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Drones: Kicking Up A Swarm

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Drones: Kicking Up A Swarm

The armed forces start placing their first orders for swarm drones but the need is to ramp up R&D for indigenous prowess in these battle-defining machines

Tiny rotors whirring, the quadcopters raced across the field, their electronic eyes scanning the ground. After a 15-minute flight, the drones located their target—a solitary T-55 battle tank. Their cameras matched its image with a library of onboard targets. The drones then proceeded to drop their payload on the tank.

The demonstration was performed at an army cantonment in Secunderabad this August as officials from the Indian Army’s Simulator Development Division (SDD) tested drones fielded by a handful of private vendors. Had this been a live combat situation, the shaped charges (explosives designed to transmit all their blast force downwards) dropped by the drone would have punched through the top of the tank—where its armour is the thinnest—destroying it. This is the concept the army was looking to prove: the ability of drone swarms to demolish tanks over the horizon, beyond the range of ground-based anti-tank missiles.

Based on these tests, the army last month placed two fast-track procurement orders, worth Rs 100 crore each, with two private firms. Bengaluru-based NewSpace Technologies is contracted to supply a weaponised swarm of 50 drones with a 25 km range. New Delhi-based Raphe mPhibr will provide a swarm of 50 cargo drones that can carry 4 kg payloads to a distance of 25 km. These are the first drone swarm procurements by Indian armed forces. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is rebooting a 2018 contest to identify developers who can offer a drone swarm that flies 100 km (50 km up and 50 km down), autonomously identifies targets, strikes at them and returns to the base after the mission. It will order at least 100 such units from one or multiple firms.

For the longest time, drones appeared to be the stuff of science fiction. In the six-week conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave that ended last November, Azerbaijani forces used waves of weaponised Turkish drones to smash Armenian radars, air-defence missile systems, trucks and fortifications. The war proved that the days of standalone heavy units—tanks, artillery and missile systems—may be numbered. Back home, on June 27 this year, suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists used two drones to attack an IAF airbase in Jammu. One of the drones dropped a military-grade shaped charge, which cut through an eight-inch concrete slab on the roof of a building at the base.

Next Level In Warfare

In swarms, packs of armed drones fly together in perfect symmetry, searching for targets. In case any drone takes a hit, others in the flock take over, effortlessly self-healing to continue the mission. They can be used for kamikaze missions to saturate enemy air defences, attack vehicles, aircraft and troops. They can also be used as anti-drone systems or deliver supplies to remote military units.

Drone swarms are cheap and can be mass-produced when compared to manned aircraft and helicopters or even cruise missiles and smart bombs. This is why militaries around the world want a drone swarm. The Israeli armed forces are believed to have made the first military use of a drone swarm. In their 11-day operation against terror group Hamas in May, Israeli quadcopter drones used artificial intelligence to monitor rockets launched by Hamas, directing aircraft and ground units to the launch pads.

Militaries around the world are keen on swarm drones as they are cheaper than aircraft, choppers, missiles and smart bombs, and can be mass-produced

Massed drones, or waves of remotely piloted vehicles equipped with sensors and weapons, have revolutionised warfare. They are ubiquitous, low cost and possess a formidable combination of reconnaissance and firepower. It is a capability India’s adversaries are fielding. China has used civil-military fusion, leveraging its civilian drone capabilities to create a pipeline of military drones. This became evident to the Indian Army deployed in Ladakh this year. Pakistan, too, has fielded a range of weaponised drones and is believed to have acquired Turkish ‘Kargu’ kamikaze drones, which can function as a single platform and be part of a swarm of up to 20 platforms.

The Indian military says it could well be looking at hybrid capabilities, with drone swarms enhancing the effectiveness of existing systems. Public sector aerospace firm HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) is working with NewSpace Technologies on an ‘Air Launched Flexible Asset’, wherein a manned fighter jet can release a drone swarm against ground-based targets. “Why should an artillery regiment have 18 guns? It could have a mix of drone swarms and fewer guns teaming up to do the spotting and shooting,” says a senior army officer.

