Category: Defence Services (Air, Land, Sea)

GLOBAL: AVIATION : MANUFACTURING – MAKE IN INDIA: PM Narendra Modi inaugurates in Bengaluru Largest Aerospace Engineering Facility of Boeing outside the United States

The state-of-the-art Boeing India Engineering and Technology Center (BIETC) is built with an investment of ₹1,600 crore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Boeing India Engineering and Technology Center (BIETC) campus in Bengaluru along with the Boeing Sukanya Program, on January 19.

The state-of-the-art BIETC is built with an investment of ₹1,600 crore. It is located in a 43-acre campus, and is the American aerospace major’s largest such investment outside the U.S.

Boeing said that the BIETC will become a cornerstone for partnering with India on next generation products and services for the global aerospace and defence industry.

The Prime Minister also launched the Boeing Sukanya Program that aims to support the entry of more girl children from across India into the country’s growing aviation sector.

The program will provide opportunities for girls and women from across India to learn critical skills in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and train for jobs in the aviation sector.

For young girls, the program will create STEM labs at 150 planned locations to help spark interest in STEM careers. It will also provide scholarships to women who are training to be pilots. Investments will support flight training curriculum, obtaining certifications, funding for simulator trainings, and career development programs.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: TELECOMMUNICATIONS & AERIAL TECHNOLOGY / SATELLITES: Pixxel Unveils New Facility to Manufacture & Integrate Satellites, making it the First Spacecraft Manufacturing Facility in Bengaluru

This state-of-the-art facility spans over 30,000 square feet and is designed to streamline the satellite manufacturing process from conceptualisation to launch readiness.

In Short

  • The facility boasts the capacity to manage over twenty satellites concurrently
  • It will have a turnaround time of six months per satellite
  • The facility includes advanced camera integration labs

Pixxel, a space data company known for its cutting-edge hyperspectral earth-imaging technology, has inaugurated its first Spacecraft Manufacturing Facility, MegaPixxel, in Bengaluru.

This state-of-the-art facility spans over 30,000 square feet and is designed to streamline the satellite manufacturing process from conceptualisation to launch readiness.

The MegaPixxel facility will ensure spacecraft assembly, integration and testing (AIT), allowing Pixxel’s satellites to be crafted, integrated, and tested against the rigors of launch conditions before being dispatched to their respective launch sites.

“As we approach our fifth anniversary, the opening of this new facility is a significant achievement for Pixxel. It enhances our capability to act as the planet’s health monitor, increasing our satellite production capacity and enabling us to supply vital data to our clients more rapidly. This data is crucial for informed decision-making across various sectors, including agriculture, energy, forestry, and environmental monitoring,” Awais Ahmed, CEO of Pixxel, said in a statement.

The MegaPixxel facility boasts the capacity to manage over twenty satellites concurrently , with a turnaround time of six months per satellite. This impressive throughput could see up to forty large satellites produced annually.

The facility is uniquely equipped with two modern clean rooms rated at ISO Class 7 and ISO Class 8 to prevent contamination that could compromise satellite functionality during assembly and integration.

In addition to the clean rooms, the facility includes advanced camera integration labs, electronics R&D, electrical assembly areas, a mechanical workshop, a mission control room, and office space capable of accommodating over 200 employees.

MegaPixxel is fitted with smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to optimise energy efficiency and minimize the carbon footprint.

Pixxel is the second private company to open its facility after Skyroot Aerospace, which unveiled its newly developed HQ in Hyderabad last year. 

source/content: indiatoday.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: AVIATION & AEROSPACE: ENGINEERING: HAL’s New Design & Test Facility for Aero Engine Research & Development Centre (AERDC) inaugurated

Union Government’s Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane inaugurated a new design and test facility at HAL’s Aero Engine Research and Development Centre (AERDC) in Bengaluru on Friday.

Hailing the important work being done by HAL, Aramane said, “HAL has received applause at the highest levels and the government trusts your capability to deliver and make the country self-reliant. Manufacturing sector is the future of our country and in the coming decades, HAL should focus on mastering technologies for all types of aircraft. Think ahead as the entire paradigm of warfare is changing.”

