Binge watching Tarmak media's #HamaraTejas series dispassionately. Neither over the top exuberance nor cynicism. Just trying to learn where they came from and what they have to say about their journey.
Finished. I liked Ep 1,5 & 6. Learnt new things from them. 2,3,4 were more powder puffing mundane achievements as ground breaking but that's ok. A lot of celebrations about success, which is warranted, less acknowledgement of the mistakes and drawbacks though.
Overall takeaway, it was a program celebrating Tejas team contributions and to inspire school going children to take up a career in Aerospace and Defence. Don't watch it as a fact giving documentary like you see of some of the Western Aerospace programs.
Things I liked the most about #HamaraTejas was about Iron Bird test facility, the development of the FBW system and the composite manufacturing capabilities. We made a leap from a 1960s ecosystem to the 1990s-2000s equivalent ecosystem with the Tejas program. @writetake
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Summary on Kaveri Engine shared by MoS MoD today in Rajya Sabha. Thanks to @subhsara
We at last get the total expenditure on the Kaveri program, Rs 2035.56 crore
This is pittance compared to the Multi Billion $ effort that serious nations mount.
WE'RE JUST NOT SERIOUS ABOUT IT!
@subhsara Explains why the govt dropped jaws when Safran quoted 500 million euros to develop test and certify the engine further(aside offsets). Till then both DRDO & Govt were lying to themselves that we can get a jet engine cheap. They cudn't accept this reality! economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/d…
@subhsara I'm guessing the govt would've never signed off on a domestic engine development project if it knew it would cost upward of Rs 30,000 crores. The DRDO would've tried to keep the govt happy feeding it with false promises that it could get it done at <$2,500 crores.
This is a thread on ground transportation proving and testing infrastructure that exists across India. This includes civil and defence facilities available across India.
Starting with Maruti Suzuki’s test track in Rohtak. Quite a big and diverse Proving ground
Moving South to the National Capital Region we have the government ICAT’s test facility and homologation centre that carries some regulation and R&D work on the part of govt. This facility is located in Gurgaon.
As we move down to Jaipur outskirts Hero Motors has a sprawling Two wheeler proving ground right by their R&D centre. Quite diverse set of test facilities within that proving ground.
Debate on pertinent military issues in parliament on camera? When has that ever happened here? A lot of things on queue if we are going to go down the line of parliamentary accountability on military issues. INS Vikramaditya that spends 360 days on shore is definitely on top.
Effectively today we are not a carrier Navy. Let’s assume that the issues of the carrier is solved with INS Vikrant induction. What about the air wing though? there is no interest to get to the bottom of Mig-29K issue and solve them either domestically or with the Russians!
“Chalta hai na!” Is the attitude at the top. Whether it is the anaemic fighter capabilities or MCMVs or even getting existing carrier capabilities fixed. You question and an army of ppl is ready to talk about “land centric threat” hai, CoVid budget problem hai.
The way Afghanistan has turned out to fall to ragtag militia within days after more than a decade of national building project. India post 1947 would’ve had its task cut out in terms of forming a stable political union and not get balkanised by sub national forces completely.
Starting right from landing forces in Srinagar to bringing the 500 odd princely states we faced an uphill battle to form a nation and thanks to the leaders and the bureaucrats then who had a razor sharp focus on that in the initial decades.
Yes we floundered in multiple cases, including Nagaland, Mizoram, Kashmir etc but there are so many ways this project could’ve gone wrong and yet here we are. A young stable political union of 74 yrs with a $2.7 Trillion economy. The work isn’t over with Maoists & Naxalites
Aatmanirbhar Screwdrivergiri!
75 yrs and we still import what is mundane tech worldwide!
“The South Korean firm will share the designs and once MCF approves they will be made in South Korea and brought in India in knocked down condition" timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india…
1955, ICF Perambur was started to produce coaches for IR with imported design from Swiss Schlieren and we have been producing that for 65 years now.
All that ICF was doing was produce variations of the same design for different purposes. No new overall design or generative D&D.
1990s for lack of design and development expertise, we again issue global tender for a new lightweight design. LHB coaches come in. And RCF Kapurthala and ICF Perambur have been making LHB for years now.
“We plan to carry of out the 1st flight of the aircraft by March 2022 and get the certification from CEMILAC by mid-2023 before kicking off production. The 1st Mk-1A aircraft will be delivered to the air force by March 2024, with the rest slated to join its combat fleet by 2029.”
“HAL is holding discussions with its entire vendor base for reducing cost as the volumes are higher. The target is a price reduction of 15% to 20%,” Madhavan said. HAL has set a deadline of November 2021 to place purchase orders for raw materials.