Current Affairs search results for: "DRDO"

1. Semiconductor Mission of India

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Introduction

Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched the India Semiconductor Mission on December 29, 2021. Companies which are interested in tapping the Rs 76,000-crore incentives earmarked by the Center for development of semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem in India can begin applying for the same from January 1 2022. Semiconductors are materials which have a conductivity between conductors and insulators. They can be pure elements, silicon or germanium or compounds; gallium, arsenide or cadmium selenide.

• They are the basic building blocks that serve as the heart and brain of all modern electronics and information and communications technology products.
• These chips are now an integral part of contemporary automobiles, household gadgets and essential medical devices such as ECG machines.

Major features of the semiconductor mission of India The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) is a specialized and independent business division within the Digital India Corporation.  It has been set up with the aim to build a vibrant semiconductor and display ecosystem to enable India’s emergence as a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design. The mission is authorized to negotiate with the applicants under the semiconductor fab scheme and the display fab scheme.  A fab (fabrication facility) is short for fabrication plant where raw silicon wafers are processed and turned into integrated circuits. This mission has been given the autonomy to decide the appropriate technology mix, applications, node generation, capacity, among others and propose the structure and quantum of fiscal support for the selected applicants.  The design-linked incentive (DLI) scheme—aims to help budding Indian semiconductor design firms. India is a major global center for chip design courtesy of foreign direct investment, a large, qualified engineering workforce and favorable government policies A fiscal support of up to 50 per cent of the project cost has been approved for setting up certain variants of silicon-based semiconductor fab in India. A The financial support is for six years from the date of approval.  Semiconductor fabs set up in India will also be eligible for a purchase preference in procurement of electronic products by the government. A support of up to Rs 12,000 crores per fab has been earmarked under the scheme for setting up display fabs in India. This scheme aims at attracting large investments in manufacturing TFT LCD or AMOLED-based display panels. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will take requisite steps for modernization and commercialization of Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL). A Scheme for Setting up of Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics / Sensors facilities in the country extends fiscal support of 30 percent of capital expenditure to approved units.

What is the importance of the Semiconductor industry 

• Semiconductors play a critical role and will continue to do so in an Internet of Things (IoT) environment, where physical devices of all kinds, all over the world will be connected to the internet, seamlessly collecting and sharing data over 5G networks.
• Semiconductors are an essential component of electronic devices. Information communications technology (ICT) is the engine that drives modern digital economies. Core ICT – which includes semiconductors, 5G infrastructure, data centers – is the service layer where the applications are provided be it social media or online shopping platforms. Core ICT enables innovation in smartphones, computing, healthcare, military systems, transportation, clean energy, search engines, gene sequencing and countless other applications.

Semiconductor manufacturing in India 

• With this mission the government of India will work closely with the state governments to establish High-Tech Clusters with requisite infrastructure in terms of land, semiconductor grade water, high-quality power, logistics and research ecosystem to approve applications for setting up at least two greenfield Semiconductor Fabs and two Display Fabs in the country.
• In India, for instance, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh are leading manufacturing hubs for automobile, mobile phones and industrial parts and setting up semiconductor manufacturing facilities
• Currently, India has two fabrication facilities (fabs)  i.e. SITAR, a unit of the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Bengaluru and a semiconductor laboratory in Chandigarh, which builds silicon chips for strategic purposes like defense and space and not for commercial use.
• There are many prominent startups like Signalchip, a semiconductor company also based in Bengaluru, which rolled out 4G and 5G modem chips. 
• Saankhya Labs, is another Bengaluru-based startup that has been creating chipsets for use in defense, satellite communication and broadcast. Another one is a microprocessor called Shakti, developed at IIT Madras which can be used in mobile computing devices, embedded low power wireless systems like smartphones, surveillance cameras and networking systems. 

