IFF/AIS Upgraded IN's ADE-DRDO Rustom-I UAV's To Monitor IMBL Between India & Sri Lanka

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Rustom-1 drone to monitor maritime boundary with Lanka
DRDO says it is working with the navy to fit the Rustom-1 with an Automatic Identification System that will identify Indian fishing vessels along the maritime boundary​

The international maritime boundary line (IMLB) between India and Sri Lanka, frequently violated by fisherfolk and smugglers from both sides, could soon be kept under surveillance by the Rustom-1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) - a drone developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

The DRDO tells Business Standard it is working with the navy to fit the Rustom-1 with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) that will identify Indian fishing vessels along the maritime boundary. The AIS on the Rustom-1 will transmit an "interrogator" signal that reflects back from a transponder that will be fitted on every Indian fishing boat.

If an Indian vessel strays into Sri Lankan waters, or an unidentified boat enters Indian waters, a digital data link between the UAV and a ground control station (GCS) on the Indian coast will alert the navy and coast guard in real time.

Currently, the Indian Navy monitors this maritime boundary - in the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar -with Dornier-228 manned aircraft, and a squadron of Israeli-built Heron and Searcher UAVs that operate from INS Parundu, a naval air base near Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu. Since these aircraft do not have AIS systems, they cannot differentiate Indian vessels from Sri Lankan.

Colombo has complained bitterly that fisherfolk from Tamil Nadu deliberately intrude into Sri Lanka's rich fishing grounds, which are exploited by fewer fishing vessels. Earlier this year, Premier Ranil Wickramasinghe controversially threatened that Indian fishermen may be shot if they poached on the livelihood of fishermen from Jaffna, Sri Lanka's northernmost province.

In 2012, the government submitted before the Madras High Court that the Sri Lankan Navy had fired 167 times on Indian fishing vessels over the preceding two decades, killing 85 and injuring 180 fishermen. Sri Lanka had also arrested 746 Indian fishermen, duly releasing all but five.

Tamil Nadu's fishing community demands the Indian navy and coast guard must protect them from the Sri Lankan Navy.

For that reason, the navy has welcomed the DRDO's plan to modify the Rustom-1 for this task by fitting it with AIS. The Rustom-1 was never intended to enter service; it was meant to be a "flying test bed" for proving sensors and data links that would be fitted onto the Rustom-2, which would be operationally deployed.

However, the navy now agrees the Rustom-1 could conduct maritime surveillance, after the DRDO enhances it to fly missions of 8-10 hours.

"We are replacing the existing data link, which weighs about 14 kilogrammes, with a newer data link that weighs just 4 kilogrammes. We are shaving off another 25 kilogrammes from the flying package. That will give us the long 'persistence' we need over the mission area", explains a senior DRDO scientist.

The DRDO also needs to develop a viable mission plan for an 8-hour surveillance of the maritime boundary, during which the Rustom-1 would fly about 1,500 kilometres. The data link with the GCS, however, has a range of just 200 kilometres. As the Rustom-1 goes out of range from one GCS, it would have to transfer the data link in mid-flight to another GCS that is closer. The DRDO says this challenge has already been met.

Still unresolved is the thorny question of fitting AIS transponders in the tens of thousands of fishing boats that operate from Tamil Nadu. After the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, a national coastal security initiative had decided to fit AIS transponders on all India's two lakh fishing vessels. This has not yet been done, even though it is crucial for differentiating Indian fishing vessels from intruders.

"We will take 6-8 months to fit the Rustom with an AIS and make it lighter. Six months more will go in testing the final platform. So the government has about a year to fit all fishing vessels with AIS. Without that, the initiative would serve no purpose", says the DRDO scientist.

DRDO's Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) is leading the Rustom project. The Rustom-1 flying platform is a commercially purchased kit from Rutan.

However, the Rustom-2 has been developed from scratch with a Rs 1,540 crore budget sanctioned in February 2011. Intended to match the legendary US-built Predator drone, the Rustom-2 will remain on station for up to 24 hours with a payload of over 350 kilogrammes. Private firms, Taneja Aerospace and Trivan Industries are developing the Rustom-2 airframe.

