Category Archives: Transport

NATIONAL: SCIENCE, ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY: DEFENCE: India Successfully Test-Fires Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile

The system is now ready for induction into the Army, the DRDO said in a statement

India has successfully completed six flight-tests of the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) system from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur off the Odisha coast, as part of evaluation trials by the Army, the DRDO said on Thursday.

The flight-tests were carried out against high-speed aerial targets mimicking various types of threats to evaluate the capability of the weapon systems under different scenarios, it said.

“During these tests, all the mission objectives were met establishing pin-point accuracy of the weapon system with state-of-the-art guidance and control algorithms, including warhead chain,” the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said in a statement.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY / SPACE: Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD): ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) Demonstrates New Tech that can be used for its Mars, Venus Missions

An IAD, designed and developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), was successfully test flown in a ‘Rohini’ sounding rocket from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS).

 ISRO on Saturday successfully demonstrated a new technology with Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD) that it said is a game-changer with multiple applications for future missions including to Mars and Venus.

An IAD, designed and developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), was successfully test flown in a ‘Rohini’ sounding rocket from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS).

The IAD was initially folded and kept inside the payload bay of the rocket, according to the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

At around 84 km altitude, the IAD was inflated and it descended through atmosphere with the payload part of sounding rocket.

The pneumatic system for inflation was developed by ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), it said.

The IAD has systematically reduced the velocity of the payload through aerodynamic drag and followed the predicted trajectory.

“This is the first time that an IAD is designed specifically for spent stage recovery. All the objectives of the mission were successfully demonstrated”, the space agency said in a statement.

“The IAD has huge potential in variety of space applications like recovery of spent stages of rocket, for landing payloads on to Mars or Venus and in making space habitat for human space flight missions”, it said.

Rohini sounding rockets are routinely used for flight demonstration of new technologies being developed by ISRO as well as by scientists from India and abroad.

In Saturday’s flight, along with IAD new elements like micro video imaging system which captured the bloom and flight of IAD, a miniature software defined radio telemetry transmitter, MEMS (Micro-electromechanical systems)-based acoustic sensor and a host of new methodologies were flight tested successfully, ISRO said.

“These will be inducted later to the major missions. Sounding rockets offers an exciting platform for experimentation in upper atmosphere”, it said.

“This demonstration opens a gateway for cost-effective spent stage recovery using the Inflatable Aerodynamics Decelerator technology and this IAD technology can also be used in ISRO’s future missions to Venus and Mars” said ISRO Chairman S Somanath, who witnessed the launch.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INDIA RECORDS: SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY: DEFENCE: ‘INS Vikrant’ India’s First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, a complex Warship is a Unique Reflection of India becoming self-reliant, says PM Modi

“INS Vikrant is not a mere war machine but proof of India’s skill and talent. It is special, different” , said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean had long been ignored, but today this area is a major defence priority of the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 2, 2022 as he commissioned INS Vikrant, the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier and the most complex warship ever built.

“Vikrant is a unique reflection of India becoming self-reliant,” he said, adding that his government is working in every direction, from increasing the budget for the Indian Navy to increasing its capability.

The ship is christened after India’s first aircraft carrier Vikrant, which played a vital role in the 1971 war.

From 2013 to 2017, the Navy had fielded two aircraft carriers – the erstwhile Viraat acquired from U.K. and the INS Vikramaditya from Russia which is currently in service. Once Vikrant becomes fully operational, Indian Navy will once again be able to deploy two full-fledged carrier groups significantly expanding its footprint across the Indo-Pacific.

“So far, such aircraft carriers were only made by developed countries. India has taken a step towards being a developed country by being part of the league,” said Mr. Modi speaking at the formal commissioning ceremony which saw the presence of several naval veterans who commanded and served on the erstwhile Vikrant. Envoys and Defence Attaches of few countries were also present at the ceremony including Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis and Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov.

Terming INS Vikrant as huge,the ceremony massive , vast, distinguished and also very special, Mr. Modi said itis not just a warship but a testament to the hard work, talent, influence and commitment of India in the 21st century. “If the goals are distant, the journeys are long, the ocean and the challenges are endless – then India’s answer is Vikrant.”