Thrusting on the role of unmanned aircraft in the future warfare, he encouraged HAL to collaborate with other private companies to develop new platforms.

“HAL is the largest DPSU in India and I want it to become the top ten companies in the world,” he said, adding that he had a look at the manufacturing range of various engines and test beds and also paid a visit to HAL’s Aerospace Division.

C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD (Addl. Charge), HAL said, “The development of this facility marks a key milestone in HAL’s growth trajectory. It is a testimony of HAL’s commitment towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in aero-engine design and development.”

The new facility spanning over 10,000 sq. meters has been established under the modernisation plan.

Dr D K Sunil, Director (Engineering, R&D) outlined the design perspectives of HAL’s R&D initiatives.

The AERDC is currently involved in the design and development of several new engines including two strategic engines — Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine (HTFE) of 25 kN thrust for powering trainers, UAV’s, twin engine small fighter aircraft or regional jets and Hindustan Turbo Shaft Engine (HTSE) of 1200 kN thrust for powering light and medium weight helicopters (3.5 to 6.5 tonnes in single/twin engine configuration).

The new state-of-the-art facility houses special machines, advanced setups leveraging on computational tools, in-house fabrication facility and two test beds for testing HTFE-25 and one test-bed each for testing HTSE-1200 and upcoming JV engine for IMRH to be co-developed by Safran, France and HAL.

In addition, the newly developed facility has setups for testing Air producer of Jaguar, Gas Turbine Starter Unit (GTSU) -110 M2 and 127E of LCA, Auxiliary Power Units of IMRH and AMCA, Gas Turbine Electrical Generator (GTEG)-60 for An-32 aircraft. Setups to carry out various critical tests for engine components and LRUs have also been established within the new facility.

The Centre, established in the 1960s, holds the unique distinction of being the only design house that has developed test beds for engines of both Western and Russian origin. It has successfully developed and certified PTAE-7 engine, the first indigenous turbojet engine of India powering Lakshya (Unmanned Aircraft), Gas Turbine Electrical Generator GTEG-60 for starting An-32 aircraft, Air starter ATS 37 and Air producer for starting Adour-Mk 804E/811 on Jaguar Aircraft and Shakti engine for powering ALH to support Ad804/811 engine of Jaguar aircraft.

Senior officials from HAL, IAF, GTRE. ADA, NAL, CEMILAC and ADE were present on the occasion.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: ENGINEERING & SCIENCE: DRONES: India closer to New Drone Power as NRT’s Indigenous Solar-Powered Pseudo-Satellite Flies for over 21 hrs

Start-up announced that its prototype had completed flight during Winter Solstice trial. Big fillip to India’s plan of having long-endurance drone capable of flying in stratosphere.

Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd (NRT) announced Saturday that its long-endurance drone, the solar-powered High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS), had carried out its first flight lasting over 21 hours. The development comes as a big fillip to India’s plan to have its own long-endurance drones capable of flying in the stratosphere.

The project is being spearheaded under the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative of the defence ministry. Under this, NRT has signed a contract for an initial proof-of-concept demonstrator, which targets a solar-powered flight lasting longer than 48 hours. 

Sameer Joshi, CEO of the start-up and a former Air Force pilot, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that the company’s prototype completed its flight during a Winter Solstice trial on 22 December.

The Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, tests the solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’s (UAV) endurance at its worst. The next flight will take place on 21 June or the Summer Solstice, when the Sun will be at its brightest.

The IAF has included HAPS under a Rs 1,000 crore ‘Make I project’ of the Government of India. This means that 70 percent of the funding will come from the government.

Upbeat about the NRT feat, defence sources told ThePrint that this was the next big thing in air warfare and that the flight included both day and night flying, with the UAV using solar energy for travel during the day and using its solar-charged battery for flying at night. The sources refused to get into details of what altitude the UAV flew at, but said the plan is to have it fly in the stratosphere at about 65,000 feet, above air traffic.

For context, commercial aircraft typically fly between 31,000 and 38,000 feet, or at about 5.9 to 7.2 miles.

Since the HAPS operates on solar power, it can continue to fly for months.

India’s first stratospheric vehicle?

The HAPS UAV is part of a new genre of solar-powered platforms being designed across the world for persistent surveillance, communications, and specialist science missions.

