Indian Army thread
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Defence research to get a major push-Pune-Cities-The Times of India
Defence research to get a major push
17 Feb 2009, 0621 hrs IST, TNN
PUNE: Defence projects helpful in combating terrorism, including detection technologies, propellant works and projects related to high energy material, will get a major push thanks to the increased allocation for defence in the vote-on-account presented on Monday, said R K Pande, joint director of the High Energy Material Research Lab (HEMRL), DRDO.
According to senior officials of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) here, even educational research projects, which usually remain at the institute level, may see the light of the day.
The government has allotted Rs 1,41,703 crore for defence in the interim budget against the backdrop of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Part of the fund is earmarked for defence research. "Several ongoing research projects at the DRDO will get a boost. More joint projects with educational institutes will be possible now," Pande said.
Anil Datar, director, Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), DRDO, said that the picture will be clear only when the exact figure of the availability of funds to his organisation is known. "While doing research we need to consider the demand of the users, ie the defence forces. If more funds are available, these projects will get a boost. Even projects carried out by students of various universities for the DRDO will benefit because of the increased allocation made in the vote-on-account."
V S Ghole, head, department of environmental sciences, University of Pune, too echoed similar sentiments. He said that research projects, carried out by students and researchers associated with an educational institution will have more access to funds. Their work will no longer remain confined to the laboratories. "Caliber of students doing projects for the DRDO is excellent. If enough funds are allocated to such projects, they can do pathbreaking research," said Ghole, who is working on project on explosives with the DRDO.
A researcher associated with the DRDO, Dilip Sathe, said that if used properly, these funds will be helpful for not only defence researchers but also for civilians doing research for the defence.
Defence research to get a major push
17 Feb 2009, 0621 hrs IST, TNN
PUNE: Defence projects helpful in combating terrorism, including detection technologies, propellant works and projects related to high energy material, will get a major push thanks to the increased allocation for defence in the vote-on-account presented on Monday, said R K Pande, joint director of the High Energy Material Research Lab (HEMRL), DRDO.
According to senior officials of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) here, even educational research projects, which usually remain at the institute level, may see the light of the day.
The government has allotted Rs 1,41,703 crore for defence in the interim budget against the backdrop of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Part of the fund is earmarked for defence research. "Several ongoing research projects at the DRDO will get a boost. More joint projects with educational institutes will be possible now," Pande said.
Anil Datar, director, Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), DRDO, said that the picture will be clear only when the exact figure of the availability of funds to his organisation is known. "While doing research we need to consider the demand of the users, ie the defence forces. If more funds are available, these projects will get a boost. Even projects carried out by students of various universities for the DRDO will benefit because of the increased allocation made in the vote-on-account."
V S Ghole, head, department of environmental sciences, University of Pune, too echoed similar sentiments. He said that research projects, carried out by students and researchers associated with an educational institution will have more access to funds. Their work will no longer remain confined to the laboratories. "Caliber of students doing projects for the DRDO is excellent. If enough funds are allocated to such projects, they can do pathbreaking research," said Ghole, who is working on project on explosives with the DRDO.
A researcher associated with the DRDO, Dilip Sathe, said that if used properly, these funds will be helpful for not only defence researchers but also for civilians doing research for the defence.
nitesh
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domain-b.com : AeroIndia 2009: Future challenges intense, opportunities immense, says Dr. M Natarajan
AeroIndia 2009: Future challenges intense, opportunities immense, says Dr. M Natarajan news
11 February 2009
Collaborations with foreign entities was there earlier as well, but essentially it was restricted to productionisation. Now we are talking from a position of some strength, particularly in design and system engineering, says Dr. M Natarajan, scientific advisor to the defence minister, and DRDO chief.
1. The defence sector is poised to enter into unprecedented cooperation with nations and corporations. How do you view the advent of such an era? What are the likely gains of such cooperation, and the pitfalls that we ought to guard against?
I am greatly excited about the possibility, opportunities of increased collaborations. Of course collaborations were there earlier too but essentially it was restricted to productionisation. Now we are talking from a position of some strength, I would say, in design and system engineering - so obviously this collaboration starts right with the possibility at the development stage itself.
The opportunities are indeed good because in a highly inter-dependant world it would be too difficult to simultaneously develop all the constituent technologies. For example, it could relate to propulsion- though you may be good in designing aero structures, aero-dynamics. You may have developed some capability in system integration, yet you may not be ready with the levels of expertise needed in propulsion technology in spite of having some manufacturing capabilities in license produced engines.
So, it's not in fact a handicap, if we team up with a partner country, or industry, to hasten your programme for development. For, then it is achievable in a shorter time span and also the overall maturity of the product is achieved to higher levels of satisfaction of performance.
The pitfalls, and this is equally true with certain types of sensors, as I mentioned this could be true of a sensor or a radar, or parts of a radar, because we can do signal processing very well in this country. We can do integration well, we can build an antenna, maybe the signal and data processor of electronic carriers or whatever it is could be sourced from other countries. So it gives you many opportunities to assess your own technology levels and integrate either at a modular level, or as a total module.
Now that depends on how much you are willing to compromise, and how much your collaborator is willing to part with. But, I think, as they see your competence and expertise to do such tasks, the willingness to cooperate increases because they see greater business opportunities, which is the reality of business.
Cushioning against the pitfalls is necessary since we must realise in today's globalised world, there are two distinct types of restrictions.
One is governmental - for whatever reasons, it could be you are not signatory to the NPT, or the MTCR, that is not in the hands of engineers that is the country's policy.
The second is also business compulsions - that certain levels of technology may not be parted with, till they see that if they don't part with it you could go to an alternate source.
The third is that if you continue to source certain parts, or modules, as part of technology package from another country it is absolutely essential that there has to be a guarantee of supplies for a certain period. Also, for a variety of reasons, such as new NSG regulations etc many countries want to sign end-user agreements with certain compliance requirements. It is necessary to check that those compliance requirements do not infringe with our rights to use the products we design, be it aircraft, or electronic warfare systems, in a manner most appropriate for our armed forces.
Not withstanding this, collaborative means, in my view, should be increasingly adopted, because that is the only way to do future business.
2. In an era of global recession, mounting development costs and decreasing orders at home for foreign companies, how should India approach the issue of cooperation with global entities in the defence sector?
As far as defence is concerned there are certain bottom line requirements, notwithstanding economic problems, which are based on a nation's security concerns - so the same logic does not apply, as in the commercial sector. But even that bottom line, as far as a country like India is concerned, is quite reasonable. Therefore, our partners abroad should find India an attractive partner.
The reason why we want to develop and collaborate is to keep the costs of the total supply chain at manageable levels, and also to maximise indigenous materials of construction and capability because these kind of products will require life cycle support over almost 25-30 years. It is not necessary that all these companies will remain in the same form for such long periods. So, we should have the ability - should something happen earlier than that - that companies get re-structured, or business plans get changed earlier than that, we have a back up plan and we are not put to any major hardships.
So, these are some of the pitfalls as I mentioned, but not withstanding that, economic considerations in defence will be secondary - though important - to the meeting the principal objective of armed forces requirements.
Obviously, we look for a win-win situation for both parties, where as you develop, the foreign partners also appreciate your capability to absorb higher technology levels. They had doubts about this earlier on whether we could actually absorb high technology and integrate it into a meaningful product. However, with the success we have had with LCA, electronic warfare - particularly our ability to integrate avionics eg: Sukhoi, recently, the MIG 27, which we have upgraded with our modules and the air force is extremely happy.
All these are a clear pointer to a mastery of our capability and this should augur well for collaborative efforts. So any collaboration, I perceive, is a clear opportunity for a win-win situation, with economical prices and on-time deliveries for our armed forces.
3. What are the areas that we need to invest in, and nurture, for the future?
We have done pretty well in setting up production infrastructure across a number of disciplines - these could be aeronautics, combat engineering, electronics like Bharat Electronics for radar technology. But as we launch major programmes not only in the DRDO, but even within the industry by their own in-house R&D - there comes a very special need that if we have to shorten the time of development to induction from deliveries through production lines, then we have to pick up all the skill sets required for engineering development for manufacture - which almost has to run concurrently from the time you begin developing your prototype.