The Commanding Officer, Capt Vidhyadhar Harke, read the commissioning warrant and the  nishaan (ensign) was hoisted as the national anthem was played followed by the breaking of the commissioning pendent. INS Vikrant adorned the new ensign with effect from its commissioning.

The ship with a displacement of 42,800 tonnes was designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a public sector shipyard under Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterway.

In line with the prevailing practice globally among carrier-operating nations,the aviation trials are expected to commence by November and expected to continue till mid-2023. Officials had stated that the carrieris expected to be fully operational by end of next year.

The ship would be capable of operating an air wing of 30 aircraft comprising MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 early warning helicopters, and MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA-Navy).

Fighter aircraft are launched using the Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) method and INS Vikrant is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of three ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.

The Navy is expected to soon finalise procurement of another carrier-based fighter, between the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation Rafale, to operate off its carriers till the indigenous under-development Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) is available.

The 26,000 tonnes of steel that INS Vikrant is made of is warship-grade, produced for the first time in the country by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and the Navy. The steel is now being used in the construction of all warships in the country.

Steel cutting began in April 2005, ship’s keel was laid in February 2009 and it was launched into water in August 2013. The 262m long and 62m wide INS Vikrant is powered by four General Electric LM 2500 engines which give it a maximum speed of 28 Knots and endurance of 7500 NM, which means she can make a voyage from Kochi to Brazil without refuelling.

The ship has around 2,200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,600 that include specialised cabins to accommodate women officers and sailors.

Vikrant is the first ship in the Navy and the country which has a 64 slice CT scan machine onboard, in addition to ultrasound and digital X-ray machines and two purpose-built operation theatres.The ship’s reverse osmosis plants produce over four lakh litres of water every day.

The carrier has a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery and the indigenisation efforts have also led to development of ancillary industries, besides generation of employment opportunities for 2,000 CSL staff and about 13,000 employees in ancillary industries.

Globally, there is renewed push by major powers to deploy aircraft carriers despite the growing threats to big surface platforms from missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). While the U.S. is fielding new generation of super carriers, U.K. has fielded new carriers while Japan is converting its helicopter carriers to operate F-35 fighter jets. China which is on a massive maritime modernisation spree, presently operates two carriers, and has launched a third carrier, Fujian, into water in June this year.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPACE & SATELLITES: ‘Digantara’ a Youth-Led Start-Up to Send 40 Satellites to Compile Space Debris Data

The race to space has the downside of polluting it. A Bengaluru-based start-up plans to send out a constellation of 40 satellites that will gather data on space junk in the low-earth orbit (LEO).
The satellites that will be launched in early next year will gather information on millions of pieces of debris that litter LEO, which NASA describes as an “orbital space junk yard”.

Digantara, the start-up launched by three young engineers, has taken upon itself the mission to help clean up LEO. 

Space junk can reach speeds of up to 18,000 miles per hour, according to NASA. Many of them range from 1 cm to 10 cm in diameter. Most of this orbital debris comprises “human-generated” objects such as parts of spacecraft that have long disintegrated, rocket and satellite components, and very small flecks of paint from spacecraft and whole satellites.

“The ones which are 1 cm in diameter are estimated to be a million. Besides, international space agencies have determined that they are aware of only 4 per cent of objects in space. The data for 96 per cent is still missing,” said Digantara chief operating officer Rahul Rawat, who is only 23 years old.

Digantara, which is incubated at Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science, sent out a small satellite, a payload about the “size of a shoe box”, according to the start-up’s CEO Anirudh Sharma, on June 30 this year to gather information on space weather, including radiation, violent storms and other phenomena that can be potentially harsh for spacecraft and burn or fry them. 

While this lone satellite has been sending out data to ground sensors, Rawat pointed to Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink constellation of 40 of 49 satellites that were “lost in a single blow” when they encountered a gigantic “solar paroxysm” that burned the spacecraft and cost the company $100 million in February 2022.

