Aerospace Diary

ROTORHUB 04th October 2014 - 20:16 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi  The saga of India’s  cancelled VVIP AW101 helicopter  procurement rumbles on, with Indian Air Force (IAF) now looking at upgrading around nine Mi-17 V5s for VVIP use.  Some of the helicopters will be ready for VVIP operations in six months, said Chief of Air Staff ACM Arup Raha, while addressing the media on the 82nd anniversary of the IAF. India cancelled the AW101 deal with AgustaWestland in January following allegations of wrongdoing and has since recovered the 45% advance it paid. The three AW101s already delivered were until a few months ago flying sparingly due to lack of rotables but are now fully grounded............................................ While the IAF will upgrade the Mi-17V5s at its .............................Read more on Shephardmedia

ROTORHUB 29th September 2014 - 21:21 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi  Despite India’s Defence Acquisition Council having cleared the opening commercial bids for the delayed Indian Navy 16 Multi-Role Helicopters (MRH) tender on August 28, uncertainty hangs over the programme. The two final contenders are the  NHIndustries NH90 NFH  and  Sikorsky S-70B  but indications are that domestic production will be built into the programme. Reports from the US, where India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently visiting, suggest that the Sikorsky buy could be favoured in official circles, given the fallout with AgustaWestland that led to cancellation of the  AW101 VVIP  helicopter procurement. Questions also linger about the urgency of the need for the MRH given the state of the navy’s aging and depleted Sea King fleet.Adm RK Dhowan, India’s chief of Naval Staff, told Shephard: ‘The case is in its ....Read more on Shephard.com......

A INONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Hawk trainer engines are at the heart of an inquiry that is being held into Rolls-Royce dealings in India. (Photo: BAE Systems) March 6, 2014, 8:00 AM India’s Central Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into Rolls-Royce military deals. The investigation began just a day before the announcement of forthcoming elections and the beginning of the “model code of conduct” that disallows announcement of new projects. The probe follows a voluntary disclosure last December by Rolls-Royce to its partner Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd ( HAL ) that it had used a consultant, Singapore-based Aashmore, for sales and logistics support in its business in the energy sector. While civil and military projects generally do not overlap, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) has nevertheless put on hold the repair, overhaul and supply of Adour Mk 871 engines for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy  BAE  Syst...

Nov 20, 2013 Finmeccanica informs that a delegation of its subsidiary AgustaWestland in New Delhi today had a meeting with the representatives of the Indian Ministry of Defense regarding the contract for the supply of 12 VVIP AW 101 helicopters to India. On this occasion, AgustaWestland confirmed that the written response to the exceptions raised by the MOD will be delivered by the due date of 25th November.  AgustaWestland - re-emphasizing the correctness of its actions on each stage of the helicopter tender - has designated Justice B. N. Srikrishna, former Supreme Court Judge and former Chief Justice High Court Kerala, as representative of the arbitration procedure, required by the same company. 

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  NOVEMBER 1, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Cabins for the Sikorsky S-92 are manufactured in India. The company is seeking to replace AgustaWestland as India’s new VIP helicopter supplier. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) November 1, 2013, 10:30 AM Sikorsky Aircraft is lobbying to replace AgustaWestland ( AW ) as the supplier of  VIP  helicopters to the Indian Air Force. The company is already building fuselages for the S-92 in India. Meanwhile, the Indian Minister of Defense confirmed that the ministry had sent a legal notice to AgustaWestland regarding the contract for 12  AW 101s , now in jeopardy after the company allegedly violated the terms of a pre-integrity pact. The company has 21 days to respond. “Sikorsky will be more than willing to provide the helicopters, the more so as we are building the cabins in Hyderabad,” said Arvind Walia, regional executive, India and South Asia, for Sikorsk...

21 August 2013 - 10:14 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources have criticised the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General ( CAG ), claiming the auditor’s report into the controversial  AW101 VVIP helicopter  deal failed to comprehend basic facts. The  CAG  presented its  report  to the Indian Parliament on August 13, highlighting the government’s failure to follow procedures in awarding the contract to AgustaWestland for 12 AW101s in 2010. The deal is also under scrutiny in Italian courts due to alleged bribes paid to officials in India. The bid for VVIP helicopters was first released in 2002 for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to replace its aging Mi-8 helicopters. After the  EC225  emerged as the only candidate, the contract was rebid in 2006. The  CAG  report claimed the subsequent process saw laxity in decision making and a number of discrepancies. ‘From the framin...

PARIS AIR SHOW  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Sikorsky S-92 cabins are now being manufactured in India under a joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems. The facility recently increased production to four units per month. June 17, 2013, 2:40 AM As vendors await the announcement of belated contracts, India continues to grapple with its ever-changing  defense procurement policy , with the latest– DPP  2013–announced and effective from June 1. The focus of  DPP 2013 is on buying Indian defense products, even though these can fill only a fraction of the country’s requirements. It is being viewed as a kneejerk reaction to bribery allegations surrounding the procurement of AgustaWestland  AW 101  VVIP  helicopters. “The new procedures will give further impetus and a new momentum to indigenization,” Defense Minister  A.K.  Antony said recently. “We also [want] to aggressively pursue indigenizatio...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report March 19, 2010 NEW DELHI — Sikorsky Aircraft says the procurement process for the 12-aircraft VIP helicopter program recently nabbed by AgustaWestland lacked transparency, and that Sikorsky’s proposal offered the best value. The Indian defense ministry just signed a deal for 12 AW101 helicopters for the high-profile Air Force Communications squadron. According to an official who was not willing to be named, Sikorsky’s S-92 cost $50 million apiece against the AW101’s $75 million. “We are very disappointed and have made our intentions known,” says another participant in the competition. It is believed that the U.S. ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer, also has expressed dissatisfaction to authorities here. Sikorsky’s complaint against the three-engined AW101 is that “apples should be compared with apples,” and no 101 is being used to ferry high-level VIPs, like heads of state. VH-71 A 101 design was at the heart of the erstwhile VH-71 presiden...