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Second P-8A Moves To Pax River Testing Site | AVIATION WEEK

Boeing has shifted the second P-8A to the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., to support the U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft’s development program, and the company also is finishing up work on the third and final flight test aircraft.

The second P-8A, designated T-2, is the first with the primary mission system. The aircraft, which first flew with the mission equipment installed on June 8, was shifted to Pax River on June 19.

Prior to that it already underwent system checkout during a mission operating alongside a U.S. Navy P-3 based at Whidbey Island, Wash., according to Chuck Dabundo, Boeing vice president in charge of the project.

Flight trials with T-3 are due to begin in the third quarter. The aircraft also will be used for mission system testing, but the key role will be weapons certification. The P-8A is to carry torpedoes and the Boeing-built Standoff Land Attack Missile – Expanded Response.

Dabundo says that the program remains “in good shape” to meet the late 2013 initial operational capability (IOC) target the Navy has set. Reaching IOC will involve six aircraft to be bought under the first low-rate initial production contract, as well as availability of aircraft T4-6, which will be used to train personnel (deliveries of those three aircraft are planned for the second, third and fourth quarter of next year).

Meanwhile, the Navy is finalizing plans for the increment 2 aircraft (also called spiral 1) for upgrades to the P-8A that would be introduced in 2016. The enhancements will center on expanding the acoustic capabilities of the submarine-hunting aircraft. Australia is involved in the dialogue as part of the country’s discussions to become the second export customer for the P-8, following India, which is buying eight P-8Is. Another upgrade, increment three (or Spiral 2), would follow in 2019.

Next month Boeing and India plan to conduct the final design review. First-aircraft construction would begin in the fourth quarter, with deliveries to India to start in 2012. The Indian aircraft features a few differences from the P-8A, including a magnetic anomaly detector, second sea-search radar to provide 360 deg. coverage (Boeing has selected, but not identified the supplier), and air-to-air search capabilities.
 
Can any anyone please tell me the IN submarine about project 75/project 75I & project 76?

Project 75 / Scorpene
Under the Project 75 program, the MoD approved construction of two types of new-generation submarines in 1997. And in 1999 negotiations for the Scorpene submarines began with Thomson-CSF, which later became Thales, and which by 2005 jointly owned Amaris with French shipyard DCN.

The Scorpene is a conventional submarine with classical diesel propulsion. It is 219 feet long and has a speed of over 20 knots for a displacement of 1,700 tonnes. With 31 men on board it can remain at sea for about 50 days and can dive to a depth of more than a thousand feet.

The Scorpene Submarine has been jointly developed by DCN of France and Navantia Spain and incorporates the very latest Naval technology. At the heart of the submarine is the SUBTICS integrated combat system, a highly computerised central management system, which oversees all of the submarine’s sensors and its seapons. Each Scorpene will have a total complement of just 31.

Submarines are, in fact, the ultimate stealth weapons. Despite advances in sonar technology over the decades, detecting, tracking and targeting submarines remains extremely difficult, particularly in the Indian Ocean where the salinity of the seas and the presence of thermal zones of variable water temperature, make submarine detection extremely difficult. Submarines like the Scorpene make this game of detection and counter-detection even tougher. Designed to be extremely silent, the Scorpene can loiter under water for days, scouring the seas through long-range passive sonar signals, which detect the presence of other submarines and warships in the vicinity.

Designated as Project-75 Scorpene, it will see the latest in French conventional submarine building technology being turned into reality by the expert and experienced technocrats of MDL. The project will be managed by ARMARIS, the prime contractor from the French side and executed in India by MDL. Transfer of Technology will involve training MDL engineers and technicians in France as well as training in Indian Navy personnel in operating and maintaining these sophisticated submarines. The Scorpene represents the state of the art craftsmanship in conventional submarine design and construction. Its combat management system and low acoustic signature give it an edge over contemporary submarines.

The Scorpene construction put the challenge of absorbing yet another different technology and East Yard rose to the occasion and accepted it with determination. Already the efforts have started bearing fruit and East Yard is well advanced in its path of constructing a trial section as required by the French technology supplier DCN. With new technology comes new tasks and East Yard has adequately geared itself up to accomplish them within the constraints of an exacting schedule, by upgrading the welding stations and other machinery in a time bound manner.

