Aerospace Diary

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report March 30, 2010 NEW DELHI —Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is close to accepting a 26% equity stake in a joint venture with India’s public sector company, Bharat Electronics Ltd., giving speed to the overdue project. The venture is to develop advanced imaging infrared seekers for the Python 5 fifth-generation air-to-air missile.India has ordered 18 Spyder systems that use advanced air-to-air missiles as ground-launched surface-to-air missiles. Besides the Python 5, it has the beyond-visual-range Derby missile, which has an active seeker. BEL says it hopes the joint venture will be sealed within four months. The venture will encourage development of indigenous missile and guidance technologies within India and will enable Rafael to meet offset requirements by transferring technologies and workshare. India restricts foreign equity in defense projects to 26%. This has been a bone of contention among foreign companies that say they are con...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report March 26, 2010 PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — As field trials for India’s 126-aircraft Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) draw to a close, vendors vying for the program could get the opportunity to revise their pricing. The Saab Gripen is completing its final field trials in Leh, while the Eurofighter is due to start weapons and other equipment tests as part of the third phase of trials in the U.K. and Germany next month. Those trials are scheduled to be completed on April 29. However, this would mean that India will have officially missed the April 28 decision deadline set for the competition. Effectively, this means that vendors can now reprice and revise their bids, since the request for proposals says commercial offers are valid for two years from the date of submission (which was March 28, 2008), and after that date bidding can be reopened for those vendors shortlisted after technical trials and evaluation. The six bidders are Sukhoi’s MiG...

Regulatory/Legislative Aviation Daily Mar 25 , 2010 , p. 12 Neelam Mathews An open-skies agreement among 10 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries may be signed by their transport ministers at the 16th ASEAN summit in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, on April.8. The 10 members of ASEAN (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), recently adopted a multilateral agreement that seeks to liberalize market access, as well as ownership and control requirements, for air carriers in the region. The agreement is a precursor to an eventual single aviation market arrangement targeted for 2015. Talks on the ASEAN open-skies framework among member countries started in 2003. They included phased plans for liberalizing intra-ASEAN freight and passenger air services. The open-skies pact will liberalize air space among the 10 members to enable regional carriers unlimited flights among capital cities. The...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — Indian engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro has won an order worth $215 million for the design and construction of 36 high-speed interceptor boats for the Indian coast guard, and is in the running for more orders, including the Indian navy’s second line of conventional submarines. Indigenously designed at L&T Marine & Ship Design Division, a part of the $8-billion company’s Heavy Engineering Division, the interceptor boats will have an aluminum-alloy hull construction with water jet propulsion for quick response. The interceptors also can operate effectively in shallow water, which is critical for near-shore action. The Indian navy and coast guard have large requirements for defense vessels and submarines to enhance and replace their aging fleets. L&T has identified shipbuilding as a major thrust area. While the interceptor boats will be constructed at L&T’s existing shipyard at Hazira in the...

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ASIA-PACIFIC Aviation Daily Mar 23 , 2010 , p. 08 Neelam Mathews Air India is sending a technical evaluation team to Dublin as part of its effort to move its European and U.S hub away from Frankfurt Airport in Germany. This follows the visit of its senior management team to Dublin last month. The decision to shift from Frankfurt will be made this summer, according to a senior official. The carrier is also looking at partnering with Ireland’s national carrier Aer Lingus for connecting flights to Europe. The decision of Air India to change its hub was first reported by The DAILY's sister publication, Aviation Week & Space Technology (Feb. 1). Copenhagen is believed to be another contender. Dublin’s new Terminal 2 is due to open in November, and Air India is expected to be one of the first tenants of the Dublin Airports Authority, which is trying to cope with a fall in traffic. “All our decisions need to consider cost effectiveness,” Air India Chairman and Managing Di...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report March 23, 2010 PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — India plans to test numerous missiles this year, including the Agni, Advanced Air Defense (AAD), Prithvi Air Defense (PAD) anti-ballistic missile and the indigenously developed Shaurya missile, Aviation Week has learned. These follow a successful March 22 test of the Brahmos missile from a vertical launcher fitted on the moving warship INS Ranvir off the Orissa coast in Eastern India. Following the recent success of the 3,500-kilometer Agni-III missile in a test last month, V.K. Saraswat, scientific adviser to the defense minister, says the Agni-V program had moved from the drawing board and material cutting stage to the point of checking subsystems. Testing for Agni-V should be done within a year, he says. Saraswat also is director general of the Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO). The Shaurya, with a range of 750 kilometers and at a price said to be comparable to the Agni, is now awaiting it...

