Nov 2020 समाचार प से चयत अशं Newspapers Clippings A Daily service to keep DRDO Fraternity abreast with DRDO Technologies, Defence Technologies, Defence Policies, International Relations and Science & Technology खंड : 45 अंक : 268 19 नवंबर 2020 Vol.: 45 Issue : 268 19 November 2020 ररा ववानान प ुपतकालयु तकालय DefenceDefence Science Science Library Library रार वैा वैानाकन कस चूसनूचान ाए एवव ं ं लेखनलेखन कक DefenceDefence Scientific Scientific Information Information & & Documentation Documentation Centre Centre , 110 054 मेटकॉफ हाउसहाउस, ददलल - - 110 054 MetcalfeMetcalfe House, House, Delhi Delhi - -110 110 054 054 CONTENTS S. No. TITLE Page No. DRDO News 1-7 DRDO Technology News 1-7 1. Missile scientists encountered multiple challenges developing complex 1 technologies 2. India’s DRDO completes second testing of QRSAM system 3 3. Japan’s decision to release Fukushima radioactive water into sea will cause 4 disease along Asian coastal belt: experts 4. Railways to provide train coaches with 800 beds to Delhi for Covid-19 treatment: 6 MHA 5. 7 दल म कोरोना को लेकर एशन म गहृ मंालय, उठाया ये बड़ा कदम Defence News 8-16 Defence Strategic National/International 8-16 6. Army completes setting up of modern habitat for troops in Ladakh 8 7. कड़कड़ाती सद म भी चीन पर जार रहेगी नगेहबानी, सेना ने पूव लदाख म जवान के लए 9 बनाए अयाधु नक आवास 8. China is fortifying defences across Ladakh border, not prepping to disengage 10 9. IAF for short-term leasing of trainer aircraft, light copters 12 10. Indian Navy gets 9th P-8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft ordered from US 13 11. Indian AI company wins at UK-US military space pitch 14 12. China’s endgame in Ladakh 15 Science & Technology News 17-26 13. First crewless Gaganyaan flight only by end of 2021 17 14. Faster detection of photocatalyst-generated oxygen has big implications for clean 18 energy 15. A new understanding of ionic interactions with graphene and water 20 16. Researchers establish proof of principle in superconductor study 22 17. The ultimate conditions to get the most out of high-nickel batteries 23 COVID-19 Research News 25-26 18. Early details of brain damage in COVID-19 patients 25 DRDO News DRDO Technology News Thu, 19 Nov 2020 Missile scientists encountered multiple challenges developing complex technologies | HSTDV series Part-1 Bengaluru: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in September this year successfully ight-tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) using the indigenously developed scramjet propulsion system. Termed as a giant leap in indigenous defence technologies, the initial success of this hypersonic airbreathing scramjet technology has given missile scientists the condence to undertake R&D into much more complex areas as they progress into the next phase. Onmanorama interacted with the HSTDV team, capturing the history of the programme and the challenges involved in realizing some of the complex technologies set to serve as the building block for next generation hypersonic vehicles. Through this three-part series, we bring to you a glimpse of the early years of India’s HSTDV dream, the current state, and the road ahead. A decade of work It was in early 2000 that DRDO initiated work on HSTDV in order to be on par with developed nations in the eld of hypersonics. During this period the United States, Russia and Australia were among the developed nations deeply involved in hypersonic missions. The primary aim was to develop an autonomous hypersonic cruise vehicle, which can cover a long distance in a short time. Hypersonic cruise vehicles are very different from ballistic missiles in the sense, the trajectory is difcult to predict. Accordingly, feasibility studies were carried out in 2004 at the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad. This feasibility study formed the base for developing the hypersonic vehicle. Dr S Panneerselvam, a pioneer in the eld of aerodynamics, was the rst Project Director of the HSTDV project. He and a team of ve scientists worked to conceptualize the shape and size of the HSTDV Cruise Vehicle (CV) using computational tools. The team was multidisciplinary, with expertise in streams of engineering involving aerodynamics, structures, controls, and scramjet propulsion. Many new technologies were developed during the development cycle. Subsequently, a cruise vehicle was indigenously realized in DRDO. 1 There were several scientists who played the role of mentors during the HSTDV design work. Late AK Kaushik (retired DRDL scientist), Prof HS Mukunda (ex-Prof, IISc), late Prof PJ Paul (ex-Prof, IISc), Prof MA Ramaswamy (ex-Prof, IISc), Dr YR Mahajan (ex-ARCI), Dr TS Prahlad (former Director, NAL), Dr Abdul Majeed (Ex-VSSC), Dr Kota Harinaryana (former Programme Director, LCA), Prof GR Shevare (exProf, IIT, Bombay), NV Kadam (former Associate Director, DRDL), SK Ray (former