Mighty India Power

We wish all of our readers and family members a very Happy New Year 2010. Let the new year 2011 brings you all health, happiness, and much prosperity. ________________________________________________ And ye, who have met with Adversity’s blast, And been bow’d to the earth by its fury; To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass’d Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury - Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime, The regrets of remembrance to cozen, And having obtained a New Trial of Time, Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen. ~Thomas Hood

India has developed its first Laser Guided Bomb (LGB), a weapon that can hit a target with greater accuracy, with technological support from Instrument Research and Development Establishment (IRDE). The LGB uses a laser designator to mark or illuminate a target. The reflected laser light from the target is then detected by the seeker which sends signals to the weapon's control surfaces to guide it towards the designated point, he said. Bangalore-based Aeronautics Development Establishment (ADE) has developed the guidance-kit for 1000-pound LGBs and these are designed to improve the accuracy of air-to-ground bombing by IAF. The guidance kit of LGB consists of a computer control group (CCG), guidance canards attached to the front of the warhead for providing steering commands and a wing assembly attached to the aft end to provide lift. India had already carried out two successful flight trials of LGB for the IAF to test the effectiveness of the guidance and control systems at...

India plans to launch a series of indigenously built military satellites with surveillance, imaging and navigation capabilities to keep a watch on its neighbourhood and help guide cruise missiles, a top defence scientist said today. "There will be a series of (defence) satellites. I cannot give you the numbers because they are classified," V K Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, said here. "Each year, you will find one or two satellites going up," added the Secretary, Defence R & D and Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Mostly, these satellites are dedicated to different defence applications and would have payloads which are for surveillance, imaging, navigation and communication. "You should be able to see with very high resolution and precision the movements of troops and things like that (in the neighbourhood)," Saraswat said. "You should be able to see what are the new buildings ...

Scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are working on an upgraded version of the Agni-II missile which will be more accurate and powerful than its predecessor. The first tests for the Agni-II Plus will be carried out in two months. The new missile will be better than the Agni-II. It will perform better at various levels. The newer version will be better in terms of accuracy, strength and distance covered.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing a futuristic operating system to protect its sensitive data from cyber attacks, including hacking. This was announced by V.K. Saraswat. Two software engineering centres located in Bangalore and New Delhi will be working on the operating system. "Though it will be a real-time system, source code and architecture will be proprietary, giving us the exclusivity of owning a system unknown to foreign elements and protect our security system," Saraswat said after unveiling a training facility at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), a defence lab in this tech hub. The new operating system will reduce the organisation's vulnerability and susceptibility to cyber attacks from internet. The first of its kind initiative will be used to secure the defence systems for computing in various research areas such as molecular computing and bio-molecular computing, used by the security formations...

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully tested the propellant system of the body's soon-to-be launch mega vehicle, in the Tamil Nadu's Mahendragiri district on Thursday. In a landmark experiment, a team of eminent scientists and experts from ISRO carried out the static testing of the liquid core stage of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-M III). Lasting for 200 seconds, the test was deemed a 'success' by the ISRO chief K. Radhakrishnan. Radhakrishnan said there was just one other test that was required to be undertaken before giving the green signal for the final launch of the satellite carrier into space. "The GSLV-M III, has three propulsion elements that give power to the rocket. The first one is solid motor...solid means solid propellants used in the rocket motors. Two such rocket motors have been used. Then the second stage is the liquid stage that will be tested today, and the third stage is the cryogenic st...

The Indian Government has sanctioned $6.5bn of funding to build four stealth destroyers for the navy under Project-15B, a senior Defence Ministry official has said. The four new 6,800t destroyers will be built at the Indian Navy’s Mumbai Mazagon Docks with greater stealth, advanced sensors and weapon packages, according to defensenews.com. The destroyers will be fitted with a 1,000km range nuclear-capable cruise missile and an extended-range surface-to-air missile system being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation with Israel. Construction of the destroyers will begin only after the three stealth warships under Project 15-A are completed. The navy currently has 140 vessels and ordered 39 additional warships and six conventional submarines worth over $10bn in July 2010.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will achieve yet another significant milestone in its space programme when it conducts a full duration static test of Liquid Core Stage for ccccclaunch vehicle, being developed to put four tonne class satellites into orbit. The crucial test would be conducted on September 8 at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director P S Veeraraghavan told UNI that the tests would be conducted for a full duration of 200 seconds. He said, earlier 200-second test had to be aborted after 150 seconds following a minor leak in the configuration of a particular unit. The leak was identified and the problem rectified.

