INS BETWA

INS BETWA

An indigenously built naval frigate, INS Betwa (F39) was being dry docked and put through a thorough check owing to an anomaly reported in its sonar dome which lies at the very bottom of the ship. While the cause behind this incident was not clear, it was revealed that the issue was a 'minor one' which cropped up at the time of periodic checks which the ship was undergoing.

• Class                          Brahmaputra class guided missile frigate
• Displacement              3850 tons full load
• Length                         126.4 metres
• Beam                           14.5 metres
• Draught                       4.5 metres
• Propulsion                   Two Bhopal turbines with 30,000 hp, two 550 psi boilers and two shafts
• Speed                          In excess of 30 knots (60 km/h)
• Range                          4500 miles at 12 knots (20 km/h)
• Complement               440-450 (incl. 40 officers + 13 aircrew)
• processing systems      Air/Surface; 1 x Bharat RAWS-03 radar at S-band frequency using a DA08 antenna
• Armament                   16 x Kh-35 (SS-N-25 Switchblade) AShMs (4 x quadruple KT-184                                                          launchers)3 x 8 Barak SAM VLS system,1 x OTO Melera Super Rapid                                                       76mm main gun
•                                   4 x 6-barrelled 30mm AK-630 Gatling guns,6 x 324mm ILAS 3 (2 x triple tubes)                                         with Whitehead A244S anti-submarine torpedoes
• Aircraft carried           2 helicopters,2 Sea King Mk.42B or a combination of the HAL Chetak and a Sea                                      King Mk.42B

INS BRAHMAPUTRA

INS BRAHMAPUTRA

INS Brahmaputra is the second ship of the Indian Navy named after the River Brahmaputra. The first vessel of the name was a Type 41, Leopard class frigate that was commissioned in 1958. The symbol of the INS Brahmaputra is 'The Raging Rhino', for the one-horned rhino native to the Brahamaputra valley.INS Brahmaputra is the lead ship of her class of guided missile frigates of the Indian Navy. She was built at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkatta.The design and construction of the ship is entirely Indian, and is a modification of the Godavari class of frigates. It is fitted with an array of modern sensor suites and matching weapon systems.

The Brahmaputra Class is armed with sixteen 3M-24E (Kh-35 Uran or NATO: SS-N-25 Switchblade) AShMs, housed in four quadruple KT-184 launchers, angled at 30º, two on either side of the bridge superstructure. Equivalent to the Harpoon Block 1C AShM, these missiles have active radar homing (ARH) out to a range of 130 km at 0.9 Mach, with a 145 kg warhead. All 16 Urans can be ripple-fired in 2-3 second intervals. Fire control is provided by a BEL Aparna (modified Garpun-Bal FC, NATO: Plank Shave) radar. 

The Garpun-Bal FC radar combines active and passive channels and in the active target designation mode, it operates in X-band (I/J-band) and can handle up to 150 targets at ranges between 35 - 45 km, although it is possible to obtain ranges of more than 180 km in wave-guide propagation conditions. The passive channel operates in the ESM mode searching for pulse and CW signals, and accurately identifying the bearing of hostile emitters from a built-in classification library of up to 1,000 signatures. The maximum range of the passive channel is over 100 km depending on the frequency.

OTO Melera Super Rapid 76mm main gun, for use against ship and shore targets, with 65 rds/min to 4.4n miles; 8 km. Four multi-barrelled 30mm AK-630 Gatling guns on either beam, to shoot down incoming anti-ship missiles, with 5500 to 6000 rds/min to 2.5 km. Fire control for these five gun mounts are provided by two BEL Shikari (based on the Contraves Seaguard) opto-electronic trackers that operate in the I- and Ka-bands. Either of the Shikari trackers can control all five gun mounts or any combination thereof. Good minimum ranges, for the 76mm gun, have been largely achieved by advanced software.Six 324mm ILAS 3 (2 triple) tubes with Whitehead A244S anti-submarine torpedoes, with active/passive homing to 3.8n miles; 7 km at 33 knots with a 34 kg shaped charged warhead. Can also fire the AET anti-submarine torpedo, a locally produced version of the A244S.

