India's indigenous UCAV ‘Aura’ taking shape in DRDO labs

[angeldemon_007]

Right now they both are competing for UK-French joint project. But anyone who will fail will opt for other markets, EADS has already stated this.

I am not on any side, whichever wants to be on our side we should join them. It would help us to gain more knowledge in the field of stealth UAV with the capability of bombing.

 

[sancho]

Right now they both are competing for UK-French joint project. But anyone who will fail will opt for other markets, EADS has already stated this.

I am not on any side, whichever wants to be on our side we should join them. It would help us to gain more knowledge in the field of stealth UAV with the capability of bombing.

IC, I think the Talarion would give us more benefits in regard to AURA UCAV, by the fact that it also used jet engines. Also interesting for us could be this development:

EADS Barracuda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[angeldemon_007]

I don't know whether the talarion is capable of delivering weapons like US predator as it is just a concept while Mantis is much more developed and Mantis can carry weapons.

Although in talarion we could be partner right from the beginning and hence we could learn more.

According to me both the designs are cool and since Talarion is in the beginning stages we could make as many changes that we would like according to our needs.

EADS made this comment because i think they could sense that they would lose the competition.

Recently India issued RFI US predator type drones to all the global giants like EADS, BAE, Dassault, Boeing, General Atomic, Russian and Israeli firms.

But nobody replied except EADS but it said they could participate in JV but they are not eligible for this tender because their product is just in the initial stages of development.

While Dassault assured any kind of help in India's AURA project but didn't talked about Neuron

 

[angeldemon_007]

I think barracuda comes under the category of AURA and right now we are looking for something in the line of US predator and not X-47 Pegasus

Three groups to fight for Anglo-French UCAV contract
SOURCE : Dailytelegraph Three aerospace groups are competing to design and build the next generation of unmanned military attack aircraft for a £600 million ($952 million) proposal launched jointly by Britain and France.The groups involved in the bid were BAE Systems partnered with France’s Dassault Systems, a joint bid by Cobham and General Atomics and, thirdly, Airbus- owner EADS, which held partnership discussions with the missiles group MBDA and France’s Thales. The UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) must be able to perform civilian duties, such as coastal surveillance or providing security and intelligence, as well as having offensive capability, the UK government said. Dassault/BAE is likely to propose BAE ’s Mantis UAV, while EADS will put forward its Talarion drone and Cobham/ General Atomics will enter its Predator model. An industry source said British and French forces want a more advanced aircraft than the Royal Air Force’s Reaper UAV attack model, produced by General Atomics.

 

[garibnawaz]

Sorry for spoiling the party but I am really not impressed.

With projects like Nishat,Kapothaka and Rustom still not completed DRDO shouldn't be jumping the guns.

First finish the projects in hands and then talk about something new.

GB

 

[MehrotraPrince]

One question to every one?????

Any one remember about French president visit to India last year?
News came in media about nuclear and other deals and also deal about joint development of aircraft?

What is this aircraft? UAV or manned fighter ?

 

[sancho]

Sorry for spoiling the party but I am really not impressed.

With projects like Nishat,Kapothaka and Rustom still not completed DRDO shouldn't be jumping the guns.

First finish the projects in hands and then talk about something new.

GB

I see it the other way around, with our UAV developments not really beeing a success story and such a high value development like AURA for the future, a partner in further developments is more than needed.

 

[sancho]

One question to every one?????

Any one remember about French president visit to India last year?
News came in media about nuclear and other deals and also deal about joint development of aircraft?

What is this aircraft? UAV or manned fighter ?

Not sure where you read that, but if at all, it would be an UAV, because France is planing with Rafale as the only manned fighter in the next 30 years.

 

[garibnawaz]

I see it the other way around, with our UAV developments not really beeing a success story and such a high value development like AURA for the future, a partner in further developments is more than needed.

Then find a partner.

GB

 

[sancho]

I don't know whether the talarion is capable of delivering weapons like US predator as it is just a concept while Mantis is much more developed and Mantis can carry weapons...

Adding weapons on a UAV is not such a big problem and if I'm not wrong the Israelis wants to do so on their Heron UAVs that we have too.

Then find a partner.

GB

You mean for AURA? That's not that easy, because the europeans have such developments, but only as a tech demonstrators. I think only western Israel would be a real choice to team up with, but not sure if the US allows them to have UCAVs, especially not a non US version. Which leaves us with Russia again and they even have the Mig Scat UCAV development, but not sure what their real plans about are.
So if we can't get a partner for the UCAV development itself, teaming up for such a UAV development will be good to gain know how and more experience as well, possibly even use techs directly in the AURA.

 

[Dash]

Did we not send RFI for AURA? I think we did, only Dassult responded and no body else did.

We also know that nobody we part these sensitive techs with us. so I guess AURA is light years away, or we are expecting a surprise?

 

[MehrotraPrince]

Not sure where you read that, but if at all, it would be an UAV, because France is planing with Rafale as the only manned fighter in the next 30 years.

