India UAV Programs

[Zapper]

Indigenously developed landing gear systems for UAVs handed over to Navy by CVRDE​

Retractable landing gear systems for unmanned aerial vehicles, indigenously built by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment here, a unit of the DRDO, were handed over to the Navy on Sunday.

The CVRDE, engaged in design and development of armoured vehicles and combat systems, said it designed and built the three tonne Retractable Landing Gear Systems for TAPAS Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and a one tonne landing gear system to the SWiFT UAV under the Centre's 'Atmanirbhar' programme.

The gear systems were developed at CVRDE facility in suburban Avadi, a press release said.


Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman G Satheesh Reddy, speaking on the occasion, said it was an important achievement and extended his congratulations to the CVRDE. Besides the landing gear systems, as many as 18 types of state-of-the-art indigenously developed hydraulic lubrication and fuel filters were also handed over to the Navy at the event.

The filters, also designed and developed at CVRDE, were manufactured with support from industries under the Centre's 'Make in India' initiative while the funding was from the DRDO and the Navy, the release said. Later, Reddy reviewed the various projects of CVRDE and appreciated the efforts the establishment for the progress achieved, the release added.

 

[crixus]

Rustom 2 must be the priority .... we need it on priority, we cant rely on a costly western platform for the regular day to day missions

 

[Zapper]

Rustom 2 must be the priority .... we need it on priority, we cant rely on a costly western platform for the regular day to day missions

It's not like we have any expensive western UAVs or plan to procure anytime soon. The Israeli Eitan, Searcher and Heron UAVs are all unarmed surveillance drones. There were some reports that Herons will be modified to carry munitions but that's still speculative. IN's lease of Sea Guardian's is a start but I doubt they'd go for the purchase option while IAF nor IA has any tender in place

Not just Rustom-2 but AURA/Ghatak UCAV should also be prioritized with active engagement from industry and IITs

 

[crixus]

It's not like we have any expensive western UAVs or plan to procure anytime soon. The Israeli Eitan, Searcher and Heron UAVs are all unarmed surveillance drones. There were some reports that Herons will be modified to carry munitions but that's still speculative. IN's lease of Sea Guardian's is a start but I doubt they'd go for the purchase option while IAF nor IA has any tender in place

Not just Rustom-2 but AURA/Ghatak UCAV should also be prioritized with active engagement from industry and

American drones will come in numbers most probably 30 and they are costly to perform bulk tasks and regarding Israeli they are also not cheaper, we need the Indian surveillance to do the workhorse stuff and that sophisticated drone will do the specialized jobs .... Not sure how efficient the armed drone in our scenarios

 

[Raptor]

Rustom-2 but AURA/Ghatak UCAV should also be prioritized with active engagement from industry and IITs

IITK is already involved Ghatak ucav

 

[Zapper]

Not sure how efficient the armed drone in our scenarios

Armed drones are extremely efficient, particularly on our western sector where pak's aerial defences could be overwhelmed with drone swarms and MRLS salvos. Their AADs don't have the numbers nor are the most modern.

Apart from the recent procurement of Harop suicide drones, we're also aiming at an indigenous variant. If we're able to keep the cost low, we can produce these in numbers and can risk em instead of expensive fighter jets and valuable lives of pilots

 

[Zapper]

IITK is already involved Ghatak ucav

True, I think this was taken from IIT-K's lab

 

[crixus]

There is a news that IA has inducted this drone on LAC
specification :

echnical Specifications​

Endurance: > 120 minutes
Range (LoS): 15 km
Weight: < 6.5 kg
Wind Resistance: Up to 10.8 knots or 20 km/h
Vehicle Size: ~ 2.6 m x 1.8 m
Ingress Protection: IP53 Rated for Dust & Water Resistance
Max Launch Altitude: 4000 m AMSL
Max Operating Altitude: 1000 m AGL

 

[Zapper]

Indian Army signs a $20 million contract with Indian firm ideaForge to procure SWITCH UAV​

MUMBAI, India, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indian Army has signed an approximately $20 million contract for undisclosed quantities of a high-altitude variant of ideaForge's SWITCH UAV which will be delivered over a period of 1 year. ideaForge has been awarded this contract after it emerged as the only vendor that qualified the operational requirements in an evaluation done in real-world conditions, for a fast-track procurement. The contract marks a strategic shift in the Indian defence procurement process as the Indian Army goes on an aggressive modernization drive. It has also cemented ideaForge's position as India's largest manufacturer of drones for defence, homeland security and industrial applications.