India today test fired the 290-km range BRAHMOS cruise missile. This condusted at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off Orissa coast as part of trials by the defence forces to fine-tune its capability. India and Russia are jointly designing the BrahMos missile, which is capable of carrying conventional warheads up to 200-300 kg and has a range of 290 km, to be in line with the international regulations.

India will become the first country to have hypersonic missile with speed of over 6,000 km per hour. This will be jointly developed with Russia and the agreement for this will be signed during the visit of President Dmitry Medvedev to India. Currently the speed of the missiles is nearly half of the new missile proposed. The missiles is expected to be ready by 2015-16.

The Indian-Russian venture BrahMos Aerospace Ltd. is planning to make the engines for Brahmos missiles in India. This is told by , BrahMos Aerospace CEO Sivathanu Pillai said on Friday. The engines will be produced at the Brahmos plant in Kerala. Currently it is being manufactured in plant in Russia's Orenburg, where the requirement is expected to exceed its capabilities. The BrahMos missile has a range of 290 km (180 miles) and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kg (660 lbs). It can effectively engage ground targets from an altitude as low as 10 meters (30 feet) and has a top speed of Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the U.S.-made subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. Established in 1998, BrahMos Aerospace, a joint Indian-Russian venture, produces the BrahMos supersonic missiles. The sea- and ground-launched versions have been successfully tested and put into service with the Indian Army and Navy. The air and underwater version are planned for the tests....

India's indegenous 5,000-km range Agni-V nuclear-capable missile is ready for test-firing. This was announced by Defence Minister AK Antony in Hyderabad after laying foundation stone for expansion of the Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (Midhani) defence public sector company. The missile was developed following the denial of technology to India. "The denial has only given us an opportunity to develop a 5,000-km range missile," Antony said. He said Indian scientists working in many critical areas have proved that India can overcome sanctions and denials. "When we face denial, we should take it us a God-sent opportunity and a challenge," he told the scientists present on the occassion. The missile is capable of hitting targets in northernmost China and is India's only inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE)’s  first micro air vehicle (MAV) by the end of the year. ADE, along with the National Aeronautical Laboratory, has designed and developed MAVs for counter-terrorism, urban warfare and relief and rescue operations Micro and nano air vehicles are used to provide information in real time, while taking videos and transmitting the same back to the ground, enabling minimum reaction time. With miniaturisation being of paramount importance in developing the platform, efforts are on to design MAVs of 100 mm to 200 mm in size, and weighing less than 200 gm. The currently developed MAV weighs 300 gm.

The air-to-land version supersonic missile is almost ready, A Sivathanu Pillai, CEO and Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace, said on Wednesday. "All the modifications have been completed. We are now in the process of readying with the missile". This air-to-land supersonic missile "very precisely" attacks the target, he added. The hurdle is in getting the Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft, in which the missile has to be fitted, requires to be modified to take the extra load of the missile. Initially two Sukhoi-30 MKIs is planned to be modified. The modifications are expected to take two years. Since the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is "heavier" and "elaborate", the Sukhois, which could carry other weapons, needed to be modified "exclusively" for BrahMos, including in the context of pilot's console and "mission computer should take the (extra) load" and interface issues. These missiles would be inducted by the IAF after 2012 ...

The fleet-footed Dragon may be rapidly spreading its wings across the globe but remains a wee bit wary of the flat-footed Elephant next door. The US Pentagon's latest assessment of the expanding military might of China, which has now overtaken Japan to become the world's second-largest economy, holds that Beijing is "concerned" with the "strategic ramifications of India's rising economic, political and military power". Consequently, "to improve regional deterrence", the 2.25-million strong People's Liberation Army has moved "more advanced and survivable" solid-fuelled CCS-5 nuclear-capable ballistic missiles closer to the borders with India. Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6328056.cms

Once the Indian defence requirements are met, India may look for exporting the  BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. This was told by the  Defense Minister A.K. Antony said   in a written response to a question in the Parliament . The agrement between India anad Russia on the Brahmos allows the foriegn sale.  The two countries have signed an agreement on the missile, which has been approved by the Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission for Military Technical Cooperation. Several countries have shown an interest, he said, but no decisions have been made about who the customers would be or when the BrahMos will be available for export. The move already has the approval of the Indo-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Military Technical Cooperation for Export. The BrahMos missile could become one of India’s major contributions to the world arms export market between 2010-2020. The system is superior to other available platforms on three counts: The spe...

