Aerospace Diary

Aviation Week Daily Aug 30, 2010 By Neelam Mathews Air Works India Engineering Pvt. Ltd. signed an agreement with Denmark’s Scandinavian Avionics to create a joint venture avionics MRO company, SA Air Works India. The new entity will provide “turnkey” avionics solutions covering inflight entertainment systems and communications, safety applications, weather systems and other airborne electronics, the partners said. SA Air Works India will be base in Gurgaon, New Delhi, and has EASA Part 145 certification, and Part 147 and 21 support from Scandinavian Avionics. With a strong network of OEM relationships, Air Works is an Authorized Service Center for Rockwell Collins and Honeywell. “We can start to look at positioning ourselves for warranty repairs. ... We can add further value as line-replaceable units (LRU) [are] the core of any aircraft ... we can start looking at repairing them in India,” Ravi Menon, executive director of Air Works, told AVIATION WEEK. SA Air Works initia...

News AWIN First Aug 30 , 2010 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI Mumbai-based GoAir says Air India’s plans to reduce fares in September when the tourist season starts is counterproductive. “We don’t see (need) for Air India to reduce prices. We hope they realize this is not the right move. We will also have to pull down fares ... everybody will bleed ... unfortunate,” said GoAir CEO Kaushik Khona. The budget airline has eight Airbus A320s and plans to add two more by October. GoAir’s load factors were down in July and August, which are low peak months, said Khona. Air India is expected to reduce fares by about 10%, which many say might lead to a fare-war in a debt-laden industry that had just begun to pick up yields. However, Air India has been historically competitive in its fares. “It is a smart move [by Air India] to garner market share in the leisure market. Indians traditionally book holidays in advance for the last quarter of the year and Air India is tapping that market,” says ...

Aerospace Daily PROGRAMS BENGALURU, INDIA — Next year,Russian space agency Roscomos plans to test the lander that will be part of India’s second Moon mission, Chandrayaan-2,Roscosmos Deputy Head Anatoly Shilov says. Scheduled to be lofted in 2013, Chandrayaan-2 will have an orbiter, a lander and a rover. It is slated to fly on a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle from Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island. While the lander will be provided by Russia, the orbiter and the rover are being built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The rover will move on wheels on the lunar surface, pick up samples of soil or rocks, perform a chemical analysis and send the data to the spacecraft orbiting above. The rover will weigh 30-100 kg. (70-220 lb.), depending on whether it is to do a semi-hard landing or soft landing. During its planned one month of surface operations, it will run predominantly on solar power. Initially two lunar rovers were planned — one f...

Funding and Policy Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Aug 27 , 2010 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews BENGALURU, India — The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is calling upon industry to participate aggressively in its future programs at the three-day Bengaluru Space Expo 2010. Ninety percent of launch vehicle systems have been built by industry, including materials, fabrication and assembly, says T.K. Alex, director of the ISRO Satellite Center. “We [now] need to build industry to the level of engineering systems to subsystems-level integration,” Alex says. On commercialization, K. Radhakrishnan, ISRO chairman, says the industry should look at high technology sectors, in line with ISRO’s growing demand for the latest know-how. “The industry will have to become a risk-bearing partner.” Over 500 companies from small, medium and large sectors receive outsourced work from ISRO. Investment in research and development needs a boost and collaboration with public funded research i...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Aug 27, 2010 BUSINESS BENGALURU, INDIA - In a new agreement with Hyderabad-based HBL Power Systems, Russian Navigation Information Systems (NIS) Glonass will market, manufacture and jointly propose products in India that draw upon the Russian satellite navigation system. HBL is a major player in India for batteries and standby power offerings in the railway, defense and telecom domains. It will mainly promote the product — Intelligent Transport System (ITS) — for police and rail systems. ITS helps in automated road traffic control, optimization of routes and emergency response. The deal will “build business opportunities in India for receivers and software for ITS,” Chairman Aluru Jagadish Prasad tells AVIATION WEEK. “We believe Glonass will offer better features that will be superior to the GPS. The system will operate on GPS and Glonass.” Integration of different satellite navigation systems helps prevent the reliance on just one system...

