Indian Aerospace and Defence - Sky is not the Limit
Indian Independence Day is on the horizon and Indian Aerospace and Defense Industry is moving towards self-dependence at a starship pace for the past few years.
India has a history of innovations with references to "Vimana" - aircraft in our ancient scriptures, Susrusha Samhita one of the oldest documents over medical surgery, Bhramastra - Inspiration to Dr. Openhiemer, Value of Pi, Speed of Light, Existence of Solar System when telescopes were not available. The Indian mindset hence prefered to manage one of the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley.
The Indian Aerospace and Defense Industry has witnessed a few remarkable milestones in the past decade and it becomes noteworthy to document them in a single article when India is going to celebrate its 77th Independence Day on 15th August 2023
Defence
In 1947, some technical development establishments came up which became laboratories of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) later. Before 1950, India had only 19 ordnance factories. The sector saw?significant growth in the latter part of the 20th?century, and rapid progress in the last 20 years
Currently, there are nine Defence Public Sector Units, 41 ordinance factories, 50 dedicated R & D labs, and many other establishments included in it. There are about 70 license-holding private companies. They have a dedicated workforce of 1.7 lakh people in India
Space
The Indian National Committee for Space Research ("INCOSPAR") was established under the Department of Atomic Energy in 1962, marking India's first entry into space research and exploration. INCOSPAR was superseded in 1969 by the Indian Space Research Organisation ("ISRO"), with the goal of using space technology to advance India's position in the worldwide competition of space exploration. Furthermore, the Department of Space and the Space Commission (DSSC) was legally established in 1972.
First Experimental launch of SLV-3 with Rohini Technology Payload on board (August 10, 1979). The satellite could not be placed in orbit. Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3) is the first launch vehicle of India
The first developmental launch of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-D1 with GSAT-1 on board took off from Sriharikota on April 18, 2001. It was developed keeping in mind the heavier and more demanding Geosynchronous communication satellites
Aviation
Indian Aviation Industry in Civil sector was predominantly reliant on international imports when it comes to passenger aircraft.
In defense side stories are a bit different although many defense experts claim "TEJAS" is India's first fighter aircraft. The Indian Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Company was the very first indigenous organization that designed one of the best airframes called "Marut" which as actually India's first supersonic indigenous fighter.
HAL was established as?Hindustan Aircraft Limited?in Bangalore on 23 December 1940 by?Walchand Hirachand?in association with the then?Kingdom of Mysore.?Walchand Hirachand became chairman of the company. The company's office was opened at a bungalow called "Eventide" on?Domlur?Road.
The organization and equipment for the factory at Bangalore were set up by?William D. Pawley?of the Intercontinental Aircraft Corporation of New York. Pawley obtained a large number of machine tools and equipment from the United States.
The?Indian Government?bought a one-third stake in the company and by April 1941 by investing ?25?lahks?as it believed this to be a strategic imperative. The decision by the government was primarily motivated to boost British military hardware supplies in Asia to counter the increasing threat posed by?Imperial Japan?during?Second World War.?
Post Independence the most revolutionary project was christened by HAL in 1956, HAL formally began design work on the supersonic fighter project
On 24 June 1961, the first prototype Marut conducted its maiden flight.?It was powered by the same?Bristol Siddeley Orpheus?703?turbojets?that had powered the?Folland Gnat, also being manufactured by HAL at that time. On 1 April 1967, the first production Marut was delivered to the IAF
The Achilles heel for this program was securing a suitable engine, which was principally a political issue; while arrangements were successfully established with the United Kingdom and?Bristol Siddeley?for HAL to domestically produce the Orpheus, it was only suitable as an interim measure as it lacked the power to enable the Marut to achieve supersonic speed
That same Achilles heel delayed the next indigenous fighter called "TEJAS" as make in India "Kaveri" engine was not able to generate the necessary thrust required to power a supersonic fighter jet.