India will launch a satellite to monitor sea water levels in collaboration with the French space agency, Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan said on Wednesday. The satellite, called Saral, will carry an altimetre (ALTIKA) for studying the sea surface heights and an ARGOS payload, which is a satellite-based data collection platform. "The project is a joint project of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the French National Space Agency (FNSA). The ALTIKA and ARGOS payloads are built and supplied by the French space agency. The satellite building and launching are the responsibilities of ISRO," Chavan told the Lok Sabha.

The Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Praful Patel will launch the GAGAN – a Satellite Based Augmentation System Services over India and neighbouring regions. GAGAN stands for GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation. This system will provide enhanced navigation performance for critical applications like Civil Aviation, Marine Navigation, Train & Road Transport, Precision Farming, Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, Surveying and Mapping (Geodetic & Geodynamic), Mining etc. With the service being launched, India will be the 4th Country in the World to have Satellite Based Navigation System. GAGAN will be compatible with other SBAS systems such as the Wide Area Augmentation System in the US, the European Geo-stationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and the Multi-Functional Satellite Augmentation System in Japan. The project is based on a signal broadcast from a geo-stationary satellite, GSAT-4. The system involves the measurement of positioning errors from GPS satellite...

India is developing a series of directed energy weapons (DEW) to improve the anti-ballistic missile capability, local media reported on Tuesday. A laser weapon of the DEW family are being developed, which could fire a beam with a potency of 25 kilowatt. This type of laser weapon would intercept a ballistic missile in its terminal phase within the range of seven kilometers, Indian newspaper the Indian Times quoted Anil Kumar Maini, the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)'s Laser Science and Technology Center director, as saying. The ballistic missile would explode as its shell temperature is heated to 200-300 degrees Celsius by the laser beam, the Director explained. The DEW is a sophisticated weapon that could destroy a target by emitting and transferring the energy to a target in an aimed direction. Some types are in development in some countries. Among the DEW, laser weapons usually generate high-energy pulses against targets. According to the weapon d...

India today flight tested fourth consecutive successful Interceptor Missile test against Incoming Ballistic Missile in Endo atmospheric regime at 15 Km altitude at 1005 hrs and achieved direct Hit. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) made, single stage Interceptor Missile fitted with Directional Warhead and other advanced systems has neutralized the target which was mimicking incoming enemy Ballistic Missile. To mimic the incoming enemy’s ballistic missile trajectory, a target missile was launched from Launch Complex – III, ITR Chandipur. Interceptor Missile fitted with directional warhead was launched from Wheeler Island and destroyed Target Missile which broke into fragments and was tracked by various Radars and other sensors. All weapon system elements including Command and Control, Communication and Radars performed satisfactorily. Present among the user representatives’ were Air Marshal PK Barbora, PVSM, VM, ADC, Vice Chief of Air Staff, IAF and Maj Gen ...

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K Radhakrishnan was upbeat when he met the media after the successful launch of PSLV-C15 and gave details of the future programmes like Chandrayaan-2 and the manned mission. He made it clear that the manned mission involved just putting astronauts in space and not on the moon. Chandrayaan-2 was in its advanced stages of design. The idea was to make a soft landing on the moon and release a small rover for lunar exploration that can be controlled from ground. The rover prototype model has already been made and the project would be ready for launch by 2013. For the manned mission, at least two astronauts would be sent to space. While the launch vehicle was almost ready, ISRO is working on the capsule design. A crew escape system in case of emergency is vital for a manned mission. It has now been defined. After the capsule is ready, it would be sent unmanned to space in 2013 using PSLV to monitor it in orbit for at least seven days. ...

After successfully placing five satellites in orbit on Monday, India's space agency ISRO said it will launch more satellites this year and efforts were on to put two Indians in space orbit. "We will launch GSat-5, a communication satellite, using GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket. The other launch will be Resourscesat-2, a remote sensing satellite, using the rocket PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle)," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K Radhakrishnan said in Sriharikota. He was talking to reporters after five satellites, including the advanced high resolution cartography satellite Cartosat-2B, were placed in orbit following the successful launch of the PSLV rocket from the spaceport here, about 80 km north of Chennai. He said: "The next PSLV rocket will carry multiple satellites - Resourcesat-2 and two small satellites." According to ISRO officials, the organisation has all the sub-systems to assemble the PSLV r...

