Aerospace Diary

Space ISRO, Russian Company Form GPS Partnership Aviation Week & Space Technology Nov 01 , 2010 , p. 38 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Reliability is key to building GPS services in India, Russians say Printed headline: Dual System Russia’s NIS-Glonass is forming a joint venture with Antrix Corp., the marketing arm of the Indian Space Research Organization, to help it break into the market for satellite tracking and navigation services in India. Despite the presence of more than 130 companies in the GPS market, Navigation Information System-Glonass (NIS-Glonass) says India’s market is grossly underserved, largely because its competitors offer unreliable or incomplete services. NIS-Glonass overcomes the reliability issue by processing signals from the world’s dominant global positioning providers—Russia’s Glonass and the U.S. Global Positioning System satellites, says Program Director ...

Programs Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Oct 29 , 2010 , p. 15 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI – As President Barack Obama’s visit to India draws closer, Lockheed Martin is talking up its offering for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition. Lockheed Martin’s F-16IN is powered by the GE F-110-132A engine. GE recently won a contract to provide F-414 engines for India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Michael Griswold, Lockheed’s director of advanced development programs, says the LCA win is a good sign that the U.S. can meet its export control requirements. “GE brought the best engine on the table at the lowest cost,” he says. “GE F-110-132A is the most powerful engine of all the contenders of the [126-aircraft] MMRCA bid,” Griswold says. “Technology insertions for the engine include blisk fan, radial augmentor and a low-drag nozzle.” Rival Boeing’s F/A-18 carries twin F-414 engines. ...

Airports Av Week Daily Oct 29, 2010 As part of an extensive effort to make the airspace safer and less congested around Cochin, India, International Airport, the Airports Authority of India has introduced Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) procedures. The newest piece of technology in the works is Required Navigation Performance (RNP)—a part of PBN—that will be operational by February 2011. The RNP at Cochin is being implemented and financed by Airbus subsidiary Quovadis, with the support of the French Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA). An RNP allows an aircraft to fly a specific path along a predefined route using an onboard navigation system and Global Positioning System (GPS). Recommended by ICAO, its operational benefits include improved precision of flight operation, increased access to airports, particularly in low-visibility conditions requiring fewer ground-based instrument landing aids, and lower flight time and fuel consumption and lower noise and emissions. The pro...

Aviation Daily Oct 27 , 2010 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews Just as Air India delays its entry into the Star Alliance , Jet Airways may be viewing joining SkyTeam . The Star Alliance has been anxious to add another Indian carrier to its portfolio, says India’s market size could absorb two carriers and recently met with Jet Airways. Star’s interest in Jet Airways has brought a cold-shoulder response from India’s civil aviation ministry, which made it clear that Air India is to be the first admitted to Star. Presumably, that will ensure it first-mover advantage. Air India, however, was forced to delay its entry following integration issues related to the merger with Indian Airlines . It may join Star in the summer of 2011 instead of spring 2011. “We respect the ministry’s decision and have been in conversation with them,” Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht told AVIATION WEEK recently. Meanwhile, the signs may already be th...

Aerospace Daily Oct 27, 2010 TECHNOLOGY NEW DELHI — Information technology services company Mahindra Satyam is scouting for partners to round out its capabilities in battle management systems, network-centric warfare, data fusion and electronic warfare. “While India has seen an explosive growth in defense, the challenge is to access highly complex technology. We [in India] lack system integration applications for UAVs [and] precision strike weapons,” says Ramaseshan Satagopan, head of aerospace engineering at the company, which is part of the $7 billion Mahindra Group. “The key technology is sensors, which we do not have.” India lags by about a decade in sensor technology, especially for so-called smart weapons, the executive says, but the country knows it must ramp up its capability there. “Today, remote-controlled warfare is the key. For us, sensors, information and communication networks are [critical].” Mahindra also is pursuing an offset-oriented track for business, and ...

Aerospace Daily Oct 25, 2010   By Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI Members of the supervisory board of the four-nation Eurofighter consortium—which like the U.S. is competing for India’s program for 126 Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA)—are meeting in New Delhi for the first time Oct. 25-26. This is also the group’s initial meeting in Asia. “India’s MMRCA is high on the agenda. . . . This should be a clear signal to the political decision-makers in India that the MMRCA is of the highest importance for Eurofighter,” says Cassidian Air Systems spokesman Theodor Benien. The consortium—representing Germany, U.K., Italy and Spain—has made its political presence felt in the past months with British Prime Minister David Cameron and German ministers for foreign affairs and economy visiting India. Besides the aircraft, India also has identified active, electronically ...