It is precisely to avoid satellites getting caught up in such “solar outbursts” or other violent geomagnetic incidents that Digantara expects its own satellites – and the information it will send back to its ground sensors – to come to the rescue of space companies with ambitions of sending out satellites. 

“We are the only start-up of its kind in India though there are competitors in the US and Canada,” Rawat said, adding the gathered data can help firms that are into remote sensing and insurance where risk analysis reports will be important.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INDIA OVERSEAS: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Opens Office in Kuala Lumpur to Explore Business Operations both in Malaysian and all of Southeast Asia

HAL’s new office in Kuala Lumpur would take up the market promotion of the company’s range of products and services not only in Malaysia but also all of Southeast Asia.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will set up an office in Kuala Lumpur to tap business opportunities in Malaysia and the entire Southeast Asian region, the PSU said in a statement on Thursday.

The new office is expected to help the public sector firm to explore business around Fighter Lead-in Trainer (FLIT) LCA and other requirements of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) like Su-30 MKM and Hawk upgrades, as per HAL.

“It will reinforce the commitment of India in supporting the Malaysian Defence Forces and industry for sustainable aerospace and defence landscape in Malaysia,’‘ said a company communique.

According to HAL, the company had submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Malaysia in October 2021 for the supply of 18 FLIT LCAs against a global tender issued by RMAF.

The final winner of the tender is expected to be declared soon by Malaysian authorities and LCA Tejas stands a fair chance of selection in the bid as it meets all the parameters sought by RMAF, as per the release.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: MANUFACTURING, ENGINEERING, SHIP-BUILDING: India’s Kolkata-based ‘Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Making Seven Vessels for Foreign Countries’: Defence PSU official

Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd is making seven vessels for foreign countries, out of the 23 ships that are in the different stages of construction, its chairman and managing director Commodore (retd) P R Hari said.

GRSE, which had bagged the prestigious Rs 19,294-crore order for the construction of three advanced stealth frigates under Project 17A for the Indian Navy, has already launched two of these ships and the construction of the third one is in full swing.

“Of the 23 ships being developed by GRSE, seven are for foreign countries,” Hari told PTI.

The Kolkata-based warship maker is constructing six patrol boats for Bangladesh and an ocean-going passenger and cargo ferry vessel for Cooperative Republic of Guyana, he said.

After having launched P17A advanced frigate INS Himgiri and large survey vessel INS Sandhayak, GRSE is doing outfitting work on these ships at its FOJ (fitting out jetty) unit before handing these over to the Indian Navy, Hari said.

The second stealth frigate Dunagiri made by the shipyard was launched on July 15 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Among the ships under construction at its sprawling facilities on the bank of the Hooghly river are four large survey vessels, of which Sandhayak is undergoing outfitting.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INDEPENDENCE DAY OF INDIA: 75 YEARS : Today August 15th, 2022 :India @75: 100 events that shaped India

As Independent India marks 75 years, take a tour through 100 events that mark flashpoints and turning points, wars won and battles lost, new beginnings and realised ambitions.

How does one tell the story of a nation? How does one capture a billion tales that are, eventually, one? As Independent India marks 75 years, take a tour through 100 events that mark flashpoints and turning points, wars won and battles lost, new beginnings and realised ambitions — from the creation of a Constitution to the rise of political stalwarts, from pitched battles on the cricket field to dreams captured on celluloid, from events that challenged us to responses that elevated us. We, the people of India, have a lot to remember, and a lot to celebrate…

1. India gains Independence (1947)

2. Partition rocks the new nation (1947)

3. Kashmir accedes to India (1947)

4. Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated (1948)

5. India gets a Constitution (1950)

6. Ever Onward with the first Asian Games (1951)

7. The first IIT comes up in Kharagpur (1951)

8. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh is founded (1951)