In November 2002 the Government approved a long term perspective plan for indigenous construction of submarines and acquisition of national competence in submarine building. Project 75 is part of this plan. Mazagon Docks Limited, Mumbai was identified as the yard to ultimately construct French designed Scorpene Submarines on successful completion of negotiations with the French Company. However, no final decision on the proposal had been taken.

In April 2003 French Defence Minister Michele Alliot Marie Monday pledged stronger military ties with India at the end of talks with Indian leaders focussed on the supply of submarines and fighter jets. The possible sale to India of six French designed Scorpene submarines as well as Mirage fighter planes came up in the talks. If the deal had been signed in 2003, the first Indian built Scorpene would have been ready in 2010 and the sixth in 2016. However India was pressing Paris to stop the sales of French weapons to Pakistan before clinching the Scorpene deal.

France’s naval construction company DCN was to sign a contract in September 2005 to supply India with six Scorpene type submarines. Defence electronics group Thales, prime contractor for the system, had signed an agreement with the Bombay-based naval shipyard Mazagon Dock for a transfer of technology so that the subs could be built there. The contract, estimated to cost $3.5 billion, was signed at the Defence Ministry by representatives of the Indian and French governments.

The Indian Ministry of Defence, under pressure from the Indian Navy and facing an ultimatum from the French government, agreed to buy the six Scorpene submarines for $4.6 billion — $1.4 billion more than the price tag negotiated in 2002. The increased cost was blamed on the prolonged negotiations that invalidated the $3.2 billion price tag agreed in 2002.

In September 2005 President Jacques Chirac confirmed an order from India for six Franco-Spanish Scorpene submarines as he received visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Elysee palace. The Scorpene order is valued at 2.4 bln eur. The deal had been in the works for several years. The Scorpene submarines are built by France's DCN shipyards and Spain's Izar.

It will add to fleet strength which was projected to rise to 24 from the current 16.



Program Schedule
DCNS, the French firm that developed the Scorpene, assured the Indian Navy in early 2008 that issues surrounding technology transfer had been taken care of and the first of the six Scorpene submarines would roll out by 2012. The remaining five were scheduled to follow at a rate of one per year. But by May 2008 the Rs 18,798-crore Scorpene submarine project had run into rough weather due to delay in technology transfer. The navy may not be able to induct the first submarine by the 2012 deadline, with the French yet to part with crucial details of technological know-how, including design and drawing documentation. A senior navy official confirmed to HT that the project had been delayed by a year due to “teething problems”.

Complexity of the construction can be judged from the fact that the first submarine of the series will be delivered in year 2012 and the rest in the following five years one annually. By late 2007 there had been slippages in the gigantic Rs 18,798 crore project to construct six Scorpene submarines at MDL, slated for delivery between 2012 and 2017.

On 26 March 2009 French naval defence system contractor DCNS said there had been initial “teething trouble” in the transfer of technology for the Indian Navy’s Scorpene submarine project but they had been resolved. Three of the six Scorpene submarines are being built at the Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) as part of the Indian Navy’s P75 project. By one estimate the project is worth Rs 13,000 crore and all the submarines would be delivered by 2017 end, Patrick Boissier, Chairman and CEO of DCNS Group said.
 
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The Hindu : States / Andhra Pradesh : Two more Water Jet Propelled Fast Attack Craft to join Navy

Governor to commission INS Cankarso and INS Kondul

Two Water Jet Propelled Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) of the Navy – INS Cankarso and INS Kondul – will be commissioned here on Tuesday by Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan.

According to a spokesman of the Eastern Naval Command here, Yard 2061 (Cankarso) and Yard 2062 (Kondul) were formally handed over to the Navy in May 2010 by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata. The ships are the fifth and sixth of the Car Nicobar class Fast Attack Craft.

Seen as ideal replacements for the erstwhile Seaward Defence Boats (SDBs), these ships bear testimony to the Navy's commitment to indigenisation. Conceived, designed and built indigenously at the GRSE, these small yet highly manoeuvrable craft are ideally suited for their intended deployment along the coast.

Maritime security

A large number of initiatives were launched in the recent past to enhance maritime security, including coastal and offshore defence, the spokesman said. These include augmenting the existing numbers and the technology of the patrol craft.

