Category: Tech

The first batch of indigenously developed light combat helicopters was delivered to the Indian Air Force on Monday. A ceremony was held today in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, for the induction of the first indigenously developed light combat helicopter (LCH).

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari was also present at the induction ceremony, which included a ‘sarv-dharam’ prayer.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) manufactures the light combat helicopter, which is an indigenously designed and developed combat helicopter.

Light combat helicopters from HAL are the only helicopters capable of landing and taking off at an altitude of 5,500 metres (16,400 feet), meeting the specific requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.

Rajnath Singh spoke at the induction ceremony and said, “For a long time, there was a need for attack helicopters and during the 1999 Kargil war, its need was dealt with seriously. The LCH is a result of research for two decades. And its induction into the IAF is an important milestone in defence production.”

He further added that the LCH is highly capable of dodging the enemy, carrying different ammunition and fast delivery on the site. It meets all the required needs of the armed forces in multiple terrains and is a perfect match for the Army and Airforce.

On Tuesday, the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile was successfully tested by the DRDO in Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)’s Hyderabad-based Research Centre Imarat designed and developed VSHORADS as an air defence system.

A dual-thrust solid motor propels the missile, designed to neutralize low-altitude aerial threats at short ranges. A highly optimized design has been used to ensure easy portability of the missile and its launcher.

The SA-2 and other air defence missiles have also lost relevance in the face of modern fighter aircraft equipped with cutting-edge defensive technology. Air defence missiles cannot be guided and aided by the armed forces’ radar network when engaging incoming enemy fighters and helicopters because of an outdated system. An Indian weapon system manufacturing facility will be set up by defence manufacturer Saab.

A statement from the defence ministry said that DRDO conducted two successful test flights of the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile off the coast of Odisha on September 27. According to the ministry, the Vshorads missile incorporates a number of novel technologies like the miniaturized Reaction Control System (RCS) and integrated avionics, which have been successfully tested.

The Royal Australian Navy is hosting a multinational exercise Kakadu-2022 that includes India’s indigenously designed and built naval vessel INS Satpura. The Defence Ministry has confirmed that the INS Satpura and the P-8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft arrived in Darwin on September 12 to participate in the exercise.

On Sunday a navy official said, “The hip participated in various anti-submarine warfare exercises, anti-ship warfare exercise, anti-ship warfare exercises, manoeuvres and has also showcased her precise target destruction capability during gun firing exercises.”

As per the Indian Navy, “a key objective of Exercise Kakadu-2022 is to improve mutual understanding and interoperability between friendly foreign navies.”

The INS Satpura is a 6000-ton guided missile frigate that was designed and built by indigenous engineers. Ships in the Eastern Fleet of the Navy, based at Visakhapatnam, are currently in one of the longest deployments by the Indian Navy since independence 75 years ago.

Total Fourteen navies took part in the two-week exercise in both harbour and sea. A ministry statement said on September 13 that the ship’s crew would interact with participating navies during the harbour phase of the exercise and participate in operational planning and sports activities.

The Indian Army installed satellite-based Internet service on the Siachen Glacier- the world’s highest battlefield, on Sunday. The installation has been conducted by the Siachen Signallers and will provide internet connectivity to the Army.

“Satellite-based Internet service was activated on the Siachen Glacier at 19,061 feet, the World’s Highest Battlefield, by the Siachen Signallers,” the Fire & Fury Corps of the Indian Army wrote on Twitter

The Army also posted a few pictures where a soldier is seen positioning a dish in the mountainous territory of the glacier. 

After the post was shared, many users praised the Indian Army’s new feat and pointed out the importance of good connectivity at the Siachen glacier.

“Congratulations on setting up a communication channel. Today, connectivity is the key to success. This will help the soldiers also talk to loved one’s back home,” a user wrote.

According to The Times of India, telecom infrastructure company Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) is catering to the army’s Internet connectivity needs in the high-altitude region. BBNL has also undertaken the BharatNet Project, which is working towards providing satellite-based Internet connection to nearly 7,000 Gram Panchayats and to remote areas which do not have access to fiber-based Internet.

The European Space Agency (ESA) released the first images and infrared spectrum of Mars from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). On September 5, 2022, Webb captured its first images and spectra of the red planet.

Located at the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2), Webb is approximately 1.5 million kilometres away from our planet. As the telescope gazes at Mars from its vantage point, it can observe the sunlit side of Mars’ observable disk. By doing so, the JWST is able to capture images and spectra at the resolution required for studying short-term phenomena.

There are a number of phenomena associated with these changes, including dust storms, weather patterns, and seasonal changes. Considering that this telescope is designed to detect faint distant objects, it might not seem impressive at first.

There are many bright objects in the night sky, including Mars, which is very close to the Earth and very bright both in visible and infrared light. In contrast, Webb’s sensitive instruments are almost blinded by the bright infrared light from Mars, leading to “detector saturation.”