Both the IAF and the Navy are on board with the project and are looking at acquiring this capability in the short term as well as in the long term. 

In India, the National Aerospace Laboratories under the government’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is also working on a similar project, but details of its progress are yet unknown. 

Defence sources told ThePrint that India does not have a stratospheric vehicle. 

Running exclusively on solar power and flying above the weather at 16-20 km autonomously for months at a stretch, a HAPS platform will fill a capability gap between satellites and HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs, sources said. 

The sources explained that HAPS is ultra-lightweight but has a strong body with the ability to take onboard batteries and other systems. They said that as the battery technology improves, the endurance would also grow.

The intended surveillance payloads for HAPS include electro-optical/ infra-red (EO/IR) solutions, synthetic aperture radars (SAR) besides communication payloads — including range extenders, electronic intelligence (ELINT) and electronic warfare (EW).  

The existing technology limits of the ISR payloads for HAPS allow observations of up to 80-100 km from stratospheric altitudes, which is 2-3 times more as offered by MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs. ISR, or Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), is vital for military operations.

Sources said the HAPS technology will offset the lack of critical ISR gap felt during the Doklam crisis, the Balakot incident, and the ongoing crisis in Ladakh. 

The Navy will be an immediate beneficiary since this allows continuous low-cost manning of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), sources said.

They also explained that the civilian use of HAPS is equally important since it can provide telecommunication connectivity all over India — especially in regions with patchy terrestrial network issues because of the challenges of terrain and costs.  

source/content: theprint.in (headline edited)

Airbus, HAL tie up for commercial aircraft maintenance

French aerospace manufacturer Airbus said on Thursday that it was partnering with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for commercial aircraft service support.

Under the agreement, Airbus will provide the A320 family tool package and offer specialised consulting services to HAL to set up an MRO. Airbus will also offer HAL access to AirbusWorld, a digital platform that offers support, technical data and training solutions.

HAL’s Nashik division has capabilities in civil MRO, which include three Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved hangars and skilled manpower from their defence activities.

“HAL has a vision to establish an integrated MRO hub in the country and provide airlines with an effective MRO solution. This step by HAL Nashik is also aligned to civil-military convergence and the Make in India mission of the Government of India,” said Saket Chaturvedi, CEO (MiG Complex), HAL.

“An indigenous MRO infrastructure will not only help airlines streamline their aircraft operations, but also support the government’s aim of making India a global aviation hub,” said Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATATA: SPACE & TECHNOLOGY: Bengaluru-based Space Startup ‘GalaxEye Space’ Unveils First Drone-based SAR System

Started in 2021, GalaxEye is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Singh, Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta and Rakshit Bhatt.

A Bengaluru-based space-tech startup and the first Indian Earth observation satellite company, GalaxEye Space, inaugurated a high-resolution aerial drone based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) system that can perform exceptionally detailed and high resolution all-weather imaging, even amid rainy or cloudy conditions. 

“The in-house developed data fusion technology will deliver unprecedented insights and data from space, empowering satellite constellations to conduct all-weather imaging without succumbing to atmospheric hindrances that plague current single-sensor satellites,” said co-founder & CEO, GalaxEye Space, Suyash Singh. He added that technology opens doors for generating highly detailed images through a compact satellite constellation.

“Upon achieving full operational capacity, this constellation will achieve global coverage within a 12-hour time frame. The capability of constant all-weather, all-time imaging, combined with precise object geometry analysis, holds immense value across diverse sectors such as insurance, precision agriculture, accurate property tax assessment, and the monitoring of utilities like transmission lines, to name a few,” said Singh.

“India is budding with young space startups. Among them, GalaxEye has been able to prove its capabilities in a short period, that too with difficult technologies like SAR,” stated Dr Sudheer Kumar, director, Capacity Building Office, ISRO. “We are keen to see young space talent shaping the future of the Indian space economy,” he added.

“Space technology is currently a very active area having several young entrepreneurs. GalaxEye Space, spun out of IIT Madras, has grown by leaps and bounds since they were incorporated. We are proud of their achievements and look forward to more such ‘Make In India’ initiatives. We shall continue to nurture and support budding entrepreneurs in several ways,” said Dr V Kamakoti, director, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.

