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Entrepreneurs Interviews Events Profiles Trends News Gadgets Opportunities Technology India’s First Dedicated Unmanned Systems Magazine

Vol II Issue V

Apr/May 2014

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F L Y I N G M A C H I N E S

DEFEXPO

2014

Unmanned Systems Review

EMERGING UAS JOB OPPORTUNITIES UAV FUTURE TRENDS LDRA ACADEMIC ALLIANCE PROGRAM INDIA’S FUTURE MARITIME FORCE HOW TATAs BAGGED ARMY’s MINI UAV ORDER INTERVIEWS CONTROP PRECISION TECHNOLOGIES RRG ENGINEERING ASTERIA AEROSPACE

JOHNNETTE

L A I R O T I D E Increasing Demand of Unmanned Systems

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he demand of unmanned systems is on the rise. More than thirty unmanned systems companies show cased their products at the recent DEFEXPO 2014 held at New Delhi in February this year. More than twenty companies were from outside India. Tata Advanced Systems also bagged the largest order so far from the Northern Command of the Indian Army in the small UAV segment. That’s a good news for small UAV making companies as the requirement of UAVs in Indian Army is not just limited to only one command. More non defence government agencies in India are also showing interest in using UAVs to their advantage. Tamil Nadu Police is one among them.

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Apr/May 2014 Vol II Issue 5

CEO & EDITOR Annette Livingstone MANAGING DIRECTOR Lt Cdr (R) John Livingstone CONSULTING EDITORS Lt Col (R) Rajiv Ghose Priya Ranjan CHIEF IT OFFICER Sudan PU CHIEF GRAPHICS OFFICER Mark Stiffle COUNTRY MANAGER, CANADA Shreya Mishra REPRESENTATIVE PARTNER, AUSTRALIA Rajanbir Singh REPRESENTATIVE PARTNER, ISRAEL Israel Vaserlauf CIRCULATION INCHARGE C Hemender CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Adm (R) Arun Prakash Lt Gen (R) Balli Pawar Lt Col (R) Rajiv Ghose Lt Cdr (R) John Livingstone T Srinivasan Divya Srinivasa Annette Livingstone Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Johnnette Publishers & Adventures, its Publisher and/or Editor. We at Johnnette do our best to verify the information published but do not take any responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information. Johnnette Publishers & Adventures does not accept any decision taken by the readers based on the information in this magazine. No part of this magazine can be reproduced without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Johnnette Publishers & Adventures reserves the

Unmannd Flying Machines is now having representative partners from Israel and Australia. We intend to reach out to every individual interested in unmanned systems.

The battle to sell UAVs to the Indain Armed Forces is on for many small players. Johnnette Events with support from DRDO and USAI (Unmanned Systems Association of India) is organising the second edition of Unmanned Systems Conference & Exhibition India 2014 at Air Force Auditorium, New Delhi on 18 & 19 Nov 2014. We hope to call as many decision makers as possible to show them the changing technology in the industry by the user applications in turn providing the right platform for OEMs.

Annette Livingstone CEO & Editor FORM IV Statement about ownership and other particulars about newspaper to be published in the first issue every year after the last day of February: 1. Place of publication: Johnnette Publishers & Adventures, C/O Parth Offset, 40, Center Point Market, Near SBI Bank, Porbandar, Gujarat 2. Periodicity of its publication: Bi Monthly 3. Printer's Name: Annette Livingstone, Nationality: Indian Address: Johnnette Publishers & Adventures, C/O Parth Offset, 40, Center Point Market, Near SBI Bank, Porbandar, Gujarat 4. Publisher's Name: Annette Livingstone, Nationality: Indian Address: Johnnette Publishers & Adventures, C/O Parth Offset, 40, Center Point Market, Near SBI Bank, Porbandar, Gujarat 5. Editor's Name: Annette Livingstone, Nationality: Indian Address: Johnnette Publishers & Adventures, C/O Parth Offset, 40, Center Point Market, Near SBI Bank, Porbandar, Gujarat I, Annette Livingstone, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. xxxxxxxxxxx Signature of Publisher

right to use the information published herein in any manner whatsoever.

Corporate Office Johnnette Media & Events 1475, I-2 Tower, Gaur Grandeur, Sector 119, Noida 201301, Uttar Pradesh, India +91 8527969977, 0120-6710475 Canada Shreya Mishra Editorial Member & Country Manager Tel: +647 771 9954 Israel Israel Vaserlauf Representative Partner +972 52 5838944 Australia Rajanbir Singh Representative Partner +61 43 4191343 All images Š UFM/Authorised Sources Send your contributions and articles to contact@johnnette.in jl@johnnette.in www.johnnette.in

JOHNNETTE

Printed and published by Annette Livingstone on behalf of Johnnette Publishers & Adventures. Printed at Parth offset, 40 Center point market, near SBI bank, MG road, Porbandar , Gujarat. Published at Johnnette Publishers & Adventures, C/O Parth offset, 40 Center point market, near SBI bank, MG road, Porbandar , Gujarat. Editor: Annette Livingstone

CONTENTS C O N T E N T S

06

JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN THE EMERGING UAS MARKET

13

UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES AND FUTURE TRENDS

16

LDRA ACADEMIC ALLIANCE PROGRAM

18 22

INTERVIEW WITH CONTROP PRECISION TECHNOLOGIES

26

UNMANNEDPRENEUR

36 44

INTERVIEW WITH ASTERIA AEROSPACE

16

INDIA’S FUTURE MARITIME FORCE

18

HOW TATAs BAGGED ARMY’S LARGEST MINI UAV ORDER

26

INSIGHTS 9 NEWS 10, 41 EVENTS 46

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DEFEXPO

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Unmanned Systems Review

+1 541 387 2120 info.cct@utas.utc.com Learn more at: www.cloudcaptech.com/SWaP

UAV pr

ofession

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in the Emerging UAS Market Lt Col (R) Rajiv Ghose

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he growing importance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or what is being reclassified and accepted as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), is producing new job opportunities across the world. The exact numbers cannot be predicted but in a country like the United States of America, the largest user of the unmanned systems, the job potential market has been estimated is approximately 23,000 jobs over the next 12-15 years. This is expected to increase and worldwide as the systems enter the civilian realm.

Over the last decade UAS have become a critical component in military operations. This has been witnessed overtly first in Iraq and then in Afghanistan. They were utilised mainly in combat roles targeting suspected militants or as surveillance vehicles giving real-time intelligence to operational command centres.

Unmanned systems are fast becoming an important part of the U.S. and World economy. For unmanned aircraft systems alone, the Teal Group predicts the worldwide market will total an average of $9 Billion per year for the next 10 years. Additionally, Wintergreen Research predicts the total market will be $51 Billion by 2018. Civil aviation rules and laws are being amended to integrate civil aircraft with military, commercial and civil UAV operations. The demand will be largely driven by the U.S. government but requirements also will be accelerated by other countries including emerging economies.

UAS are also increasingly appearing for internal security and varied other domestic uses that are expected to increase in the coming years.

For the last several years they have been put in use to spot illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and terrorists attempting to cross borders. In the domestic market internal law enforcement agencies are the most likely customers. So, to say that these agencies will also require technically qualified personnel to take care of the systems they acquire.

Domestic use of UAS gets severely limited due to genuine concerns that they are not sufficiently capable of avoiding collisions with manned aircraft. Governments are working towards new regulations for use of airspace by unmanned aircraft and this will provide for companies to operate commercially in a large and untapped market. UAS could also be used for a number of jobs other than surveillance.

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The driving factors behind UAS jobs that can be seen as coming in the domain of internal security, survey and inspection, and communications besides military uses are: · Police will need routine surveillance · Commercial / residential real estate marketing · TV News Stations · Meteorologists · Agriculture and farming · Public utility companies · Gas and oil pipeline companies · Cinema and films · Parks & Recreation

...The indirect and induced impacts of UAV spending will also be widely felt throughout the economy...

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The industries require UAS pilots, sensor operators and mechanics both for employment and at training centres.

There will also be a huge requirement for UAS analysts, program managers, and designers. All said and done when UAS get integrated with the national airspace system the job growth will be spurred and a forecast economic impact of approximately $13.6 billion by 2019.

A study performed by the Association for U n m a n n e d Ve h i c l e S y s t e m s International forecasts that during the first decade following integration more than 100,000 new jobs will be created.

And, by that forecast, the total economic impact of the segment, which includes new manufacturing, maintenance, operation, sales, support and other positions, could reach $80-90 billion by 2025. But while the growing industry will be adding to the overall workforce, the segment might also be changing the employment landscape for people seeking professional positions. The primary segment will need pilots. But what kind of pilots? First, the role of an UAS pilot may be significantly different from that of traditional pilots who fly aircraft today. Some industry observers believe it's most likely that UAS operators to have experienced pilots who have also flown in the cockpit demonstrated in the form of a commercial and instrument flight certificate before they are allowed to operate unmanned aircraft. There are a multiple, sometimes conflicting factors to be considered. However, the above condition is not a mandatory and can be an additional qualification that improves the acceptability and candidature.

Though it is very difficult to predict as to how many good and paying jobs can be created in a particular industry, it is, however, certain that only niche jobs will exist in the business of UAS. An estimate of the salary structure in various segments of UAS job market has been given in the Figure 1. There are various categories of jobs that one can find in the business of UAS besides being a pilot.

Consultants are few and hit the top category in compensation packages.

Systems engineers, payload operators, imagery analysts, maintenance specialists, qualified personnel in manufacturing besides instructors and trainers are the broad categories that one may look forward to finding their place in the forthcoming booming segment of UAS market.

Figure 1.Salary Structure in the UAS job market

...Some industry observers believe it's most likely that UAS operators to have experienced pilots who have also flown in the cockpit demonstrated in the form of a commercial and instrument flight certificate before they are allowed to operate unmanned aircraft...

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The indirect and induced impacts of UAV spending will also be widely felt throughout the economy. The top 25 industry and service sectors indirectly influenced by UAV contract activities in a region have been listed in Table A below.

