Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Aug 31, 2012 It was on January 1, 2009, the Government of India signed a contract with Boeing Defense, Space & Security to purchase eight P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and antisubmarine aircraft. The P-8I celebrated its first flight in Seattle in September 2011. Delivery of the first aircraft scheduled for 2013, may now be made around Dec 18, 2012, Aerospace Diary learns, but could not confirm. Boeing had said it would deliver the first P-8I within 48 months of contract signing, and the remaining seven by 2015.The P-8I is an India-unique variant of the U.S. Navy’s P-8A Poseidon and offers India the full range of maritime surveillance and patrol missions. HAL is currently contracted to manufacture the P-8I weapons bay door, tailcone, and IFFT, and the F/A-18 gun bay door and wiring harnesses. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has delivered the Indian-designed Data Link II for the P-8I, a communications system that will enable exchange of t...

  AIN Defense Perspective  » August 31, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews The Eurocopter AS550C3 Fennec is a contender for the light utility helicopters (Photo: Eurocopter) August 31, 2012, 9:45 AM India may abandon plans to procure 197 light utility helicopter (LUHs) from abroad for the Indian air force (64) and army (133). Such a decision would favor government-owned defense manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ), which is developing its own LUH design based on the Advanced Light Helicopter ( ALH ). The government was already planning to order an additional 187 light utility helicopters to be produced under license by HAL . It is not clear what the time frame for delivery would be, as HAL would need to expand its current production facility, requiring government approval. The request for proposal for the LUHs was first released in 2008, then withdrawn after a protest from Bell H...

 Retiring a 50-year old C130 Members of the 19th Civil Engineer Squadron clear trees to make room for a C-130E being towed to Marshall Road gate by the 19th Equipment Maintenance Squadron maintenance flight Aug. 25, 2012, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The move was a two day process from hangar 276 to the Little Rock Air Force Base - City of Jacksonville Joint Education Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Rusty Frank)  

Neelam Mathews Aug 31, 2012 Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi has taken over from Admiral Nirmal Verma as the 21 st Chief of Naval Staff of Independent India and the 19 th Indian to take command of the Indian Navy.  On his priorities, Joshi said: “To achieve security related objectives, the man-machine interface is crucial and the Navy would need to professionally re-audit, train and consolidate its preparedness to optimize the existing capabilities as well as harness the full potential of the transformational new capabilities being inducted”.  Joshi is a specialist in Anti-Submarine Warfare. In his service spanning nearly 38 years, he has served in Sea Commands including guided missile corvette INS Kuthar, guided missile destroyer INS Ranvir and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat. He also commanded the Eastern Fleet. The Admiral has served in the Integrated Headquarters in all nodal Branches. Before taking over as the FOC-in-C Western Naval Command, he contribu...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 30, 2012 Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 30, 2012 Airbus Military has delivered to Vietnam the first of three C212-400 maritime patrol aircraft ordered by the Vietnam Marine Police. The aircraft, manufactured in Seville, Spain was handed over at Gia Lam (Hanoi) at the end of a 10-day ferry flight from Skavsta, Sweden following installation of its mission system. It was formally delivered last year prior to the conversion work in Sweden. The flight, commanded by ferry pilot Capt Alejandro Grande supported by two co-pilots, two flight engineers and a technical representative, staged through: Kosice, Slovakia; Sitia, Greece; Luxor, Egypt; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Muscat, Oman; Ahmedabad and Kolkata, India; and Chiang Mai, Thailand; en route to Hanoi.

 Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 30, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQe6oQNW6As&list=UUef1-8eOpJgud7szVPlZQAQ&index=5&feature=plcp

Posted by- Neelam Mathews August 30, 2012 A t the entrance of the Dining Hall of the National Defense Academy at Khadakwasla, there is a table set for one, with the chair tilted forward. This table is set for the Armed Forces Personnel who are Prisoners of War and forgotten, in the hope that they will return one day. There are still 54 POWs missing in Pakistan captured alive including CO of 47 Sqn, Wg Cdr "High Speed" Gill. It is unlikely that they are still alive, we are told. The government should look into this ASAP.   The Placard on the table reads: “ The table set is small, for one, symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner against his oppressors. The single rose displayed in a vase reminds us of the families and loved ones of our comrades-in-arms who keep their faith awaiting their return. The Red Ribbon tied so prominently on the vase is reminiscent of the red ribbon worn upon the lapel and breasts of thousands who bear witness to th...