The is a pre-requisite which factors in the manufacturing infrastructure likely to be available, or augmented, in the process consistent with the volumes that the armed forces may need. So, economic issues do come, also investment and funding issues, but above all it is a process that adds value to the design process in manufacture over and above what the R&D fellows could have done.
R&D engineers, or scientists, are essentially demonstrators of technological capabilities through a demonstrated prototypes. While it will justify the purpose for which the prototype has been instituted, and it will demonstrate very successfully the key functionalities expected of such a system, it may yet not be adequate as a reliable product for sustained operation by the armed forces. This is to be the value added by a dedicated engineering development team.
Unfortunately we had not paid attention to create such teams in the industry. But now even in the automotive sector as you know such teams have been created to develop motorcycles every 12 or 18 months, and cars in two years. So, hopefully we should be able to roll out in less than five years. This is however a huge investment in terms of highly qualified engineers who migrate from system design or system engineering to engineering development and eventually going into production. Some will come from testing and evaluation and others from piloting or flight test engineers from real operations in the air force.
When all these minds integrate this is a unique churning process which will refine the product from all angles and makes sure that the end product as it rolls out of the production lines are increasingly acceptable to the customer. You are also able to bring in online changes in production consistent with their suggestions. Sometimes it may be superfluous but still customer is sensitive to such suggestions. He wants to see it implemented because it gives him a comfort.
These are the capabilities we need to acquire considerably. I am talking in terms of translating prototypes into hardware, which is a skill set we need to certainly develop. We need to invest in these tools, notwithstanding the development of design tools.
Secondly, it is also necessary for us to upgrade our own design tools and facilities through virtual modeling and digital mock-ups as we gain strength. This will enable us not to waste time and resources, cutting down on materials, but to go through a walk through module and get as much close to user demands in terms of operational requirements or functional needs, and to that extent the design has a much better hold, right at the design stage itself - rather than building a prototype and waiting for it to be developed.
But all this is easier said, though in the design phase and in the skill sets that we have in mathematics and computers with software companies we may be able to achieve these far more speedily even somewhat realistically. But this has to be integrated with practical field experience of constructers. If constructers cannot manufacture as per your quality standards, then there is a problem - so process engineering is an equally important area we need to invest in.
Finally, at the technology levels, we need to build sufficient capability with regard to our bottom line - say in, propulsion systems for missiles, fortunately that is an area that we have done extremely well- but the propulsion system of aircrafts we cannot use in cruise missiles - there are compulsions it cannot be used. Technology from the commercial sector can't be uses as there are end-user agreements, which will not allow this to happen. We know we can modify commercial aircraft technology for military aircraft, but commercial sector agreements will not allow this to happen.
So there is a problem, as mastery is important - so propulsion becomes important, sensor becomes important, and these two areas the country needs to dearth of funding as the private sector is ready to invest in these areas. What is required is a greater understanding of the developmental process, the difficulties involved between the armed forces, developmental agencies, including DRDO, and agencies, including R&D centres in industries, and the industries themselves who should take collectively these decisions.
These investments are extremely high quantum investments and they should be optimally utilised, when invested, through targeted output, which should be systematically integrated into our ongoing and future designs.
This is an evolving process, it will happen - there is an increasing awareness of these requirements. It might also be that the armed forces might buy three different missiles with three different seekers, three different propulsion systems with three different aerodynamics because one is for the air force, one is for the army and one is for the navy - yet they may do an almost identical job. All this, because one found it convenient at one point of time.
But are we economically in a position to invest in three different technologies of seekers, three different propulsion systems, and three different airframes - its not viable. It is not viable to develop different constituent technologies for different systems. So we have to realise that homing onto one particular seeker, which may not be ideal for all combinations - but is largely acceptable to all three services, which makes such investments possible in the context of the Indian economy. So this kind of conventions in thought processes, and this kind of compliance in design, would be a pre-requisite to succeed.
4. Do you think as a nation we are equipped with a holistic outlook towards defence and security related matters? What would be your thoughts on this issue?
Security is a global topic today. Things are so rapidly changing. It's a dynamic situation. There are people who think that the conventional wars have been fought and now war will take on a new dimension of low intensity conflict and possibly in an extreme, and a non-occurring event, of a holocaust and we are oscillating between the two situations. So certain dimensions of security situation will have to be managed politically and diplomatically.
The armed forces are there with certain levels of forecasts. I am sure they are honing up their methods of augmenting intelligence etc., but a large group that still believes that we can't keep our conventional systems below a certain level and each country has to determine what are those levels? To that extent, yes, resources will get divided between how much you invest in your strategic systems, if you perceive dangers in those areas and for a country like India, which is facing low intensity conflicts almost at a daily level how do you apportion money in those areas.
There are issues related to the human dimension. So, as you know we also deal with life science products and technologies to keep the soldiers fit under those conditions. The intermediate segment, which mostly gets debated, aircraft or tank or electronic warfare. But scientists and technologists speak of technology across a wide spectrum of these products - because they have an innate sound mechanical design etc.
So all this calls for networked management. Just as banking has become accessible and easy from any where in the world, similarly communication, surveillance, information flow are getting networked on a much larger scale within each armed force and between armed forces and also the intelligence network. To that extent the elementary modules are there with us, in some form or the other. We have even done a CCQ base, a command control configuration system for artillery but with limited scope within a certain artillery regiment or command.
But such networks have to expand in a much bigger dimension.
These are systems integration challenges of large networks - how to ensure secrecy of your information flow, video transmission, intra or internet communication and also wireless and other forms of communication. Maybe multiple communication methods can be fused. So these are all capabilities that we can work on…. CARE is a laboratory which is onto this kind of job but it has not really taken off in the expected dimensions.
If US is eyeing India to cooperate, if not totally in some areas, it would demand networked information across continents too. These are the challenges we have to overcome by building the capabilities for the future.
Just like IT power has been a boon to business; it can be harnessed here in a big way so that platform deficiencies can be more than overcome through such integrated operations. This is a skill set that we all need to sit down and discuss and chalk out a course of development - how much is a legacy system, how much is current, how much will be futuristic, each country will have a different pattern. It is not easy for another country to offer you this. They can offer you the modularity of doing such an operation. But essentially the physical process of module integration - factoring these strengths of legacy, current and futuristic systems that you will be acquiring or building yourself is essentially what you have to do.
Therefore I see immense scope and since we've made good headway with other ait companies- it will happen progressively.
Therefore in case of marginal deficiencies we need not get unduly alarmed. If you look within DRDO, the laboratory has developed battlefield surveillance radar at LRDE. It can see up to 7-10 kms a man walking either night or day, or a truck. Now the same thing, an electro optics payload is made by LRDE, Dehradun and someone else could've made an infrared seeker or a millimetric wave seeker. Now that could be used as anti-collision device in a locomotive or as a sensor.
When you integrate such sensors, perhaps you have a surveillance system. Progressively you don't have to keep people in the Siachen Glacier but they can be seated in bunkers and keep watching over a vast area. This can be integrated to an alarm system so that even if he falls asleep someone can wake him up alerting him.
This will also have to be coupled with rapid air lift capability should you sense danger.
Opportunities exist in plenty like coastal survey of the 7500 km of coastline. It is humanly impossible to plant men at every half km. We can integrate acoustic sensors also for the purpose as our laboratory NPOL Kochi has demonstrated. Since the opportunities are immense, it is only our imagination and innovativeness and creativity that will determine the strides we take.
That is why I care for the young scientist.
5. Because of the nature of their work, organisations of strategic importance, such as the DRDO, tend to be rather insular and not very open to the public gaze. While this may be good in some ways, it can also leave the field open to motivated campaigns and public relations disasters, which the organisation may find difficult to counteract. What would your thoughts be on this issue?
The subject you have raised is very relevant. Committed scientists in general are resistant to being exposed to the media. I remember when Agni 3 failed and many newspapers called it a disaster. On the spot when the failure took place, I was in company of the then raksha mantri Pranab Mukherjee because for a minute I could see the feeling of many of the young scientists involved. So being the department head, I can't afford to show a sad face. One newspaper immediately ridiculed it and said it was a failure.