Table A. Top 25 Industry sectors impacted indirectly by UAS production

UAV JOBS IN INDIA According to Frost & Sullivan analysts, successful utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in the Kashmir region, coupled with India’s aviation industry boom, is expected to provide UAV development programs the necessary foundation to succeed in the immediate future. India’s UAV market has been idle in the last two decades and has not followed up on the earlier successes of indigenous UAVs. Hence, the government has targeted a few areas in the Indian armed forces that need modernization. The introduction of UAVs is one of the first steps taken in this direction. In the future, the utilization of UAVs in India’s military is expected to eventually spillover to commercial industries as well. "UAV technologies are expected to reshape national defense strategies and policies, and are currently being tested in real-world situations by the Indian armed forces," says the analyst of this research service. "Early test results have proven that this technology will be very useful and successful in different types of operations." In addition, maritime operations, as well as surveillance and reconnaissance operations in India are boosting the demand for medium altitude long endurance UAV (MALE UAVs) and tactical UAV (TUAVs).

India’s Lack of Focus and Technological Capabilities Drives the Need for a Concerted Framework for Current and Future UAV Development Programs. "For several years, the lack of technology development capabilities has dogged India’s UAV programs," notes the analyst.

"Hence, several institutions have been set up by the government to focus exclusively on UAV developments." Moreover, the lack of focus on India’s UAV development has resulted in delayed and cancelled development programs. To overcome this and become a major participant in the Asia Pacific UAV industry, government-linked organizations have been set up to provide a concerted framework for current and future development programs." The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is one such institution that assists India to be self-reliant in terms of UAV technology. In view of India’s extensive use of the UAV technology, the country’s armed forces are expected to be well equipped. In addition, India is likely to require non-domestic partnerships in the immediate future to proceed with indigenous research and development.

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Thus in addition, the combined payroll of UAS production and suppliers will have the potential to generate an approximate additional $590 million in economic activity throughout the region where UAS manufacturing and use takes place. There would be other industries that would be further impacted by the spending of the wages earned in the UAS job market. It is important to define in both wages and jobs that UAS manufacturing is similar to manned aircraft manufacturing life cycle development, which consists of concept, research and development, design, and testing, to physical manufacturing, production, maintenance, and servicing.

Each section of the work product may end at some point as technology evolves, but other sections will continue to live on and give birth to new innovations and consequently new job opportunities.

To conclude, job opportunities will clearly depend on the production and usage of UAS in the world. UAVs are now in service in more than 50 countries. During 2007 itself, these aircraft logged more than 500,000 flight hours, and exact figures are not available but have been climbing at a logarithmic rate. There are, in fact, thousands of different aircraft in various stages of design, development or production, so it's difficult to pin exact numbers on a market map that is still unfolding. Aviation analysts at The Teal Group (Washington, D.C.) estimate that the UAV market will account for $51 billion in total R&D and procurement spending by 2018, compared with about $3.4 billion today. In terms of UAV procurement, the largest share of the market goes to the U.S. as stated above (64 percent). The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 20 percent. European and NATO requirements account for the remaining 16 percent.

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UAV MARKET BOOM IN INDIA

Lt Cdr (R) John Livingstone, President - Unmanned Systems Association of India

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ndian army was the first to induct UAVs in India.

Successful operations in the Army inspired the Indian Air Force to induct for its unmanned flying operations and this led the Indian Navy to carryout maritime operations with UAVs operating off the Indian coasts. All the three forces inducted Searcher MK II and Herons in the country from the early 90s to the late 90s.

DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) recently has set up a new testing facility near Chitradurga in Karnataka for unmanned air vehicles. This will be the first in India to have a testing center for UAVs with setting up costs being more than $2 million. Presently DRDO has developed two UAVs, Nishant and Lakshya. Both are into production now and Nishant capable of flying both in day and night is being upgraded for an improved version of its kind. With the success of these two U AV s D R D O i s embarking the flight of M A L E U AV s .

RUSTOM is the next big thing in DRDO which is a medium altitude long endurance UAV with an endurance of about 24 hours and a ceiling of 35,000 ft. The Rustom display at the recent DEFEXPO 2014 at New Delhi was a big attraction with in the unmanned systems segment. I am sure to see the indigenous UCAV very soon at one of events to come in the near future.So far in the country the biggest supplier had been IAI MALAT from Israel. Two companies in India are focusing strongly on the UAV market in India.

Speck Systems India in collaboration with a French company and Tata Advanced Systems in consultation with DRDO are working on various projects to meet the Indian requirements especially for the armed forces. The recent contract award to Tata Advanced Systems is a milestone for indegenous UAV sales in India. Both the companies are focusing on the full spectrum of unmanned platforms including Tactical, MALE, HALE, Rotorcraft and Fan craft for multiple applications. If they succeed in their projects and if the Indian armed forces contract with more and

more Indian companies, then probably our country can save millions of rupees. Even in the hobby sector many Indian aeromodel manufacturers are making progress by selling the models at cheaper costs compared to a decade before when many Indian hobbyists had to import aeromodels at higher prices.

It's a new dimension for the aviation industry with the success of UAVs in the past two decades. Future UAVs will be capable of doing things what manned aircraft are doing today. Today's pilots switch to autopilot just 30 minutes after takeoff and takeover 30 minutes before they land. In bad weather and critical conditions pilots do land on autopilots and that has proved safer in many cases. With ATOL (Automatic Take Off and Landing) proven for many UAVs t h e c a r g o transportation can be done just with no humans in the flight.

T h o u g h t h e affordability factor may drag the process for long but there is nothing as precious as human life in this world.

Therefore the market for UAVs has been growing rapidly in India. And another reason why many manufacturers are focusing on UAVs is because these Unmanned Ariel Vehicles can, apart from military applications, be used in many commercial applications. They can be used by the forest department, police department, disaster management department, meteorological department and can also be used for many commercial requirements. India being a large country with a larger population, the usage of UAVs will be on the higher end to create a large market. The next big thing in the aviation sector in India would be UAVs. By the year 2020 India will be flying more UAVs than manned aircraft by saving many lives and many rupees.

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SCHIEBEL CAMCOPTER® S-100 – WINS CONTRACT WITH THE ITALIAN NAVY

The Italian Navy has selected the CAMCOPTER® S-100 UAS (Unmanned Air System) to provide support for its fleet, making it the first European Navy that has S-100 in operational use.

The CAMCOPTER® S-100 has already proven efficient to the Italian Navy as it was the first UAS ever to fly from an Italian ship, the ITS Bersagliere a Soldati Class frigate in April 2012.

Being the UAS of choice, the unmanned helicopter will provide its increased operational ability to Italian Navy Commanders once again. The signed contract includes a system, training, integration and spare parts. With minimal physical, logistics and manpower footprint, the S-100 is especially effective at sea. The system will provide unique degrees of flexibility, versatility and persistence on board of Italian Navy ships employed in antipiracy missions.

Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group of companies said, “The CAMCOPTER® S-100 continues to be a proven and highly sought after asset in maritime operations. Its ability to extend a ship commander’s visible and electronic horizon to beyond what is conventionally possible is 10 | Apr/May 2014 |

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a powerful instrument that helps to counter possible threats, secure routes and control recourses at less operational cost.

This quality has already garnered the interest of several global navies where the S-100’s robust nature has proven effective, particularly in the unforgiving maritime environment.”

Mounted with a Wescam MX-10 and a Shine Micro AIS (Automatic Identification System), the CAMCOPTER® S-100 has the capability to collect time-critical data during uninterrupted periods of up to 6 hours, and can hover, which provides decision makers with a flexible unique means of collecting and disseminating information. Additionally, the S-100 will be mounted with a Schiebel-designed harpoon system, which supports takeoff and landing in conditions up to Sea State 5.

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Tamil Nadu police use UAV in murder probe

India acquires eyes in the sky with drones

By S Srinivasan

By TOI

The Tamil Nadu police are believed to be the first force in the country to use an unmanned aerial vehicle in a murder investigation. It used a drone to inspect the area where a 23-yearold software engineer with Tata Consultancy Services was found murdered in Siruseri along the city's IT Corridor.

The CB-CID conducted sorties with an unmanned aerial vehicle over the scene of crime — a largely inaccessible area covered in thick brush — looking for clues to solve the slaying of Uma Maheswari. Investigators discovered the techie's body nine days after she went missing from her office on February 13, barely 200 metres from the TCS facility.

Investigators said they would use footage from the drones to search for evidence left behind

by Uma's killers and make a 3D image of the location to help reconstruct the crime scene.

Israel drone crashes in Gaza The Al-Rai news agency, run by the territory's Islamist rulers, Hamas, said the drone came down east of the southern city of Khan Yunis on 10 March.

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said its fighters had retrieved the drone. The incident was followed by an Israeli air strike, also east of Khan Yunis, which killed three Islamic Jihad fighters, the militant group said.

It was unclear if the two incidents were related.

Indian security forces are increasingly using many types of UAVs for crowd and traffic management, surveillance, disaster relief, and now for tiger hunts and crime investigation. Ankit Mehta, chief executive officer of IdeaForge, a start-up manufacturing UAVs, says the drones with their cutting-edge technologies enhance the abilities of the state apparatus. "Trying to spot the tigress is like trying to find a needle in the haystack," Mehta points out. The area where the tigress reportedly is spread across hundreds of square kilometres. "Scanning an area of 2km could itself have otherwise taken two days," he says. We regularly use the UAVs for law and order arrangements.

Aerial cameras mounted on the UAVs are scanning the region and relaying back images that are being analysed in a laptop. That pinpointing the exact location of a moving target, like the tigress, still remains difficult, is beside the point. But UAVs have in the recent past made impossible missions in difficult terrain possible. In June 2013, rescue teams fell back on UAVs to locate survivors after devastating floods and landslides swept the inhospitable terrains of Uttarakhand state. The UAVS scoured 50 areas in the Himayalan foothills, 20 of which the rescuers had not been able to reach. In July, police in Gujarat state employed UAVs to monitor pilgrims participating in Jagannath Rath Yatra, a religious procession, in the city of Ahmedabad.

Police in the cities of Kolkata and Mumbai are also using the drones to keep an eye on millions who gather every year for the immersion of deities during the popular Durga and Ganesh Chaturthi festivals. "We regularly use the UAVs for law and order arrangements," says Mahesh Patil, a spokesman of Mumbai police. In a nation where the police-population ratio is abysmal, India has an average of one policeman for every 761 people as against the UN norm of one for 450, UAVs become "force multipliers", admits one top officer.

Contraptions resembling helicopters and carrying a camera, the "multi-copters" - as they are also called - are remotely controlled from the ground and can be made to zoom, pan and tilt. Mehta of IdeaForge says UAVs usage in India is destined to grow manifold. "India has 1,000 battalions of armed forces, 14,000 police stations and 2,000 fire stations and they are all our prospective clients."