INS SATPURA F-48

INS SATPURA

The INS Satpura, which follows the INS Shivalik into service, is the second of three Project 17 stealth frigates that are being built by Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai. It will be followed by INS Sahyadri early next year. These three “state-of-the-art surface combatants” as Verma called them — trace their design ancestry to three Talwar-class frigates that Russia built for the navy a decade ago. INS Satpura is a Shivalik class frigate of the Indian Navy, built at Mazagon Dock Limited. Ship was handed over to the Indian navy on 9th July 2011.  The Shivalik class frigates or Project 17 class frigates are multi-role frigates with stealth features being built for the Indian Navy.  They are the first warships being built in India with such features. The 6200-tonne Satpura which measures 142.5 metre from bow to stern will have Israeli Barak surface-to-air missile and Russian Klub cruise missile along with the torpedoes, anti-submarine missile and two helicopters which will soon be seen public. It has “versatile” control systems with signature management and radar cross-section reduction features.

INS Satpura is also equipped with the Israeli Barak air defence system, to ward off enemy aircraft and missiles. It has torpedoes to deal with enemy submarines, as well as an RBU-6,000 multi-barrelled rocket launchers that can be set to explode underwater. Posted on board the Satpura is a tiny aviation unit, with hangars and facilities for two Sea King, or indigenous Dhruv helicopters. Driving this 142 metre-long warship through the water are two French Pielstick diesel engines. In addition, there are two General Electric LM-2500 gas turbines. This provides the advantage of fuel-efficient operation in the normal course, using the Pielstick diesels, while the gas turbines take over when bursts of speed are required, especially in battle. This is known as CODOG (combined diesel or gas) configuration.

INS MUMBAI

INS MUMBAI (D62)

INS Mumbai is one of three Indian built Delhi Class guided missile destroyers currently serving in the Indian navy. The vessels include the Indian built Delhi Class guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai (D62), the Russian built Talwar Class (Krivak III) class guided missile frigate INS Trishul (F43), Indian built Godavari-Class (Project 16) frigate INS Gomti (F21) and Russian built INS Aditya replenishment and repair ship (A59).The vessels are part of the Indian navy’s western fleet. The Mediterranean tour of the four warships is being headed by Rear Admiral A R Karve.Indian warships have regularly paid visits to ports in the West Asia and East Africa, reaffirming their peaceful presence and solidarity with countries in the region; the four-day visit in Israel reaffirms the growing Indo-Israeli relations and continued cooperation between the two countries” Indian officials said.

In recent years the Indian Navy has expanded the use of Israeli systems on the new classes of ships. Among the visiting ships, only the Gomti carries Israeli Barak anti-missile systems, however, almost all new Indian built classes of warships currently fielded or under construction in India, are loaded with Israeli systems, primarily defensive electronics, radars and missile and Barak systems. The Indo-Israeli Barak 8 counter-air system is scheduled for deployed on the lead ship of the P15A class, INS Kochi, following completion of the system’s testing, currently underway in India and Israel. Barak 8 and its associated IAI Elta EL/M-2248 radar provide the Indian Navy an AEGIS-class weapon system, extending its active air defense capability far beyond current capabilities

INS MYSORE

INS Mysore is the second in a series of three 6700+ tons indian built project 15 delhi Class multi-purpose destroyers performing anti-ship, anti-air and anti-submarine roles. With a length of 534.8 feet, a beam of 55.8 feet and a draught of 21.3 feet, these are the most powerful surface combatants to fly the Indian Naval ensign and are well suited for power projection roles in the Indian Ocean Region. Fully fitted with flag facilities, the Mysore and her sister ships primarily act as command and control platforms for task groups and as screening escorts for the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.