Neelam Mathews Aug 29, 2012 India ’s delays and indecision are legendary and now, once again, it has broken its own record for sluggishness. Even as the clock ticks, the Indian rupee slides further making procurement dearer and as the world awaits a decision on the Navy's 16 multi-role helicopters (MRH), Aerospace Diary learns the two vendors –NHI (NH-90) and Sikorsky (S-70B) have been informed they must extend their bids by six months (until January 2013). After that what? A rebid or cancellation even as the navy gets more desperate for the machines. This is becoming a joke. The 16 helicopters are to replace the Navy's ageing Westland Sea King fleet. Even the soon to be retired Navy Chief had stressed these were required urgently. The message is getting clearer and louder. Yes we are being sought by the world for our procurement budget. Yes, we are getting more arrogant by the day. Yes, we are sending a message to the world that we don’t really mean busi...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 29, 2012 Bookings for tickets is now open for SpiceJet flights starting Sept 20 from the newly inaugurated Madurai Airport to Colombo on its Q400.   Madurai is SpiceJet’s second destination connecting to the Sri Lankan capital. Presently, it operates direct fights between Colombo and Chennai. T he Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft can accommodate 78 passengers and is widely accepted as the best short-haul plane globally.  “We are committed to provide an affordable air journey to the people without compromising ….,” SpiceJet CEO, Neil Mills said. SpiceJet Delhi-Kabul service started on August 14. 

As Aerospace Diary reported on Aug 24,-here’s a press release sent today Aug 29, 2012 Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on November 17, 2009 ,  Navratna Public Sector Company, Bharat Electronics Limited  (BEL)  and Thales   are delighted to announce that the Boards of both companies have approved the formation of a Joint Venture Company subject to statutory approvals of the Government of India and the French Government. The JVC will be dedicated to the design, development, marketing, supply and support of civilian and select defense radars for Indian and Global markets. The parent companies aim at making the Joint Venture Company a centre of excellence with the ability to offer solutions specifically aimed at meeting the needs of both Indian and export customers. In strict accordance with Indian regulations, Thales will hold 26% equity, the maximum allowable holding interest by any foreign company in the defence sec...

Neelam Mathews Aug 29, 2012 The drone fever is on. The Polish military is looking to replace its Su-22Ms with unmanned combat aerial vehicles. The Heron, Hermes 900, MQ-9 and TAI Anka are said to be contenders. A scary fact is that civilian operated drones are now being used. Last year in Nov, a civilian operated ISR drone filmed riots in Warsaw , Poland .  Video-  

Neelam Mathews Aug 28, 2012 Bhutan ’s   national airline Drukair is the newest airline to be added to Changi Airport .   A special A-319 inaugural flight from Paro landed at Changi Airport with Princess   Chimi Yangzom Wangchuck , the eldest princess of the royal family leading a delegation to inaugurate the direct service. Drukair’s Paro-Singapore route starts commercial service on Sept 1. The twice-weekly will enable passengers departing Singapore to reach Bhutan in under six hours, saving an overnight transfer stay in Thailand or India . Singapore is the fifth country to be linked to Bhutan by air. In 2011, about 1,300 visitors from Singaporeans visited Bhutan . Drukair recently signed a firm order for an   Airbus A319   aircraft to complement its existing fleet of two A319s. Landlocked Bhutan is one of the world’s most challenging destinations to land. Drukair’s base at Paro airport is only possible using Visual Flight Rules (VF...

Neelam Mathews Aug 28, 2012 Air Arabia, the largest budget carrier in the Middle East and North Africa is taking the war of seats to the Gulf by expanding service to the Indian capital,  New Delhi , from its primary hub in Sharjah, UAE. with twice-daily flights starting Sept 1.   Air Arabia currently offers 7 weekly flights to  Delhi . Starting 1st of September, the carrier will offer flights 14 times per week, departing  Sharjah   International   Airport  daily at 7:45AM and 23:20PM. Return flights depart  Delhi   International   Airport daily at 13:05PM and 04:40AM (local time). “The rapidly expanding aviation sector in India is one of the country’s major economic drivers” said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia “We are confident that the expansion of service between Sharjah and India’s capital, New Delhi will further enhance the air travel options for the residents of both states and positiv...

