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Indian UAV/UCAV Thread

Report: UAVs for Counter-Insurgency - Global Market & Technologies Outlook 2010 - 2015

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8ak - Indian Defence News

01 Jun 2010 8ak: Market Intelligence Group (US) has released a report on UAV technology, operational capabilities and global market outlook. Manu Sood, Editor, 8ak interviewed Ed Herlik, Partner, MIG about the report which can be purchased on 8ak here.

8ak: What is the report about?

Herlik: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) technology is improving rapidly in terms of platform and payload. How to integrate the improved capabilities with military doctrine is a challenge that needs to be understood both by sellers and the buyers (government & military) around the world. UAVs are an indispensable tactical as well as strategic tool, gathering and distributing multiple forms of data, linking communications and enabling other capabilities such as special operations.

This report is part of a series of three reports. Border Security was released earlier in the year and another on Commercial Applications is due to be released soon. The reports are not only about where the technology is going, but also where the investments are going. Looking at Predator type UAV videos, the general perception is that these types of UAVs are the most desirable but our reports point out the market for these will grow only slightly and will pale in comparison to the growth in other types of UAVs.

Predators/Heron class UAVs will be quite useful for nations like India that are just now developing UAVs. More developed markets are moving on to commercially useful extreme persistence and micro UAVs.

8ak: Why is it relevant to India, given that each country would face a different form of insurgency?


Herlik: India is concerned about the integrity of its international borders, attacks from insurgents and security of remote islands. All of these issues are addressed in the reports. Border security is the focus of the first report while insurgencies (to include island bases) are covered in UAVs for Counter-Insurgency.

The US army’s first priority is to establish radio communication before they even think of camera-based surveillance. This challenge is the same for India when they send small units in to jungles and the report covers how UAVs can be used to establish radio communications.

It is very easy for insurgents to take forest cover and hardest for the forces to find them. However, there are not many people in the jungles and UAVs can look for signs of life, tracks and patterns that can make finding them much easier and importantly also creating the fear amongst the insurgents that they cannot take forest cover for granted. One can also track and detect very short range radios communications. Drug smugglers in the US use throw away radios because they have only a 6km range without realising that this in not linear, rather the signal is in the form of a bubble. So a UAV could effectively pick up these radio communications and track, trace or block them.

The report also gives an example on the straits around Indonesia. Here the Coast Guard can launch small recoverable-UAVs from a patrol boat that could monitor an island. The boat can continue its course and the UAV is fast enough to catch up after the mission to be refuelled for the next island.

8ak: Who should buy this report in India?

Herlik: The report is applicable to buyers, sellers and new entrants for this technology. In case the buyer is the government or military, it would help them understand where the technology is going, applications they may not have considered and a detailed Operating Concept showing the best way to integrate UAVs with existing forces. So when they are speaking with sellers they can ensure desirable capabilities are not left out, are better able to compare between various platforms/sellers and can use the analysis for proof that an independent expert verifies the value of their product.

For sellers who think they fully understand the technology, can still use the graphic diagrams and charts to show the buyers an independent third party confirmation about applications and capabilities.

8ak: What are MiG’s capabilities in terms of reports/intelligence especially in an India context?


Herlik: MiG uses analysts who are respected in their fields. For example, I am responsible for this report and for discussing it with customers. I have over 5,500 hours flying fighter jets, have 2 patents and another two pending applications for UAV related patents. Besides the lead analyst, MiG has a staff of graphics and production experts who ensure that our quality standards are met.

On UAVs, we analysed 9 UAV market reports expecting that the forecasts would be parallel, but the divergence was huge and only two of them got it right for 2010. Given that market forecasts are so variable, MiG reports focuses approximately 50% on the technology and operating concepts and then only 50% about market forecasts. This we believe will give the best insights and value to the readers.

In addition, updates to the reports are free. So if a major new buy or disruptive technology comes out, we will send updates to the customer for no charge.