Oct 21, 2010 Neelam Mathews Airbus Military PZL 130 Orlik will be holding trials from Oct 25- 29 in Jamnagar, in the western state of Gujarat for India’s bid for basic trainers . This will bring to completion all trials for the imminently required basic trainers for the Indian air force. India is anxious to make a procurement decision by March 2011. The Request for Proposal is for 75 basic trainers, with a possible additional 106 aircraft to be manufactured by government-owned defense manufacturer, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) through technology transfer. The contenders include Beechcraft T-6C military trainer, Pilatus PC-7, Grob G-120TP, Airbus Military PZL 130 Orlik and Korea Aerospace KT-1. The present ageing fleet of over 100 HPT-32 (Hindustan Piston Trainers) have suffered a spurt of crashes, leaving India to depend on its second line of limited trainers. The Basic Trainer RFP comes with a 30% offsets clause, which Airbus Military says will no...

News AWIN First Oct 22 , 2010 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI India’s 53 airports that do not have a license have been informed they cannot operate scheduled air transport services after June 30 unless licensed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).  Of the 87 airports in India, 11 international and 12 domestic airports have been licensed. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has also taken up the issue with the Ministry of Defense for 22 defense airports where civil operations take place. The licensing process that began in 2004 has been delayed due to shortage of manpower at the DGCA. “In view of the large number of aerodromes to be licensed, a phased approach was taken by India where priority was given to licensing the international aerodromes in the first phase,” says the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The aerodrome licensing process comprises of assessing the formal application, including evaluation of the ae...

Regulatory/Legislative Aviation Daily Oct 25 , 2010 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews Following an air crash in Mangalore in May, India has put the creation of an autonomous Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on a fast track to ensure aviation safety, security and effective regulation of air transport in the country. The CAA will have more flexibility and autonomy than the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on financial and administrative matters, and will bring about even more safety, Nasim Zaidi of the DGCA said. Zaidi said the time frame for the formation of the CAA is 18-24 months. The CEO of the authority will also serve as the chairman, once the new authority is cleared by parliament. A comprehensive Indian Aviation Law will replace the existing acts relating to aviation and security to put the proposed CAA in place. “We (now) have a regulatory framework for surveillance and safety systems and have developed ...

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Aviation Week Oct 21, 2010   By Neelam Mathews mathews.neelam@gmail.com NEW DELHI U.S. defense companies are now increasingly looking to India to establish partnerships for product design, making the country a part of their global supply chain, according to a new report from consultancy KPMG. Released ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit here in November, the report focuses on the improving landscape for U.S. business and Indo-U.S. commercial enterprises in the Indian defense sector. It also highlights the growing proximity between the defense establishments of the two countries, given the increased warming of political relation. This warming is apparent given recent Indian defense awards to U.S. companies, many of which come under the U.S. foreign military sales (FMS) program. In 2008, India contracted for six Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules aircraft for ...

Aerospace Daily Oct 22, 2010 PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — Eurocopter’s new subsidiary in New Delhi is part of its strategy to step up sales and marketing efforts in India. Established Oct. 20, the New Delhi location is Eurocopter’s tenth subsidiary in Asia. Eurocopter also has signed an agreement to establish a joint maintenance, repair and overhaul venture in Mumbai with Indian government-owned Pawan Hans Helicopters. The MRO should be operational by the end of 2011. “Once the MRO is set up, it will mean Pawan Hans — the world’s largest operator of the Dauphins — will become the nerve center for Dauphin 365s,” says Joseph Saporito, Eurocopter’s executive vice president for commercial helicopters. “We will provide the technical support, including spares and training, while Pawan Hans will deliver the MRO.” Eurocopter is looking at a second industrial partner, its present distributor and maintenance center, Indocopter, for the twin-engine EC155 — a long-range medium-lift passenger tr...