Business has already exponentially grown for Mehta since he set up his firm some years ago with two college mates. Today, he employs a staff of 35. "The business is profitable and has a huge unexplored potential," he explains. Experts say the usage of UAVs has grown since India's financial capital Mumbai came under co-ordinated attacks in November 2008, which left more than 160 people dead. Defence forces are now using them even for snow and avalanche studies. "As we speak, a UAV is being used to hunt an adventure sports person who has gone missing near Bangalore," points out Mehta.

A drone also kept an eye on spectators as the nation's cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar turned out to play in Kolkata's Eden Gardens for his penultimate match, before retirement. Dr K Senthil Kumar, an associate professor with Madras Institute of Technology, says drones are potential life savers. "It can be deployed for transporting vital organs for transplantation from one hospital to another. A harvested heart could be transported quickly without traffic hassles from one part of the city to another," he says. Critics of drones in the western world say they are intrusive. But Indians share no such inhibitions over the prying eyes as yet.

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DRDO to Hold Trials of UGVs The Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE), a DRDO lab based at Avadi near Chennai, is warming up to take two of its unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for summer trials in the next two months. The UGVs -- MuntraN designed for nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) reconnaissance and Muntra-M designed for mine detection missions -- are currently undergoing lab level trials at Avadi ahead of the summer trials.

The DRDO had exhibited Muntra-S, meant for surveillance, during the DefExpo in 2012 and the scientists say that the vehicle has already completed the desert trials successfully. Muntra stands for Mission Unmanned Tracked. Sanctioned with a seed money of `60 crore in 2007, the project consists of four vehicles, with three in the unmanned role and the fourth one in a manned mode (Muntra-B), doing the base control duties.

“Muntra-B will be common for all missions depending on the role. During the field trials, Muntra-S operated at very high temperatures in deserts. We tele-operated Muntra-S from a distance of 5 km and it tracked a tank further at a distance of 12 km. The radar has an instrumented range of 18 km. During the trials, we undertook day and night surveillance and tele-operated the vehicle back to the base as well,” Sivakumar said. Last year, the CVRDE began the integration of Muntra-M and Muntra-N with lab-level tests. The UGVs could perform in tele-operated, autonomous and manned modes.

To facilitate the operation of the UGVs from a distance through wireless means, a drive-by-wire system enables the control of the conventional UGV engine by electronic means. The teleoperation system enables the base vehicle operator to navigate the UGV with the help of optoelectronic sensors. Information about the obstacles and other features around the UGV is gathered by these sensors and this information is displayed at the base vehicle on ergonomically designed display systems.

By Anantha Krishnan M

IIT-K launches UAV project for eye in air

By Vanitha Srivasthava

In an endeavour to improve country’s surveillance system, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has launched a major initiative for designing and building unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). The three types of UAVs planned are flapping wing, fixed wing and quadrotor. The applications envisaged are surveillance, aerial photography and disaster management. One of the projects aims at developing a small sized fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) that could, in the future, be upgraded to a solar powered system. “This will be a fixed wing platform which will be designed in such a way that future modifications can be easily incorporated. It will be easily modifiable in future to a renewable energy based system, specifically solar powered,” said Dr AK Ghosh who is leading the fixed wing project. Additionally, flapping wing micro/mini air vehicle research is an ongoing sponsored activity of the Unsteady Aerodynamics Laboratory of the institute, supported by several agencies. “IIT Kanpur is supporting this activity towards building an autonomous 1.5m flying bird which will carry a small camera as payload and will be able to take pictures for surveillance,” said Dr Debopam Das, project leader.

Security forces in Bihar using unmanned aerial vehicles to combat Maoists

By Zee Media Bureau

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Some of the districts in Bihar are one of worst Maoist-hit areas in the country. Now, in order to combat the menace, security forces in the state have started using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) so that security of those who are in field operations is not compromised. Though this is the first time that UAVs are being used in Bihar, it has been in use in other Naxal-affected states like Chhatishgarh and Jharkhand. Some of the worst hit areas in Bihar have been the districts of Gaya, Aurangabad and Jamui.

A senior police official was quoted by a news agency as saying that the induction of UAVs would help in keeping an eye on Maoist movements in their strongholds in North Bihar plains and forest areas in Southern Bihar.

He also said that it would minimise the chances of casualties of security personnel who were involved in fighting the Naxals. The UAVs use Global Positioning System (GPS) which helps in feeding real time location and movement of Naxals. It also helps in picking up ground conversation and movement. The real time images of the Maoists is passed on to the commandos. It is also said that the UAVs would also help in detecting IEDs.

By Lt Gen (Retd) Balli Pawar

UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES AND FUTURE TRENDS

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ntroduction Modern warfare is characterized by highly mobile operations with tactical scenario changing rapidly and theatre of operations becoming more and more extensive. The advent of long range weapon systems and mechanization has extended the area of influence much beyond the line sight of ground based sensors. In such a scenario field commanders require an organic, responsive, economically viable, multi source, long endurance, near real time reconnaissance capability to collect, process and report intelligence throughout the level of conflict.

Additionally commanders need ability to obtain data from anywhere within enemy territory, day and night (24x7), regardless of weather.

With the limitations of the ground based surveillance and target acquisition devices, aerial means are gaining greater importance. Manned aircrafts run a greater risk factor because of introduction of sophisticated fire control and missile systems. In such a scenario the answer lies in the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), with their inherent characteristics to provide the flexibility to operate in the enemy battle space. UAVs are remotely piloted or self piloted aircraft that can carry cameras, sensors, communication equipment, or other payloads. They have been used in the reconnaissance and intelligence gathering role since 1950s and more challenging roles are envisaged including combat missions.

Unmanned vehicles are not impeded by restraints imposed on manned systems where both the aircraft and crew could be lost. In fact they are increasingly being employed for missions that were hitherto the domain of manned aircraft.

From the early use as target drones and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) the U AV s w e r e e m p l o y e d f o r reconnaissance purposes during the Korean War by the USA and subsequently as highly classified special purpose aircraft during the conflict in South East Asia. The revolution in unmanned warfare has been a long time coming and it got further impetus ever since the Israelis demonstrated how UAVs could be 14 | Apr/May 2014 |

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effectively used in operations in the Yom Kippur war in 1973 and subsequently in Lebanon. Interest in the UAVs further intensified following their successful employment on the battlefield in Operations Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom in Iraq- the tactical and theatre level unmanned aircraft alone had flown 100000 flight hours in support of the above operations.

In Afghanistan the Global Hawk and Predator UAVs have been used extensively in carrying out all types of missions both ISR and combat. The United Nations and NATO activities in former Yugoslavia also brought international attention to the relevance of UAVs on the battlefield. Today technologically advanced militaries across the world have incorporated UAVs as a new critical component of their inventory. While Israel and USA have been the pioneers in UAV development, today at least 14 countries are using / developing over 76 different types of UAVs for surveillance, target acquisition, electronic warfare etc.

Employment Philosophy / Role The basic employment philosophy of UAV system is based on type of UAV, its characteristics and the sensor package it carries. The requirement of a UAV system therefore is to satisfy surveillance requirements in close range, short range and endurance categories. The close and short range UAVs were subsequently classified as tactical UAVs, designed to support field commanders with near-real time imagery intelligence in the tactical battle space. Current military UAVs perform reconnaissance as well as attack missions. Though intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillances mission still remain the predominant roles, other areas of employment include electronic attack, strike missions, suppression and / or destruction of enemy air defence, network node or communications relay and combat search and rescue.

UAVs are often preferred for missions that are too dull, dirty or dangerous for manned aircraft. The concept of killer / hunter UAVs for strike missions is a reality in Afghanistan. The Predator which is Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV carries two 'hellfire' missiles. The Predator has been extensively used by the US Forces for strike mission against the Taliban and Al-Queda Militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas. Some of these

UAVs are being piloted for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan from halfway across the world in Nevada and California more than 8000 miles from the killing zone. The UAVs provide real time video feeds to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan that help in tracking enemy movements. US air force guides its Predators and High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Global Hawk UAVs which can stay aloft for more than 20 hours watching a battlefield. The vast majority of roughly 1500 UAVs flying in Iraq and Afghanistan are much smaller, controlled by soldiers and marines.

The smallest is the 'Raven' about the size of a large model airplane with a wing span of three feet, which is sometimes mistaken for a bird flying high in the sky.

Employment of UAVs in Counter Insurgency (CI) / Counter Terrorism (CT) Operations.

CI/CT operations require timely, responsive and accurate intelligence to succeed and the UAV is the best suited weapon platform for this task.

The UAV is capable of operating in a permissive as well as non permissive (within another countries sovereign airspace) environment and with a variety of sensors suitable for single or multi mission operations. The sensor can transmit information based on detection, identification and location of militant groups to intelligence agencies or to surveillances teams. UAVs could also provide support to troops on the ground during the operations in terms of real time image or signal intelligence via a secure downlink.

An armed UAV overhead could provide timely on scene firepower, a situation regularly being played out in Afghanistan and tribal areas of Pakistan.

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Experience of the US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan and the expertise of the Israeli defence forces of using UAVs in conventional as well as non conventional operations bring out several valuable lessons which can be suitably exploited in our present CI/CT environment. Two of the most important of these lessons are 'Complete Battlefield Dominance' and 'Closing Sensor to Shooter Loop'.

This involves establishing a continuous surveillance grid of the area of interest duly integrated with the forces on the ground fighting CI/CT operations, thereby establishing a system capable of disseminating this intelligence to more than one user in real time for its timely and efficient exploitation. The success of OP GERONIMO to get Osama Bin Laden is clearly illustrative of this factor. However, our CI/CT environment differs from experiences of other countries in terms of terrain, vastness of area, limited availability of UAV resources and their capabilities. Hence it is not possible to achieve similar results in terms of both coverage as well as technological capabilities in near real time frame to the end user.

Nonetheless UAVs from the available resources are being used extensively in ISR roles for CI/CT operations including in the Naxal infected areas.

...The increasing demand and reliance on UAVs in war fighting and peace keeping operations has doubled the pace of UAV related research and development in recent years...