INS MYSORE

It is built by the state-owned shipyard Mazagon Dockyard Ltd (MDL) in mumbai at a cost of approximately $250-300 million each, the three ships are the largest indigenously built surface combatants. The costs for similar warships built elsewhere would easily exceed $500 million a unit. The most unique feature of these hybrid vessels is the integration of Russian, Western and Indian weapons systems & equipment. Featuring an indigenous component of roughly 60%, their armament and propulsion system is largely of Russian or Ukrainian origin while most of the sensors, electronics and other equipment are of Western or Indian origin. Keeping in mind that the basic design dates from the early 1980s, stealth features are minimal. INS Mysore has some differences from INS Delhi. Most noticeably, the massive blast shields behind the missile launchers are gone and there are minor improvements over INS Delhi. The Russian influence is very evident as the ship bristles with all manner of sensors, armament and missile launchers in atypically Russian fashion. One wonders if mutual electronic interference is a problem when all these sensors are operating simultaneously.

The missiles are housed in four quadruple KT-184 launchers angled at 30 degrees, two on either side of the bridge superstructure. All 16 subsonic sea-skimming Urans can be ripple-fired in 2-3 second intervals and have a maximum range of 130 km. At least six have been test fired from the Mysore during her trials. These missiles are controlled by the Garpun Bal FC radar, mounted atop the bridge. This radar, unlike most fire control or search radars, combines active and passive channels. In the active target designation mode, it operates in X-band (I/J-band) and can handle up to 150 targets at  ranges  between 35-45 km although it is possible to obtain ranges of more than 180 km in wave-guide propagation conditions. The main gun armament comprises a single-barreled water-cooled 100mm automatic gun, the AK-100 which can engage aerial and surface targets at a rate of fire of 30-50 rds/min. The turret can traverse through an arc of 220º. Fire control for the gun is provided by the T91E radar, a part of the MR-145 or MR-184 (NATO: Kite Screech) fire control radar system along with a turret mounted Kondensor optical sight. As in the later Kashins, four multi-barreled AK-630 Gatling guns, two on either beam, provide a last ditch inner layer of defence against incoming missiles that managed to leak through the outer layer of SAM defences. 

HAL SITARA HJT 36 ( Intermediate Jet Trainer )

The HJT-36 Sitara [Star] Intermediate Jet Trainer project is expected to replace the IAF's aging Kiran aircraft. HAL's main focus is presently on the single engine HJT-36, which was intended to replace the 200-odd HJT-16s as the intermediate jet trainer.

The HJT-36 Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), is being developed for training of pilots. IJT will replace the ageing Kiran trainers. HJT-36 is an indigenous product developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Bangalore. It is a sub-sonic aircraft with a fuel-efficient engine, advanced avionics systems and increased weapon load. This will help to improve the pilots' training effectiveness and lead to easier transition to the advanced training for modern fighter aircraft.

HAL had pegged the overall project cost at Rs.200 crores and expected the prototype to roll out 39 months after it gets the go-ahead. The plane was to enter service two years thereafter. HAL engineers said that the project cost had been capped at Rs.18 crores.

The prototype aircraft are powered by a Snecma Larzac 04-H-20 turbofan non-afterburning engine developing 14.12kN. The aircraft is fitted with a 9kW starter generator and two nickel cadmium 43Ah batteries. The aircraft provides high-speed training for pilots entering level II training. The maximum operating speed is Mach 0.8 and the g-limits are from +7g to –2.5g. The service ceiling for the trainer is 12,000m (39,370ft). HAL HJT-36 SITARA

HAL KIRAN (Intermediate Jet Trainer)

IJT KIRAN

KIRAN AIR SHOW

HAL has undertaken development of IJT to replace the ageing Kiran trainer aircraft in service with Defence Services. This aircraft will be used for Stage II training of pilots. IJT has cockpit with twin tandem seats with good visibility for the pilots, modern Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays and Head-Up Display (HUD). The aircraft is equipped with a Mission Computer and Integrated Avionics system. 1000 kg of external stores carrying capacity allows fitment of various armaments and fuel drop tanks on the aircraft for effective training. The aircraft is designed for a max. speed of 750 km/h, max. range of 1500 km, max. endurance of 2 hrs with internal fuel.