It was not a failure, but jet engines are more complex and need special metallurgy, material science, and foundries to develop and forge jet engine components such as turbines which can sustain extremely high heat exposure and are reliable enough to sustain high altitudes as well as extreme g-force maneuvers of jet fighters
Critics need to understand, jet engines take time to develop. HAL's friendly defense counterpart France's?SNECMA, with over half a century of successful jet engine development experience, took nearly 13 years to bring the?Rafale?fighter's?M88?engine to low-volume production
The Present
Currently, Indian Aerospace and Defense industry is hitting one milestone after another
Beyond The Skies - Indian Space Industry
The ambitious Chandrayan 3 entered lunar orbit yesterday successfully and ISRO is hopeful that it will successfully attempt a soft landing on the south pole of the Moon on 23rd August 2023 history will be in the making as none of the countries to date are able to land any rover successfully on the south pole of Moon
Opportunities in Indian Space Industry
End-to-End Launch Vehicle building through Indian Industry NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)
As part of this mandate, NSIL signed a contract with M/s HAL Lead Partner of the M/s HAL and L&T consortia] to manufacture five PSLVs. The first wholly Indian-made PSLV will be delivered by 2024, with succeeding vehicles arriving every six months.
Satellite Building
The Space Start - Ups
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been the primary aerospace service provider in the space segment since its inception, in 1969. However, with the changing ecosystem, India has seen a boom with many private players entering the space sector and playing key roles in the Indian space economy.?
The SPACE IP
ISRO has over 223 active patents, 73 copyrights, and 13 trademarks.
In 2022-23, 87 patent applications are being examined, and 21 are being drafted by patent attorneys before being filed at the patent office.
Human Resource Development
ISRO Technical Training Programme (ITTP)
On April 27, 2022, ISRO signed an agreement with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to organize the ISRO Technical Training Programme (ITTP). The plan aims to provide skill development training to ISRO technical staff at various technical facilities of National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) across the country through MSDE.
Management Development Programme
The Capacity Building Commission (CBC), in collaboration with the STI-CB cell, the PSA's office, and ISRO, has established a Leadership Training Programme for 32 scientists from eight science ministries. The training program was scheduled for September 27-30, 2022.
Defense on a Multi-Billion Growth Trajectory
Defence production in FY 2022-23 (until August 1, 2022) stood at Rs. 17,885 crore (US$ 2.24 billion).
? The Indian government has set the defence production target at US$ 25.00 billion by 2025 (including US$ 5 billion from exports by 2025).
? The government is taking several initiatives to encourage domestic manufacturing and reduce its external dependence for defence procurement.
? In January 2021, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced that it will support at least 30 start-ups every year to
develop innovative products for Indian defence forces.
? The government announced measures under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, including raising foreign direct investment (FDI) limit from 49% to 74%
via the automatic route; this resulted in significant FDI inflows in the defence and aerospace sector.
? The Defense Spending highlights an extreme focus on the modernization of the Indian Airforce with state-of-the-art equipment and fighters to replace aging Migs the backbone of the Airforce with TEJAS, AMCA - the next generation Indian Stealth fighter
Air
HAL Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft?(AMCA) is an Indian program to develop fifth-generation?stealth,?multirole?combat aircraft for the?Indian Air Force?and the?Indian Navy?which will also include?sixth-generation?technologies. The development cost is estimated to be around??15,000?crore?(~$2 billion)
(Note; I will explain Stealth Fighter in my next article on the upcoming Weekend)
HAL holds credit for developing indigenous fighter TEJAS and Prachand is an Indian multi-role, light?attack helicopter?designed and manufactured by the?Hindustan Aeronautics Limited?(HAL) under project LCH.?It has been ordered by the?Indian Air Force?and the?Indian Army. Its?flight ceiling?is the highest among all attack helicopters in the world.
