployment by the Indian Army at Panggong Tso Lake in eastern Ladakh. Originally designed by the MoD-owned Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) as a larger 105-tonne craft with an aluminium-built hull, the craft being acquired will differ, i.e. they will each be 16 metres long, displace about 21 tonnes, will have hulls made of DMR-249A steel, and will be equipped with a COMPASS turret containing optronic sensors, plus a remote-controlled weapon system (RCWS) housing a 12.7mm KORD heavy machine gun. Each craft will be able to carry 20 fully-equipped soldiers. A procurement contract for the craft will soon be inked, with production being equally shared between GSL and the MoD-owned, Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilding & Engineering (GRSE).

61 comments:

  1. Dear Prasun,

    If Astra missile could be integrated with Tejas do we need Derby missiles for Tejas?

    When will Arihant class test fire the K15 and K4 missiles?

    When is sub launched Varunastra likely to be tested? If found adequate will there be any requirements for F21 or black shark or seahake torpedoes?

    In what possible shortest time can India launch its land based IRBMs and ICBMs from threat detection to actual launch?

    ReplyDelete
  2. What about the complement of fighters ?
    IN has about 41 MiG 29 fighters.
    With this there will be shore based fighter at all.


    Regards
    Venky

    ReplyDelete
  3. https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/days-after-us-desert-mystery-another-metal-monolith-found-in-romania-2332740?pfrom=home-lateststories

    What do you say

    Ron

    ReplyDelete
  4. @prasun da

    1. US has decided to scrap the amphibious assault ship that got damaged at port due to massive fire, i was thinking instead of buying 2 LPD IN should try to buy/build such 4-5 amphibious assault ship that can even land fighters on the deck if needed.

    2. any update on the armed Hawkk jet and why have never tested the land to ship version of Bhahmos

    3. Vietnam uses all Su 2/27/30/35 why

    thanks

    Joydeep ghosh

    ReplyDelete
  5. To VED: The decision in favour of Derby BVRAAM for Tejas Mk.1 was taken eight years (2010) before the availability of Astra-1. Hence for Tejas Mk.1 s SP-1 to SP-20 the Derby was specified while for SP-21 till SP-40 & for Tejas Mk.1A the Astra-1 has been specified. No timetable or schedule exists for the K-14 & K-4 SLBMs to be fired from S-2/SSBN-80 Arihant. Only 48 hours ago the IAF airlifted 50 COVID-19 infected ‘scientists’ of DRDO from a Central Asian country, i.e. Kyrgyzstan, where the DRDO has been using a lake for developing the Varunastra family of HWTs. Any wire-guided version of the Varunastra HWT is at least another 8 years away. Until then, India requires 320 HWTs for its submarine fleet at a rate of 16 HWTs per submarine. The emergence of a strategic threat never happens overnight, but over a period of time ranging from 90 days to 6 months, i.e. plenty of time to assemble & arm the BMs of all types.

    To VENKY: The slides that I have just uploaded above show that the IAC-1 & INS Vikramaditya will at best be having no more than 14 MiG-29Ks each on-board.

    To RON: It is a prank, as evidenced by the photos of this incident.

    To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) Such vessels are for the USMC that will operate VTOL F-35 JSFs. The IN has no plans for procuring JSFs. Hence, procuring such vessels will be an exercise in futility. Instead, it will make much more sense for the IN to procure a CSL-built flat-top LHD/LPH version of the IAC-1. 2) Any version of BrahMos on Hawk Mk.132s of the IAF & IN? How exactly will the BrahMos be installed on any aircraft that has low-wings? And what’s the ground clearance of the Hawk Mk.132? 3) Why not? Vietnam did not procure Su-35, only Russia, China & Egypt have. Your flights of fancy seem to be getting wilder by the day!

    ReplyDelete
  6. prasun,

    1- only 14 migs on IAC1 .. is it poor design or the ltd no of aircrafts or simply costs that is the constrain? also how well is its self defence suite? why not a searam/c-dome/ panisterM type additional close in weapons system on board apart from the baraks? afterall whe attacked it will be a swarm attack need as mucg selfde equipment as one can pack in
    2- regarding the 16 shallow water supposedly next gen anti sub crafts being manufactured by grse & cochin shipyard.. why aren't we opting for multi purpose ships.. Simply copying the karakuts-22800 design wud have been a much better option given their firepower for about the same tonnage + addition of anti sub capability.. even if they had to tip the scale by a couple of k-tons more. what logic is being applied here,if at all
    3- Can you share more dope on what these "scientists" were upto in Kyrgyzstan? a country bordering china & which had to give away its land due to the debt trap policy of BRI scheme? is India trying to get a base there ... what ever happen to the tajik base.. last heard it was taken over by russia.. why wouldnt the russians allow India to have a base there but let the chinese increase their clout in central asia. are the chinese throwing money to keep the russians mum?
    4- the ban on russia policy of the west is badly back firing on them given the chinese belligerence. time for them to eat the humble pie? after all it was the west who were meddling in the russian sphere of influence
    5- Russia has not yet congratulated biden, who has made comments about not ready to forgive russia.. is it that the dems feel they were robbed of the 2016 elections due to the so called russian meddling?
    6- Will the ATAGS & DHANUSH be junked?
    7- Any updates on tejas mk1a final design.. is their any reduction in empty wt ?would it have been too much to have the wings for mk1a redesigned to carry wvrs like mwf
    8- news abt 1500cc tank engine being tested by drdo/gtrse combine? desi high power engine ready? what abt the associated gear mechanism