What is the  need of semiconductor mission in India

• Monopoly of China: China constitutes 54% of the world’s global semiconductor market, so it may not be possible to decouple economic activity from China.The US-China strategic competition will place pressure on Indian companies because it might lead to losing out on the massive economies of scale that the industry benefits from. It has been assumed that excluding China from the global supply chain of   microelectronics is not possible therefore it is nonetheless important to develop indigenous design capability.
• Need for the robust semiconductor ecosystem: Due to Covid -19 many industries have witnessed the shortage of chips and demanded to establish a robust semiconductor ecosystem in India. Several sectors, including electronics, auto and medical technology, have been severely hit by the scarcity of chips that are manufactured mainly in East Asia. Against this backdrop, the mission is a 'comprehensive programme for the development of a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem'.
  • The Center has committed a support of Rs 2.30 trillion for positioning India as a global hub for electronics manufacturing. In this context the mission is a way forward for the atma nirbhar bharat.
• Strategic importance: In the current geopolitical scenario, trusted sources of semiconductors and displays hold strategic importance and are key to the security of critical information infrastructure. 
• Digital Sovereignty: The approved program will propel innovation and build domestic capacities to ensure the digital sovereignty of India. With the bulk of semiconductor manufacturing and supply capability concentrated in a handful of countries including Taiwan, South Korea, U.S, Japan and, more recently, China, governments worldwide have realized that it is in the national interest to treat chip manufacturing as a strategic imperative.
• Skilled employment opportunities: It will also create highly skilled employment opportunities to harness the demographic dividend of the country.
• Deeper Integration with the global market: Development of the semiconductor and display ecosystem will have a multiplier effect across different sectors of the economy with deeper integration to the global value chain. The program will promote higher domestic value addition in electronics manufacturing and will contribute significantly to achieving a USD 1 Trillion digital economy and a USD 5 Trillion GDP by 2025.
• Globally competitive incentive package: The program will usher in a new era in electronics manufacturing by providing a globally competitive incentive package to companies in semiconductors and display manufacturing as well as design. This shall pave the way for India’s technological leadership and economic self-reliance.
• Semiconductors and displays are the foundation of modern electronics driving the next phase of digital transformation under Industry 4.0. 
• Semiconductors and display manufacturing is a very complex and technology-intensive sector involving huge capital investments, high risk, long gestation and payback periods, and rapid changes in technology, which require significant and sustained investments. The program will give an impetus to semiconductor and display manufacturing by facilitating capital support and technological collaborations.

Challenges  before India to start semiconductor mission

• Stronghold of Taiwan and Vietnam: India is offering benefits even in this pandemic situation to foreign companies to come to India for starting their business like double the land than they required for doing business and free electricity & water supply etc. for attracting new companies. But majority of the companies exiting China are preferring Vietnam and Taiwan. 
  • Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, holds a virtual monopoly in the global chip manufacturing industry. The company is responsible for over half of all semiconductor chips that are manufactured in the world, and the country as a whole is responsible for over 60 percent of global production. Other major centers include South Korea and the US.
• India’s failed bids: The government had previously floated an offer to foreign companies in 2017 to set up their facilities in India by waiving customs duty for the import of the relevant machinery and equipment. However it had zero response.
  • In 2020, the central government floated another expression of interest (EoI), inviting companies that were interested in setting up semiconductor fabrication units. An earlier failed attempt to woo semiconductor giant Intel to India which chose Vietnam instead also stands as a stark reminder of India’s lack of real progress on the front.
• Loopholes in the semiconductor scheme: The recently launched scheme does not talk about the design services firms in the country whereas most Indian engineers in the sector provide services to global semiconductor design firms. The government should have brought these design services companies under the design infrastructure support incentive. 
  • Administering an industrial policy for 100 firms requires the nodal agency, C-DAC, to substantially improve its regulatory capacity. Otherwise, delays, rent seeking and corruption will mar the scheme.
• The scheme provides incentives for specialized fabs used to manufacture high frequency, high power, optoelectronic devices. It will also cover assembly, testing, marking, and packaging (ATMP) units of conventional silicon semiconductor chips. Whether the scheme will lead to the setting up of ATMP units in India might depend on factors outside the scheme. That is because most ATMP units are coupled with chip fabs for cost reasons.It will need to be imported, packaged in India, and then re-exported.