  India is evaluating the advanced Patriot ground-based air defence system for its ballistic missile shield and the US has provided "classified" material to it on the weapon unit, which was successfully used during both Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Patriot's manufacturer Raytheon said on Tuesday. "A number of exchanges have taken place between the government of India and the US and information has been given to India at the classified level," Joseph Garret, Vice President of the company's Patriot Programmes told PTI. Replying to questions, he said tests of the Patriot system, which has been procured by 12 countries, by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation and other agencies had been "highly successful". On India developing its own missile defence shield, Garret said, "Patriot system gives a major boost to any country's defence capability. India may be developing its own system, but Patriot is a com...

Balasore, July 20: Preparations have begun as India plans to conduct a fresh trial of its tactical ballistic missile to build a credible defence shield for intercepting and destroying incoming missiles, informed sources. The Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile test is likely to be conducted early next week, sources added. The trial may be conducted on July 26 or 27. The test involving coordinated flight of missiles hostile missile and the interceptor missile would involve both the ranges of Interim Test Range Dhamra as well as Chandipur. During the trial, the interceptor missile would shoot down an incoming `enemy missile' as part of its efforts to build a credible ballistic missile defence shield. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has built both the missiles, according to sources.

After several years of delay, India's indigenously developed Akash surface-to-air missile is now ready for production and induction in the armed forced. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which has received orders worth Rs 27,000 crore from both the Indian Army and Indian Air Force for the weapon system, is all set to start the production process along with its industry partners. “The weapon system for the Akash missile is now ready for production and induction. “This is a major milestone for DRDO and its industry partners. It is also an essential step towards indigenously developing more complex air defence weapons for the future,” a DRDO official was quoted as saying by Financial Express. The Indian Army had recently placed an order for 12 batteries of the medium range Akash missiles. Earlier this year, the IAF had ordered six Akash missile squadrons in addition to two squadrons already procured by it. Each squadron comprises 125 Akash missiles. T...

An unmanned test crew module will be put into orbit by ISRO in 2013 as a prelude to the country’s maiden manned mission to send two Indians into space. ISRO also said on Monday that a third launch pad, at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, is proposed to be built at Sriharikota, where the rocket that will take the Indian astronauts into space, will be assembled and blasted off. ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan said the space agency plans to launch the first test unmanned mission with an unmanned capsule on PSLV, which will be put into orbit and recovered soon after the mission. Talking to reporters here after the successful launch of remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2B and four other satellites by the PSLV rocket, he said that in the next three months ISRO will launch GSLV-F06, which will carry a communication satellite, and PSLV-C16 with a remote sensing satellite on board. ISRO has prepared a road map with an initial plan to put two humans in orbit around earth, keep them there for seven da...

In a textbook launch, India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Monday successfully placed into orbit, the remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2B and four other satellites, after a perfect lift off from the space-port in Sriharikota. At the end of an over 51-hour countdown, the 44.4 metre-tall four-stage PSLV-C-15, costing Rs 260 crore, blasted off from a launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre with ignition of the core first stage and placed the satellites in orbit one after the other. Visibly relieved scientists, headed by ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan, cheered as ISRO's workhorse PSLV soared into clear skies at 9.22am from the spaceport in the East Coast in Andhra Pradesh, about 100 km north of Chennai. The PSLV launch assumes significance as it comes about three months after ISRO suffered a major setback on April 15 when the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3), which was launched using an Indian-designed and built cryogenic engine for the fi...

An unmanned crew module will be put in orbit around the earth by a modified Polar Satellite Launch (PSLV) in 2013 as a forerunner to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sending two Indians into space, S. Ramakrishnan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, ISRO, said here on Monday. India has plans to send two Indians into space in a low-earth orbit and they will stay in space for about a week before returning to the earth. A third launch pad, at a cost of Rs.1,000 crore, will be built at Sriharikota, where the rocket that will take the Indian astronauts into space will be assembled and launched. Mr. Ramakrishnan told a press conference here, after the successful PSLV-C15 flight, that the module in which the Indian astronauts would go into space had already been designed. The life-support systems, the thermal-proofing on board the module and the crew escape system in case of an emergency had already been defined. “We are also planning a launch pad abort for the crew ...