UAVs in India Successful use of UAVs mostly in the Asian region has generated the interest of many countries. China and Pakistan are adding UAVs of various capabilities to their armed forces and have expressed interests in developing and procuring UAVs with enhanced capabilities, including armed versions. During the last couple of years China has unveiled more than 25 different models of UAVs, prominent among them being the WJ600 combat UAV. The WJ600 is said to be capable of carrying several missiles. India has also not been left out of the Global UAV push and a major thrust of its armed forces modernization plans include augmenting their meager UAV resources.

Presently the Indian Air Force and Army operate Israeli Searcher II tactical UAV and Heron (MALE) UAVs- the Navy is also in the process of acquiring some of these UAVs. India has also developed a smaller UAV, the Nishant (catapult launch and parachute recovery) which has already entered service with the Army and is operational. In addition, India is undertaking a development program for a UAV in the Heron / Predator class of MALE UAVs, called the 'Rustom'. The Rustom will be 1100 – 1300 Kg UAV, with a maximum altitude of 35000 feet and range of 300 Km. The state run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) along with Bharat Electronics are slated to design and build this UAV. However, India's most prized indigenous drone programme is the development of the Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft (AURA). In a major decision the DRDO is moving towards the development the AURO Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) which will be a high speed stealth UCAV, capable of autonomously seeking, identifying and destroying targets firing missiles, bombs and precision guided munitions- the first flight is expected in 2015 which in the present environment looks far ...Continued in page 39 fetched.

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LDRA Academic Alliance Program (LAAP)

By Divya Srinivasa

Launched to Bridge the Skill Gap within the Aerospace Industry

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DRA, the leading provider of safetycritical software verification and c o m p l i a n c e management tools for the past 40 years has launched their academic initiative called LDRA Academic Alliance Program. LAAP is designed to cater for the growing demand for embedded software experts in the aerospace, defence, automotive, industrial and medical domains.

The LAAP was launched at a recent LDRA academic seminar titled “Providing Expertise for a Safer Tomorrow”. The seminar was held in Bangalore on the 2 April 2014 and was delivered by Dr. Michael Hennell, the founder of LDRA and a renowned intellectual in the field of safetycritical software development.

After 23 years as a professor at the University of Liverpool Dr. Hennell founded LDRA and was the principal architect of the LDRA tool suite. He continues to guide the development of LDRA technology and services in his current position as Technical Director.

Dr. Hennell actively participates on both the MISRA C and C++ committees as well as the international committee that developed the new avionics software standard, DO-178C. He has committed more than 40 years to developing and promoting cuttingedge software testing and development processes to enhance software quality and reliability.

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During the launch of LAAP Dr. Hennell shared his views on how a comprehensive embedded curriculum evolves globally and nurtures industry ready engineers. He explained how “hands-on training plays a major role in the embedded software industry and this training should start from the classroom level to build employable skills in pupils”.

“Academies and industries should come together to bridge the skill gap currently present in the Indian market” commented Hennell.

A shortage of skill-based employees has been hindering the growth of the Indian aerospace i n d u s t r y.

Aspiring youths appear to lack vocational skills and have to go through extensive training to comply with the high industry standard.

A significant reason for this skill-gap is the absence of collaboration between policy makers, industry and academia. There is an urgent need for superior training and infrastructure development within the education sector to create and support huge emerging employment opportunities in the aerospace and Unmanned Arial Vehicle (UAV) domains.

Dr Michael Hennel, Founder LDRA

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The National Skill Development Council (NSDC), a body that promotes vocational education to address the industry's requirements of skilled manpower, has a l r e a d y identified this situation and is forming a S k i l l Development Council for the national aerospace and aviation industry. With this effort NSDC aims to increase the role of the private sector in vocational education.

Policy makers have made their move creating an opportunity for industry and academia to come together. Aerospace and avionic industries have become aware that students from institutions do not have the appropriate skill sets required from critical professionals.

In the past few years it is clear that there has been a wide mismatch between student aspirations and the Indian job market. This forthcoming industry scenario forms a responsibility for both industry pioneers and academics in our country to educate academics with specialised, market required skills. This joint venture with academic institutions and special-skilled companies, such as LDRA, promises a better future for young talent and will create skilled employees for fast growing safety-critical industries.

This innovative program will help remove problems that the Indian IT industry is facing at present in terms of job availability and required skills.

LDRA conducted a survey with customers to identify and understand the required skills for qualified software safety and security professionals. The survey demonstrated that knowledge of software engineering concepts, coding standards such as MISRA C/C++, verification and validation methodologies and safety standards and guidelines such as DO178B/C, are essential. These findings show that genuine engineering skills are required to make safe products in a wide range of industries.

Some of the LAAP activities include Assistance in enhancing the curriculum Supporting Faculty Development Programs (FDP) Assistance in setting up process and methodology labs with LDRA tools Providing networking opportunities for faculties with our clients and like minded industry players Providing workshops, seminars, webinars and on demand videos Introducing partners who can run short term courses in campuses Providing a pool of industry experts who can enhance the efforts of faculties in campuses Supporting collaboration with our clients and all other like minded industry and professional bodies and govt. agencies

Once applications have been approved, participants will be involved with relevant LDRA events, seminars and subsidised training programs carried out on the latest safety tools and standards. These events will be a huge arena for faculties to learn from industry experts about upcoming industry scenarios, new developments in LDRA tools as well as for networking with industry contacts, ultimately leading to better opportunities for students.

With this initiative, LDRA will advocate specialised training with a focus on international safety standards and testing methodologies using LDRA tools. LDRA India Director, Shinto Joseph concludes, “Let us partner together to provide expertise for a safer tomorrow�.

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In consideration of the survey finding, the LAAP (LDRA Academic Alliance Program) is designed to benefit engineering students, developers and software safety experts who wish to become familiar with the latest source code analysis techniques and methodologies.

Gaining specialised knowledge in this domain offers career opportunities in the safety and security industry.

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Dror Sharon CEO, Controp Precision Technologies

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Controp Precision Technologies is an advanced technology company focused on developing EO/IR payloads to meet the rapidly growing need of unmanned technology. John Livingstone, Managing Director, Johnnette had an exclusive interview with Controp’s CEO Dror Sharon at DEFEXPO 2014 in New Delhi. He tells us about Controp’s plans and challenges in the unmanned systems industry.

Dror, tell us about CONTROP, its origin, its present and future product lines.

CONTROP is a 25 year old company which was established in 1983 in Israel and focuses on electro optical systems, known in the industry as EO/IR. Controp specializes in technologies with different spectral bands: visible, near infra-red, short wave, mid wave and long wave. CONTROP cameras are manufactured at our factory in Israel. CONTROP has several core competencies including continuous zoom thermal optics, which we use in the design and manufacturing of our thermal imaging cameras, and gyro stabilisation, which is exemplified in our gyro stabilised payloads.

In recent years, CONTROP scientists developed the STAMP line of state-of-theart miniature 3 axis gyrostabilised camera payloads for small UAVs. We design all of our camera payload products to be very small in size and weight and very low on power consumption, but very high in optical capability. So, when CONTROP products are compared to those of our competition, they are compressed in size yet superior in performance. The company products are focused on different areas of the market, i.e. airborne, naval and ground applications, armoured vehicles and homeland security markets.

Any plans on making UAVs? No, Controp is only concentrating on payloads. We don't have any reason to compete with our customers nor will we be interfering with our customers' products. We are focusing on giving our customers the best optics solutions in the market.

How have been your experiences working with the Asian companies to expand your business?

We are working a lot in Asia and in

many countries. We have been working for the last 10 years in India, growing our business year over year. To work in India is a bit difficult in terms of investment. You have to invest a lot before getting anywhere in the market.

It is not easy for companies to enter the Indian market.

What challenges have you been facing to penetrate into the Indian market, apart from the investment side? How is the bureaucracy?

When manufacturing in the Indian market, you are required to have local content. You can hold some partnership with local companies but only 26% to the foreign companies and the local companies with 74%. This makes it difficult for foreign companies who are looking at protecting their IP before sharing it with the Indian companies. If it were permissible to have a 50-50 JV, owning and managing only 50% by each partner then I believe it would be much easier for all concerned.

Your USP? As I mentioned before, CONTROP is a technology based company. We specialize in stateof-the-art EO/IR technology. We are investing all the time in developing new technologies, be it optics for our cameras or longer ranges, better stabilisation and much more. We are constantly increasing and improving our technology to take it one step further and continue to provide cutting edge technology to our customers.

You mean to say your technology beats your competitors.

Yes, technology itself is our co competitor.

So, do you have other products apart from the imaging line?

No, we are focusing only on imaging and everything connected to imaging especially electro optical stabilized devices.

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Controp’s SPEED-A on Skystar Aerostat

What is Controp's vision?

To continue to be the leader in the market. Improving our sophisticated products. Reduce the weight and size of camera payloads for UAVs and at the same time increase the optical capability.

Tell us more about the unmanned systems market growth in Israel and its impact on the rest of the world.

The UAV market is growing rapidly all over the world. I think it's one of the fastest growing markets in the defence arena. It is divided into two different segments. One is flying above the cloud level and the other is flying below cloud level. We are strong at both ends, but concentrating more on the lower level segment with high quality and very unique systems. And the competition there is still low because to get a payload which is stabilised with high optical performance and low power consumption, meeting the low level flying of a UAV, is a challenge. We are a world leader in this arena, of course outside the US and in some places of the US as well.

Apart from your company what are the other companies especially from the imaging solutions in Israel are at competition with you?

We are working with but also competing with IAI and Elbit in Israel, but both of them are not in the market niche of small UAVs and payloads. We are on our own.

...CONTROP has several core competencies including continuous zoom thermal optics, which we use in the design and manufacturing of our thermal imaging cameras, and gyro stabilisation, which is exemplified in our gyro stabilised payloads...

Have you made any sales so far in India?

Yes we have, but I won't be able to mention their names. We have sales every year in India.

Finally Dror tell us what are your future plans for Controp exclusively for India.

We are looking now for partners in India to work with. We are looking at increasing our ability over here and do part of manufacturing here.

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INDIA'S FUTURE MARITIME FORCE

By Admiral (Retd) Arun Prakash former Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy

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f the 1971 war was the navy's baptism by fire, the 2004 tsunami was a defining moment which established the IN as a regional force of substance and resolve. The alacrity and professionalism, with which the IN brought succour to our distressed Sri Lankan, Maldivian and Indonesian neighbours, left an abiding impression on international observers. The sea-lift operation mounted to evacuate refugees from war torn Lebanon in 2006 and Libya in 2011, and the resolute conduct of anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden by IN units has further added lustre to our navy's image.