Programs Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Oct 20 , 2010 , p. 06 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — After years of vacillation and wrangling, India is now set to sign a $2-billion deal with Dassault to upgrade 51 aging Mirage 2000 fighters to the 2000-5 standard. The deal is expected to be signed Dec. 6 when French President Nicolas Sarkozy visits India. Ahead of Sarkozy’s trip, Adm. Edouard Guillaud, French chief of defense staff, will be in India on Oct. 23 to discuss bilateral defense cooperation. New capabilities for the Mirage will include longer-range detection and weapon firing against multiple targets, as well as an extended operating envelope that allows for border-protection missions using two Mirages instead of six. The multitrack RDY-3 radar to be installed in the Mirage is the same generation the French air force is using on its M-2000D, with increased range compared with the existing Doppler multifun...

Regulatory/Legislative Aviation Daily Oct 20 , 2010 , p. 07 Neelam Mathews India and Iraq can now designate multiple airlines for operations between the two countries, a departure from their 1955 agreement that permitted only one airline from each country to serve the other. The airlines will operate up to 12 frequencies per week in each direction, with aircraft not exceeding 250 seats. Indian carriers are now able to operate to Baghdad, Basrah, Al Najaf and one more point to be specified in Iraq, and Iraqi carriers can operate to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and one more point.

Low-Cost carriers Aviation Daily Oct 20 , 2010 , p. 15 Neelam Mathews Budget carrier Thai AirAsia will launch four flights to Bangkok from Delhi and a daily from Kolkata on Dec. 1, using an Airbus A320 . The carrier wants to tap Hong Kong, Macau and some Chinese destinations from Bangkok for the Indian market. It may also launch Bangkok-Mumbai service in the second half of 2011. As the market grows, AirAsia will increase operations from Chennai in southern India to Kuala Lumpur, starting Oct. 31 to 11 from seven flights a week. Thailand is one of the fastest-growing markets for Indian travelers for tourism and events. Last year, arrivals from India to Thailand increased by more than 14% to 614,566 visitors, ranking fifth in Thailand’s international arrivals. For the first eight months of this year, Indian arrivals jumped 20% year-on-year, marking a significant growth for this sector, CEO Tassapon Bijleveld...

Regulatory/Legislative Aviation Daily Oct 22 , 2010 , p. 16 Neelam Mathews The governments of India and the U.S. are moving toward entering a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) that would eventually lead to mutual acceptance of aeronautical products and parts developed in either country. With aeronautical products now being designed and manufactured in India, it was determined that there was a need for international acceptance of such products. Before the completion of all preparatory work leading to the signatures, two important activities toward achieving BASA have recently been completed. They include technical assessment of the regulatory authority Directorate General of Civil Aviation by FAA in 11 defined areas and a shadow certification project carried out by the DGCA and reviewed by the FAA. Steps involved in the BASA process include upgrading skills of Indian DGCA certification experts by providin...

Programs Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Oct 19 , 2010 , p. 05 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — Airbus Military and Boeing remain undecided about participating in India’s program to buy six midair refuelers, which has a proposal deadline of Dec. 15. “On the basis of our [past] experience, we are thoroughly analyzing and reviewing the situation,” says Barbara Kracht, vice president of communications at Airbus Military. Boeing also has received the request for proposals (RFP) from the Indian government, “but not made a decision as yet to participate,” according to Vivek Lall, head of Boeing Defense, Space and Security in India. Should it decide to take part , Boeing could offer a variant of the KC-767 Tanker Transport. India’s indecision led to the cancellation of a previous contract to buy A330-based refuelers from Airbus on Dec. 30 of last year (Aerospace DAILY, Jan. 12). The program was rebid in September 201...

Star Members Hobbled By Air India’s Troubles Air Transport Aviation Week & Space Technology Oct 18 , 2010 , p. 48 Neelam Mathews Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Without Air India to help it, Star Alliance loses ground to Middle Eastern carriers in India Printed headline: Crying Foul Star Alliance members have been left awaiting the prize of Air India ’s entry into their membership and the promise of increased access to the subcontinent that comes with it. The carrier, sponsored by Lufthansa for membership in December 2007, says an ongoing struggle with information technology (IT)-related matters has prompted it to push back its entry into the global airline alliance to summer 2011 instead of the first quarter, as planned. Star’s members want to contain a flood of carriers from the Middle East that already are established in India and have captured traffic bound from there to Europe and the U.S. Air India has been expanding...

