25 Mar 10. The Indian military has plans to make tear gas-like hand grenades by using the thumb-sized bhut jolokia, or ghost chilli, to immobilise suspects, according to defence officials. A defence spokesman Colonel R Kalia in Assam said the chilli grenade had been found fit for use after trials in Indian defence laboratories, a fact confirmed by scientists at the Defense Research and Development Organidation, according to Associated Press. DRDO life sciences department director RB Srivastava said it was definitely going to be an effective non-toxic weapon because its pungent smell could choke terrorists and force them from their hideouts. Trials have begun to produce bhut jolokia-based aerosol sprays to be used by women against attackers, and for the police to control and disperse mobs, according to Srivastava. Bhut jolokia, the world’s spiciest chilli, is grown in India’s north-east region and is used as a cure for stomach troubles and to combat summer heat. (Source: armytechnology.com)
30 Mar 10. The Indian Army has successfully test fired the indigenously developed, nuclear-capable, short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) Agni-1 from the integrated test range (ITR) at Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast. ITR director SP Dash said the test fire of the Agni-I missile met all parameters, according to Times Of India. During the test launch, the surface-to-surface, single-stage missile was launched from a rail mobile launcher. A defence official from the launch site said that after piercing the sky, the missile re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and its dummy warhead impacted in the waters of the Bay of Bengal. The guidance and re-entry system worked well, the official added. The launch operation was carried out by the Strategic Force Command of the Indian Army with the necessary logistic support being provided by the Defence Research Development Organisation at ITR. The 15m-long Agni-1 weighs 12t and has a payload capacity of up to 1t, and has already been inducted into the Indian Army. (Source: armytechnology.com)
29 Mar 10. Lockheed Martin hit the target in two tests featuring DAGR guided rockets launched from an airborne OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter. This is the fourth aircraft DAGR has fired from in the past year—prior platforms include the AH-64D Apache and the AH-6 Little Bird. Two DAGRs were launched from the OH-58D Kiowa in airborne tests, at ranges of 3.5 and 5 km. Both hit within 1 meter of the laser aimpoint.
“With successful flights from the Apache, Little Bird and now Kiowa helicopters, DAGR is rapidly establishing itself as the laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket that our HELLFIRE customers have sought as a low-cost, low collateral damage complement to the HELLFIRE II missile itself,” said Randy Thomas, DAGR program manager at Lockheed Martin.
Because the DAGR system is designed to be compatible with the HELLFIRE family of launchers, it offers potential integration on all rotary-wing HELLFIRE platforms, including the Apache, Little Bird, Kiowa, Blackhawk, Cobra and Tiger helicopters. A mixed loadout of HELLFIREs and DAGRs can be mounted on the same launcher, providing operational flexibility that enables cost-effective multi-mission capability from a single platform. The DAGR system has demonstrated its precision strike and maneuver capabilities in more than 20 successful guided flight tests, hitting short- and long-range off-axis targets close to the laser-designated aimpoint. This provides Warfighters with increased capability, quick response to “pop-up” threats and an expanded engagement envelope.
29 Mar 10. Sofradir released Altair, a new dual-band MW-MW IR detector. Altair MWIR-MWIR operates in two mid-wave bandwidths, 3 – 4 micron and 4 – 5 micron, allowing users to better identify objects and thereby reduce the number of false threats identified. The dual-band MW-MW IR detector also enables more accurate temperature measurement of targets. Altair MWIR-MWIR first shipped in early January to a Euro