Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  -  August 30, 2018, 9:38 AM The Indian Navy has been approved to buy the MH-60R from Sikorsky to replace the dwindling fleet of Westland Sea Kings, the first of which entered service in 1971. Here a late 1980s-vintage Sea King Mk 42B is seen in June this year while visiting the U.S. Navy carrier Ronald Reagan. (photo: U.S. Navy) The Indian Ministry of Defence has finally granted approval to acquire 24 anti-submarine and anti-ship Multi-Role Helicopters (MRH) in answer to a decade-old "urgent" requirement. The news does not come a day too soon for the Indian Navy (IN). The proposal is to acquire Sikorsky MH-60Rs (“Romeos”) by a U.S. Foreign Military Sales channel. Earlier a  direct-sale of the similar Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk  had been approved in principle but foundered over drawn-out price negotiations. The acceptance of necessity (AON) for the MH-60R buy is valid for 18 months, which ordains that the order will have to be made...

Pix Neelam Mathews (copyright) Neelam Mathews Dec 6, 2017 ShephardMedia The Indian military’s desire for UAVs will soon be boosted with further RfPs. While the army is already processing  an RfP  for mini-UAVs, India is looking to push on towards integrated army, navy and air force buys for   MALE   and HALE UAVs, for which RfIs have already been issued ...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  July 10, 2017, 3:50 AM Honeywell’s “Connected Aircraft” demonstrator reached India last week, after appearing at the Paris Air Show and heading east via Copenhagen, Moscow and Dubai. And while most of the company’s briefings in and around the Boeing 757 testbed have stressed  the advantages to be gained from real-time connectivity  by commercial operators,  and their passengers , the technology has clear military applications. Honeywell invited a large number of senior officials from the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) and Indian Navy ( IN ) on a flight from Delhi on July 4. “ We have had a good response from our aviation customers and we are in talks with Indian carriers for deployment of connected technologies,” said Neelu Khatri, president, aerospace, Honeywell India. However, she refused to comment on the military aspect of the product. But the  IAF  and  IN  are experiencing high  AOG  rates w...

Neelam Mathews AEROSPACE / FEBRUARY 2017 After years of procuring equipment from overseas, the Indian Navy is keen to modernise its capability using its own indigenous platforms. NEELAM MATHEWS reports. As security challenges in the region emerge, India is increasingly focusing on modernisation and capability building of its military. The Indian Navy’s guideline document, ‘Indian Naval Indigenization Plan (INIP) 2015-2030,’ articulates its requirement for advanced systems for its platforms and, while the policy priority is clear that there should be a commitment to maximise indigenous production, it does not underscore the need for quality. LCA v/s Global Fighter Clearly, speed is of the essence as delays in procurement decisions in the past have plagued the growth of upgradation. For instance, the naval single engine, Compound-Delta-Wing, tailless Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk2) being designed and developed by the government-Aeronautical Development Agency, along with state def...

UVonline The Indian UAS market is looking strong after years of stagnation. Neelam Mathews rounds up the latest development T hanks to the government’s push to ‘Make in India’ combined with some longoverdue action on procurement decisions that had taken a back seat for the past decade, UAVs are high on the agenda for military and security agencies. Newly forged public-private partnerships are driving growth in an industry that was previously restricted by slow-moving statesector development programmes. Given the country’s manufacturing boom, ‘initiatives of development are being done in India [now] at multiple levels as sources of technology are dispersed, and are not dependent on just one or two OEMs’, said Rahul Gangal, partner in the New Delhi office of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. India’s 6Wresearch has forecast the domestic UAV market will reach $421 million by 2021, although this figure may need to be revised given the i...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews May 9, 2014 At about 1115 hrs on 09 May 14, a loud noise was heard in the Boiler Room of INS Ganga, while the ship was in drydock undergoing repairs / refit.  The cause of the loud noise is possibly due to gas accumulation.  There has been no fire or any damage to any equipment in the ship.  Two sailors and two civilian dockyard workers were taken to hospital, only for precautionary checkup and have been immediately discharged.  The situation is normal. Press Statement

Posted by- Neelam Mathews July 28, 20 11 The Indian Navy will see three key appointments starting July 29. Rear Admiral MT Moraes will take over as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Submarines) in Delhi. Rear Admiral Srikant will take over as Flag Officer Submarines (FOSM) based at Visakhapatnam and Rear Admiral G Ashok Kumar will take over as Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) at Kochi. ACNS (SM) looks after perspective planning and acquisition of submarines for the Indian Navy. A role that assumes critical importance as the Indian Navy is pursuing vital submarine acquisition plans, says IN. FOSM is the class authority on submarines and is responsible for defining standards, policies and procedures for operations and maintenance of submarines in the Indian Navy. FOST is the authority responsible for operational sea training and work up of all surface ships.

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report April 5, 2009 NEW DELHI — The Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy are holding SIMBEX 2010 — the Singapore Indian Maritime Bilateral Exercise - in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal April 3-16. Cooperation between the two countries’ navies has evolved over the years from training-oriented anti-submarine warfare exercises to complex exercises involving multiple facets of sea operations. They now include a wider range of sea-going operations,ranging from platform-specific exercises in damage control and firefighting to complex three dimensional threat scenarios involving air,surface and submerged threats. The exercise will be conducted initially in the Andaman Sea and then move to the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Navy has fast attack craft,landing ship tank, destroyer, tanker, submarine and fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Singapore’s navy is participating with the RSS Intrepid(Formidable Class frigate)and RSS Victory (Victory class mi...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — India on April 1 launched its third indigenous naval destroyer, INS Chennai – built under the code name Project 15 Alpha — which will be commissioned into the navy in August 2013. The ship will have stealth features, an advanced action information system and a comprehensive auxiliary control system. The 163-meter-long ship is propelled by four gas turbines and is designed to reach speeds above 30 kt. It will be fitted with 16 torpedoes and supersonic BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles that enable it to engage shore-based and naval surface targets at longer range. The ship’s air defense capability is designed to counter airborne threats and anti-ship cruise missiles. It will revolve around the vertical launch, long-range surface to-air missile system being co-developed by the Indian government’s Defense Research and Development Organization. The warship also is equipped with an indigenous sonar and electronic warfare suit...