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Indian firm gets foothold in prized global ‘kamikaze’ and armed drones market
Global demand for loitering munition & armed drones saw a jump after Azerbaijan was able to defeat superior Armenian armed forces in 2020 with the help of these systems.
SNEHESH ALEX PHILIP19 January, 2022 07:30 am IST
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New Delhi: As ‘kamikaze’ and armed drones become the new buzzwords after the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict showed their deadly potency, an Indian firm based in Kanpur has managed to get a foothold in this sector.
Sources in the defence and security establishment have told ThePrint that 90 per cent of the composite structures (fuselage, wing, tail) of armed drones and loitering munition (also known as kamikaze drones) — being assembled by a leading Israeli aerospace firm — are now being made at a manufacturing plant of Lohia Aerospace Systems, part of the Lohia Group, in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur.
The Lohia Group had in 2019 acquired an Israeli company called Light and Strong Ltd, which specialises in production of aerospace and military carbon-fibre and glass-fibre composite components.
The Israeli company was already a sub-vendor for multiple Israeli firms in supply of carbon structures that form the mainframe of multiple products, including drones that are exported globally.
Sources said that the Lohia Group had simultaneously set up a manufacturing plant in the UP Defence Corridor (special zones for defence manufacturing firms), which is now making these structures for the Israeli original equipment manufacturer.
Contacted by ThePrint, the Lohia Group refused to comment on the matter, saying that it does not want to talk about its work in the defence sector due to a “strict non-disclosure agreement”.
However, sources said the Kanpur facility manufactures the carbon composite fuselage and wings of a number of Israeli armed drones and loitering munition.
Also Read: Tiffin bombs, Pakistani drones with deadly payloads — alarming finds in Punjab before polls
Rise in demand after 2020 Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict
The global demand for loitering munition and armed drones saw a jump following the Azerbaijan and Armenia conflict in 2020, sources further said.Azerbaijan was able to defeat the superior Armenian armed forces through the use of drones and loitering munition procured from Turkey and Israel.
This new-age technology, cheaper than traditional alternatives, managed to hunt down tanks, armoured personnel carriers, soldiers in trenches and radars — everything that moved on the ground.
Since the war, many other countries, including Armenia, have also ordered loitering munition and armed drones.
Israel, Turkey and China have emerged as big global suppliers of such systems.
In September last year, the Indian armed forces also placed orders for loitering munition, over and above what the Indian Air Force had till now. However, it is not clear if the structures for those drones will be made by the Lohia Group.
From loitering munition to cargo conversion
Information given to the defence ministry by the Kanpur company also indicates that, through its Israeli entity, the Lohia Group has entered the lucrative market of cargo conversion, under which passenger aircraft are converted into cargo planes for various companies.Light & Strong is the single source supplier to one of the largest Israeli firms in cargo conversion, sources said.
The Lohia Group will also soon start making composite parts for cargo conversion at its Kanpur facility, they added.
While initially only a handful of companies used to do cargo conversion, sources said, given the high demand and profitability, even aircraft manufacturers are getting into this business big time.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Indian firm gets foothold in prized global ‘kamikaze' and armed drones market
Global demand for loitering munition & armed drones saw a jump after Azerbaijan was able to defeat superior Armenian armed forces in 2020 with the help of these systems.
theprint.in
@Nilgiri @Jackdaws @Zapper @Paro
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It not surprising as India has persevered with the strategic cooperation with Israel.
This means as time progresses, things branch out more laterally (past just vertical) to all kind of supplier and "mini"-development collaboration.
In this case the initiation point was harpy drone acquisition a long time ago by IAF and the accelerant (realised demonstration of effectiveness) was the azerbaijan-armenia conflict.
So the most suited network gets activated to develop that aspect further.
India is massive country and Israel realised this long ago.
To be honest , it even makes sense for Israel too their IPs are safe and they will get access to one of the biggest defence markets and in return India will get an ecosystem and good qualitative wepon systems.
I knew about the big corporate collaboration like IAI and PLR for small arms and Elbit system with Adani for drones but never knew these collaborations get trickeled to small or medium scale industries
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Well indian assemblers generally dont do 100% end-end all inhouse etc....its not cost effective for complex systems (which still have "easier" stuff to do within them that is best given to smaller guy who can focus on that).
i.e Things are divvied out into more optimised ecosystem and contacts are made and matured over say 5+ years (you dont hear about them initially)....this is only way India can be efficient while catching up.
Corporates should not turn into just private owned SOE (oligarch) model after all.
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100 crore INR = 13 million USD...
Unit cost (divide by 125) works out to about 100,000 USD
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This is for SWIFT right!! Not Ghatak I assume since I don't recall seeing any Ghatak full scale models yet
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Yup swift as the scaled testbed will have to be fully proven till they start on Ghatak I would imagine.
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L&T is developing a Fixed Wing UAV with Short range take-off and Landing for Recce. and strategic operations.
Preliminary design, Wind tunnel testing and Scale down model flight trials are completed. Further development of the platform is tuned towards user requirement.
Preliminary design, Wind tunnel testing and Scale down model flight trials are completed. Further development of the platform is tuned towards user requirement.
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L&T is developing a Futuristic High Performance VTOL RPAS System.
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A new highly efficient power plant with outstanding weight-to-power ratio enables the RPAS to reach and operate on new levels of extreme altitude up to 5500 m.
(via lca_tejas_ on Twitter)
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A new highly efficient power plant with outstanding weight-to-power ratio enables the RPAS to reach and operate on new levels of extreme altitude up to 5500 m.(via lca_tejas_ on Twitter)
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