                  

• Length                              :  11.0 m
• Span                                :  10.0 m
• Height                              :  4.4 m
• Max Take of Weight         :  4.5 t
• Payload                            : 1.0 t
•  Speed                              : 0.75M
•  Service Ceiling                 : 9 km

IAF JAGUAR

SEPECAT JAGUAR

The SEPECAT Jaguar is a twin-engined single-seat fighter bomber jet aircraft for the close air support role produced by the British/French manufacturer SEPECAT, a joint-venture of BAC, British Aircraft Corporation. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was feeling the aftereffects of Britain's Secretary for Defence Duncan Sandys' "The Way Forward", a 1957 paper that aimed to provide the UK with affordable defence. Sandys view was that conventional warfare was outdated and that future wars would be fought with nuclear weapons. But RAF continued to search vigorously for a trainer and also a low-level strike fighter-bomber for interdiction and reconnaissance. By the late 1950s, these became critical requirements. France also came to realise the need of similar aircraft.

VICTORY FORMATION OF JAGUAR

RAF's plans for a twin-engine trainer aircraft proved to be rather costly. Instead of it, concurrent perception by Britain and France of the need for an aircraft to meet almost identical requirements led to a natural collaboration for developing the new fighter-bomber. The aircraft was named the Jaguar. The first Jaguar prototype made its maiden flight at Istres (France) on September 8, 1968. British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Breguet Aviation formed an Anglo-French company for design, development, production and marketing of the Jaguar. The company was given the unwieldy name SEPECAT (Société européenne de production de l'avion d'école de combat and d'appui tactique). Dassault acquired Breguet Aviation in 1967 and became party to the project. While the collaborative effort began well, it diverged into different directions with components and equipment being used which were not common to both countries.

• Crew                                     1
• Propulsion                            2 Turbofan Engines
• Engine Model                      Rolls-Royce / Turbomeca Adour Mk 104
• Engine Power (each)           35,8 kN 8048 lbf
•  
• Speed                                   1700 km/ 918 kts ,1056 mph
• Service Ceiling                    12.192   40.000 ft
• Range                                  1.408 km,760 NM,875 mi.
•  
• Empty Weight                      6.985 kg                15.399 lbs
• Max Takeoff Weight            15.700 kg            34.613 lbs
•  Wing Span                           8,69 m   28,5 ft
• Wing Area                            24,0 m² 258 ft²
• Length                                  15,52 m 50,9 ft
• Height                                   4,89 m    16,0 ft
•  
• First Flight                             23.03.1969
• Production Status                  out of production
• Total Production                    588
•  
• Data for (Version)                SEPECAT Jaguar GR Mk.1
• Variants                               Jaguar A, Jaguar B (Jaguar T2/T2A & T4), Jaguar E, Jaguar S (Jaguar GR1/GR1A &                                                                                              GR1B & GR3 & GR3B), Jaguar International ( ES, EB, SO, BO, IS, IB, IM, SN, BN)

DELHI CLASS GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER

DELHI GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER

Delhi Class destroyers were built for the Indian Navy by Mazagon Dock based in Mumbai, under the Project 15 programme. The Delhi destroyer was designed by the Indian Navy with the detailed and production design phase carried out by Mazagon Dock. With a displacement of 6,700t, overall length of 163m and beam of 17m, the Delhi Class is the largest warship built in India. The ship is fitted with sophisticated anti-ship, anti-aircraft and anti-submarine sensor and weapon systems.

