Aerospace Diary

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Dec 31, 2013

AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS  »  DECEMBER 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS December 3, 2013, 12:15 AM India’s newly acquired status as a host for one of each season’s Formula One Grand Prix car races has provided a prime opportunity for the country to demonstrate its readiness to embrace business aviation. The world’s highest profile auto sport has continued to be a strong magnet for private and corporate jets, and the race in Delhi on October 27 was no exception. From an aviation perspective, the event ran relatively smoothly, especially compared with its first staging in India in 2011 when delays related to clearing customs and onerous taxes soured the experience for visiting operators. However, the difficulties race organizers encountered in meeting their obligations to operate special helipads around the race venue–primarily to allow for emergency medical flights–revealed the continued inadequacy of the regulations covering Indian roto...

Posted by- Neelam mathews Dec 25, 2013

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Dec 24, 2013 Even budget carriers have a heart it seems! AirAsia X, the long-haul, low cost carrier affiliate of the AirAsia Group today celebrated the joy of Christmas eve with 331 passengers on board flight D7 372 from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei. All passengers onboard the flight received a surprise Xmas gift – one return free flight voucher to a selected AirAsia X destination which includes flights to Hangzhou, Chengdu, Taipei, Perth and Adelaide. Ofcourse they will have to buy their return tickets- well thought out gesture!   Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X said, “Our X-mas giveaways today is part of our surprise token of appreciation to our passengers in conjunction with this joyful celebration. As Christmas is all about joy, love and heartwarming moments, we wanted to show ours by rewarding our guests and we hope it was a memorable traveling experience for them.”                   ...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Dec 22, 2013

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Dec 19, 2013 Norway is expected to announce its decision to buy 16 AW 101s with an option for six more, AgustaWestland's search and rescue helicopters for around £1billion. AW  defeated its nearest rival- Eurocopter's EC725. Norway's helicopter is similar to the 12 India purchased, the contract of which is frozen following the corruption accusation. India sealed the contract in 2010 for €560million. If the RFP is revised and rebid, the costs are expected to be much higher.

 T he following are major ongoing projects of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lagging behind schedule: Project Probable Date of Completion (PDC) Original Revised Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Phase-II December 2008 December 2015 Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA, Navy) Phase-I March  2010 December 2014 Aero-engine Kaveri December 1996 December 2009 # Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) System October 2011 March 2014 Long Range Surface - to - Air Missile (LR-SAM) May 2011 December 2015  Air-to-Air Missile Astra August 2012 December 2016 PDC has been further extended within the sanctioned cost and scope. The following are some of the reasons for delay in completion of the above projects :- (i)                   Ab-initio development of the state-of-the-art technologies. (ii)  ...

DRDO LABORATORIES New Delhi:  Agrahayana 26 , 1935         Tuesday, December 17, 2013 Being a Mission Mode Organisation, DRDO undertakes projects for design and development of products required by the Armed Forces.  Futuristic requirement of products for defence personnel are projected by the Armed Forces in terms of Qualitative Requirements (QRs).  As    a result, products are to be developed by DRDO as per their QRs. There is no separate funds allocated by DRDO for products developed for defence and civilian use. However, details of funds utilised by the DRDO during last three years (2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13) and funds allocated during the current financial year 2013-14 are given below:                                      ...