The Tactical UAV was first unveiled at Aero India 2021. BEML is better known for its earthmovers and Metro coach assemblies.

BEML has taken a two-pronged approach in its foray into the versatile drone space: One, a partnership with the Czech innovation company Primoco UAV to jointly produce the Model One 150 with a 200 km range and payload capacity of 1-30 kg.

India’s immediate requirement is for over 4,000 UAVs in the micro to weaponised categories, and BEML’s entry is expected to add to the variety. This dictated the company’s partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, for joint indigenous development of a Pilotless Target Aircraft (PTA) and a tactical UAV. The tactical UAV will have an endurance of eight hours, the longest in its class.

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According to L&T’s JD Patil, the Light Tank will be ready for testing by mid-2023. “The development is on at full speed,” he said.

The current design being developed by DRDO and L&T is completely ab initio, and not taking Vajra design. While L&T is involved in the development work, it is not assured of a role in the production phase. Developed equipment has to undergo field evaluation trials and emerge successful for the induction clearance, and then production ordering process begins.

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Under the agreement, the companies will jointly produce lightweight titanium castings. They will develop a controlled fabrication process and ensure that the same parts can be manufactured in any future production of the M777 howitzers for India.

The first sub-systems are expected to be produced by the end of 2022.

The manufacturing will eventually be extended to all three of the major structures of the gun namely the Saddle, Cradle, and Lower Carriage.

BAE Systems also said that it may soon manufacture a 52-Calibre 155 mm barrel for the ULH in India. This would make India the first customer to have a 155mm 52-calibre platform under 5,800 kg in weight.

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The UP government announced that it was likely to sign 13 industrial MOUs worth Rs 564 crore at DefExpo-2022 to partner with over 100 companies with an estimated investment target of around Rs 600 crore.

“The UP government is committed to develop the defence and aerospace sector with modern infrastructure, better connectivity and policy support.

Among the key features of its recently announced policies, the government will be offering a capital subsidy of 7 per cent up to Rs 500 crore to all defence and aerospace units being set up in Aligarh, Agra, Lucknow and Kanpur nodes.

A 10% subsidy up to Rs 500 crore for investors in Jhansi and Chitrakoot nodes of Bundelkhand was also announced, along with a 25% land subsidy for anchor defence and aerospace units. The state government will bear the cost of developing infrastructure of all six nodes. The state will also offer research and development tie-ups with prominent academic institutions like IIT-Kanpur and IIT-BHU, as well as Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and HAL’s Aerospace Systems & Equipment R&D Centre (ASERDC).

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Akash-NG is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile defense system developed by the DRDO and produced by BDL and BEL.

This missile is a successor to the Akash and Akash-1S series of missiles with improvements such as a Dual-pulse solid rocket motor, a canisterised launcher and an AESA Multifunction targeting radar to improve its probability of kill with a smaller ground operations and logistics footprint.

DRDO has successfully test-fired the Akash-NG surface-to-air missile air defence system off the coast of Odisha on 23rd July, 2021.

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William L Blair, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India, said, “Our joint ventures with Tata and industrial relationships with many Indian companies such as Ashok Leyland, Lakshmi Machine Works, MIDHANI, Rossell Techsys, and SASMOS among others are a testament to the success of the Government of India’s mission to create ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in the defence sector. ”

The prime attraction at its booth this year was the ‘Made in India’ fuel-carrying, 9G, 12,000-hour, interchangeable/replaceable fighter wing. This wing was manufactured at the Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) facility in Hyderabad, which also serves as the single global source of C-130J empennage assemblies installed on all new Super Hercules aircraft. To date, TLMAL has manufactured and exported more than 180 C-130J empennages.

The F-21 fighter aircraft, which was on offer to the Indian Air Force (IAF), also occupied a prominent place at Lockheed Martin’s booth. The company is leveraging both 4th and 5th generation technologies to offer the best solution to meet or exceed the IAF’s capability needs, provide Make in India industrial opportunities, and accelerate India-United States cooperation on advanced technologies, including but not limited to fighter aircraft.

The Indian Navy’s acquisition of the MH-60R ‘Romeo’ multi-mission helicopter was another highlight for Lockheed Martin at the show. The MH-60R is the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter and brings vital anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities to the Indo-Pacific region. The US Navy already delivered the first three aircraft to the Indian Navy in 2021, and these aircraft are being utilised for training Indian pilots and crew members in California. In July-August 2022, the US Navy transported to India another three helicopters, which will be initially based at Naval Air Station INS Garuda in Kochi. A total of 24 MH-60Rs will be delivered to the country over the next few years.

India’s workhorse, the C-130J Super Hercules airlifter, which represents a strong legacy of partnership between India and the US, was also on display at the Lockheed Martin booth. The S-92 helicopter also boosted Lockheed Martin’s presence at the show; it recently surpassed two million fleet flight hours which is a testament to the reliability of the multi-mission aircraft.

As part of the Javelin Joint Venture, Lockheed Martin also produces the Javelin fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile system.

The company’s present and future programmes in India range from transport, maritime and fighter aircraft to sea and land-based air and missile defence projects and capabilities in civil sectors, including new and renewable energy.