FUNDING & POLICY August 27, 2010 BENGALURU, INDIA — The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is calling upon industry to participate aggressively in its future programs at the three-day Bengaluru Space Expo 2010. Ninety percent of launch vehicle systems have been built by industry, including materials, fabrication and assembly, says T.K. Alex, director of the ISRO Satellite Center. “We [now] need to build industry to the level of engineering systems to subsystems-level integration,” Alex says. On commercialization, K. Radhakrishnan, ISRO chairman,says the industry should look at high technology sectors, in line with ISRO’s growing demand for the latest know-how. “The industry will have to become a risk-bearing partner.” Over 500 companies from small, medium and large sectors receive outsourced work from ISRO. Investment in research and development needs a boost and collaboration with public funded research institutions could be the key, says Vikram Kirloskar of the...

Airports Aviation Daily Aug 24 , 2010 , p. 07 Neelam Mathews The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked the government to make changes to the aviation policy that currently waives landing and parking charges for aircraft with less than 80 seats operated by domestic scheduled operators and helicopters of all types. It is time to start charging parking and landing fees for these aircraft, says AAI, as it will give a boost to the development of regional airports it is currently upgrading and constructing. Currently, some private regional airports are losing money including five in Maharashtra set up by the Reliance Group. “This is simply because there is not enough traffic to support them. There are no sources of revenue including retail, [food and beverage] and revenue from hangars. Some charges for landing will need to be enforced to get return on investment for the operators,” says Ansgar Sickert, managing director of Fraport India. “The present policy does not work as ...

Air Transport Aviation Week & Space Technology Aug 23 , 2010 , p. 43 Neelam Mathews New Delhi As India’s airlines recover, new aircraft are ordered and opportunities arise Printed headline: Another Step Forward Resilient domestic demand is supporting a resumption of aircraft ordering by Indian airlines, a bounce-back after three years of distress. India’s airlines were among the most active in big fleet orders early in the decade, particularly in long-haul transports, and the market was a nursery for startups. But Indian carriers struggled with market overcapacity by the time the recession began gripping the industry in late 2008. The combination of their own over-reach, poor management and the industry’s doldrums prompted mergers—of Jet Airways and Air Sahara, Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan, Air India and Indian Airlines—and experiments in survival as budget carriers increasingly took market share from mainline airlines. In one experiment, full-service Kingfisher h...

PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — Following the Indian air force’s flight evaluation of six Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) candidates, the Indian government is now considering technical offset proposals and beginning discussions with the prospective vendors. The Lockheed Martin F-16IN, Boeing F/A-18, Dassault Rafale, EADS Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab Gripen and Russian MiG-35 are in the running for the 126-aircraft program. A European contender was invited to the Indian air force’s head office on Aug. 20 to discuss the flight evaluation and has been invited to the defense ministry to present its offset proposal. The vendor’s team includes all partners associated with the bid, including the airframe manufacturer, weapons suppliers, avionics and engine makers. The second part of the proposal — commercial offsets — is expected to be opened by April 2011. “Those that make it to the downselect will be evaluated on the technical report, compliance with transfer of technology and with...

OPERATIONS NEW DELHI – Thirty-nine Indian military aircraft, including the MiG series, Sukhoi and various helicopters, have been lost in air crashes during the last three years, Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony said in parliament. Of the aircraft lost, 21 were MiGs, including 12 MiG-21s. Thirteen service personnel were killed. The most recent crash was in July. (See chart p. 6.) India, which currently uses mostly Soviet-built aircraft, has an accident rate of six-seven mishaps per 100,000 hr. flown (compared to four-five for all NATO air forces, according to an analyst. Pilot error, technical defects and bird strikes were the major causes of the MiG-21 accidents. Pilots previously learned on subsonic trainers before flying MiG-21s. Since the Soviet Union’s breakup, India has been struggling to get spare parts, which are often sourced from Eastern European suppliers. Each air force aircraft accident is investigated by a court of inquiry, and remedial measures are undertake...

PROGRAMS NEW DELHI AND LONDON — The Royal Thai Air Force is slated to receive its Saab 340-based Erieye airborne early warning system in December. The aircraft, along with a regular Saab 340 due to be handed over at the same time, are part of a larger Thai acquisition of an air defense system that has six Gripen C/D fighters at its core. Delivery of the fighters and a command and control system, with three ground-based radio controller sites, are to take place in March to Squadron 701 of the 7th Wing. At a ceremony at Saab’s factory in Linköping in Sweden this week, the company unveiled an integrated air defense system for Asian customers. Thailand signed the contract in early 2008, which covers the early warning aircraft, Gripens, and command and control system. The system has been procured in a framework of bilateral cooperation mainly focused on technology transfer. “I want to congratulate Thailand for an excellent air defense system and I look forward to our continued coope...