LCH is intended to be used for a variety of operational purposes, such as to perform?air defense?against slow-moving aerial targets, including both manned aircraft and?unmanned aerial vehicles?(UAVs), participation in?counter-insurgency?operations (COIN) and Counter Surface Force Operations (CSFO), the?destruction of enemy air defense operations?and wider offensive use during?urban warfare?conditions, escort to special heliborne operations (SHBO), support of?combat search and rescue?(CSAR) operations, and armed aerial scouting duties
The Land
In 2023 Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra company, started deliveries of ‘Armado,’ an Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV) built for the Indian armed forces built from the ground up in India
The LSV provides ballistic protection up to CEN B7 STANAG Level II, allowing it to stop a variety of ammunition, including 7.6251mm NATO and heavy.50 BMG bullets. The LSV is appropriate for patrolling in high-intensity combat zones because it provides ballistic protection against IEDs, hand grenades, and anti-personnel mines.
Many defense experts are comparing it to American HUMVEE, but the LSV is much better in performance, modularity, and ballistic protection as compared to vanilla HUMVEE which is now replaced by Oshkosh's JLTVs
I will compare them in the next article regarding changing dynamics of land-based defense
DRDO decided to make the tank called Arjun, a primarily Indian design. It was to be a 40-ton vehicle armed with a 105-millimeter gun. It would be small enough to be strategically mobile, capable of being shuttled on internal lines (roads and railroads) to vital sectors
Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), part of DRDO, was to design the hull, armor, turret, gun, and running gear. The main gun and engine would be imported
To complete the Arjun tank story, the tank is fitted with Kanchan armor, a locally designed composite similar to British Chobham armor.
Kanchan is believed to be capable of surviving point-blank shots from the 125-millimeter gun of Indian T-72 tanks. While providing protection, the weight ballooned from the original 40-ton specification to 62 tons. But in this process, Horse Power (HP) to Weight ratio slipped from an impressive 1:35
Variably referred to as the Arjun?MK2, Next Generation Main Battle Tank (NGMBT), or Future MBT (FMBT), the FMBT is an upcoming main battle tank developed by DRDO for the Indian Army.?The FMBT is designed to be considerably lighter than Arjun variants, planned to be equipped with advanced electro-optical sight systems and possibly a high-power laser-based weapon system in addition to the main gun.?The type and caliber of the main gun have not been decided yet but according to the DRDO, the FMBT will have a main gun able to fire high-velocity projectiles at a longer distance. The FMBT will also have network-centric warfare abilities
Indigenously developed Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missiles
(ATGM) were successfully test-fired from Main Battle Tank (MBT)
Arjun by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
and Indian Army at KK Ranges with the support of the Armoured Corps
Centre & School (ACC&S) Ahmednagar in Maharashtra on 4 August
2022.
Water
India has a very long coastline, and it measures about?7,516.6 km?bordering the mainland and the islands with the Bay of Bengal in the East, the Indian Ocean in the South, and the Arabian Sea in the West
As of September 2022, the Indian Navy's operational fleet consists of 2 active?aircraft carriers?and 1?amphibious transport dock, 8?landing ship tanks, 11?destroyers, 13?frigates, 2?ballistic missile submarines, 16 conventionally-powered?attack submarines, 18?corvettes, one?mine countermeasure vessel, 4?fleet tankers?and numerous other?auxiliary vessels,?small patrol boats?and sophisticated ships.
Crown Jewel is obviously INS?Vikrant?is an?aircraft carrier?in service with?Indian Navy. The carrier is the first to be built in India and was constructed by the?Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL)?in?Kochi,?Kerala.
INS?Vikrant?is 262 metres (860?ft) long and 62 metres (203?ft) wide, and displaces about 45,000 tonnes (44,000?long tons; 50,000?short tons).?It features a STOBAR configuration.?It can carry an air group of up to thirty-six aircraft,?including 26 fixed-wing combat aircraft,?and a mix of?Dhruv MK-III,?Sikorsky MH-60R?and?Kamov Ka-31?helicopters. The Ka-31 will fulfill the?airborne early warning?(AEW) role, MH-60R will provide?anti-surface?and?anti-submarine warfare?(ASW) capabilities,?and Dhruv will be used mainly for search and rescue operations.
