India despatches rescue vessel to hunt missing Indonesian
submarine
Longer duration tests of HSTDV in the pipeline
Indian Air Force Hawk-I Trainer Jet Is Now Equipped With
Deadly Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile
Indian Navy has despatched its Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel
to aid in the search and rescue operations for the Indonesian submarine with 53
sailors onboard that went missing 60 miles north of Bali on Wednesday.
The German made submarine, KRI Nanggala 402, was conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali when the accident happened. Indonesian military had immediately approached neighbouring Singapore and Australian authorities for help along with India. Indian Navy’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel departed from Visakhapatnam.
The system has a Side Scan Sonar for locating the position of
the submarine in distress at sea, providing immediate relief by way of posting
Emergency Life Support Containers with the help of Remotely Operated Vehicle ROV,
and thereafter rescuing the crew of the submarine using the Deep Submergence
Rescue Vessel itself.
In a submarine accident, rapidity of response is most crucial
to safety of life. To ensure early mobilisation, the System has been procured
in a Flyaway configuration which permits rapid transportation of the Rescue
System from the base to the exact location of the distressed submarine by
transportation using air, land, sea vessels.
The Indian Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel is the latest in
terms of technology and capabilities. Supplied by M/S James Fishes Defence, UK,
these are based on the West and East Coast of India respectively to provide
redundancy, high operational availability and early response to deal with a
submarine contingency.
Longer duration tests of HSTDV in the pipeline
DRDO’s scramjet powered Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator
Vehicle HSTDV is being prepared to be tested this time for a longer duration
and preparations are underway for fresh tests, that are being planned to be
carried out later this year where flight duration of the Hypersonic missile
will be longer this time.
In last year’s trial, the Hypersonic missile achieved 20
seconds of sustained flight where it covered around 40 kilometer before it
plunged into the Bay of Bengal.
DRDO aims to demonstrate 12 minutes of sustained flight at
Mach 6 speed, which will cover 2 kilometer per sec to achieve desired goals of
the 1500 kilometer range of the missile system over the next few years.
Data collected from the first trials in 2020 have given
enough confidence for DRDO to plan fresh trials that will see flight duration
being pushed for 2 to 5 minutes and slowly more longer duration trials will be
planned till they can achieve the 1500 kilometer range.
Weaponized and Production ready Hypersonic missile will be
ready in the next 5 years to enter bulk production to be used as an Anti Ship
Hypersonic Cruise Missile or as land based Hypersonic Cruise Missile that can
travel at Mach 6 speeds making it nearly impossible to defend against due to
its speed alone.
Indian Air Force’s Hawk-I Trainer Jet Is Now Equipped With
Deadly Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile
Imagine an aircraft that can be used as an advanced trainer
for Air Force recruits, which also can carry bombs and ammunition to counter
hostile targets both in the air and land and is cheaper than conventional
fighter jets.
Well, the Indian Air Force’s Hawk trainer aircraft could
offer you a package deal after the latest modification.
Hawk-i aircraft has wingtip mounted AIM 132 Advanced Short
Range Air to Air Missile.
The Indian Air Force has been eyeing these trainer aircraft
for combat support roles, arming them with air-to-ground munitions.
The Hawk is a British single-engine, jet-powered advanced
trainer aircraft, It has been used in a training capacity and as a low-cost combat
aircraft. It would be a great addition to shoot down enemy UAVs, for which a
fighter jet would not need to be scrambled considering the cost effectiveness
and lower range.
For the Indians, it could be an efficient and low cost
platform to carry out combat missions and train pilots simultaneously. It has
been armed and already displayed its compatibility with rocket pods, and even
used by the Defence Research and Development Organisation DRDO to carry out
weapon tests including the latest Smart Anti Airfield Weapon SAAW - which can
engage targets with high precision from distances as far away as a hundred
kilometers.
The ASRAAM close-combat missile will eventually give the Hawk
a self-defense ability against hostile aircraft.