ISRO has successfully launched the RH 200 rocket, which had a part of its payload developed by students from Vellore Institute of Technology University (VITU) in Tamil Nadu. The RH 200 rocket, a technology demonstrator flight, was launched on July 7 from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) attached to Vikram Sarabhaio Space Centre, a VSSC release said today. The payload developed by the VITU students was part of ISRO's initiative of encouraging varsity students as partners in payload development. The students' payload comprised tri-axial accelerometers, power switching module and safe arm relay unit matching the requirements of RH 200 rocket, the release said. The tri-axial accelerometer can monitor accelerations in all three directions. The power-switching module is for the power control of the payload. The faculty and students of VITU had taken keen interest during the development and test activities of these payloads at various work centres, it added...

India on Wednesday test-fired Astra, the indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile at Chandipur near here, hours after carrying out the first night trial of the weapon. The sophisticated missile was fired from a launcher at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) complex, about 15 km from here, at 2.07 pm, defence sources said. The second consecutive trial comes after the missile was test-fired for the first time for night trial in inclement weather conditions on Tuesday night. The data generated were being thoroughly examined by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists, the sources said. The single stage, solid-fuelled Astra is more advanced in its category than the contemporary BVR missiles and is capable of engaging and destroying highly manoeuvrable supersonic aerial targets, DRDO scientists said. The 3.8-metre-long missile, which has a diameter of 178 mm, can carry a warhead containing explosives weighing 15 kg and can be fitted to...

The launch of ISRO`s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) fixed for July12th, 2010. A marginal drop in the pressure in second stage of the vehicle was noticed during the mandatory checks carried out on the PSLV-C15 vehicle. This is the new date for the launch of PSLV-C15 mission which has been decided after preliminary results of the analysis obtained. PSLV-C15 is planned to launch India`s Cartosat-2B, an Algerian satellite ALSAT-2A, two nano satellites NLS 6.1 and NLS 6.2 from University of Toronto, Canada and STUDSAT, a satellite built by students from academic institutions in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Cartosat-2B is declared to be launched on the date July 12 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh

India is all set to roll out its indigenous naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facility in Bangalore on Tuesday, which will be witnessed by Defence Minister A K Antony. "The first indigenous naval Light Combat Aircraft – the LCA (Navy) NP1 - is scheduled to roll out from HAL Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) hangar on July 6," a Defence Minister official said here on Monday. An important milestone for the naval programme of Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the aircraft would be brought out of the hanger where it was assembled part-by-part during the roll-out. Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma will be the chief guest at the event. The aircraft is being readied for induction into the Navy and for deployment on board the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), currently under construction at the Cochin Shipyard, by 2015. Following the roll-out, the Naval LCA, with state-of-the-art technologies and punch, w...

Astra, the Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), is likely to flight tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR). While two days are slated July 6 and July 7, sources said most likely the flight testing of the missile would be carried on July 7 (Wednesday) and a team from production unit has reportedly reached this place. On the last occasion on January 11 this year two trials of the missile were conducted successfully. The sophisticated missile is envisaged to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speeds in the head-on mode at a range of 80 km and in tail-chase mode at 20 km. The missile is intended for the Indian Air Force's Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000H, Mirage 2000, MiG-29, MiG-21 Bison and Tejas combat jets, as also the Indian Navy's Sea Harrier jump jets. Astra, which uses solid propellant, can carry a conventional warhead of 15 kg. It is the smallest of the missiles developed by the DRDO in terms of size and weight. It is 3.8-metre l...

India's defence research agency DRDO has developed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) specifically for anti-terrorist and counter insurgency operations, which will be inducted into the armed forces by the year-end. The 1.5 kg UAV, called 'Netra', is a collaborative development project between ideaForge, a company formed by a group of Indian Institute of Technology, Powai, alumni and one of Defence Research and Development Organisation's Pune-based labs, Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) (R&DE) Pune. DRDO scientist Dr Alok Mukherjee, who demonstrated the UAV, here yesterday said Netra would be ready for induction into the services within the next six months after it is subjected to some more trial tests. "The UAV is capable of operating in all the conflict theatres, including urban quarters, in a situation similar to that of the 26/11 terror attacks.", he told reporters here yesterday. Mukerjee said the estimated cost of Netra is R...

