The name Aravalli, derived from the Indian mountain range, symbolises the aspirations of the country to achieve self-reliance in critical engine technologies.

Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday signed a contract with SAFHAL Helicopter Engines for the joint design, development and production of a new engine called Aravalli for the future 13-tonne Indian multi-role helicopter (IMRH) and its deck-based version, the state-run aircraft maker announced. 

SAFHAL is a joint venture between French firm Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL. 

“The partnership with SAFHAL marks a pivotal moment in our journey towards achieving technological self-reliance in India’s aerospace and defence sector,” said HAL chief CB Ananthakrishnan, who retires on Saturday. The collaboration will not only ensure the operational capabilities of IMRH and 12.5-tonne DBMRH (deck-based MRH) platforms but also contribute to the broader goal of indigenous development of critical defence technologies, he said. 

The helicopters could go into production with the new engine by 2031, Hindustan Times has learnt. 

They will be capable of carrying out a wide variety of missions, including transporting troops, conducting assault operations, air maintenance and anti-submarine warfare. 

“The engines will be designed to operate in diverse and challenging environments in which these helicopters will get deployed. Future extension to the civil market for offshore operations, utility, and VVIP transport is also planned, followed by MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) activities,” HAL said in a statement. 

IMRH is expected to compete with Russian Mi-17 choppers in both Indian and foreign markets. The platform could have a huge market as nearly 40 air forces across the world operate Mi-17-type helicopters. 

The name Aravalli, derived from the Indian mountain range, symbolises the aspirations of the country to achieve self-reliance in critical engine technologies, HAL said. 

“We are extremely proud to collaborate with HAL on this strategic project, capitalising on 25 years of successful partnership between Safran and HAL. With this project, we are enriching the collaboration with HAL as well as the strategic relationship between India and France,” Safran Helicopter Engines CEO Cedric Goubet said. 

The combined expertise and resources of the two firms will ensure the success of the IMRH and DBMRH programmes, while contributing to the growth of India’s aerospace and defence sectors, he added. 

Under the contract, SAFHAL will work with its parent companies on cutting-edge engine technologies, ensuring superior performance, reliability, and operational efficiency. “This collaboration involves state-of-the-art design, advanced manufacturing processes, and rigorous testing protocols to meet the highest global standards,” the HAL statement added. 

HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines already have multiple partnerships, including the Shakti engine and its variants that power the Dhruv advanced light helicopter, its armed version Rudra, the Prachand light combat helicopter (LCH), and the light utility helicopter (LUH). 

In February 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country’s largest helicopter manufacturing facility at Tumakuru in Karnataka. The new HAL factory, spread across 615 acres, will produce IMRH and DBMRH. HAL plans to produce more than 1,000 helicopters in the 3-15 tonne class, with a total business of more than Rs.4 lakh crore over 20 years, according to official projections.

HAL is set for a change of the guard at a time when it is at a critical juncture—it is grappling with a delay in the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) programme, working towards finalising a deal for joint production of jet engines in the country, awaiting orders worth tens of thousands of crores for new fighter planes and helicopters, and taking steps to boost exports. 

DK Sunil, director (engineering and R&D), HAL, is widely seen as the frontrunner for the top job after Ananthakrishnan’s retirement.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

The SMV N1200 ATOR is designed to enhance mobility, operational efficiency, and safety in diverse scenarios, ensuring optimal performance in the most challenging conditions.

In a first the Indian Army got 96 specialist mobility vehicle (SMV) N1200 ATOR all-terrain four wheel drive vehicle under the Make in India initiative from a Chandigarh based company thus making it the first defense force in the world to operationally deploy vehicles of this advanced technology with the ability to go-anywhere be it dense forests, shaky grounds, gravel, peat, marsh, swamps, snow, ice, lake or rivers.

These vehicles are being manufactured at JSW Gecko’s newly set-up manufacturing unit in Chandigarh and haves also been showcased by Indian Army during this year’s Republic Day parade.

Talking with the TNIE, Jaskirat Singh Nagra director of JSW Gecko Motors said,“ Beginning in July 2021, the Indian Army conducted exhaustive trials of the SMV N1200 across various challenging environments, including desert, high-altitude, rainforest, and the treacherous terrain of the Rann of Kutch. Simultaneously, JSW Gecko Motors collaborated with Copato to localize the components used in the SMV, ensuring that these vehicles could be manufactured under the Make in India initiative, as mandated by the Union Government.’’

“In June 2023 we were awarded a contract to manufacture 96 units of SMVs for deployment by the Indian Army in various forward sectors. A state-of-the-art manufacturing facility was established in Chandigarh in record time, and full-scale production commenced in January 2024. We have successfully delivered the 96 of these vehicles to the army in June and July this year, making it the first military force in the world to operationally deploy vehicles of this advanced technology. The company is now preparing to supply these vehicles, along with others using similar technology, to the Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Assam Rifles, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), as well as other corporate and institutional clients,’’ said Nagra.

The SMV N1200 ATOR is designed to enhance mobility, operational efficiency, and safety in diverse scenarios, ensuring optimal performance in the most challenging conditions. These vehicles are designed with unique capabilities that enable them to traverse a wide range of terrains ( Ice glaciers and Snow Mountains, Deep Mud, Rocky fields, Loose sand, High and dense grasslands, Marsh lands, Swamps and Desert).

These capabilities make the Specialist Mobility Vehicles exceptionally versatile, capable of operating seamlessly across various challenging environments, including the ability to travel over water and return to land effortlessly.

