DRDO Says Prithvi Missiles will be Replaced by Prahar Missilies

Prahar Missilies

 DRDO Says we are withdrawing the tactical 150 km-range Prithvi missiles and will replace them with the Prahar missiles, which are more capable and have more accuracy,” 

The tactical versions of the Prithvi missiles would be withdrawn from service and will be upgraded to be used for longer ranges, he said.
The DRDO chief said after the withdrawal of the tactical ballistic missiles from service, there would be a gap in strike capabilities in the range of 100 to 150 km-range.

“The Prahar missile would be used to fill up that gap,” he said.

The 150 km-range ‘Prahar’ is a single-stage missile and is fuelled by solid propellants. It was first test-fired by DRDO in mid-2011 from its range in Odisha.

Indian DRDO To Start New AWACS Program

Indian New AWACS Aircraft

Indian DRDO has just started development of the Rs 6,000 crore Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) that will have the capability to penetrate "longer distances" enemy territory by its radars and electronic warfare equipment without venturing into the region physically, a top defence official said Friday.

‘DRDO’s  V K Saraswat said DRDO just started the programme, after clearance from the Government recently.

Asked how it's different from the indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system, he said: "AWACS is a heavier and high endurance system, which can give you in terms of coverage about 360 degrees as against AEW&C which is about 270 degree coverage".

"Both have a role. All over the world, people have AEW&C and AWACS in a tandem mode because each one does its role and that's what our country is also doing", Saraswat said.

He said two AEW&C aircraft would be ready this year, adding, "By 2014, we will complete delivery of all the three aircraft (AEW&C) to Indian Air Force".

India Receives EMB-145 AEW&C Aircraft

           EMB-145 AEW&C Aircraft

India has received its first Embraer EMB-145 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.

The first of three aircraft was delivered at Embraer's São Josė dos Campos headquarters, says the Brazilian airframer.

The aircraft has undergone ground and flight tests, meeting targets set by Embraer and the Centre for Airborne Systems unit of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Following the integration of DRDO mission systems, the aircraft will subsequently be handed over to the Indian air force. India ordered the three aircraft under a $208 million deal in 2008.

India To Launch AWACS Project To Counter China

Indian Phalcon AWACS

In India Clearances are underway to initially develop two AWACS aircraft, with four more to follow at a later stage, under the new `AWACS-India' project to be executed by DRDO and its Bangalore-based Centre for Air Borne Systems (CABS).

Under it, 360-degree AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars will be mounted on large aircraft like IL-76, Boeing or Airbus said a DRDO source.

Potent force-multipliers like AWACS or AEW&C (airborne early warning and control) systems have changed the entire nature of air warfare because they can detect incoming aerial threats, ranging from fighters to cruise missiles, much before ground-based radars.

They also serve to direct air defence fighters during combat operations with enemy jets and also help in tracking troop build-ups.

Pakistan already has four Swedish Saab-2000 AEW&C aircraft, with four more Chinese ZDK-03 AWACS in the pipeline. China has around 20 AWACS, a mix of new and old systems, say sources.

But IAF has only three Phalcon AWACS mounted on IL-76 aircraft, under the $1.1 billion tripartite agreement among India, Israel and Russia finalized in 2004, despite being confronted with two potentially hostile fronts.

The case for two additional "follow-on" Phalcon AWACS, with a range of over 400-km and 360-degree coverage like the first three, has run into some rough weather due to sharp cost escalation.

DRDO To Test Indigenous Scram Jet Engine Next Year

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will test the indigenously developed scram jet engine next year, according to DRDO chief VK Saraswat.

“We have demonstrated the performance of a scram jet engine operating at Mach six speed (six times the speed of sound),” he said in an interview given to Doordarshan.

Theoretical projections place the top speed of a scramjet between Mach 12 (15,000 kmph) and Mach 24 (29,000 kmph), according to Wikipedia.

The fastest air-breathing aircraft is a SCRAM jet design, the NASA X-43A, which reached Mach 9.8. For comparison, the second fastest air-breathing aircraft, the manned SR-71 Blackbird, has a cruising speed of Mach 3.2.

After the successful launch of Agni-5 Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), India is all set to develop reusable rockets which will combine the technologies of both ballistic and cruise missiles.

On the range of Agni-5 missile, which was successfully test-fired recently off Odisha coast, he said with moderate modifications, “it can be extended to any range which is of our interest.”

DRDO Chief Calls To Develop Advanced Encryption OR Code Cryptography System

India needs to develop advanced encryption or code cryptography to foolproof national security from cyber warfare, the DG, Defence Research and Development Organisation and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, Dr V.K. Saraswat said.

He was delivering a lecture on “Cyber Warfare and National Security” at the inaugural function of the 12th research and project exhibition of IIIT-Hyderabad, showcasing the prominent research and projects being carried out at the institute.

Dr Saraswat said that while India has to develop high level cryptographic tools and keys to protect its information, it should also aim at deciphering the information which is being used against its interests. He added that the need of the hour was a thoughtful security system for countering terrorism. 

Indian DRDO To Develop Advanced Seekers For Tactical Missiles

DRDO NAG Missile

 A war scenario in which miniaturised missiles equipped with Precision-Guided Munitions (PGMs) are unleashed from a mother missile to take out select enemy targets like an ammunition depot while avoiding collateral damage. 

A mother missile acts as a “force multiplier” and to achieve the desired result, each miniaturised missile will have a seeker to ensure its independent motion, irrespective of the mother missile's motion.

Seekers, which are of two types — radio-frequency and infra-red, enable a missile to acquire, track and home in on to the target. They are required for all tactical missiles (less than 300 km range). 

Scientists at the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), a key laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) missile complex here, have embarked on developing such seekers to eventually equip mother missiles with smaller missiles packed with PGMs. 

The mandate of the RCI is to deliver avionic systems for all missiles, including anti-ballistic systems and anti-aircraft missiles. 

DRDO Weapons Showcase For Republic Day Parade

DRDO’s Next: Star Wars-like Weapons

Move aside Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, DRDO is trying to develop its own set of Star Wars-like weapons. From laser dazzlers to control rioting crowds to high-powered lasers to destroy incoming missiles, DRDO is working on a slew of directed energy weapons (DEWs).

"Lasers are weapons of the future. We can, for instance, use laser beams to shoot down an enemy missile in its boost or terminal phase,'' said DRDO's Laser Science & Technology Centre (LASTEC) director Anil Kumar Maini, talking to TOI on Monday.

Incidentally, DRDO chief V K Saraswat himself has identified DEWs, along with space security, cyber-security and hypersonic vehicles, as focus areas in the years ahead. "LASTEC has the mandate to develop DEWs for armed forces,'' said DRDO's chief controller (electronics & computer sciences) R Sreehari Rao.

While conventional weapons use kinetic or chemical energy of missiles or other projectiles to destroy targets, DEWs decimate them by bombarding with subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves at the speed of sound. Apart from the speed-of-light delivery, laser DEWs cause minimal collateral damage.