After receiving orders for 124 more Arjun main battle tanks, the DRDO has decided to supply an advanced version of the weapon system to meet the requirements of the Army. "We will have the modifications (on Arjuns) that the Army is looking for," Defence Research and Development Organisation chief V K Saraswat said here on Thursday. He was asked if the DRDO had any plans of delivering a more advanced version of Arjun to the Army as part of the next order. The DRDO chief was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function to mark the golden jubilee of the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS). Saraswat said that the DRDO had already started working on the mark II version of the tank, which will incorporate a number of modifications that have been sought by the Army. "We have to make certain modifications in the tank, which we call the Arjun mark II version. Development process on mark II is already in progress and our scientists and the Army...

It's a no-brainer that with two long, unresolved borders with nuclear-armed China and Pakistan, India needs to develop an effective missile defence shield as soon as possible. The good news is that India is planning another test of its fledgling ballistic missile defence (BMD) system next month. BMD systems, however, are incredibly complex. They have to detect, classify, track and then hit a fast-incoming hostile missile with interceptors or anti-missile missiles with virtual pinpoint accuracy, all within a matter of minutes. No one, after all, wants nukes to leak through the so-called shield. And if there are multiple enemy missiles, it becomes all the more formidable. Even the BMD systems of US, Russia and Israel are yet to be proven in actual conflict. The US, of course, has spent billions of dollars on its missile defence systems like Patriot Advanced Capability-3, Aegis BMD-3 and THAAD (terminal high-altitude area defence) system, the last of which was tested as recently ...

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to relaunch the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) with a home-grown cryogenic engine in a year's time after the failure in April this year. "We have come across a few scenarios after detailed analysis of the failure. Now the immediate task is to test it on the ground and we look forward to relaunch it next year," ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan told reporters on the sidelines of the 117 birth anniversary celebrations of Professor PC Mahalanobis at the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata. The five earlier versions of the GSLV had Russia- supplied cryogenic engines. India's cryogenic upper stage (CUS) engine was meant to replace the Russian engines. The GSLV D-3, the satellite launch vehicle showcasing the country's indigenous cryogenic technology, trailed off its designated course and went out of control shortly after the lift-off on April 15. The rocket, along with its two payloads...

After two setbacks this year, India’s space agency is set to launch five satellites on 12 July, including one that can shoot pictures of small objects on land and compress the time needed for building high-resolution maps by half. Isro had deferred the launch of its workhorse polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) scheduled in May after it found leaks in the rocket’s second stage. The leaks were detected when pressurized nitrogen was pumped in the rocket as part of tests on the launch pad. The same rocket will be fired now, following repairs and further tests, said an Isro official from Sriharikota. He did not want to be named. “Even if the leak is minor, it takes many days to rectify and certify it fit,” said U.R. Rao, a former chairman of Isro. “In space, you don’t take risks.” The rocket will also launch Alsat-2A, a remote sensing satellite from Algeria and India’s first African customer, two nano satellites from the University of Toronto, and Studsat, a small satellite built...

The chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K Radhakrishnan has said India is preparing to launch its second moon mission 'Chandrayaan-2' by 2013. "The Chandrayaan-2 we are planning to have in the year 2013 and by that time we should have our GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) flying with the Indigenous Cryogenic Engine Stage that's the target with which we are working," Radhakrishnan told reporters in Kolkata. Radhakrishnan said some snags have been identified in flight-testing of the Indigenous Cryogenic Engine, which is being analysed. He said this would be sorted out in about a year. "A flight testing of the Indigenous Cryogenic Engine Stage, in April, and as you know we had some snags there. We went through a very detailed analysis as to what happens and why it happens and we have come to a couple of scenarios in which such a snag would have occurred and our immediate task is to confirm that through testing on the gro...

The second of the three follow on Talwar class stealth frigates being built by Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad, Russia was ceremoniously launched on 23 Jun 10 by Mrs Ramma Dewan, wife of Vice Admiral D K Dewan, the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. The launching ceremony was attended by Governer of Kaliningrad Region, The Commander-in-Chief of Baltic Fleet of Russian Federation and other senior dignitaries from the Russian side in addition to Senior Indian Navy officers posted in Russia. The frigate, christened ‘Tarkash’ during the ceremony, belongs to the elite Talwar Class of ships, three of which namely Talwar, Trishul and Tabar are already in service with the Indian Navy. The first follow on ship, christened ‘Teg’ was launched on 27 Nov 09. These frigates have been constructed to suit Indian Navy’s specific requirements and are highly potent platforms. Their mission in Navy spans the entire spectrum of Naval warfare, viz Air, Surface and Sub-surface. The ships are capable of operating in B...

