Aerospace Diary

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  NOVEMBER 23, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS An Indian engineer performs a bench test of some avionics equipment. Government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. is expanding its avionics capabilities. (Photo: HAL) November 23, 2012, 7:20 AM Government-owned Indian defense manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. ( HAL ) has launched a $12 million Strategic Electronics Manufacturing facility spread across 196 acres in Kasargod in the southern state of Kerala. It will produce advanced avionics for aircraft and helicopters. The facility is the manufacturing extension of  HAL ’s Hyderabad-based R&D unit for avionics–the Strategic Electronics Research and Design Center. The new factory will make airborne special purpose systems, such as mission computers, display processors and radar computers for the Russian MiG-27 and Su-30 combat aircraft, and the Indian light combat aircraft ( LCA ).   AI...

Neelam Mathews Oct 16, 2012 India has delayed its Request for Proposal for replacement of 56 Avro transport aircraft, a pilot project, that for the first time ever, was set aside for an OEM with an Indian private partner without participation of government-owned HAL. With Russia and India signing the initial design phase contract for the $600-million 18 to 20 ton (payload) Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA), the duplication of effort by the government is becoming increasingly clear with the visiting deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin to India stressing Russia was ready to cooperate in producing a transport plane with a payload of six tons as well. IAF Avro The private industry program seems doomed before it takes off. With 16 aircraft expected to be delivered in flyaway condition, just 40 numbers are not attractive enough for the industry that was hoping to get a minimum of 200 orders to make investment and project viable. This, we believe, will not be happe...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE »  JUNE 1, 2012 by  NEELAM MATHEWS The Indo-Russian Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) will be a high-wing, twin-turboprop design. (Photo: HAL) June 1, 2012, 2:20 PM India’s Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has signed a contract with Russia’s United Aircraft Corp Transport Aircraft (UAC-TA) to co-develop the 15- to 20-metric-ton-payload multirole transport aircraft (MTA). The pair formed a joint venture, Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd, in 2010, following an inter-governmental agreement three years earlier. The MTA is likely to be derived from the Il-214 twin-turbofan design by the Ilyushin Design Bureau. It will have a maximum takeoff weight of 65 metric tons; payload capacity of 15 to 20 metric tons; cruise speed of 430 knots; a range of up to 1,460 nm and a service ceiling of 39,400 feet (12,000 m). “The investment for the program is $771 million,” junior defense minister M.M. Pallam Raju told the Indian parliament recently. India require...

Neelam Mathews Oct 5, 2011 As India and Russia held their annual meeting to review the defense ties in Moscow on Oct 4, with a protocol signed after the Eleventh meeting of the India-Russia Inter-governmental Commission on Military Technical, co-chaired by the Defense Minister AK Antony and his Russian counterpart A.E Serdyukov, Antony expressed India’s concern at the tardy progress made in the design and development of the Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MTA). Antony also pointed out the vexing issue of delayed export clearances for vital repair equipment for already contracted weapons systems affecting supplies of defense equipment and spares.  Reconfirming the delivery timeline of Aircraft Carrier INS Vikramaditya, Antony said: ‘We are keenly awaiting the induction of the Aircraft Carrier into the Indian Navy.  This project has attracted considerable public attention in India.  We hope that the induction will take place, on schedule, by end 2012. We also hope t...

News AWIN First Sep 10 , 2010 Neelam Mathews mathews.neelam@gmail.com New Delhi After months of wrangling, India and Russia have now formally signed off on a joint venture to co-develop and produce a twin-engine Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA). The industrial partners are United Aircraft Corporation and Rosoboronexport on the Russian side and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The deal was finalized late September 9. The JV builds on an intergovernmental agreement on the development of the MTA which was signed in 2007. The main features of MTA include maximum takeoff weight of 65 metric tons, payload capacity of 15-20 metric tons, cruise speed of 800 kmph with a range of 2500 km. (1550 mi.). The development cost is estimated at $600 million to be shared equally. The MTA is expected to be derived from the IL-214 twin-engine military transport designed by the Ilyushin Design Bureau. The final agreement on the MTA was delayed over disagreement on financial terms. The exact de...

News AWIN First Sep 09 , 2010 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI India and Russia are in the process of finalizing a deal for the joint development and marketing of a Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA), AVIATION WEEK has learned. This follows an intergovernmental agreement on the joint development of the MTA signed in 2007. Russia will hold a 53% share in the joint venture, while India will hold 47%. In a parallel development, there is a report out that Aeroflot is looking for an Asian base — possibly in southern India — for a maintenance facility that could service the MTA, but this could not be confirmed. The final agreement on the MTA was delayed when the Russian Finance Ministry refused to reinvest India’s rupee debt to Russia into the MTA project. The Indian air force also was not interested in a turbojet, according to an official. “We are at the initial stage of the project. Maybe in six to eight years we shall have the prototype of the aircraft flying,” a senior Hindustan A...