9. India votes for the first time (1951)

10. Pather Panchali is released (1955)

11. The States Reorganization Act is passed (1955)

12. Kerala gets the first elected communist government in the world (1957)

13. The Dalai Lama seeks asylum (1959)

14. ISI is declared an institute of national importance (1960)

15. Mughal-e-Azam is released (1960)

16. Milkha Singh flies, but comes fourth (1960)

17. The First Non Aligned Summit is held (1961)

18. Goa is finally free, and part of India (1961)

19. China shocks India (1962)

20. Jawaharlal Nehru dies (1964)

21. The anti-Hindi agitation breaks (1965)

22. The Second India-Pakistan War (1965)

23. The arrival of Indira Gandhi (1966)

24: The Congress starts to weaken (1967)

25. The Green Revolution starts (1967)

26. The Naxalbari movement emerges (1967)

27. Ravi Shankar wins a Grammy (1968)

28. The West Indies couldn’t out Gavaskar (1971)

29. The West Indies couldn’t out Gavaskar at all (1971)

30. Bangladesh is born (1971)

31. The basic structure doctrine is articulated (1973)

32. The tree-hugging movement begins – in India (1973)

33. Indian enterprise gets its flagbearer (1973)

34. The angry young man emerges (1973)

35. Amul is born (1973)

36. India goes nuclear: Pokhran 1 and 2 (1974)

37. JP launches total revolution (1974)

38. India reaches for the stars (1973)

39. Indian democracy’s darkest moment (1975)

40. Sholay releases on Independence Day (1975)

41. The retrograde 42nd amendment is passed (1976)

42. India gets its first non-Congress government (1977)

43. Prakash Padukone wins the All-England championship (1980)

44. Sanjay Gandhi dies in an air crash (1980)

45. Asiad, and in colour (1982)

46. India win the cricket world cup (1983)

47. Everyman’s wheels, the Maruti 800 is launched (1983)

48. An Indian goes where no Indian had gone before (1984)

49. India gets its first soap, Hum Log (1983)

50. Usha soars (1984)

51. Indira Gandhi is assassinated (1984)

52. December 2, 1984 India experienced its worst ever industrial accident, Union Carbide plant in Bhopal

53. One step forward, two steps back with Shah Bano (1985)

54. The Assam Accord is signed (1985)

55. A (big) smoking gun (1986) – Bofors

56. A judgement reaffirms the power of the floor-test (1989) – The Bommai Judgement

57. Boy wonder Sachin Tendulkar makes his debut (1989)

58. The home minister’s daughter is kidnapped (1989)

59. Mandal redefines Indian politics (1989)

61. India opens up (1991)

62. Star TV launches (1991)

63. The Big Bull and a big scam (1992)

64. A rape results in some reforms (1992)

65. The Babri Masjid falls (1992)

66. Infosys IPO heralds the equity culture (1993)

67. Bombay witnesses bomb blasts, but they also take down the underworld (1993)

68. Mayawati becomes India’s first Dalit CM (1995)

69. Internet on Independence Day (1995)

70. DDLJ (1995)

71. The BJP’s first government (1996)

72. Arundhati Roy wins the Booker (1997)

73. Amartya Sen wins the Nobel (1998)

74. The Kargil War (1999)

75. IC814 hijack (1999)

76. Tata buys Tetley (2000)

77. The rest begins with Clinton’s India visit (2000)

78. The Match fixing scandal (2000)

79. India’s population touches a billion (2000)

80. The seat of democracy comes under attack (2001)

81. Gujarat is wracked by riots (2002)

82. Delhi gets a world-class metro (2002)

83. The Congress springs a surprise (2004)

84. Rights and entitlements in focus with RTI and MGNREGA (2005)

85. Cricket goes pop with IPL (2007)

86. India wins first individual gold at Olympics (2008)

87. Terror ravages Mumbai (2008)

88. One India; One ID (2009)

89. The movement against corruption (2011)

90. The nation weeps for Nirbhaya (2012)

91. Modi! Modi! Modi! (2014)

92. The activist as politician (2015) – Arvind Kejriwal

93. Money is for nothing (2016) – Demonetisation

94. One country, one tax (2017)

95. The court legalizes consensual gay sex (2018)

96. Another terror strike and a muscular response (2019) – Pulwama

97. Jammu & Kashmir is completely integrated with India (2019)

98. The Ram temple becomes a reality (2019)

99. China flexes its muscles, but India holds its own (2020)

100. Neeraj Chopra’s javelin soars (2021)

source/content : hindustantimes.com (headline and captions edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ENGINEERING SERVICES: In a First, the U.S. Navy Ship ‘Charles Drew’ Arrives in India for Repairs and Maintenance at L&T Shipyard, Chennai

It will undergo maintenance activities at L&T’s Shipyard in Chennai for 11 days.