8ak note: 8ak is authorised to sell the MiG report on Counter Insurgency and also the one on Border Security. To speak to Ed Herlik or Manu Sood, please ring + 91 99110 22056, email advisory (a_t) 8ak.in or buy the report on 8ak here.
 
BY: VINAYAK SHETTY FOR MY TAKE / IDRW.ORG

History of Unmanned combat air vehicles can be traced back to 1960’s when US developed unmanned Helicopters which were capable of launching Torpedoes were deployed in US Naval Destroyers, since then lot of new technological changes and development of Nano technology
with small amount of success in Artificial intelligent have forced many in Aviation circle to think head of time, in fact F-35 fighter aircraft is already called has “Last Manned Fighter Aircraft” to be inducted in US Forces.

Recently development of unmanned combat air vehicle based on Tejas combat aircraft has been a buzz in Indian media circle, DRDO wants to work on this concept 10 years down the line when R&D of Tejas MK-II is finished and it hits production. While the concept seems to be a really new and challenging but Defence forces around the world are not moving in that direction, Technology is not new and in past many fighter jets mostly for testing purpose have been flown remotely. But mostly these manned fighters where never turned into unmanned fighter aircrafts in large numbers due to limitations which Aircraft designers have already put into the airframe while developing them keep humans in mind.

Countries like United States, Israel and many in Europe and Asia are developing Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) based on Stealthier Airframe design and with high level of Artificial intelligence in them. Where these Combat air vehicles will be able to stay in air for longer time and complete their missions autonomously with little Human inputs. Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) will have better weapons payload, better range and better maneuverability since Human physical limits will not be a factor in aircrafts airframe design.

DRDO lately started development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) which will be used for Reconnaissance, Target accusations and for spying activity which mostly will be remotely piloted Drones, but if DRDO wants to work on Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) 10 years down the line then they better shift their focus on new concept and design and work to develop a new Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) completely from start and not be based on an existing manned fighter. R&D can be based on a Tejas platform but it cannot be considered as a UCAV platform itself. Russian Mig Corporation has been working on Mig-skat concept of their Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) and china has already materialized some concepts of their UCAV which have been displayed in recently held Air shows in china.

DRDO and Indian Air force might have not Abandoned manned fighter aircrafts yet and are still going on and developing Manned 5th Generation fighter aircraft called AMCA but Indian air force can ill afford to ignore UCAV platforms for long time and small development on this concept should also initiated in India.
 
LiveFist - The Best of Indian Defence: EXCLUSIVE: Rustom MALE UAV Programme Up For Cabinet Approval


India's Rustom medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV will be a Rs 1,500-crore project and has now reached the government's apex Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for final financial approval. The technology demonstrator part of the project, which ended with an unfortunate first flight crash last November, cost the project Rs 49-crore, and included a scaled down demonstrator vehicle (Rustom-1), which had an endurance of just 4 hours. The next two prototypes, designated Rustom-H, will be able to cruise at 35,000-feet with an endurance of 24-hours. Both new prototypes are currently under fabrication and the first of them is scheduled for a test-flight by the end of this year. The Rustom-H will look exactly like the vehicle that was put on display at AeroIndia 2009 (see photo).
 
Congratulations to India. The name, Rustom, is quiet interesting though, it is very Iranian and in fact the name is found largely amongst our fellow Iranian Zoroastrian community.
 
well its good for india

but is their any UAV in development that can carry weapons ????
 
When half of the works are done the project is yet to get cabinet approval? Bureaucracy at its best. But who cares if the project is on track but the first prototypes crashed in November, 2009. I heard they developed different prototypes for Rustom MALE project.

Congratulations to India. The name, Rustom, is quiet interesting though, it is very Iranian and in fact the name is found largely amongst our fellow Iranian Zoroastrian community.