The ship's integrated combat data system is supplied by Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) of Hyderabad. The main gun at the bow of the ship is a 100mm gun supplied by Russia. The ship is also fitted with four six-barrel AK 650 gatling guns. The ship is equipped with four quad launchers for the Uran anti-ship missile system. The Uran system launches the Kh-35 (Nato designation SS-N-25) antiship cruise missile, which uses an inertial guidance system to steer the missile towards the target area and an active radar homing head for terminal guidance. The minimum and maximum ranges of the missile are 5km and 130km. The surface-to-air missile system is the Russian Shtil (SA-N-7), known by the Nato reporting name Gadfly. The missile's maximum range is 25km. It was envisaged that this would be replaced with the Trishul surface-to-air missile system, which had a range of 500m to 9km and a 15kg warhead. In December 2006, the Indian MoD stopped the research and development of Trishul and focused on developing the Barak defence missile system.

"The Delhi Class is fitted with the Rafael Barak point air defence missile system."

The ship's radar suite includes Rashmi I-band navigation radar by Bharat Electronics, Russian Kite Screech and Bass Tilt H,I and J band fire control radars for the guns, Garfun B fire control radar for the Kh-35 Uran SSM, Front Dome fire control radar for the SA-N-17 SAM, RALW - LW08 air search radar operating in D-band and supplied by Bharat Electronics Ltd and Thales Nederland (formerly Signaal) and the Bharat / Thales RAWS - DA05 E-band surface search radar. The ship's hull mounted active search sonar capability is based on the TSM2633 by Thales Underwater Systems or the APSOH by Bharat.

The Delhi Class also has a variable depth sonar, Model 15-750 developed and manufactured in India by Indal and Garden Reach. The ship's propulsion is based on a combined diesel and gas CODAG system. The propulsion system drives two shafts and provides a maximum speed of 28kt.

INS GHARIAL

INS GHARIAL

INS GHARIAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Class & type                                       Magar class landing ship
• Displacement                                       5665 tons (full load)[1]
• Length                                                 120 m
• Beam                                                  17.5 m
• Draft                                                   4 m
• Ramps                                                Bow doors
• Propulsion                                           2 x 8560 hp sustained diesel engine
• Speed                                                 15 knots
• Range                                                 3000 miles @ 14 knots
• Landing craft carried                            4 LCVPs
• Capacity                                              15 Tanks, 8 APCs[2]
• Troops                                                 500
• Complement                                        136 (incl. 16 officers)
• Radar systems                                     1 BEL 1245 navigation radar
• Electronic warfare                                BEL Ajanta as intercept
• Armament                                           4 x Bofors 40mm/60 guns,2 x 122mm multiple-barrel rocket  Lncr 
• Aircraft carried                                    1 Sea King, 2 helicopter platforms.

INS MAGAR

INS MAGAR

The Indian Navy Magar-class landing ship tank (LST) are an indigenous design derived from the Royal Navy's Sir Lancelot class. Five ships of this class have been built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1987, 1997, 2007, 2008 and 2009. 

The last three ships are also referred to as Landing Ship Tank (Large)/LST (L) or Shardul class and feature several modifications and a high number of components and weapons made in India. Shardul-class can serve as fleet tanker, HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) missions or hospital ship.

INS MAGAR

These ships carry four small landing crafts and are equipped with four 40mm anti-aircraft guns or two CRN91 anti-aircraft guns, two WM18A 18-tube rocket launchers, Igla surface-to-air missiles and up to two helicopters (Sea King or Dhruv) at the aft flight deck and hangar. During amphibious assault missions a single ship can transport 500 troops, 10 main battle tanks and 11 trucks. The propulsion system is based on two diesel engines developing 8,000-shp with the ship achieving a maximum speed of 15 knots. The main purpose of Magar-class ships is to deliver men and material on shore in support of amphibious assaults.

