The Business Standard reported on July 20, 2015 that because of delay in DRDO's Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) project, which is almost 4 yr behind schedule, only the sixth Project-75 Scorpene would be fitted with an AIP plug. It is also possible that all six Scorpenes would be built without AIP.
The Indian Navy had earlier asked Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) to equip the fifth and sixth boats with AIP by fitting an additional 300-t section on the last two Scorpene submarines built at MDL under Project 75.
MDL and French firm DCNS, which developed the Scorpene, are responsible for fitting the new hull section and safely integrating the DRDO-developed AIP plug to the submarine.
DCNS initially offered its first generation MESMA AIP with the Scorpene, but the Indian Navy opted to go with a second generation DRDO developed 300-t AIP based on fuel cell technology.
DCNS has since developed and demonstrated to Indian journalists a fully tested second generation operational-scale fuel cell AIP that would allow the Scorpene to stay submerged for 3 weeks, but the Indian Navy hasn't been swayed from its decision to go with the DRDO AIP.
(Without AIP, Scorpene can stay submerged for 4 days. With a MESMA AIP, it would be able to stay submerged for 2 weeks.)
DRDO has demonstrated its AIP technology on a land based prototype. Trials on a land based submarine section were to commence from March 2015 and full scale operations of a AIP System was to be demonstrated within 2015.
One good reason why the Navy has stuck with the DRDO AIP is because it could later be reconfigured for the submarines to be acquired under Project 75I. Also, the four Scorpenes launched earlier could be retrofitted under an upgrade program.
The Navy's penchant for sourcing its systems from within India is well appreciated in the country, but there can be no denying the risk that the Navy is taking by adding to its fleet, in this day and age, new submarines without AIP! India's adversaries, China and Pakistan, have been operating AIP subs for years now!
The following comparison may help readers assess the risk for themselves. Please feel free to your your views through the comments section.
DCNS and DRDO AIPs Compared
The MESMA AIP from DCNS mimcs nuclear propulsion. It uses heat generated through combustion of ethanol (grain alcohol) and stored oxygen at a pressure of 60 atmospheres to power a conventional steam turbine power plant. It doesn't use fuel cells.
The DRDO AIP uses fuel cell technology. A fuel cell converts chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction of positively charged hydrogen ions with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.
There are many fuel cell types, but the principal ones include the alkaline fuel cell (AFC), proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell, direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC).
DRDO's AIP uses PAFC, which has some advantages over other fuel cell types. PAFCs offer a broader choice of fuel being more tolerant of fuel impurities. It can operate using reformed hydrocarbon fuels (Methanol) or biogas.
PAFC operating temperatures (150 to 200 °C) are higher and as a result they generate steam as byproduct, besides electric power for propulsion. The steam can be used to meet other heating requirements, pushing up operating efficiency to as high as 70%.
PAFC fuel cells were one of the earliest to be developed and are commercially available of the shelf (COTS).
The only downside of PAFCs is the use of phosphoric acid as electrolyte. However, use of modern materials makes PAFC safe enough for commercial use at hospitals, schools, office buildings, and grocery stores.
It's likely that the DRDO plug uses commercially available PAFCs.
The second generation fuel-cell AIP developed by DCNS usees hydrogen produced from diesel fuel by hydrocarbon reforming.
One obvious advantage of the DCNS AIP is the easy availability of diesel at any port around the globe. The absence of pure-oxygen in the cells allows longer life cycle. DCNS claims that the life cycle of its new AIP plug roughly matches the life-cycle of the submarine, which isn't the case with other fuel cell types.
There is no doubting the sophistication of the DCNS 2nd generation AIP, which has to be weighed against the higher initial cost, high recurring cost from the need to use AIP is all future conventional subs, and the continued dependence on foreign technology. But then DRDO has a well earned notoriety of delays!
