Shield AI has established a wholly owned subsidiary, Shield AI India, to support software integration, engineering, and autonomy development, and to grow indigenous engineering and software development capabilities for India. The entity will operate across two offices – the first one in New Delhi, which is operational now, and another in Bengaluru, which is scheduled to open later this summer, thereby enabling closer collaboration with local partners while contributing to the growth of India’s high-technology ecosystem in AI and autonomous systems.

India is central to Shield AI’s global mission, said Ryan Tseng. “The depth of engineering talent here combined with our existing strategic partnerships and the trust placed in us by the Indian Armed Forces make India one of the most important partners in our long-term plans. Shield AI India is our commitment to building lasting capability in the country — not just selling to it.”

“Being a strong partner means being present and working alongside our customers,” said Sarjan Shah, managing director for India at Shield AI. “With our New Delhi office, and with our plans to expand soon in Bengaluru as well, we are strengthening our ability to support India’s autonomy priorities and partner on systems that can be built, deployed, and sustained within the country, while growing a pipeline of Indian engineers and developers who can build and evolve mission autonomy on Indian terms.”

“The U.S.-India relationship is something I was proud to support in my role as INDOPACOM commander, and given what Shield AI is doing in, with, and for India, I could not be prouder to support our partnership. Done right, the U.S.-India relationship can generate vital strategic, defense and economic value for both nations, and we look forward to supporting that overall goal,” said Aquilino.

In November 2024, the company announced a strategic partnership with JSW Defence Pvt. Ltd. to indigenize and manufacture its V-BAT unmanned aircraft system. As part of a $90 million investment, JSW Defence began construction of a large-scale V-BAT production facility at EMC Maheshwaram, Hyderabad in December 2025. The V-BAT production facility being set up by JSW is designed to serve the needs of the Indian Armed Forces and also function as a global production hub.

Shield AI’s expanded India presence also supports its ongoing work with the Indian Armed Forces. Earlier this year, India selected Shield AI to provide Hivemind powered V-BATs and, in addition, licenses for Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software for the Indian Army.

V-BAT is a Group 3 vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAS with a ducted-fan design, more than 12 hours of endurance, and a heavy-fuel (JP-8) engine. Proven in the electronic warfare battlefield, V-BAT delivers intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and targeting at significantly lower cost and logistical burden than larger drones. Under partnership with the Indian Army, Hivemind autonomy will integrate onto V-BAT as an autonomous pilot, enabling AI-powered perception, cognition, and beyond-visual-range operations. The company has also announced the development of a next-generation VTOL autonomous combat aircraft, X-BAT.

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The post IAF Aims to Integrate Astra Mk2 on Mirage-2000 appeared first on IMR.

The Astra Mk-2 and Mk-3 missiles are likely to be tested next year and in 2024 respectively, and are among the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) key ongoing programmes, said one of the officials cited above.

The current Astra Mk-1 variant has a range of around 100km.

The defence ministry on May 31 signed a ₹2,971-crore contract with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) to equip the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy with Astra Mk-1 missiles and associated equipment, which was seen as a shot in the arm for “Atmanirbharta”, or self-reliance, in the defence manufacturing sector.

DRDO has transferred technology to BDL for the production of the Astra Mk-1 and associated systems.

“Future air combat will be about detecting and striking targets at the farthest possible range. It will be the outcome of increase in the detection ranges of radars and the advent of longer-range missiles. It is important for India to develop missiles like Astra Mk-2 and Mk-3 to meet IAF’s requirements,” said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), director general, Centre for Airpower Studies.

China has developed the PL-15 beyond visual range air-to-air missile that can hit targets at around 200km, while the Meteor with a range of around 160 km is considered the best in its class in the western world, and the new Astra variants will put India in the big league, he added.

The Astra Mk-1 missile has been fully integrated with the Sukhoi-30 fighters and will now add to the capabilities of other combat planes including the Tejas light combat aircraft, the officials said. Also, the navy’s MiG-29K fighters, which operate from India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, will be equipped with the Astra Mk-1 missile.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis has exposed India’s overwhelming dependence on imported weaponry, especially from Russia, and underlined the urgent need for speeding up the indigenisation drive to become self-reliant.

Long-range missiles allow fighter jets to shoot down hostile aircraft from a significant standoff range, staying out of the adversary’s air defence envelope.

India has imposed a phased ban on the import of 310 different types of weapons and systems during the last two years to boost self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector.

These include lightweight tanks, naval utility helicopters, artillery guns, missiles, destroyers, ship-borne cruise missiles, light combat aircraft, light transport aircraft, long-range land-attack cruise missiles, basic trainer aircraft, multi-barrel rocket launchers, assault rifles, sniper rifles, specified types of helicopters, next-generation corvettes and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems.

The 310 weapons and systems that have to be developed in the country were notified in three separate positive indigenisation lists published by the defence ministry in August 2020, May 2021 and April 2020.