• Type                                     Amphibious warfare vessel
• Displacement                           5,665 tons (full load)[1]
• Length                                     120 m
• Beam                                       17.5 m
• Draft                                        4 m
• Ramps                                       Bow doors
• Propulsion                                  2 x 8560 hp sustained diesel engine
• Speed                                        15 knots
• Range                                        3000 miles @ 14 knots
• Landingcraft carried                4 LCVPs
• Capacity                                 15 Tanks, 8 APCs, 500 Troops, 136 crew,16 Officers
• Radar system                          1 BEL 1245 navigation radar
• Electronic warfare                BEL Ajanta as intercept
• Armament                                    4 x Bofors 40mm/60 guns, 2 x 122mm multiple-barrel rocket launchers
• Aircraft carried                         1 Sea King
• Aviation facilities                   2 helicopter platforms

INS AIRAVAT

INS AIRAVAT

INS AIRAVAT  is one of the two Magar-class Landing Ship Tankers (LSTs), designed and built by the Hindustan Shipyard Limited in partnership with the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers. Both the ships are stationed at the naval base in Vishakhapatnam.

INS Airavat has the capacity to carry 500 soldiers and can provide stern refuelling for other naval vessels apart from conducting amphibious assault operations.The ship can also operate two medium-lift helicopters, which are primarily meant for ‘inserting’ a small team of Special Forces (marine commandos) and it is equipped with a fully-functioning hospital on-board and has made significant contributions in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) during natural disasters like tsunamis and cyclones.Safety features aboard the Airavat include anti-roll Flume Stabilisation System, smoke curtains to impede spreading of smoke and toxic gases in case of fire, as well as battle damage control systems. Fully loaded, she can operate independently at high seas for up to 45 days.

It is primarily designed for amphibious assault operations, Airavat's missions also include Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) during natural disasters, including tsunamis, cyclones, earthquakes,etc. She has a full-functioning hospital on-board, the capacity to carry 500 soldiers, and can provide stern refueling for other naval vessels.Primary suppliers for her equipment are Bharat Electronics Limited, Kirloskar, Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Keltron and the Godrej Group.

Class                             :          Shardul class landing ship

Displacement                 :            5650 tons

Length                           :           125 m

Beam                             :           17.5 m

Draft                              :           4 m

Propulsion                     :            Kirloskar PA6 STC engines

Speed                           :           16 knots

Capacity                       :            11 MBT, 10 infantry trucks or APC,500 troops.

Complement                  :  11 officers, 145 sailors

Electronic warfare          :   Chaff launchers

Armament                      :  2 x WM-18 rocket launchers

4 x CRN-91 AA (Naval 30mm Medak) guns, MANPAD's

shoulder-launched IGLA SAMs

Aircraft carried             :   1 Westland Sea King or HAL Dhruv.

INS KESARI

INS KESARI

INS KESARI

The Indian Navy has recently inducted its amphibious vessel Landing Ship Tank (LST) INS Kesari in the Andaman and Nicobar command and will soon be inducting Operation Patrol Vessels (OPVs) constructed at Goa Shipyard Ltd.

INS Kesari adds thrust to Navy's ongoing drive for indigenous warship production. The ship, measuring 125 meters in length, 17.5 metres in breadth and displacing 5655 tons, can achieve speed in excess of 15 Knots. Second of the Shardul class of ships, INS Kesari is the most contemporary and fully indigenised LST (L) in the Indian Navy. In addition to its primary role of amphibious operations carrying battle tanks, troops and vehicles to hostile coasts, the ship also forms a potent assault platform with rockets and chaff launchers, anti-aircraft guns, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles and an integral Sea King or an advanced light helicopter. On the other end of the spectrum, the ship can also be tasked as a fleet tanker, a hospital ship, or for disaster relief operations.

OVERALL GLANCE OF INS KESARI :-

Class  of ship        :      Kumbhir class

Displacement      :       1120 tons (standard)

Length                  :      83.9 m [1]

Beam                    :      9.7 m

Draught                :      1.3 metres (extreme bow and 2.58 metres (stern)

Depth                   :      5.2 m

Propulsion           :       2 x 2200 hp Soviet Kolomna 40-D two stroke diesel engines.