Director, RCI) and Dr Rajaram Nagappa (ex-Prof, MIT) were the pillars who guided a dedicated team of DRDO scientists towardsthe realization of the design. Challenges Galore Initially, the HSTDV CV was conceptualized. The CV works in a specic window of hypersonic regime (altitude: 29-34 kms and at 5.8-6.5 Mach). A launch vehicle (LV) was required to carry the CV to the desired conditions. It was planned to design the CV with available materials (titanium, nickel-based alloys and aluminum). “Those days DRDO’s well-proven Agni-I missile was the best suited booster for HSTDV CV and it was chosen for the LV. During the ascent phase of the LV, due to high kinetic heating within the atmosphere, the temperature on the exposed CV was exceeding the capability of materials. There was a need for a protective system for the HSTDV CV to deal with the kinetic heating during the LV ascent phase. Sevenmetre -long and one-metre diameter size split protective fairings were designed to keep the CV within the allowable temperature,” said a scientist, who is in the team. The LV was going through very high dynamic pressure of around 5 bar, which is a very huge number for a launch vehicle. The scientists had to conduct several heating studies and experiments to clear the LV. The control capability of the LV was another bottleneck. Extensive modications of the launch vehicle control surfaces and wind tunnel and aero-thermal testing were carried out to qualify the LV. Within the one-meter diametre restrictions of the Agni-I launch vehicle, the cruise vehicle’s wing had to be folded like a small baby in the womb. This required an unfolding mechanism at high speed and it was implemented. “The protective fairings have to be separated when the injection conditions for cruise vehicle have been achieved. This was massive bottleneck as it needed a large number of pyro-mechanisms to be operated within a few milliseconds simultaneously so that the panels open at hypersonic speed,” recalled the scientist. Finally, several iterations and brain storming sessions with experts in the country provided major design inputs that came to the rescue of the team “Very limited testing is possible for fairing separation. The entire sequence of separation was studied through CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and it was tested successfully in the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh. So far the most developed nations have not attempted suchseparation mechanisms at relatively high dynamic pressures,” said another team member. New Technologies In the CV, the design process was newly evolved and it was the rst of its kind in DRDL, Hyderabad. Eventually, a lot of technological base was developed in the areas of hypersonic aerodynamics, aerothermo dynamics, intake aerodynamics and scramjet propulsion. “The design was a purely indigenous effort. With the CV being non-axisymmetric and since we were addressing it for the rst time, there were thermal buckling issues, which were sorted out tweaking the design of hot structures,” recalled the scientist. The materials for fuel injection posed a fresh set of challenges due to the high combustion temperatures. The scientists had to constantly make multiple iterations, changing the material and construction. 2 The HSTDV team says that most of the technologies for the mission were developed afresh, as its design aspects were completely different from the various missiles developed by DRDO. “In other missiles, there is a certain decoupling between airframe and engine. But the CV needs an aeropropulsion-structure-integrated design. The engine–airframe attachment was another major technical challenge we had to address. We attempted several schemes before nalizing the right one,” added the scientist. (The writer is an independent aerospace and defence journalist, who blogs at Tarmak007 and tweets @writetake.) https://www.onmanorama.com/news/nation/2020/11/18/hstdv-hypersonic-missile-challenges- technology.html Thu, 19 Nov 2020 India’s DRDO completes second testing of QRSAM system The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the completion of the second testing of Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the completion of the second testing of Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM). The test is claimed to prove the warhead’s performance parameters. The system was fired against a Banshee pilotless target aircraft. It is claimed to have tracked and neutralised the airborne target. The test was carried out by the Defence Research and Development The second test of the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile Organisation (DRDO) on 17 November. (QRSAM) took place on 17 November 2020. Credit: Government of DRDO conducted the second test at the India / Press India Bureau. Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, which is located off Odisha coast, India.