Aviation Daily Aug 19 , 2010 , p. 10 Neelam Mathews IndiGo, with a fleet of 27 aircraft, says its fast-paced growth plan is paying off, based on a comparison of its market share with those of its closest competitors. In July, IndiGo captured 16.9% of the Indian market, followed by SpiceJet with 13.2%, JetLite, 7.5%, and GoAir, 2.28%. Rahul Bhatia, Group MD Interglobe Enterprises and founder of IndiGo, says, “We have a long-term view on India. When IndiGo placed orders [for 100 Airbus A320s], people thought we were crazy.” With a delivery program “up to scale and speed,” the airline is set to receive eight aircraft by the end of the year, which will bring its fleet to 35. IndiGo has secured government permission for another 150 aircraft, some of which will be replacements. Asked whether he will consider another OEM, such as Boeing, Bhatia says, “When manufacturers come back with the right price, we shall see.” He expects to place an order in the next two or three years. While...

Asia-Pacific Aviation Daily Aug 19 , 2010 , p. 06 Neelam Mathews AirAsia has secured record second-quarter revenues, “setting the stage for a potentially dynamic second half of 2010,” says the company in releasing its quarterly results. The carrier announced an after-tax profit of $63 million for the three months ending June 30. Cost per available seat kilometer was 3.62 cents, an increase mainly due to the rise in fuel cost. The average fuel price in the second quarter last year was $60 a barrel, compared with $100 this year, says AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes. Revenue for the quarter was up 26%, and passenger numbers grew 11% to 3.9 million. Load factor increased to 77%, compared with 75% in the same 2009 quarter. AirAsia also saw substantial growth in ancillary income. “We have actually reached our target of RM 40 ($13) spending per passenger that we set for ourselves last quarter. The numbers reaffirm our conviction that in ancillary [revenues], we have unearthed a ...

awin first Aug 18, 2010 By Neelam Mathews Africa will need to add 770 aircraft by 2029 to its current fleet of about 635 to sustain growth, says Embraer’s Outlook on Africa. Regional airlines are strengthening their networks, but the current fleet with an average age of 13 years does not provide efficiencies to sustain expected growth. The 61- to 120-seat jet segment will be essential for sub-regional connectivity, says Embraer. Last year, 62 million passengers flew on Africa’s 98 airlines from 345 airports in 2009. Embraer forecasts a requirement for 220 new jets for Africa in the next 20 years in the 30- to 120-seat segment; 67% will be needed to support growth and 33% to replace older aircraft. The current fleet in this segment will increase from 165 to 280. However, Boeing’s outlook says 110 regional jets will be delivered in the period to Africa. As regional links evolve, they will demand a new airline industry profile that is customer- and profit-oriented, delivering...

FUNDING & POLICY NEW DELHI — India’s Defense Acquisition Committee — formed to speed defense acquisition — is in the process of clearing a major pending request for proposals (RFPs) for upgrading L-70 guns, AVIATION WEEK has learned. Avoiding multiple levels of clearance and red tape, the procurement process is supposed to be completed in a short time with the contract signed between 112 to 154 days after the RFP. With more than 600 Bofors 40 mm L-70 guns in the Indian army’s inventory produced by ordnance factories, the RFP is expected to go to many companies, including BAE Systems, which acquired Bofors in 2005. BAE’s Bofors upgrade packages for its 40 mm L-60 and L-70 light anti-aircraft guns includes an integrated fire-control system, converting it to an autonomous firing unit with a module that has Saab’s Utaas sight with fire-control computer. Upgrade options include a muzzle velocity radar and optical target designator. Interestingly, BAE did not respond to an RFP ...

Defense Aviation Week & Space Technology Aug 16 , 2010 , p. 25 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Printed headline: Fighter Choice Coming With flight trials complete, the downselect process is underway for the six candidate fighters in India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (Mmrca), competition, with a $10 billion-plus payday for providing 126 aircraft. Observers differ about how long it will take to narrow the field—the MiG-35, Dassault Rafale, EADS Eurofighter, Saab Gripen, Boeing F/A-18F/F and Lockheed Martin F-16—to two finalists. Some speculate an announcement might come in just two weeks; others insist it will take much longer to evaluate the extensive technical reports that the tests have produced. Regardless, a commercial bidding process will follow the downselect, and the winner is to be named by the end of 2011. Trials included 643 test points. Results are being forwarded as tabulated data without a quantification of the level of compliance achieved, a senior Indian ...