Indian Army signs a $20 million contract with ideaForge to procure SWITCH UAV
SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater for the most demanding surveillance operations of the Indian Forces. This Fixed Wing VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) UAV can be deployed at high altitude and harsh environments for day and night surveillance in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It is man-portable and has the highest time on target compared to any other UAV in its class.
Speaking on the development, ideaForge CEO, Ankit Mehta said, "SWITCH UAV is the culmination of insights and knowledge we have gained over years of experience in helping the Indian Forces operationalize UAVs in their ranks. The trials saw about a dozen national and global players compete to meet the operational requirements. SWITCH UAV is the only product that cleared the Indian Army's stringent product trials and surpassed expectations. It is a testimony of the fact that our systems are built like a bird and tested like a tank. Our systems are fully ready to serve nations that seek to protect their territorial sovereignty."
"A combination of world-class technology and a deep understanding of customer requirements has resulted in ideaForge bagging this contract against global competition. With the backing of reputed institutional investors such as WRVI, Infosys and Qualcomm, ideaForge is all set to grow rapidly. We plan to work with like-minded investors and partners to achieve our vision of premier drone company serving enterprise, security and surveillance market globally," said Ganapathy Subramaniam, Partner - WRVI Venture Capital who also serves as Executive Chairman - ideaForge.
About ideaForge
Built on a strong foundation of interdisciplinary engineering, ideaForge has become a global leader in UAV technology. Its drones offer class-leading performance and reliability, and have been widely adopted for defence, homeland security and enterprise applications. In India, ideaForge has by far the largest market share in the security, surveillance and industrial market of drones. Its customers include Indian Defence Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State Police Forces, and have conducted over 150,000 missions using its drones. ideaForge has a diverse list of industrial customers as well in sectors such as geospatial surveying, oil & gas, mining and many more. For more information, visit www.ideaforge.co.in

@Nilgiri @Raptor @crixus

https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-...deaforge-to-procure-switch-uav-800684502.html

 

[Raptor]

Indian Army signs a $20 million contract with Indian firm ideaForge to procure SWITCH UAV​

MUMBAI, India, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indian Army has signed an approximately $20 million contract for undisclosed quantities of a high-altitude variant of ideaForge's SWITCH UAV which will be delivered over a period of 1 year. ideaForge has been awarded this contract after it emerged as the only vendor that qualified the operational requirements in an evaluation done in real-world conditions, for a fast-track procurement. The contract marks a strategic shift in the Indian defence procurement process as the Indian Army goes on an aggressive modernization drive. It has also cemented ideaForge's position as India's largest manufacturer of drones for defence, homeland security and industrial applications.

Indian Army signs a $20 million contract with ideaForge to procure SWITCH UAV
SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater for the most demanding surveillance operations of the Indian Forces. This Fixed Wing VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) UAV can be deployed at high altitude and harsh environments for day and night surveillance in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It is man-portable and has the highest time on target compared to any other UAV in its class.
Speaking on the development, ideaForge CEO, Ankit Mehta said, "SWITCH UAV is the culmination of insights and knowledge we have gained over years of experience in helping the Indian Forces operationalize UAVs in their ranks. The trials saw about a dozen national and global players compete to meet the operational requirements. SWITCH UAV is the only product that cleared the Indian Army's stringent product trials and surpassed expectations. It is a testimony of the fact that our systems are built like a bird and tested like a tank. Our systems are fully ready to serve nations that seek to protect their territorial sovereignty."
"A combination of world-class technology and a deep understanding of customer requirements has resulted in ideaForge bagging this contract against global competition. With the backing of reputed institutional investors such as WRVI, Infosys and Qualcomm, ideaForge is all set to grow rapidly. We plan to work with like-minded investors and partners to achieve our vision of premier drone company serving enterprise, security and surveillance market globally," said Ganapathy Subramaniam, Partner - WRVI Venture Capital who also serves as Executive Chairman - ideaForge.
About ideaForge
Built on a strong foundation of interdisciplinary engineering, ideaForge has become a global leader in UAV technology. Its drones offer class-leading performance and reliability, and have been widely adopted for defence, homeland security and enterprise applications. In India, ideaForge has by far the largest market share in the security, surveillance and industrial market of drones. Its customers include Indian Defence Forces, Central Armed Police Forces and State Police Forces, and have conducted over 150,000 missions using its drones. ideaForge has a diverse list of industrial customers as well in sectors such as geospatial surveying, oil & gas, mining and many more. For more information, visit www.ideaforge.co.in

@Nilgiri @Raptor @crixus

https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-...deaforge-to-procure-switch-uav-800684502.html

Very significant development,kept hidden under 83 tejas mk1a deal but still holds much weight,giving signal that small industries are also gaining momentum!
Idea forge has been working hard since 2009,today they got orders.

 

[Zapper]

Very significant development,kept hidden under 83 tejas mk1a deal but still holds much weight,giving signal that small industries are also gaining momentum!
Idea forge has been working hard since 2009,today they got orders.

Atleast we're on a roll ordering indigenous stuff. What MoD should really order moving forward are DRDO's MP-ATGM and ATAGS in place of Spike & Athos but the manufacturer should be a private firm, Kalyani's artillery systems...particularly their ULH and truck mounted howitzer, Tata/Mahindra's MPVs, Scrap AK-203 and Car-816 deals while going for SSS's P-72 series, Scrap Ka-226 for HAL's LUH along with hundreds of LCHs

 

[Paro]

In a first, India demonstrates combat drone swarm system

The demonstration, which consisted of 75 drones working autonomously to identify and take down targets with Kamikaze missions, is an early peek into future technology being developed by the Army in partnership with the private industry.

m.economictimes.com

 

[Nilgiri]

In a first, India demonstrates combat drone swarm system

The demonstration, which consisted of 75 drones working autonomously to identify and take down targets with Kamikaze missions, is an early peek into future technology being developed by the Army in partnership with the private industry.

m.economictimes.com

 

[Raptor]

Impressive development,would act as a testbed for future swarm

 

[Paro]

Impressive development,would act as a testbed for future swarm

these would be extremely useful for fixed infantry positions but are kind of useless with tanks. But this is a start. They came up with this in 6months. As it comes through a private player hope it comes cheap and continuely evolved to meet the EW environment.