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Prasun

    Please tell me is there any update on IRST and towed decoy on Tejas MK1A, and also update us on super sukhoi
    Thank you
    Regards

    ReplyDelete
  8. To JUST_CURIOUS: 1) 14 is more than enough for any aircraft carrier whose principal mission is to ensure air-defence of a flotilla or task force or carrier battle group. If 2 sorties (one air combat & one strike) are performed each day by each carrier-based MRCA, then that is considered pretty good against adversaries like Pakistan. Against China there is nothing to fear since the PLAN’s aircraft carriers won’t leave China’s territorial waters till at least 2030 since the PLAN does not as yet possess the carrier-based variant of the FC-31 M-MRCA. The existing 24 J-15 H-MRCAs have proven to be highly sub-optimal in carrying out their designated taskings since they are under-powered. 2) Single-role naval vessels like SW-ASW craft can be a good solution PROVIDED they are multi-dimensional, i.e. like the new-generation FFGs of Japan’s JMSDF, they have the ability to carry out operations on the surface with remote-controlled AUVs, below the surface with UUVs & in the air through shipborne helicopters. But the NGMVs & NGC reqmts should be blended into a unitary reqmt that makes uses of a common hull design. 3) Here’s the video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m9QR6zO7jM

    And here’s the info:

    https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-develop-torpedo-testing-centre-in-kyrgyzstan/article2464999.ece

    India never sought the air base at Ayni in Tajikistan, but instead India had won the contract for upgrading that air base at a time Russia didn’t have the money for upgrading it. 5) Russia is waiting for the official results to come out, lest it be blamed again for influencing the US elections. 6) Dhanush-45 is already on order. ATAGS’ user-trials will be concluded only next year. 7) The design has already been frozen & no design changes will be undertaken henceforth, since any redesigning will only produce reqmts for additional flight-tests & that will further delay series-production by at least another 4 years. 8) FAKE NEWS. GTRE is supposed to develop gas turbine engines, not diesel engines & the IA wants diesel engines, not gas turbine-based powerpacks.

    To SANTOSH: None of them were ever specified for Tejas Mk.1A.

    ReplyDelete
  9. PLAGF Resorting to Daily Troop Rotations Along LAC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XloxfomqKw

    Pak Drone Violations of Indian Airspace Over Punjab Increasing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOcC5aqQ5Qg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And our agencies and ministry are all getting sound sleep ..i wonder how??
      Do we have any plans for countering such UAS or not...i asked a senior AM on twitter abt same and he sounded iaf is helplessabout it

      Delete
  10. Nice, by 2025 these troop rotations will enable more acclimatized soldiers in PLA. Now without properly acclimatized soldiers, they are dictating everything. One can just imagine what they will do once a good number of weather-ready troops available to CCP?

    ReplyDelete
  11. @prasun da

    You completely misunderstood my 2nd n 3rd question. 2nd was of 2 part, 1 part was update on armed hawk jet development and completely unrelated to it was 2nd part that of brahmos land to ship test that hear has been tested only one.

    3rd question was as per Wikipedia that says Vietnam operating su22/27/30 and ordering su35 also. My question was why does it want to operate them together

    Thanks
    Joydeep ghosh

    ReplyDelete
  12. Prasun,

    1-apologies for dragging the subject but i'm still confused as to what in numbers will dhanush, atags,Athos & dhanush MGS be procured & will this diversity not cause a inventory problem? my understanding is that a total 1580 artillery guns are reqd though in one of the interviews baba kalyani has mentioned the @3000- not sure if this number included ultralight guns as well
    2-recent succumbing of the arabs on kashmir(malaysia is apparently still anti india, needs to be punished).. & India's diminishing relations with iran .. isreal's new found bonhmie with the arabs ..where does it put India?--http://idrw.org/tightrope-walk-in-the-gulf/#more-241530.
    3- labour party & Trudeau wading into farmer protests.. time to put them in their place?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sir,

    Violent clash at Galwan valley was ‘planned’ by Chinese government: Top US panel

    https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-china-stand-off-violent-clash-at-galwan-valley-was-planned-by-chinese-government-top-us-panel-346823

    ReplyDelete
  14. To DASHU: That may not quite work out that way since high-altitude deployment hardships will cause fewer & fewer PLAGF volunteers to opt for such postings & if conscripts are forced into such deployments, then this will totally erode their warfighting effectiveness. Historically, both Mainland China & Tibet had relied on Mongol mercenaries for mounting military campaigns against Ladakh, Sikkim & Bhutan.

