Aerospace Diary

Airlines Aviation Daily Aug 02 , 2010 , p. 14 Neelam Mathews Singapore Airlines says it will progressively introduce an electronic version of its three inflight magazines as part of a trial conducted with Singapore-based SmarttPapers Aviation. SIA will be one of the first carriers in the world to offer this feature on its aircraft equipped with the Panasonic eX2 inflight entertainment system (IFE), starting with two Boeing 777-300ERs. Next in the trial will be two Airbus A380s, followed by other aircraft fitted with the eX2 system. The move will be not only environmentally friendly but also have economic benefits. In mid-2008, at the height of the recession, CEO Chew Choon Seng told The DAILY in Cairo that efforts were underway to reduce the size of the inflight magazine to reduce weight. Each 25-pound weight reduction saves $440,000 a year. Airlines have been looking at ways to cut soaring fuel bills. Delta and Air France, for example, are considering lighter seats, and oth...

Airframers/Suppliers Aviation Daily Aug 02 , 2010 , p. 15 Neelam Mathews Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has delivered its fifth S-76C helicopter in India. The aircraft, configured with a VIP cabin, was purchased by a regional company. "We delivered our first helicopter last year and within a span of just one and a half years, we have completed deliveries of five machines. We hope to continue the upswing in the country," says A.J.S. Walia, managing director for India and South Asia. Sikorsky's focus on the Indian market has been evident. It has an association with Tata Advanced Systems to produce S-92 cabins, for which manufacturing has already started at the Hyderabad facility. The first cabin is expected to roll out November. Deccan Charters has been appointed as the authorized commercial service center.

News AWIN First Jul 29 , 2010 Neelam Mathews While the role of U.S. companies in India cannot be underestimated, their presence in the airport infrastructure arena is lacking, but huge opportunities exist for U.S. companies, says Atul Sharma, regional VP-Indian American Chamber of Commerce, at a seminar held in Delhi. The U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP), launched in 2007, has already set up numerous programs will boost government-to-government cooperation. At the recent Farnborough air show, a U.S-India airport infrastructure group was formed to encourage U.S. investments and interest. As India’s aviation industry bounces back, 40-50 airport terminals are being built and about 30 runways are being upgraded to meet expected demand, says V. P. Agrawal, chairman of the Airports Authority of India. Stressing the importance of remote areas to the country’s economy, Agrawal said, “We have to reach remote areas. All 20-30 airports being upgraded currently are now six ...

News Neelam mathews The Pakistan Air Lines Pilots Association (PALPA), President Captain Sohail Baloch has said the Airblue Airbus 321 flight that crashed and killed 152 on board near Islamabad could be attributed to pilot fatigue. The aircraft lost communication with the control tower following bad weather. The impact height is said to be around 3000 ft. and crash site is 35 to 40 degree off runway 30. Airblue flight 202 took off from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on early Wednesday morning and was expected to land at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad. Airblue has 3 A321s- one down now - and 2 A319s. “The pilot may be suffering from accumulated fatigue because they are not given adequate leave,” Baloch told a private news channel. Baloch said the route was not a no-fly zone, as was being speculated. The plane exceeded the safety distance due to bad weather. He said “this decision was taken by the pilot who could not determine the appropriate landi...

Asia-Pacific Aviation Daily Jul 29 , 2010 , p. 10 Neelam Mathews Opening day of the new integrated Terminal 3 in Delhi was marred by service disruptions as radars stopped functioning, delaying flights by about one hour. “The ATC Computer System Auto Track III, which is under validation trials at Indira Gandhi International Airport, developed a technical snag at 5:30 p.m. However, the other computer system Auto Track II, which was maintained as hot stand-by, was being used for ATC operations. There was no disruption or delay on flight operations on account of this,” said a statement from the Airports Authority of India. More than 55 flights were delayed according to an air traffic control official. This is the third time this year that the air traffic management system at the airport has collapsed. The system crashed twice in January when Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon’s Autotrac-III system was being tested for installation.

PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — India may strike a deal with Sweden to purchase 155mm towed howitzers for its army, AVIATION WEEK has learned. Controversy and delays have swirled around India’s effort to buy the guns. Trials were delayed a year as vendor ST Kinetics came under an ethics cloud. The company has been vying with BAE Land Systems to build the guns (Aerospace DAILY, June 29, 2009). “It is time to bite the bullet,” an Indian official says. “The army needs the guns and we cannot wait for another three to four years for the decision to be made.” Still, New Delhi is mindful not to repeat the Bofors gun scandal of the 1980s, during which then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was accused of receiving  kickbacks from Bofors for a contract to supply India with howitzers. Meanwhile, the Indian defense ministry is planning to issue another request for proposal (RFP) for the gun requirement, following the release of an RFI last week. This would be the fourth RFP release since 2002. An India...

Asia-Pacific Aviation Daily Jul 28 , 2010 , p. 08 Neelam Mathews Fortified with new management and media baron owner, Indian budget carrier SpiceJet announced an order for 30 Boeing 737-800s, to be delivered between 2014 and 2019. The carrier, which is set to fly international routes in September, chose the Boeing 737NG because it is "the most technologically advanced single-aisle airplane, which offers the best technical reliability and lowest operating unit cost, [and] is vital to our low-cost structure," Director Bhulo Kansagra says. SpiceJet has a fleet of 21 Boeing 737-800s and 737-900s and expects seven more deliveries this fiscal year, which began April 1. Announcing its first-quarter results, SpiceJet reported a 35% increase in operating revenue. It also put to rest speculation that it will not buy regional aircraft; however, on new branding and the possibility of switching its hub from Delhi to Chennai, the carrier says, no changes will be made as of now. ...

Asia-Pacific Aviation Daily Jul 28 , 2010 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews Long-haul Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X has received all approvals to start a twice-weekly service to Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport in Iran, starting Aug. 4. “It’s a market with potential. Iranians have a big middle class with disposable income and a desire to travel internationally. Malaysia accepts Iranian tourists without visa requirements, and there’s already an established Iranian expat community in Malaysia,” says CEO Azran Osman-Rani. Iran is also said to be interested in exploring links in the oil and gas sectors with Malaysia, which could increase business travel. The flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tehran takes about eight hours. The Malaysian air group is on a launch spree; on July 20, AirAsia started its eighth Indian destination—Hyderabad—since it began operating to the country in December 2008. The carrier also announced plans to start Kuala Lumpur-Delhi service in early August. AirAsia X flie...

Asia-Pacific Aviation Daily Jul 28 , 2010 , p. 10 Neelam Mathews Kingfisher Airlines, India’s second-largest private carrier, has about 15 aircraft on the ground—of its total fleet of 66—mostly because of the unavailability of spares, engines and lack of finances, The DAILY has learned. The carrier says that even though it capitalized on a strong resurgence in domestic demand in April and June, which lifted its load factors to 81% from 69% and improved yields 5%, it suffered “an extraordinary cost impact of over $7.5 million due to the uncontrollable grounding of aircraft.” The International Aero Engines V2500-A5 powerplant selected by Kingfisher for its fleet of Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircraft, experienced major issues related to “metallurgy problems,” according to a company engineer. The engines are believed to have suffered minute cracks in the hot core. “IAE has identified an issue that has impacted a limited number of Kingfisher’s engines. We are supporting the airl...

News AWIN First Jul 26 , 2010 Neelam Mathews Startup Air Mekong plans to launch operations on Oct. 10, the millennium of Hanoi, Vietnam, AVIATION WEEK has learned. The majority partner with 70% is BIM Group, Ha Long Investment and Development, and 30% is held by U.S. regional carrier SkyWest Airlines, looking at the country for growth outside the U.S. SkyWest’s wholly owned subsidiary Atlantic Southeast Airlines will manage Air Mekong and supply flight crews. SkyWest’s decision is supported by figures released by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, which show Vietnam is having one of the strongest financial recoveries in the region. Visitor arrivals in the first four months of 2010 numbered 1.78 million, 35% more than in the same period the previous year. Regional tourism has picked up with Chinese arrivals jumping 95% year-on-year in April. South Korean and Cambodian visitors also posted strong increases, of 38% and 98%, respectively. Arrivals from the U.S. gre...