The minister said it went upto 18 km and was therefore a partial success. Even that was ridiculed in one newspaper. So what is required is to cut down the needless hype. Second if any developmental effort nobody can guarantee success even with best of efforts there will be failures. Failure is an integral part of the development process and of success as well. I believe failure is the first few steps towards success. All successful programmes have gone through a failure cycle. Nothing to get alarmed but the way it gets hyped sometimes disturbs the scientist. And a missile like Agni cannot be tested in an auditorium. It has to be tested in a field and therefore open to the public.
But a non-technological person just cannot appreciate the nuances of development and very few journalists are actually clued in to these specific technologies to appreciate them. I must also admit that even I am to that extent a poor communicator. Fortunately we have a very powerful personality among the CC R&Ds I have as my board of directors, Dr Selva Murthy, who is a lively distinguished scientist and a life science person who understood this drawback very early and has set up a public interface with Dr Suranjan Pal who is our person there.
Over the last 2 ½ years we have disseminated quite a lot of information to the media without jeopardizing security levels. So we will continue to open our channels without giving out operational details.
So the disclosure cannot be compared to the ISRO eg: the Chandrayaan, a mission for peace. Even we wouldn't attack any body but in case of an attack we should be able to protect ourselves.
Even then we can't disclose everything to make the task of breaking in easier for the opponent. This is a constant debate as we are spenders of public money we are responsible to divulge broad details and changing the focus from projects to the technology involved which we will be focusing on in future. Whether the propulsion is used by Agni 1, 2 or 3 will depend on what the armed forces need at a particular point and what the country needs. And all these products are possible only if we have capability in propulsion, aerospace materials, metallic and non metallic, composites similarly your ability in navigation, carbon composites or other composites for re-entry.
But there will be cases where even technologies cannot be disclosed because of the implications. We can speak at a macro level but not at a micro level of specifications. I would like to place on record through you to the entire nation that it is not that DRDO does not want to be open to that extent. Sometimes it is not fair on the part of the public to expect everyone from the scientific community to be so articulate. Because innately they are silent workers. And the success of an organisation like DRDO rests on the silent sloggers than loudmouths.
6. On a personal note, can you describe what it entailed working for such an organisation at the time of your joining? How are things different now?
I think you are asking the question to the right man and in some sense the wrong man. Right man in the sense I am a home grown product. I joined DRDO way back and never dreamt that I would be the scientific advisor but here I am in this chair and slowly my terms in coming to a close. Secondly I may not be the repository of knowledge to comment on DRDO. Yet I would say we have traveled miles. There are always miles to go. As targets keep shifting, your milestones keep shifting.
The transformation that I have witnessed is; in the 70s we didn't have the courage to think of systems. Perhaps that was not the mandate either so we were contended with some science and technology development or learning processes of some intricate technologies - also some very very incremental value additions, not of very high value but of a more utilitarian value. But the boldness to embark on the major technologies came in the mid-'80s. The '71 war gave some propulsion in that direction to think of and in 1974 the Pokhran added to the restrictions.
There fore there were compulsions and the shortcoming was also recognised at the industry level. There were one or two products but not across the board from some asci generators and incremental value additions to suddenly thinking big to aircrafts. We had an inadequate base for these and infrastructure to meet the technology levels worldwide was lacking. Many tasks had to be taken up concurrently and it is true of many nations, not only India. It is mostly the case with first generation products like battle tanks, electronic warfare system, aircraft or submarine, which went into at least two decades. But I am sure the second generation will grow up very fast considerable effort has gone into learning and also by those who while learning have gone through bitter experiences. This has helped mentor the youngsters to improve their take-off.
This process has significantly improved over the years.
We had to set up the infrastructure, the workshops, machine tools installation, we had to design and manufacture tooling.. With these you produce parts and integrate them. When you find test infrastructure inadequate then you commission and build that up. So you can see that virtually in every area whether it is combat engineering or electronics or aero spheres people have gone through setting up of fabrication facilities, infrastructure facilities for test and evaluation and building up of human resource in design and each of these functional areas and also the field tests and evaluation.
Like Rama, 14 years we had to go to the deserts of Rajasthan taking along a 60 ton tank because we didn't have a test facility. It might have looked crazy but that was the only way we could've accomplished at that time. Now we have far more advanced simulation techniques it's available where we could check out but then it was so. Something like the folding landing gear of the aircraft but it runs only 100 km. Somebody would say it is a failure because it can run only 100 km but the fact that it runs 100 km means that it has features like high temperature seals which can be worked upon for longer distances. Now we have with honing completing buffing finishing we can get it to run longer. Slowly the technology progressed from 400 – 450 and then to 1500. Today we are guaranteeing 4500 km almost the life of the tank. The chrome plating, honing process including the honing sticks was the intermediate innovations.
See how the technology improved with value addition at all levels seats got developed and But we can't now work like we used then. Because every project will take its own sweet time maybe 25 – 30 years. That's why there is a need to network a large number of small medium and specialist companies. You need systems integrators, engineering developers whether it is outsourced expertise or in-house expertise; you also need test and evaluation expertise through rigs and through field tests and above all you need service people as an integral part of your team for final field evaluation.
The whole gamut of activities that takes a design from a computer to the field, the DRDO and other industry partners have learnt. We have crossed many thresholds and reached a level at which we are looking at developing light and medium combat aircrafts and further the UC aviator at a later date. Like that in every area in combat engineering we produced Arjun tank but the problem was using the modules of electro-optics an entirely new concept was configured to use on T72, T90. It's another thing that the army has not yet taken to it but it was done in a record time of two years. The original turret took about 8 years for us to develop. So you can imagine the speed and how one development feeds 10 others. We have recently developed a rotary wankle engine for ostensibly for Nissan 55hp. The beauty is that it runs 8000- 10000 rpm, one could couple a constant frequency integral drive generator with it and get power out of it. Some can be used as an APU. Even if doesn't get sold in a shop it can go into other applications. For every successful design there can be multiple uses based on your ingenuity, creativity and imagination, how you package it, we need to develop this brand of engineers too who are product multipliers cashing on available technologies.
Such skill sets are also to be learnt in our industry. How to capitalise on somebody else' development. DRDO is a treasure house of technologies. Just like data mining in the IT industry we have to do technology mining for this industry. Our own scientists might not be able to but industry engineers will be given access to mine through technologies available with DRDO that will benefit the nation at large.
Cost is not the issue because it is paid for by the government. So at this point we are finally at a position of strength where collaborating companies take us seriously and Embraer, EADS, Eurojet for aeronautics and other world leader are talking to us now. I think that is a good sign.
At the personal level I am immensely happy for two reasons but I think it is a God given gift. though I have been associated with the Arjun tank and been taking all the beatings ...I have also been involved with LCA willy-nilly right from the beginning but now I am involved with some submarine constructions. What more can one expect in a lifespan from 25 -60 years, if you have been distinctly fortunate to deal with such a wide spectrum of technologies including electronic warfare, radar etc. The levels of satisfaction with which I lay down my office is unmatched and cannot be matched with money.
The challenges in future developments are so intense, opportunities are so immense, my advice to the youngsters is even if you choose a greener pasture change after 10 years. Because your most productive age 25 -35 is ideal for the DRDO and you stand to gain a lot from it. Most of the armaments we see have been produced by committed souls.
domain-b.com : AeroIndia 2009: Future challenges intense, opportunities immense, says Dr. M Natarajan
AeroIndia 2009: Future challenges intense, opportunities immense, says Dr. M Natarajan news
11 February 2009
Collaborations with foreign entities was there earlier as well, but essentially it was restricted to productionisation. Now we are talking from a position of some strength, particularly in design and system engineering, says Dr. M Natarajan, scientific advisor to the defence minister, and DRDO chief.
1. The defence sector is poised to enter into unprecedented cooperation with nations and corporations. How do you view the advent of such an era? What are the likely gains of such cooperation, and the pitfalls that we ought to guard against?
I am greatly excited about the possibility, opportunities of increased collaborations. Of course collaborations were there earlier too but essentially it was restricted to productionisation. Now we are talking from a position of some strength, I would say, in design and system engineering - so obviously this collaboration starts right with the possibility at the development stage itself.