Keeping such ATMP units cost-competitive will require lowering import barriers.

• Change in technology: Technology is changing fast related to semiconductors and that too is limited with the few companies. Given the limited improvements from node scaling, chip packaging is becoming a hot area of research to increase the density of chips. Research collaboration in this area with other trusted partners such as the Quad and Taiwan will be critical to ensure long-term success.
• Requirement of Massive Investment: One of the biggest hurdles in setting up fab manufacturing units is the fact that it requires massive investment running into billions .
• Lack of Basic Infrastructure: The heart of the issue is that India is still not unto the par in terms of the basic infrastructure needed to pursue endeavors in the chip manufacturing space. A single chip requires hundreds of gallons of pure water, which may also be hard to find in India in the required quantities. 

Chip manufacturing requires uninterrupted power supply.

• There is also constant price pressure from other global players, particularly China which is also building a homegrown chip program for the adoption of local semiconductors in 70% of its products by 2025.

What can be done 

• The semiconductor production is a highly resource, knowledge and emission intensive process. Factories need a constant uninterrupted supply of power and vast quantities of water, besides the technical knowledge and a supporting ecosystem that involves the rest of the processing between the chips being made and then being put to actual use in products.
• There is also a need for suitable locations to set up the planned area for plants with adequate land, water and manpower.
• India must work on the Tax barriers to provide a hustle free business process.

Written by Rashmi

2. India successfully tests advanced “Sea to Sea” variant of BrahMos Missile

Tags: Science and Technology

India on 11th January 2022 successfully tested an advanced sea variant of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile from newly commissioned INS Visakhapatnam.

• Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO said the missile hit the designated target precisely.
• Raksha Mantri Rajnath  Singh congratulated the team work of DRDO and Indian Navy.
• The Indian Navy tweeted, “Successful test-firing of the extended-range BrahMos Supersonic Cruise missile from INS Visakhapatnam, Indian Navy’s newest indigenously-built guided missile destroyer, represents a twin achievement: Certifies the accuracy of the ship’s combat system and armament complex. Validates a new capability the missile provides the Navy and the Nation.”

Additional Information:

• The Indian Navy began deploying BrahMos, which has the capability to hit sea-based targets beyond radar horizon, on its frontline warships from 2005. 
• The BrahMos from ship can be launched as a single unit or in a salvo up to eight in numbers separated by 2.5 second intervals. These salvos can hit and destroy a group of targets having modern missile defence systems. BrahMos as a ‘prime-strike weapon’ for the ships significantly increases their capability of engaging naval-surface targets at long ranges.

A combination of the names of Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers, BrahMos missiles are designed, developed and produced by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture company set up by the DRDO and the Mashinostroyenia of Russia. 

3. Vice President’s visit to Lakshadweep and Kerala

Tags: National News

• The Vice President is on a 5 days state visit to  Lakshadweep and Kerala from 31st December 2021 to 4th January 2022.

Important highlights of his Lakshadweep visit:

• He visited Lakshadweep on 31st December, 2021.
• He  inaugurated two Colleges of Arts & Sciences in the Kadmat and Andrott islands of Lakshadweep on 1st January, 2022.

He then visited Kerala on 2nd January 2022:

• He visited Kochi, where India’s Indigenous Naval Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant is under construction at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd.
• Addressing an event later at Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), a DRDO facility in Kochi he unveiled Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial.
• He also laid the foundation stone of a Towed Array Integration Facility and handed over an Automated Sonar Trainer to the Navy.

INS VIKRANT :

The motto of the ship is "Jayema Saṁ Yudhi Spr̥dhaḥ", which is taken from Rigveda and means "I defeat those who fight against me".