The IN considers itself the inheritor of a hoary Indian maritime tradition, which harks back to the founding of India's cultural empire in the fabled “Suvarnabhumi� of SE Asia in the 3rd/4th century CE, and which later saw naval heroes like the Zamorins of Calicut, Kunjali Marakkar and Kanhoji Angre waging determined struggles against foreign interlopers. This has inspired the Service to nurture a long-term vision, not always shared by the Establishment, of itself as a blue-water regional force and it has assiduously planned its force-architecture while establishing the requisite intellectual underpinning.

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India's long coastline studded with deepwater ports, a well-endowed EEZ, peninsular configuration, as well as its burgeoning economy, reliant on seaborne trade and energy, makes it as dependent on the seas as any island nation. One telling example illustrates this: India's industrial, power and transport sectors consume 3.1 million barrels of oil per day, of which 2.2 million is imported from overseas. This requires that at least one Supertanker (or 2-3 smaller tankers) must discharge cargo in an Indian oil terminal every single day of the year. Disruption of this seaborne oil supply, due to any reason, could have serious consequences on industry, agriculture and the economy. It is in this context that threats such as those posed by Somalian pirates give cause for unease.

Apart from its vital role of protecting the nation's trade and energy, the IN provides a most useful trans-national military capability which can be deployed for crisis management, deterrence and powerprojection; anywhere from the Horn of Africa to the South China Sea. Conflicts are rare; and this capability is used, in peacetime, to ensure good order at sea while fostering friendship, cooperation and interoperability with maritime neighbours. Unlike other Services, navies are fortunate in having a serious peacetime role to discharge because the oceans make neighbours of distant nations. While the Foreign Service forms the front-line of our international interface, the IN can form a very useful second-line, given diplomats of vision and imagination.

Foreign co-operation in the maritime context has wide connotations. Countries in our immediate neighbourhood, many of them island nations, seek maritime security; sometimes through direct naval presence, but more often through urgent requests for material aid, training assistance and advice. The slow pace of decision-making in the MoD, and often MEA, has served to stall many naval initiatives and driven potential allies into the arms of other donors of assistance.

Making long term plans for foreign cooperation with our immediate maritime neighbours, will pay great dividends in the long term.

In a great leap of faith fifty years ago, the IN decided to become a “builder's navy” and placed its destiny in the hands of public sector shipyards where India's future maritime force is now being built.

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...In a great leap of faith fifty years ago, the IN decided to become a “builder's navy” and placed its destiny in the hands of public sector shipyards where India's future maritime force is now being built...

justified, because these shipyards suffer from outdated infrastructure as well as poor workculture, and their sluggish productivity is jeopardizing the navy's modernization plans.

Infusion of innovative private-sector business and production practices, through jointventures, is an option that may offer deliverance and needs to be tried.

Focussing on capabilities rather than numbers, and relying on force-multipliers such as high quality weapons, sensors, and networking, the navy envisages task-forces built around two aircraft-carriers, along with an adequate number of destroyers and frigates, sustained by logistic ships and supported by a capable aviation arm.

Restoration of our badly depleted diesel submarine force is being planned, albeit belatedly, by a series of home-built boats of suitable design. However, the 'game changer' of the future maritime battle-space will not be the aircraft carrier or a surface combatant but the missile armed nuclear attack submarine (SSN) which can interdict shipping with impunity. Our first nuclear-powered submarine the Arihant, launched in 2009, is armed with ballistic-missiles and is designated a SSBN. While Arihant (and sisters) will form the third leg of India's secretive nuclear triad, if we desire to wield influence in the Indian Ocean, we need to plan a small force of SSNs. Many other contours of India's 21st century navy are already emerging: India's first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was recently commissioned in Kochi, and eight stealth frigates, six diesel submarines and 30 other warships, awaited from shipyards, will take the IN to the front ranks of navies.

Indigenous effort is being pragmatically supplemented by judicious imports. Two new tankers were recently received from Italy, and the refurbished Russian aircraft-carrier Admiral Gorshkov or INS Vikramaditya recently entered the Indian waters. Eight US built P-8 (I) maritime reconnaissance aircraft and 45 Russian MiG-29 (K) fighters will add teeth to the air arm.

The IN finds itself in a peculiar situation where weapons, such as the BrahMos missile, far outrange the detection capability of its sensors. As the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes demonstrated, whether in war or in peace, it is imperative to know who is plying in our waters or approaching our shores. In operational situations, the Commander at sea, with 3dimensional forces scattered over a vast area, will need to locate and identify the enemy before destroying him. In other words he needs Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).

The indigenous new INS Vikrant

Intense maritime activity in the Indian Ocean and the huge area that has to be kept under surveillance requires substantial maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. The expected advent of the PLA Navy, especially its nuclear submarines, into the Indian Ocean will lend urgency to the maritime domain awareness (MDA) task. The IN has evolved a multi layered surveillance capability with deployment of taskoptimised aircraft, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for each layer.

Presently we are carrying out unmanned surveillance using the contemporary Heron and Searcher MK II UAVs, and it is time to induct more advanced UAVs. The Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle should be soon inducted to meet the unprecedented situations within the Indian waters. Rustom II that was recently displayed at DEFEXPO 2014 will be a mile stone once it is operational in the armed forces.

In such a scenario, integration of information through networking assumes crucial importance. This entails the pooling of information available to widely dispersed platforms, through a geo-stationary satellite, and its fusion, for real time availability to any unit which needs it.

This junction of the Maritime, Space and Cyber domains is now being referred to as “the extended Commons�. All three Services need awareness in their particular domains, and have a vital and overlapping stake in the extended Commons. However single-Service initiatives would not merely be imprudent and wasteful but also counter-productive during combat operations when networks would need to 'talk' to each other. This domain offers fertile ground for a bold initiative for Jointness or integration, which will receive a big boost by the formation of a Joint Information Warfare Command.

Finally, inspite of historical evidence, we have given insufficient cognizance to the potential of sea power as the arbiter of India's destiny. Many factors, including the growth of China's overall influence and the rapidly evolving geopolitics of South and SE Asia will demand adroit diplomacy to avoid confrontations. But diplomacy, unless backed by credible security policies, is unlikely to be effective. If the military equation along our Himalayan borders is going to be unfavourable or evenly matched, the Indian Ocean would be the arena where we should seek a reckoning. Given India's advantageous geographic configuration, a capable maritime force could play a decisive role in any face-off.

UNMANNEDPEDIA The Unmanned Systems Industry Global Directory

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Send your details to contact@johnnette.in www.johnnette.in

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unmannedpreneur GM Ranga

RAO GM Ranga Rao, Chairman & Managing Director of RRG Engineering Pvt Ltd is an outstanding and dynamic entrepreneur with successful ventures to his list. He established companies that would provide infrastructural services to various telecom service providers. He has now ventured into the UAV industry. John Livingstone, Managing Director - Johnnette had an exclusive interview with him to know more on his ventures and future plans on unmanned systems.

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an you tell us about RRG? RRG Engineering technologies is a company that was established with the purpose of bridging the gap between the existing solutions and technology that is being deployed by various agencies in India and the technology and solutions that are available in the market.

Can you tell us more on venturing with Scheibel?

We have been associated with Schiebel for now close to 4 years. We have had a very fruitful relationship with them so far, they have been very understanding about the various challenges that are unique to the Indian Market and not comparing it with any other market and expecting miracles.

We always wanted to have a special emphasis on home-land security, defence, disaster relief. We believed in being a pioneer in an area or at least a niche player in the chosen area rather than being an also ran, one thing we were always clear was that we would not be a run-of-the-mill company offering standard solutions to all problems.

That aside, the reason we associated with Schiebel is because we genuinely believe that Camcopter S100 is the best available platform in the Rotary Wing VTOL configuration within its category and we again genuinely believe that there is a significant market for the said capabilities in India.

Was this your first venture?

No, RRG is not my first venture. My first venture was a company offering services to telecom service providers, then I ventured into infrastructure and at a later point RRG happened. We have started a few more entities post RRG as well. All the ventures that we started are currently operational and focused on specific area.

We have always believed in the adage “Horses for courses�, so we have various entities which are focussed on specific markets each respectively. We eventually plan to consolidate all these operations under a group umbrella enabling us to leverage the strengths within our enterprises.

How old is RRG? How much has it contributed to the aviation industry and more specifically to the unmanned systems industry?

RRG Engg. was established in May 2008, but, significant operations started from 2009 onwards.

RRG offers its customers a wide variety of unmanned platforms, be it, ground vehicles or aerial vehicles, we are not yet into marine solutions. Coming to aerial solutions, we offer solutions ranging from mini/micro platforms to tactical and MALE platforms. Also we offer solutions based on quad-rotor, VTOL Rotary wing or fixed wing configurations as well.

Are you associated with any other line of products as well?

Yes, apart from unmanned systems we are offering our customers capabilities in 1. Access control and area monitoring 2. Nuclear, Chemical, Biological and Explosive detection and identification solutions 3. Long range and short range surveillance Where are you located apart from India?

We are currently operating only from India. We do have plans to have presence at other locations apart from India, but, that would happen eventually.

What is your revenue model in India?

Currently, we are generating our revenues by offering various solutions that we have discussed above, we also offer trained man-power to attend any maintenance and operational requirements of customers.

It would not be out of place to mention here that, sometimes our customers have preferred to have our man-power attend solutions supplied by other vendors as well, due to reliability and prompt service that we provide.

Even today, we believe that Camcopter S100 is the most mature, versatile and proven product within its category, and the sheer operational exposure that platform has undergone across the globe reflects how robust and user friendly this platform is. It is perhaps the only common platform that can be found across operators of varied nature across the globe, right from civilian applications like monitoring of security at event like Sochi Olympics to being operated from by French or Italian Navies. This is in itself the biggest endorsement that any product can get.

We believe that Indian agencies do not deserve anything less than the best for their applications and we are proud to be offering Camcopter S100 to them.

What are the challenges in the industry you have been facing in the Indian UAV market?

Indian UAV market has significant challenges, which are hindering the market from opening up and exploiting the true potential.

The biggest drawback is in the civilian space, as armed forces and home-land security are arriving at their own operational guidelines and requirements, through a trial and evaluation method, which we have to agree is fair to providers of platforms of various configurations. The speed of decision making might not be very quick, but, that is because of the existing policy and we can't blame the users for the same.