India, France unveil deals worth upto $ 20 bln


New Delhi: France's President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday unveiled upto $ 20 billion worth of defence, atomic energy and civil aviation deals with emerging market giant India during a four-day trip to the country.

Following are details of signed deals between India and France, agreements close to completion, and possible future deals:
Signed deals:

AREVA: In a deal estimated at 7 billion euros ($ 9.3 billion), French nuclear power group Areva signed a framework agreement with state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India to provide two water pressurised reactors to a site in the western state of Maharashtra.
Construction for the reactors, the first in a series that France is expecting to supply, will start next year and operations will start by 2018. The deal includes the supply of reactor fuel for 25 years.
AIRBUS: State-owned carrier Air India and private airline Jet Airways signed contracts to lease four and 10 Airbus A330 aircraft respectively from the European group Airbus, in separate deals worth a total of 2.8 billion euros ($ 3.7 billion) based on the catalogue price.
MICHELIN: French tyre maker Michelin signed a protocol contract with the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu to invest around 600 million euros in a factory.
Advanced talks to seal deals:
THALES: Indian and French officials are close to signing two deals with European defence electronics group Thales to modernise the Asian giant's ageing air force.
Negotiations are under way on a 1.5-billion euro deal for Thales to upgrade India's Mirage fighter jets, and an agreement for Thales to equip the Mirage jets with missiles worth 700 million euros.
MBDA: European missiles and missile systems manufacturer MBDA, whose major shareholders are BAE Systems, EADS and Finmeccanica, are close to signing a deal with India to jointly develop surface-to-air missiles in a deal worth 2 billion euros.

SAFRAN: French defence and aerospace conglomerate Safran, is in advanced negotiations to jointly develop a fighter jet with India in a deal worth 500-700 million euros.
Other possible deals?

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was still hopeful that India would also buy the Rafael fighter jet produced by France's Dassault Aviation.
Dassault faces stiff competition in the race for the $ 11 billion deal, currently the world's largest single military contract, from the Typhoon aircraft made by the Eurofighter consortium and other US and Russian bidders.

FACTBOX - India, France unveil deals worth up to $20 bln | Reuters

I am talking about this one

 

[sancho]

Did we not send RFI for AURA? I think we did, only Dassult responded and no body else did.

We also know that nobody we part these sensitive techs with us. so I guess AURA is light years away, or we are expecting a surprise?

Hi Dash, of course this will take time and as you know, I would like to see them focusing more on AURA than on AMCA, but with an experienced partner like Dassault, or the Israelis, things would be much easier.
Not really sure about the RFI, because the reports were not clear if it was for AURA, or for an armed UAV like Predator, or Mantis.

SAFRAN: French defence and aerospace conglomerate Safran, is in advanced negotiations to jointly develop a fighter jet with India in a deal worth 500-700 million euros.

I am talking about this one

Ah, know I know what you mean, but that report is not correct (maybe they translated it wrong). In reality we made a deal with Safran for MICA missiles, which was worth that much and was combined to the Mirage 2000 upgrade deal we signed during the visit.

 

[GORKHALI]

Sancho ji! My question to you , what you prefer in UAV development JV or indigenious or Phoren maal ??

 

[angeldemon_007]

I see it the other way around, with our UAV developments not really beeing a success story and such a high value development like AURA for the future, a partner in further developments is more than needed.

You are right.

Adding weapons on a UAV is not such a big problem and if I'm not wrong the Israelis wants to do so on their Heron UAVs that we have too.

No adding a weapon to a UAV is not a big problem but if you want the UAV to deliver the bomb without getting destroyed like US drones.
Israel which has such a great experience in UAVs still has no such project that means they haven't received any success yet.

Did we not send RFI for AURA? I think we did, only Dassult responded and no body else did.

As far as i know we send an RFI for predator like UAVs to which only EADS responded. Dassault said it would help india in AURA project if demanded but they refused the entry of india in their Neuron project.

I would like to see them focusing more on AURA than on AMCA, but with an experienced partner like Dassault, or the Israelis, things would be much easier.

Agreed just because there is too much in ADA's basket (LCA mkII, AMCA, AURA). I don't know who wrote these articles about AURA that within ADAs lab secret project is going on named AURA .
The project is just named. Not even the requirements for this UCAV has been set forget about the design and wee can see 100s of report on this project.

Dassault has given indication for consulting, they won't be part of any JV because they already have a project. Saab was considered for consultancy on AMCA but i don't know what happened ?

I think we don't have any capability to develop an UCAV. The way Indian scientists are talking has become a laughing stok in international defense community, its just like the way we laughed on a report in which it was stated that Pakistan should field an UCAV against Indias 5th gen fighter. (Does anybody recall ?/)

The best option for us is right now we should grab this opportunity if it comes to our door step.
Whatever we will learn from this project could be utilized in AURA. Russians are also working on a UCAV, we could be part of that project also. Their is no Israel plans for any attack UAV or UCAV currently.