Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  -  December 12, 2018, 11:32 AM Two LCA Navy technology demonstrators have been built, the first of which is seen during ski-jump launch trials in 2016. The test facility at Goa is equipped with undercarriage restraints that allow the aircraft to apply full power before being released. (photo: Aeronautical Development Agency) As India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (INS Vikrant, IAC-1) reaches its third and final phase of construction at the Kochi Shipyard in South India, with sea trials to start in mid-2020, Chief of Naval Staff Sunil Lanba confirmed to  AIN  that the design for the follow-on IAC-2 has been frozen. India currently has one aircraft carrier, the refurbished 44,000-tonne Soviet-era Kiev-class carrier INS Vikramaditya, which is equipped with RAC MiG MiG-29K fighters. IAC-2 will take at least a decade to construct and will be a 65,000-tonne conventionally powered vessel in CATOBAR (catapult-assisted takeoff but a...

NWI - Naval Warfare 8th June 2018 - 10:23 GMT  |  by  Neelam Mathews  in Mumbai As Navantia awaits a bid to be opened for four landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships, the Spanish company showcased its indigenously manufactured  Juan Carlos 1  at Mumbai port this week. ‘India has been able to see the ship....Read moreon Shephardmedia

IMPS - Maritime Security 24th January 2018 - 02:01 GMT | by Neelam Mathews in Delhi Having initiated its 30-year submarine-building plan two decades ago to raise operational and indigenous construction capabilities, modernisation of the Indian Navy (IN) underwater fleet has been slow but rewarding. Chief of Naval Staff Adm Sunil Lanba related, ‘Way back we took a call that we’re going to be a ‘builders’ navy rather than buyers’ navy. We’ve built over 200 ships...read more in ShephardMedia

by  Neelam Mathews  -  November 29, 2017, 8:06 AM The S-70B Seahawk could still be India’s interim multi-role helicopter. After years of procrastination over selecting a new naval multi-role helicopter (MRH), the Indian Ministry of Defence may still make an interim purchase of up to 24 Sikorsky S-70B Seahawkss. This follows repeated appeals by the Indian Navy to hasten the program, given the state of its aging and depleted Sea King fleet and its ambitions to become a "Blue Water Navy." India recently issued a new request for information (RFI) for 123 MRHs to perform anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), electronic intelligence-gathering, and search and rescue (SAR). These helicopters would be procured and produced according to Delhi’s "Make in India" policy. However, “The Navy wants these [24 S-70Bs] yesterday,” a senior official told  AIN . The performance of the Seahawk has been accepted by the service, fol...

Neelam Mathews , Delhi Jane's Airport Review The Indian Navy (IN) has inaugurated the first of nine Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological System (IAAMS) installations, mainly using technology from Vaisala, under a contract worth an undisclosed amount. 1699771 IAAMS is shown to Admiral Sunil Lamba (second from left), Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy. (Indian Navy) Indian Naval Station Rajali near Chennai is the launch site, and it will serve as a testbed for future IAAMS deployments as the IN seeks to replace manual meteorological observations with automated real-time measurements with a suite of sensors. IAAMS installations at the other eight bases will be / ................................................more in Janes

DEFENCE NOTES 13th February 2016 - 1:47 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  The Indian Navy’s international fleet review, held off the Andhra Pradesh coast and featuring 75 warships plus 24 international warships, sent out a loud message. The force is moving beyond its initial role of protecting coastal waters to expand its role as a world-class blue-water navy. Already, India’s ‘Look East’ policy is gaining ground with Narendra Modi’s government upgrading it to ‘Act East.’ India has viewed with caution China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean, and its large investments in ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India’s policy has been led in part by a balancing act with China, and a desire for a greater international role following its economic growth.  In recent years, India’s readiness to play a bigger regional strategic role has expanded maritime relations with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Mari...

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 ...

Neelam Mathews May 7 2015 The U.S. has offered the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) to India, for its second indigenous aircraft carrier. (Photo: General Atomics) The Indian Navy will present a report on the configuration options for the second indigenous   Indian aircraft carrier ( IAC -2)   to the Ministry of Defense next month. At a recent seminar on the country’s naval aviation, it became clear that the vessel will likely be in the 65,000-ton class. It could be equipped exclusively with American aircraft or with a combination that might include the naval version of the French Rafale fighter. “The fighters must be transformational. We must decide on the aircraft first, and this choice must determine the design of the carrier and its deck,” said an official. “ We must plan for the future blue water navy that will be dependent on air power,” said former Chief of Naval Staff Arun Prakash. “A focus is required…new hardware is important [or] it ...

MARITIME SECURITY 10th April 2015 - 15:39 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  Following a seven-year wait India’s Defence Acquisition Council has cleared the way for production of the Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM) for the Indian Navy. It has opened up the possibility of dialogue between manufacturer  MBDA  and the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) following a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France and Germany on 9 April. The original project was called ‘Maitri’ and it envisioned development of truck-mounted SRSAMs for the Army to replace Russian Strella SAMs, Indian Air Force OSA-AKMs, and Indian Navy’s OSA-M.  Delay in a decision led to the Army and IAF purchasing indigenous 5.6m long, 25km range ‘Akash’ SAM. The IAF is inducting eight Akash squadrons, and the Army two regiments, of which one will be supplied shortly. Akash failed to meet the Navy’s requirements for the system that includes fire cont...

15 December 2014 - 10:39 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi  THE Indian Navy is strengthening the country’s coastal security by installing 46 coastal radar stations and 51 automatic identification centres.  It has also set up an Information Management Analysis Centre (IMAC) on the outskirts of Delhi to track the movements of some 250,000 fishing boats along the 7 ...for more subscription Shephardmedia.com

MARITIME SECURITY 30th October 2014 - 8:50 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  The The delivery of the first P-75 submarines for the Indian Navy has been delayed by at least another year, bringing the delay to four years in total. Shephard  has learned that the first boat, built by Mazagon Docks in Mumbai to a Scorpene-class design from French Shipbuilder DCNS will not be delivered until late-2016. This is at least a year later than expected. At Defexpo in Delhi in  February , DCNS told  Shephard  that the first boat would be commissioned in 2015. Originally when the programme was conceived the first boat had been due to enter service in 2012. The P-75 programme has faced considerable delays due to bureaucratic issues and problems with the local sourcing. The hulls for all six boats have been completed and are waiting outfitting. Meanwhile a Request for Proposal (RFP) for six more new diesel-electric attack submarines (SSKs) is expected in ...

UV ONLINE http://www.shephardmedia.com/news/uv-online/concerns-mount-over-indian-uav-developments/ 17th October 2014 - 10:53 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi Efforts to speed up development of the Rustom-2 MALE UAV appear to have stalled with neither confirmation on when production will begin nor delivery to the Indian Army, it has emerged. According to industry sources in India, the aircraft - which is designed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a wing of the Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO)- is due to undergo high speed taxi trials in December. However, there has been no confirmation on when production and delivery of 76 systems for the Indian Army will start for which a Letter of Interest (LoI) has been released. Specifications in the LoI require the MALE to have an all-weather capability to operate between 25,000 to 36,000 ft, an endurance between 36 to 48 hours, and a cruising speed of at least 90 knots. L...