Whereas, in the civilian space, there is a total vacuum on guidelines, hence there is no clarity of the permissions one would need to operate an unmanned system for any of his/her applications. Once this lacuna is addressed we believe there would a significant market that would open up at the mini and micro UAV level as these platforms can be deployed for a wide range of activities from crop monitoring in agriculture to monitoring of progress in large infrastructural projects and providing information in activities like mining etc.

How has been your experience so far in the UAV industry?

The experience has been mixed, we receive a lot of positive interest from the customers when we approach them with our capabilities. But, in the civilian space these interactions hit the policy road-block and whereas in the defence and home land arena we have long drawn out processes. But, we are very hopeful that once the requirements for categories in which we offer solutions reach the critical mass, it would a very exciting market to be in.

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GM Ranga Rao with the Camcopter S100

How do you compare the market approachability for all the products you are handling?

Market approachability of any product is inversely proportional to the complexity and technology involved in the solution. So, we find the market extremely receptive for products that are simpler and easier to use in nature (For example access control solutions) than to say a comprehensive NBC protection suite for a facility or a unmanned system based solution. But, very naturally, you find yourself sharing the market space with a large number of players for the approachable markets and this eventually tapers down as the complexity increases.

What is your present flagship product?

The flagship offering for the unmanned space would definitely be Camcopter S100.

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Your USP? Our USP is the capability to offer solutions tailor made to the customers. We don't believe in offering off-the-shelf products for all the requirements. Each customer of ours has a very unique requirement, and we strive to offer unique solutions to their unique problems.

It's a challenging and highly educative process, as some of the requirements we have come across test the capabilities to sensors and systems to their limits.

What is your latest update on M&As for RRG? At present we don't have any plans to merge or acquire any companies. We are in discussions with various likeminded companies to establish joint ventures or dedicated special purpose ventures for certain opportunities we are working currently on.

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Do you have a dedicated product manufacturing unit for any of your products in India?

Manufacturing of a product locally, or indigenising of the products would be possible only when there is a critical mass in the requirements generated in the market or nearby markets to offer scales of economies better than the existing manufacturing base of the product.

Unfortunately for the solutions we are offering currently don't have such scale in India. But, we are hopeful that this situation will be corrected in the near future and we would be providing these services soon. We have understanding with the OEM partners we are working with say, Schiebel for Camcopter S100 or FLIR for NBC detection sensors to establish a value addition center locally when the scales warrant, either ourselves or with likeminded partners.

How different are your products from others?

The products that we are offering are some of the most appreciated and exploited technologies across the globe, which somehow have not been adapted in Indian market.

Hence, in any given category, we offer products that are more mature, technically more robust and reliable. On the aside, a big differentiator is also our capability to offer customised solutions based on the needs of the user.

How global are you?

As mentioned above, at this point in time we are operating from India only and catering to the Indian and nearby markets. We do have plans to have a broad base presence.

Are there any projects you are undertaking for UAVs currently or in the near future apart from the Camcopter S100?

We already have various other products that we are offering our customers in the micro/mini and MALE categories. Some of these platforms are quad-rotors and some of them are fixed wing solutions.

What are your future plans?

RRG is currently at a very unique position, we foresee a significant increase in market size for various products we are offering, including the unmanned solutions market. We are planning to scale our size and improve our capabilities to meet these challenges organically. We are also keen on investing in processes to develop local solutions in some of these markets and develop new products which can be useful not only Indian market, but can be deployed globally.

What is your vision for RRG in India?

The vision of RRG is to be the 'Go To' solution provider for the customers in all the markets that we operate in.

Lastly, as an Entrepreneur you have been successfully steering your company for more than 15 years now. Tell us more about your mantra behind the success.

I have always believed that, the key to be a successful entrepreneur is 1. Ability to see opportunity where no one else seems to see it 2. Belief in self, backing oneself in tough situations 3. Perseverance, not being bogged down by setbacks 4. Having a good and working control system to analyse and evaluate what is happening and correcting the course.

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DEFEXPO

2014

Unmanned Systems Review

By Annette Livingstone CEO & Editor, Unmanned Flying Machines

AK Antony, Defence Minister inaugurating the event

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EFEXPO in the capital which is organised every two years is an indication that there still is a desire to modernise and many international players see India as a major potential to do business with. The Indian Defence Minister inaugurated the DEFEXPO 2014 on 06 Feb which lasted till 09 Feb. When one of the reporters asked him a question, 'Over the past few years we have seen that India has been on an overdrive to black list foreign arms companies. Has the desire to achieve greater transparency and higher probity harmed India armed forces in capacity building?' To this the Defence minister replied and he said, the malpractices and corruption might have delayed the procurement process, nevertheless we have been able to streamline the system. India has given a clear cut signal to the foreign player that there exists no tolerance to corruption. The set back to modernisation that has taken place recently but will be short lived. Gone are the days when defence budget use to get surrendered. In this financial year we have already expended 92% only 8% remains balance in the last two months. He said there will however be no comprise on transparency. Best thing about this year's display was the vast participation of Indian firms displaying indigenous equipment.

Mahindra and the TATAs were the attraction to many apart from the displayed equipment by the DRDO. There was a vast variety of small arms.

The domain of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has unsurprisingly emerged as a focus area for indigenous military development and production efforts. Indeed domestic UAV programmes are serving as a draw for the private sector with participation from both medium and small scale enterprises (MSME) as well as large conglomerates. And besides the usual clutch of sub-assemblies, major sub-systems such as sensor payloads and engines are also being increasingly sourced from Indian industry.

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The largest UAV showcased at DEFEXPO 14 was the flagship UAV programme at the moment, Rustom-II being developed in the lead by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO's) Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) based in Bangalore.

Rustom-II is a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV with an altitude ceiling of 32,000 feet and an endurance of up to 35 hours. This bird is being designed to meet the needs of all three services with different configurations, naturally. However, while the Indian Navy (IN) version is slated to carry mostly electro-optical payloads and maritime patrol radar, the Indian Army (IA) and Indian Air force (IAF) versions are a more involved proposition tailored to carry Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Communications Intelligence (COMINT) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) packages as well. In fact a new indigenously developed airborne Ku-band SAR scheduled to commence trials this year on a flying test bed will eventually take pride of place on the Rustom-2.

DRDO’s mini UGV

The programme is currently in iterative development mode with refinements in aerodynamic shaping underway and it is likely that a total of eight prototypes will be built with the last one serving as the base for production variants. While the target weight for the Rustom is roughly around 1800 kilograms (kgs), the current prototypes are about 400 kgs over that benchmark.

Moreover it is unlikely that the final variant will be less than 2100 Kgs. With that figure in mind and typical margins for capability growth, DRDO has decided to fit the Rustom-2 with new diesel engines.

Interestingly, the new engine configuration is slated to be indigenized with a domestically developed equivalent as a result of a collaborative effort between DRDO's Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) and Tech Mahindra. The Rustom-2's private sector footprint obviously extends into the MSME sector as well. For instance, Bangalore based FLOTECH Engineering & Trading services is supplying aircraft fuel rigs for the Rustom-2 while Nfotec Digital Engineering Pvt. Ltd from the same city is providing CAD design and CFD analysis support services to the program.

Slated to take to the skies for the first time this year, Rustom-2 prototypes will soon enter a phase wherein critical operational safety aspects such as waypoint navigation back to the nearest friendly airbase in the event of satellite link failure at distances which are also beyond VHF line of sight and the fine tuning of the on board traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) will be worked upon. For the moment, the Rustom-2 is confined to military airspace.

The other indigenous UAV bearing legendary Aerospace scientist and engineer, Rustom B. Damania's name, the Rustom-I is also set for interesting times ahead. As revealed by Dr K. Tamilmani, Director-General Aeronautical systems, DRDO, to Geek at Large, Rustom-I is likely to be India's first armed UAV and work is underway to integrate the Helina (which is the air-launched version of the Nag anti-tank missile) with it. Carriage trials are expected to begin this September.

The Rustom-2 which will also carry munitions eventually will see weapon release trials in 2017. Meanwhile, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has bitten the bullet on the Nishant UAV which is already in service with the IA and some 16 units of a customized version are set to find place in its inventory. Given the terrain in which the CRPF variant will be operated, DRDO labs have worked together to reduce the number of support vehicles for it by a third. Importantly, the CRPF version will fly with an indigenously developed wankel rotary engine with a rating of 55 HP replacing its current ALVIS AR-801 engine.

This engine developed by VRDE is already under production at a private facility operated by SMC in Hyderabad with eight sets scheduled to be delivered soon. The indigenous engine which can apparently be uprated to 65 HP will also power the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) version of the Nishant which weighs some 25 kgs more than the current trucklaunched version and will see its first conventional take-off sometime later this year. To understand the large domestic private sector footprint of the Nishant program it could be noted that the GIS solution for it has come from Pegasus software consultants, Digitronics has provided power supply, Meru Precision Industries has supported the development of many sub-assemblies and the Gimballed Payload Assembly and Servo Electronic System has come from Tata Power SED. 34 | Apr/May 2014 |

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The big story of course is the progressive indigenization of the propulsion system for these UAV programs. Propulsion after all is that one thing that stands between the Indian aerospace sector becoming more or less sufficient ( naturally more intense efforts on airborne fire control radars is also required) and being dependent on the West or Russia.

Apart from the larger UAV segment the small UAV segment saw a fair amount of display at the event.

About 30 UAV companies were present at the event and this year was interesting with live demonstrations of Unmanned Ground Vehicles.

D R D O i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h H i Te c h Roboticsystemz showcased some very attractive and eye opening UGVs. There were lot of indigenously made UAVs by companies like A s t e r i a , R a j d e e p A u t o m a t i o n , H i Te c h Roboticsystemz, Precision operation systems, Zen technologies, SIKA, Tata Advanced Systems, OIS, Omnipresent Tech and Alpha Design Technologies.

Biggest news for the small UAV segment was the Tatas who bagged a major contract with the Nothern Command of the India Army. Aurora Integrated Systems Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), has been awarded the Indian Army's largest mini-UAV order till date. The order for 49 mini UAV systems was recently awarded to Aurora, after extensive trials by Army's Northern Command.

