AMCA Replaced F-35 Jets Deal?, K9 Vajra Export, Htse-Shakti Engines, Agni 4P Missile Test

India Rejects American F-35 but Thumbs Up for Make In India Stealth Fighter AMCA

The effort is being led by India’s DRDO and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for building Make In India 5+ Generation Fighter AMCA which is far better than American F-35 in all aspects.

The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program has its roots in an Indian effort to modernize the Indian Air Force stock of older fighters.

The AMCA project has undergone multiple iterations, but the core requirement is for a stealth, single seat multirole fighter. In 2018, India withdrew from the joint Russian Indian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program to manufacture a new fighter based on Russia’s Sukhoi 57 fighter jet.

As a fifth-generation fighter with “sixth generation characteristics,” the AMCA will boast a very low radar cross section for superior stealth performance, integration of certain AI based systems for streamlined operation, and an advanced cockpit display with a touch screen interface. The AMCA’s avionics suit will be headlined by a large suit of advanced radars and electronic warfare systems.

The AMCA will also reportedly feature thrust vectoring engines for superior manoeuvrability.

The fighter will feature Beyond Visual Range missile targeting capability. In addition to the usual air to air missiles, standoff weapons, and guided bombs, the fighter will also reportedly support directed energy weapon systems.

AMCA is currently expected to make its maiden flight by 2025, with serial production to begin by 2028.

Partnering with South Korea, India seeks to export K9 howitzers to third countries

India is seeking to export the K9 self-propelled howitzer to third countries in cooperation with South Korea, It will be a “win-win” partnership between the two sides.

India recently deployed K9 Howitzers along Line of Actual Control, which are manufactured by the Indian company, Larsen & Toubro, in technical collaboration with the South Korean company Hanwha Defense.

The Indian armed forces are very satisfied with the performance of the K9 Vajra platform, where the K9 Thunder has been very effectively adapted and indigenously built for Indian conditions and requirements.

The variant of the platform also has good potential in third countries, and governments of India and South Korea and their industries are cooperating to take these opportunities forward.

The collaborative project between South Korea and India to produce the K9 Tanks is in tune with New Delhi’s “Make In India” initiative aimed at turning the country into a global manufacturing hub.

India Issues fresh NOTAM, Likely test of Agni-5 MIRV

India has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for a launch of an experimental flight vehicle in the Bay of Bengal for the period from 27-28 October.

Danger Zone has been defined for 3000km leading to speculation that it will be a fresh test of either a Agni-5 ballistic missile or a Submarine launched ballistic missile.

NOTAM exactly matches area defined in previous for 23 to 24 September 2021 when DRDO postponed Agni-5 MIRV Trials. India in June earlier this year had tested next generation nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni Prime that has a range of 2,000 kilometers.

DRDO reportedly is also working on Agni 4-P that is an advanced next generation nuclear capable ballistic missile with a range of 4000km to replace the existing missile Agni-4 that is a non canister variant.

DRDO that has been simultaneously working to develop multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) for the Agni missiles is planning to demonstrate the technology on the Agni-5 in the upcoming trials.

Will HAL break French Engine Monopoly on Indigenous Helicopters?

Under development since 2015, HAL’s 1200kW Turboshaft engine is been readied for trials soon. HTSE 1200 engine would be used as a power plant for 3 to 6 tons category helicopters and recently HAL announced that the first technology demonstrator was developed after the program achieved 100% speed run on the core engine and also competed Sea level trials of core engine successfully.

India co-developed 1000kW Ardiden 1H1/ Shakti engine that powers the Dhruv and LCH Light Combat Helicopters.

HTSE-1200 engine in the next few months will be extensively tested on all parameters from the HAL facility in its near production stage initially from the ground based facility using a Test Helicopter mockup and later plans to manufacture a prototype that will be mated with the flying testbed helicopter to demonstrate the engine which over next few years will be tested in all parameters and conditions before it can enter production and can be offered as a local substitute to the HALL-Safran Ardiden 1H1/Shakti engine.

HTSE-1200 engine will help break dependence on the French company for the supply of the engine but also create a local ecosystem of the indigenous engine.