    To AMIT BISWAS: In other words, that retired IAF official was admitting that even the service-induction of Rafale M-MRCAs will not be able to deter such airspace violations, i.e. punitive deterrence is not being adopted! For the moment, the BSF has gone in for the soft-kill option, i.e. procuring jamming hardware to foil such airspace violations for deployment in 12 sites along the IB & WB.

    To JOYDEEP GHOSH: It does not make any sense to weaponise Hawk Mk.132s given their inability to carry appreciable quantum of payloads. BrahMos-1’s land-attack version for all 3 armed services is the one & same version that uses the DRDL-built IMR X-band monopulse SAR seeker, replacing the earlier Russia-origin SGH X-band SAR seeker. For the ‘desi’ IMR seeker, both ECIL & DATA Patterns have been roped in as manufacturers. Vietnam will continue to operate the Su-22s for as long as it is able to obtain complete product-support from Russia, that simple.

    To JUST_CURIOUS: 1) The IA’s reqmt as finalised in the previous decade is for 1,580 155mm/52-cal towed howitzers, 814 155mm/52-cal MGS & 120 155mm/52-cal tracked SPHs. For future scenarios, the reqmt ought to be reworked & comprise 1,200 155mm/52-cal MGS, 700 155mm/39-cal ultralight MGS, 200 helicopter-transportable 155mm/39-cal UFH & 200 155mm/52-cal tracked SPHs. 2) India’s relations with Iran haven’t diminished at all, since the IAF C-17A sent to Kyrgyzstan for evacuating the DRDO’s ‘scientists’ had used Iranian & Afghanistan airspace enter Central Asia. Had India been in possession of PoK, then such C-17A flights could easily have flown through J & K, Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor & then entered Tajikistan’s airspace. 3) The stereotype defensive Indian response was totally uncalled for & instead India should have stated that while India as a democracy stands with Canada for upholding the right to peaceful protests, there’s a thick line that distinguishes peaceful protests from illegal civil disobedience & this what India is now facing & therefore it is hoped that Canada like India will not allow the writ of law to be challenged or violated in any democracy in any manner by any cross-section of society.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sir,

    https://m.thewire.in/article/security/another-crash-brings-inherent-technical-problems-with-mig-29kub-to-the-fore/amp?__twitter_impression=true

    ReplyDelete
  16. To ANWAY: LoLz! How fast folks can forget that before the June 15 clash in the Galwan River-Valley, an earlier clash that produced serious injuries to both sides had taken place last May in the Panggong Tso Lake area. Coming now to the MiG-29K issue, the contract for procuring this naval MRCA was inked in January 2004, and deliveries began in December 2009. INS Vikramaditya was commissioned on November 16, 2013 at a ceremony held at Severodvinsk, Russia, while the first batch of 16 MiG-29K/KUBs were formally inducted into service in May 2013 as part of the IN’s 303 Black Panthers Sqn. Had the first batch of MiG-29Ks not been brought to India in 2009, they would have rotted in Russia since INS Vikramaditya was not available for sea-trials till 2012. This in turn prevented the IN for from using its own MiG-29K/KUB platforms from participating in the sea-trials & also prevented such aircraft from being fully certified for flight operations while in Russia. The IN thus had to make use of RAC-MiG’s own MiG-29K/KUB testbeds/prototypes for the sea-trials & flight certification process & that too under Arctic climatological conditions, due to which the need for certain ergonomic modifications of the cockpit instrumentation never arose. Consequently, once INS Vikramaditya began operating in the southern hemisphere in the IOR, the operating parameters & climatological conditions were totally different & hence the IN had to use its MiG-29K/KUB platforms for a brand-new flight certification process that was both expensive & time-consuming. Sadly, even then the the need for certain ergonomic modifications of the cockpit instrumentation was not foreseen. In addition, the IN pilots’ transition from a VTOL naval MRCA to a conventional MRCA using STOBAR takeoff/landing techniques was another formidable challenge. Hence, it will be unwise & foolhardy for pin down all the serviceability & reliability woes of the MiG-29K/KUB to just the aircraft platform, as that ill-informed ‘desi patrakaar’ & the country’s CAG has done.

    ReplyDelete
  17. After a long time, a realistic & incisive assessment of where Pakistan is headed for:

    Pakistan’s Political Future https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WLC0cZmmUk

    Apparently those killed in a recent air-strike by Israel’s IDF-AF inside Syria included a group of Hazara Shia Pakistanis hailing from Quetta.

    China Buying Rice from India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlOdOPXHhSo

    China’s Defence Minister Snubbed by Nepal, Refused Invitation by Bangladesh:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk3hNe2xFo4

    Such ‘enlightened’ Indians don’t even know or cannot fathom that every private business entity originating from China has shareholding stakes owned by the Communist Party of China:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QixMz5CMNls

    https://theprint.in/opinion/why-india-needs-to-give-some-troubled-chinese-companies-a-nest-here/554700/

    Whose interests are such ‘enlightened’ intellectuals trying to peddle?