Aviation Week July 27, 2010 BUSINESS NEW DELHI — Engineering services provider QuEST (Quality Engineering and Software Technologies) Global Engineering has signed a five-year extended agreement to support the engineering resources of Rolls-Royce across its business divisions until 2015. The new contract follows an increase in the scope and size of work QuEST has been providing since 2005 when it first signed a five-year agreement with Rolls-Royce in India. “This agreement with Rolls-Royce is significant. We see it as an endorsement of our engineering capabilities in the aerospace, marine and energy sectors and the relationship we share with Rolls-Royce,” QuEST CEO Ajit Prabhu says. Unlike information technology, which benefits from younger workers, engineering calls for a more experienced workforce, Prabhu says. QuEST is a niche player in engineering services with capabilities in design, development, manufacturing, engineering, tooling and aftermarket support in repair engin...

Aerospace Daily July 27, 2010 FUNDING & POLICY NEW DELHI – As foreign vendors await an increase in the current cap of 26% in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Indian defense sector, the native industry has raised its voice emphatically in opposing any increase. The industry has also called for a level playing field in being permitted to apply for tenders in every defense project. There are currently certain levels of sensitive areas that only government-owned companies are permitted to bid against. Labor unions and more than 40 ordnance factories owned by the government would be in jeopardy if the private sector was allowed to bid for all projects, a government "The purpose should be indigenization,” says the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), an organization that represents private companies. “In the U.S. there is a technology denial regime” to sharing know-how abroad, says Amit Mitra, the federation’s secretary general. At the ...

Aviation Week Jul 23, 2010 By Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer and Indian Home Affairs Secretary G.K. Pillai signed a Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative (CCI) Memorandum of Understanding on July 23, marking the latest cooperative effort between the U.S. and India on counterterrorism and information sharing. The initiative follows Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the U.S. in November 2009, when the two countries committed to redouble “collective efforts to deal effectively with terrorism, while protecting their countries’ common ideals and shared values.” Areas covered by the initiative include transportation and border security, money laundering/terrorist financing, cybersecurity and policing of large cities. “In the coming days and months there will be even closer information sharing and collaborative efforts on issues ranging from bomb blast investigations and major event security to megacity policing,” Roemer said. “The streng...

Travel/Distribution Systems Aviation Daily Jul 23 , 2010 , p. 18 Neelam Mathews As budget carriers realize there are spare seats at the back that need to be sold, they are increasingly accessing tools to manage inventory supplied by global distribution systems (GDSs). The growth of budget carriers in the Asia-Pacific region is reason to celebrate, says Madrid-based GDS Amadeus, because they provide new opportunities for business. Amadeus is offering products such as Ticket Changer to automate the cumbersome process of reissuing a ticket. Amadeus Ticketless Access also offers up-to-the-minute fare and flight information from ticketless carriers in displays alongside those of full-service airlines. In addition to customers AirAsia and EasyJet and many other budget carriers, Amadeus says airlines from the Philippines will join its list soon. It is also in talks with India’s major budget carriers. One of the benefits of Ticketless Access is chargeable ancillary services, which d...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report July 23, 2010 FUNDING & POLICY NEW DELHI — India requires greater maritime awareness and a maritime policy for its navy that will allow it to work toward building the right force mix for protecting the country’s interests, according to the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) think tank. While the Indian navy released a vision document in 2006 focusing on a technology-enabled, networked force to safeguard maritime interests, experts say this will need to be backed by a national policy to give it teeth and direction. Changing geopolitics in the Indian Ocean have led to new imperatives in the region. Globalization and trade have made China and India more reliant on the seas and nearly 90% of world trade in commodities and goods flows through the oceans. However, Delhi is quite coy about identifying the hierarchy of its threats, says strategic affairs analyst Raja Mohan. Challenges are many as India becomes a major power with significant ma...

PROGRAMS FARNBOROUGH AND NEW DELHI — The planned visit next week to India of British Prime Minister David Cameron likely will coincide with the announcement of a deal for a further 57 BAE Systems Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft. The state visit will see Cameron meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The U.K.’s recently-elected Conservative-Liberal Democratic coalition government has already identified India as a nation with which it wants to build a strategic relationship. The coalition is also upping support for defense export efforts, in part to soften the blow of anticipated spending cuts resulting from London’s ongoing defense review. India ordered 66 Hawk Mk132s in 2004, with a follow-on batch anticipated.However, during the course of 2009 it also looked at possible alternatives to additional Hawks. It is anticipated that 40 of the follow-on orders will be for the air force and 17 for the navy. M.M. Pallam Raju, Minister of State for Defense, told the Press Tru...