Programs Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Oct 15 , 2010 , p. 01 Neelam Mathews SEVILLE — Airbus Military says it plans to start discussions with India next year over potential acquisition of the A400M military airlifter. India so far has not expressed an interest in the European airlifter, which is still in development, but Didier Vernet, head of A400M market development, said “if India is interested, we will be happy to discuss.” Airbus is desperate to increase foreign sales of the A400M because the core European program — which remains in flux contractually — will not be sufficient to return a profit. In India, Airbus Military will argue the A400M can fill a niche between the Boeing C-17 and Lockheed Martin C-130J that the country already is looking to buy. India is considering issuing a request for information for an airlifter than could transport large goods and land on airstrips without concrete runways. Vernet al...

OPERATIONS Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Oct 13 , 2010 , p. 06  Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — The Indo-U.K. air force exercise “Indradhanush” will take place at Air Force Station Kalaikunda in East India from Oct. 18 to Nov. 3. The exercise is an effort to share experience and skills and fine-tune procedures for multinational operations, which are likely to occur with greater frequency in the future. For the first time, the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) will bring Typhoons to a joint exercise with India. The Indian Air Force (IAF) will be using Su-30 MKIs, Mirage 2000s, Mig-27s and Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) Aircraft. The RAF also plans to deploy its E-3D AWACS and VC-10 midair refuelers. “The exercise is an opportunity for both the air forces to get an insight into each other’s operational philosophies and work cultures,” says Air Marshal K.K. Nohwar, commanding air officer of Eastern Ai...

Business Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Oct 12 , 2010 , p. 04 NEW DELHI — Russian Navigation Information Systems (NIS)-Glonass will sign a 50-50 joint venture agreement with Antrix Corporation by the end of October to market NIS satellite-based services in India, AVIATION WEEK has learned. Antrix is the marketing arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The terms of the joint venture are not known. The two partners are planning a road show in four Indian cities to promote NIS satellite-based operator services to police, forestry and private logistics businesses. NIS-Glonass also will open an office in November to support ongoing projects and bids released for its products (Aerospace DAILY, Aug. 27). NIS-Glonass will market, manufacture and jointly propose products in India. The multifunctional Glonass/GPS user telematic terminal, Cyber GLX, is installed into mobile platforms and is part of a tran...

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Defense India Advances LCA Engine, T-50 Fighter Programs Aviation Week & Space Technology Oct 11 , 2010 , p. 29 Robert Wall London Neelam Mathews New Delhi Fighter and engine talks spotlight India’s multifaceted defense industrial policy The Indian government’s commitment to buy 250-300 Russian T-50 fighters and its decision to acquire General Electric F414 engines for its ­Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) underscore its long-term plan to maintain a range of international partnerships. Russia and India have been in talks about cooperative development and production of the T-50—also known as PAK FA—for some time, with Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony now saying there are no more roadblocks to a deal going forward. “Within the next few months, the agreement will be signed. We have sorted out all issues and have found satisfactory agreements,” he said following a meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission. A draft of the T-50 contract is underway, adds...

Rotorcraft In India, Helo Operations Seem Grounded Aviation Week & Space Technology Oct 11 , 2010 , p. 62 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Infrastructure bottlenecks slow helicopter fleet expansion in India With the world’s second largest population and the seventh biggest country by land mass, India would seem prime territory for helicopters. But it has an abysmal 254 registered rotorcraft in a fleet spread among 98 operators. The Rotor Wing Society of India (RWSI) says that number could double in five years and take off from there if regulatory constraints holding back airport and landing pad improvements can be overcome. On the 1,000-member RWSI’s “must have” list, landings at the country’s two largest airports, in New Delhi and Mumbai, ranks at the top. Members want separate facilities for helicopters at the airports, both privately owned, and they are also seeking a “level playing field” for rotorcraft operations in terms of routes, and use of helipads irrespective of fixe...