    China’s Secret Space Projects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bWtKnCPKgA

    ReplyDelete
  18. This is the event that led to to certain combatants of the Australian SAS being accused of committing war-crimes in Afghanistan:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GPplTKCYpQ

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5UHkd4-xGY

    ReplyDelete
  19. Turkey has started preparing its gangs in Syria to send them to Kashmir after Karabakh to fight for Pakistan and against India.

    https://www.pentapostagma.gr/kosmos/enoples-syrraxeis/6977604_o-erntogan-stelnei-misthoforoys-sto-kasmir?amp&__twitter_impression=true

    This should be interesting

    Ron

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dear Prasun,

    What's India's plan to tackle China's PLA upgradation plan? If we go ahead with this pace, can we tackle China in 2025? Again if any steps are taken , are those in the right direction? That's another question mark!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Indian navy chief says 3rd carrier absolutely essentially.
    It can be improved version of IAC 1, able to handle Rafale, F18 & F35 too no ? Why another design ?

    Has IN closed a deal for mine sweeper requirement ? If. It why talk big about air craft carriers.
    Anyway technology today can have autonomous vessels for such applications.

    One example

    https://smartmaritimenetwork.com/2020/10/19/samsung-heavy-industries-completes-autonomous-tug-tests/



    Regard
    Venky

    ReplyDelete
  22. Please write an article on Tejasmk1A,Vs JF 17block3 Vs J10D, How Tejas mk1A can be used against Chinese flankers,
    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  23. To RON: It is FAKE NEWS.

    To ASD: No such coherent plan exists. Situation is the same as it was in 2004 when the so-called Cold Start doctrine was publicly announced by the IA, but as everyone knows, warfighting cannot be left to just one armed service & instead is a joint services warfighting effort. But since the IA on its own had announced the adoption of this doctrine, it meant that the IAF & IN did not endorse this doctrine & consequently they had no contribution to make in terms of delivering firepower in support of the IA. Similarly, for the past 3 years we have been hearing about the IBGs for the plains & mountains but only from the IA, with the IAF & IN keeping mum about their roles in support of the IBG. What this means is at the foundational & conceptual levels, there has simply been no meeting of the minds among the 3 armed services. Hence, even when it comes to issues like developing FICVs or FRCVs, there has been no conceptual clarity & hence matters don’t progress to the hardware R & D stage. Instead, we are stuck at these levels:

    https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/who-s-afraid-of-the-maritime-theatre-commander-1745833-2020-12-01

    https://caravanmagazine.in/commentary/line-of-narrative-control

    To VENKY: IAC-2 or the 3rd aircraft carrier will have to be a flat-top or CATOBAR design with electrically-operated catapults since the IN wants to operate AEW platforms like Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye. So technically, yes, the IAC-1’s design can be modified to give it a longer length, greater displacement (from 40,000 tonnes to 65,000 tonnes) & do away with the ski-ramp. But 2 days ago we heard a new term emerging from the IN’s CNS, i.e. Multi-Role Carrier Based Fighter (MRCBF), which is what the DRDO has proposed instead of the imported Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), i.e. F/A-18 Super Hornet or Rafale-M. If the MRCBF is to be procured in the early 2030s, then by now its design should have been frozen & prototype construction should have begun for rollout by 2025. But we know this is not possible since the designers of ADA & HAL’s ARDC are totally immersed in the MWF project, while the IAF’s CAS is breathing down their necks in favour of AMCA Mk.1. Thus, there’s no way the limited pool of designers & engineers available to ADA & HAL’s ARDC can handle the MWF, AMCA Mk.1 & MRCBF at the same time. Consequently, from all this, we can safely infer that in the end it will be the imported TEDBF that will be available for the IN to import, & not the ‘desi’ MRCBF. Hence the IN CNS’ statement 2 days ago that “my hope is that the TEDBF would be able to enter service in the early 2030s.”


    To SANTOSH: Everything there is to know about Tejas Mk.1A has already been uploaded in previous threads. In terms of BVR air combat, the Tejas Mk.1A won’t be able to prevail over H-MRCAs like the J-11s & J-14s until the arrival of the Astra-2 BVRAAM powered by ramjet-using SFDRs. In the visual air combat domain too, Tejas Mk.1A will be the loser if not equipped with a pod-mounted IRST sensor.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sir,

    1. As pic of INS Vishakhapatnam reveals, it has a 76mm pichkari instead of a 127mm gun... can we conclude that all the rest P15B & P17A will feature the 76mm & not 127mm

    2. Has the 670 crore worth upgrade of 468 zsu-23 of Indian army completed?

    3. How much time it will take for the 1st S-400 squadron to get operationalised once its delivered to India?

    4. As time passes the entire picture of the burden of backlogs(purchases) is getting magnified & horrible.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Dear Prasun,
    It seems India is exploring the lease option now to acquire military assets like MQ9 Presator drone and also i believe mine sweepers from US.