Jul 20, 2010 By Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI Following a stringent selection process by Airbus and EADS sourcing and manufacturing organizations, aerospace engineering & manufacturing company QuEST Global says it has become the first Indian private sector player to manufacture parts directly to Airbus under a long-term agreement. QuEST has set up an aerospace supply chain eco-system in its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) spread over 262 acres in Belgaum, North Karnataka. The Tax-free zone will be highly beneficial to source fully finished aerospace components and subassemblies from India apart from delivering offset obligations. Suppliers were evaluated on parameters from capability to infrastructure. QuEST has the AS 9100 certification for engineering services and manufacturing practices. This is a first step toward a manufacturing relationship with Airbus on existing program with a view to expand engagement to many other sourcing opportunities, says QuEST. QuEST Global has...

MRO Aviation Daily Jul 21 , 2010 , p. 15 Neelam Mathews The holding company of Air India, the National Aviation Company of India Ltd., has signed an agreement with Pratt & Whitney to set up an EcoPower engine wash service at Mumbai International Airport. P&W says its patented engine wash system reduces fuel burn by as much as 1.2%, eliminating three pounds of carbon dioxide emissions for every pound of fuel saved, while decreasing engine gas temperature and increasing the amount of time an engine can stay on wing. The agreement will enable Air India to offer the services to other carriers in the region. The service center can perform washes on nearly all commercial engines in service, including the PW4000, CFM56-5/-7, V2500, CF6-80C2 and GE90-100. An EcoPower engine wash, according to the company, takes about an hour, which it says is up to six times faster than other current methods. It requires fewer hookups, less equipment to install and less disassembly. “This will...

News AWIN First Jul 20 , 2010 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI Because of pandemonium at Mumbai’s Chattrapathi Shivaji International Airport as a result of runway repair and maintenance, and infrastructure hassles delaying flights, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued an order for airlines to follow proper procedures to ease flight delays. Airlines not adhering to the approved time slots can lose their priority in the next schedule. The order, which was issued last October and now being implemented, says the operator must have the flight schedules approved by DGCA at least 30 days in advance. Confusion was rampant on July 19 when air traffic control denied take-off clearance to more than 60 flights for late start-ups, putting into effect the DGCA order that empowers controllers to temporarily ground a flight if the pilot is not prepared for take off 15 minutes before the scheduled departure. Starting July 21, Kingfisher Airlines says check-in counters for all dome...

PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — U.K.-based Cobham is in discussions with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and India’s Aeronautical Development Agency about retrofitting a retractable refueling probe on the current model of the Light Combat Aircraft as well as the Mk2 version. While Cobham is not certain how the business model will be globally tendered, the company’s experience will be a definite advantage, according to Lee Griffiths, director of Cobham India. The Indian air force and navy are believed to be keen to get the fueling probe because of issues with flight handling, drag and movability. “We will develop and design a retractable refueling probe,” Griffiths says. “LCA is a tightly packed aircraft ... Unfortunately, we’re later in the design period. We will roll out the retractable [version] by 2013-14.” Cobham has already provided to the Indian air force 20 Buddy Refueling Pods for its Su-30s - Mark 754. Its main features include a fueldraulic hose rewind and response, digital control...

News AWIN First Jul 19 , 2010 Neelam Mathews With demand for small control systems creating a lucrative opportunity in India, business and information technology services company Mahindra Satyam is planning to design and manufacture low-cost simulators and landing gear. “We are starting with simulators for business aircraft, which can be expandable to larger ones later. However, simulator design is extremely complex and challenging. We are starting with the mechanical portion and integration -- not software as yet,” Ramaseshan Satagopan, head of aerospace engineering at Mahindra Satyam. This will present Mahindra Satyam with offset opportunities in defense as well, because large orders for medium, multi-role combat aircraft will require simulators and the capability to provide related training and technical manuals, says Ramaseshan. “With capabilities in design-related manufacturing, including machining and special processing, landing gear capability will be available in tw...

