Aerospace Diary

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  MARCH 1, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS HAL is manufacturing a re-engined version of the evergreen Alouette II and Lama helicopter series as the Cheetal for the Indian army. (Photo: HAL) March 1, 2013, 10:20 AM The Indian Army has placed a $77 million order with Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ) for 20 Cheetal helicopters, a re-engined variant of the Aerospatiale  SA  316B Lama that was built under license in India as the Cheetah. The order is a short-term measure for logistics support to the Indian troops on the Siachen Glacier because of delays to the twice-bid competition for 197 reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters ( RSH ). The future of that requirement  is uncertain . HAL   has committed to “supply 20 Cheetals over the next four years besides providing training to its pilots and technical crew,” the company said in a statement. It has already delivered nine Cheetals from the 1...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  DECEMBER 14, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Negotiations for the sale of 126 Rafale combat aircraft to India have run into obstacles related to offsets and the role of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL). (Photo: Dassault Aviation) December 14, 2012, 12:40 PM More than 10 months after India chose the French Rafale  to meet its $15 billion medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA ) requirement , contract negotiations are mired in issues related to offsets, the transfer of technology and the role of Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ). The Press Trust of India quoted industry sources as saying that Dassault has requested from the Indian Ministry of Defence the freedom to decide the proportion of work to be done by  HAL , versus private Indian companies. Last February, Dassault signed an MoU with Reliance Industry, India’s largest private-sector company, for collaboration in manufacturing. At a French pa...

      AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  OCTOBER 19, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS According to Honeywell, the Indian version of the F125 will drop-fit into the country’s Jaguar strike aircraft engine bays. (Photo: Honeywell) October 19, 2012, 10:55 AM Honeywell has been asked to quote for the supply of 270  F125IN  turbofan engines to replace the twin Rolls-Royce Adour Mk 821s on India’s 125-strong fleet of Jaguar strike aircraft. The F125IN  is 600 pounds lighter than the Adour and is expected to enable 25-percent-shorter hot-and-high takeoffs. India’s Jaguars have become overweight and underpowered as a result of avionics and systems upgrades. Rolls-Royce previously pitched for an upgrade to the Jaguar’s existing engines, claiming that this would minimize aircraft integration issues, use existing infrastructure at Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ) and provide economies of scale with the HAL -built  ...

  Indian Air Force Chief Outlines Fighter Jet Plans AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS The second prototype of the Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA lands at Zhukovsky airbase during the recent Russian Air Force 100th anniversary airshow. India is negotiating development of its own version, the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft. (Photo: Chris Pocock) September 21, 2012, 11:40 AM An Indian negotiating team is heading for Russia to finalize details of the country’s participation in development of the Sukhoi T-50, also known by the Russian acronym  PAK   FA  and by India as the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft ( FGFA ). India is providing half of the expected $11 billion cost to develop the aircraft, and earlier  signed a preliminary design contract worth $295 million . The Indian development contract is expected to take six months to conclude,  AIN  has learned.. In an ex...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS The Alouette III was license-produced by HAL in India as the Chetak. September 14, 2012, 12:55 PM Maintaining India’s fleet of more than 230 aging Cheetah and Chetak reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters is turning into a nightmare due to unavailability of spares, according to  K.C.  Nanda, general manager of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s Barrackpore Division, who sounded the warning at a defense conference held in Kolkata in August.  HAL  built both the Cheetah and the Chetak under license from Eurocopter. The Cheetah is a version of the Eurocopter Aérospatiale  SA  315B Lama, single-engine helicopter that combines the lighter Alouette  II  airframe with Alouette  III  components and powerplant. The Chetak is a license-built Alouette  III . Production lines closed in France in the 1980s, and  HAL ...

AIN Defense Perspective » August 17, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews The Indian Navy wants to replace its aging HAL Chetaks, a license-built version of the French Alouette III. The Indian Navy has issued a request for proposal ( RFP ) for 56 light utility helicopters ( LUH ) to eight OEMs, including government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ). Submissions are due by January 7 next year, with the winner expected to enter service in 2016. The navy wants to replace its fleet of HAL Chetak helicopters, a license-built version of the Alouette III . Of the 85 Chetaks that the navy received up to 2002, approximately 60 remain in service. In addition, the coast guard operates 17. Submission periods are usually around three months, and the additional three months provided under this RFP are intended to give HAL time to prepare its concept and submit performance parameters that...