Bengaluru to host MSME Aerospace and Defense Expo

Chief Minister of Karnataka, B S Yeddiyurappa, today announced the MSME Aerospace and Defense Expo as a part of the India Manufacturing Show. The fifth edition of this biennial event will be held in Bengaluru, from 27 – 29 September 2021. The event will be organized by Laghu Udyog Bharati - Karnataka (LUB-K) and IMS Foundation in association with the Government of Karnataka.

During his inaugural address at the AERO INDIA Show CM of Karnataka said, “As you are aware that Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji wants MSMEs to play a very important role in AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. To realize his dream, Laghu Udyog Bharati and IMS foundation with the support of Government of Karnataka is organizing MSME Aerospace and Defense Expo from 27th to 29th September 2021 at Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre.”

The three-day expo spread over 20,000 m² will be the largest exhibition for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises in Aerospace and Defense industry. IMS 2021 will provide opportunity to MSMEs from diverse Industry sectors like Auto Industry, Industrial Engineering, Electronics and Automation etc. IMS 2021 will also host Vendor Development Program, B2B meetings and Workshops. The event will be supported by Indo German Chamber of Commerce as well as leading Industry bodies of India.

BEL delivers RBE2 Radar modules to Thales for Rafale

As part of Thales’ Offsets commitments under the Rafale India contract, and in line with the Make in India policy, Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has manufactured T/R (transmit/receive) modules for the RBE2 radar on the Dassault Aviation Rafale and delivered them to Thales.

Thales is an active stakeholder in the Make in India policy, promoted by the Indian Government, and in the Offsets conditions included in the Rafale India programme. In November 2020, the first RBE2 AESA (active electronic scanning array) radar with a front end manufactured by BEL in India was delivered by Thales to Dassault Aviation. BEL implemented a set of rigorous processes at its Bangalore facility in order to achieve this key milestone.

Specifically developed for Rafale, the RBE2 is the first in-service European AESA radar and has been combat proven on Rafale aircraft operated by the French Air Force.

RAC MiG enters into a Strategic Partnership with Aviatech Enterprises

Aviatech Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. (AEPL), a Crown Group Company, specialising in Defence Aerospace MRO and Aviation Engineering services including engineering design, Manufacture, Product development and Production for Indigenisation and NABL accredited Calibration facility,today announced that it has entered into a ‘Framework Agreement’ with Joint Stock Company RAC MiG.

AEPL will be the in-country authorised partner for RAC MiG for providing post-warranty Product Support for MiG 29K/KUB aircraft, Associated Systems, Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and Special to Type Test Equipment (STTE) in the inventory of the Indian Navy.

Speaking on the partnership, Rear Admiral Srinivas Kanugo, VSM (Retd), Head of Aerospace Engineering and CEO Aviatech Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. (AEPL), commented, “We are proud to be the preferred Partner of Choice for JSC RAC MiG, Russia’s premier aerospace and defence company. The ‘Framework Agreement’ is an enabling agreement which paves the way for enhanced in-country Product Support at the doorstep of the Indian Navy establishments operating or maintaining the MiG-29K/ KUB fleet of aircraft.  The association of Indian partner, AEPL in the follow-on support contracts addresses critical Maintenance, Logistic and Supply chain issues on 24X7 basis, thus enhancing the availability of the aircraft and associated systems.”

Crown Group’s signs MoU with USC

To provide its best contribution and impetus to the Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission for the nation as envisaged under the charismatic leadership of Narendra Modi, OSK India Pvt. Ltd. (OIPL), a Crown Group Company, today signed an MoU with United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia, to provide augmented indigenous product and services support to the Indian Navy.

 The exclusive cooperation agreement with United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia is for maintenance and servicing of Indian naval ships and for manufacturing & supply of spares.

Speaking on the occasion, Commodore Rakesh Anand, CEO of OSK India Pvt Ltd(former CMD of Mazagon Docks Limited), explained how this will lead to enhanced maintenance facilities for the Indian Navy to always keep its assets in combat ready position. “The Indian Navy possesses a substantial fleet of Russian Warships and Submarines which have been acquired over the years. These Ships and Submarines require continuous maintenance support so as to be combat ready.  The need to strengthen maintenance support to the Indian Navy has led to the creation of OSK India Pvt Ltd (OIPL). The Company is supported by a team of highly qualified and experienced engineers, supervisors and technicians. The personnel are highly conversant with technologies which are installed on board Naval platforms.”

“The advantages of services provided by OIPL to the Indian Navy are several. Firstly, there will be a single window solution, both for supply of spares and repairs. Secondly, we are capable of providing OEM driven solutions for many long standing issues. And last but not the least there will be reduced turnaround time for repair activities and shortened delivery frame for repairs,” he added.

Crown Group Handheld Anti-Drone Systems

By R Chandrkanth

The Crown Group showcased India’s first-ever indigenously developed Handheld Anti-Drone System, besides artificial intelligence (AI) & Big Data Analytics-driven innovative technologies and solutions for Data Management and Predictive Intelligence. 

The Crown Group’s anti-drone system is built to mitigate burgeoning threats posed by drones and UAVs to infrastructures and people owing to their malicious or errant use cases, espionage and intelligence transport of explosive & biological payloads and air traffic interruptions - impacting civil and defence aviation. 

India has over 15,106 kms of land borders with extremely harsh terrains. Despite intense tactical and counter infiltration grid deployment of the troops, there are gaps which are prone to isolated airspace violations and intrusions by adversaries asymmetric tactics. Troops in the Border Out Posts do not have any equipment to intercept and neutralise such threats posed by drones. Many a time’s commercial drones are used by terrorist organisations and other intruders to carry out trans-border illegal activities. Given their small sizes, it goes unnoticed on radars and surveillance systems. Majority of the Counter Drones Systems currently available are costly, intricate technology. Also, the present Technology is limited to close in protection of Point Targets like venues, critical infrastructure or a complex. They are not designed for long extended borders.