Global Dispatches Jul 01 , 2010 , p. 30 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Printed headline: Seamless Links India is looking to acquire a range of surveillance systems for land and sea, as well as develop its own Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) systems and unmanned vehicles that will give what is reputed to be the second-largest littoral- and ground-surveillance force in the world access to greater capabilities. The country’s growing inventory of surveillance assets will soon include the recently ordered Boeing P-8I Poseidon maritime aircraft, three Beriev A-50EI aircraft with Elta Phalcon AEW radar systems, the first of which was delivered in 2009, and Embraer AEWC aircraft with an Indian-developed radar. The military wants to expand its fleet of aerostats, and there is also interest in Northrop Grumman’s E-2D Hawkeye, payloads for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and local systems still in research and development. Many experts, however, are concerned about the degree of i...

Airframers/Suppliers Aviation Daily Jul 16 , 2010 , p. 18 Neelam Mathews Embraer is tapping India for its new Lineage 1000, an Embraer 190 variant, as it comes to the end of its Asian tour. The range of 4,400 nm (8,149 km) with eight passengers, or 4,500 nm (8,334 km) with four passengers, enables the Lineage 1000 to fly nonstop from India to Switzerland, South Africa and Australia. In addition to being available in a wide variety of configurations, it is equipped with the latest electronic fly-by-wire flight control system. “For Embraer, India is the biggest market in Asia-Pacific,” says Jose Eduardo Costas, VP-marketing and sales for executive jets. “India is the only country in the region where we have sold or have orders for every kind of Embraer aircraft,” Costas told The DAILY. The Brazilian airframer is looking to replace turboprops currently flown in India with Phenom 100s, which will fly 20% faster and cost less to maintain. Of the 40 Phenom 100/300s sold in Asia, ...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Main lead-front page July 16, 2010 PROGRAMS 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 ...

Airlines Aviation Daily Jul 15 , 2010 , p. 10 Neelam Mathews Air India says it will shift some of its international flights from its Frankfurt connecting hub to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The service will start fully functioning by year-end 2011, once the airline’s domestic and international operations are fully integrated. Air India (AI) will also start operating to new nonstop destinations — Melbourne, Toronto and Chicago — while resuming services to Seoul with the winter schedule. Paris and Tokyo are expected to become dailies. With the planned increases, AI will operate 143 international services offering about 33,000 seats per week in each direction on routes from Delhi, up from 22,500 seats. Domestically, AI’s operations from Delhi are being further strengthened to 47 domestic destinations with increased frequencies, as well as nonstop and direct services. Domestic flights are planned to increase to 71 from 62, with capacity rising to 10,200 seats p...

Aviation Daily Jul 15 , 2010 , p. 05 Neelam Mathews Engineering services provider QuEST (Quality Engineering and Software Technologies) Global Engineering has signed a five-year extended agreement to support the engineering resources of Rolls-Royce across its business divisions until 2015. The new contract follows an increase in the scope and size of work QuEST has been providing since 2005 when it first signed a five-year agreement with Rolls-Royce in India. “This agreement with Rolls-Royce is significant. We see it as an endorsement of our engineering capabilities in the aerospace, marine and energy sectors and the relationship we share with Rolls-Royce,” says Ajit Prabhu, CEO, QuEST. Unlike information technology, which benefits from younger workers, engineering calls for a more experienced workforce, says Prabhu. QuEST is a niche player in engineering services with capabilities in design, development, manufacturing, engineering, tooling and aftermarket support in repair engi...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Jul13, 2010 PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — Rivals Honeywell and Rolls-Royce are trading public barbs as they await the delayed request for proposals to re-engine India’s fleet of 120 twin-engine Jaguar fighters, which have slowly become overweight and underpowered as a result of avionics and weapon systems upgrades. Honeywell says its F125IN engine enables 23% shorter high-hot takeoffs,17%-40% higher thrust and 36% greater fuel range than the Rolls-Royce engine currently powering the Jaguar. A fatigue analysis done by the Indian air force estimates the fleet could last another 25 years. Honeywell projects savings of $1.5 billion in lifecycle costs the life of the program with its engine, according to Pritam Bhavnani, recently appointed president for Honeywell Aerospace India. Comparing the F125 to the current Rolls-Royce Adour, Bhavnani says that Rolls-Royce “has yet to develop some aspects of the Adour Mk821... Our engine is a known one and been...

PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV– C15) launched the Cartosat–2B advanced remote sensing satellite from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on July 12. The flight marks the 16th consecutive successful flight of the PSLV. Four smaller satellites also were launched on the PSLV. They were Studsat, a satellite weighing less than 1 kg. ( 2 lb.) built jointly by students from a consortium of seven engineering colleges from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh; Alsat-2A from Algeri; and two nanosatellites from the University of Toronto, Canada. After a smooth countdown of 51 hr., the vehicle lifted off at the opening of its launch window at 9:22 a.m. IST. After about 20 min. of flight time, the satellites were successfully injected into a circular orbit of 637 km. (396 mi.) at an orbital inclination of 98.1 deg., according to ISRO. Data indicate that stage ignition and burnouts all occurred nominally. - Neelam Mathews

Aviation Week & Space Technology Jul 12 , 2010 , p. 35 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Michael Mecham San Francisco Boeing acquires a second company to boost its cyber-security business Printed headline: Network Building Boeing Network & Space Systems is adding to its command, cyber-security and intelligence network portfolio with its second acquisition in as many weeks. For an undisclosed sum, the company is to acquire privately held Narus, a Sunnyvale, Calif., specialist in real-time network traffic and analytics software to help it expand into commercial network accounts, such as in telecoms and energy, while continuing to build its government networks and cyber-security portfolio. On June 30, Boeing tendered an all-cash offer valued at $775 million for Argon ST of Fairfax, Va., a sensors, communications technologies and information management specialist. Narus’s analytical strengths will complement Argon’s capabilities “to build a world-class scalable state-of-the-art...

Defense Aviation Week & Space Technology Jul 12 , 2010 , p. 33 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Printed headline: Airships Ahoy The Indian navy sent out its own RFI last year for five aircraft following the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Its interest is in keeping an eye on the nation’s 7,516-km.-long (4,670-mi.) coastline. Analysts say the Indian air force will need at least 11 more with an initial emphasis on monitoring the nation’s western and southwestern sectors. The army wants the largest ships, with envelope volumes ranging from 420K to 660K (420,000 to 660,000 cu. ft.), and is expected to release a request for proposals for 12 aerostats. (“K” is a measure of buoyancy.) Its goal is for them to carry payloads of 2,400 kg. (5,300 lb.) to 15,000-ft. heights maintained for 28 days and with a lookout range of 300 km. Lockheed Martin has begun talks with Indian authorities about deployment of aerostats rated from 8K to 660K and believes their use by U.S. forces in Afghanistan sho...

Safety Aviation Daily Jul 12 , 2010 , p. 21 Neelam Mathews An FAA representative visiting India July 8 confirmed to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that India continues to retain Category 1 status in FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment Program (IASA), which focuses on the country’s ability to adhere to standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization. John Barbagallo, manager of FAA’s international policy and programs division, flight standards, performed a follow-on safety audit to validate an assessment FAA did six months ago and ensure it was sustainable. The FAA concluded that India not only continues to meet FAA’s IASA Cat 1 status, but is also considered to be a role model in the civil aviation sector for other nations in the Asia region, according to a statement. India has fixed all 19 problem areas identified in the past, including manuals, inspection of wet-lease aircraft and checks of foreign carriers,...

Aviation Week Jul 8, 2010 By Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI Boeing’s agreement to acquire Sunnyvale, Calif.- based Narus, a cyber-security leader in real-time traffic intelligence for large IP networks, is expected to further boost the company’s business in India. Narus’ India office, based in Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), represents more than 50% of its global workforce of around 150. Last September, the company was looking at adding large numbers of experienced software engineers. Narus is a software company whose real-time traffic intelligence and analytics technologies enable customers to identify and act on anomalous traffic on their network. India is no stranger to cyber security threats. “The [Indian] government will be interested now that technology comes with it. We will see how to market this technology,” says Dinesh Keskar, president of Boeing India. Confident that reform of export controls will be in the offing by the time President Barack Obama visits India in No...