Source:- Rustom-1 drone to monitor maritime boundary with Lanka | Business Standard News

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

DRDO's production-version of IFF system released​

​

Bangalore: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) shared yet another success story of collaboration with Indian private industries, with the release of the Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) System in Bangalore on Wednesday. Designed and developed by the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), the IFF system is a spin-off product of India's Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) programme. CABS began the design and development of IFF for the AEW&C project in 2004.

Military sources tell Express that the need for IFF systems was projected in large numbers by the Tri-Services and DRDO pitched in with the idea of mass production by transferring the technology (ToT) to the private industries. “We were using the IFF systems manufactured by HAL Hyderabad and BEL. It was in 2010 we projected the need in large numbers following the Defence Acquisition Council nod and agreed to their (DRDO) proposal,” sources said.

DRDO on its part short-listed Chennai-based Data Patterns and Bangalore-based Alpha Design Technologies for the mass-production of the units, based on the IPR of CABS design. The IFF is a system required in all aircraft and is widely known as a secondary surveillance radar (SSR), when used onboard a commercial platform. In a military theater, the transponder and interrogator of the unit helps to decode encrypted signals, thereby helping to identify whether the sender or receiver is a friend or foe.

Sources say that depending upon the size of the fighter, the IFF units also differs. “In a large platform like an AEW&C, the IFF consists of separate transponder and interrogator units, while for fighter planes it comes as a combined package. The IFF system will be a standard-fit on all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in future, if they need to use civilian air space,” sources said. DRDO chief V K Saraswat released the production version of IFF in Bangalore on Wednesday.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) official predicts that the three arm of Services would need a total of 3,000 IFF systems in future. “This could be not an immediate requirement, but likely to be spread over the next 4-5 years. Each IFF unit costs around Rs 1 crore. It is an evolving product,” he says. A South African firm is said to have shown interest in marketing DRDO's IFF systems internationally, details the official refused to part with.

Source:- Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: DRDO's production-version of IFF system released

 

[kaku1]

Rustom-1 drone to monitor maritime boundary with Lanka
DRDO says it is working with the navy to fit the Rustom-1 with an Automatic Identification System that will identify Indian fishing vessels along the maritime boundary​

The international maritime boundary line (IMLB) between India and Sri Lanka, frequently violated by fisherfolk and smugglers from both sides, could soon be kept under surveillance by the Rustom-1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) - a drone developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

The DRDO tells Business Standard it is working with the navy to fit the Rustom-1 with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) that will identify Indian fishing vessels along the maritime boundary. The AIS on the Rustom-1 will transmit an "interrogator" signal that reflects back from a transponder that will be fitted on every Indian fishing boat.

If an Indian vessel strays into Sri Lankan waters, or an unidentified boat enters Indian waters, a digital data link between the UAV and a ground control station (GCS) on the Indian coast will alert the navy and coast guard in real time.

Currently, the Indian Navy monitors this maritime boundary - in the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar -with Dornier-228 manned aircraft, and a squadron of Israeli-built Heron and Searcher UAVs that operate from INS Parundu, a naval air base near Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu. Since these aircraft do not have AIS systems, they cannot differentiate Indian vessels from Sri Lankan.

Colombo has complained bitterly that fisherfolk from Tamil Nadu deliberately intrude into Sri Lanka's rich fishing grounds, which are exploited by fewer fishing vessels. Earlier this year, Premier Ranil Wickramasinghe controversially threatened that Indian fishermen may be shot if they poached on the livelihood of fishermen from Jaffna, Sri Lanka's northernmost province.

In 2012, the government submitted before the Madras High Court that the Sri Lankan Navy had fired 167 times on Indian fishing vessels over the preceding two decades, killing 85 and injuring 180 fishermen. Sri Lanka had also arrested 746 Indian fishermen, duly releasing all but five.

Tamil Nadu's fishing community demands the Indian navy and coast guard must protect them from the Sri Lankan Navy.

For that reason, the navy has welcomed the DRDO's plan to modify the Rustom-1 for this task by fitting it with AIS. The Rustom-1 was never intended to enter service; it was meant to be a "flying test bed" for proving sensors and data links that would be fitted onto the Rustom-2, which would be operationally deployed.

However, the navy now agrees the Rustom-1 could conduct maritime surveillance, after the DRDO enhances it to fly missions of 8-10 hours.