The opportunities are indeed good because in a highly inter-dependant world it would be too difficult to simultaneously develop all the constituent technologies. For example, it could relate to propulsion- though you may be good in designing aero structures, aero-dynamics. You may have developed some capability in system integration, yet you may not be ready with the levels of expertise needed in propulsion technology in spite of having some manufacturing capabilities in license produced engines.
So, it's not in fact a handicap, if we team up with a partner country, or industry, to hasten your programme for development. For, then it is achievable in a shorter time span and also the overall maturity of the product is achieved to higher levels of satisfaction of performance.
The pitfalls, and this is equally true with certain types of sensors, as I mentioned this could be true of a sensor or a radar, or parts of a radar, because we can do signal processing very well in this country. We can do integration well, we can build an antenna, maybe the signal and data processor of electronic carriers or whatever it is could be sourced from other countries. So it gives you many opportunities to assess your own technology levels and integrate either at a modular level, or as a total module.
Now that depends on how much you are willing to compromise, and how much your collaborator is willing to part with. But, I think, as they see your competence and expertise to do such tasks, the willingness to cooperate increases because they see greater business opportunities, which is the reality of business.
Cushioning against the pitfalls is necessary since we must realise in today's globalised world, there are two distinct types of restrictions.
One is governmental - for whatever reasons, it could be you are not signatory to the NPT, or the MTCR, that is not in the hands of engineers that is the country's policy.
The second is also business compulsions - that certain levels of technology may not be parted with, till they see that if they don't part with it you could go to an alternate source.
The third is that if you continue to source certain parts, or modules, as part of technology package from another country it is absolutely essential that there has to be a guarantee of supplies for a certain period. Also, for a variety of reasons, such as new NSG regulations etc many countries want to sign end-user agreements with certain compliance requirements. It is necessary to check that those compliance requirements do not infringe with our rights to use the products we design, be it aircraft, or electronic warfare systems, in a manner most appropriate for our armed forces.
Not withstanding this, collaborative means, in my view, should be increasingly adopted, because that is the only way to do future business.
2. In an era of global recession, mounting development costs and decreasing orders at home for foreign companies, how should India approach the issue of cooperation with global entities in the defence sector?
As far as defence is concerned there are certain bottom line requirements, notwithstanding economic problems, which are based on a nation's security concerns - so the same logic does not apply, as in the commercial sector. But even that bottom line, as far as a country like India is concerned, is quite reasonable. Therefore, our partners abroad should find India an attractive partner.
The reason why we want to develop and collaborate is to keep the costs of the total supply chain at manageable levels, and also to maximise indigenous materials of construction and capability because these kind of products will require life cycle support over almost 25-30 years. It is not necessary that all these companies will remain in the same form for such long periods. So, we should have the ability - should something happen earlier than that - that companies get re-structured, or business plans get changed earlier than that, we have a back up plan and we are not put to any major hardships.
So, these are some of the pitfalls as I mentioned, but not withstanding that, economic considerations in defence will be secondary - though important - to the meeting the principal objective of armed forces requirements.
Obviously, we look for a win-win situation for both parties, where as you develop, the foreign partners also appreciate your capability to absorb higher technology levels. They had doubts about this earlier on whether we could actually absorb high technology and integrate it into a meaningful product. However, with the success we have had with LCA, electronic warfare - particularly our ability to integrate avionics eg: Sukhoi, recently, the MIG 27, which we have upgraded with our modules and the air force is extremely happy.
All these are a clear pointer to a mastery of our capability and this should augur well for collaborative efforts. So any collaboration, I perceive, is a clear opportunity for a win-win situation, with economical prices and on-time deliveries for our armed forces.
3. What are the areas that we need to invest in, and nurture, for the future?
We have done pretty well in setting up production infrastructure across a number of disciplines - these could be aeronautics, combat engineering, electronics like Bharat Electronics for radar technology. But as we launch major programmes not only in the DRDO, but even within the industry by their own in-house R&D - there comes a very special need that if we have to shorten the time of development to induction from deliveries through production lines, then we have to pick up all the skill sets required for engineering development for manufacture - which almost has to run concurrently from the time you begin developing your prototype.
The is a pre-requisite which factors in the manufacturing infrastructure likely to be available, or augmented, in the process consistent with the volumes that the armed forces may need. So, economic issues do come, also investment and funding issues, but above all it is a process that adds value to the design process in manufacture over and above what the R&D fellows could have done.
R&D engineers, or scientists, are essentially demonstrators of technological capabilities through a demonstrated prototypes. While it will justify the purpose for which the prototype has been instituted, and it will demonstrate very successfully the key functionalities expected of such a system, it may yet not be adequate as a reliable product for sustained operation by the armed forces. This is to be the value added by a dedicated engineering development team.
Unfortunately we had not paid attention to create such teams in the industry. But now even in the automotive sector as you know such teams have been created to develop motorcycles every 12 or 18 months, and cars in two years. So, hopefully we should be able to roll out in less than five years. This is however a huge investment in terms of highly qualified engineers who migrate from system design or system engineering to engineering development and eventually going into production. Some will come from testing and evaluation and others from piloting or flight test engineers from real operations in the air force.
When all these minds integrate this is a unique churning process which will refine the product from all angles and makes sure that the end product as it rolls out of the production lines are increasingly acceptable to the customer. You are also able to bring in online changes in production consistent with their suggestions. Sometimes it may be superfluous but still customer is sensitive to such suggestions. He wants to see it implemented because it gives him a comfort.
These are the capabilities we need to acquire considerably. I am talking in terms of translating prototypes into hardware, which is a skill set we need to certainly develop. We need to invest in these tools, notwithstanding the development of design tools.
Secondly, it is also necessary for us to upgrade our own design tools and facilities through virtual modeling and digital mock-ups as we gain strength. This will enable us not to waste time and resources, cutting down on materials, but to go through a walk through module and get as much close to user demands in terms of operational requirements or functional needs, and to that extent the design has a much better hold, right at the design stage itself - rather than building a prototype and waiting for it to be developed.
But all this is easier said, though in the design phase and in the skill sets that we have in mathematics and computers with software companies we may be able to achieve these far more speedily even somewhat realistically. But this has to be integrated with practical field experience of constructers. If constructers cannot manufacture as per your quality standards, then there is a problem - so process engineering is an equally important area we need to invest in.
Finally, at the technology levels, we need to build sufficient capability with regard to our bottom line - say in, propulsion systems for missiles, fortunately that is an area that we have done extremely well- but the propulsion system of aircrafts we cannot use in cruise missiles - there are compulsions it cannot be used. Technology from the commercial sector can't be uses as there are end-user agreements, which will not allow this to happen. We know we can modify commercial aircraft technology for military aircraft, but commercial sector agreements will not allow this to happen.
So there is a problem, as mastery is important - so propulsion becomes important, sensor becomes important, and these two areas the country needs to dearth of funding as the private sector is ready to invest in these areas. What is required is a greater understanding of the developmental process, the difficulties involved between the armed forces, developmental agencies, including DRDO, and agencies, including R&D centres in industries, and the industries themselves who should take collectively these decisions.
These investments are extremely high quantum investments and they should be optimally utilised, when invested, through targeted output, which should be systematically integrated into our ongoing and future designs.
This is an evolving process, it will happen - there is an increasing awareness of these requirements. It might also be that the armed forces might buy three different missiles with three different seekers, three different propulsion systems with three different aerodynamics because one is for the air force, one is for the army and one is for the navy - yet they may do an almost identical job. All this, because one found it convenient at one point of time.
But are we economically in a position to invest in three different technologies of seekers, three different propulsion systems, and three different airframes - its not viable. It is not viable to develop different constituent technologies for different systems. So we have to realise that homing onto one particular seeker, which may not be ideal for all combinations - but is largely acceptable to all three services, which makes such investments possible in the context of the Indian economy. So this kind of conventions in thought processes, and this kind of compliance in design, would be a pre-requisite to succeed.
4. Do you think as a nation we are equipped with a holistic outlook towards defence and security related matters? What would be your thoughts on this issue?
Security is a global topic today. Things are so rapidly changing. It's a dynamic situation. There are people who think that the conventional wars have been fought and now war will take on a new dimension of low intensity conflict and possibly in an extreme, and a non-occurring event, of a holocaust and we are oscillating between the two situations. So certain dimensions of security situation will have to be managed politically and diplomatically.