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Under the terms of the MOU, Bharat Forge and General Atomics’ Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS) will collaborate for Lithium-Ion Battery System for naval platforms/submarines to address the requirements of Indian Navy. The parties have also agreed to partner with each other in the area of permanent magnet motors.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Baba Kalyani, Chairman Kalyani Group said, “We have been relentlessly working towards bringing niche technologies in the country with the aim of making Indian self-reliant in defence verticals. GA is a market leader for in-service Li-Ion Battery solutions for naval platforms/submarines and and our partnership with General Atomics is a firm step in the direction to develop Make in India solutions for Indian Navy and setting up a strong defence technology and manufacturing vertical within India.”

“We look forward to working with Bharat Forge to meet the requirements of Indian Navy. Our Li-Ion battery system has been developed after 10 years of rigorous R&D. Instead of the usual ‘fault prevention’, our design philosophy is based on assuming a fault and requiring fault containment’, which has made our system extremely safe and reliable”, stated Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “We are committed to working with companies like Bharat Forge, whose reputation for excellence and dedication to quality is synergistic with ours, as we continue to deliver technology innovations and cutting-edge systems for undersea and surface platforms.”

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Bhanu Prakash Srivastava, Director (Other Units), BEL, and Mr S K Rout, Director (Operations), MIL, exchanged the MoU documents at Defexpo in the presence of Ravi Kant, CMD, MIL, Joydeep Majumder, Executive Director, BEL and other senior officers of BEL and MIL.

The MoU aims at leveraging the complementary strengths and capabilities of BEL and MIL and strengthens the spirit of the Make In India initiative of Government of India, for achieving self-reliance in Defence Sector. The co-operation will enable the companies to   jointly address the domestic and Export opportunities in the areas of Ammunition, Explosives and related systems and sub systems.

MIL is a DPSU under Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Government of lndia. MIL, India’s largest manufacturer & market leader, is engaged in the design, development and manufacture of various types of ammunition and explosives including Small, Medium and High Caliber ammunition, Mortars, Rockets, Hand Grenades, High Explosives, Propellants, Initiathe tory Compositions etc.

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The IADD, as a part of DefExpo 2022, showcased to the African nations the growing prowess of the domestic defence industry, which is one of the major drivers of the nation’s resolve to achieve ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ as envisioned by the Prime Minister. This interaction is expected to help fulfilling the Defence requirements of our African partners as also achieving the objective of catering to our domestic requirements. A Special Cover on IADD and a book on ‘India-Africa Defence Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges’ were released during the event.

The IADD was institutionalised to be held biennially during successive DefExpos. It seeks to build on the existing defence partnerships between African countries & India and to explore new areas of convergence for mutual engagements including areas such as capacity building, training, cyber security, maritime security and counter-terrorism.

Emphasising that India & Africa share a multi-faceted defence and security cooperation relationship, Rajnath Singh reiterated India’s support to Africa to deal with challenges of conflict, terrorism and violent extremism. “India remains united with African countries in their quest for peace, security, stability, growth and prosperity. Our partnership with Africa is centered on the ten guiding principles articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to Parliament of Uganda in 2018. He had clearly stated that Africa will be at the top of our priorities.

Later, the Gandhinagar Declaration was adopted as an outcome document of IADD 2022. It proposes to enhance cooperation in the field of training in all areas of mutual interest by increasing training slots and deputation of training teams, empowerment and capability building of the defence forces of Africa, participation in exercises and humanitarian assistance during natural disasters. India offered fellowship for experts from African countries through Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis.

Fifty African countries, including 20 Defence Ministers, seven CDS/Service Chiefs and eight Permanent Secretaries participated in the Dialogue attesting to the high priority accorded to India-Africa engagement in defence and security. On the sidelines of the IADD, Rajnath Singh and MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt met with the visiting African Ministers where issues related to defence and bilateral relations were discussed.

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This was the 12th edition of the event that was organised on the theme ‘Path to Pride’.

While addressing the event, PM Modi said, “Def Expo 2022 is displaying a grand picture of the New India, the resolution for which was taken by us during Amrit Kaal. It has the nation’s development, states’ participation, youth power, young dreams, young courage & youth’s capabilities.”

“Defence Expo used to be held in our country earlier too but Def Expo 2022 is unprecedented. It’s the symbol of a new beginning. It’s the first such Defence Expo in the country where only Indian companies are participating, where there are only Made in India defence equipment, he further added.

I’m delighted that when India is giving shape to these opportunities of the future, 53 African nations that are friends of India are standing shoulder to shoulder with us, the prime minister added.

He further said that biggest Defence Expo of the country so far has marked an emphatic beginning of a new future.

During the programme, Prime Minister also launched Mission DefSpace – to develop innovative solutions for the Defence Forces in the Space domain through industry and startups. At the inauguration ceremony, PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of 52 Wing Air Force Station Deesa.

At the India Pavilion, Prime Minister unveiled HTT-40 – the indigenous trainer aircraft designed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

451 partnerships in terms of MoUs, Transfer of Technology agreements and product launches, almost double than the last edition, were expected during the Bandhan ceremony on October 20.

The India Pavilion – a marque pavilion of the Department of Defence Production – was showcasing the maturity of indigenous defence products, start-ups and the latest technology, including Artificial Intelligence in defence, while presenting India’s vision for 2047.

In addition, there was an exclusive Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) Pavilion to showcase the prowess of the country’s start-ups carrying out R&D and innovation in futuristic technologies.

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