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Co Founders Nihar Vartak (left) & Neel Mehta

Asteria Aerospace is a young company focused on developing unmanned systems to meet the rapidly growing need of unmanned technology. John Livingstone, Managing Director, Johnnette had an exclusive interview with Asteria’s Co Founder Neel Mehta at DEFEXPO 2014 in New Delhi. He tells us about Asteria’s plans and what it can do for the unmanned systems industry.

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eel tell us the story behind your startup.

Asteria Aerospace was cofounded by Nihar Vartak and myself in 2012. We were introduced to UAVs in 2004 while we were studying Aerospace Engineering at Purdue University. The idea was to develop UAVs for civil applications such as fire-fighting and search and rescue for local agencies in the vicinity of our University. The technology was so primitive at that time that it was difficult to even find a suitable GPS sensor for navigation. However, the potential of this exciting technology was apparent and this is when the idea of working with UAVs was first planted in our minds. Since then, we went our own ways after graduation working at multi-national aerospace companies in the US, but the idea stayed with us throughout and we used to often talk about the right time and place to do something like this. As the awareness of UAVs began to increase we made the move in late 2011 and decided to quit our jobs, move to India and start up Asteria Aerospace.

Why did you both decide to quit your lucrative jobs and then board this challenging flight of entrepreneurship?

Our singular passion to create an ecosystem for developing high tech aerospace products in India motivated us to quit our jobs and begin this journey. There are not many companies in the private sector here that do aerospace product design and this results in India having to import most of the technology in this domain.

This is especially true in emerging fields such as Unmanned Aerial Systems. There is a tremendous opportunity for growth in this area and we feel that we can capitalize on this opportunity and create value with our background and experience.

How do think you would be able to bring a change in the Indian mindsets?

Asteria's first product is the CYGNUS mini unmanned aerial system. The CYGNUS UAV flies autonomously and delivers real-time high definition (HD) aerial video from a range of 15 km. We've indigenously developed the autopilot which controls the aircraft from takeoff to landing as well as the user interface software for the ground control station. Asteria's control on the vertical integration across all the UAV subsystems allows us to incorporate innovations into the CYGNUS, for example, a HD video downlink and advanced autonomy with built-in safety features. We are making rapid strides in UAV technologies by investing in R&D to ensure that we deliver quality UAV systems that are as technologically advanced, if not better, than those of foreign competitors.

...Our singular passion to create an ecosystem for developing high tech aerospace products in India motivated us to quit our jobs and begin this journey...

So what do you think is the biggest challenge entering the Indian UAV market?

UAVs have both civilian and military applications. The civilian UAV market in India is very emerging and the primary challenge is in familiarizing customers with the kind of applications that can be performed with UAVs as well as creating a successful business use case for them. In the military market, the challenge is to navigate the procurement processes as well as overcome a deterrent mindset that foreign products are better than those designed in India – this is not limited to UAVs but is true for any high technology product.

Moreover, both Nihar and I have prior experience in designing and certifying systems for commercial aircraft and we bring a certain rigour to the processes by which we develop our products. Asteria's quality management system has been certified to the ISO 9001:2008 standard which affirms our commitment in creating and delivering quality products to our customers. We have put a lot of attention to detail in the CYGNUS system and it shows in the final product.

Are you looking for any VCs now?

We are looking for long term investors who share the same vision as us for the company.

Were you both aeromodeling before getting into this?

We h a v e d o n e s o m e aeromodeling before and this experience has definitely helped us in the design and development of the UAV.

For how many hours have your flown your Cygnus UAV? Our CYGNUS UAV has flown for more than 30 hours so far. It is battery powered and the aircraft flies for 90 minutes on a single charge

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CYGNUS displayed at DEFEXPO 2014

Where do you think Cygnus will be applicable at this point of time for an end user?

CYGNUS is targeted for any application that requires a reliable, user friendly and cost effective platform to deliver real-time aerial video and images. CYGNUS can be used by government end users such as the military and para-military forces, BSF (Border Security Force), police forces and disaster management authorities. Commercial and industrial applications of the CYGNUS include oil and gas pipeline monitoring, industrial security, geospatial mapping etc. We are integrating other sensors in CYGNUS besides daytime/thermal cameras for different applications.

Tell us about the competition for this market in India.

Right now, there are a few companies in the private sector focusing on the mini and micro UAV market. The main competition is from foreign companies for larger UAVs. Do you have any customers for your UAV? We recently launched the CYGNUS UAS in December 2013 and have generated a lot of interest from both government and commercial end users in and outside India. We are in the process of finishing our flight test campaign of the system over the next couple of months and have already started demonstrating the system before prospective clients.

Where do you think the commercial market is opening its doors in India?

The commercial market for UAVs is at a nascent stage in India but the market potential is huge. Currently, we are seeing interest in the use of UAVs for commercial applications such as industrial security, oil and gas pipeline monitoring, industrial inspections, aerial coverage for news and media, real estate mapping etc. The applications for UAVs are limited only by imagination.

The DGCA has to recognize the market potential of this technology and come up with regulations for safe and effective use of UAVs in the Indian civilian airspace.

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...the commercial market for UAVs is at a nascent stage in India but the market potential is huge...

What are your future plans?

In the near future, our focus in on developing a variety of UAVs as well as UAV related technologies. Our long term vision is to grow Asteria as a core aerospace engineering company to develop end-to-end aerospace systems in the Indian private sector.

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...Continued from page 15

Although large size UAVs have been procured by the armed forces there has been no movement on the Micro and Mini UAVs including man pack, which are an essential requirement for the tactical battle area and CI/CT operations. RFPs in this regard are stated to have been floated for this class of UAVs by both army and airforce.

Latest reports indicate that the Indian Army is on the lookout for Miniature UAVs (MAVs), which can evade enemy radar, are easy to handle, can be launched without runways and are also capable of carrying explosives to act as killer drones for small but high value targets. The main aim is to use them for monitoring mountainous terrain, conflict zones and congested urban areas. The MAVs would be very useful in CI/CT operations in J & K and the North East. The MAVs could weigh as less as 2 kg and have an endurance of 30 minutes at a stretch.

On the indigenous front Idea Forge Technology Private Limited in collaboration with DRDO has developed a man portable UAV called 'Netra' which has undergone field trials sometime back. Netra is an autonomous hovering UAV ideal for short range, over the hill missions. This is being inducted for employment of police forces like CRPF and BSF. The Indian armed forces and the Police forces current focus is on Micro/Mini/ VTOL UAVs keeping in mind the likely hood of sub conventional conflicts and homeland security requirements. The HAL in collaboration with the Israeli Aircraft Industries had attempted to make

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the Naval Rotary UAV (NRUAV) based on the Chetak helicopter frame for operations from ship decks – this programme however has not been successful. The DRDO along with IAI of Israel has also embarked on development of Pawan and Gagan short range UAVs which are akin to some of the existing Israeli UAVs in the same class. However overall lack of technology development capabilities have dogged India's indigenous UAV programmes. With the Public Sector delivering much less than expected it seems that foreign acquisition will be the main stay for Indian Defence forces in the coming years.

Application and use of UAVs in Industry/Civil Market.

During the last 30 years, UAV systems have evolved into highly capable machines used by the armed forces worldwide, mostly for surveillance and data acquisition purposes. The demand for these products in the commercial industry arises from the low manufacturing and operating cost of the system and the flexibility of these aircraft to adjust to the particular needs of the consumer. But despite this the full potential of the UAVs has not been exploited in the civil market. It is a fact that today the civil UAV market is responsible for only 3% of the total market revenue. In this also North America and Europe are by far the largest markets for civil UAV applications.

Basically the problem revolves around airworthiness and certification issues for UAVs in the civil market for operating in controlled airspace of a country citing safety and reliability issues. No such problem exists for the UAVs operated by armed forces of respective countries. This issue is under active consideration and debate in the civil UAV industry worldwide.

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Future Trends The increasing demand and reliance on UAVs in war fighting and peace keeping operations has doubled the pace of UAV related research and development in recent years.

UAVs today, with enhanced capabilities are able to play a greater role in critical missions. Achieving information's superiority, minimizing collateral damage, fighting effectively in urban area against widely dispersed forces, striking autonomously and precisely are areas where UAVs will be increasingly indispensable. The three major thrusts in UAV development are Growth in size of strategic UAV for better endurance and payload, reduction in size of tactical UAVs, weaponisation of UAVs to offer lethal capability in combat missions and autonomycommonly defined as ability of the machine to take decisions without human intervention. Armed forces worldwide are beginning to explore the possibilities offered by Unmanned systems as both sensor and weapon platforms. The promise of an autonomous, highly survivable and absolutely fearless UAV will usher in a new paradigm in which the ultimate consideration is no longer the value of pilots lives, but rather the mission and cost effectiveness of UAVs. The advent of light airborne precision weapons, autonomous target acquisition and recognition technologies will push UAVs towards becoming armed and lethal unmanned platforms. UAVs with the ability to pick out targets in attack autonomously with persistent presence over areas of interest will come of age in the near future and become indispensable weapons of war for commanders.

Increasing demand of better performance and higher reliability will escalate the development and production costs of UAVs. Whether the platform is designed to be even more reliable than an aircraft depends on its application, the pay load it carries, mission pay off and cost effectiveness. It must be appreciated that for strategic high value UAVs to perform as well as manned systems, will have higher acquisition costs. The development of larger size UAVs (fixed wing and rotary) in the cargo carriage role is already underway, with the lead being taken US companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Some of these systems like Lockheed Martins unmanned K-MAX helicopter has been successfully deployed in Afghanistan to augment Marine Corps ground and air logistics operations. Its performance has been exceptional as per data available – this is likely to set the trend for employment in future conflicts.

...Two of the most important of these lessons are 'Complete Battlefield Dominance' and 'Closing Sensor to Shooter Loop'...

The continued development of strategic and tactical UAVs follows the line of employing UAVs as multi role multi mission platforms. UAVs will see progressive developments towards both extreme ends of size spectrum. Strategic UAVs will see growth in size for better endurance, reliability and payload capacity, while the mini and micro UAVs will grow smaller, lighter and more expendable. The tactical close range platforms will become more versatile with multi role multi mission capability. Passive and low signature sensors are essential to boost stealth and survivability of UAVs. Note worthy advances include Hyper-Spectral imaging, Laser radar, synthetic aperture radar and moving target indicator.