The armed forces are there with certain levels of forecasts. I am sure they are honing up their methods of augmenting intelligence etc., but a large group that still believes that we can't keep our conventional systems below a certain level and each country has to determine what are those levels? To that extent, yes, resources will get divided between how much you invest in your strategic systems, if you perceive dangers in those areas and for a country like India, which is facing low intensity conflicts almost at a daily level how do you apportion money in those areas.
There are issues related to the human dimension. So, as you know we also deal with life science products and technologies to keep the soldiers fit under those conditions. The intermediate segment, which mostly gets debated, aircraft or tank or electronic warfare. But scientists and technologists speak of technology across a wide spectrum of these products - because they have an innate sound mechanical design etc.
So all this calls for networked management. Just as banking has become accessible and easy from any where in the world, similarly communication, surveillance, information flow are getting networked on a much larger scale within each armed force and between armed forces and also the intelligence network. To that extent the elementary modules are there with us, in some form or the other. We have even done a CCQ base, a command control configuration system for artillery but with limited scope within a certain artillery regiment or command.
But such networks have to expand in a much bigger dimension.
These are systems integration challenges of large networks - how to ensure secrecy of your information flow, video transmission, intra or internet communication and also wireless and other forms of communication. Maybe multiple communication methods can be fused. So these are all capabilities that we can work on…. CARE is a laboratory which is onto this kind of job but it has not really taken off in the expected dimensions.
If US is eyeing India to cooperate, if not totally in some areas, it would demand networked information across continents too. These are the challenges we have to overcome by building the capabilities for the future.
Just like IT power has been a boon to business; it can be harnessed here in a big way so that platform deficiencies can be more than overcome through such integrated operations. This is a skill set that we all need to sit down and discuss and chalk out a course of development - how much is a legacy system, how much is current, how much will be futuristic, each country will have a different pattern. It is not easy for another country to offer you this. They can offer you the modularity of doing such an operation. But essentially the physical process of module integration - factoring these strengths of legacy, current and futuristic systems that you will be acquiring or building yourself is essentially what you have to do.
Therefore I see immense scope and since we've made good headway with other ait companies- it will happen progressively.
Therefore in case of marginal deficiencies we need not get unduly alarmed. If you look within DRDO, the laboratory has developed battlefield surveillance radar at LRDE. It can see up to 7-10 kms a man walking either night or day, or a truck. Now the same thing, an electro optics payload is made by LRDE, Dehradun and someone else could've made an infrared seeker or a millimetric wave seeker. Now that could be used as anti-collision device in a locomotive or as a sensor.
When you integrate such sensors, perhaps you have a surveillance system. Progressively you don't have to keep people in the Siachen Glacier but they can be seated in bunkers and keep watching over a vast area. This can be integrated to an alarm system so that even if he falls asleep someone can wake him up alerting him.
This will also have to be coupled with rapid air lift capability should you sense danger.
Opportunities exist in plenty like coastal survey of the 7500 km of coastline. It is humanly impossible to plant men at every half km. We can integrate acoustic sensors also for the purpose as our laboratory NPOL Kochi has demonstrated. Since the opportunities are immense, it is only our imagination and innovativeness and creativity that will determine the strides we take.
That is why I care for the young scientist.
5. Because of the nature of their work, organisations of strategic importance, such as the DRDO, tend to be rather insular and not very open to the public gaze. While this may be good in some ways, it can also leave the field open to motivated campaigns and public relations disasters, which the organisation may find difficult to counteract. What would your thoughts be on this issue?
The subject you have raised is very relevant. Committed scientists in general are resistant to being exposed to the media. I remember when Agni 3 failed and many newspapers called it a disaster. On the spot when the failure took place, I was in company of the then raksha mantri Pranab Mukherjee because for a minute I could see the feeling of many of the young scientists involved. So being the department head, I can't afford to show a sad face. One newspaper immediately ridiculed it and said it was a failure.
The minister said it went upto 18 km and was therefore a partial success. Even that was ridiculed in one newspaper. So what is required is to cut down the needless hype. Second if any developmental effort nobody can guarantee success even with best of efforts there will be failures. Failure is an integral part of the development process and of success as well. I believe failure is the first few steps towards success. All successful programmes have gone through a failure cycle. Nothing to get alarmed but the way it gets hyped sometimes disturbs the scientist. And a missile like Agni cannot be tested in an auditorium. It has to be tested in a field and therefore open to the public.
But a non-technological person just cannot appreciate the nuances of development and very few journalists are actually clued in to these specific technologies to appreciate them. I must also admit that even I am to that extent a poor communicator. Fortunately we have a very powerful personality among the CC R&Ds I have as my board of directors, Dr Selva Murthy, who is a lively distinguished scientist and a life science person who understood this drawback very early and has set up a public interface with Dr Suranjan Pal who is our person there.
Over the last 2 ½ years we have disseminated quite a lot of information to the media without jeopardizing security levels. So we will continue to open our channels without giving out operational details.
So the disclosure cannot be compared to the ISRO eg: the Chandrayaan, a mission for peace. Even we wouldn't attack any body but in case of an attack we should be able to protect ourselves.
Even then we can't disclose everything to make the task of breaking in easier for the opponent. This is a constant debate as we are spenders of public money we are responsible to divulge broad details and changing the focus from projects to the technology involved which we will be focusing on in future. Whether the propulsion is used by Agni 1, 2 or 3 will depend on what the armed forces need at a particular point and what the country needs. And all these products are possible only if we have capability in propulsion, aerospace materials, metallic and non metallic, composites similarly your ability in navigation, carbon composites or other composites for re-entry.
But there will be cases where even technologies cannot be disclosed because of the implications. We can speak at a macro level but not at a micro level of specifications. I would like to place on record through you to the entire nation that it is not that DRDO does not want to be open to that extent. Sometimes it is not fair on the part of the public to expect everyone from the scientific community to be so articulate. Because innately they are silent workers. And the success of an organisation like DRDO rests on the silent sloggers than loudmouths.
6. On a personal note, can you describe what it entailed working for such an organisation at the time of your joining? How are things different now?
I think you are asking the question to the right man and in some sense the wrong man. Right man in the sense I am a home grown product. I joined DRDO way back and never dreamt that I would be the scientific advisor but here I am in this chair and slowly my terms in coming to a close. Secondly I may not be the repository of knowledge to comment on DRDO. Yet I would say we have traveled miles. There are always miles to go. As targets keep shifting, your milestones keep shifting.
The transformation that I have witnessed is; in the 70s we didn't have the courage to think of systems. Perhaps that was not the mandate either so we were contended with some science and technology development or learning processes of some intricate technologies - also some very very incremental value additions, not of very high value but of a more utilitarian value. But the boldness to embark on the major technologies came in the mid-'80s. The '71 war gave some propulsion in that direction to think of and in 1974 the Pokhran added to the restrictions.
There fore there were compulsions and the shortcoming was also recognised at the industry level. There were one or two products but not across the board from some asci generators and incremental value additions to suddenly thinking big to aircrafts. We had an inadequate base for these and infrastructure to meet the technology levels worldwide was lacking. Many tasks had to be taken up concurrently and it is true of many nations, not only India. It is mostly the case with first generation products like battle tanks, electronic warfare system, aircraft or submarine, which went into at least two decades. But I am sure the second generation will grow up very fast considerable effort has gone into learning and also by those who while learning have gone through bitter experiences. This has helped mentor the youngsters to improve their take-off.
This process has significantly improved over the years.
We had to set up the infrastructure, the workshops, machine tools installation, we had to design and manufacture tooling.. With these you produce parts and integrate them. When you find test infrastructure inadequate then you commission and build that up. So you can see that virtually in every area whether it is combat engineering or electronics or aero spheres people have gone through setting up of fabrication facilities, infrastructure facilities for test and evaluation and building up of human resource in design and each of these functional areas and also the field tests and evaluation.
