Aerospace Diary

DEFENSE by  Neelam Mathews  and Chris Pocock  -  May 15, 2015, 7:26 AM A groundbreaking deal to build C-295s in India will push sales of the twin turboprop well beyond 200. (Photo: Airbus D&S) India’s Defense Acquisition Committee ( DAC ) has cleared a  groundbreaking project   to acquire 56 medium transports from a private Indian company. Tata Advanced Systems ( TASL ) will partner with Airbus Defence   &   Space to supply C-295 twin turboprops as replacements for the aging Avro 748Ms of the Indian Air Force. Those aircraft were license-built by government-owned   HAL , which was not allowed to bid for the $2.4 billion replacement project. An Airbus  D&S  spokesman told  AIN , “We welcome the finding of the  DAC  and we look forward to a formal contact with the Indian Ministry of Defence that will let us know the steps to follow in the evaluation of the C-295 proposal.”...

ROTORHUB 14th May 2015 - 16:22 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  India has opted for the Kamov  Ka-226T  for its long-running requirement for a reconnaissance helicopter, in an indication the Modi government is doing all it can to keep its geo-political relations intact. Following a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC) chaired by Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar on 13 May, approval has been granted for the licensed-production of the Turbomeca Arrius 2G1-powered Ka-226T for the Army Aviation Corp and Indian Air Force.  In two previous cancelled bids  the Ka-226T  was a competitor for the reconnaissance/ surveillance helicopter requirement against the  Airbus Helicopters AS550 C3 . The project has ......xport .......more on Shephard media

Neelam Mathews May 13 2015 If the cards fortell right, or rather some MoD sources, the DAC being held today after close of the Parliament session, we are hearing, might give the green signal. While the road ahead  isn't exactly paved perfect, it will be a feather on the Modi govt's cap. Do let's wait and see folks. 

by  Chris Pocock  and Neelam Mathews May 7, 2015 he latest maritime surveillance version of Dassault’s business jet line is based on the Falcon 2000LXS. (Photo: Dassault Aviation) The recent selection by the Japan Coast Guard ( JCG ) of the Falcon 2000 is the first sale of the Maritime Surveillance Aircraft ( MSA ) version of this super-midsize business jet. Dassault previously sold   MSA   versions of the Falcon 900 to the French Navy and several coast guards, including the   JCG . L-3 Platform Integration will do the conversion work on the two Falcon 2000s sold to the   JCG , and Thales will provide its   Amascos mission system , which already equips the   JCG ’s two existing Falcon 900s.  The Falcon 2000   MSA   is based on the   Falcon 2000   LXS   and “offers the best combination of size, payload, speed, range and acquisition/operating costs,” according to Dassault. Thanks to leading-edge slats ...

Neelam Mathews May 7 2015 The U.S. has offered the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) to India, for its second indigenous aircraft carrier. (Photo: General Atomics) The Indian Navy will present a report on the configuration options for the second indigenous   Indian aircraft carrier ( IAC -2)   to the Ministry of Defense next month. At a recent seminar on the country’s naval aviation, it became clear that the vessel will likely be in the 65,000-ton class. It could be equipped exclusively with American aircraft or with a combination that might include the naval version of the French Rafale fighter. “The fighters must be transformational. We must decide on the aircraft first, and this choice must determine the design of the carrier and its deck,” said an official. “ We must plan for the future blue water navy that will be dependent on air power,” said former Chief of Naval Staff Arun Prakash. “A focus is required…new hardware is important [or] it ...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  May 5, 2015, 10:14 AM Even as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  restored India’s safety oversight to Category 1  in March following a 14-month  downgrade to Cat-2  under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, Indian authorities will make presentations this month on their country’s safety status to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).   As India looks to expand its economic footprint with fiscal engagement in the Asian region, air connectivity gains added importance, making it imperative to ensure and project a satisfactory air safety record. “Every country is concerned about safety and it cannot be compromised,” Indian minister of civil aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju told  AIN . “ICAO sets the standards and we were downgraded by the FAA…Now we’re back with many issues ...

ATC Neelam Mathews   - IHS Jane's Airport Review 30 April 2015     A380-800 in Singapore Airlines (SIA) livery. SIA and Malaysia Airlines are the first carriers to adopt the SITA OnAir AIRCOM Flight Tracker. Source: SIA Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Singapore Airlines (SIA) will implement global flight tracking using SITA OnAir's AIRCOM Flight Tracker, starting in mid-2015. The system will be rolled-out across their entire fleet. SITA made a conscious decision to focus only on a couple of airlines for the trials in order to bring the solution to the market quickly. In pursuit of this objective it worked closely with SIA and MAS,  IHS Jane's  learned. The trial period helped overcome challenges in collaboration and coordination between the two partners and in the two airlines identifying their specific requirements. While SITA is in talks with other airlines in the region, the decision to identify Asian carriers was a natural corollary to ...