Low-Cost carriers Aviation Daily Jul 09 , 2010 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews FlyDubai CFO Neil Mills was named Spicejet's new chief executive, just days after CEO Sanjay Aggarwal stepped down following Kal Airways’ acquisition of a 38% stake in the budget carrier, The DAILY has learned. Mills is expected to join SpiceJet later in the year. In addition to the 38% stake, Kal Airways said it would make an open offer for 20% more of SpiceJet. Reports are circulating that the airline is reviewing a shift in its hub from Delhi to Chennai and a possible name change to Sun Air. Kal Airways is owned by Kalanithi Maran, founder of the Sun TV Network. The decisions are expected to be made by the year-end. SpiceJet has a roughly 12% share in the domestic aviation market and becomes eligible to fly internationally this month.

Aviation Daily July 08, 2010 air trafic management The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has started looking at upgrading air traffic management (ATM) facilities and reviewing methods to improve safety, mostly in Delhi, where a new Terminal 3 was dedicated July 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport. As India’s traffic grows and monsoon season starts, increasing the risk of accidents, Honeywell has offered its Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System to avoid controlled flight into terrain. Responsible for managing the 2.8 million-sq.-nm Indian airspace, AAI controls all airborne operations. Having anticipated the traffic growth, AAI has installed the Air Traffic Service automation system in Delhi. The system has built-in capabilities, such as arrival manager, mediumterm conflict alert, minimum safe altitude warning, shortterm conflict alert and remote monitoring. Reduction of horizontal separation to 50 nm from 80 nm has been planned on a trial basis under the ICAO regiona...

Airports Aviation Daily Jul 08 , 2010 , p. 02 Neelam Mathews Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DIAL) has delayed the opening of Terminal 3 for international flights from July 15 to July 28 and domestic flights from the end of July to Aug. 27, in part due to information technology (IT) problems that The DAILY reported earlier. DIAL says it is “committed to ensure hassle-free transition to T3, and the ‘proving flights’ will enable all stakeholders to make a smooth and confident transition for commercial operations.” Senior officials at the dedication cautioned that initial glitches can be expected. One main issue continues to be IT. An official told The DAILY that while manual backups were there, it could cause great commotion for baggage-handling, ground-handling and passenger check-ins. “Given the size and scale of T3, DIAL has carefully analyzed the commissioning outcome through extensive trials and also the experience of many other new terminals across the globe...

Aerospace Daily July 08, 2010 PROGRAMS EADS Military Aircraft Systems is in talks with India’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to offer technology support for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) that originally was developed for the abandoned Mako trainer. A $20 million contract between EADS and India for consultancy on flight trials of the LCA is also set to be finalized by the end of the year. ADA is responsible for the design, monitoring and development of the LCA project. The consultancy contract to EADS will fast-track flight testing toward Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and Final Operational Clearance (FOC). The scope of work includes Flight Envelope Expansion, High Angle of Attack flight testing and aero-data validation,external stores carriage and release and flight tests. The Mako High Energy Advanced Trainer (HEAT) project was abandoned because it was felt there was no room for an additional trainer in Europe, with Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi M-346 aircraft and...

Airports Aviation Daily Jul 07 , 2010 , p. 08 Neelam Mathews The new Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, which was dedicated on July 3, has highlighted the lack of adequate airport facilities in Mumbai. “Mumbai, India’s financial capital, needs a second airport. Its present one is saturated,” says Praful Patel, minister of civil aviation. A new Navi Mumbai airport, which was cleared for development in 2006, has not been given environmental clearance. News reports from India say local officials are meeting with environment ministry officials to speed the process. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says the Indian aviation sector has the potential to absorb up to $120 billion in investments by 2020, while Patel says Delhi has now become the No. 1 airport in terms of passenger traffic and flights, overtaking Mumbai. T3, built by a public/private partnership, can handle 34 million passengers a year and opens ahead of upgrades to 35 airports planned by the Airpo...

Aereospace Daily July 7, 2010 TECHNOLOGY A National Center of Aerospace and Innovation Research (NCAIR) is being set up at the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. The NCAIR will be sponsored jointly by the Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Boeing. The first meeting is being held on July 15 in Mumbai. DST is expected to invest $4.3 million. The aim is to get 5-6 patents in three years. NCAIR will work on innovation and research on avionics and structures, with the aim of building an ecosystem for the manufacture of aerospace components. Others involved with the project include Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., (HAL) the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), Tata and Larsen & Toubro. Around 50 companies are expected to join the center as dues-paying members to participate in projects at a low cost. “While no profits are expected to be made from this, companies will use it as a training ground for young engineers, which will benefit both the private and...