The Changing Face of Cargo Aviation Week & Space Technology Mar 22 , 2010 , p. 52 Neelam Mathews New Delhi India’s cargo carriers face hurdles, but new players see opportunities Printed headline: Inhibited by Infrastructure The downturn in passenger and cargo traffic due to the global recession has had a dramatic impact on commercial aviation in India, whose airlines have lost more than $2 billion, shelved expansion plans and saw domestic passenger traffic fall by 10% in 2008-09. In addition, several of the 10 licenses held by cargo and regional passenger carriers have lapsed in the last two years. Much like other airlines around the world, Indian carriers’ business is limping back toward recovery. There is, however, comparatively little air cargo traffic in India. The country suffers the additional pains of infrastructure challenges and an imbalance in imports versus exports. These difficulties are expected to ease in the next 3-4 years as the Indian economy grows and m...

Air Transport Aviation Week & Space Technology Mar 22 , 2010 , p. 46 Neelam Mathews Manama, Bahrain Gulf Air wants to upgrade its ‘regional player’ image Printed headline: Alliance Shopping Gulf Air is searching for a global alliance membership to expand its presence, build its revenues and cut operating costs as it battles a 2009 loss of $1.3-billion. CEO Samar Majali says its Middle East network will be an asset to any of the major airline alliances. “We feel our network will be a strong factor strategically,” he says. “We are working to extend it without incurring costs.” That effort includes making Bahrain the base for twice-daily flights to every regional capital in the Middle East by 2012. With such a network, Gulf Air would enhance any alliance’s global marketing efforts. But an alliance membership would open opportunities for Gulf Air, also. “We would like to tap the alliance for the U.S., China and South American markets,” Majali says, noting he hopes to begi...

Travel/Distribution Systems Aviation Daily Mar 22 , 2010 , p. 17 Neelam Mathews As Air India moves on its promise to cut losses and lower operating costs, it has chosen Sabre Airline Solutions to help achieve operational efficiencies. Sabre is now supplying software that tracks flight movements in real time (Sabre AirCentre Flight ) and notifies the carrier of impending operations issues before they become problems. Another program, Sabre AirCentre Crew, will help plan and manage crew operations. This encompasses planning, crew rosters and pairing. Another contract will help in making optimum usage of the fleet and assist in assignment of slots (Sabre AirVision). “Cost benefits of between 5-20% have been achieved by various airlines within the first 18 months of operation [using the programs]," says Vish Viswanathan, VP of South Asia for Sabre. A driver for awarding this bid in record time — and also an impetus for the technology investment — has been the upcoming Common...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report March 19, 2010 NEW DELHI — Sikorsky Aircraft says the procurement process for the 12-aircraft VIP helicopter program recently nabbed by AgustaWestland lacked transparency, and that Sikorsky’s proposal offered the best value. The Indian defense ministry just signed a deal for 12 AW101 helicopters for the high-profile Air Force Communications squadron. According to an official who was not willing to be named, Sikorsky’s S-92 cost $50 million apiece against the AW101’s $75 million. “We are very disappointed and have made our intentions known,” says another participant in the competition. It is believed that the U.S. ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer, also has expressed dissatisfaction to authorities here. Sikorsky’s complaint against the three-engined AW101 is that “apples should be compared with apples,” and no 101 is being used to ferry high-level VIPs, like heads of state. VH-71 A 101 design was at the heart of the erstwhile VH-71 presiden...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Mar 18 , 2010 , p. 10 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — India has been strengthening counterterrorism procedures to enhance domestic security, Defense Minister A.K. Antony said March 15 in response to queries in parliament. Measures taken include augmenting the Central Para-Military Forces, strengthening and reorganizing the Multi-Agency Center to share intelligence with other intelligence and security agencies; tighter immigration control and effective border management through fencing, flood lighting, deployment of surveillance equipment and coastal security. A National Investigation Agency already has been formed to probe and prosecute offenses. National Security Guard hubs at Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai were established following the 2008 militant attacks in Mumbai. Meanwhile, India has said cease-fire violations along the International Border and Line of Control have increased since 2007 and have been taken up with Pakistan militar...