Like Rama, 14 years we had to go to the deserts of Rajasthan taking along a 60 ton tank because we didn't have a test facility. It might have looked crazy but that was the only way we could've accomplished at that time. Now we have far more advanced simulation techniques it's available where we could check out but then it was so. Something like the folding landing gear of the aircraft but it runs only 100 km. Somebody would say it is a failure because it can run only 100 km but the fact that it runs 100 km means that it has features like high temperature seals which can be worked upon for longer distances. Now we have with honing completing buffing finishing we can get it to run longer. Slowly the technology progressed from 400 – 450 and then to 1500. Today we are guaranteeing 4500 km almost the life of the tank. The chrome plating, honing process including the honing sticks was the intermediate innovations.
See how the technology improved with value addition at all levels seats got developed and But we can't now work like we used then. Because every project will take its own sweet time maybe 25 – 30 years. That's why there is a need to network a large number of small medium and specialist companies. You need systems integrators, engineering developers whether it is outsourced expertise or in-house expertise; you also need test and evaluation expertise through rigs and through field tests and above all you need service people as an integral part of your team for final field evaluation.
The whole gamut of activities that takes a design from a computer to the field, the DRDO and other industry partners have learnt. We have crossed many thresholds and reached a level at which we are looking at developing light and medium combat aircrafts and further the UC aviator at a later date. Like that in every area in combat engineering we produced Arjun tank but the problem was using the modules of electro-optics an entirely new concept was configured to use on T72, T90. It's another thing that the army has not yet taken to it but it was done in a record time of two years. The original turret took about 8 years for us to develop. So you can imagine the speed and how one development feeds 10 others. We have recently developed a rotary wankle engine for ostensibly for Nissan 55hp. The beauty is that it runs 8000- 10000 rpm, one could couple a constant frequency integral drive generator with it and get power out of it. Some can be used as an APU. Even if doesn't get sold in a shop it can go into other applications. For every successful design there can be multiple uses based on your ingenuity, creativity and imagination, how you package it, we need to develop this brand of engineers too who are product multipliers cashing on available technologies.
Such skill sets are also to be learnt in our industry. How to capitalise on somebody else' development. DRDO is a treasure house of technologies. Just like data mining in the IT industry we have to do technology mining for this industry. Our own scientists might not be able to but industry engineers will be given access to mine through technologies available with DRDO that will benefit the nation at large.
Cost is not the issue because it is paid for by the government. So at this point we are finally at a position of strength where collaborating companies take us seriously and Embraer, EADS, Eurojet for aeronautics and other world leader are talking to us now. I think that is a good sign.
At the personal level I am immensely happy for two reasons but I think it is a God given gift. though I have been associated with the Arjun tank and been taking all the beatings ...I have also been involved with LCA willy-nilly right from the beginning but now I am involved with some submarine constructions. What more can one expect in a lifespan from 25 -60 years, if you have been distinctly fortunate to deal with such a wide spectrum of technologies including electronic warfare, radar etc. The levels of satisfaction with which I lay down my office is unmatched and cannot be matched with money.
The challenges in future developments are so intense, opportunities are so immense, my advice to the youngsters is even if you choose a greener pasture change after 10 years. Because your most productive age 25 -35 is ideal for the DRDO and you stand to gain a lot from it. Most of the armaments we see have been produced by committed souls.
nitesh
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Indian experts find bacteria to beat global heat- Global Warming-Earth-The Economic Times
Indian experts find bacteria to beat global heat
16 Feb 2009, 0507 hrs IST, Rajiv Mani , TNN
ALLAHABAD: In a major breakthrough that could help in the fight against global warming, a team of five Indian scientists from four institutes of the country have discovered a naturally occurring bacteria which converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into a compound found in limestone and chalk.
When used as an enzyme — biomolecules that speed up a chemical reaction — the bacteria has been found to transform CO2 into calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which can fetch minerals of economic value, said Dr Anjana Sharma from the biosciences department of RD University, Jabalpur, who was part of the Rs 98.6 lakh project sponsored by the department of biotechnology (DBT) under the Union science and technology ministry.
CO2 is a greenhouse gas produced in the burning of fossil fuels and other industrial activities. The rising emissions of CO2 in the atmosphere is chiefly responsible for global warming. Reducing CO2 levels is the single most important strategy to fight global warming and the resulting effects of climate change.
"The enzyme can be put to work in any situation, like in a chamber fitted inside a factory chimney through which CO2 would pass before being emitted into the atmosphere, and it would convert the greenhouse gas into calcium carbonate,’’ Dr Sadhana Rayalu, the project coordinator who is from the National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, told TOI on phone from Nagpur.
This potentially means that the bacteria — extracted from a number of places including brick kilns in Satna, Madhya Pradesh — can be used to take out CO2 from its sources of emission itself.
Rayalu said the chemical reactions involved in the process have been successfully established while its economic viability, cloning, expression and single-step purification are under study. The team has published its findings in the Indian Journal of Microbiology and its paper has been accepted for publication in the World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology.
Sharma said the breakthrough was the result of marathon research work spanning more than three years. Other members of the team are Dr K Krishnamurty from NEERI, Dr T Satyanarayana from Delhi University and Dr A K Tripathi from Banaras Hindu University.
"Interestingly, it is nature that has come to the rescue of the human race from harmful effects of global warming. Investigators of the team have discovered as many as seven such micro-organisms that have the tendency to convert carbon dioxide into calcium carbonate at different natural locations,’’ said Sharma, who was on a visit to Allahabad.
Indian experts find bacteria to beat global heat
16 Feb 2009, 0507 hrs IST, Rajiv Mani , TNN
ALLAHABAD: In a major breakthrough that could help in the fight against global warming, a team of five Indian scientists from four institutes of the country have discovered a naturally occurring bacteria which converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into a compound found in limestone and chalk.
When used as an enzyme — biomolecules that speed up a chemical reaction — the bacteria has been found to transform CO2 into calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which can fetch minerals of economic value, said Dr Anjana Sharma from the biosciences department of RD University, Jabalpur, who was part of the Rs 98.6 lakh project sponsored by the department of biotechnology (DBT) under the Union science and technology ministry.
CO2 is a greenhouse gas produced in the burning of fossil fuels and other industrial activities. The rising emissions of CO2 in the atmosphere is chiefly responsible for global warming. Reducing CO2 levels is the single most important strategy to fight global warming and the resulting effects of climate change.
"The enzyme can be put to work in any situation, like in a chamber fitted inside a factory chimney through which CO2 would pass before being emitted into the atmosphere, and it would convert the greenhouse gas into calcium carbonate,’’ Dr Sadhana Rayalu, the project coordinator who is from the National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, told TOI on phone from Nagpur.
This potentially means that the bacteria — extracted from a number of places including brick kilns in Satna, Madhya Pradesh — can be used to take out CO2 from its sources of emission itself.
Rayalu said the chemical reactions involved in the process have been successfully established while its economic viability, cloning, expression and single-step purification are under study. The team has published its findings in the Indian Journal of Microbiology and its paper has been accepted for publication in the World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology.
Sharma said the breakthrough was the result of marathon research work spanning more than three years. Other members of the team are Dr K Krishnamurty from NEERI, Dr T Satyanarayana from Delhi University and Dr A K Tripathi from Banaras Hindu University.
"Interestingly, it is nature that has come to the rescue of the human race from harmful effects of global warming. Investigators of the team have discovered as many as seven such micro-organisms that have the tendency to convert carbon dioxide into calcium carbonate at different natural locations,’’ said Sharma, who was on a visit to Allahabad.
India facing Delays in Acquisition of New Military Equipment
Dated 22/2/2009
Replacement of ageing and obsolete defence weaponry is part of modernization of the Armed Forces, which is a continuous process based on threat perception, technological changes and budget allocation.
The process involves formulation of a Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP), five years Services Capital Acquisition Plan (SCAP) and Annual Acquisition Plan (AAP).
Procurement of required equipment and weapon system is carried out as per the AAP and in accordance with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP). On the basis of experience gained in its implementation, the DPP-2006 was reviewed and the DPP-2008 came into effect from 1.9.2008.
The DPP-2008 has incorporated certain measures to expedite the process of procurement. In addition, the delegation of financial powers to the Service Headquarters for sanctioning capital proposals have been enhanced.
The procedure for procurement of defence equipment under revenue head is already laid down in the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2006.
