A
avatar said:I don't think DRDO is that cagey about mentioning Israeli involvement . it has been saying from the very beginning that joint development is the way forward and Israeli co-operation in the field of UAVs has been explicitly mentioned. Politicians are a different ballgame though, especially if they are of the "secular" variety . It is felt in these circles that any mention of Israel is best avoided keeping 'minority sentiments' in mind.
avatar said:NAL actually bought the design from Rutan in the early nineties
hanks for the clarification. So, those listing an "ADA Rustom" are in error and this UAV is an ADE product. Correct?
Hmm this whole thing about precisely when the design rights were acquired needs a re-look .Looking into it.Rummaging around, I see that a Long-Ez at built at the National Aerospace Laboratory in the 1980s (as the Light Canard Research Aircraft, VT-XIU). Did NAL pursue design rights to the Long-Ez based on experience with this LCRA?
I also noticed mention of a Prof Rustom Behram Damania building . Is the UAV named after the professor or this just coincidence?
Government to allow industry participation in indigenous UAV project
Ravi Sharma
BANGALORE:Breaking with tradition the Government has allowed the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) to co-opt a partner from the Indian industry who will join in the development and production of the Rs.1,000 crore, indigenous, medium altitude long endurance, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programme, Rustom.
Traditionally laboratories under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) umbrella develop a product or system, build a prototype of it, prove it in field trials and then transfer the technology to a production agency. A sequential approach which has seen: time delays in making the system operational, poor product management and even obsolesces. The DRDO are therefore exploring ways to move to a regime of concurrent engineering practices where initial design efforts also take into consideration production issues, with the production agency participating in the development of the system right from the design stage, and concurrently developing the necessary infrastructure and expertise for the product and product support. The Rustom programme is the first of this exploration and could become a trendsetter for future projects.
Request for proposals
Confirming the Government’s decision to allow the development of the Rustom in association with a production agency cum development partner (PADP), P.S. Krishnan, Director, ADE told The Hindu that requests for proposals (RFP) would shortly be issued to four vendors: Tatas, Larsen and Toubro, Godrej and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-Bharat Electronics (joint bid).
The chosen PADP will also have a financial stake in the Rustom project. While proposals from the vendors are expected by February, the entire selection process could take 18 months. The users (the armed forces) would also be asked to take up a financial stake. Also, in order to placate apprehension that orders may not be placed the Government might guarantee that a specific number of Rustoms will be bought.