 

[Paro]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1349983871928975363

 

[Zapper]

In a first, India demonstrates combat drone swarm system​

NEW DELHI: In a first, India has demonstrated an offensive swarm drone system that simulated taking down a range of targets, ranging from tanks, terror camps, helipads and fuel dumps at the annual Army Day parade in the capital.

The demonstration, which consisted of 75 drones working autonomously to identify and take down targets with Kamikaze missions, is an early peek into future technology being developed by the Army in partnership with the private industry.

At the demonstration, the Army mentioned the system as a disruption technology that has been changing warfare around the world. Besides strike missions against a variety of targets, the drones also simulating dropping supplies to ground troops like medicines and stores.

These close support operations, vital when troops are in difficult to reach locations, can be a significant capability. The Army said that it can drop over 600 kg of supplies with a 75 drone swarm system, cutting down risks to support troops.


The Army, which started working on the swarm drone system in August last year in partnership with NewSpace Research and Technologies, plans to scale up the technology to fly over 1,000 rotary wing drones at the same time for a mission. In August, the program started with 5 systems flying together that has been scaled up to 75 for the Army Day demonstration.

Some key capabilities demonstrated included a mother drone system that was part of the swarm, which released four `child drones’ each of which had individual targets.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/de...=socialsharebuttons&__twitter_impression=true

That's some rapid development...

@Nilgiri @Jackdaws @Raptor @crixus @Paro

 

[Nilgiri]

In a first, India demonstrates combat drone swarm system​

NEW DELHI: In a first, India has demonstrated an offensive swarm drone system that simulated taking down a range of targets, ranging from tanks, terror camps, helipads and fuel dumps at the annual Army Day parade in the capital.

The demonstration, which consisted of 75 drones working autonomously to identify and take down targets with Kamikaze missions, is an early peek into future technology being developed by the Army in partnership with the private industry.

At the demonstration, the Army mentioned the system as a disruption technology that has been changing warfare around the world. Besides strike missions against a variety of targets, the drones also simulating dropping supplies to ground troops like medicines and stores.

These close support operations, vital when troops are in difficult to reach locations, can be a significant capability. The Army said that it can drop over 600 kg of supplies with a 75 drone swarm system, cutting down risks to support troops.


The Army, which started working on the swarm drone system in August last year in partnership with NewSpace Research and Technologies, plans to scale up the technology to fly over 1,000 rotary wing drones at the same time for a mission. In August, the program started with 5 systems flying together that has been scaled up to 75 for the Army Day demonstration.

Some key capabilities demonstrated included a mother drone system that was part of the swarm, which released four `child drones’ each of which had individual targets.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/de...=socialsharebuttons&__twitter_impression=true

That's some rapid development...I like how we're on a roll

@Nilgiri @Jackdaws @Raptor @crixus @Paro

Yup some convo occured already:

Indian Army

Indian Army General Thread

defencehub.live

 

[crixus]

In a first, India demonstrates combat drone swarm system​

NEW DELHI: In a first, India has demonstrated an offensive swarm drone system that simulated taking down a range of targets, ranging from tanks, terror camps, helipads and fuel dumps at the annual Army Day parade in the capital.

The demonstration, which consisted of 75 drones working autonomously to identify and take down targets with Kamikaze missions, is an early peek into future technology being developed by the Army in partnership with the private industry.

At the demonstration, the Army mentioned the system as a disruption technology that has been changing warfare around the world. Besides strike missions against a variety of targets, the drones also simulating dropping supplies to ground troops like medicines and stores.

These close support operations, vital when troops are in difficult to reach locations, can be a significant capability. The Army said that it can drop over 600 kg of supplies with a 75 drone swarm system, cutting down risks to support troops.


The Army, which started working on the swarm drone system in August last year in partnership with NewSpace Research and Technologies, plans to scale up the technology to fly over 1,000 rotary wing drones at the same time for a mission. In August, the program started with 5 systems flying together that has been scaled up to 75 for the Army Day demonstration.

Some key capabilities demonstrated included a mother drone system that was part of the swarm, which released four `child drones’ each of which had individual targets.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/de...=socialsharebuttons&__twitter_impression=true

That's some rapid development...I like how we're on a roll

@Nilgiri @Jackdaws @Raptor @crixus @Paro

They say the algorithm for swarm drones is developed by an Indian startup ..... Idea forge can easily develop the hardware for such purposes

 

[Zapper]

They say the algorithm for swarm drones is developed by an Indian startup ..... Idea forge can easily develop the hardware for such purposes

Any idea what drones were used for the demo?