Speed                   :      18 knots

Crew                    :       120 (incl. 12 officers)

Radar system     :        SRN 7453 radar

Armament          :        2 x AK-230 30mm guns 4 x CRN-91 AA (Naval 30mm Medak) guns.                

Aircraft carried :         1 HAL Chetak

INS KOLKATA

INS KOLKATA

 Kolkata class destroyer  is the India’s latest guided missile destroyer designed for Indian navy. Fast and stealthy, with an advanced sensor suite and an array of potent air, land and sea weapons, the Kolkata class would be a formidable ship in any navy.

The Kolkata class destroyers are true multipurpose destroyers, capable of providing protection to India’s aircraft carriers or operating independently. The primary radar system, an actively scanned array radar provided by Israeli Aircraft Industries, is reportedly comparable to the American Aegis radar system. The radar is capable of detecting contacts in the air and at sea and provides guidance to radar-guided missiles. 

The Kolkatas will also feature a bow mounted and towed sonar arrays for detecting submarines.

Armament will be considerable, with vertical launch cells for up to 64 air defense missiles. The missiles  will be a mix of short-range Barak 1 and medium range Barak 8 radar-guided surface to air missiles, capable of point and area defense, respectively. Such defensive missile armament will allow it to provide air defense for carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious groups and shipping convoys.

The Kolkatas will pack the heaviest surface-to-surface firepower of any destroyer in any navy, with each ship carrying 16 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. Rounding out the ship’s armament is a 76mm gun, four AK-630 close-in weapons systems, anti-submarine rockets and torpedoes, and two embarked helicopters with a hangar.

Three Kolkata destroyers are to be built, with the first of class expected to be commissioned this year. A follow-on class of four destroyers with improved stealth characteristics is already being planned.China would fear the Kolkata class because it would provide air defense for ships such as the Vikramaditya. Armed with 16 BrahMos missiles, the Kolkatas could also operate independently as commerce raiders, threatening Chinese shipping.

INS SHARDUL

INS SHARDUL

The INS Shardul  is an important auxiliary warship carrying armoured tanks, army vehicles and troops. It would have more than 90 per cent indigenous content. The ship is 124.8 metres long [about 5 meters longer that her predecessors] and 17.5 metres wide and can carry 11 main battle tanks, 10 army vehicles and 500 troops excluding the ship's crew for amphibian operation and can achieve a speed of 15.8 knots. The ship is also provided with helicopter landing facilities to accommodate 42 C helicopter or indigenously built Dhruv helicopter.

The INS  Shardul has two WM 18 rocket launcher and four anti-aircraft guns. It would be fitted with propulsion remote control and battle damage control systems for efficient operation and control at sea.

The fourth in a series of LST(L)’s built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE). INS Shardul, one of the most advanced amphibious units in the inventory of Navy, got affiliated to the 5 Armoured Regiment, the most advanced tank regiment of Indian Army operating the finest and the most lethal tanks T-90 of modern era, in a glittering ceremony onboard INS Shardul docked in Mumbai Naval Harbour. Shardul has the Royal Bengal tiger as its symbol. Built by GRSE, Kolkata, Shardul boasts of state-of-the-art equipment. Rear Admiral Anil Chopra, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet and Maj Gen GS Malhi, Colonel of the 5 Armoured Regiment signed the Charter of Affiliation along with Cdr Shailendra Singh, Commanding Officer of INS Shardul and Col RK Magotra, Commandant of the 5 Armoured Regiment.

The Armed Forces have the tradition of the affiliating their units for the better camaraderie and esprit de corps. Though the armed forces have a long tradition of 'affiliating' their units, the modern military trend of all three services - army, navy and air force - fighting wars jointly has added an operational aspect to the tradition. The modern trend of all the three Services fighting wars jointly has added an operational aspect to the tradition. Shardul is an important amphibious warship capable of transporting various kinds of combat equipment, personnel and accomplish all objectives of landing, that is, beaching operations. The 5 Armoured Regiment proudly wears the mantle of holding one of the most potent tanks in the world.