• INS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1) is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India, it is being constructed by the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for the Indian Navy.
• It is named 'Vikrant' as a tribute to India's first aircraft carrier, Vikrant (R11). 

4. Defence minister lays the foundation of new Brahmos manufacturing center in Lucknow

Tags: Defence

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for Defence Technology & Test Centre and BRAHMOS Manufacturing Centre, established by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UP DIC).
• It will cover over 200 acres and produce the new BRAHMOS-NG (Next Generation) variant, which carries forward the lineage of the BRAHMOS weapons system.
•  This new centre would be ready over the next two to three years and will commence production at a rate of 80-100 BRAHMOS-NG missiles per year. 

Brahmos Aerospace Limited

• It is a joint venture of DRDO and NPO Mashinostroyenia of Russia.
• The Company is named after the river Brahmaputra and Moskva.
• It has developed the world's first supersonic cruise missile Brahmos with a range of 290 Km with a speed of 2.8 to 3 Mach.
• At present Brahmos Aerospace ltd has manufacturing centres at Hyderabad, Nagpur and Bilani (Madhya [Pradesh).

The new Generation Brahmos missile BrahMos-NG (Next Generation) is a mini version based on the existing BrahMos, will have same 290 km range and speed but it will weigh around 1.5 tons, 5 metres in length and 50 cm in diameter, making BrahMos-NG 50 percent lighter and three metres shorter than its predecessor.

5. DRDO successfully test Abhyas

Tags: Defence

• Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) has successfully conducted the flight test of Indigenously developed High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) Abhyas on 23 December from  the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast, Odisha.
• Abhyas is an unmanned aerial vehicle which is used by the armed forces  for target practice . 

6. India’s quasi ballistic missile “Pralay” successfully conducted the second flight-test

Tags: Defence

To the Point:

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on December 23, 2021, successfully conducted the second flight-test of indigenously developed conventional Surface-to-Surface missile ‘Pralay’ from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
• For the first time, two consecutive flight tests of a ballistic missile have been conducted successfully on two consecutive days.
• In today’s launch, the ‘Pralay’ missile was tested for heavier payload and different range to prove the precision and lethality of the weapon.

Pralay, the short-range solid fuel surface-to-surface ballistic missile can hit the target at a range of 150 to 500 kilometres with an accuracy of less than 10 metres and can be launched by Mobile Launcher.

• The missile guidance system includes the latest navigation system and integrated avionics.

7. Defence News

Tags: Defence

1. DRDO successfully test Stand Off Anti-Tank missile

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Air Force (IAF) flight-tested the indigenously designed and developed Helicopter launched Stand-off Anti-tank (SANT) Missile from Pokhran ranges in Rajasthan.
• The SANT missile has been designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad in coordination with other DRDO labs and participation from industries.

The target range of the SANT missile is upto 10 KM.

2. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh hands over DRDO developed products to Armed Forces

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh handed over five Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed products to the Armed forces and other security agencies at an event held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi on December 14, 2021, as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and iconic week of Ministry of Defence.
• He also handed over six Transfer of Technology (ToT) agreements to seven public and private sector companies. Earlier DRDO organised a Seminar on “Preparing For The Future''.

3. Successful Launch of supersonic missile Assisted-Torpedo (SMART)

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully launched Supersonic Missile Assisted-Torpedo System (SMART) from Abdul Kalam Island (formerly known as Wheeler Island), Orissa on 13th December 2021.

• It is a missile assisted release of the lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations far beyond torpedo range.
• It is a canister based missile system, consisting of advanced technologies viz. two stage solid propulsion, electro-mechanical actuators and precision inertial navigation. The missile is launched from a ground mobile launcher and it can cover a range of distances.
• The system is a next-generation missile-based standoff torpedo delivery system.
• The missile is set to enhance anti-submarine warfare capability of the Indian navy.