News Aviation Daily Mar 17 , 2010 , p. 12 Neelam Mathews Gulf Air has unveiled a new strategic plan that it says will bring its present losses down from $1.3 billion to $400 million. The carrier, which began flying as a commuter carrier in Bahrain 60 years ago, plans to focus on its fleet and network by increasing its current frequencies to key destinations through double dailies. It will refocus on simplification of its fleet, and plans to add a twice daily service to every regional capital in the Gulf area. CEO Samer Majali says the airline’s mandate is to provide value without the need for government support. As for its fleet, of the 15 A320s ordered, six have been delivered and the rest will arrive by 2011. Five narrowbodies are grounded, and of the five A340s that are at least 15 years old two have been sold and three are on the market. Gulf Air also expects to lease two more Embraer E-170s this year; it currently leases two of the aircraft type, and is analyzing whet...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report March 17, 2010 NEW DELHI — A flight test March 15 to demonstrate the endoatmospheric interception of a tactical ballistic missile failed when the target missile deviated from its trajectory, according to an official announcement from the Indian defense ministry. A new target missile is expected to be ready to repeat the test in June. As part of the mission, a target missile mimicking an incoming ballistic missile was launched from the Interim Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur in East India. Spread over a length of 17 kilometers (11 miles) along the sea coast, the ITR was set up in 1989 at Chandipur-On-Sea, 15 kilometers from Balasore, Orissa in eastern India, as a dedicated range for launching rockets, missiles and flight test vehicles. Many tracking instruments are positioned there to cover the total flight path of the test vehicles. Test facilities at ITR include the Electro-Optical Tracking system S-Band Tracking Radar, C-Band Tracking Radar a...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report March 16, 2010 MOSCOW — Russia is boosting defense cooperation with India, signing several contracts during the visit of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to New Delhi. The two sides finally settled the price increase for modernization of the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier. Russian officials would not reveal the revised price for the ex-Admiral Gorshkov, but Indian press reports quote a figure of $2.33 billion. In 2004 India agreed to take the 44,500-ton carrier for free, paying only $800 million for modernization at Russia’s Severodvinsk-based Sevmash facility. India will now get the Vikramaditya in December 2012, instead of the earlier August 2008 target. The original contracts for the deal signed in January 2004 were envisioned at a “fixed-price” of $974 million. The increase in price was attributed to work not originally anticipated. At the end of 2008, the ship was moved out of the wet dock for outfitting. It has already received an extended d...

Air Transport Aviation Week & Space Technology Mar 15 , 2010 , p. 42 Neelam Mathews Hyderabad, India U.S. and India explore ways to exchange certification of aviation products Printed headline: Safety Is the Subject The FAA and India are expected to reach a bilateral safety agreement by mid-2011 that will allow both countries to accept each other’s certification of aviation products. The pending agreement includes a technical assessment and a simultaneous evaluation of the country’s regulator, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). It is expected to lead to broader cooperation between the two nations. HAL is discussing a single-pilot version with instrument flight rules capability of the advance light helicopter Dhruv that could be a candidate for joint certification. The FAA is following procedures that it has used with partner agencies in other Asia-Pacific nations, including Australia, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea. “We will be ...

News Aviation Daily Mar 11 , 2010 , p. 18 Neelam Mathews Kazakhstan’s Air Astana declared a profit after tax of $47 million on revenues of $546 million in 2009, a gain of 176% over 2008 and a 34% increase over its previous best year of 2007. Although there was a one-off currency gain of $8.2 million after devaluation of the Kazakh Tengue in February 2009, the result represents the effectiveness of cost saving measures from mid-2008, said President Peter Foster. “The fact that we were not fuel hedged until April 2009 meant that we took full advantage of price falls. Add to that unit cost savings across the airline, and in particular the dismantling of general sales agency agreements in Kazakhstan and Russia following the implementation of IATA eBSPs in both markets, and the year was very satisfactory in spite of a drop in revenues,” Foster added. Air Astana recently took delivery of a sixth Fokker 50, its 22nd aircraft, and will introduce two Embraer 190 regional jets in the ...

Aerospace Daily and Defense Report March 11, 2010 NEW DELHI — The prototype of the naval variant of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) being built for India’s aircraft carrier has lagged behind schedule due to various development requirements, Defense Minister A.K. Antony said in parliament March 10. Antony said deficiencies had been detected in the airframe and other associated equipment of the aircraft. The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is working out strategies with various organizations for rectifying these deficiencies through suitable modifications to the engine/airframe design, he added. In 1984, the government formed the Aeronautical Development Agency under DRDO to develop the LCA in conjunction with government defense manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The engine is being developed by the Gas and Turbine Research Establishment. Answering another query regarding a MiG-21 crash in West Bengal on Feb. 19, Antony said in the past six months six figh...