·         Displacement          - 5600

·         Length                    -  124.8 m

·         width                      -  17.5 m

·         Draft                      - 4 m

·         Speed                    - 15.8 knots / +16 knots

·         Armament              - 4 x 40 mm Bofors, 2 multi barrel rocket launchers

·         Aircraft 1 x Sea King 42C (Platform for 2)

·         Crew                     -16 (Officers), 120 (Enlisted)

·         Capacity                - 11 main battle tanks, 10 Army vehicles, 500 troops (excluding crew members)

RUSTOM 1 ( UAV )

The indigenously designed and developed RUSTOM-1 made it  flying at about 11,500 ft AGL and speed of above 140-km/h during 2 hrs 10 minutes of cruise.

The highlights of the flight include:-

 a) Use of lean mixture control system in the engine for flights at high altitudes.

 b) Take-off weight heaviest so far.

 c) Achieved max altitude of 3.5 kms, about 11500 ft and

 d) Extended range of about 50 kms tried out for the first time. The waypoint track was perfect and so were takeoff and landing.

The Rustom-1 is built for a maximum altitude of 22,000 ft and endurance of 12-15 Hours with an operating range of 250 Kms when fully developed.

Indian Army has shown keen interest  in  this  programme. This UAV has the potential military missions like Reconnaissance and Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Target Designation, Communications Relay, Battle Damage Assessment and Signal Intelligence, the release said.

This UAV can attain a maximum speed of 150 Knots, 22,000 ft of altitude and endurance of 12-15 hours with an operating range of 250 kms when fully developed. 

Rustom-1's basic design is derived from the NAL light canard research aircraft (LCRA). The aircraft has been named after Rustom Damania, a former professor of IISc, Bangalore who died in 2001. DRDO decided to name the UAV after him because it is derived from National Aerospace Laboratories' light canard research aircraft (LCRA) developed under Rustom Damania’s leadership in the 1980s

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Rustom 1 is a medium altitude long endurance unmanned air vehicle (MALE UAV) program. This is a multi mission long endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with day/night capability used for battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance, target tracking & localization, and artillery fire correction, SAR images taking facility with take off & landing on runway with external pilot (EP). This UAV will take off from conventional runway with the help of EP.  With the Rustom MALE UAV project, DRDO intends to move away from traditional ways of developing products whereby laboratories under DRDO, like the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), which is involved in this project, develop and finalise the product and transfer technology to a production agency.

DRDO will follow a practice of concurrent engineering where initial design efforts also take into consideration production issues, with the production agency participating in the development of the system right from the design stage. The agency will also follow up issues related to infrastructure and expertise for the product and its support, thereby overcoming time delays in crucial projects.

Rustom-1 which bears an uncanny resemblance to Rutan Long-EZ designed by Burt Rutan has a wingspan of 7.9 metres and weighs 720 kg, will be launched by the conventional method and not the launcher as in the case of the DRDO Lakshya. Rustom will be able to see the enemy territory up to a distance of 250 km and carry a variety of cameras and radar for surveillance.

Rustom-H, built on a different design, owes nothing to Burt Rutan's Long-EZ design. It is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MALE UAV), a twin engine system designed to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Rustom H will have a payload capacity of 350 kg.

The range of advanced technologies and systems include the following:

Ø  Aerodynamic configurations, High aspect ratio wing, Composite airframe integrated with propulsion system, De-icing system for wings

Ø  Highly reliable systems with built-in redundancy for flight critical systems like flight control and navigation, data links, power management, - and mission critical payload management system

Ø  Digital Flight Control and Navigation System, Automatic Take off and Landing (ATOL)

Ø  Digital communication technologies for realizing data links to control and operate the mission and relay UAVs

Ø  Payloads with high resolution and precision stabilized platforms.