Neelam Mathews Aug 28, 2012 The Ordnance Factory Board has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a Joint Venture with Rosoboronexport , Russia and Splav “SPA”, Russia to manufacture five versions of Smerch Rockets based on the technology received from Russia . The Smerch Rockets have a range of 70-80- km.

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 28, 2012 Defense Minister replies to questions in Parliament on- TRAINER AIRCRAFT IN IAF The HPT-32 aircraft being used as Basic Trainer Aircraft since 1986 were grounded in July 2009 due to safety reasons. Thereafter, the basic training has been shifted to Kiran Mk 1/1A aircraft earlier utilized for Intermediate training A contract for procurement of 75 Basic Trainer Aircraft was signed with Pilatus Aircraft Ltd, Switzerland on 24 th  May 2012. The procurement of the Basic Trainer Aircraft was processed through a multi-vendor procurement as per DPP-2008 and the Swiss company, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd, emerged as the L1 vendor. The delivery of these 75 aircraft is scheduled from February 2013 to August 2015 TATRA TRUCKS DEAL The matter is under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It has also registered a regular case, on 30.3.2012, against one of the owners and unknown persons of a UK based company, unknown of...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 28, 2012 Lars-Olof Lindgren, former ambassador of Sweden to India between 2007 to 2012, will head Saab Market Area India from December 1. “Lars-Olof Lindgren’s experience and relationships with the Indian and Swedish governments and industries will further reinforce Saab’s long-term commitment to the Indian market,” says Saab. He succeeds Jan Widerström . Saab President and CEO, Håkan Buskhe said: “ India has been identified to be one of Saab’s most important markets and we look forward to welcoming Lars-Olof who, with his considerable experience of India , will enable us to contribute significantly to the country’s defence industry, forge new relationships with the Indian private sector and build strong, collaborative partnerships.” Saab recently signed an MoU) with ship-builder Pipavav Defense and Offshore Engineering Ltd. for a $38-million investment for building infrastructure and maintenance of military hardware.

Posted by- Neelam Mathews August 28, 2012 Philippine Airlines (PAL) has ordered 54 Airbus aircraft for its short haul domestic and international routes The airline has ordered 10 A330-300s (to replace its 777s) and 44 Airbus A321s. Deliveries start mid 2013.  Ten of the A321 are NEOs. PAL is planning to start service to the Middle East once its A330s arrive.

AIN Defense Perspective  »  August 24, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews A Dassault Mirage 2000 of the UAE air force stands ready at the 2011 Dubai Air Show. Thales will upgrade Indian Mirages with its RDY-3 airborne fire control radar. (Photo: Mark Wagner) August 24, 2012, 10:10 AM India’s government-owned electronics giant, Bharat Electronics ( BEL ), will sign a joint venture with France’s Thales next week to manufacture air defense components, AIN has learned from a senior defense official. The venture is expected to start operations within 18 months. ...

 Watch viideo by clicking link- PIIA-30_S_clip_NEWHD_720_Hi.wmv 22092K   Download    Posted by Neelam Mathews Aug 25, 2012 DRDO developed single stage Liquid Propelled Vehicle surface to surface PRITHVI ( P-II ) missile was successfully flight tested from Launch Complex III, Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Balasore District in Orissa. The launch was carried out by the Strategic Force Command ( SFC ) as part of regular training exercise, says the MoD.   PRITHVI II has a range of   350 Km, is India’s earliest developed and inducted indigenous surface to surface strategic missiles. Guided by an Inertial Navigation System (INS) and controlled by the thrust vector control and aero-dynamic control systems, the missile reached the predefined target in the Bay of Bengal with a very high accuracy of better than 10 meters. On September 24, 2010 the user trial of   Prithvi-II   from Chandipur in Orissa failed as it...

Neelam Mathews Aug 24, 2012 Here's some weekend viewing. We got a good response to the clip of the opening of Top Gun. So now we bring you a Korean version- released on Aug. 15, "Retun to base" (R2B)action movie about combat planes and fighter pilots. The movie is a South Korean version of Top Gun with T-50 planes of the Black Eagles and F-15Ks involved in crazy dogfights among the skyscrapers against enemy North Korean MiG 29s.