With growing importance being placed on climate change and mitigation strategies, India's space agency ISRO is in the process of launching a satellite to study greenhouse gases, "In the next 2-3 years, ISRO will carry out the first of the launches which will be dedicated to (studying) greenhouses gases like carbondioxide, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and things of that kind," Planning Commission Member and former chief of ISRO, Dr K Kasturirangan told reporters here today. The satellite was in design stages and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, which will play a substantial role in the funding of this project, has asked ISRO if the measurements relating to the gases could be made globally. "The US and Japan have already put such satellites and the idea is to see if India can look at the greenhouse gases using satellite sensors," Kasturirangan said.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is likely to launch in September a nano satellite being built by students of SRM University in Chennai, a senior official said on Saturday. "The satellite is being built by the students. It has to be tested before it can be included as a payload. Perhaps in September, the satellite may be launched," V S Hegde, Scientific Secretary ISRO said. The space agency is also planning soon to launch Cartosat, a cartography satellite, he told reporters on the sidelines of Indian Youth Science Congress, which was held at SRM University campus. On the failure of ISRO's GSLV that flew with indigenously developed cryogenic engine in April this year, Hegde said "The failure analysis committee is looking into the causes. The committee is expected to submit its report soon".

India's first indigenous Naval Light Combat Aircraft, the LCA (Navy) NP1 is scheduled to roll out from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) design hangar on July 6. The Defence Ministry has said that the aircraft will be an important milestone for the prestigious Naval Program of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Bangalore. The Chief of The Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma would be the Chief Guest at the function. 'Roll-Out' is a significant milestone when the aircraft is brought out of the build hangar, where the aircraft is actually assembled part by part, ready for the phase of systems integration tests leading to Ground runs, taxi trials and flight. Once the ground based tests are completed, the NP1 is expected to fly by the end of this year and the NP2 is likely to fly by the end of 2011. The aircraft, with state of the art technologies and punch, is designed to operate from the future Indigenous aircraft car...

Anti-tank missile Nag on Sunday was successfully test-fired from the Army's Field Firing Range at Shamirpet, near here. This time it hit a moving object. Last Sunday (June 6), it destroyed a stationary target and proved its capability of destroying a target at a close range of 500 metres in three seconds. This Sunday, Nag smashed the moving target in 3.2 seconds after its launch at 10.30 a.m., a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official told TheHindu. The test-firing was conducted by missile scientists from the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) after the Army requested for a close range launch on a moving target. The missile punched a hole as it pierced through the target, which was specially developed by Hyderabad-based Delta Technologies in collaboration with DRDL. Director of Research Centre Imarat (RCI), S.K. Ray, RCI Associate Director S.K. Chaudhuri, Director of Missile Systems Quality Assurance Agency Commodore S. Patel and other DRDO...

India’s fighter strength has been declining in the recent years, as the MiG-21s that comprises the bulk of its fleet are lost in crashes, or retired due to age and wear. While the buzz might be around the multi-billion dollar medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal for the purchase of 126 fighter planes for which American, Russian, French, Swedish and European fighter makers are hot in the race, but that still leaves replacement of the MiG-21 fleet. In such a scenario, the news that Tejas, India’s second indigenous jet fighter design, after the HF-24 Marut of the 1950s, successfully undertook its maiden test flight this month, has brought cheers to the country’s defence establishment. With this successful flight, the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) programme is close to the initial operations clearance, which is expected to be completed by December this year, according to Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO). The remaining effort will mostly revolve around f...

ISLAMABAD: When a senior security official here was asked why Pakistan was not developing long-range missiles, unlike in India, his answer revealed how these two nuclear foes' geopolitical priorities may be diverging. "We don't have ambitions like India has, so we don't need to develop any further long-range missiles," he said. "Our missiles cover the entire India, so that's it." Indeed, India has raised eyebrows developing a new long-range missile with a capacity to hit most of China, a signal of how New Delhi's focus is tentatively moving away from an obsession with Pakistan to more global issues. For decades, these two countries, which have gone to war three times since independence from Britain in 1947, have been synonymous with each other. Diplomats often like to talk of India-Pakistan as "hyphenated". But India is trying to move from that old beat, seduced more by its growing role in the global economy, its stellar growth ...

