CATS OMCA & CATS HALE : Two new components in HAL’s futuristic Air combat system
CATS Omca (Optionally manned combat aircraft) and CATS Hale (High altitude long endurance) seem to be two new components in the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited proposed Combat Air Teaming System CATS that the company is developing with Bengaluru based startup, Newspace Research and Technologies to give IAF a robust and futuristic deep penetration attack system.
CATS Omca seems to be a project of converting obsolete
fighter jets into drones. Mig-21, Mig-27, and Kiran IJT seems to have been
selected as a viable candidates to be converted into Optionally manned combat
aircraft that could be used as decoys or to carry out their combat missions. HAL
is carrying out the conversion of Kiran IJT into an unmanned drone but not much
is known about its current status. CATS OMCA will be the first to enter hostile
airspace either to be used as a decoy to overwhelm adversary air defenses by
their sheer numbers or as a rudimentary unmanned combat aircraft to draw out
hidden Air defense system positioning of the enemy.
CATS Hale seems to be a jet powered high speed, multi mission,
Remotely Piloted Aircraft system that can perform wide area surveillance, time sensitive
strike missions over land or sea over an altitude of over 50,000 feet, with 20+
hours of endurance. CATS HALE seems to be a single HTFE-25 engine powered
stealthy HALE Class UAV designed to increase its survivability in higher threat
environments that will have an internal weapons bay to house precision
munitions.
CATS HALE seems to be in the same league as the Chinese WZ-7
high altitude reconnaissance drone or the American Avenger Drone. CATS HALE
program is not to be confused with DRDO’s Ghatak Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle
program, CATS HALE is only 1/3 of Ghatak in terms of All up takeoff weight but
larger than CATS Warrior.
Other Five important components of the Combat Air Teaming
System project are CATS Hunter (air launched cruise missile), CATS Warrior
(Loyal Wingman), Alpha-S (precision guided loitering munition ), CATS Infinity (high
altitude pseudo satellite), and CATS Max Fighter (Tejas Trainer Mothership).
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is looking at a 2024-25 deadline
to develop some of the components (Alpha S, CATS Hunter, CATS Warrior) of the
Combat Air Teaming System and is seeking funds for the development of CATS
Infinity, details of CATS Omca and CATS Hale are not much in the public domain
but it seems it won’t happen before 2025 since IAF will start retiring Mig-21
fighter jets only from 2024.
Donate Us At : paypalme/indiandefencenews
PayTM / Google Pay / Phone Pay Us At : 8851807322
Purchase Products :
1) Redmi 9A : Redmi 9A (Nature Green, 2GB RAM, 32GB Storage) | 2GHz Octa-core Helio G25 Processor | 5000 mAh Battery
2) Samsung Galaxy M31 : Samsung Galaxy M31 (Ocean Blue, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage) 6 Months Free Screen Replacement for Prime
3) Samsung Galaxy M51 : Samsung Galaxy M51 (Celestial Black, 6GB RAM, 128GB Storage) 6 Months Free Screen Replacement for Prime
6) Samsung Tab : Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 26.31 cm (10.4 inch), Slim Metal Body, Quad Speakers with Dolby Atmos, RAM 3 GB, ROM 32 GB Expandable, Wi-Fi-only, Grey
7) Lenovo Tab : Lenovo Tab M10 FHD Plus Tablet (26.16 cm (10.3-inch), 2GB, 32GB, Wi-Fi + LTE, Volte Calling), Platinum Grey
Is Avro AWACS Back?
Former fighter pilot Sameer Joshi on Twitter posted the image
of what seems to be an HS-748 Avro aircraft platform fitted with a rotodome on
its fuselage. if you compare the rotodome with the old images of the flying
prototype of the HS-748 Avro AWACS, this rotodome looks smaller and has more
support structure in it. it’s not clear if the aircraft was intended to be used
as a rotodome testing flying prototype or as a ground testing specimen for the
AWACS India Program.
In 1999, HS-748 Avro AWACS aircraft was used as a testbed for
DRDO’s Airborne Surveillance Platform program when it crashed in the dense
forest of north Tamil Nadu killing 8. Airborne Surveillance Platform program at
the time of the crash had completed most of the critical trials of the radar
and the crash is believed to have happened to structural failure of the
rotodome. It was rumoured at that period that the second prototype was readied
for testing of a near production ready radar at the time before the program was
closed and the picture may be of that of the second surviving prototype, but
since details are in the public domain is vague about this, we shall wait for
official confirmation.
After a gap of five years, in 2004, a program known as
Airborne Early Warning and Control System was sanctioned by DRDO that led to
the development of Netra Mk1.
AWACS India was planned to be based on the Airbus A330
aircraft fitted with a Fixed Aesa Radar inside its rotodome on its fuselage,
but due to cost and also due to longer research and developmental duration
required for the program to mature it was decided that Netra Mk2 instead will
be developed for which Six Ex-Air India A319 aircraft will be fitted with an
upgraded AAAU mounted on the dorsal side of the aircraft fuselage in addition
to the frontal AESA Radar for better coverage.