Since the notification of the first and second lists, contracts for 31 projects worth ₹53,839 crore have been signed by the defence services as of April 2022, according to defence ministry data.

Also, acceptance of necessity (AoN) for 83 projects worth ₹1,77,258 crore was accorded by April 2022, and cases worth ₹2,93,741 crore will be taken up in the next five to seven years.

The domestic industry is likely to receive orders worth ₹2,10,000 crore in the next five years as a result of the third list, according to the defence ministry’s projections.

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ASTRA is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) class of Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) system designed to be mounted on fighter aircraft.

The missile is designed to engage and destroy highly manoeuvering supersonic aircraft. The missile has all weather day and night capability. The ASTRA Mk-I Weapon System can be fitted to SU-30 Mk-I fighter aircraft.

In 2019, DRDO successfully flight tested ‘Astra’ from Su-30 MKI platform off the coast of Chandipur.

Astra BVRAAM has range of more than 100 kms with modern guidance and navigation techniques. The missile has midcourse guidance and RF seeker based terminal guidance to achieve target destruction with pin point accuracy. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed the ASTRA MK-I BVR AAM based on the requirements issued by the IAF catering for Beyond Visual Range as well as close combat engagement reducing the dependency on foreign sources.

Astra Missile is designed to be launched from fighter aircraft like SU-30, Mirage-2000, MIG-29, LCA-Tejas etc. Astra missile system is developed to neutralise aerial targets such as F-16 aircraft. Filled warheads have been successfully tested for static and dynamic performance.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has played a role in modifying the aircraft for weapon integration. More than 50 public and private industries have contributed in building the Astra weapon system.”The Transfer of Technology from DRDO to BDL for production of ASTRA MK-I missile and all associated systems has been completed and production at BDL is in progress. This project will act as a catalyst for development of Infrastructure and Testing facilities at BDL. It will also create opportunities for several MSMEs in aerospace technology for a period of at least 25 years. The project essentially embodies the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and will help facilitate realising the country’s journey towards self-reliance in Air to Air Missiles,” the defence ministry said in its release.

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The indigenously developed missile will be flight tested from a ground launcher being set up at launching complex III of Integrated Test Range (ITR) off Odisha coast.  The initial trials of the successor of Astra Mk I will be to test the weapon system’s ballistic performance. Once the safe release of the missile from the ground launcher and its propulsion and navigation are validated, it would be test fired from a fighter aircraft.

The go ahead for Astra Mk II was given nearly seven months after the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the procurement of Astra Mk I for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Navy.

While the previous version of Astra missile has a range of about 110 km, its advanced variant can strike targets 160 km away. Equipped with improved jammer resistance and dual pulse motor having thrust vector control, the Astra Mk II is latest among the air-to-air missiles of its class. The DRDO has developed an indigenous seeker to improve the performance of the missile and replace the Russian radio frequency seeker used in the Astra Mk I. 

The missile will be powered by Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR), which will enhance its performance and increase the strike range. Procurement of Astra Mk I for the IAF was approved after it completed ground tests and air trial from a Sukhoi 30 MKI aircraft. Process is on to integrate the missile with the Made in India Tejas fighter jet. 

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The Astra fills up the critical air-to-air missile gap vis-a-vis Pakistan, which was exposed during the post-Balakot aerial confrontation over the Line of Control on February 27 last year.

The 110-km range of the Astra neutralises Pakistan’s advantage over India in air-to-air weaponry. Against the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) AIM-120 AMRAAMs with a range of 110 km, the maximum air-to-air reach of the IAF was under 80 km with the R-77. As a result, IAF’s frontline Su-30 MKIs were forced into defensive manoeuvres when the AMRAAM-armed PAF F-16s attacked India in retaliation to India’s cross-border air strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist camp at Balakot in Pakistan on February 26.

The Astra is capable of engaging “both short-range targets at a distance of 20 km and long-range targets up to a distance of 80-110 km” at varying altitudes, an IAF spokesperson elaborated.

The Astra is India’s first indigenous air-to-air missile. The features of this all-weather BVR include mid-course inertial guidance with terminal active radar homing.

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The first rendering of the twin-engined Omni Role Combat Aircraft (ORCA), sometimes called the Medium Combat Aircraft, was revealed by Harsh Vardhan Thakur, Test Pilot with HAL from his Twitter account. ORCA is the idea behind the twin-engine Tejas Mk.2. This has raised many speculative questions.

The advantages of a twin-engine design are many. First, it will have increased speed and maneuverability, the jet will have enhanced range because it can carry more fuel and with refueling, it can be extended to well over 2000 km. It can carry larger combat loads. It is also less susceptible to mechanical failures or combat damage. It can carry larger combat loads. At high altitudes, using two engines will have tremendous supplemental benefits, as losing a single engine jet over water or land is a much more life-threatening experience. System redundancy is a tertiary benefit of multi-engine aircraft, since losing engine results in only a 50% loss in total available thrust, plus redundant generators and hydraulic pumps will allow the aircraft to fly. In addition, having two engines will reduce training losses.

