Belarus says it sends more troops, aircraft, armoury to border with Ukraine

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  May 5, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Drones Cleared For Take-Off As Govt Launches GARUD Portal To Ease Norms

  Waking up to the use of drones in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the ministry of civil aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have launched the GARUD portal. The platform will provide fast track exemptions to government agencies for using drones in their operations against the pandemic. GARUD or ‘Government Authorisation for Relief Using Drones' was developed by the National Informatics Centre in eight days. Providing exemptions to government agencies by changing Rule 160 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, for easy and fast approvals for drone usage, any government department can apply for these exemptions on the GARUD platform. However, the government has also put restrictions on these exemptions. For instance, the government will provide permission to only battery-operated drones or remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs). Permission won't be granted to autonomous and fixed-wing RPAs. The order also makes the organisation responsible for ensuring safe operations of RPAs. Operations involving RPAs are to be conducted under the supervision of authorised entity while not risking lives, property, or any other aircraft. Moreover, the government has allowed all the government agencies to use either their own drones or use ones offered by third-party providers which are mostly startups. According to the rules, all the drones should have a valid unique identification number (UIN) or drone acknowledgement number (DAN) issued by the DGCA. The agency using the RPAs will have to update the details of the drone on DGCA's Digital Sky platform. Moreover, the drones shouldn't be weighing more than 25 KG and cannot pick up, drop or spray any substance. This provision leaves authorities to use these drones for surveillance. Other restrictions include no flight before sunrise and after sunset. The government also imposed a height limit of up to 200 metres for the drones. Besides surveillance, many drone startups in India are also looking to support the delivery of essentials. They are also being used to back on-ground medical staff. Pune and Silicon Valley-based FlytBase is offering drone services free to government officials until May 2020. Moreover, Hyderabad-based Marut Drones is delivering medicines and collecting blood samples. It has also been deployed to spray sanitizer in the city. Recently, the DGCA also allowed hyperlocal delivery provider Dunzo and Bengaluru-based drone maker Throttle Aerospace Systems to test their long-range drone delivery solutions. These startups are also expected to deliver grocery via drones in the near future. https://inc42.com/buzz/drones-cleared-for-take-off-as-govt-launches-garud-portal-to-simplify-norms/

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  December 7, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Les atouts des Rafale Marine pour l'opération Chammal

  Le Dassault Rafale Marine déploiera la GBU-16 de 500kg à l'occasion de ce cinquième mandat de l'opération Chammal. CINQUIEME MANDAT Dans un mois et demi, le groupe aérien embarqué du porte-avions Charles-de-Gaulle sera à nouveau mobilisé au profit de l'opération Chammal, offrant une capacité appréciable, avec une vingtaine d'avions de combat Dassault Rafale Marine (quatre fois plus que d'habitude sur la base H5 avec l'Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace, (AAE) et E-2C Hawkeye. Ces Rafale Marine assurent le cinquième mandat sur place depuis 2014 : quatre ont été menés depuis le Charles de Gaulle et le cinquième à terre, durant l'arrêt technique majeur du porte-avions. Bombe GBU Cette fois, les chasseurs embarqués vont déployer une série d'atouts nouveaux. Ce sera le cas dans le domaine munitionnaire, ils pourront emporter la bombe GBU-16 de 500 kg offrant ainsi un spectre plus large qu'avant, à base de 250 kg (GBU-12, AASM) ou 1000 kg (GBU-24). Cette avancée est symptomatique du travail permanent de la chasse embarquée pour trouver les munitions les plus adaptées aux réalités opérationnelles. Rappelons que ses SEM avaient, en leur temps, déployé la GBU-49 sur le thé'tre afghan avant qu'elle n'apparaisse sur Mirage 2000D. De même, les ATL-2 disposent des GBU-12, GBU-51, GBU-58. Ciblage pour le missile MBDA Meteor Les Rafale Marine vont aussi pour la première fois déployer la nacelle de ciblage Talios le missile air-air à longue portée Meteor. L'AAE, qui vient de déployer ses premiers Rafale F3R en Jordanie, doit aussi, a priori avant la Marine, mettre en service le Talios sur ce thé'tre irako-syrien. Le Meteor de MBDA est, évidemment, dans le contexte troublé de la Méditerranée orientale, un game changer que les pays alliés pourront voir de près, notamment les Grecs, futurs clients du Rafale. https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/les-atouts-des-rafale-marine-pour-lopration-chammal-23945

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  February 12, 2021 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

  Secretive New Skunk Works UAS Set For Ground Testing Soon

  Steve Trimble A secretive new unmanned aircraft system (UAS) designed by the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is poised to enter ground testing “imminently,” a Lockheed Martin spokeswoman said on Feb. 11. The UAS known only as “Speed Racer” is awaiting the pending delivery of engines supplied by Technical Directions Inc. (TDI), a Michigan-based small turbojet supplier that was acquired in 2019 by Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, the spokeswoman said. A Lockheed official disclosed the Speed Racer project during a Sept. 16 press briefing, but provided few details. The name itself is an acronym, but none of the words have been released. The UAS is intended to validate a new digital engineering system within Lockheed called StarDrive. Heeding the U.S. Air Force's call to unite digital engineering tools across the design, manufacturing and sustainment phases of a new weapon system, Lockheed built the StarDrive to reduce the time and cost of producing and operating new flight vehicles for the military. Despite its name, Lockheed has emphasized that the concept is not necessarily about producing a fast UAS. The link to the StarDrive program may imply that “Speed Racer” is a reference to the pace of design and production. The only clear fact about Speed Racer is that it is powered by multiple engines made by TDI, which suggests a smaller vehicle. TDI's product portfolio consists of four turbojets with diameters between 4.5-8.5 in., and power ratings between 30-200-lb. thrust. Along with Florida Turbine Technologies—another Kratos acquisition—TDI is seeking to “disrupt the [small] engine market over the next few years,” said Eric Demarco, Kratos' chief executive officer, during a Jan. 13 virtual presentation to investors and analysts. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/secretive-new-skunk-works-uas-set-ground-testing-soon