4. Defence export from India

• The government of India has informed the Parliament that in 2020-21 total defence export was Rs 8,434.84 crore.
• Raksha Mantri: Mr. Rajnath Singh 
• Minister of State for Defence: Mr Ajay Bhatt

8. New generation ballistic missile ‘Agni P’ successfully test-fired by DRDO

Tags: Defence

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested the new generation nuclear capable medium range surface to surface    ballistic missile ‘Agni P’ from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha on December 18, 2021. 
• The Agni P is a two-stage canisterised solid propellant ballistic missile with a dual redundant navigation and guidance system that can be launched from rail and road and stored for a longer period.
• The range of the New Generation Agni P missile is 1000KM to 2000 Km.

DRDO head Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy.

9. Successful Launch of supersonic missile Assisted-Torpedo (SMART)

Tags: Defence

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully launched Supersonic Missile Assisted-Torpedo System (SMART) from Abdul Kalam Island (formerly known as Wheeler Island), Orissa on 13th December 2021.

Key Highlights:

• It is a missile assisted release of the lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations far beyond torpedo range.
• It is a canister based missile system, consisting of advanced technologies viz. two stage solid propulsion, electro-mechanical actuators and precision inertial navigation. The missile is launched from a ground mobile launcher and it can cover a range of distances.
• The system is a next-generation missile-based standoff torpedo delivery system.
• The missile is set to enhance anti-submarine warfare capability of the Indian navy.

Torpedo A torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Heavy Torpedo The Varunastra is an Indian advanced heavyweight anti-submarine torpedo, developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Navy.       It can be fired from Anti-Submarine Ship of the Indian Navy It has  a range of 40 KM. It has been inducted in the Indian Navy. Advanced Lightweight Torpedo The Advanced Light Torpedo (TAL) Shyena (Sanskrit: श्येन, "Falcon or Hawk")  is being developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Navy.  It has a range of 19 KM. The lightweight torpedo can be launched by ships, submarines, helicopters and Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft.

10. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh hands over DRDO developed products to Armed Forces

Tags: Defence

Key Highlights

• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh handed over five Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed products to the Armed forces and other security agencies at an event held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi on December 14, 2021, as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and iconic week of Ministry of Defence.
• Raksha Mantri said that the government is working in a concerted manner to realize the objective of “Make in India” and “Make for the World” by bringing in several policy reforms such as increasing FDI in the Defence sector to 74%, creation of defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, etc.
• He also handed over six Transfer of Technology (ToT) agreements to seven public and private sector companies. Earlier DRDO organised a Seminar on “Preparing For The Future''.

Products handed over to different Armed Forces are:

• To the Armed Forces & Ministry of Home Affairs
  • Anti-Drone system,
  • Modular Bridge,
  • Smart Anti Airfield Weapon,
  • Chaff Variants and the Light Weight Fire Fighting Suit.
• To the CISC
  • The counter drone systems, developed by DRDO for detection, deterrence and destruction of incoming drones.
• To the Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane
  • Modular Bridge developed by R&DE (Engineers).
  • It is a single span, mechanically launched assault bridge of military load class MLC-70, and can be launched in different spans.
• To the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari
  • Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW), an air launched, long-range, stand-off, air-to-surface Smart Bomb.
• To the Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar
  • The variants of Advanced Chaff.
• To the Special Secretary, MHA, Shri V S K Kaumudi
  • Structural fire-fighting suit developed by DRDO’s Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES).
• The LAToT documents of seven DRDO developed systems for the systems/technologies
  • Coastal Surveillance Radar,
  • Automatic Chemical Agent Detection and Alarm (ACADA) & Chemical Agent Monitor (CAM),
  • Unit Maintenance Vehicle,
  • Unit Repair Vehicle,
  • Fused Silica based Ceramic Core technology and
  •  the Fire Suppressing Gel.
• Secretary, DDR&D and Chairman, DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy; Vice Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Staff, other senior civil and military officials of Ministry of Defence and Home Affairs were also present on the occasion.

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