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Indian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter bd popeye
- Start date
According to The Indian Express, . This comes right after the Indian government announced that the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) deal, originally signed with France’s Dassault Aviation, was, for all intents and purposes, over. Bumps, missteps and poor communication contributed to the downfall of the contract which would have seen a set of Rafales built in France to Indian specifications, while the remaining number of jets to be procured in the deal would be built under license in India. So that means India will soon be back on the market, looking for another multi-role fighter to fulfill its needs for another fifteen to twenty years while it works on developing its own indigenous stealth fighter program and makes the best of the mess that is the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA, the joint Russian-Indian derivative of the PAK FA/T-50 stealth fighter prototype.
Among the many offers tendered to India during the MMRCA competition was one from Lockheed Martin, featuring a heavily-updated version of one of the most successful fighter aircraft in history- the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Designated the F-16IN Super Viper, Lockheed Martin went as far as to call it “the most advanced F-16 ever”.
The integration of fifth-generation technology into the fourth-generation platform is pretty much what makes an already-potent fighter an even more potent air-to-air and air-to-ground killer. Using the Block 60 configuration as the base to work off of, Lockheed Martin added a number of upgrades to beef up the Fighting Falcon into the Super Viper. The most powerful upgrade comes in the form of the AN/APG-80 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar system, which is already in service with the United Arab Emirates’ Block 60 Desert Falcons. The AN/APG-80 gives the pilot incredible situational awareness and the ability to target and track in any weather/atmospheric condition with stunning precision. An infrared search and track (IRST) system, the ability to integrate the Indian Air Force’s Operational Data Link (which allows for interoperability with other Indian fighter/attack/AWACS/support units), an onboard electronic warfare suite from Raytheon, and an upgraded modular mission computer add to the F-16IN’s sizable resume. The cockpit has been redeveloped to an extent, with three color high-definition MFDs (main flight displays) feeding the pilot everything he needs to know, as well as the ability to integrate the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). An updated General Electric F110-132A functions as the sole powerplant, able to output over 32,000 pounds of thrust, and the Super Viper also carries conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) with a built-in fuel probe, designed to mate with the basket/drogue refueling system used by Indian aerial tankers, instead of the boom/receptacle system commonly used by American F-16s.
In terms of producing the fighters themselves, it wouldn’t be the first time the F-16 was built outside the United States. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) was responsible for building over 300 Vipers under license for but the Turkish Air Force and the Egyptian Air Force from the late 1980s onward. Additionally, Korean Aerospace Industries also built a production line for the KF-16, outputting 140 Block 52 Vipers within ten years. Hypothetically, an Indian F-16 line would be the sixth such line in the F-16’s history. The F-16IN was originally eliminated from MMRCA contention in 2011, apparently due to a slower turning rate and diminished agility with conformal fuel tanks loaded. However, given the Fighting Falcon’s track record and combat history, as well as the kickass price tag that comes with such a deal (when contrasting it with other comparable fighters sold en masse within the same program parameters), it wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Indian Air Force to give Lockheed Martin’s F-16IN Super Viper another long hard look.
The ongoing negotiations with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets has hit an air-pocket with the French negotiators refusing to accept changed technical specifications from the Indian Air Force (IAF) for integrating the indigenous Astra missile to the French platform.
The IAF wants certain changes in the platform configuration to integrate the DRDO-made air-to-air, beyond-visual-range Astra missile, which was successfully test-fired from a Su-30 MKI aircraft. The missile was tested twice on consecutive days in March.
Following the success, IAF wants modification and reconfiguration of some of the avionics and weapon systems to keep an window open for integration of Astra at a later date.
The French side objected to the idea because a change in the configuration means going through the aircraft certification process once again, which would lead to an increase in cost. Instead, Paris wants to supply its own air-to-air missiles, which New Delhi will have to purchase additionally.
Another sticky point in the negotiation is the offset clause, under which Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation would have to reinvest a part of the money it would earn from India after selling the Rafale jets, in Indian military industry.
