Year After Livefist Scoop, DRDO Talks About UCAV Programme

Almost a year after Livefist scooped India’s previously unknown AURA stealth UCAV project, the Times of India has a report today (right) on the secretive programme. The report quotes the DRDO’s Dr Prahlada confirming all that I’ve reported here over the past year — flying wing design, miniature gas turbine engine and other elements. This isn’t however the first time that the DRDO is referring to the classified programme, an abbreviation for Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft. The DRDO referred to the programme in a newsletter in November last year.

Here’s a chronological list of reportage on the AURA here on Livefist.

Clipping Copyright Times of India

15 thoughts on “Year After Livefist Scoop, DRDO Talks About UCAV Programme”

  1. 7-8 years.

    Hai ram, god help india. The chinese have already flight tested their UCAV.

    DRDO is going on like they have all the time in the world. Full sarkari speed.

    God save india.

  2. Why 7-8 years?

    Most of the technologies, DRDO will first import and try to reverse engineer, when they fail at some critial point, they will ask for technology transfer, and finally they will end up license producing it.
    By the time the technology will have advanced by one generation with our enemies.
    Don't forget that in this process, DRDO will waste a huge amount of time, the cost of the project will increase by several factors. DRDO fools people when they say that they are able to produce military equipment for less compared to abroad. Ask them how much was spent in acquiring the technology and they will start to hide behind the classified fig leaf.

    God deliver us from DRDO.

  3. Why 7-8 years?

    Most of the technologies, DRDO will first import and try to reverse engineer, when they fail at some critial point, they will ask for technology transfer, and finally they will end up license producing it.
    By the time the technology will have advanced by one generation with our enemies.
    Don't forget that in this process, DRDO will waste a huge amount of time, the cost of the project will increase by several factors. DRDO fools people when they say that they are able to produce military equipment for less compared to abroad. Ask them how much was spent in acquiring the technology and they will start to hide behind the classified fig leaf.

    God deliver us from DRDO.

  4. @Anon 729

    other than a rant about how you are better than DRDO..do you have anything to offer.

    the comments section here seems to have been taken over by corporate PR boys ….give us the money…we will make things..we have done nothing till now but trust us we will do it…..coz we are better than govt..

    The engineers in my pvt company are better…my company has not built a two seater a/c..but if the govt agrees to buy what we make…we will build tomorrow the fighters that you see in sci fi movies……give us the money..money money

  5. @anon 9:57 pm. I did not see anything about private and public sector in anons post @7:29 pm. Although he was ranting a bit he did make a valid point.

    It is commendable what DRDO/ADA/HAL have done but the moment you compare it with the acheivements of the HAN nation, you realise we are lagging behind and will continue to do so.

    I think the point here to notice is why do our achievements take longer and come out later than our immediate foes.

    The government has resources with skill sets, institutionalised an R&D base and has a certain amount of infrastructure. But they cannot release funds efficiently and have a tardy decision making process. The private sector adores profits without substantial investment and is capable[and pretty successful] of singlemindedly pursuing that objective, it is also more than capable of meeting deadlines[and this is critical]. So there are advantages and disadvantages in both. It is just a matter of tapping into the right areas.

    We should not be so entrenced on the private/public sector side, that we see a ghoul in everything.

    Cheers 🙂

  6. Anon @957 asks Anon@729
    other than a rant about how you are better than DRDO..do you have anything to offer.

    Sure, Anon@729 has cash, liquor and all expense paid foreign junkets to offer, by the truckload. For a small price, Annon@729's clients can get a hold on the GoI for years. first systems, then spares, then training, then upgrades, then sanctions etc., Sadly times have changed. The more we make stuff on our own, the less work for the likes of Anon@729. Hence the frustration.

  7. we are importing hundreds of uavs from israelis let them perfect making rustom and complete it in 1-2 years before claiming ucav

  8. The course of events is this:

    The US develops some technology – The chinese have a batti lit up under their arses, and they develop a similar device.

    The Chinese test their devices – a batti lights up under our netas and babus and DEDO walas, and they then start to haath pair maro to try and get to the chinese levels.
    Now all this while the netas, babus and DRDO walas were sitting twiddling their thumbs.

    What angers me is, why didn't the batti light up in India when the US developed that technology?

    I haven't compared private vs sarkari yet, but now I will. You will all remember, that a couple of businessmen, aviation enthusiasts built a UAV using a motorcycle engine in Punjab. They showed it to the Army there, and their effort was highly appreciated. My point is that this UAV won't have the optics or the computer hardware & software that a modern UAV has, but it certainly proves one thing, a private business can pursue and complete with single minded dedication a job given to it. A private business will employ every and any means available to ensure that their product is successful, meets the tech requirement and is on time.

    The reason the government favours sarkari companies is because these are cash cows that pay the ministries, they are overstaffed with employees whom the minister has pushed in. I am willing to bet that state secrets are not safe in these sarkari PSUs, as compared to the private businessess either. There just is no committment amongst people working in PSUs at all.

    So if today DRDO starts work on a UCAV program, that 7-8 years will easily extend to a decade, or more and we will only get technology that will have been supersceded by then. The AURA is supposed to be a flying wing stealth UCAV with the last decade's techs which DRDO will now start to work on, import, licence produce etc.

    Bhagwan hi maalik hai is desh ka.

  9. Raman Kumar Singh

    Hi Shiv,

    I would like to highlight a point here. If you see we got lot of info on AURA on LIVEFIST, a year before a leading newspaper published. You have set yourself a pretty high standard to keep us posted long before anybody else does. However, It hearts when your articles are just a hype like the last article of MMRCA. I would request you not to post such articles.

    Live up-to the expectation you have created among us.

    cheers 🙂

  10. @ Raman

    ToI a leading newspaper!!..its more like a gossip paper half the time

    @ shiv..not taking any credit away from you..

  11. This is ridiculous. In a nation full of talented entrepreneurs and engineers the government decides to concentrate key technologies in the hands of a select group. They should have a competitive system in which different design groups – private and public – compete and the best one is chosen. But no we will put our eggs in one basket (with a mixed record of achievement) and hope for the [second] best.

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