Rustom named after one of the prominent aerospace scientist from DRDO. :cheers:
 
Congratulations to India. The name, Rustom, is quiet interesting though, it is very Iranian and in fact the name is found largely amongst our fellow Iranian Zoroastrian community.

The Rustom has been named after Rustom Damania, a former professor of IISc, Bangalore . In light of his contributions to India's aerospace research.

And yes he was Zoroastrian i.e parsi but an Indian first and foremost
 
Indian aerospace scientists have developed an in-flight collision avert system that prevents unmanned aerial vehicles from crashing into enemy aircraft or other objects.

The model predictive static programming algorithm protection system, developed at the Indian Institute of Science, uses a series of installed collision guidance algorithms as instructions that allow the UAVs to detect objects, especially if they are flying low.

This includes tall buildings, towers and other aircraft, including commercial passenger planes.

The MPSP Algorithm can also be used in medium- and long-range missiles to ensure they don't crash into objects such as anti-missile missiles as they approach their own target. MPSP can redirect the missiles back on course to their target without loss of accuracy.

The developer, Radhakant Padhi, 37, said he has been working on algorithms for aerospace for more than a decade and perfected the algorithm technology during his project related to advanced missile technology at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

In 2005, Padhi developed an advanced version of the algorithm, called the MPSP algorithm, while working on one of India's missile guidance systems.

Padhi also said he received $80,000 of funding from Air Force Research Lab in the United States to further develop the MPSP Algorithm.

AFRL, operated by the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command, controls the Air Force science and technology research budget. The laboratory was formed in 1997 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. It was a consolidation of the four Air Force laboratory facilities of Wright, Phillips, Rome, and Armstrong as well as the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

It has worked with NASA, Department of Energy National Laboratories, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and other research organizations within the U.S. Department of Defense. Projects include the X-37, X-40, X-53, HTV-3X, YAL-1A, Advanced Tactical Laser and the Tactical Satellite Program.



India working on UAV anti-collision system
 
INDIA TODAY AND HEADLINE TODAY's NEWS


June 10, 2010:India may soon get its own unmanned combat aerial vehicle, specifically aimed at neutralising threats from Pakistan, China and terror groups. The top secret unmanned aircraft project is currently in progress in a Bangalore laboratory.

Headlines Today has learnt that the drone, called Aura, is being designed to deliver weapons with precision and without prejudice as the American Predators have been raining red hell on militant and terrorist strongholds in Pakistan.

The Indian government has been working on this secret programme to build an aircraft quite like Predator. The Indian Predator is being developed under a secret project codenamed AURA, an acronym for Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft.

The aircraft itself goes by a working title that leaves nothing to the imagination. Classified secret, Aura has remained completely unknown and invisible until now.

Headlines Today has learnt that when ready in a few years the aircraft will be built with stealth characteristics. It will cruise at medium altitude and will be capable of carrying two or more guided strike weapons with on-board sensors for targeting and weapon guidance.

Pakistan has been pushing for multi-utility drones from the US in exchange of taking on the al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The US is poised to supply state-of-the-art arms, laser-guided bomb kits, helicopter gunships, more F-16 fighters and even spy drones to Islamabad. The Chinese threat too looms large.

Sources said the classified AURA programme looks forward to a first flight in the next three-four years with weapons trials shortly thereafter. In the coming decade, India stands to get its own Predator, developed from scratch, fine-tuned and built completely in the country.


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India developing unmanned combat aerial vehicle: India Today - Latest Breaking News from India, World, Business, Cricket, Sports, Bollywood. CLICK ON THIS LINK






FOR VIDEO CLICK ON THIS LINK: Ground Zero, India developing combat drone Aura: Headlines Today
 
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Good development but instead of Predator type we must go for French Neuron concept type UCAV which is more mean, stealthy and has longer range.

Neuron

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Good development but instead of Predator type we must go for French Neuron concept type UCAV which is more mean, stealthy and has longer range.

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how about not hitting the coconut tree this time. neuron is too out of your league.
 
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