"We are replacing the existing data link, which weighs about 14 kilogrammes, with a newer data link that weighs just 4 kilogrammes. We are shaving off another 25 kilogrammes from the flying package. That will give us the long 'persistence' we need over the mission area", explains a senior DRDO scientist.

The DRDO also needs to develop a viable mission plan for an 8-hour surveillance of the maritime boundary, during which the Rustom-1 would fly about 1,500 kilometres. The data link with the GCS, however, has a range of just 200 kilometres. As the Rustom-1 goes out of range from one GCS, it would have to transfer the data link in mid-flight to another GCS that is closer. The DRDO says this challenge has already been met.

Still unresolved is the thorny question of fitting AIS transponders in the tens of thousands of fishing boats that operate from Tamil Nadu. After the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, a national coastal security initiative had decided to fit AIS transponders on all India's two lakh fishing vessels. This has not yet been done, even though it is crucial for differentiating Indian fishing vessels from intruders.

"We will take 6-8 months to fit the Rustom with an AIS and make it lighter. Six months more will go in testing the final platform. So the government has about a year to fit all fishing vessels with AIS. Without that, the initiative would serve no purpose", says the DRDO scientist.

DRDO's Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) is leading the Rustom project. The Rustom-1 flying platform is a commercially purchased kit from Rutan.

However, the Rustom-2 has been developed from scratch with a Rs 1,540 crore budget sanctioned in February 2011. Intended to match the legendary US-built Predator drone, the Rustom-2 will remain on station for up to 24 hours with a payload of over 350 kilogrammes. Private firms, Taneja Aerospace and Trivan Industries are developing the Rustom-2 airframe.

Source:- Rustom-1 drone to monitor maritime boundary with Lanka | Business Standard News

How dared you insulted the Buraq? Copy cat.

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

How dared you insulted the Buraq? Copy cat.

The only Burraq that I know of is the Chinese CH-3 which in turn is believed to have derived its design from the American Rutan Long-EZ.

 

[Echo_419]

Rustom-1 drone to monitor maritime boundary with Lanka
DRDO says it is working with the navy to fit the Rustom-1 with an Automatic Identification System that will identify Indian fishing vessels along the maritime boundary​

The international maritime boundary line (IMLB) between India and Sri Lanka, frequently violated by fisherfolk and smugglers from both sides, could soon be kept under surveillance by the Rustom-1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) - a drone developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

The DRDO tells Business Standard it is working with the navy to fit the Rustom-1 with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) that will identify Indian fishing vessels along the maritime boundary. The AIS on the Rustom-1 will transmit an "interrogator" signal that reflects back from a transponder that will be fitted on every Indian fishing boat.

If an Indian vessel strays into Sri Lankan waters, or an unidentified boat enters Indian waters, a digital data link between the UAV and a ground control station (GCS) on the Indian coast will alert the navy and coast guard in real time.

Currently, the Indian Navy monitors this maritime boundary - in the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar -with Dornier-228 manned aircraft, and a squadron of Israeli-built Heron and Searcher UAVs that operate from INS Parundu, a naval air base near Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu. Since these aircraft do not have AIS systems, they cannot differentiate Indian vessels from Sri Lankan.

Colombo has complained bitterly that fisherfolk from Tamil Nadu deliberately intrude into Sri Lanka's rich fishing grounds, which are exploited by fewer fishing vessels. Earlier this year, Premier Ranil Wickramasinghe controversially threatened that Indian fishermen may be shot if they poached on the livelihood of fishermen from Jaffna, Sri Lanka's northernmost province.

In 2012, the government submitted before the Madras High Court that the Sri Lankan Navy had fired 167 times on Indian fishing vessels over the preceding two decades, killing 85 and injuring 180 fishermen. Sri Lanka had also arrested 746 Indian fishermen, duly releasing all but five.

Tamil Nadu's fishing community demands the Indian navy and coast guard must protect them from the Sri Lankan Navy.

For that reason, the navy has welcomed the DRDO's plan to modify the Rustom-1 for this task by fitting it with AIS. The Rustom-1 was never intended to enter service; it was meant to be a "flying test bed" for proving sensors and data links that would be fitted onto the Rustom-2, which would be operationally deployed.

