Aerospace Diary

June 19, 2015    By Chris Pocock and Neelam Mathews   Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ) has chosen the Honeywell  TPE331 -12B turboprop to power its proposed new basic trainer. The  HTT -40 is the delayed indigenous candidate to replace the old  HPT -32 piston-engine basic trainer in the Indian Air Force ( IAF ). After delays in development of the  HTT -40, the  IAF  bought 75 Pilatus  PC -7 Mk  II turboprops as an interim measure. Those aircraft are now being delivered. “ Our  TPE331 -12B is one of the most widely used and capable turboprop engines in service today,” said Anjit Ghosh, president of Honeywell Aerospace India. “With our engine at its core,  HAL ’s new, locally developed  HTT -40 will offer pilots rapid acceleration, low fuel consumption, improved reliability and the ability to train for a variety of missions.” However, the  IAF  is reportedly reluctant to i...

Neelam Mathews June 19, 2015 The civil aviation policy promised last year by the new Indian government is stalled, leaving new carriers Vistara and AirAsia India hoping for a relaxation of the rule that mandates a domestic carrier must fly for five years and have a fleet of 20 aircraft before it can fly internationally. There is good news, however, with increasing attention on engineering design services and component manufacture in the commercial and business aviation sector, opening opportunities in this sector. “Defense offsets in the procurement guidelines can be used in the civil aviation sector. This has the potential to give a major boost to this sector in the country. We are looking at it and will take it forward,” confirmed Ashok Gajapathi Raju, India’s Civil Aviation Minister. The Indian  MRO  market was estimated to be worth roughly $800 million in 2011 by consultants Frost  &  Sullivan, and was to touch $1.5 billion by 2020. This h...

Neelam Mathews June 19, 2015 Bangalore-based Aequs Aerospace, India’s largest private integrated aerospace components maker, has fully acquired Paris, Texas-based T&K Machine. This is the first international aerospace-related manufacturing buy by an Indian company, Aequs chairman and  CEO  Aravind Melligeri told  AIN . “This acquisition will give us an entry into Boeing and other customers. The   U.S.   company will handle low volume runs that include shipsets below four units, primarily for the   B777   and 747, as they provide logistic challenges to ship,” said Melligeri. “The   U.S.   aerospace and defense industry might have slowed down for now, but we do know business will open soon.” Larger volumes will be manufactured in Aequs’ India facility. “A large inventory provides enough room for cost savings,” he said. Aequs hopes to absorb through its  U.S.  facility packages worth $10 million this year. “A...

Neelam Mathews June 18, 2015 Pg 9 Folks! Sorry about the blank post. Thanks to readers for pointing it out. http://issuu.com/ain_ publications/docs/paris_ airshow_news_06_18_15

Neelam Mathews June 15 2015 As part of the "Make in India" initiative, Tata Advanced Systems links up with Airbus to produce C-295 transports in country. Airbus said every one of its programs includes parts from India Defense manufacturing in India is undergoing a transition from a traditional buyer-supplier relationship to a more open and transparent one. Easing of licensing policy, an increase in foreign direct investment from 26 to 49 percent and a forecast that envisions a 10-fold increase in exports (presently at a miniscule 0.3 percent) are drivers propelling a defense sector currently riding high on the “Make in India” program. The initiative was launched and promoted widely by new Prime Minister Narendra Modi. An attempt to boost GDP, Make in India sees aerospace and defense (among other industries) as its focus to enhance skill development and build an efficient manufacturing infrastructure. Transparent policies and speedy implementation are also...

Neelam Mathews June 15, 2015 Prme Minister Modi and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, left, have taken the relationship between his nation and India "out of the closet." India’s thrust in the past year to get a greater slice of the international defense equipment pie has resulted in a host of agreements being signed in the first five months of 2015, under the new Narendra Modi government. The country is aggressively tapping the world for hi-tech equipment. Underscoring India’s aerospace technology plans, Minister of State for Defense Rao Inderjit Singh said the focus is to “open opportunities for innovative minds to exploit the globally evolving spirit of teaming up and pooling resources.” Modi has not been shy of talking openly about relations with Israel, which is a top-three exporter of arms, following India’s establishing of diplomatic relations with the country in the early 1990s (which it kept under wraps due to sensitivities). He will become the fi...

by  Neelam Mathews  - June 12/15 2015, 9:50 AM The clearance for the acquisition of 36 Dassault Rafales as part of India’s medium multi-role combat aircraft bid, following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France in April, is attracting small and medium companies to enter into partnerships to provide offsets for the $4.24 billion deal. The latest to enter the fray is India’s OIS-AT (Hall 5 D210), which has signed a joint venture with French company Rafaut (Hall 2B C157), a specialist in weapons for aircraft interface devices. OIS-AT (Offset India Solutions-Advanced Technology) will “leverage Rafaut’s know-how on the manufacture of pylons and allied interface equipment that carry munitions and stores on aircraft and helicopters, at a new facility planned in Bengaluru [formerly Bangalore],” said the Indian company. Universal or specific pylon design, development and production are parts of Rafaut’s core business. For...

Neelam Mathews June 4 2015   Psychologist: “How will you handle a pax if he is unruly inflight?’ Trainee Pilot: “I will follow all Standard Operating Procedures.” Psy: “What if the airline has no SOPs?” TP: “I’ll then ask the lead crew to be assertive.” Psy: “What if the unruly pax is a VIP?” TP: “I will warn him and ask male crew to help me isolate him in the cabin. Psy: “Suppose if there is no male crew…?” And the psychologist went on to ask the trainee not only the rules regarding the alcohol limit for passengers, but under what section/page it appears in the regulator’s rule book. Frankly, if an airline has no SOPs  to handle unruly passengers , it has no business being in business. But that’s beside the point. The conversation above is a snippet from a recent 10-20 minute “psychometric test” carried out for the first time by national carrier Air India and an Indian Air Force psychologist on young aspirant pilots applying for jobs at t...

MIL-LOG 28th May 2015 - 15:02 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  India’s Defence Acquisition Council has approved the Indian Air Force bid for the supply and production of 56  C295  transport aircraft. The new aircraft will replace its ageing Avro 748Ms and comes as a piece of good news for Airbus Defence and Security which was hit by the  crash of an A400M  aircraft on 9 May causing the deaths of four crew. The clearance for the $2.4 billion project comes on the heels of the visit of Spanish Minister of Defence to India in March, who had offered to take the project on a government-to- government level. The sole bidder consortium comprises Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) as the Indian Production Agency in partnership with Airbus DS.  Within two years of a contract signing, up to 16 flyaway aircraft......read more on ShephardMedia