Counter Drones is a nascent technology and companies are trying to build the best systems involving multiple technologies to deal with all possible contingencies. Various market research groups pegged the growth rate in this industry from 25-35% CAGR till 2025. This shows that the threat is real and rapid.

Elaborating on this, Brigadier Ram Chhillar, of Crown Group, commented, “While the use of drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), both for military and civilian purposes have increased in India over the years; considering the rising incidences of threats, sophisticated security systems must be adapted in accordance with the threat evolution. Given the affordability of drones, thanks to unprecedented technological advancements, the incidences of misuse are anticipated to grow manifold in the coming times, threatening our national defence. Today, we are proud to share with you all, that it is a proud moment for India - Crown Group is the first company from the Industry to have developed an indigenous Tactical Counter Drone System. Crown Group’s C-UAS ARMS Anti-Drone System is based on Three key features: Simple, Adaptable and Cost Effective – ready to face present and future threats.”

“The solution is flexible, scalable, interoperable, tailored-to application integration into customizable deployment platforms,” he added. 

The features of the systems are - Ease of use with minimum deployment time; Uses proprietary jamming profiles; Effective up to a range of 1.5 kms; Delivers 2 hours of continuous operation; Provides fast charging with rechargeable batteries; Weighs only 3 Kg including the battery pack; Low cost & has upgradable firmware to adapt to technology improvements; and Adaptive power output.

Given the aforementioned features, the C-UAS ARMS Anti-Drone System will act as an invisible yet formidable wall for drones at the country’s borders.  As soon as any drone comes near the Indian airspace, their RF channels are jammed by the anti-drone devices, forcing them into failsafe mode. 

Therefore, the hand-held anti-drone system will perfectly address some of the existing challenges faced by the Indian Defence Forces at the tactical level along the Line of Control as well as at the International Borders. In the hinterland, this will be value addition to the existing Security Apparatus engaged in protecting our Critical Infrastructure & Vital Installations like the Ammunition Depots, Airports & Airfields, Shipyards, Nuclear Sites etc, managed by the CISF & DSC.

Crown Group’s technology innovations establish their superlative Make in India industrial development aptitudes in engineering high-tech products that aim to solve globally relevant problems. Their commitment towards driving indigenous opportunities in the defence sector is aligned with the Government of India’s vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” for defence. The Group has defence equipment manufacturing plants, servicing and defence tie-ups and is also actively operational in domains such as Infrastructure Development and providing customised AI & IT Solutions.”

Airbus MoU with Flytech Aviation Academy 

By R Chandrakanth

Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Flytech Aviation Academy, a leading Indian aviation training academy, to explore collaboration opportunities in Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) training. Airbus and Flytech will work toward providing best-in-class training to budding drone pilots, ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality.

The MoU was signed at Aero India 2021. Airbus brings a wealth of experience in aviation training, courseware development, safety and quality standards, while Flytech excels in aviation training services, including the training of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The two will look for synergies.

“The drone technology is being rapidly adopted as its potential and applicability in multiple industries and domains, including commercial entities, individuals, armed forces and government organisations is being recognised. Under this partnership, Flytech Aviation and Airbus will combine their efforts in developing the drone ecosystem in the country,” said Captain Mamatha, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Flying Instructor at Flytech Aviation Academy.

The government estimates that there are 40,000 drones in the country and expects the number to reach one million in five years. That will require some 500,000 drone pilots.

“The drone and remotely piloted aircraft industry is evolving rapidly. This increases the demand for drone pilots equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge of safety and flying regulations along with technical proficiency,” said Remi Maillard, President and Managing Director Airbus India & South Asia. “In line with our commitment to “Skill India” mission, we are now looking to participate in and contribute to the UAV ecosystem by applying Airbus’ purpose and values of safety, innovation, operational excellence and sustainability.” 

Rafael extends SPICE 250 range with new turbojet engine

At the Aero India 2021 exhibition, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. is unveiling a new variant of its SPICE 250 air-to-surface munition, with the addition of an integrated turbojet engine.

The new variant dubbed SPICE 250 ER (Extended Range) is based on the smallest of the SPICE Family, which includes the SPICE 250, SPICE 1000 and the SPICE 2000 guidance kits. SPICE is a stand-off, autonomous, air-to-surface weapon systems that strike targets with pinpoint accuracy and at high attack volumes, independently of GPS navigation, based on its autonomous electro-optic Scene-Matching Artificial Intelligence (AI) Algorithms.

SPICE 250 ER will incorporate a miniature turbo-jet engine with an internal JP-8/10 fuel system, providing the weapon a range of at least 150 km, while retaining the same mission-planning system, aircraft interfaces and aircrew operation.

SPICE 250 uses a common aircraft interface and sophisticated Smart Quad Rack (SQR) which simplifies the effort needed for aircraft integration. Four SPICE 250 weapons are carried on each SQR. SPICE 250 can be directly mounted on light attack aircraft store stations, thanks to its small size and light weight.

The SPICE 250 ER retains the identical external form-factor as the gliding variant using all existing SQR and aircraft interfaces, enabling the same load-out. The extended-range variant also features the same capabilities as the gliding variant, including the recently-unveiled ATR (Automatic Target Recognition) capability, Automatic Target Acquisition (ATA) and Moving-Target-Detection homing modes.