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Conclusion

Technology is driving the military and civilian uses of UAVs into remarkable areas with the possibilities seemingly endless. A crucial piece of technology that is required to take UAVs to the next level is a robust 'sense and avoid 'system allowing unmanned planes to fly safely in a busy airspace. In the meantime, the debate on manned vs unmanned aircraft and whether the days of manned combat aircraft are numbered has been going on for some time. While the UAV is an innovative weapon system, but it not yet capable of replacing the manned aircraft, the main drawbacks being the situational awareness and the ability to analyse its operational environment. The way forward is to integrate manned and unmanned platforms and satellite based sensors in order to attain an integrated operational picture.

The future combat arena may well see both the manned aircraft and the UAVs/Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle(UCAVs) in complementary roles.

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Marines' new unmanned Northrop Grumman Australia Acquires Qantas Defence Services vehicle could patrol Northrop Grumman Australia Pty Limited has completed the acquisition of Qantas Defence Services Pty Limited, bases in Afghanistan now called Northrop Grumman Integrated Defence

By James K. Sanborn

The Marine Corps is experimenting with a new unmanned ground vehicle that can patrol installations and detect intruders or potential enemy forces nearly a mile away. The Mobile Detection Assessment Response System, or MDARS, was used in late January to successfully secure an air base during the latest Integrated Training Exercise — the final predeployment workup all units conduct at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif. The vehicle could be headed to Afghanistan, according to its developers, although concrete plans have not been made. A field demonstration of MDARS began Jan 30 at the combat center's Camp Wilson. The vehicle successfully aided members of Marine Aircraft Group 13 and Marine Wing Support Squadron 374 to patrol the area immediately surrounding their airfield as a mock enemy force tried to probe their defenses.

During the first night, the vehicle was autonomously navigating around the base — by heading to predetermined waypoints — when guards in one tower detected two potential enemy soldiers, said Pat Culliton, the MDARS program manager with San Diego-based Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific. The vehicle can be set to roam free, navigate to predetermined waypoints, or in the case of the two potential enemy detected the first night, scrambled to an area of interest to investigate further. By the second night of demonstrations, Cullinton and his team had the vehicle's sensors tuned up and operating optimally.

That is particularly useful when transporting it for maintenance.

The longer chassis also means the vehicle's rear cargo area has been left empty for future upgrades that Colliton said could include a smaller robot that can maneuver into places MDARS can't fit, or even a small unmanned “quadcopter.” MDARS developers hope to incorporate the vehicle into the next Weapons and Tactics Instructor course at the center in April.

Culliton and his developers want to put the vehicles in new environments to gain a better understanding of Marine operations and how the vehicle, which was designed for fixed installation security, can be tweaked for expeditionary operations. Culliton and his staff have already briefed Lt. Gen. John A. Toolan the I Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general and have also received interest from Maj. Gen. Thomas Murray, the commanding general of Training and Education Command.The Army had plans to deploy several of the vehicles to Afghanistan to aid at entry control points where they could alert soldiers of potential threats before they arrive at checkpoints. But, those plans were canceled as the drawdown got underway. Army officials told SPAWAR they did not want to ship more gear to Afghanistan as they worked to ship what is there home.

Services Pty Limited (IDS). IDS provides integrated logistics, sustainment and modernization support primarily to Australian Government and military customers.

Operating as a part of Northrop Grumman Australia, IDS is strategically aligned with the Integrated Logistics and Modernization division of Northrop Grumman Technical Services. “Northrop Grumman IDS enhances our incountry footprint and local capabilities, and demonstrates our commitment to the Australian and regional defence markets. We expect this to be an important platform for international growth in our key focus areas of unmanned, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization,” said Ian Irving, Northrop Grumman chief executive for Australia.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide.

Lockheed Martin to Conduct Autonomous Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Experiment

Lockheed Martin has received a contract from the U.S. Army Robotics Technology Consortium to conduct a fully autonomous reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition experiment using both its Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) unmanned ground vehicle and its K-MAX unmanned air vehicle. In collaboration with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, Lockheed Martin will conduct a notional scenario later this year, in which a K-MAX autonomous rotorcraft will transport a Gyrocam-equipped SMSS via sling load into a simulated “area of interest” deemed too risky for human presence. The K-MAX will position itself over the intended release point and autonomously set down, releasing the SMSS upon command from a remote operator.

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Team BlackSheep Response to NTSB Commercial Drone Decision

By Patrick Egan

Team BlackSheep is pleased with the dismissal of proposed FAA fines directed at its lead pilot, Raphael “Trappy” Pirker, announced on March 6th, 2014. The civil penalty, proposed in connection with Mr. Pirker's operation of a videography drone at the University of Virginia in October 2011, was dismissed on the ground that at the time, “there was no enforceable FAA rule or FAR Regulation applicable to model aircraft or for classifying model aircraft as [unmanned aircraft systems].”

“I hope that the March 6 decision by the NTSB administrative law judge will create a path forward for beneficial use of civilian drones in the United States, after years of regulatory delay,” said Mr. Pirker. “I also anticipate that it will prompt an international discussion about the appropriate level of regulation for small, lightweight airborne robots that bear almost no resemblance to the passenger aircraft that aviation agencies were historically established to regulate over 60 years ago.”

Team BlackSheep takes safety very seriously and does not view the decision as a license to use drones in an irresponsible manner. Many of the Team's aerial videos demonstrate dramatic flying styles using equipment that has been rigorously tested, flown by drone pilots with proven experience. These operations involve safety measures and operational protocols that are not visible in the final production videos. Mr. Pirker has 18 years of experience piloting radio-control drones, including test flights in extreme weather conditions, and the Team boasts a perfect zero-injury safety record. Team BlackSheep invests considerable amounts of its revenue into research and development to make its civilian drones safe and reliable. The Team also works with community-based organizations in various countries to help implement or improve voluntary safety guidelines for model aircraft (drone) operators. In addition, they advise customers and all drone operators not to undertake advanced drone photography missions until they have established complete confidence in their equipment and skills. Mr. Pirker was represented by Brendan Schulman, head of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems practice at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. “We understand that the FAA intends to appeal the decision. We are disappointed that the agency feels that continued litigation is the appropriate path forward for this emerging industry,” said Mr. Schulman. “However, Mr. Pirker will continue to defend against this unprecedented attempt to impose a penalty that has no basis in any law or regulation, and the nearly decade-long commercial drone 'ban' that sends the wrong message to high-tech innovators and entrepreneurs.”

PCB Fabrication & Assembly for Unmanned Vehicles San Francisco Circuits is an industry leader in all aspects of printed circuit boards, including design/layout, fabrication and assembly. They work with a strong network of PCB manufacturers and PCB assembly houses, both domestic and off shore to provide a one-stop solution and the best value possible for all circuit board needs. SFC has a team of experienced technical experts that strive to provide a quick turnaround not just on boards but customer service. San Francisco Circuits provides both prototype and large production volumes for every application of unmanned systems and beyond. Military-grade certified PCBs are one of SFC's specialties. With PCB manufacturing capabilities in the United States, they can provide high-quality reliable MilSpec ceritifed flexible or rigid circuits. SFC manufacturers work to certification standards such as MILPRF-55110, MIL-PRF-50884 and MIL-PRF-31032 with a range of finishes, solder masks, silk screens and fabrication methods.

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AAUS Tackling Issue of Privacy Australian Association of Unmanned Systems (AAUS) Executive Director, Ms Peggy MacTavish, and Board Member, Dr Reece Clothier, were invited witnesses to a House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs Round Table hearing on “Drones and Privacy”.

The round table included representatives from the industry, academia, CASA, Airservices Australia, AFP, CSIRO, mining, privacy advocacy groups, the Australian Law Reform Commission, and animal welfare groups. AAUS, speaking onbehalf of the professional UAS industry, takes the issue of privacy very seriously. AAUS recognises that UAS have served as a “call to arms” for much needed and much broader privacy law reform in Australia. It was the position of AAUS that privacy is an issue not specific to our technology, and that the recommendations of the ALRC for technology independent privacy law should not be ignored. These recommendations were echoed by the Privacy Commissioner, Mr Tim Pilgrim, in his closing address to the Committee. AAUS strongly supports privacy law reform, and were seeking a balanced outcome, which recognises the rights of individuals to privacy yet does not impose legislation that could potentially “hamstring” a very beneficial emerging industry. Further, AAUS has been working on a professional code of conduct for its members. The draft code of conduct includes consideration for privacy management, alongside requirements for insurance, and a demonstrated high standard of safety.

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Tatas bag Army's largest mini-UAV order Tata Advanced Systems UAV displayed at the DEFEXPO 2014 at New Delhi 44 | Apr/May 2014 |

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A

urora Integrated Systems Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), has been aw ar d ed th e Indian Army's largest mini-UAV order till date. The order for 49 mini UAV systems was recently awarded to Aurora, after extensive trials by Army's Northern Command. Aquilon is a hand-launched, man-portable mini-Unmanned Aerial System, which is ideal for providing frontline troops with increased situational awareness. This easy to deploy, easy to use system is designed for fully autonomous operations from launch through mission execution and recovery.

While major sub-systems like autopilot, payload gimbal and the Ground Control Station software, apart from the airframe have been indigenously designed and developed by Aurora, the efforts are complemented by TASL's cross-functional team of technical, operational and commercial experts.

Aquilon during a test flight

The system would enable the Indian Army with all-terrain 24x7 ISR mission capabilities. Some of the main features of Aquilon are as follows: • Integrated autonomous launch and autonomous landing • Full mission and payload planning with pre-set search patterns • Hand-launched and belly landing operation by 1-2 man team • Stabilised gimbals for day and night camera • Automatic target acquisition and tracking feature • Electric propulsion – covert operations • Low-noise, low visibility, low operational footprint • Zero tool assembly of airframe • Ruggedised Ground Control Station for harsh environments • Full duplex jam resistant datalink communication

Technical Specifications Maximum Take off Weight Time to Launch Endurance Range Propulsion Power source Minimum speed Cruise speed Maximum continuous winds Operational altitude Service Ceiling Wing span Total length EO camera Field of View IR camera Field of View

: 4 kgs : < 15 minutes : > 60 minutes : > 5 kms, extendable up to 10 kms : Electric motor : Non-spillable Rechargeable batteries : 40 kmph : 54 kmph : > 20 knots : 100m to 1000m : 3000m : 1.9 m : 1.2 m : 46deg to 4.5deg : 10deg to 25deg

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