News AWIN First Mar 10 , 2010 Neelam Mathews mathews.neelam@gmail.com New Delhi Even as trials for India’s 126 Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) come close to a finish, the drama continues. The Gripen IN, Saab’s Indian variant of the next-generation fighter, recently made an appearance in Bangalore, Jaisalmer and Leh for trials – but in the form of two twin-seat Gripen Ds. “The situation is not ideal” without the NG demonstrator itself, admits Eddy de la Motte, director India Gripen. “The Swedish certification agency SMV did not approve the demonstrator to fly to India as additional tasking is being done within the Swedish program,” he told Aviation Week. Still, with the Gripen NG a development program, executives say the base has always been the Gripen D along with simulators, avionics rigs and the demonstrator. And de la Motte stresses that local officials will have “full” access to the demonstrators. “We are in discussions with the Indian authorities and are looking...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report March 10, 2010 Foreign suppliers are turning to joint ventures with Indian manufacturers as one way to satisfy the country’s technology offset requirements, but they want caps on ownership levels loosened. India has about $50 billion in procurement contracts identified for the near term, although so far negotiations are under way covering some $2 billion. Thus far, offset levels for them are just $43 million, but more are expected. Foreign suppliers can hardly ignore the requirements of India’s 2008 Defense Procurement Procedure act, which mandates a 30 percent offset for all procurement valued at more than $65 million. Not surprisingly, half of the 650 exhibitors at last month’s DefExpo conference in New Delhi were domestic suppliers eager to get a piece of India’s increasingly large defense pie by finding foreign partners to team with. Joint ventures is one strategy. But India’s reluctance to expand its caps on the amount of direct investme...

News Aviation Daily Mar 10 , 2010 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews Bengaluru, India-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) has frozen the design of a five-seat turboprop aircraft developed as part of a public/private partnership with the Mahindra & Mahindra Group (M&M). With the weight within limits and critical design completed, the prototype of the NM5-100, which is awaiting certification by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, is scheduled to fly early in 2011. Meanwhile, NAL’s regional transport aircraft is awaiting the government’s nod, which may take some time considering it is awaiting a report from the DGCA concerning an accident of a NAL-designed, 14-seat Saras during a test flight last year that killed three Indian air force pilots. Saras was powered by two turboprop engines from Pratt & Whitney and was to replace the air force’s aging Dornier 228 transport aircraft fleet. NM5-100 is designed to be easily converted for passenger, training or cargo oper...

News Aviation Daily Mar 09 , 2010 , p. 08 Neelam Mathews Indian airport development company Super Airport Infrastructure expects to finalize a deal with Epinal-Mirecourt Airport (Aroport d’epinal-Mirecourt), located in the Lorraine region in Northeast France, to build and run a new terminal, the construction of which will start by August. The company is looking at targeting Air India and Jet Airways as its main customers. “We know that Air India is looking at a new hub in Europe and while Air India has been in talks with Dublin Airport, we believe we can offer a much more cost-efficient solution for flights to connect onwards to the U.S and Europe,” a spokesman told The DAILY. The airport has been, and still is, frequently used for both initial pilot training and crew qualification training by Air France, Edelweiss Air, Privatair, Jet Aviation, Helvetic Airways, Condor, Eat/DHL, Belair and Comlux. K. Ramalingam, managing director of Super Airport, said the airport could prov...

News Aviation Daily Mar 04 , 2010 , p. 17 Neelam Mathews Progress on the U.S.-India Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA), has been exponential, Dorothy Reimold, FAA acting assistant administrator for international affairs, told The DAILY at the India Aviation Show in Hyderabad. A shadow certification is under implementation for development with Goodrich of four-seat life rafts for use in general aviation aircraft in India. Development of the article is in progress, according to the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This becomes a model for entities involved in bilateral arrangement, said Reimold. Safety agreements are in place with Australia, China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea. At discussions in Hyderabad, it was apparent there was a need to move ahead with BASA within a clear time frame. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt is expected to visit India soon to hold high-level talks. BASA would lead to mutual acceptance of aeronautical...

News Aviation Daily Mar 03 , 2010 , p. 16 Neelam Mathews The opening of the CFM56 Customer Training Center at the strategically located GMR Aerospace Park — occupying space on either side of the runway at Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi Airport — has led the way to more companies entering an arena that until now has failed to attract companies. The Aerospace Park plans to focus on attracting services such as MRO and manufacturing to realize offsets emanating from defense projects and logistics. It is in talks with an OEM for a helicopter assembly facility that are expected to be coompleted in three to four months, D. Ravindran, chief operating officer-aviation and aerospace business, said. Not naming the company, he added, “They have already got offsets [they are committed to].” GMR’s joint venture with Malaysian Airlines Aerospace Engineering for C- and D-checks now has another partner — Jet Airways — that plans to take up an equity of 11% initially and then increase it to 26%. Th...