The defence ministry constituted a committee headed by Air Marshal SBP Sinha to negotiate with the French team that offered the jets almost at the same price as was being discussed in the previous global tender process, which has been scrapped by the Narendra Modi government.
During his April visit to Paris, Modi made an announcement to buy 36 Rafale aircraft from France in a government-to-government contract. The previous process to buy 126 fighter jets to replace the ageing MiG-21s, was abandoned.
French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian met his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in Delhi in May to work out the details of the acquisition plan in a time bound manner. The two sides decided to complete the price negotiation by July 31, but then the deal encountered rough weather. There was no meeting between the two sides in the recent past, which may be an indication of the stalemate.
“The benchmark for the prices are already there since the (French) deal with Egypt and Qatar has been struck. The price of the aircraft to India cannot be less than what the other two countries have bought it for,” sources said.
Defence Ministry officials still hope to conclude the deal at a price, which could be just 2-3 per cent per cent more that what was being discussed between the two sides in the earlier process
2013
The integrated EW suite (shown below) for the Tejas Mk1 MRCA as envisaged by the DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and designed by the DRDO’s Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE).
This suite, however, remains unproven, although it has been flight-tested on an HS-748 Avro flying testbed by the DRDO’s Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) since 2007. To certify this EW suite on the Tejas Mk1 MRCA, at least 40 additional test-flights on a PV-1 flying testbed will be required, which in turn will further delay the Tejas Mk1’s operational flight certification by at least 18 months. Making matters further complicated is the sub-optimal performance of the DARE-developed RWR-118 radar warning receiver (see below)—a fact which forced the Indian Air Force (IAF) to reject it for the MiG-29UPG upgrade programme.
The IAF’s MiG-29UPGs, in fact, have the IAF’s most advanced internally-mounted integrated EW suite, which includes Elettronica of Italy’s ELT-568 AESA-based jamming system (see below), which will also go on board the yet-to-be-upgraded Su-30MKIs.
continued
The IAF is now favouring the installation (for both the Tejas Mk1 and Tejas Mk2) of an EW suite that will include SaabTech’s radar warning receiver and laser warning receiver along with the MILDS-F missile approach warning system (MAWS) sourced from EADS/Cassidian. This package has already been selected for both the EMB-145I AEW & CS programme, as well as for the Super Su-30MKI upgrade programme.
continued
SaabTech’s radar warning receiver, laser warning receiver and MAWS have already been selected by the IAF for its Dhruv Mk4 ALH and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), and by the Indian Army for its Rudra helicopter-gunships.
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SaabTech’s radar warning receiver, laser warning receiver and MAWS have already been selected by the IAF for its Dhruv Mk4 ALH and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), and by the Indian Army for its Rudra helicopter-gunships.
Shown below is the DARE-designed EW suite architecture for the Super Su-30MKI, inclusive of the MAWS, RWR, LWR and CMDS installations. Interestingly, the scale-model is shown equipped with twin wingtip-mounted escort jamming pods and a belly-mounted and DARE-developed SIVA HADF pod. The IAF is expected to select the EL/L-8251 jammers for the SEAD version of the Super Su-30MKI. The DEAD-optimised Super Su-30MKI, on the other hand, will be equipped with the SIVA pod along with four Kh-31P Krypton supersonic anti-radiation missiles.
continued
The SEAD-optimised and DEAD-optimized Super Su-30MKIs will also be equipped with EADS/Cassidian’s Ariel Mk3 towed RF-decoys.
Ukraine-origin EW Suites for the IAF’s Mil family of helicopters are shown below.
continued
The IAF’s 40 upgraded MiG-27UPGs each have an internal EW suite comprising the Chemring-built CMDS, BEL-built ‘indifferent’ Tarang Mk2 RWR and an ELTA Systems-supplied EL/L-8222 ASPJ pod. The upgraded MiG-21 Bisons, on the other hand, have ELTA-supplied CMDS and ‘indifferent’ DARE-developed and BEL-built Tarang Mk2 RWRs, plus the external EL/L-8222 ASPJ pods.