AERO INDIA 2011: Other Stuff To Look Forward To

Apart from the usual goodies, there’s a lot to look forward to at Aero India next month in Yelahanka. The Aero India technical sessions seminar that runs parallel to the show has some promising stuff this year that will add to what we’ve been talking about for much of the last couple of years. And if the last few years are any indication, they’ll add substantially to what we already know. Here’s what I’ll be looking out for:

1. A presentation titled “Tactical and Strategic UAV design and development activities at ADE” by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) associate director G Shivashankaran should throw valuable light not just on the Rustom-1 and Rustom-H medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAVs, but the secretive AURA stealth UCAV, the existence of which was unknown until it was scooped here on Livefist. Hopefully some insights into where the feasibility study on the UCAV programme actually stands.

2. Aeronautical Development Agency director PS Subramanyam, who provided excellent insights into the stealth features of the AMCA concept, will be making a presentation titled “Combat Aircraft for Tomorrow“, which will hopefully provide much more on the AMCA, especially in the light of the FGFA programme progression.

3. We’ll hopefully know more about India’s Helina air-launched anti-armour missile from DRDL principal director KS Vara Prasad’s presentation, titled (a touch, drily) “HELINA Long Range Air-to-Ground Missile for Attack Helicopters“. Hopefully there will be more than brochure bluster in Indian Army Aviation additional director general Maj Gen PK Bharali’s presentation, promisingly titled “Ideal Helicopters for High Altitude Operation“.

4. There’s an interesting presentation being made by two Wing Commanders from the IAF’s Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) titled “Integration of Western Systems/Weapons on Russian Fighter Aircraft“.

5. We haven’t heard a lot recently from India’s Astra BVRAAM programme. The project director S Gollakota will be presenting “Emerging Technologies in Missile Development“.

6. Not much hope here, but Sukhoi Design Bureau deputy chief Dr Dmitry Strelets will be presenting “Innovations, the basis of International Cooperation“, and will hopfully use the PAK-FA/FGFA as his model, and not some hypothetical platform.

7. Finally, a technology roadmap on India’s high-altitude airship programme will be presented by ML Sidana of the civil National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL).

13 thoughts on “AERO INDIA 2011: Other Stuff To Look Forward To”

  1. Can you please answer these question ?
    1. What is happening to Indian AWACS ?
    2. What about Arjun MBT MK 2
    3. What about Kaveri ? what GTRE is doing now ?
    4, Any updates to India AESA ?

  2. The presentations by officials from Indian aerospace/defence R & D establishments are good only as far as graphics go, but are totally lacking in terms of technology development roadmaps and programme schedules. They also have in the past been economical with the truth. For instance, V K Saraswat's presentation two years ago never even mentioned anything about the SLBM programmes, and failed to mentioned the usage of A
    GAT-designed active radar seekers on the Astra BVRAAM. The same went for the NAG ATGM, whose IIR seeker has been imported from THALES, but was never even mentioned. This time around too, expect the same. Even the AMCA presentation will likely deal with only what on-board technologies are desired, with such data being openly available from F-35 JSF-related websites. What will not be explained is exactly how such technologies will be acquired or mastered in-country and by which R & D/industrial entities. What remains to be seen is what will ADA have to say about the projected Tejas MKk2's design and capabilities. My humble advice to the ADA honchos will be to first master the art of walking and jogging before even dreaming about sprinting. Engaging in mirror-imaging (like comparing the AMCA to the JSF or F/A-22 Raptor or even FGFA) will not only backfire, but will instead become an intellectually discredited exercise, as is now happening.

  3. To [email protected]: Here are the answers:
    1) Under 'indigenous' development.
    2) Under 'indigenous' development.
    3) Kaveri has already been developed and the technology demonstration programme will be terminated later this year. Then work will begin on developing a production-variant of Kaveri using SNECMA-supplied engine core, PROVIDED the MoD sanctions the reqd levels of R & D funding.
    4) Still looking for the elusive strategic industrial partner reqd for co-developing it.

  4. To ajay kumar: Only qualified 'trade visitors' and members of the press corps will be able to attend the seminars. If one is just an 'enthusiast' visitor on public days (provided the seminars last that long), then they will not be allowed entry. Actually, such seminars ought to be of the closed-door type or entry-upon-payment type as there are space constraints. But it is a waste of time to attend such seminars. Instead, just obtain a copy of the PowerPoint presentations, which will save one both time and money.

  5. [email protected]
    If you had been a proper RATshaker, you wouldnt have asked a stupid question like that about aero india. Why would they put up info about arjun MBT?? Last I heard it was still not flying. Visit the RATshaker forum and learn more.

  6. @Anon 2:58
    I hope I have not asked question about Aero INDIA. Please check what I have written. They are general question. No relationship with Aero INDIA. I know its Aero INDIA and still MBT Arjun can not fly 🙂

    But I am sorry if this is wrong place to ask. I hopped that Shiv is going to write articles on these things soon.

  7. @prasun.thanks a lot buddy….its just i am very interested to know the different developments takin place in the defense sector…. so thought of attending the seminars…. but if they are givin a copy of those then its more than enough… anyways thanks for the info again…

  8. Shiv can you please update us about the present status of the LCH program, has it been able to loose the extra weight that it had during its launch

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