Started in 2021, GalaxEye is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Singh, Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta and Rakshit Bhatt. The startup, spun out of IIT Madras, has inked strategic partnerships and commercial contracts with leading organizations, including US-based space software provider Antaris Inc, XDLINX Labs, Ananth Technologies, and Dassault Systemes. The company is committed to further expanding its partnerships and customer base in the upcoming months, and has submitted a proposal to IN-SPACe seeking support from ISRO to take its endeavours forward.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: SPACE TECHNOLOGY: Udupi Ramachandra Rao (U.R. Rao) – The Man who Built a Satellite in a Shed

Let us shift our attention away from the lander to Chandrayaan-3, the satellite that carried it there, and to the story of India’s satellite dream, which began in 1972 in six rough industrial sheds outside Bengaluru.

Last week, as the Vikram lander descended into a graceful, precise, soft landing on the dark side of the moon, Indian hearts exploded in pride. This week, let us shift our attention away from the lander to Chandrayaan-3, the satellite that carried it there, and to the story of India’s satellite dream, which began in 1972 in six rough industrial sheds outside Bengaluru.

The problem with space technology is that countries guard their knowhow fiercely – there’s very little, and very sketchy, information available in the public domain. In 1966, therefore, Vikram Sarabhai, then director of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) invited one of his former PhD students at Physical Research Laboratories (PRL) Ahmedabad, who had been researching solar cosmic-ray phenomena while working with Pioneer space probes and Explorer satellites at MIT, to return and head the satellite engineering team he was putting together. The brilliant young man who bought into the dream and would later be hailed as India’s Satellite Man was 34-year-old Udupi Ramachandra Rao.

When UR Rao took over the satellite program, he was the only one on the team to have ever seen a satellite. At that time, the satellite engineering team was divided between the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) near Trivandrum, and PRL in Ahmedabad. The untimely death of Sarabhai in 1971 brought Satish Dhawan to the helm of ISRO (INCOSPAR became ISRO in 1969). Unwilling to give up his job as Director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Dhawan negotiated for ISRO to move to Bengaluru, providing the perfect opportunity for Rao, who had spent his boyhood in Ballari and the little village of Adamaru in Udupi, to decide to move the satellite centre here as well.

It wasn’t easy. The unionized labour force at TERLS went on the warpath, refusing to allow any equipment to be moved out. In Bengaluru itself, premises had to be found. At first, the IISc gymkhana was co-opted; later, the Karnataka government offered Rao a few sheds at the brand-new (read: entirely lacking facilities) Peenya Industrial Area outside town. In a dazzling feat of jugaad, involving thermocol, vinyl, and, presumably, duct tape, one of those dusty, asbestos-roofed sheds was converted into the ‘clean room’ required for satellite activity.

In those sheds, between 1972 and 1975, a young and inexperienced but passionate team of scientists and engineers – average age: 26 – put together, under Rao’s dynamic, inspiring. impatient leadership, India’s very first satellite, Aryabhata. It was a magnificent feat – no other country had built a satellite in under three years. The famous picture of Aryabhata being transported on a bullock cart was scoffed at in the American press, which questioned a poor country’s need for a space program. Rao explained it years later as another brilliant example of jugaad. The spacecraft had to be tested for electromagnetic capability and interference in an open area, but metal trucks threw off reflections that interfered with the satellite’s antenna. Someone came up with the brilliant idea of using a wooden bullock cart to transport it instead – et voila!

In 2017, at the age of 85, after overseeing the design of 18 more satellites, accelerating the development of satellite launch vehicles like the ASLVs and PSLVs during his decade-long tenure as Chairman of ISRO, and becoming the first Indian to be inducted into the International Astronautical Federation’s ‘Hall of Fame’, the much-decorated UR Rao died with his boots on. Since then, the ISRO Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, which he so capably raised on the wings of a dream and a prayer, and where all the Chandrayaan satellites were built, has carried his name, and now goes by UR Rao Satellite Centre.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: SCEINC & TECHNOLOGY: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Develops Autopilot System for Drones

The reason for India’s slow progress in this sector is due to the non-availability of essential indigenous electronics components like microcontrollers and sensors at a reasonable cost.