Neelam Mathews Aug 24, 2012 The first fully modified aircraft for indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems landed at CABS (Centre for Airborne Systems, Bangalore, a DRDO laboratory) at HAL airport.     The acceptance of the Aircraft was completed over a period of 15 days at Embraer facilities in Brazil by a team from CABS, its work centers, CEMILAC, DGAQA & IAF. “The aircraft ferried with several mission system external components of DRDO including the Active Electronically scanned Array Antenna with passive electronics fitted on the Aircraft,” said a statement. Following integration of the DRDO developed mission system, development flight trials in India will be held in 2013. The contract for the first aircraft delivered by Embraer was signed in 2008. The next aircraft is expected to arrive in December 2012.

Neelam Mathews Aug 23, 2012 Cathay Pacific has announced its expansion in India with a new 4 times a week A330-300 service to Hyderabad. The first flight to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) is scheduled to land on Dec.1, from Hong Kong.   “Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has emerged as an ideal destination for both airlines and passengers and is well equipped to handle the additional traffic. … This new Cathay flight will play an important role in promoting tourism….as well as offer convenient connections to the vast Chinese hinterland,” said Vikram Jaisinghani, CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL).

Neelam Mathews Aug 23, 2012 Starting Sept 16, Thai Smile, a subsidiary of Thai Airways (Thai) will be starting daily services to Hyderabad from Bangkok on brand new A-320 aircraft. “Thai Smile started twice daily non-stop service Macau in July and now the airline will connect India conveniently to Macau,” said Ravinder Talwar, Area Sales Manager, India Thai to Aerospace Diary. The service will replace the four flights a week of Thai to Hyderabad   to seven. Thai Smile is a new service by Thai with a fleet of all new Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 2 classes of service; ‘Smile’ Economy Class and ‘Smile Plus’ short haul business class service. Thai Smile will operate under the same Airline Operator Certificate, TG, to selected international destinations within 1-3 hours flight time from its hub at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. Travel with THAI Smile is designed to be vibrant, fun, speedy, trendy and while the airline is not a budget carrier like N...

Neelam Mathews Aug 22, 2012 With the delivery of its 13 th aircraft, slow and steadily growing GoAir has introduced a new flight from Lucknow to Delhi and Mumbai.  GoAir is the only low cost carrier in India offering a business class service aimed at SME customers. It recently entered into a contract with Germany-based and worldwide market leader Lufthansa Technik for maintenance and spare parts for its A320 fleet. “Within this financial year …..more flights are planned to connect major metros to Tier two and Tier three cities….. ,”   Giorgio De Roni, CEO, GoAir, said . GoAir services 22 destinations in India with 707 non-stop and over 2,000 connecting flights per week. An additional new aircraft will be added within the end of this financial year .

Posted by - Neelam Mathews Aug 22, 2012 Rolls-Royce has secured an £8 million contract to design and power a highly specialised buoy tender vessel for India. The vessel will be operating in remote waters off the east coast of India and around the Andaman & Nicobar Islands maintaining and replacing navigational aids and buoys, says Rolls Royce. The vessel will be built at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. in India, and is due for delivery in 2015.  The buoy tender vessel is a Rolls-Royce UT 755 S, which is a development of the well proven UT 755 series. In addition to the design, Rolls-Royce will also supply the main engines, propulsion system, automation and control system, deck machinery and shaft generators. Cochin Shipyard Ltd. has previously built over 20 Rolls-Royce designed vessels.

Neelam Mathews Aug 22, 2012 Having welcomed its 100,000th guest on board just a week ago, Scoot, Singapore’s newest low cost carrier, now doubles the celebration with the inauguration of its first Chinese city, Tianjin, on Qi Xi festival, the Chinese Valentine’s Day. All guests aboard the inaugural service from Singapore will be accompanied by Singapore’s radio DJ Jeff Goh. Scoot vouchers and tickets will be given away to the fastest Scoot’s Weibo fans who spot Jeff and his friends as they “Scoot” around Tianjin! In addition, Scoot will also be giving out prizes to lucky winners onboard its first service to Tianjin and back. Campbell Wilson, Scoot’s CEO said: “ Travellers in other Chinese cities will soon be able to join the fun…we’ll be announcing  additional mainland destinations very soon! ” Initially operating three times a week, the service will increase to four times weekly from 9 September 2012.