Airports Aviation Daily Aug 16 , 2010 , p. 16 Neelam Mathews The planned shift of most domestic carriers to the new Terminal 3 at New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport on Aug. 27 has been delayed to mid-September. In a review of the terminal, the civil aviation minister and his team found that “the power supply is erratic, which is affecting the sophisticated baggage-handling and security equipment.” The DAILY reported earlier that the new terminal was facing major issues with its information technology systems. To meet the extra power requirement arising out of the additional load that will be taken up by domestic operations, the commissioning of a 220 KVA sub-station—which has been delayed—is an imminent requirement. It is expected to be set up by mid-September. Another issue is that the water supply continues to be erratic. There is no comment from the ministry on how this issue will be resolved. “The domestic airlines were to shift within a fortnight. How is ...

News AWIN First Aug 12 , 2010 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI A downselect announcement is expected within two weeks now that flight trials have concluded for the six candidate fighters in India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program, a competition with a $10 billion-plus payday for providing 126 aircraft. India is expected to pick two finalists among the MiG- 35, Dassault Rafale, EADS Eurofighter, Gripen, Boeing F/A-18 and Lockheed Martin F-16. A commercial bidding process will follow, with final selection expected by the end of 2011. Trials included the evaluation of 643 parameters, a senior air force official reports. “We have done an objective assessment and are taking into account the needs of national security,” he says. But he acknowledges that cost and politics will play a role. The importance of geopolitics has not been lost on the candidates’ advocates. French President Sarkozy’s visit to India this year is expected to be followed by a host of inducements, in...

Air Traffic Management Aviation Daily Aug 12 , 2010 , p. 08 Neelam Mathews As India’s GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system reaches it final operational phase, the FAA, Raytheon, Indian Space Research Organization and Airports Authority of India have agreed to use ISROs algorithms to address the ionospheric challenges expected to affect GPS signals. To facilitate Category 1 precision approach landing of aircraft, India is developing GAGAN as a regional space-based system. This is a major step forward that will enable FAA to certify the system once it becomes operational in June 2013. Securing FAA approval now will prevent further delays if any additional changes need to be made in the advanced stage because minimum operating performance standards were set earlier in the project. Because India is close to the equator, ionospheric time delay is one of the major factors affecting signal accuracy. Raytheon has already set up eight reference stations in India, and has...

Programs Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Aug 11 , 2010 , p. 10 Neelam Mathews New Delhi — Lockheed Martin is denying reports that Pakistan’s pilots are flying United Arab Emirates (UAE) Block 60 F-16 fighters. The reports come as the downselect for India’s 126-fighter Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program draws closer. Lockheed Martin is offering its Block 60 F-16IN, called Super Viper, in that competition. There is concern in certain circles that in a combat situation, India would not have an advantage if Pakistan is flying the same type of fighter. “This is highly unlikely,” says Michael Griswold, director of advanced development programs at Lockheed Martin. “We’d have known this ... There is no evidence [of it]. There is an agreement between the U.S. and the UAE that [they] won’t allow that to happen. “Besides,” he adds, “the Block 50 that Pakistan has is a different plane ... And it takes a lot of training [to fly it]. The Indian air force knows their thr...

Funding and Policy Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Aug 11 , 2010 , p. 12 Neelam Mathews COASTAL EXCHANGE: The Indian Coast Guard is holding discussions with a visiting Korean Coast Guard delegation. Talks are touching on maritime search and rescue, combating marine pollution, technical assistance for responding to natural disasters and exchanging information on crimes at sea, including smuggling and illicit trafficking. At Mumbai’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, the two groups also will discuss the Indian Ship Reporting System (INDSAR).The visit is a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding signed between the two maritime services in March 2006.

Aerospace Daily August 9, 2010 TECHNOLOGY NEW DELHI — The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) have signed an agreement for series production of a computerized pilot selection system (CPSS). Trial runs are being facilitated by the IAF, with the system expected to be functional in three years. Twenty CPSSs will be installed at pilot selection centers in Dehradun, Varanasi and Mysore. Another 10 will be put on stand-by. Having taken a decade to develop, the embedded microcontroller-based CPSS will help select fighter pilots for high performance aircraft. Its security features capture accurate, reliable data relating to the skills of the candidates. Advances in various systems combined with the need for handling emergencies and combat operations make severe demands on the pilots. This in turn calls for thorough and accurate evaluation of “psychomotor processing” skills and mental workload handling ability through “cognitive processing...