While contract for procurement of Assault Rifles has been concluded recently, procurement case for Howitzers and Night Vision Devices are in progress.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written statement to Shri BK Hariprasad in Rajya Sabha today.
Dated 22/2/2009
Replacement of ageing and obsolete defence weaponry is part of modernization of the Armed Forces, which is a continuous process based on threat perception, technological changes and budget allocation.
The process involves formulation of a Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP), five years Services Capital Acquisition Plan (SCAP) and Annual Acquisition Plan (AAP).
Procurement of required equipment and weapon system is carried out as per the AAP and in accordance with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP). On the basis of experience gained in its implementation, the DPP-2006 was reviewed and the DPP-2008 came into effect from 1.9.2008.
The DPP-2008 has incorporated certain measures to expedite the process of procurement. In addition, the delegation of financial powers to the Service Headquarters for sanctioning capital proposals have been enhanced.
The procedure for procurement of defence equipment under revenue head is already laid down in the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2006.
While contract for procurement of Assault Rifles has been concluded recently, procurement case for Howitzers and Night Vision Devices are in progress.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written statement to Shri BK Hariprasad in Rajya Sabha today.
nitesh
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nitesh
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Manganese plenty in ocean off Goa | Sindh Today
Manganese plenty in ocean off Goa
Panaji, Feb 27 (IANS) Researchers with the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) claim to have discovered a large presence of manganese modules off Goas shore.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Science Fiesta organised by the Goa government Friday, Vineesh T.C., a senior researcher with the NIO, said India was preparing to harvest these minerals from the ocean.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has been kind enough to have licenced India to explore these polymetallic modules spread over an area of nearly 75,000 sq km in the sea, he said.
Based in Jamaica, the ISA is an autonomous international body established under a 1982 UN Convention to organise and control activities in the seabed area. The convention considers the international seabed as common property of all human beings.
Describing manganese modules as an example of the generation next of mineral resources, Vineesh said research was on globally to make harvesting these marine mineral resources a financially viable option.
These modules are polymetallic in nature. They have a component of copper and zinc, he said. With our existing conventional mineral stockpile steadily depleting, the oceans vast bed is the future of mineral harvesting.
The seabed accounts for nearly 49 percent of the earths surface and covers an area in excess of 250 million sq km.
Manganese plenty in ocean off Goa
Panaji, Feb 27 (IANS) Researchers with the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) claim to have discovered a large presence of manganese modules off Goas shore.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Science Fiesta organised by the Goa government Friday, Vineesh T.C., a senior researcher with the NIO, said India was preparing to harvest these minerals from the ocean.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has been kind enough to have licenced India to explore these polymetallic modules spread over an area of nearly 75,000 sq km in the sea, he said.
Based in Jamaica, the ISA is an autonomous international body established under a 1982 UN Convention to organise and control activities in the seabed area. The convention considers the international seabed as common property of all human beings.
Describing manganese modules as an example of the generation next of mineral resources, Vineesh said research was on globally to make harvesting these marine mineral resources a financially viable option.
These modules are polymetallic in nature. They have a component of copper and zinc, he said. With our existing conventional mineral stockpile steadily depleting, the oceans vast bed is the future of mineral harvesting.
The seabed accounts for nearly 49 percent of the earths surface and covers an area in excess of 250 million sq km.
nitesh
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The Hindu : National : Seabed array system prototype tested
Seabed array system prototype tested
S. Anandan
Kochi: Just when coastal India broods over measures to counter seaborne threats, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is in the process of developing an integrated costal defence system under its Project Nayan.
“The development of seabed array system, forming its pivot, is making steadfast progress and we have tested the prototype successfully,” a top source told The Hindu.
“The idea is to get alerted when objects traverse the waters. The echo emanating from various objects like fish, various types of ships, submarines and the like have been calibrated and identified for the purpose. Now that the prototype is ready, we need to test it as a system with multiple layers and at various depths,” said the source.
Water medium
The array would transmit the ricocheted signal to the top water medium, maybe a sonobuoy, which in turn would be transmitted to the shore-based command and control centre by way of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a satellite.
“Once the capability is unambiguously demonstrated, it will be installed initially at Karwar under Project Seabird. However, for the entire system to come into being, we require an exclusive ocean satellite. That, however, has not come so far,” said the source
Another project
In progress, however, is another ambitious programme that will augment the DRDO’s underwater detection capabilities. Oceanic waves are photographed, in multiple pixels, using a remote sensing satellite.
As in the seabed array system, various types of waves created by movement of different objects are standardised and using signal processing, the cause of a definite kind of wave is recognised.
Encouraging
“In its nascent stage, initial trials pertaining to wave-identification have been highly encouraging. At present, we are developing the method of signal processing but we need to demonstrate it at the system level and in real-time to call it a full-fledged programme,” the source said.
Seabed array system prototype tested
S. Anandan
Kochi: Just when coastal India broods over measures to counter seaborne threats, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is in the process of developing an integrated costal defence system under its Project Nayan.
“The development of seabed array system, forming its pivot, is making steadfast progress and we have tested the prototype successfully,” a top source told The Hindu.
“The idea is to get alerted when objects traverse the waters. The echo emanating from various objects like fish, various types of ships, submarines and the like have been calibrated and identified for the purpose. Now that the prototype is ready, we need to test it as a system with multiple layers and at various depths,” said the source.
Water medium
The array would transmit the ricocheted signal to the top water medium, maybe a sonobuoy, which in turn would be transmitted to the shore-based command and control centre by way of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a satellite.
“Once the capability is unambiguously demonstrated, it will be installed initially at Karwar under Project Seabird. However, for the entire system to come into being, we require an exclusive ocean satellite. That, however, has not come so far,” said the source
Another project
In progress, however, is another ambitious programme that will augment the DRDO’s underwater detection capabilities. Oceanic waves are photographed, in multiple pixels, using a remote sensing satellite.
As in the seabed array system, various types of waves created by movement of different objects are standardised and using signal processing, the cause of a definite kind of wave is recognised.
Encouraging
“In its nascent stage, initial trials pertaining to wave-identification have been highly encouraging. At present, we are developing the method of signal processing but we need to demonstrate it at the system level and in real-time to call it a full-fledged programme,” the source said.
heartwinlion
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ABG Shipyard launches interceptor boat for coast guard-Surat-Cities-The Times of India
SURAT: ABG Shipyard Ltd launched the high-speed interceptor boat for Indian Coast Guard (ICG) constructed in its Magdalla yard on Saturday.
12pt">Coast guard has awarded the company a contract for constructing 11 interceptor boats.
The launched interceptor boat has a speed of 45 nautical mile (around 85 km).
The boats will be used by ICG for intercepting suspected vessels and intruders as part of coastal security measures.
SURAT: ABG Shipyard Ltd launched the high-speed interceptor boat for Indian Coast Guard (ICG) constructed in its Magdalla yard on Saturday.
12pt">Coast guard has awarded the company a contract for constructing 11 interceptor boats.
The launched interceptor boat has a speed of 45 nautical mile (around 85 km).
The boats will be used by ICG for intercepting suspected vessels and intruders as part of coastal security measures.
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ARDE working on improvised version of Pinaka-Pune-Cities-The Times of India
ARDE working on improvised version of Pinaka
3 Mar 2009, 0251 hrs IST, TNN
PUNE: A precision guided munition, which is being developed by the city-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) for army battle tanks, will go for maiden field trials in December, said ARDE director A M Datar on Monday.
The ARDE is also working on an advanced version of the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system (MBRLS), which will have an improved trajectory for the missile, he added.
Datar was speaking at a joint press conference addressed by the directors of five premier defence research and development organisation (DRDO) laboratories, which are part of a cluster group for development of armament products for induction into armed forces.
The occasion was the centenary celebrations of the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), which coincided with the golden jubilee of the DRDO on Monday.
A two-day exhibition of the armament products developed by the five cluster labs was inaugurated on the occasion. Apart from HEMRL and ARDE, the other three labs are: Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), Centre for Fire, Explosives and Environment Safety (CFEES) and Terminial Ballistic Research Laboratory (TBRL).
Datar said, "The gun-fired guided munition can be fitted to battle tanks like T-72, T-90 and Arjun and will provide greater accuracy in terms of hitting the targets."