Last year, the Shimla-based Army Training Command (ARTRAC) was asked to identify emerging technologies and harness the army’s in-house resources to meet challenges. On Army Day (January 15) this year, ARTRAC got NewSpace Technologies to demonstrate simulated attacks on ‘enemy’ tanks, fuel depots and ammunition dumps by a swarm of 75 drones. “Swarms will impact every aspect of conflict, from counterinsurgency to conventional war. A swarm’s exploitation is constrained only by imagination,” says Lt General P. Ravi Shankar, former DG, artillery.

A series of events has reshaped the army’s thinking. Drones have been used by India’s adversaries on both its active fronts. Since 2019, Pakistan-based terror groups have been using load-carrying drones to drop arms in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Chinese drones frequently flew over Indian Army positions in Ladakh during the nine-month standoff.

Swarm Drone Ecosystem

Swarm drone orders on Indian start-ups are minuscule in comparison to the multi-billion-dollar drone imports that the armed forces are pushing for. The three services plan to buy 30 Predator-B/ Sea Guardian/ Sky Guardian drones from US firm General Atomics for Rs 30,000 crore. These drones, perfected by over two decades of US investments in drone warfare, will mean enormous capability accretion for the forces (each service will get 10 drones). But since they are being bought off the shelf without transfer of technology, the deal will contribute nothing towards indigenous product development. The Rs 1,200 crore a piece price tag of the Predator-B drone is far in excess of all drone orders placed with Indian start-ups.

Drone superpowers like Turkey and Israel have shown that it takes years of painstaking investments in R&D to field weaponised drones. Months of back-breaking work is required to figure out aerodynamics, integrate sensors and perfect the algorithms and communication protocols.

If drone development is taking place at a snail’s pace in India, it is perhaps because of the way the ministry of defence (MoD) is structured. It is more inclined towards procurement than incubating cutting-edge technology or hand-holding start-ups. Baby steps towards promoting start-ups, with programmes like Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), have yet to see the emergence of cutting-edge technologies.

This is why a swarm drone contest launched by the IAF in 2018 was considered a breakthrough move. Named after a maverick air force pilot, Air Commodore Mehar ‘Baba’ Singh, the Mehar Baba Prize has laid the building blocks of an indigenous start-up swarm drone ecosystem. The contest looked at identifying Indian firms that could field 20 drones with a capability of flying 50 km at 3,300 feet.

Besides Raphe mPhibr and NewSpace Technologies, three others—Veda Defence, Dhaksha Unmanned Systems and Delhi Technological University—were shortlisted for the contest. The IAF held tests in Pokhran for over two years, putting the drone swarms to rigorous and extensive tests. All firms met certain parameters but need more investments in R&D to reach the ultimate benchmark of a Level-3 militarised, weaponised drone swarm capable of autonomous operations. India’s swarm drone capabilities are currently at Level 2 (see above graphic). The fact that India sponsored a 2018 UN resolution against fully autonomous weapon systems means that even if it achieves this capability, it will have to ensure there is a human operator in the loop.

The IAF has so far invested Rs 25 crore in the Mehar Baba contest. The army was the beneficiary of the first round of the contest because it needs to strike within its tactical battle area (TBA) of 50 km. The IAF, which needs to be able to strike in a 50-200 km TBA, is looking at a rebooted contest later this year. Swarms flying 50 km where the system has to detect and attack targets without a human in the loop—the day of the swarm drone is around the corner. With it, perhaps a new paradigm of user-driven defence technology.

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INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’

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INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’


NEW DELHI: India tested its nuclear capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), designed to have a strike range of 3,500 km, for the second time in six days on Friday. The missile test, as the one conducted on January 19, was undertaken from an undersea platform in the shape of a submersible pontoon off the coast of Andhra Pradesh according to a report by Rajat Pandit of TOI.

The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.

“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.

India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.

Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.

The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.





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After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%

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After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%


India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade

In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.

The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the upgrade. The upgrade is part of India’s efforts to improve the capabilities of its primary fighter aircraft, it refers to as the “Super Sukhoi”.

This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.

In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.





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Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace

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Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace


According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

While there is no official confirmation because of the sensitivities involved, documents suggest that the order for the same has already been placed the report further added.
There are nine countries, in turn, which have shown interest in the indigenously-developed Akash missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a range of 25-km. They are Kenya, Philippines, Indonesia, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam and Algeria reported TOI.

The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.

Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System

BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.

Akash Weapon System

The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.

The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.

The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.





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