However, the navy now agrees the Rustom-1 could conduct maritime surveillance, after the DRDO enhances it to fly missions of 8-10 hours.

"We are replacing the existing data link, which weighs about 14 kilogrammes, with a newer data link that weighs just 4 kilogrammes. We are shaving off another 25 kilogrammes from the flying package. That will give us the long 'persistence' we need over the mission area", explains a senior DRDO scientist.

The DRDO also needs to develop a viable mission plan for an 8-hour surveillance of the maritime boundary, during which the Rustom-1 would fly about 1,500 kilometres. The data link with the GCS, however, has a range of just 200 kilometres. As the Rustom-1 goes out of range from one GCS, it would have to transfer the data link in mid-flight to another GCS that is closer. The DRDO says this challenge has already been met.

Still unresolved is the thorny question of fitting AIS transponders in the tens of thousands of fishing boats that operate from Tamil Nadu. After the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, a national coastal security initiative had decided to fit AIS transponders on all India's two lakh fishing vessels. This has not yet been done, even though it is crucial for differentiating Indian fishing vessels from intruders.

"We will take 6-8 months to fit the Rustom with an AIS and make it lighter. Six months more will go in testing the final platform. So the government has about a year to fit all fishing vessels with AIS. Without that, the initiative would serve no purpose", says the DRDO scientist.

DRDO's Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) is leading the Rustom project. The Rustom-1 flying platform is a commercially purchased kit from Rutan.

However, the Rustom-2 has been developed from scratch with a Rs 1,540 crore budget sanctioned in February 2011. Intended to match the legendary US-built Predator drone, the Rustom-2 will remain on station for up to 24 hours with a payload of over 350 kilogrammes. Private firms, Taneja Aerospace and Trivan Industries are developing the Rustom-2 airframe.

Source:- Rustom-1 drone to monitor maritime boundary with Lanka | Business Standard News

Great news

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Indigenously Developed Indian Automatic Identification System (IAIS) Under Trail ​

A chink in India’s coastal security armour is that unlike bigger vessels (300-tonne ones and above) that are mandatorily fitted with automatic identification system (AIS) — which provides for automatic locating and tracking — the thousands of smaller vessels operating along the country’s shores are largely unaccounted for, necessitating physical authentication of their identity.

This is set to be passé, if the multi-sensor network developed by the communication cluster laboratories of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is chosen to replace the predominantly Israeli sensor suite in the Coastal Surveillance Network steered by the Coast Guard during the project’s Phase-II expansion.

The fully indigenous network — known as the Integrated Coastal Surveillance System — capable of mounting real-time surface and subsurface surveillance over the coastal seas is in the final stages of pilot-testing and trials at coastal Kochi in Kerala, confirm defence sources.

The system has taken about four years to attain a certain level of maturity.

Assembly and trials

Dehradun-based Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL) has developed the Indian AIS while the coastal surveillance radar for the package has been developed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) in Bengaluru, and the electro-optical sight by the Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE) in Dehradun. The Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) in Bengaluru has developed the software and the Kochi-based Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) has put together the underwater sensors (the diver detection system) besides coordinating the project assembly and trials.

Nearly 150 boats — in the under 20-tonne category — operating along the Kochi coast have been fitted with the IndianAIS (IAIS) for trials. Radars have been set up at Aroor, Malippuram, and Fort Kochi.

“The beauty of the project is that it’s all done in-house. The trials have given encouraging results, with just the fine-tuning left to be done now. The network can be scaled up for deployment along the country’s 7,500 km coastline,” revealed a top source.

“Given the asymmetric threats posed by smaller craft, a tracking system for vessels regardless of their size is a hugely positive development. Better still, if the system is indigenous, developed by DRDO labs and productionised for trials by the Machilipatnam unit of Bharat Electronics,” he added.

Once operational, the IAIS can be integrated with the IMO-mandated AIS. While the prototype of the IAIS made for trials cost about Rs.25,000 apiece, volume production will render it far cheaper and affordable to boatmen, said another official.

In return for equipping their boats with the IAIS, fishermen will get weather and fish shoal data from INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services) relayed to the system, which will double up as a distress alert beacon, he pointed out.

Source:- Indigenous integrated coastal surveillance soon - The Hindu