Kalyani ECARS UGV, Rustom-2 Flight Tests, Drdo's Fire Fighting Suit, Avro Awacs

Details of Viral AWACS AVRO Picture

Last month Former IAF fighter pilot Sameer Joshi on Twitter posted an image of what seems to be an HS-748 Avro aircraft platform fitted with a rotodome on its fuselage. Not many were sure if the image that went viral over social media was of the old AWACS AVRO program that has been long abandoned now or was the first official confirmation of old workhorse again being pushed back into service to test the new dome that DRDO along with CABS had fabricated for the A330 AWACS Indian Program that now has been pushed back to make way for the smaller A319 based Netra Mk1 AEW&C program.

The viral AWACS AVRO Picture has been traced back to the Guwahati Air Base where it has been caught in satellite imagery when it was parked in the open just off the main runway. We scanned previous satellite images of the same area and found that in 2018, AVRO was seen for the first time in the same location but without any dome visible in the satellite images. In 2020, Avro had gone missing from the same location but by October 2021 satellite image scans captured Avro again but this time with a dome.

In 2018 satellite image of the Avro was sported with the old dual paint scheme of IAF that was white on top and chrome on the lower fuselage section but the 2021 Avro seen with the dome seems to have got a new Tipnis grey paint scheme that is now seen on all Avro aircraft fleet in IAF. But no one can say in certainty that both Avro aircraft seen in the same location are of the same aircraft but it does look like it was.

Now questions of what’s it is doing in such a forward and sensitive airbase close to the Chinese border is any bodies guess and we don’t know much about it but it certainly is not a grounded aircraft nor it is an old aircraft that was used as a testbed for the now-cancelled AWACS AVRO program.

India issues 2 more NOTAM’s for Missile Tests

India has issued a Notice to Airmen NOTAM for a launch of an experimental flight vehicle in the Bay of Bengal for the period for 16-17 and 22. The designated area for first NOTAM is 739km that indicates that it will probably will be test of cruise missile and second designated area for NOTAM is for 1272km that probably will be for a Ballistic missiles.

For the month of December, DRDO already has tested Pinaka Enhanced Rockets, SANT Anti-Tank Missiles, Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo SMART, BrahMos-A and VL-SRSAM Missile. Experts believe that due to prolonged monsoon season and frequent cyclones and depressions near the Chandipur test range this year many of the missile tests that are experimental in nature and carried highest risk factors were kept pending and now are being cleared to meet program deadlines.

Kalyani Group demonstrates ECARS UGV to Indian Army

Indian Army and Industry experts carried out Unmanned Ground Vehicle Experiment from 9 to 13 December 21 at the Babina Field Firing Ranges where Kalyani Group also demonstrated its Enhanced Collaborative Autonomous Rover System ECARS in front of the Army officials. The 4x4 Multi-Terrain vehicle is specially designed to be capable of Multi Mission and Multi Task.

This four wheeled vehicle has many more added features One of them is the plethora of sensors such as Positioning, Mapping, Path Planning & Obstacle detection that makes it competent to operate under all types of terrain.

ECARS can operate up to 24 hours continuously when working on battery and generator or 6 hours continuously in silent mode. Kalyani Group has developed Two versions, ECARS 4x4 and ECARS 6x6 that are designed to perform surveillance, security, safety and rescue missions.

Rustam-2 demonstrated flight at 25,000 feet for over 10 hours

The armed forces have been looking for high quality, high endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs And they are particularly useful along the line of control with Pakistan or the Line of Actual control with China. Rustam Too, the new UAV can fly at 25,000 feet for over 10 hours. In too months they will fly at 28,000 feet and for over 18 hours. This is what the armed forces want. This is what they will get. Drdo is taking up the issues of higher altitude and longer range. The UAVs besides having better capabilities, will have automatic take-off and landing facilities. Once ready, Hindustan Aeronautics and Bharat Electronics will begin production.

DRDO develops special fire entry suit that can be worn inside burning buildings

Burn injuries are a worry. And after the horrific helicopter crash this month killing 13 people including General Bipin Rawat, even more so. DRDO have just readied suits that are more fire resistant. A special Fire Entry suit can allow someone to go inside a burning building, or for that matter, an aircraft or helicopter. Rescue personnel in these special suits can be inside a fire zone for 150 seconds, a lot of time when every second is of enormous value.

A lightweight structural firefighting suit can allow rescue personnel to enter a burning building to bring out people. The DRDO versions have exceeded the European EN-469 standard and equalled the American 4971 standard. They are cheaper, indigenous and at 25 kilograms are lighter than many suits.