In a first, a U.S. Navy Ship, Charles Drew, arrived in India for carrying out repairs and allied services at Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T) Shipyard at Kattupalli, Chennai, on Sunday adding a new dimension to the fast expanding Indo-U.S. strategic partnership.

“This is the first ever repair of a U.S. Navy ship in India.

The U.S. Navy had awarded a contract to L&T’s Shipyard at Kattupalli for undertaking maintenance of the ship. The event signifies the capabilities of Indian shipyards in the global ship repairing market,” a Defence Ministry statement said. 

The USNS Charles Drew will be at the Kattupalli shipyard for a period of 11 days and undergo repairs in various areas.

At the India-U.S. 2+2 in April, both sides agreed to explore the possibilities of utilising Indian shipyards for the repair and maintenance of ships of the U.S. Maritime Sealift Command to support mid-voyage repair of U.S. Naval ships.

source/contents: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: RECORDS: DEFENCE, NAVY: Indian Navy’s INAS-314 All-Women Crew Created History by Completing the First All-Women Independent Maritime Reconnaissance, Surveillance Mission Onboard a Dornier 228 Aircraft in the North Arabian Sea

The women officers received months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the run up to this historical sortie.

An all-women crew of the Indian Navy has completed maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea onboard a Dornier 228 aircraft, the Navy said on August 4. The mission was completed on August 3, an official said.

The aircraft was captained by mission commander, Lt. Cdr. Aanchal Sharma, who was accompanied by pilots Lt. Shivangi and Lt. Apurva Gite, and Tactical and Sensor Officers, Lt. Pooja Panda and SLt. Pooja Shekhawat, it said.

“On August 3, 2022, five officers of the Indian Navy’s INAS 314 based at Naval Air Enclave, Porbandar, created history by completing the first all-women independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea onboard a Dornier 228 aircraft,” it said.

INAS 314 is a frontline Naval Air Squadron based at Porbandar in Gujarat and operates the state-of-the-art Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The squadron is commanded by Cdr. S. K. Goyal, a Qualified Navigation Instructor.

The women officers received months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the run up to this historical sortie. “This first-of-its-kind military flying mission was, however, unique and is expected to pave the way for women officers in the aviation cadre to assume greater responsibility and aspire for more challenging roles,” the navy said.

The navy said it has undertaken a number of steps in pioneering women empowerment with initiatives that include induction of women pilots, selection of women as Air Operations Officers into the helicopter stream and conducting an all-women sailing circumnavigation expedition across the globe in 2018.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

RECORDS: MANUFACTURING / DEFENCE: Historic day for India as Cochin Shipyard (CSL) Delivers First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) to Indian Navy. India Joins Select Group of Nations to Indigenously Design and Build an Aircraft Carrier.

Scripting history, the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) handed over India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) to the Indian Navy on Thursday.

The aircraft carrier, which was designed by the Navy’s in-house Directorate of Naval Design and built by the CSL, will be christened after INS Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier, which played a crucial role in 1971 war against Pakistan.

With the delivery of Vikrant, India has joined a select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier.

Sources said the vessel will be commissioned and formally inducted into the Indian Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Independence day. The Navy is planning to make the induction ceremony a mega event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.

The 262 m long aircraft carrier has a full displacement of close to 45,000 tonnes which is much larger and more advanced than her predecessor. The ship is powered by four gas turbines totalling 88 MW power and has a maximum speed of 28 Knots. Built at an overall cost of Rs. 20,000 crores, the IAC has been built in three phases of a contract between the Ministry of Defence and the CSL, concluded in May 2007, December 2014 and October 2019 respectively.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)