The safe operability of the new WJFACs in shallow waters and at high speeds, and their day-night surveillance capability, coupled with enhanced fire power, is expected to give a tremendous boost to combating asymmetric threats emanating from the sea and further enhance the coastal security.

Named after the pristine island located in the Nicobar group, INS Kondul is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Shashidhar R. Patil. INS Cankarso, named after an island off Goa, has Lieutenant Commander Arun Bahuguna at the helm.

The ships, measuring close to 50 metres in length and displacing 325 tonnes, can achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots. They have a complement of four officers and 45 sailors.

To be based at Goa

Built for extended coastal and offshore surveillance and patrol, with advanced MTU engines and latest communication sets, they will be based at Goa and operate under the Flag Officer Goa Area towards further augmenting the surveillance along the West Coast.
 
Indian Navy to Buy Advanced Trainers
India Defence Online, New Delhi – The Indian Navy is once again restructuring its plans of acquiring 17 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs) of BAE systems which will be manufactured under licence by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

According to the Indian Navy, the acquisition of Hawk AJTs is crucial to boost the capabilities of its fighter pilots and training them in an advanced multi-role fighter like the Hawk AJT is imperative. The Hawk AJT consists of a state-of-the-art avionics suite and navigation/attack system, a modern glass cockpit and HOTAS (Hands on Throttle and Stick) controls.

The navigation and attack system comprises of many sub-systems inter-connected through a digital multiplex data bus. It provides the flight, navigation and weapon aiming information displayed on the head-up-display and the head-down multi-functional display.


Indian Navy to Buy Advanced Trainers | India Defence Online

:cheers: :yahoo:
 
Indian Navy inducts two new warships


The Indian Navy Tuesday inducted two indigenously built fast attack craft, INS Cankarso and INS Kondul, into its fleet in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam.

Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan commissioned the ships at a function at the naval base here that was also attended by Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anup Singh.

Fitted with a 30-mm CRN-91 gun and Igla missiles and light and heavy machine guns, the warships will be tasked to detect, locate and destroy small but fast-moving enemy surface craft engaged in covert operations.

'The ships will be tasked in anti-smuggling and fisheries protection operations also. In the long run, these ships can help in ensuring stability in India's maritime zones of responsibility,' a navy spokesman said.

INS Cankarso and INS Kondul use water jet propulsion technology, which has gained acceptance as the leading means of propulsion for all types of high-speed marine vessels. The ships, built by the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, can achieve speed of over 35 knots.

'These features are an improvement over the previous fast attack craft ships,' the spokesman said.

The navy is planning to soon induct eight similar vessels of the the Car Nicobar Class V and VI series in its fleet.
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Navy to buy submarine mine laying equipment

The Navy is planning to buy Submarine Mine Laying Equipment (SMILE) to augment existing capabilities of its conventional fleet.

It has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to vendors and manufacturers seeking details in this regard, a Navy officer said in New Delhi on Sunday.

The Navy at present has a fleet of 16 conventional submarines, but is in the process of adding a few more when the Scorpene submarines currently being built by Mazgaon Docks are ready for induction and a follow-on project of the type is ordered.

The SMILE, according to the RFI, should be capable of laying 24 ground mines and withstand maximum underwater speeds of the submarine. The basic design of the SMILE should comprise components and sub-systems such as two independent magazines capable of housing at least 12 mines each.

Navy to buy submarine mine laying equipment-Politics/Nation-News-The Economic Times
 
Top Indian Naval officer dies in accidental firing
Updated at: 1225 PST, Wednesday, July 07, 2010

NEW DELHI: The third senior most officer of the Indian Navy was killed in an accidental firing during a training session at its southern Naval base in Kochi on Wednesday.

The Navy has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the accidental death of Rear Admiral SS Jamwal, who was the Chief-of-Staff of the Southern Naval Command in Kochi.

As per reports, SS Jamwal was shot dead in an accidental firing when the officers of the Southern Naval command were being trained in the firing range of INS Dronacharya in Kochi.

The tragic incident has come as a major shock for the Naval forces and a CoI probe is likely to throw light on the sequence of events leading to the death of Rear Admiral Jamwal.