    Please let us know what armament is coming with MH60R.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Prasun,

    1-1st canada now a set of 36 brit parliamentarians .. while nothing changes on ground, but the threat level w.r.t ppl in power with anti india agenda across west is alarming...justin terdeau didnt as much as squeak when black lives matter was at its peak ..for once i feel these countries should be sent a stern msg. itts not the 1st time for justin to get in a soup w.r.t India

    ReplyDelete
  27. Today IAF tweeted about its AI & swarm drone, do we have or under development or fantasy ? Are we sending message ?

    Regards
    Venky

    ReplyDelete
  28. prasun, to add ..

    which boat is the IN eyeing here--swede c90? http://www.indiandefensenews.in/2020/12/high-powered-bigger-capacity-boats-to.html

    ReplyDelete
  29. To HARSH: 1) Not quite, since the internal bulkheads for 76/62 SRGM & Mk.45 Mod-3 are the same & the latter can therefore easily be installed as a retrofit to replace the former at a later date. 2) Completed? It never even took off! 3) Within 6 months, once integration with the IACCCS network is completed. But as a standalone system it will be operational from the time it arrives in India. 4) Yes indeed & here’s a partial explanation or revelation about why this is happening:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkMNwPhnNyQ

    To VED: MCMVs can be leased from Russia as well. For a navy that once had 12 minesweepers to the present state of ZERO MCMVs, the situation is horrific, to say the least. The MH-60R will be armed with same type of LWTs as carried by the P-8Is, but instead of AGM-84A Harpoon ASCMs, the Seahawks will carry Kongsberg-built HSM anti-ship cruise missiles.

    To JUST_CURIOUS: No, they will be locally-made aluminium-hull vessels now being built by Goa Shipyard Ltd & they will be a shortened version of the 29-metre, 105-tonne interceptor craft designed earlier by GSL, which can attain speeds of up to 45 Knots.

    To VENKY: LoLz! Such ‘swarms’ were available more than a decade ago & were always shown during opening/closing ceremonies of major international sporting tournaments. But this explains why drone development is being sabotaged in India & by whom:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkMNwPhnNyQ

    ReplyDelete
  30. To JUST_CURIOUS: The situation WRT protesting farmers is much grimmer than what’s being said & shown. In fact, the protesting farmers from Punjab are now even threatening to call back their sons & relatives from the IA & have challenged the PM to replace such soldiers with volunteers from Kutch, as shown in this video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSUersM53wE

    The bitter truth is that the Sikh community as a whole inside Punjab is in a state of crisis & existential insecurity both within India & abroad, since in a fast-evolving tech-savvy world, brawns are being discarded in favour of brains & industrial automation. While the rest of the country has moved on, Punjab has become a prisoner of its boisterous old stereotype but has, meanwhile, forgotten its entrepreneurial energy, its competitive spirit. Its young are dropping out of school and hitting drugs or liquor or making a desperate dash for the West, not for high-tech, banking, management or medical pursuits, as their countrymen elsewhere do, but mostly for sub-optimal jobs like driving trucks and taxis or chopping onions in the backrooms of desi restaurants. Punjab lost its national stature in sports long ago. Much smaller Haryana, which used to be the most backward part of old Punjab, now wins more than half of all Indian medals in global competitions. Punjab almost never registers its presence. It once dominated the armed forces. Today, most recruitment rallies go back with vacancies, the young either disinclined or sadly, physically inadequate. Would you believe that? So what’s wrong with being chilled? The challenge lies in translating the meaning of chill into Punjabi, or rather the Punjabi state of mind. It is not a state of cool, but some kind of frenzy. Yet, it is lazy, even somnolent and sterile, rather than the usual hyper-energetic and virile Punjabi stereotype. It is a tired, once-wealthy state, living off its past riches, reputation and residual hormones. Today, it boasts among the largest percentage of drug addicts in the country. Today, only two businesses open early in the morning in Punjab—liquor and drugs. Scrawny, hollow-eyed customers are already lined up.

    Today, there exists a very un-Punjabi state of complacent, lazy, decadent trance of perpetual balle-balle. The richest districts of Punjab, Phagwara, Jalandhar and Ludhiana, particularly in its NRI zones, you are nobody if the water tank on top of your house is not shaped like something impressive: a football, a giant hawk, an airplane. Today’s young Punjabi, whether half-educated or well qualified, is brilliantly competitive at one thing: Escaping overseas. Disappearing to someplace in the West seems so much the dream of the young Punjabi now that even gods have been dragged into the consular business. Young Punjabis today do not want to study, do not want to compete or ride the wave of reform and growth in India. They want to escape and run low-level services overseas or fill up European jails as illegals. This brawn drain of sorts is modern Punjab’s answer to brain drain. The most flourishing business in Punjab, besides narcotics, is illegal immigration or what is called, for some reason, kabootarbaazi, as if all young Punjabis now are pigeons wanting to fly the coop.

