Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews   Jan 26, 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India’s intention to acquire Rafale fighters from Dassault and military helicopters from Airbus, in talks with President François Hollande. France’s nine-year wait for a contract from India for the Rafale is not quite over, but an inter-government agreement covering acquisition of 36 fighters was signed during President François Hollande’s visit to New Delhi on January 26. Invited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day military parade in New Delhi, Hollande also joined the Indian leader in witnessing the confirmation of a previously announced partnership between Mahindra Defence and Airbus Helicopters. The Rafale signing “has effectively transformed the nature of the transaction from a commercial bid to a government to government sale,” Rahul Gangal, partner with consultancy group Roland and Berger, told  AIN . While Dassault Aviation...

12th January 2016 - 9:43 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  National governments along the eastern rim of the Indian Ocean are beginning to regulate the activities of private maritime security contractors (PMSC), as a court in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu sentenced the crew of the MV  Seaman Guard Ohio  to five years hard labour. The vessel (pictured above in Singapore in 2012) was seized and 35 persons arrested for unauthorised entrance into Indian waters while in possession of firearms and illegally purchasing 400 gallons of diesel from a local agent on 13 October 2013. The incident came at a time when the maritime High Risk Area in the Indian Ocean extended to the west coast of India, following the spread of piracy into the East Arabian Sea. In November 2015 the Sri Lankan government launched a crackdown on floating armouries used by private maritime security companies operating in its waters. As a result of which one company saw its license for an ...

by  Neelam Mathews , Jan 7, 2016 Star Alliance founder member United Airlines’ network operations center in Chicago keeps abreast of flight planning, weather forecasting, crew scheduling, maintenance control and ATC liaison. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) Airlines pay a steep price for their memberships in global alliances, but with those costs come the benefits of pooled investment in modernizing information technology hubs and connectivity systems. For Star Alliance, the use of technology to accelerate complex booking and operational processes ranks among the chief advantages, according to executives attending a recent chief executive board meeting in Chicago hosted by founding member airline, United. In June, Star Alliance collaborated with Sabre to use an industry-first technology to simplify booking of its Round the World fares. Travel agents connected to the Sabre global distribution system ( GDS ) can now book and automatically calculate the corresponding f...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  January 6, 2016, 1:34 PM The sole current operator of the US-2 amphibian is the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). (Photo: Chris Pocock) India's aerospace industry stands to miss out on a production partnership for Japan's ShinMaywa  US -2 amphibian aircraft, according to sources close to the situation. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi last month and stressed “the full potential of an India-Japan strategic and global partnership.” However, a deal proposed  during their previous meeting  in 2014 for final assembly in India of the  US -2 remains unsigned. Indian defense industry sources speaking to  AIN  on condition of anonymity said that the delay might cause the Japanese to turn instead to Indonesia as a production partner. Japan’s Ministry of Defense presented a detailed report on production arrangements for the amphibian in India last year, but ...