Top Indian Naval officer dies in accidental firing
 
Top Indian Naval officer dies in accidental firing
Updated at: 1225 PST, Wednesday, July 07, 2010

NEW DELHI: The third senior most officer of the Indian Navy was killed in an accidental firing during a training session at its southern Naval base in Kochi on Wednesday.

The Navy has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the accidental death of Rear Admiral SS Jamwal, who was the Chief-of-Staff of the Southern Naval Command in Kochi.

As per reports, SS Jamwal was shot dead in an accidental firing when the officers of the Southern Naval command were being trained in the firing range of INS Dronacharya in Kochi.

The tragic incident has come as a major shock for the Naval forces and a CoI probe is likely to throw light on the sequence of events leading to the death of Rear Admiral Jamwal.

Top Indian Naval officer dies in accidental firing

Mystery shrouds top naval officer's death

Mystery shrouds the death of a top official of the Southern Naval Command S S Jamwal, who died on Wednesday after a bullet pierced his skull, with the police suspecting suicide but the navy describing it as a case of "accidental firing" 51-year-old Rear Admiral Jamwal, Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command, the second ranked naval officer here, was at the training establishment's small arms firing range of 'INS Dronacharya' when the accidental firing occurred around 1030 Hours, naval spokespersons said.

The Navy has ordered an investigation into his death but it was tightlipped about how the accident occurred.

A case of 'unnatural death' has been registered and top police sources said on condition of anonymity that it appeared to be a case of suicide. Family problems could be behind it, they said.

The body of Admiral Jamwal, a highly accomplished officer, was shifted to a hospital and further probe is in progress.

However, the local naval establishment dismissed reports of suicide as speculative.

"If the Chief of Staff wants to commit suicide he need not not go to the firing range. He was accompanied by his entire staff including the staff of Dronacharya. It was an official, planned visit to a firing range to check the progress of training.

"He was accompanied by his full staff including the Executive Officer of Dronacharya, the firing officer, head of the range, everyone prresent," Commodore Ajayakumar told reporters.

Commodore Kumar, Commanding Officer of 'INS Venduruthy' and naval officer in charge of Kerala, said that Jamwal died as a 9 mm pistol he was inspecting accidentally went off.

Jamwal was at 'INS Dronacharya' on an official visit to monitor training of the second batch of 'Sagar Prahatri Bal', the new force being raised by the navy for coastal security in which 24 cadets were undergoing training. The training had commenced on Monday and today was the day for firing practice, he said.

The Rear Admiral, Commodore Kumar said, had said he himself would do some firing practice and first used the Insas and later the 9 mm pistol. Unfortunately the pistol misfired twice.

While he was inspecting it from close range to ascertain the cause of the misfiring, it suddenly went off, he said.

"The muzzle was pointing towards his head and during that time the gun went off accidentally," Commodore Kumar said.

Though he was rushed to the hospital, he was declared brought dead. Jamwal, who hailed from Jammu, leaves his wife, son and a daughter.

Commodore Kumar said a board of inquiry has been ordered to go into the incident to find out the reasons and it would file a report in 10 days.

Ruling out suicide, he said Admiral Jamwal was a very happy man. "I had never seen in despair. There were a lot of trainees there and his staff officer was accompanying him," he said.

Rear Admiral Jamwal was commissioned in the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer on July 1, 1980, and had specialised in anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

He was an alumnus of Lawrence School at Sanawar, National Defence Academy (NDA), Grechko Naval War College in the then USSR, Defence Services Staff College at Wellington and Army War College at Mhow.

His appointments included tenures on Indian naval ships -- Taragiri, Atul, Rajput, Ranvijay and Command of Ships Vibhuti and Kuthar, Commissioning Executive Officer of Guided Missile Destroyer INS Delhi and Commissioning Commanding Officer of Guided Missile Frigate INS Beas.

His staff appointments at Naval headquarters included Joint Director of Staff Requirement and Director Naval Operations.

During his training assignments, he was the Executive Officer at Naval Academy in Goa and Instructor at ASW School, Kochi. He has also been the Aide-de-Camp to the President of India between 1983 and 1985.

On promotion to Flag Rank on September 1 last year, he took over as Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command, which also handles all training activities of the Navy.

Prior to this, he was a Naval Attache at the Indian Embassy at Moscow, Russia.
 