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  31. Russia's Borei-class SSBN & Bulava SLBM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipilHLEypH0

    Afghan Taliban Peace Talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY5Av1Nw3AA

    https://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/india-and-the-geopolitics-of-technology/story-dd2DGyVvuhH7XmOfVSpLwL.html

    https://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/report-suggests-india-has-potential-to-export-rs-8-lakh-cr-worth-motherboards-between-2021-26/story-NZcpY0gPbynRDFQQPeiE7L.html

    https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/lost-victory-doklam/?amp&__twitter_impression=true

    Details of NAOB/Project Varsha: http://forceindia.net/cover-story/rain-of-deterrence/

    Good to see the IN's Hawk Mk.132 AJTs using the 68mm SNEB rockets & pods that were originally procured with Dassault Mysteres back in the early 1960s:

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EnFkvnCXIAIB_uj?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

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  32. Sorry sir but seems you have mistaken KATCHHA {underwear} for KUTCH. Katchho wali sena is rss volunteers.

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  33. Dear Prasun,

    Excellent write up on Project Varsha.

    If Agni V is successful then why is there delay in K4 SLBM?

    Why isn't outer hull design of Arihant purely cylindrical like Ohio or Borei class SSBNs?









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  34. Prasun,
    With reference to your article in Force India please enlighten us on the type of SLBM that is being planned.You have specified it as Sagarika/BO5 but what is its Russian equivalent?What type of SSBN is being planned to be inducted!Is it the Delta IV class or a version of Arihant?What is the SSN being planned ?Is it an upgraded version of Arihant or the Alfa class which you had specified earlier?Any time frame within which the same will be completed.What happened to the HWT for the Scorpenes?Any sonar is being procured from ATLAS?

    ReplyDelete
  35. To SIDDHARTHA: You're absolutely right.

    To VED: VMT. Heaven-n-Earth difference in complexity when it comes to developing SLBMs & ICBMs. Besides, K-4 with 750km-range does not serve the purpose of being a strategic deterrent against anyone. Arihant does have a tear-drop hull containing a bow-dome inside which lies the cylindrical-array sonar transducer suite imported from Russia.

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  36. Prasunda,

    1) Will GoI be forced to backtrack on the farm bills and surrender to the Punjab based vested interests?

    2) Is'nt the K-15 the 700 km range SLBM, with the K-4 having 3500 kmrange ?

    Satyaki

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  37. To THEINDIAN & SATYAKI: All the answers WRT SSBN & SSNs can be gleamed through the following slides that I had uploaded earlier:

    https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HCVRUjR5XlM/Wi8oKNdsvrI/AAAAAAAANzM/0-0Rhbb7GskMk7n4IZprDKnfBgyxxT9zwCLcBGAs/s1600/Indian%2BNavy%2527s%2Bprojected%2BS-5%2BSSBN%2BSchematic.jpg

    https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FNCeiM_2-IY/Wi8oZgkgx0I/AAAAAAAANzU/R6KKiQHRCqQHDcOUeyUx2Evi7swEzLoYACLcBGAs/s1600/Indian%2BNavy%2527s%2Bprojected%2BS-5%2BSSBN.jpg

    https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASQbJC3i9Qg/Wi8odFNOkPI/AAAAAAAANzY/MHvlBh8ITnUCbrbZcAywrNsQlezZ0wi-QCLcBGAs/s1600/Missile%2BRange.jpg

    https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BNSOg5VKWw0/Wi8offDOFQI/AAAAAAAANzc/Gk6aYNh5MuEXUHFSN3OK5deBv1C-sRv6ACLcBGAs/s1600/India%2527s%2BA-6%2BICBM%2B%2526%2BK-06%2BSLBM.jpg

    Sound common-sense dictates that the SSN be a variant of the S-2/Arihant SSBN but minus the VLS for SLBMs, which will reduce the vessel's displacement to about 4,500 tonnes, just nice for a SSN. The SSNs won't be available till the mid-2030s & hence the continued leasing of Project 971 SSGNs till then. Nothing new has taken place WRT HWTs or towed-array sonar suites. In fact, strangely, no one in the IN is even releasing any RFI on thin-line towed-array sonar suites required for the SSBNs. Without such sonar suites, the SSBNs will be highly vulnerable in the rear. Nor is the DRDO developing any such sonar suite.

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  38. Prasunda,

    1) VMT. Even the land based A-6 (5000 kmrange, MIRV) shown in the slides has not appeared so far. Any slowdown in the missile programme ?

    2) Will GoI be forced by the ``farmers protests" to cave in to those demands?

    Satyaki

    ReplyDelete
  39. Have uploaded more information & related slides above.

    To SATYAKI: 1) MIRV development has been time-consuming due to the delayed deployment of IRNSS/NAVIC constellation. No developmental glitches as far as missile propulsion systems or MIRV fabrications are concerned. 2) I hope not.