Vikrant?is powered by four?General Electric LM2500+?gas turbines on two shafts, generating over 80 megawatts (110,000?hp) of power. The gearboxes for the carriers were designed and supplied by?Elecon Engineering.
The ship's combat management system (CMS) was developed by?Tata Advanced Systems.?It is the first CMS developed by a private company for the Indian Navy and was handed over to the Navy on 28 March 2019.
In 2022, the Indian Navy began testing the Rafale M and?Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet?at a?shore-based test facility?at?INS Hansa?in?Goa.
The Navy started the fixed-wing aviation trials with the Tejas Naval variant. This is to be followed by MiG-29K trials.
On 6 February 2023, two arrested landings were made by MiG-29Ks, and also by a?HAL Tejas (Naval Variant).
Any carrier fleet is incomplete without its protection shield of destroyers, submarines, and support vessels. India has already outpaced its other counterparts in developing indigenous stealth destroyers which are difficult to trace or track over enemy radars another feather in the cap of Indian Engineering.
The Destroyer
Visakhapatnam-class aircraft, also known as Project 15B-class vessel, is a more capable variant of their predecessors Kolkata class which compete for head to head with global class leading Arleigh Burke class?of guided-missile?destroyers?(DDGs)? of the United States.
In 2011, India authorized the construction of the Visakhapatnam class. Its hull is identical to that of the Kolkata class. However, significant alterations have occurred in the superstructure. For instance, the Visakhapatnam class is more stealthy than its forerunner.?
Over 75% of the ship’s content was manufactured and developed in India, either directly or designed and developed by Indian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) or through strategic tie-ups and transfer of technology with reputed OEMs in other countries, said the defense ministry in a statement.?Its combat management system has the ability to use analytical tools and create a tactical picture, while it is also capable of achieving speeds of 30 knots (55 km/hour) as it is propelled by four powerful gas turbines in a ‘combined gas and gas’ (COGAG)?configuration.?
Onboard weapons like BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles and Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles are also fitted with a modern surveillance radar which helps provide target data to the ship’s weapon system. Additionally, the ship’s weaponry also includes indigenously-developed rocket launchers, torpedo launchers, and ASW helicopters like Sea King or HAL Dhruv.
The Hunter Killer
The INS?Arihant, India’s first nuclear ballistic-missile submarine, will finally give the country nuclear weapons that could survive a surprise first strike and go on to deal a crushing retaliatory blow
Arihant?can do twelve to fifteen knots on the surface and twenty-four knots underwater. Maximum diving depth is unknown, and probably a closely held secret, but the class-leading Akula class is known to dive to six hundred meters. The submarine is manned by a crew of ninety-five to one hundred.
Arihant?was officially launched in 2009. The onboard reactor reached criticality in 2013, and the ship began sea trials in late 2014. It was officially commissioned into service in August 2016.?According to?Naval Technology, the total price tag was $2.9 billion.
INS?Arighat?is an upgraded variant of the?Arihant-class?submarine.It is the second?nuclear-powered?ballistic missile submarine?being built by?India under the?Advanced Technology Vessel?(ATV) project to build nuclear submarines at the Ship Building Centre in?Visakhapatnam.