Vikramaditya Combat Management System (VCMS)

I was reading about AEGIS combat weapon system of US navy for last 2 days , when I came across its Russian Equivalent .
Thought of Sharing it with you , if posted before plz ignore it .

03.10.2009&


Above is the layout of The 'Lesorub-E' CMS (E stands for Export variant ) combat management system onboard Vikramaditya carrier .
Export variant will only differ from original one in 2 aspects
-All the Russian processors will be replaced by COTS
-All the software,inputs,outputs will be in English language interface instead of Russian

Lesorub-E' CMS was installed on the Indian 'Vikramaditya' carrier (former 'Admiral Gorshkov') in Oct2009 and has gone initial stage of trials successfully .
According to the developer, NPO 'Mars', the system is designed for combat control of a ship and a task force on basis of the weapon integration into one complex and for the automation of decision making concerning force and armament engagement.

Management system Layout will have
CMS Central post
Combat Information center
Pilot house
Flag CP
Main CP
Aircraft Control Post
Alternate CP
Backup Air-Craft control

Tech characteristics and technologies:

1) X-band wireless radio channel 0.95 Mbit/s;
2) Intel processors' based disposed computing system;
3) Local net - Ethernet 10/100/1000, RS-485;
4) Weapon integration standards Ethernet, MIL STD-1553B, RS-232, RS-422, RS-485;
5) Fusing of 4 information channels (radar, TV, map, targets) on each terminal;
6) L-band Data-Link Terminal
7) Recording of all system information in real time.

VCMS will control following weapons system
CIWS gattling gun , anti-torpedo CIWS
Torpedo tubes
6 x kashtan complex ADS
4 x barak2 complex ADS

A tactical sea-battle picture will be created using data from Ship's onboard Primary and secondary sensors fused with inputs from battle group's other ships/frigates and airborne AEW/ASW aircrafts .
Whole carrier battle field will be linked by Link II (two) datalink system plus IFF interrogator and transponder units, all made by Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL).
Similar Link2 terminal equips Boeing-P8 + Sea-king + Dhruv + Ka31/28 rotors , also Shivalik class frigates + Kolkata class destroyers .

Link II is a communication system that, using HF, VHF and UHF radios, is designed to connect IN warships, submarines, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and shore establishments, enabling them to exchange messages and tactical data ‘in a speedy, reliable and secure manner’. So far, three Link II implementations have been developed: a Situational Awareness Data Link (SADL) for warships plus installations for the Kamov KA31 AEW helicopter and the AgustaWestland Sea King Mk 42B ASW/ASuW aircraft.

As part of its tactical data comms function, Link II generates the tactical picture using data from sensors including radar, sonar and EW equipment. Air, surface, subsurface and ‘special’ tracks can be exchanged between different datalink platforms, says BEL, while air raid warnings and radar/radio silence orders can be distributed through the system. In addition to all the track information, other types of data available over the link include ESM intercept bearings, aircraft status, over-the-horizon-targeting (OTHT) messages and orders.
It also carries out wide area network (WAN) functions including modifications of address lists and network numbers, is capable of multi-circuit operation from a single platform and handles forward error correction, interfacing with modems, ‘tactical devices’ satellite communications, telephone lines and even ‘Sanchar’ the radio telegram service run by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. It also does LAN and tactical data channel management.
Because its message formats are different, Link II is not compatible with NATO datalink systems such as Link 11 (eleven), Link 22 and Link 16, but a BEL engineer told RotorHUB that it could be made compatible through gateways if a customer wanted it that way.
 
Six New-Generation Submarines for Indian Navy Worth Over Rs 50,000 crore

If you thought the Rs 42,000 crore project to procure 126 multi-role fighters for the IAF was the "mother of all defence deals", think again. The stage is now being set for an even bigger project—this one worth over Rs 50,000 crore for six new-generation submarines for the Indian Navy.

The Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC), chaired by defence minister A K Antony, has finally decided that three of the six submarines will be constructed at Mazagon Docks (MDL) in Mumbai and one at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) in Visakhapatnam, with the help of a foreign collaborator.

"The other two submarines will either be imported from the foreign vendor directly or constructed at a private shipyard in India. Fresh estimates show each of these six diesel-electric submarines will cost almost Rs 8,500 crore," a source said.