The user trials of laser-guided bombs developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) were conducted on Wednesday by Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft over the Pokhran range in Rajasthan. The ADE is a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The flight tests with the laser-guided bombs were conducted after extensive simulation, design validation and ground experiments. A series of flight evaluations was done earlier and one of them took place in January. A DRDO press release said the flight tests had demonstrated the accuracy, reliability and performance of these precision air-launched bombs. A number of high technology components were developed by the Indian industries for this advanced weapon package, which had reached the maturity level, a DRDO official said.

Indian aerospace scientists have developed an in-flight collision avert system that prevents unmanned aerial vehicles from crashing into enemy aircraft or other objects. The model predictive static programming algorithm protection system, developed at the Indian Institute of Science, uses a series of installed collision guidance algorithms as instructions that allow the UAVs to detect objects, especially if they are flying low. This includes tall buildings, towers and other aircraft, including commercial passenger planes. The MPSP Algorithm can also be used in medium- and long-range missiles to ensure they don't crash into objects such as anti-missile missiles as they approach their own target. MPSP can redirect the missiles back on course to their target without loss of accuracy. The developer, Radhakant Padhi, 37, said he has been working on algorithms for aerospace for more than a decade and perfected the algorithm technology during his project related to advanced missil...

After Russia and Israel, India is now all geared up to finalise a missile co-development project with France to manufacture a new range of Short Range Surface to Air Missiles (SRSAM) for the armed forces. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and the French missile manufacturer Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia (MBDA) will jointly work on this project, according to a news report in the Indian Express. The defence deal is likely to be signed in the coming months. Jean-David Levitte, Diplomatic Adviser to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, had last year said that the new system may be the Maitri, and may incorporate technology from India's Trishul SAM and MBDA's MICA. The project according to the report was initiated in 2007 and has taken more than three years to finalise. The next-generation low-level, quick-reaction missile which will be inducted by the Army, Navy and Air Force, could also be made available for export.

India will induct its 5,000 km range nuclear-capable Agni 5 missile by 2011 to allow it to join the group of nations possessing Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile, the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said Tuesday. "Work is progressing satisfactorily in the development of Agni 5, which is expected to become a reality next year. With this, DRDO would have given India a comprehensive indigenous strategic capability," Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted DRDO chief V.K. Saraswat as saying. The Agni 5 will be the first canisterised, road-mobile missile in India's arsenal. It will be able to carry multiple warheads and will have counter-measures against anti-ballistic missile systems. The Agni 5 is a three stage solid fueled missile with composite motor casing in the third stage. Two stages of this missile will be made of composite material. The missile will utilize a canister and will be launched from it. Sixty percent of the missile will be simil...

Tejas aircraft LSP-4 launched itsfirst flight today at a supersonic speed of 1.1 mach that left behind a significant milestone in the aircraft industry. The aircraft of this limited series departed at 1110 hours from HAL’s airport at Bangalore. It landed after a supersonic fly in the air for 40 minutes. The IAF will finally take control of this aircraft that will be delivered to them in December this year. The director of aeronautical development agency, P Subramanya said that this launch was a major bench mark for the LSP after the maiden flight flew with supersonic speed. In order to prove the capabilities of the combat aircraft, DRDO intends to build eight more LSPs under the LCA program. "The aircraft took off at 1110 hours and landed 40 minutes later. The Test Pilot, Group Captain Suneet Krishna, flew the aircraft to an attitude of 11 kms and went supersonic, touching 1.1 Mach speed," the defense ministry officials said. Subramanya added that the next step wo...

A Rohini sounding on its way to space. Developments in aerospace technology will enable rockets to use atmospheric oxygen as fuel. In an attempt to make its rockets lighter and carry heavier satellites, the Indian space agency is planning to flight test by the end of this year its own air-breathing engine that will use atmospheric oxygen as fuel. Air-breathing engines use atmospheric oxygen and burn it with the stored on-board fuel to generate the onward thrust. Conventional rockets carry both oxygen and chemical fuel on board. “We will be doing a series of ground tests of the air breathing engine soon. We are planning an actual launch of a sounding rocket - ATV D02 - powered by such an engine by the end of this year,” an official of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told IANS on condition of anonymity. The rocket will fly from Sriharikota, India's rocket port located around 80 km from here. In March, ISRO flew an advanced technology vehicle D01 (ATV-D01) weig...