India and Russia to develope Space Shuttle

TIMESOFINDIA (28 dec 2007) India and Russia could jointly develop a new generation space shuttle for manned space flights and negotiations for the project are expected to begin in January, according to a top space official.

“India has expressed desire to participate in the development of a new reusable manned spaceship and from January next we will discuss this issue with the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation,” Chief of Russia’s Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos, Anatoly Perminov said.

Although Perminov did not identify the project, but ‘Energia’ Corporation is reportedly developing reusable spacecraft ‘Clipper’, which is expected to replace Soviet-designed Soyuz spaceships in Russia’s national space programme.

Perminov said India was Russia’s privileged space partner with which it was working in different directions and has granted Indian space experts access to many of its ground control facilities.

“With India we are interacting in carrier rockets, their components, dual use systems, global positioning system GLONASS and mission control and ground tracking equipment,” Perminov said here at an year-end news conference.

Russia, which launched three satellites on Christmas to commercially operationalise Soviet developed global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), has taken India onboard in further developing of the system to end dependence on the Pentagon controlled Global Positioning System (GPS), which was twice switched off to enable US strikes during the Balkan and Iraq wars

AESA Radar

We have been hearing about the AESA Radar playing a role in the MRCA deal; So what really is AESA Radar? And what make it so advanced.

AESA Radar on MIG-35 at Aero India 2007. (Source: http://www.missiles.ru/AESA_ph_5.htm)

AESA stands for Active Electronically Scanned Array. In an AESA radar the transmitter and the receiver are composed of numerous small T/R modules. AESA radar has instantaneous scanning that have low probability of intercept. They have simple designs because they require no hydraulics or hinges for antenna movement. Its less infrastructure and with no motion so it is cheaper to maintain.

Some more main advantages are that they have extremely fast scanning, multiple target tracking, can also function as a radio jammer and the low probability of interception.

Here is a link for more information on the role of AESA radar in India: http://www.defense-update.com/events/2007/summary/aeroindia07-5.htm

Miscellaneous IAF Pictures

SKAT in Malaysia

Source: Lens Malaysia Forum;naim.

Source: Rediff  (in bharat rakshak forum)

Source: Bharat Rakshak Forum

Akash Succefully Tested

REDIFF (December 14, 2007) Akash, the indigenously developed surface-to-air nuclear capable missile, was on Friday successfully test-fired for the second time in two days from the integrated test range at Chandipur-on-sea, 15 km from Balasore.The multi-target medium range missile with a strike range of 25 km and capable of carrying a warhead of 50 kg was test-fired from a mobile launcher as part of an air defence exercise, defence sources said.

The 5.6-m-long missile, weighing about 700 kg, was blasted off at 1410 IST from the ITR. It targeted a flying “para barrel” released from a fighter aircraft.

Some IAF officials were present during the trial.

The missile uses an integral ‘ramjet’ rocket propulsion system and has a low reaction time, the sources said.

Coming close on the heels of successful trials of interceptor missiles, the test-fire was done to fine-tune the sophisticated ‘Akash’ which has undergone several tests earlier as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, the sources said.

A series of test firings of the missile would be carried out for the next ten days to pave the way for its induction into the Indian Air Force.

Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory, the nodal agency which has designed the missile, has already approved ‘flight consistency’ of the missile, they said.