To overcome this problem, scientists use very short exposures and measure only a small fraction of the light that hits the detectors. After analyzing the data, they came up with the image using special techniques.

India launches the fifth stealth warship of the Indian Navy’s Project 17A, named ‘ Taragiri’ in Mumbai. The event of the made-in-India warship was limited to a technical launch due to the state’s mourning of Queen Elizabeth’s death. It was in September 2020 that the keel of Taragiri was laid and is expected to be delivered by August 2025. The launch of Taragiri by the Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders (MDl) is another boost to the navy’s ‘aatmanirbharta’.Seven Nilgiri-Class frigates are being constructed under Project 17A. The headship of the INS Nilgiri class was launched in Mumbai in September 2019.

“In compliance with the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India declaring a state of mourning on September 11 (because of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II), the event was limited to a technical launch. As the event is tide dependent, any change in the schedule was not possible,” the MDL said.

The ship was named by Charu Singh, President, Navy Wives Welfare Association (Western Region), wife of vice admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, FOC-in-C Western Naval Command, who presided as the chief guest.

The Approximate launch weight of the vessel is 3,510 tons. The frigate is planned in detail by the Indian Navy’s in-house design organization, the Bureau of Naval Design.

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi. Mr. Modi received the Gaurd of Honour on his arrival from the authorizing ceremony of INS Vikrant in Kerela.

On the occasion, he unveiled the new Naval Ensign (Nishaan), eradicating the colonial past. A naval ensign is a flag that indicates nationality on naval ships or formations. Indian Naval Ensigns consist of a red cross on a white background, called St. George’s Cross.

After the country gained freedom, the Indian flag replaced the Union Jack in one corner of the cross. It was the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier that was commissioned on September 2, which Modi described as a milestone in India’s effort to become an Aatmanirbhar in the defense sector.

Several dignitaries attended the event, including Defence Minister Rajnath, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Governor Arif Mohamad Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, and senior Navy and Cochin Shipyard Limited officials.

PIB India Tweeted, “Prime Minister @NarendraModi takes part in commissioning ceremony of #INSVikrant in Kochi Kerela. The IAC is named after her illustrious predecessor, India’s first aircraft carrier which had played a vital role in the 1971 war.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be on a visit to Karnataka and Kerala on September 1-2, will commission the first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, at the Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi on September 2.

The PMO said Modi, who would be attending several programs, will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects costing nearly Rs 3,800 crores in Mangaluru. His itinerary will also include a visit to the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya at Kalady village near Cochin airport.

The PMO stated that Modi has been a forceful advocate of self-reliance, especially in strategic sectors, and one such example of such is the commissioning of INS Vikrant, which will be the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier.

INS Vikrant has been designed by the Indian Navy’s in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and constructed by the Cochin Shipyard, a public sector shipyard. It has the latest automation features and is the largest ship ever built in India’s maritime history.

It is equipped with substantial indigenous equipment and machinery, involving India’s big industrial houses and over 100 MSMEs. After Vikrant’s commissioning, India will have two operational aircraft carriers, which will strengthen the country’s naval security.

After a half-century hiatus, NASA’s Artemis 1 mission will take a crucial step towards bringing humans back to the Moon. Launched on Monday, 29 August 2022, the mission will test NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion Crew Capsule without a crew.

In addition to traveling to the Moon, the spacecraft will deploy some small satellites, then settle into orbit around the planet. In order to ensure that the spacecraft and any occupants can return to Earth safely, NASA aims to practice operating the spacecraft and test the conditions crews will encounter on and around the Moon.

A former member of the Presidential Transition Team for NASA, Jack Burns, is a professor and space scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. He will describe the mission, explain the Artemis program for space exploration, and reflect on how the space program has changed since humans last touched the surface of the moon half a century ago.

The new Space Launch System is set to launch with Artemis 1. In the 1960s and 1970s, Apollo’s Saturn V system was the most powerful rocket engine ever flown into space, even more powerful than this vehicle, which NASA refers to as a “heavy lift” vehicle.

On Tuesday, India successfully test-fired Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, off the Odisha coast, officials said.

The flight test of VL-SRSAM was conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy.

It was executed from an Indian naval ship against a fast-speed unmanned aerial target for indicating vertical launch capability, DRDO sources said.

The missiles, furnished with indigenous radio frequency (RF) seeker, cut off the target with perfect accuracy. The VL-SRSAM system has been indigenously manufactured and designed by DRDO.

“During the test launch, flight path and vehicle performance parameters were monitored using flight data, captured by various range instruments such as radar, electro-optical tracking system (EOTS) and telemetry systems deployed by ITR, Chandipur,” they said.

An official statement said that the launch was under surveillance of senior scientists from various DRDO laboratories engaged in the design and development of the system such as the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Center Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, and R&D Engineers, Pune.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, Indian Navy, and associated teams on the successful flight trial of VL-SRSAM and said that the missile would help augment the force of the Indian Navy.