The submarine was quietly launched in 2017 and little has been publicly announced about its capabilities and current status. The submarine was originally known as INS?Aridhaman?but was renamed INS?Arighat?upon its launch. According to reports released in early 2021, she was to be commissioned in late 2021 alongside?INS?Vikrant according to "The Hindu" newspaper
The?Navy?is also set to commission the fifth of six new Kalvari-class Scorpene submarines being built in the?Mazagon Docks. The final sub of the six will be delivered in 2024. They will be commissioned as INS Vagir and?INS Vagsheer. With advanced stealth features, the?Scorpenes?are equipped with both long-range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles as well as advanced sonars and sensor suites
The opportunities
Achilles Heel Getting Jet Power
India and France will extend their ground-breaking defence cooperation in advanced aeronautical technologies by supporting the joint development of a combat aircraft engine".
"Safran and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are expected to prepare a roadmap for this jet engine by the end of the year
The deal with United States engine maker General Electric is for an already developed jet engine, namely GE F-414 INS6 for use in the Tejas Mk-2, 99 examples of which India?ordered?in 2010.
These GE F-414 engines produce a maximum thrust of 98 KN with the deal involving the production of these engines in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Astonishingly, the US government has for the first time ever, allowed GE to share manufacturing technologies that they hitherto not shared with even their treaty allies.
The technologies include special coatings for corrosion and erosion and thermal barrier for the hot end, machining and coating for single crystal turbine blades, nozzle guide vanes, and other hot end parts, machining of powder metallurgy discs for the turbine, thin-walled titanium casing and CMC (ceramic matrix composites) for the nozzle.
It also included complete tech transfer for blisk machining, friction/inertia welding for fan and afterburner, PMC (polymer matrix composites) for bypass duct, Laser drilling technology for the combustor, and?Bottle boring of shafts.
This deal will essentially transfer the 'know-how' of manufacturing jet engines to HAL.
In contrast, the deal with French engine maker Safran will involve the development of an entirely new clean-sheet high-thurst jet engine for AMCA Mk-2.
This engine will be a totally new class of engine, producing 110KN thrust compared to the 98 KN for the GE F-414.
This high-thrust rating will allow the AMCA Mk-2 to supercruise, which Tejas Mk-2 will be unable to do.
This comes following another deal?signed?with the United States just two weeks ago (on 22 June), for the co-manufacturing of the General Electric GE F-414 jet engines with?transfer of technology?(ToT) of upto 80%
In 2022, the private sector generated over 20% of the Rs 80,000 crore turnover for the?aerospace?and defense sector in India. Leading business groups like L&T, Tatas, Mahindras, Hindujas, and Bharat Forge have made significant investments during the last decade while public enterprises and organizations including HAL, BEL, BEML, and NAL continue to scale up their operations with new programs to meet the government’s ambitious aspirations under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ and ‘Make in?India’ schemes.
Tata-Airbus' joint venture for manufacturing the military transport plane, C295, will result in the full development of a complete industrial ecosystem. Involving all stages of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft, it will comprise manufacturing, assembly, testing, qualification, delivery, and maintenance. Over 60 percent of the more than 30,000 detail parts, sub-assemblies, and component assemblies will be manufactured locally involving over two dozen MSME suppliers in this first-of-its-kind ‘Make in India’ aerospace program in the private sector
The Defence Ministry has set a target of 70% self-reliance in weaponry by 2027, creating huge prospects for industry players and opportunities for start-ups and established players creating double the current number of job opportunities in the Aerospace and Defense Industry in India.
In the next 5 years, India may witness export of the state of the art exports of aerospace and defense equipment, chip manufacturing, as well as commercial space, launches increasing three-fold considering the current pace of R&D, investment, and positive outlook toward Indian technology modernization initiatives.
This 77th Independence Day, India will be marching on the Rajpath of self-reliance, self-dependence due immense hard work of our scientists, our engineers, and visionaries such as Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Azad, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Dr. Homi Bhabha, Dr. Satish Dhawan who dared to dream with very little resources but sky-high ambitions to remake their country once a foundry for technology and scientific prowess.
Note: Opinions are personal
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Sources: Times of India; IBEF; Swarajyamag, WION, Economic Times, Naval Post; Ministry of Defense Website; DefenseWorld