인도, ASTAMIDS 장착 MQ-8B 무인헬기 도입 희망...

 

美 해군과 Northrop Grumman 社가 개발하고 있는 MQ-8B Fire Scout VTUAS (무인헬기) 의 최근 시험비행 소식을

전한 바 있습니다. --->

 

MQ-8B Fire Scout Test Flight

 

마침 인도가 MQ-8B 의 구입을 희망한다는 AW&ST 기사를 소개합니다. 정확히는 MQ-8B 에 지뢰 및 급조폭발물을

탐지할 목적으로 개발된 ASTAMIDS 장비를 장착한 모델에 관심을 가지고 있다는 내용입니다.  인도 정부가 미국에

대해 FMS 방식에 의한 수출을 공식적으로 요청할 것이라 합니다.

 

한편, 인도가 기존 Alouette (Chetak) 헬기를 무인기로 개조하는 사업은 현재 중단된 상태라는 소식도 덧 붙입니다.

 

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India Expresses Interest In Fire Scout Sale

AW&ST, Jul 15, 2010 

By Neelam Mathews mathews.neelam@gmail.com

NEW DELHI

 

India is planning to issue a letter of request to the U.S government for a U.S. foreign military sale (FMS) of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical takeoff unmanned aerial system (VTUAS).

 

The Indian government is expected to send a request via the U.S Embassy for FMS clearance, as “the technology is not for release,” an Indian navy official says. Northrop has made presentations on the system over the past few years to the Indian navy and army.

 

With homegrown insurgency a big concern in India, interest has emerged for the Airborne Standoff Minefield Detection System (Astamids), which has been demonstrated on Fire Scout.

 

“The insurgents lay mines to be remotely triggered four inches below the roads in the Eastern states of India,” an army official says. “The algorithms to locate IEDs [improvised explosive devices] through processing Astamids imagery will prove a boon to the paramilitary forces having to cope with this problem.”

 

The sensor’s primary function is to detect minefields in support of mobile ground forces in day and night conditions. It uses quad-prism aperture-splitting technology with the aid of an integrated illuminator and target laser rangefinder and designator. The 75-lb. electro-optical infrared/multi-spectral imaging payload can detect surface-emplaced and recently buried patterned mines, as well as randomly scattered mines. The payload also can be expanded to detect obstacles, combat vehicles, camouflaged objects and other combat targets.

 

With the support of the U.S. Navy, Northrop and its industry partners completed a set of Fire Scout flight demonstrations in the United Arab Emirates on July 14. The demonstrations included numerous takeoffs and landings in hot, windy and sandy conditions in temperatures as high as 47 deg. C (117 degrees F). The VTUAS also conducted various test flights at altitudes up to 3,000 meters (9,800 ft.). These demonstration missions included non-line-of-sight operations that showcased Fire Scout’s ability to operate autonomously in remote locations, and its FLIR Systems electro-optical/infrared sensing capabilities used to locate and acquire targets, according to a statement. The flights also demonstrated the vehicle’s real-time imagery-transmission capability.

 

Based on a Schweizer Aircraft commercial helicopter airframe, the Fire Scout incorporates reliable turbine power (160 million flight hours) using standard NATO heavy fuel.

 

Meanwhile, the Indian government’s decision to convert its Alouette III light utility helicopters — known in India as the Chetak helicopter — into UAVs is in abeyance for the moment. A year and a half ago, there was a plan for the Chetak to be fitted with the sensor suite of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron UAV and an IAI-developed, bolt-on flight control package.

 

Chetak has been primarily in service with the Indian air force in training, light transport, casualty evacuation, communications and liaison roles.

 

 

  ASTAMIDS on MQ-8B Fire Scout ⓒ Northrop Grumman

 

  ASTAMIDS ⓒ Northrop Grumman