With the exponential rise in drone usage across sectors like industrial applications, agriculture, logistics and defence, the need for indigenous avionics systems has become crucial. In order to reduce dependence on foreign drone technology, the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) has made a significant achievement in the field of unmanned aerial systems. 

The Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Laboratory (AIRL) at IISC announced that the team has successfully developed an indigenous industrial-grade autopilot system for drones. The team said this achievement is the initial step towards the indigenization of avionics systems for drones in India. This feat was possible through the utilization of Indian-made Vega Microcontrollers, developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), as part of the Digital India RISC-V Program (DIR-V). 

The indigenously developed technology will help reduce the reliance on microcontrollers in future drone avionics projects. Professor Suresh Sundaram, Associate Professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, who headed the project said, “Our autopilot system, powered by Vega Microcontrollers, showcases the immense potential of homegrown solutions in the unmanned aerial systems domain. We are confident that this breakthrough will pave the way for further advancements in this field and contribute to the growth of the drone ecosystem in India.” 

India’s most used drone technologies which include an unmanned aerial system (UAV) that can help run a basic operation system and forward data to a navigation control unit, are imported from China, US, Israel, and several European countries.

The reason for India’s slow progress in this sector is due to the non-availability of essential indigenous electronics components like microcontrollers and sensors at a reasonable cost. The country also lacks a skilled workforce working on the UAV systems. Using imported tech comes with major security concerns such as hacking and data manipulation.

The country has been on a steady growth towards chip manufacturing and CDAC is a ray of hope in developing world-class microcontrollers. “This move will cut millions of dollars worth of electronics import over the years and make India self-reliant in terms of UAV technology,” said the laboratory. 

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA & NATIONAL: DEFENCE SERVICES / INDIAN NAVY: Navy Chief Inaugurates 600 residential buildings at Naval Base Karwar

The 10 residential towers have been provisioned with modern amenities, improved interiors, landscaping and external services.

Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar inaugurated residential buildings comprising 600 flats at Amadhalli and Arga Naval Base each during his visit to Naval Base Karwar in Karnataka on Monday, a press note from the Navy read.

The 10 residential towers have been provisioned with modern amenities, improved interiors, landscaping and external services.

These infrastructure developments are part of ongoing Phase IIA of Project Seabird which will house around 10,000 uniformed and civilian personnel with families, the release said.

The ongoing construction has created numerous direct and indirect jobs. The project aligns with the ‘AatmaNirbharBharat’ initiative of the central government, sourcing over 90 per cent of material domestically.

The CNS praised the Project Seabird effort in the creation of high-quality defence infrastructure and urged expeditious completion of remaining facilities, the release read.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: CM Siddaramaiah visits ISRO, to felicitate scientists in Vidhana Soudha

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Thursday that the scientists of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) would be felicitated officially by the government for the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Speaking to reporters after paying a visit to ISRO in Bengaluru to meet and felicitate scientists, Siddaramaiah stated that the felicitation function will be held at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha after September 2. He had given directions for his staff to coordinate with ISRO in this regard, he added.

“The achievement of ISRO by landing Vikram on the Moon safely is hailed by the entire country. The achievement has made the whole world look towards India. Our country is fourth after Russia, America, and China to achieve a safe landing on the Moon. We are the first country to land safely on the South Pole. Hence, all of us should acknowledge the achievement of ISRO and appreciate it,” CM Siddaramaiah explains.

ISRO Chairman S. Somnath and his team of 500 scientists have actively taken part in the programme from Karnataka. 3,84,000 kilometres were travelled by the Vikram and for so many years efforts have been made for the achievement. “All our cooperation and support is with ISRO for its future programmes as it is a pride of our nation,” CM Siddaramaiah maintained.

When asked about how he felt after watching the event live on Wednesday, CM Siddaramaiah stated, “I became very happy as our country has achieved this.

“It’s a historical achievement and a big achievement. They worked for many years round the clock. They have nearly 500 scientists from Bengaluru involved in this and in total more than 1,000 scientists have worked across the country.” DyCM D.K. Shivakumar visited ISRO on Wednesday evening and felicitated the team.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)