The IAF needs 45 squadrons which should consist of a good mix of heavy, medium and light aircraft. The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is the heavy aircraft and is supposed to reach a total number of 272 which would comprise of 15 squadrons. The Rafale and MiG-29 would be the medium jets for about 8-10 squadrons. Then a single engine fighter including 60 Mirage-2000 and new Tejas Mk-II would be the light aircraft and should be some 20 squadrons in total. This last category includes the MiG-21 and MiG-27 which will be phased out in the next few years. So the need is urgent, to say the least.

Tejas has provided Indian engineers valuable knowledge and experience to design and build a cutting-edge contemporary fighter, the long gestation period taken to develop the Tejas will come in handy when designing and manufacturing the twin-engine jet.

Light-weight HMDS Helmet for IAF

DRDO has developed a new lightweight integrated helmet to be used by Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, flying the country’s front-line fighters such as Sukhoi 30-MKI, Mig-29, Mirage 2000 and also Russian made vintage MiG-21 Bisons.

“The integrated helmet-mask assembly has been designed to primarily incorporate Helmet Mounted Display and Sight (HMDS) as per the user requirement,” DRDO said in a statement. The helmets were subjected to open jet wind blast test at 600 KEAS at DGA, CEAT, France as per the parameters specified in MiL 29591/1(AS).

The integrated helmet with internally retractable dual polycarbonate visor system  and pressure breathing oxygen mask has been developed by Defence Bio-Engineering & Electro Medical Laboratory (DEBEL), Bangalore.

The development of an indigenous HMDS display for fighter pilots will help the country to save precious forex reserves through import substitution.

The helmet-mask assembly was subjected to eight different profiles and has successfully withstood all the tests thereby proving the integrity of helmet-mask assembly during ejection.

Beyond-Visual-Range Drone Tested

The Army successfully tested an indigenous UAV, on 16 April, for autonomous delivery of load over Punjab. The test was carried out for delivery of Covid-19 items. The test proved an ability to operate at far-off ranges, at beyond visual line of sight, meaning the drone was remotely controlled either by a radar or another bigger UAV above it, and possibly the payload the drone could carry.

Three domestic drones were tested over Gobindgarh, Balluana, Malukpura villages around Abohar in Fazilka district of Punjab, located at distance of up to 25 km from the launch point and beyond visual line of sight from base. The task was ‘anti-Covid’ operations and to deliver essential supplies, including masks, liquid-sanitiser and medical canisters.

The Army coordinated these tests with the district administration, it is clear such operations can be on a large scale by increasing the number of drones and enhancing the endurance and payload of each drone. The Army uses a few bigger drones for surveillance.

The drones were flown over the earmarked dropping zone, made to descend to a suitable height and release its payloads.

UV Disinfection Tower

DRDO has developed an ultra violet (UV) disinfection tower for rapid and chemical-free disinfection of high infection-prone areas. The device is also effective for areas with large flow of people such as airports, shopping malls, metros, hotels, factories, offices, etc.

The equipment named UV Blaster is “useful for high tech surfaces like electronic equipment, computers and other gadgets in laboratories and offices that are not suitable for disinfection with chemical methods. The product is also effective for areas with large flow of people such as airports, shopping malls, metros, hotels, factories and offices,”  a DRDO statement said.

It was designed and developed by Laser Science & Technology Centre (LASTEC) based in Delhi with the help of New Age Instruments and Materials Private Limited, Gurugram.

For a room of about 12×12 feet dimension, the disinfection time is about 10 minutes, while for a 400 square feet area, it would take 30 minutes by positioning the equipment at different places within the room, the statement said, adding that the sanitiser could be remotely operated.

Hitting  Enemy Targets Without Positioning Error

In a major development that could have a wider impact, ranging from accurate aiming on enemy targets to scientific research in space weather, scientists from the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), have developed a global model to predict ionospheric electron density with larger data coverage.

The ionosphere is a major source of error in GPS/GNSS-based positioning and navigation networks. Due to the unavailability of a reliable model to predict the electron density of the ionosphere, navigation errors remain, creating technological hurdles. A new model developed by Indian researchers has potential applications in calculating these Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning errors.

Named as an ‘Artificial Neural Networks-based global Ionospheric Model’ (ANNIM), the development uses long-term ionospheric observations to predict electron density and peak parameters of the ionised part of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, between 46-621 miles above the surface. The model successfully reproduced large-scale anomalies in the ionosphere caused by solar and cosmic radiation.

Although several fighter jet and other missile systems have been fitted with highly-accurate navigation systems, few weapons in service can yet take advantage of this model.

ANNIM replicates the processes the human brain uses to solve problems including pattern recognition, classification, clustering, generalization, linear and nonlinear data fitting, and time-series predictions. Very few attempts have been made to model global ionosphere variability using ANNIMs.

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