It’s a programme the Indian Navy wants quick movement on, exasperated in many ways by how no single effort over years to give its ships a tactical deck-launched/recovered unmanned surveillance capability have delivered a result. The navy now has a stated requirement of at least 50 such UAS. And the field is open — the navy doesn’t say what kind of launch of recovery it is looking for, leaving all such details to interested contenders.
Boeing firm Insitu, which has had preliminary conversations about the ScanEagle with India for a few years now, continues with the pitch. Insitu’s business development manager for Asia-Pacific, Kevil Giles made the following presentation at a round-table that Livefist was invited to, information presumably shared with the Indian Navy over the months as well (post continues after the PDF):
A prospective competition could include the Airbus Tanan and Textron Aerosonde as well. The Indian Navy tested the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter from the deck of patrol vessel INS Sujata in 2007, though the effort didn’t yield an acquisition.
According to the Indian Navy’s request for information from global vendors, it needs the new UAVs for “Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), sea-lanes of communication monitoring and coastal/ EEZ surveillance, anti-¬piracy and anti¬terrorism, assistance in search and rescue and assistance in maritime domain awareness.”
Seems to be a capable platform which Indian navy should possess. This can fulfill the role of naval choppers for 24/7 Search & Rescue operations which our navy currently deficient of.
This should save enormous cost and also increase surveillance effectiveness.
Except 1 or 2 technology,
All of it can be made by Indian Industries I really do not see the need of buying it !!
We are just creating jobs for US defense companies ….. which is not wrong if you have alot of money
Cant they just use the UAV Nishanth ??
All our people at high places have recourse to international open source publications (one such magazine is : International Defense Review) wherein loud claims are made (amounting to fiction) by all manufacturers and our gullible Generals , senior scientists and the public fall for it hook line and and sinker as if that particular equipment is end all we must read between the lines and not be carried away by tall claims AND READ ELSEWHERE — on the BATTLE FIELD
one must consider for example the effectiveness and concept of AK-47 rifle which by western standards has all low standards but in actual fact no amount of money or technology the West has NOT been able to beat it — they have come out with many solution multibarrel, 6.5mm, 6.8mm and what have you but they cannot beat it or produce a better weapon to counter it.
Even aircraft's which west are projecting are effective in low intensity warfare like in Iraq,Libya,Afghanistan while we have to fight classical battles and war against conventional foes and that is what we must gear up for
A very good example is just a mere announcement by China regarding a long range missile (capable of taking on aircraft carriers) has unnerved US carrier fleets who otherwise was flaunting its muscle by gun boat diplomacy of which we have been a target in 1971 but same was nullified by presence of Russian Nuclear submarine
In 1965 war we were able to shoot down and break the invincibility of Star fighter F 104 by simple use of Rs 64 magnesium flare on the Gnat Aircraft
Were the Americans able to win the war in Vietnam, Korea with Strato fortresses B-52 or Phantoms or the Russians with Gunships and tanks in Afghanistan who had and upper hand a puny man with a rifle
— I ONLY HOPE ONE IS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM DRIVING AT and we are NEGLECTING HIM
The navy which cannot ride it's submarines & warships in a straight line and bumps to every other vessel which a blind man can avoid, wants to have 'unmanned aerial vehicles'….wat an irony! Suggest they get a driver's license first.
A very interesting project. Hope it comes through, but would have been inteteting if the equipment selected could have something for anti s/m operations.