Referring to Pinaka, he said, the army was already in the processing of raising two regiments of the Pinaka MBRLS after the same was successfully tested and cleared for induction in the armed forces the process is now on. "We are now improvising on the Pinaka's trajectory and demonstrations for the same are scheduled for 2011," he added.
Earlier, HEMRL director A Subhananda Rao said developing cutting edge technology of low vulnerable and insensitive munitions for futuristic missions was one of the top priorities of the HEMRL.
"Nowadays, low intensity warfare or asymmetrical warfare has assumed significance in the wake of the proxy war or militant attacks. This has prompted a shift in focus to newer areas," Rao said.
Rao pointed out that the HEMRL's low-cost explosive detection kit, which is used for instant identification of explosives used in blast and also for suspicious chemicals seized, had drawn significant demand from the military, para-military and police forces. "We have now got express of interest even from a couple of European countries, who want to use the detection kit," he said. The kit was among the 10 fast-track technologies identified for transfer under the DRDO-FICCI programme, which focuses on technology transfer for 300 technologies developed by the DRDO labs, he said.
ARDE working on improvised version of Pinaka
3 Mar 2009, 0251 hrs IST, TNN
PUNE: A precision guided munition, which is being developed by the city-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) for army battle tanks, will go for maiden field trials in December, said ARDE director A M Datar on Monday.
The ARDE is also working on an advanced version of the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system (MBRLS), which will have an improved trajectory for the missile, he added.
Datar was speaking at a joint press conference addressed by the directors of five premier defence research and development organisation (DRDO) laboratories, which are part of a cluster group for development of armament products for induction into armed forces.
The occasion was the centenary celebrations of the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), which coincided with the golden jubilee of the DRDO on Monday.
A two-day exhibition of the armament products developed by the five cluster labs was inaugurated on the occasion. Apart from HEMRL and ARDE, the other three labs are: Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE), Centre for Fire, Explosives and Environment Safety (CFEES) and Terminial Ballistic Research Laboratory (TBRL).
Datar said, "The gun-fired guided munition can be fitted to battle tanks like T-72, T-90 and Arjun and will provide greater accuracy in terms of hitting the targets."
Referring to Pinaka, he said, the army was already in the processing of raising two regiments of the Pinaka MBRLS after the same was successfully tested and cleared for induction in the armed forces the process is now on. "We are now improvising on the Pinaka's trajectory and demonstrations for the same are scheduled for 2011," he added.
Earlier, HEMRL director A Subhananda Rao said developing cutting edge technology of low vulnerable and insensitive munitions for futuristic missions was one of the top priorities of the HEMRL.
"Nowadays, low intensity warfare or asymmetrical warfare has assumed significance in the wake of the proxy war or militant attacks. This has prompted a shift in focus to newer areas," Rao said.
Rao pointed out that the HEMRL's low-cost explosive detection kit, which is used for instant identification of explosives used in blast and also for suspicious chemicals seized, had drawn significant demand from the military, para-military and police forces. "We have now got express of interest even from a couple of European countries, who want to use the detection kit," he said. The kit was among the 10 fast-track technologies identified for transfer under the DRDO-FICCI programme, which focuses on technology transfer for 300 technologies developed by the DRDO labs, he said.
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Interesting, JLieu IIRC mentioned earlier that India was wiring its littorals to check submarine movements, just as Israel has done.
Synergy critical to tech-driven warfare: Vice-Chief of Army-Pune-Cities-The Times of India
Synergy critical to tech-driven warfare: Vice-Chief of Army
3 Mar 2009, 0317 hrs IST, TNN
PUNE: Vice chief of army Lt Gen Nobel Thamburaj has called for a "genuine, seamless kind of partnership" between the defence research labs, army,
industry and the academia, that transcends mere lip service. "Such synergy assumes significance in the changing era of technology-driven warfare where soldiers from rival armies do not see each other as is the case with the drones used for aerial attacks," he said.
Thamburaj was addressing the centenary celebrations of the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) here on Monday. The event also coincided with the golden jubilee celebrations of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Chief controller of research and development (CCR&D) A Shivathanu Pillai, who also heads the Indo-Russian joint venture Brahmos, presided over the function.
"It's a war of technologies out there," Thamburaj said, observing that the armed forces were never before so dependent on the DRDO as they are now. "The threat to our nation is changing rapidly and remains dynamic. First, it was the proxy war and now come the non-state actors, who belong to nobody but are ruthless groups armed with modern weapons and go for innocent people or soft targets," he said.
"We have now moved into the concept called the 4th generation warfare. Conventional equipment and armaments, ironically, cannot be used against the non-state actors, who are after soft targets," he said, adding, technologies that can ensure minimum collateral damage in action against such non-state actors, is critical in this context.
"The DRDO ought to look at itself as being at the centre of all technological advancements in the modern day warfare and must constantly interact with the army, academia and industry," he said. Thamburaj went on to identify trust, quality and indigenisation as the other key factors that should drive the collective effort aimed at covering gaps in warfare technology, execution and production of systems.
Earlier, Shivathanu Pillai referred to the shift in the DRDO's approach from indigenisation to total self-reliance, saying, "As of now, imported systems account of 70 per cent of the armament products that go to the armed forces and this is one thing we want to beat."
"We need the kind of programmes that ensures a decline in the dependence on imported systems from the 70 per cent to 50 per cent in the next five years and further to 30 per cent in 10 years," he added.
Pillai lauded the HEMRL for helping the country achieve self-reliance in strategic technologies like solid propellants for rockets and missiles and warhead explosive technologies.
Director of HEMRL A Subhananda Rao and his predecessors, K R K Rao and Hardwar Singh, were felicitated by Pillai to mark the centenary celebrations. The vice chief of army also inaugurated an exhibition of armament products development by a cluster of five DRDO laboratories.
Synergy critical to tech-driven warfare: Vice-Chief of Army
3 Mar 2009, 0317 hrs IST, TNN
PUNE: Vice chief of army Lt Gen Nobel Thamburaj has called for a "genuine, seamless kind of partnership" between the defence research labs, army,
industry and the academia, that transcends mere lip service. "Such synergy assumes significance in the changing era of technology-driven warfare where soldiers from rival armies do not see each other as is the case with the drones used for aerial attacks," he said.
Thamburaj was addressing the centenary celebrations of the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) here on Monday. The event also coincided with the golden jubilee celebrations of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Chief controller of research and development (CCR&D) A Shivathanu Pillai, who also heads the Indo-Russian joint venture Brahmos, presided over the function.
"It's a war of technologies out there," Thamburaj said, observing that the armed forces were never before so dependent on the DRDO as they are now. "The threat to our nation is changing rapidly and remains dynamic. First, it was the proxy war and now come the non-state actors, who belong to nobody but are ruthless groups armed with modern weapons and go for innocent people or soft targets," he said.
"We have now moved into the concept called the 4th generation warfare. Conventional equipment and armaments, ironically, cannot be used against the non-state actors, who are after soft targets," he said, adding, technologies that can ensure minimum collateral damage in action against such non-state actors, is critical in this context.
"The DRDO ought to look at itself as being at the centre of all technological advancements in the modern day warfare and must constantly interact with the army, academia and industry," he said. Thamburaj went on to identify trust, quality and indigenisation as the other key factors that should drive the collective effort aimed at covering gaps in warfare technology, execution and production of systems.
Earlier, Shivathanu Pillai referred to the shift in the DRDO's approach from indigenisation to total self-reliance, saying, "As of now, imported systems account of 70 per cent of the armament products that go to the armed forces and this is one thing we want to beat."
"We need the kind of programmes that ensures a decline in the dependence on imported systems from the 70 per cent to 50 per cent in the next five years and further to 30 per cent in 10 years," he added.
Pillai lauded the HEMRL for helping the country achieve self-reliance in strategic technologies like solid propellants for rockets and missiles and warhead explosive technologies.
Director of HEMRL A Subhananda Rao and his predecessors, K R K Rao and Hardwar Singh, were felicitated by Pillai to mark the centenary celebrations. The vice chief of army also inaugurated an exhibition of armament products development by a cluster of five DRDO laboratories.