Under the programme—called Project-75 India (P-75I)—apart from stealth, land-attack capability and the ability to incorporate futuristic technologies, all the six new submarines will be equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems to boost their operational capabilities.

Conventional diesel-electric submarines have to surface every few days to get oxygen to recharge their batteries. With AIP systems, they can stay submerged for much longer periods, narrowing the gap with nuclear-powered submarines which can operate underwater for virtually unlimited periods.

The selection of the foreign collaborator for P-75I will, of course, take time because a RFP (request for proposal) will first have to be issued to submarine manufacturers like Rosoboronexport (Russian), DCNS/Armaris (French), HDW (German) and Navantia (Spain). Shortlisting and detailed technical and commercial negotiations will follow, before the actual contract can be inked.

Navy has reasons to be worried. By 2015 or so, it will be left with just half of its present fleet of 15 ageing diesel-electric submarines—10 Russian Kilo-class, four German HDW and one Foxtrot. Moreover, it has been hit hard by the almost three-year delay in the ongoing Project-75 for six French Scorpene submarines at MDL, under which the vessels were to roll out one per year from 2012 onwards, with price escalation pushing the total cost beyond Rs 20,000 crore, as was first reported by TOI.

For P-75I, the second line of submarines, the navy was keen on a private domestic shipyard to tie-up with the foreign vendor since it felt MDL was already "overloaded" with orders and quick delivery schedules were "critical".

But the DAC has decided otherwise, holding that the infrastructure and capabilities acquired by MDL in the Scorpene project could not be allowed to go waste. "Let’s hope thing go smoothly now, and instead of 10 years, the navy gets its first submarine under P-75I in six to seven years," an official said.

Submarines can be game-changers in any conflict. And if they are armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, they provide the most effective strategic deterrent available around the world at this point of time. The US and Russia, after strategic arms reduction pacts, in fact, plan to retain over 60% of their nuclear weapons in the shape of SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) fitted on nuclear-powered submarines called "boomers", or SSBNs.

Though India does not have nuclear submarines and SLBM capabilities at present to complete its "nuclear triad", it hopes to move forward by inducting the Akula-II class attack submarine K-152 Nerpa on a 10-year lease from Russia in October this year, and then the first indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant by early-2012.

Pakistan, incidentally, already has its first Mesma AIP-equipped submarine, PNS Hamza, the third of the French Agosta-90B submarines it has inducted since 1999. It is now looking to induct three advanced Type-214 German submarines with AIP. China, in turn, has 62 submarines, with 10 of them being nuclear-propelled.

original article: ASIAN DEFENCE: Six New-Generation Submarines for Indian Navy Worth Over Rs 50,000 crore
 
Indian Navy Formally Floats AUV Requirement, Wants A Fully Indian Machine


AUV%2520UW%2520Shot-744004.jpg

In a long and commendable tradition of supporting indigenous design and development, the Indian Navy has invited interest from Indian industry -- both state owned and private -- to meet a requirement for at least 10 autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that can be developed and begin production within four years of award of contract. In a refreshing break, the Navy has chosen to exercise the "Make" procedure of India's Defence Procurement Procedure 2008 (DPP-2008), a special category that can be invoked by the armed forces for "high technology complex systems designed, developed and produced indigenously".

The Navy wants AUVs that can carry "variable payloads like high definition sonars and underwater cameras for surveillance reconnaissance activities of the sea bed (such as MCM operations, Oceanographic survey and specialised mapping etc)." The Navy also stipulates, in a broad list of requirements, that contending AUV concepts should involve platforms with (a) data recording facilities for subsequent analysis, (b) be capable of providing realistic target training for sonar operators, (c) be capable of being launched from small vessels with a maximum weight of 1.5 tons and (d) be able to operate at depth upto 500 mtrs for a duration of 7-8 hours.

The Navy has asked for an initial expression of interest by July 15, though this date is most likely to be extended. Several IIT incubation projects, which displayed amateur AUVs at the recent DefExpo are likely to show interest, or at least look toward technical tie-ups with larger firms. In early 2008, the DRDO -- currently developing an AUV at its Naval Science & Tech Laboratory in Visakhapatnam -- inaugurated an AUV Centre in the city. The indigenous programme is headed by a naval officer, Commodore N Banerjee.
 

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