Aerospace Diary

by  Chris Pocock  and Neelam Mathews  - April 15, 2015, 4:45 PM This model of the Rafale in Indian Air Force markings was displayed at the last Aero-India show. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) The new Indian government’s decision ‘in principle’ to  buy 36 Rafale combat aircraft  direct from the Dassault production line in France, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 10, appears to spell the end of the medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA ) acquisition process. Speaking on Indian television two days later, defense minister Manohar Parrikar acknowledged that the protracted delay in closing the  MMRCA  deal, caused largely by difficulty in agreeing terms and conditions for licensed production of the Rafale in India, had not served India well. Under the  MMRCA  plan, the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) would have received its first squadron of 18 Rafales from France, 12 single- and six twin-seaters. A further 108 woul...

Neelam Mathews April 16, 2015 Following India’s delayed decision on the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), a process initiated in 2000, the announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first day of his trip to France on Apr 13, for an ‘in principle’ clearance for the outright purchase of 36 Rafales in flyaway condition, is being seen as a game changer in the way defense procurement will now be done in India. The buy includes life cycle support and 50% offsets, AerospaceDiary learns While India is expected to exercise its option clause for 18 Rafales in future for outright buys that will take its Rafale squadrons to three, in a recent interview by IBN7 with Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar clearly indicated a desire to produce a single-engine fighter on Make in India basis. According to Parrikar the original deal for 126 is valued at approximately $14.50 billion, which leaves a large amount of money to consider the single-engine fighter. We are guessing it wi...

Neelam Mathews April 14, 2015 India’s new government has put its sluggish defense procurement on track by ordering two squadrons for 36 Dassault Rafales. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the order during his recent visit to France. The buy includes life cycle support and 50% offsets. The 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) has been lying in cold storage over the liability clause on the Rafales produced by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) that Dassault was to be held responsible for. By buying the aircraft in flyaway condition, this will no longer be an issue.  For the fighter squadron-starved Indian Air Force (IAF) looking to replace its obsolete MiG-21s and MiG-27s, the announcement has come as a lifeline. While official figures state the squadron strength at 34,  Shephard  has learnt it is less than 28. The original contract for the 126 included 18 in flyway condition and the rest were to be produced in India under transfer of product...

MARITIME SECURITY 10th April 2015 - 15:39 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  Following a seven-year wait India’s Defence Acquisition Council has cleared the way for production of the Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM) for the Indian Navy. It has opened up the possibility of dialogue between manufacturer  MBDA  and the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) following a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France and Germany on 9 April. The original project was called ‘Maitri’ and it envisioned development of truck-mounted SRSAMs for the Army to replace Russian Strella SAMs, Indian Air Force OSA-AKMs, and Indian Navy’s OSA-M.  Delay in a decision led to the Army and IAF purchasing indigenous 5.6m long, 25km range ‘Akash’ SAM. The IAF is inducting eight Akash squadrons, and the Army two regiments, of which one will be supplied shortly. Akash failed to meet the Navy’s requirements for the system that includes fire cont...

RotorHub Neelam Mathews Apr 10, 2015 The first two of eight medium lift   Mi-17 V5   helicopters were inducted by the Indian homeland Border Security Force (BSF) Air Wing inducted on 9 April. However five of six earlier Mi-17 IVs bought in 2003 remain festering in a hangar for lack of spares and training as a result of a turf war between the BSF and  Indian Air Force  (IAF). With a maximum takeoff weight of 13000kg the new V5 aircraft will provide a boost to the starved capability of the force that operates in arduous and inhospitable conditions of rebel-invested areas and on India’s vast northeast, west and eastern borders. However, the buy has brought in a reminder of the acrimony between services and which assumes responsibility for the helicopters.                            (Pixs by Neelam Mathews (Copyright)) Deliveries will be completed by the end of the year and BSF Direct...

Neelam Mathews April10 2015 Prime Minister Modi has announced India will buy 36 Rafales off the shelf. Watch this space.....

Category 1 status will benefit Air India and Jet Airways--the two Indian carriers that fly to the US. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) Neelam Mathews April 8, 2015 The  U.S.  Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) has restored India’s aviation safety ranking to Category 1 under its International Aviation Safety Assessment ( IASA ) program.  U.S.  Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx made the announcement on Wednesday during a meeting with India’s Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju. After 14 months of enduring  Category 2 restrictions , India now complies with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ). Foxx commended the government of India “for taking corrective action to address the safety oversight issues identified during the  IASA  process.” The major hurdle faced by Indian regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) centered on hiring additional flight-safety ...

Neelam Mathews April 2, 2015 Pegasus Asia, born out of Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines’ partnership with Kyrgyz airline Air Manas, is expanding with new routes and increased frequencies. The latest feather in the Bishkek-based airline now includes twice-weekly scheduled flights to Delhi. Kazakhsthan based Air Astana already runs five services a week to Delhi. The aim of Pegasus Asia is to make Bishkek a hub for Central Asia said a spokesperson, by making it a transit point for onward travel to Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the Far East. Having launched the first Bishkek-Istanbul flights on March 21, it runs daily flights between Bishkek Manas International Airport and Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Passengers can now connect from Delhi to Istanbul via Bishkek with fares starting at just £156, said the spokesperson. The carrier’s connections to Central Asian destinations will provide a respite to Indian students and businessmen heading to Osh in Kyrgyzstan...

Posted by Neelam Mathews Kindly sent by a reader April 7 2015 The Aviation Minister made a shocking statement today on how he carried a matchbox inflight as he was never frisked these days. Besides he quipped: "What harm can a matchbox do." While we'll leave that to everybody's imagination and horror filled nightmarish thoughts, here's some comic relief. Perhaps we can hope to see similar fun announcements aboard our domestic flights? Hopefully we haven't lost our sense of humor.

Neelam Mathews April 1, 2015 No it is not an April Fools Day joke. India needs a CDS and fast. Alongwith the change in the new government that has promised a lot and not as yet delivered fully, let’s face facts. Cash isn’t exactly flowing from the tap. We need efficiencies in our system that come from commonality. Why not take a leaf out of Spain’s experience that has a CDS for four decades whose duties have evolved with changing times. Today, after drawing out a plan that includes threat perceptions for the next decade, a plan is charted out by the services that discuss equipment procurement, and commonality. Procurement is given to one supplier getting the country the best deal from economies of scale. Maintenance, whether it be weapons, too is shared. This gets me wondering about our petty issues that reminds one of two boys squabbling on who will fly the Apache. “Me!!! says the IAF…No Me, says the Army.” In retrospect, how insular can we be. Is this really in ...