Aviation Week Intelligence Network Programs Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Oct 11 , 2010 , p. 06 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — India is looking at fitting its Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters with Russian Phazotron Zhuk-AE active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radars. The X-band radar can track 30 aerial targets in the track-while-scan mode and engage six targets simultaneously in attack mode. By 2018, the Indian air force inventory is expected to comprise around 300 Su-30MKIs. India’s Sukhois currently use N011M passive array technology, which delivers less peak power than an AESA. The N011M also has limitations in its back-end processing and requires more maintenance. Defense Minister A.K. Antony recently told the Indian parliament about a proposal to upgrade the Indian air force’s Su-30 fleet. The upgrade is be carried out by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Russia’s Irkutsk, the original equipment manufacturer, starting in 2012. It is likely that the order for the AESA ...

Low-Cost carriers Aviation Daily Oct 08 , 2010 , p. 06 Neelam Mathews India’s budget airline SpiceJet started its first international service Oct. 7 to Kathmandu, Nepal, from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport with six flights per week. The carrier will start its second international flight, this one from Chennai to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Oct. 9. SpiceJet completed five years of domestic operations earlier this year, making it eligible to fly abroad under Indian law, and is the first Indian budget airline to start international operations. SpiceJet has a 13% market share of Indian carriers, and operates 147 flights daily to 20 cities in India with a fleet of 22 Boeing 737-800/737-900ER aircraft. Recently, the carrier ordered 30 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Low-cost rival IndiGo will complete five years of domestic operations in August 2011 and is expected to start international operations in the winter schedule. “By connecting Kathmandu with India, we will play ...

Aerospace Daily Oct 8, 2010 NEW DELHI — Russia and India are moving fast on the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Oct. 7 following the 10th Meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation here. Military cooperation between the two countries is defined through an umbrella intergovernmental agreement covering 2011-2020. The document was signed during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Russia in December of last year. While India and Russia have signed the shareholders agreement for a joint venture company for the development and production of the Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA), they also have agreed to expedite the joint design, development and production of the FGFA. The deal is estimated at $25 billion. The agreement envisages India will receive about 250-300 FGFAs. “We have done the design of the plane, we have developed the time frames, the price, and the draft...

Programs Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Oct 07 , 2010 , p. 02 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — Price negotiations will begin soon for 99 General Electric F414 fighter jet engines selected to power the Mk II version of the Indian Air Force’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). India’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) awarded the contract on Oct. 1, and it is expected to be signed in a few months (Aerospace DAILY, Oct. 1). The F414 engine was in the running along with the EuroJet EJ-200. The contract’s value cannot be confirmed until it is finalized, a Defense Research Development Organization spokesman says. “We could always go for more [engines],” he adds. The selection follows earlier GE engine buys for the Indian Air Force (IAF). In 2007, India purchased 24 F404 GE engines, and in 2004 the country bought 17 F404 engines to power a limited series of operational production aircraft and LCA naval prototypes. The F414-GE-INS6 is the highest-thrust F414 model. It boasts F...

Air Traffic Management Aviation Daily Oct 07 , 2010 , p. 09 Neelam Mathews Despite the need to improve an aging air traffic management system, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has delayed the selection of a company to set up eight Approach Surveillance Radars (ASRs). The radars are required for eight congested and expanding cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Only two companies—Raytheon and Thales—made the cut of the six that submitted bids in July. However, in August, Eldis, a Czech company with an unproven product, was added to the list after government officials took a trip to the Czech Republic to visit the company. No reason was given for the decision to add Eldis to the list, even though the company does not adhere to the main requirement of the AAI that finalists must have installed radars at a major airport with at least 1.5 million passengers passing through it annually. With India’s growing aviation traffic—8% annually—approach radars are see...

Aerospace Daily Oct 5, 2010 FUNDING & POLICY NEW DELHI — Lack of commonality in aircraft models has made inventory management a grueling task for the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik tells AVIATION WEEK here on the IAF’s 78th anniversary. Steps are being taken to bring obsolescence levels (50% of equipment is outdated) down to 20% by 2014-15. “Air defense is the most critical,” he says. Financial constraints hampered this effort in the past, Naik says. “We can now spend more money and buy what we need. In a few years, the IAF will have the medium multi-role combat aircraft, light combat aircraft, fifth-generation combat aircraft and the Su-30s with a reduced diversity.” Naik acknowledges that accident prevention is a key driver. “With older aircraft the mean time between failures changes…. That is why older aircraft have more accidents. We’ve had a lot of engine-related problems on the MiG-27s recently. Some are related to design, some to production and to hu...