News AWIN First Aug 05 , 2010 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI Malaysian long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X has started daily Airbus A330-300 flights from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur. This is AirAsia Group’s ninth destination added in India in the past 10 months. New Delhi becomes AirAsia X’s tenth destination worldwide, and the second in India after Mumbai. With three A330-300s to be delivered this year, it will be starting operations to Melbourne, Australia; Tehran, Iran; Seoul, Korea, and “another destination” later this year, Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X told AviationWeek. Subsidiary Thai AirAsia starts flights to Delhi and Kolkata from Bangkok in October, putting an end to the carrier’s further expansion in India as of now. “We will now consolidate and develop these routes ... and try to get frequencies higher,” says Azran. The carrier says it is not looking at any alliances with budget carriers in India in the “conventional sense of an alliance,” but is in preliminary talks...

Airframers/Suppliers Aviation Daily Aug 05 , 2010 , p. 06 Neelam Mathews Boeing estimates the Indian aviation market will need 1,150 commercial jets valued at about $130 billion over the next 20 years. Air India’s first Boeing 787 is in final assembly and due for delivery at the end of the first quarter or early second quarter of 2011. In its current Market Outlook for India, Boeing says the aircraft represent 3.6% of Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ worldwide forecast. South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal, SriLanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Bangladesh) will have the largest passenger growth in the world at 8.4% surpassing China at 7.6%, Boeing says. South America and the Middle East hold close third (7.4%) and fourth (7.1%) positions. Last year, Boeing had forecast 1,000 deliveries for South Asia. Of the 150 added this year, 50 will be single-aisle models. The Boeing forecast says Asia-Pacific deliveries will grow 34% in the next 20 years with 21% of that growth contributed by bu...

PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — India’s Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) is increasingly looking at technology partners for various projects to give its homeland security-related development work some thrust, and is talking with Saab and EADS for assistance. A communication intelligence system project for army situational awareness at borders developed by DRDO’s Hyderabad-based Defense Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) involves fitting 25 static and four mobile stations for interception. It will be partly inducted by year’s end and fully installed by 2011, says Sreehari Rao, DRDO’s Chief Controller of R&D for ECS (Electronics and Computer Science). DLRL’s other electronic warfare projects include communication and electronic intelligence systems such as jammers. In addition to numerous projects related to ECS, DRDO also is working on developing ground-, wall- and foliage-penetrating radars within the next two years. But DRDO acknowledges it needs some help in ...

PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — The Indian Air Force is looking to modernize 27 base repair depots and equipment depots located all over India, and has invited industry to express interest in bidding. The project, to be completed within three years, is expected to be worth around $390 million. It involves the procurement and supply of machine tools, electronics and electrical test equipment, the installation of material handling,packaging and allied machinery. It also will include fabrication of machine equipment and infrastructure and civil construction work for upgrades of existing hangars, bays, labs and warehousing facilities. “This can be a wonderful opportunity for established Indian industrial groups to make a foray into the Aerospace and Defense manufacturing space,” says Rahul Gangal, executive vice president for defense advisory services at the Religare Strategic Advisory. “This is also a sizeable multi-disciplinary opportunity for private Indian industry to leverage upon.” It i...

Regulatory/Legislative Aviation Daily Aug 03 , 2010 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India is looking at introducing continuous descent approach (CDA) at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi as an immediate measure to reduce noise pollution following a court case pending by a non-governmental organization and a hospital. As communities become more aware of rights, cases are starting to be filed against airports on noise. “Our organization is on the forefront of many cases against noise pollution,” says Nasim Zaidi, director general of civil aviation. The CDA is a method by which aircraft approach airports before landing to reduce fuel consumption and noise. It involves maintaining a constant three-degree descent angle during landing, until meeting the instrument landing system. Instead of approaching an airport in a stair-step fashion, throttling down and requesting permission to descend to each new lower altitude, it allows fo...

Aviation Week & Space Technology Aug 02 , 2010 , p. 31 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Domestic defense industries want New Delhi to keep foreign direct investment low As the government considers increasing the foreign direct investment (FDI) cap in the defense manufacturing sector to 74% from the existing 26%, Indian industry has vociferously opposed the proposal. Opportunities arising from growing obsolescence of military hardware, limited indigenous production, domination by government-backed manufacturers and India’s growing defense capital plan of $12 billion up to 2012, have led private industry to call for leveling of the playing field by permitting them to seek participation in every defense project. Presently, private companies are allowed to bid for only certain categories of sensitive defense projects; the rest are taken by monopolistic government-owned companies. The government’s plan—introduced three years ago to recognize 11 Indian private companies that met cert...