    To DASHU: DG ISPR Exposing Fifth Generation Warfare Against Pakistan:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSCK9rOV8yg

    (Those two really deserve to get infected with COVID-19 for taking their masks off)

    Pakistani discussion on IA COAS' visits to KSA & UAE:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1WWaZw-9Qg

    Pak Arseholes & Their Never-Ending Conspiracy Theories:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuM4YMPGZPs
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8D_LJnolN4

    Reality is that Pakistan has been totally outflanked by both the KSA & UAE because association with Pakistan today fetches only diminishing returns & that's why after the IA COAS' visit to KSA & UAE, one will see an increasing number of officers from these 2 countries coming to India for various military courses & most importantly for learning about how the IA builds up regimental ethos--something that the PA has repeatedly failed to do so. It should also be expected that the IA will help both countries set up regimental centres patterned along the lines of the IA's regimental centres.

    ATAGS Evaluations Resume: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QRLYNoOsDQ

    INS Mysore Virtual Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX_VOAfjkso

    INS Vikramaditya Virtual Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msPnEnCqdH8

    ReplyDelete
  40. Prasunda,

    VMT. Has'nt the NAVIC constellation been deployed by now (at least missile guidance would not require the ground stations) ? Also, with the tracking ship VC 11184 available (or very soon to be available), is'nt the road clear for MIRV tests from this point on ?

    Satyaki

    ReplyDelete
  41. New Russian weapon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQoof57ROyw

    ReplyDelete
  42. Sir,
    Is there any mils grade small size (NEMA 23/34 size) servo motor & driver producer/supplier in India. How to get guidance from you regarding my project.
    Thanks
    Sudipta

    ReplyDelete
  43. @prasun da

    1. i hear now IN will join IAF for its fighter jet requirement which means in 57 MRCBF & IAF'S MRFA 114 requirement will merge and to create a preference for Rafale & Rafale M in 57 + 57 requirement, meaning MMRCA/MRFA will never happen Rafales will be ordered G to G

    2. even if KSA & UAE start sending their men for traibing to India but fact is Pak soldiers will continue to be work in KSA & UAE forces in large numbers but never Indian soldiers'

    3. my calculation says IN made mistake buying INS Vikramaditya or 2.3 billion $b as USA rathwer than spending 1 billiuon $ on repair of amphibious ship decided to scrap it for cost of just 30 million $

    thanks
    Joydeep ghosh

    ReplyDelete
  44. To SATYAKI: NAVIC locational coordinate i8nputs are reqd for the pre-launch sequential protocols of any ICBM/SLBM launch. VC-11184 is still undergoing fitting-out at HSL's Vizag shipyard.

    To MILLARD KEYES: It is the same turret & weapon that was showcased at DEFEXPO-2020 & is being offered for retrofit on the IA's BMP-2 ICVs.

    To SUDIPTA: Suppliers will most likely be located in the Coimbatore area. You can also contact such manufacturers through this location: https://www.sidm.in/

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hello sir,
    What's the difference between InfraRed sensors of MAWS (missile approach warning system) & IRST ?
    Bcz MAWS can "find the range" of an approaching missile (as it can calculate the impact time of missile), while on the other hand IRST "can NOT find the Range" of an approaching hostile fight aircraft.

    - Atul

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Prasunda,

    VMT. Would VC11184 be available in 1 year or so ?

    Satyaki

    ReplyDelete
  47. To JOYDEEP GHOSH: 1) I had heard that & suggested the same thing as far back as 2016. 2) You’re not keeping up with the recent developments, which include a donation of US$400 million by KSA (on US advise) to Bangladesh for starting preparations for sending Bangladesh Army personnel to KSA & these will replace the PA personnel currently deployed in KSA. 3) Well, this can happen only in ‘A Nation of Idiots’ whose decision-makers get awarded the Bharat Ratna!

    To SATYAKI: Photos of that vessels in July 2020 shown by GoogleEarth showed it being painted, with only the helicopter deck awaiting paintwork.

    To ATUL: Who the hell is spreading such falsehoods about an IRST sensor not being able to measure the distance of any inbound airborne platform? IRST sensor has treble the operating range of any MAWS sensor.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Sir,
    https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/08/31/paf-establishes-center-for-artificial-intelligence/

    ReplyDelete
  49. a donation of US$400 million by KSA (on US advise) to Bangladesh for starting preparations for sending Bangladesh Army personnel to KSA & these will replace the PA personnel currently deployed in KSA

    Don’t you think it’s terrible idea in PoV for KSA what can Bangladesh army bring to the table than PA which has decades of experience on battlefield and fought 4 wars whereas BA hasn’t fought a single War

    Ron

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  50. Thanks Sir for the information.

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  51. So did RAN40-L finally make it on IAC-1? Or they had to revert back to RAWL?

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  52. To RON: The PA personnel in KSA are NOT under the Royal Saudi Land Forces, but are under the Saudi National Guard for homeland defence, not for warfighting.

