March 4, 2024 | International, Aerospace
August 14, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
India announces ban on 101 imported arms. Who benefits, and who loses out?
NEW DELHI — To bolster self-reliance for its defense industrial base, India on Sunday released a list of 101 weapons and platforms that will be banned from import over the next seven years.
The list incorporates major armaments such as artillery guns, assault rifles, corvettes, sonar systems, transport aircraft, ammunition, radars, conventional diesel-electric submarines, communication satellites and shipborne cruise missiles.
In announcing the move, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called it “a big step toward self-reliance in defense production in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat,' ” or “Self-Reliant India.”
Singh added the decision will bring with it a great opportunity for the local defense industry to manufacture the items on the negative list by using domestic design and development capabilities.
“The embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 to 2024,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. “The aim behind the promulgation of the list is to appraise the Indian defense industry about the anticipated requirements of the [Indian] armed forces so that they are better prepared to realize the goal of indigenization.”
The items on the list, worth a total of $53.4 billion, are to be manufactured in India, with local companies as prime contractors. Of these, about $17.3 billion will be either Army or Air Force programs, and defense contracts worth $18.6 billion will be meant for naval programs. The MoD said these orders will be placed with domestic companies within the next five to seven years.
The domestic industry will now stand a better chance to compete among itself and cater to local demand, an MoD official told Defense News.
“Foreign-origin technology transfer will be key. However, the Indian companies will be in the driver's seat,” the official said.
Domestic private companies have welcomed the government's move, but some defense experts doubt change will come.
Baba Kalyani, chairman of Bharat Forge Limited, said this decision is a strategic step that will “propel the Self-Reliant India narrative and bolster the Indian defense equipment-manufacturing industry.”
He added that the growth of the domestic sector will lead to self-reliance, reduced expenditure on imports, the saving of foreign currency, job creation and the revival of consumption, and that it will get India closer to its goal of a $5 trillion economy.
Jayant Patil, senior executive vice president of India's largest private defense company Larsen & Toubro, said the defense policy reforms will provide long-term visibility, which he said is needed to drive investment.
In contract, Vivek Rae, a former MoD chief of acquisitions, said the “gradual ban on imports of 101 weapons and platforms signals the strong intent of government to boost domestic defense production. However, some of these items are already made or assembled in India, and import content is also high. Therefore, business as usual will continue unless more orders are given to the private sector and import content reduced.”
Rae also noted the cost of items manufactured or assembled locally tends to be higher than the cost of imported items. The quality of locally produced materiel is also a concern for Rae.
The embargo may not adversely affect foreign original equipment manufacturers, as they can continue involvement in MoD acquisition programs, either by way of direct product orders or through technology transfer or collaboration with the Indian companies, in respect to items not covered by the list, according to Amit Cowshish, a former financial adviser for acquisition at the MoD.
It doesn't matter whether an embargoed item is made by a joint venture or any other entity, so long as it is designed and developed in India, Cowshish added.
Indeed, an MoD official confirmed that foreign original equipment manufacturers now can set up joint ventures with a majority control up to 74 percent. The ventures would be considered Indian companies and thus be eligible for manufacturing the embargoed items, the official explained.
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August 15, 2019 | International, Aerospace
DARPA Invites Proposals For Active-Flow-Control X-Plane
By Graham Warwick DARPA has formally launched a program to build and fly an X-plane designed around active flow control (AFC), potentially eliminating the need for moving control surfaces. Designing from the ground up around AFC, rather than modifying an existing aircraft, is expected to yield performance and operational benefits. A broad agency announcement (BAA) was released on Aug. 12 for the first two of four planned phases of the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (Crane) program. A proposers' day is scheduled for Aug. 26 and proposals are due to be submitted by Nov. 8. A budget of $21 million is available for multiple awards under the 12-month Phase 0, which will focus on the aircraft design process and understanding the trade space. DARPA expects performers to enter this phase with multiple candidate configurations and flow-control approaches. Each Phase 0 contract will end with a conceptual design review for one or more configurations. Phase 1 will continue to mature up to two concepts and is expected to involve component-level testing and demonstrations to inform a system requirements review. This nine-month phase is planned to culminate in a preliminary design review for the proposed X-plane. DARPA plans to downselect to one performer at the end of Phase 1 in second-quarter fiscal 2022 and award a contract for Phase 2 detailed design. This is planned to conclude in a critical design review and lead to a go/no-go decision in the second quarter fiscal of 2023 for Phase 3 building and flying of the X-plane. First flight is planned for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. DARPA wants a “tactically relevant scale aircraft,” the BAA says. This may include a “clean-sheet design or modification of an existing aircraft.” The agency expects substantial use of off-the-shelf components for the flight demonstrator so that program resources can be focused on AFC development and testing. AFC modifies the flow field around the aircraft using mechanical or fluidic actuators. The BAA specifically excludes using large external moving surfaces, mechanical vectoring of engine exhaust or other traditional moving aerodynamic control surfaces. AFC applications identified in the BAA include eliminating moving control surfaces for stability and control and improving takeoff and landing performance, high-lift flight, thick-airfoil efficiency and high-altitude flight. Proposers may identify additional applications and benefits. A NATO technical study involving Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and academic institutes in the U.S. and UK identified that an unmanned combat aircraft with AFC could have stealth and other potential performance benefits during the ingress and egress phases of a strike mission. https://aviationweek.com/defense/darpa-invites-proposals-active-flow-control-x-plane
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December 10, 2019 | International, C4ISR
This company will keep airwaves clear for military satellites
By: Nathan Strout Kratos will provide 24/7 bandwidth monitoring for the Combined Space Operations Center under a potentially five-year $39 million contract, the company announced Dec. 6. Formerly known as the Joint Space Operations Center, CSpOC provides command-and-control operations to ensure US Strategic Command has the space capabilities needed to support joint military operations. CSpOC is the lead integrator for space-related services ranging from space situational awareness to satellite communications to position, navigation and timing. Under the sole-source contract, which was issued Nov. 22, Kratos will provide CSpOC 24/7 electromagnetic interference resolution services for bandwidth used by the military. Using its global network of antennas and sensors, the Colorado Springs-based company will monitor bandwidth leased from commercial satellites and bandwidth provided through military-owned satellites for electromagnetic interference. If interference is detected, Kratos will identify, isolate and geolocate interfering signals to help resolve the issue. “Kratos' commercially owned and operated global RF space domain awareness network uses proprietary sensors and software to collect and deliver persistent, day or night real-time data. The global network augments U.S. government satellite communication with detection services for anomalies, maneuvers and interference,” said Matt Langenbahn, vice president of RF sensing systems for Kratos in a statement. The initial $7.7 million base year began Dec. 1 with work expected to be completed Nov. 30, 2020. If the government chooses to exercise its four option years following the base year, the total value of the contract would rise to $39 million. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2019/12/09/this-company-will-keep-airwaves-clear-for-military-satellites