NEW DELHI — India’s Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) has chosen Israel’s Orbit Technology Group as a vendor for the Audio Management Solution over IP (AMSIP) program. AMSIP is a VoIP interface designed for use with all Orbit’s digital audio management products. The system enables the use of TDM and IP-based end devices by airborne and shipborne crews. “We see India as an important strategic partner for all of Orbit’s business lines — the ACS [Audio Communication Systems], Telemetry & Tracking Systems and Marine Satellite Communication Systems,” a senior Orbit official told Aerospace DAILY. AMSIP is a fully digital, secure, audio management system with IP interface that enables the flight crew to select and control all onboard communications systems and devices. The system provides the focal junction for inbound and outbound communications,including radio, public announcement systems, warning systems, and crew intercom communications. Orbit says it is offering na...

First Person Defense Technology International Mar 01 , 2010 , p. 46 Neelam Mathews Printed headline: Changing Tactics The attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian, to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 over Detroit on Christmas Day pushed airport security to the forefront of public attention. Abdulmutallab’s ability to book a flight from Lagos to Detroit via Amsterdam with his “underwear bomb,” despite behavior that should have red-flagged him for questioning and inclusion on a U.S. international terrorist database, raises questions about the effectiveness of airport security. It has also given a boost to arguments for even more extreme and costly measures such as full-body X-ray scans. The public is frustrated by ramped-up security procedures, most of which, says Rafi Sela, are ineffective and unnecessary. Sela, managing partner of AR Challenges Ltd., an Israeli firm specializing in homeland security, argues that better training and a layering of airport security is ...

News Aviation Daily Mar 02 , 2010 , p. 13 Neelam Mathews With the corporate market and economy bouncing back, Bangaluru International Airport is adding more international airlines this year. Cargo will be the focus of Air China, which starts twice-weekly operations on Feb. 27, Fedex with five weekly flights starts operations June 1, and Air Asia on May 29. Etihad has also shown interest, but is limited by present bilaterals. Qatar launched daily flights on Feb. 22 to its 11th Indian destination. Bengaluru will be served daily with 144-seat Airbus A320s from the airline’s Doha hub. The third-largest city in India has until now only been served by Emirates among the Middle East airlines. These new services will take the international flights to Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) to 19. Six domestic carriers fly to the airport, which was hit during the recessionary months last year with declines in international travel. Bengaluru is now the fourth-largest city for cargo operation...

Air Transport Aviation Week & Space Technology Mar 01 , 2010 , p. 41 Adrian Schofield Washington Neelam Mathews New Delhi Oneworld makes another strategic gain with Kingfisher signing Printed headline: Indian Expansion The Oneworld alliance will fill one of the largest gaps in its network with the addition of India’s Kingfisher Airlines, increasing member carriers’ access to a market with huge growth potential. The Kingfisher announcement is the latest in a flurry of big wins for Oneworld, helping the alliance emerge from a period of turbulence stronger than ever. In the space of three weeks the alliance has forestalled a defection by Japan Airlines, won initial regulatory approval for closer transatlantic ties, and now unveiled a strategic membership move. A Kingfisher A321 prepares for takeoff at Mumbai . The carrier is set to join the Oneworld alliance next year. Credit: JOEPRIESAVIATION.NET Kingfisher is expected to officially join Oneworld next year. The carrie...

Defense Aviation Week & Space Technology Mar 01 , 2010 , p. 34 Neelam Mathews Goa, India Russian fighter takes on bigger role in India’s defense Printed headline: MiG-29K Rebound The Indian navy has inducted the first four of 16 Mikoyan MiG-29K multi-role naval fighters and is establishing shore-based training while it pushes Russia to speed up arrival of the aircraft carrier they were bought for. The fighters were purchased in 2004 as part of a $1.5-billion deal that included the Kiev-class Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier. Their Feb. 19 induction ceremony marked the first new aircraft in the navy’s inventory in two decades. Now that India is beginning to receive shipments of MiG-29K naval fighters, flying here with a Sea Harrier in the lead, it is building a shore test facility for them in Goa. Pix Credit: INDIAN NAVY The navy has a pending deal to boost its MiG -29K inventory to 45 with a follow-on order for 29 aircraft. As a result, the new jets have become so hi...