PROGRAMS Jul 7 NEW DELHI — India’s Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) has developed a UAV weighing less than 1.5 kg. (3.3 lb.) dubbed “Netra,” according to a local press report. The UAV is the result of a collaboration between ideaForge, a company formed by alumni from the Indian Institute of Technology at Powai and DRDO’s Pune-based lab, the Research and Development Establishment. The UAV is designed for anti-terrorist and counterinsurgency operations and is expected to be inducted into the army by December. The drone was exhibited at DefExpo this year. “Shaped like a spider ... it can give real-time inputs to the team that is controlling it on the ground,” according to a statement. “Netra has a camera weighing 300 grams, has a quick deployment time and vertical takeoff and landing ability,” ideaForge Director Rahul Singh said last year. - Neelam Mathews

July 2, 2010 NEW DELHI — The U.S. is expected to receive a letter of request from the Indian government for a proposed Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of the Javelin man-portable anti-tank missile system. Built by a joint venture of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, the Javelin has been demonstrated to the Indian army and was brought last October to a joint Indo-U.S. training exercise aimed at sharing experience in peacekeeping, humanitarian/ disaster relief and counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism operations. Of nine Javelin firings, three were done by Indian gunners picked at random, and all scored hits, accordIing to Roger Rose, CEO of Lockheed Martin India. Eventually “there could be hundreds” of Javelins ordered, Rose says, although the initial request is expected to be smaller. The system weighs 22.45 kg. (50 lb.) and is ready to fire in 30 seconds with a reload time of 20 seconds. The missiles have a shelf life of 10 years. The compact, lightweight medium-range missile system ...

Submitted by admin4 on 4 July 2010 - 2:20pm. By Neelam Mathews Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil : A growing appetite among Indian carriers to serve regional routes makes the country a potentially big market for 250 regional jets with a capacity of up to 120 seats, Brazil's aircraft maker Embraer. In India, around 250 low-to-medium-density routes remain unused, as they are not profitable to run with narrow-bodied aircraft. Plus, in the non-metros sector, 133 routes have less than one frequency a day, said Brazil-based Embraer. "This doesn't provide adequate frequency to passengers. No wonder other forms of transport are used such as first-class rail with fares of air travel," said Alex Glock, Embraer's managing director for Asia Pacific. "With the Indian economy growing and growing rather fast, air services to the so-called secondary cities need to be more frequent - there have to be comprehensive daily services," Glock told IANS in an interview. A...

Aviation Week Daily Jun 30, 2010 By Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI Embraer is finding India to be one of its fastest growing markets in Asia, with orders for 40 Phenom 100/300s scheduled to be delivered by 2012. Embraer also has received interest for the Lineage 1000, presently on a two-week tour of Asia, including India. The largest in the family of Embraer Executive Jets, the Lineage 1000 flying tour is part of ongoing marketing efforts to showcase the aircraft to specific audiences in the region including individuals and charter companies. “The flying tour aims to bring the actual product to potential customers and provide them the opportunity to see, touch and feel the jets personally,” says José Eduardo Costas, Embraer VP of marketing and sales, Asia Pacific – Executive Jets. Embraer has also sold nine Legacy 600s to India, of which five have been sold to the government. “We have sold all our products in India and now have a current backlog.” Invision, an Indian business gr...

Regulatory/Legislative Aviation Daily Jul 01 , 2010 , p. 20 Neelam Mathews India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has completed a route segregation exercise for helicopters over Delhi and Mumbai that officials hope will lead to more efficient operations and significantly reduced delays. Delhi and Mumbai are home to two of the most congested airports in India. Currently, helicopters are handled like fixed-wing aircraft in terms of approaches and takeoffs, which makes the aviation system inefficient. The DGCA also approved four heliports in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The effort is an outgrowth of discussions held between Bell Helicopter and the DGCA in March 2008 as part of the Aviation Cooperation Program, a public/private partnership of FAA, the U.S Trade and Development Agency, U.S. aviation companies and the Indian government. The Helicopter Aviation Safety Technical Assistance program will address helicopter safety by training both DGCA and Indian military pers...