Its standout feature of this amphibious vehicle is its ability to break through ice and swim before transitioning back to land, making it exceptionally versatile in challenging environments. Nagra said, “Over the past three years, the SMV has undergone successful trials with Army at Rann of Kutch, Pokharan, Tsogtsalu, Jaisalmer, for Assam Rifles at Haflong, at Sir Creek, Rann of Kutch, Dhubri for Border Security Force, at Dhubri with Central Reserve Police Force and for National Disaster Response Force at Manesar, Prayagraj and Mirzapur besides for Indo Tibetan Border Police at Pangong Tso.’’

” This vehicle can be used as, for logistics, search and rescue, medical evacuation and command centre. We have offered two vehicles to NDRF for free to bolster it’s capabilities in responding to natural disasters, including heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides,’’ he said and added that more orders are expected from the army and also from paramilitary forces.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) chief S Somanath  said that the Earth Observation Satellite-8 (EOS-8) was on Friday launched successfully on Friday was a success with the satellite placed in the precise orbit.

The ISRO chief expressed happiness on the successful launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and said that the next program is to manufacture and launch it for commercial purposes.

Addressing a joint press conference in Sriharikota, the ISRO chief said, “It was a very successful mission. As of today, with the data available, the mission is almost a 100 per cent success with the satellite being placed in the correct orbit and all separation process happening nominally. We are very happy about completion of the development programme of SSLV with this third development flight.”

Recalling earlier missions, Somanath said that during the first launch which was a “near miss,” the orbit was a slightly shorter one leading to the re-entry of the satellite back into earth at a later some time though it was placed in the orbit.

“We made corrections and the second flight went very well and after that we have done this third development flight,” he said.

SSLV-D3 was the third and final developmental flight of SSLV. The first flight of the SSLV on August 7, 2022 ended in failure but its second flight on February 10, 2023 was a success.

Somanath said that now the focus will be to manufacture and launch this rocket for commercial purposes and for this the two routes are realizing and launching.

Explaining the process further, the ISRO chief said, “There are satellites which will be launch-weighting, which will be realized by NSIL in the interim period, where they will fund and realize the rockets. Whichever is required for commercial purpose, they will fund this route to realize and supervise from industries and launch.

“After that, there is a technology transfer process which in space has started and the technology transfer process will find out which industry consortium will take it up and they will work with ISRO for next two years to understand the technology and realize two weightings as a process of technology transfer,” he said.

Somanath said that they will be launched commercially by NSIL and after that launch, industry will be free to produce any number of hours they desire in their own facilities. “That’s the plan and whatever they cannot do, ISRO will do, otherwise everything is supposed to be done by ISRO,” he added.

NewSpace India Limited is a Public Sector Undertaking of the Government of India and under Department of Space.

He said that it is the first time a technology transfer of a satellite roger vehicle will happen in India.

“We have designed it in a simple manner which is industry friendly for production and at low cost and very short assembly time, integration time, testing time, and has an architecture which is more failure proof and they use commercial operational components,” he said.

The ISRO chief further highlighted that there are many features that has been built into the rocket to make it very industry friendly. “We are hoping that there is a huge amount of interest and they will come out with a good proposal finally and the whole activity of industry, technology transfer activities being initiated through in space after they finalize the industry consortium is where we work with the industry for,” he added.

As per ISRO, the six-and-a-half-hour countdown leading to the launch commenced at 2.47 am and was launched at 9.17 am on Friday.

This was the third and final developmental flight of the SSLV-D3/EOS-08 mission.

The spacecraft is designed for a mission duration of one year.

The primary objectives of the EOS-08 mission include designing and developing a microsatellite, creating payload instruments compatible with the microsatellite bus, and incorporating new technologies required for future operational satellites, an ISRO release said.

source/content: businessinsider.in (headline edited)

Contracting parties are expected to identify and place suitable wetlands on the List of Wetlands of International Importance or the Ramsar List under an intergovernmental convention.

Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary, Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu), and Madhya Pradesh’s Tawa Reservoir have been granted the Ramsar site tag, taking the tally of such wetlands of International Importance to 85 in India, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said on Wednesday.

“As the Nation gears up to celebrate its Independence Day [Thursday], thrilled to share that we have added three Ramsar sites to our network. This takes our tally to 85 Ramsar sites, covering an area of 1358068 ha in India. The achievement reflects the emphasis PM Shri PM Shri @narendramodi ji has laid on establishing harmony with nature, calling our wetlands Amrit Dharohars, and working relentlessly for their conservation,” Yadav wrote on X.

Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary is an important place for wintering and breeding grounds for migratory birds. It hosts nearly 130 bird species apart from those of reptiles, fish, and plants. Tawa Reservoir was formed by the construction of the Tawa Dam. Kazhuveli is a stopover and breeding ground for about 40,000 migratory birds as well as home to over 200 species.

Contracting parties are expected to identify and place suitable wetlands on the List of Wetlands of International Importance or the Ramsar List under an intergovernmental convention for the conservation of wetlands.

The convention provides mechanisms to guide parties to take steps to manage them effectively by maintaining their ecological character. “Ramsar Sites are designated because they meet the criteria for identifying Wetlands of International Importance. The first criterion refers to sites containing representative, rare, or unique wetland types, and the other eight cover sites of international importance for conserving biological diversity. These criteria emphasize the importance the Convention places on sustaining biodiversity,” according to the Ramsar Convention website.

source/content : hindustantimes.com (headline edited)