    To SHAURYA: The RAN-40L can clearly be seen mounted on the roof of the island.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Hello sir,
    Continuing my last topic about IRST can't find the range of hostile fighter aircraft.

    You asked me about who is spreading this false info, here is the link,
    https://youtu.be/6SPkbyjyW1M

    Guide us the right way.

    -Atul

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  54. To ATUL: LoLz! Firstly, that video gives hopelessly outdated data on the range envelopes of IRST sensors. Secondly, it claims that an IRST sensor does not possess IFF capability that a MMR has & hence has no way of knowing whether an inbound airborne platform is friendly or hostile. This again is WRONG data, since there's something known as Non-Cooperative Target Recognition (NCTR) mode of operations. Very very few folks know about the NCTR mode of operations & the only explanation you will ever find about it is here:

    https://trishul-trident.blogspot.com/2019/12/key-takeaways-from-iaf-paf-february-27.html

    ReplyDelete
  55. Hello sir,
    Continuing our talks further....
    1)
    I read an articles on NCTR, they all claim that NCTR is a mode of "Radar". It fundamentally relies on the returns from the target aircraft. So, The radar capability required for the NCTR is specific. it is important that the radar design is appropriate to the type of measurement that has to be performed & provide the type of target signature required. In order to obtain signatures of high integrity, the waveform must be carefully designed and the radar must support the transmission and reception of the signal without distortion. The radar must be designed to minimize the effects of multiple reflections and clutter. It must also possess sufficient energy so that the returns from the target contain adequate data, required for radar computer to extract signals from it to generate useful target signature, which then must be compared with available aircraft signature databases from library, to identify the target type.

    I read your article on NCTR, according you it's a "passive" method & the primary sensor is "RWR".

    2)
    Can you please elaborate on how IRST can find range of target & perform IFF as well. Bcz as laser & Radar emits radiation & then calculate the time required to receive it, to calculate the range. (What process IRST uses to calculate range?)

    - Atul

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  56. To ATUL: 1) NCTR is not a mode of radar, but an all-passive PROCESS making use of sensor-fusion technologies. Hardware involved are all passive sensors, tactical data-links using software-defined radios & the radar fingerprinting system. Collective usage of all these in real-time enables one to implement the NCTR process. Hence, it is not radar-centric. 2) IRST cannot perform any IFF function. Range calculations are done after computing target velocity, obtained after imagery pixel analysis by the IRST sensor's on-board microprocessor.

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  57. Thanks, Prasun. I thought RAN-40L will be another scapegoat after the bs around Finmeccanica blacklist, especially after CSL showed scale models of IAC-1 with RAWL radar. Thankfully that did not happen. But any chance of the same radar to find applications in other warships especially in P15/A/B in the future is already gone, right? The damage is already done.

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  58. The RAN-40L was already ordered & payments made when Finmeccanica's blacklisting took place & hence contracts prior to the blacklisting were not cancelled by the MoD. Substitute for the RAN-40L for all other IN warships is INDRA of Spain's L-band LTR-25, which have been ordered for the P-17A & P-15B DDGs. I was the only one to write about it here back in 2018:

    http://trishul-trident.blogspot.com/2018/09/pgms-being-developed-by-drdo.html

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  59. Thanks very much, for the update on LTR-25. I was under the impression that it was downselected but the contract signature was yet to happen. It's good that things are moving forward although further orders of RAN-40L would have improved the standardization. Any progress on contracts for torpedoes for the Kalvari class? Thanks.

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  60. To SHAURYA: If you were to look at the slides of the scale-models P-17A FFG & P-15B DDG that I had uploaded earlier after the Aero India 2019 & DEFEXPO-2020 expos, you will be able to see the LTR-25 on their rear masts. In fact, so used were the GRSE staff to the LW-08/RAWL radar antenna that at DEFEXPO-2020 the scale-model of the P-17A FFG displayed at their booth showed the LTR-25 antenna being pointed towards the stern, and not ahead. When I brought it to the attention of a GRSE marketing staff-member (an ex-IN officer), he innocently told me that while the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR on the main mast took care of the airspace volume in front of the P-17A, the LTR-25 was to look at the airspace volume to the rear of the warship! In exasperation, I straightaway approached a senior management official of GRSE present at the booth to explain how his ignorant subordinates were making a laughing stock of GRSE & also told him to visit the MDSL booth nearby to see exactly how the LTR-25 was positioned on the scale-model of the P-15B DDG (i.e. antenna facing the front-end of the warship) & how all foreign warship construction exhibitors had positioned their rear-mast mounted radars on the scale-models of their warships at the expo. Only then was the mistake admitted & undone. Back in Aero India 2019 the same thing was done by showing the Revathy radar's antenna on the P-28 corvette's scale-model totally folded-up & looking down! Sounds bizarre? But it is all true.

    As for HWTs, the only probable reason why the MoD is not ordering HWTs from either Italy or Germany or France is that the DRDO must have promised to deliver a submarine-launched wire-guided version of the Varunastra HWT within a record time, although what that timeframe is can be anyone's guess.

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