IAC-2 Soon, Akash Prime Test, Tapas user evaluation trials

User evaluation trials of India's TAPAS UAV has started

India's Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance (TAPAS), medium height long perseverance automated unmanned flying vehicles have finished a series of flight tests and are moving towards user evaluation trials. Eight models of the TAPAS UAV have been made up to this point and the UAV has finished 143 Flight tests. Final design configuration will be made in June-July. UAV is currently going through design validation stage.

Flight user validation trials will probably begin in October 2022. HAL has cleared that they are ready for development of five TAPAS for trials by the. Aeronautical Development Establishment will integrate the initial two UAVs. The next three UAVs are to be integrated by HAL. This is to assist HAL with getting expertise in the TAPAS UAV Platform and HAL will also be the recipient of ToT for future production of TAPAS UAVs.

IAC-1 Aircraft Carrier ready for handover, IAC-2 will be prepared in next five years

Cochin Shipyard Limited Director recently confirmed to the media that the INS Vikrant is set to go for the last leg of its ocean tests & trials after which it will be formally given to the Indian Navy by end of May. INS Vikrant will be inducted into the Indian Navy in August around Independence Day. The last leg of tests & trials will see, touch & Go landings on the warship, by the Mig-29K, and later take off and landings from its deck. In the past, Mig-29K was set in the warship with the assistance of cranes to study the deck and hangar movements onboard the warship.

https://youtu.be/NHRp4StzIl0

Cochin Shipyard Limited which took nearly 13 years from laying foundation to the delivery of the indigenous INS Vikrant, has said that the sister class of INS Vikrant will be ready in the next 5 years assuming the Navy plans for IAC-2 having 45000 tons displacement capacity. Initially Indian Navy needed IAC-2 to be of 65000 tons displacement capacity but later on Navy downsized its necessities to just a 55000 tons Extended Vikrant Design to save time and cost in its manufacturing, since most of the subsidizing for the program will come from the Indian Navy, since Ministry of Defence isn't interested in IAC-2 right now and favours SSN program.

Upgraded Aakash Prime missile successfully test fired

Another variant of the Aakash rocket was effectively tried at the Pokhran field firing range in Jaisalmer, under the Make in India initiative on Wednesday. The rocket test was fruitful & successful by all norms. The new variant of the rocket fired from surface to air hit the pseudo enemy targets. The testing of Aakash was going on since consecutive three days, with supervision by DRDO and armed force officials.

DRDO had rolled out a few specialized improvements to the Aakash and tried it throughout the previous three days at the Pokhran firing range. This missile has been made particularly for the Military and IAF. New advanced features have been added to the Aakash prime and its capabilities are being checked in this hot weather. On Wednesday, it was fired from a truck based vehicle and it met all parameters set before testing of the missile. Akash can be fired from any where, be it permanent place or from a vehicle. These missiles have been manufactured by Bharat Dynamics and by the DRDO.