Aerospace Diary

Sorry-posting it a bit late! AEROSPACE Mag -UK Rafale deal sealed at last 21 October 2016 In the wake of India's deal to acquire 36 Dassault Rafale fighters,  NEELAM MATHEWS  analyses this key defence procurement. A new dawn for Indian air power? (Dassault Aviation)  Four years after Dassault Aviation’s Rafale was chosen for India’s 126 Medium Multi Role Aircraft, India and France have signed a watered down deal for 36 aircraft valued at €7.87bn. It includes 28 single seaters at €91.7m each and eight twin seaters at €94m each. India has become the third international customer to buy Rafale after Qatar and Egypt. India will receive the first Rafale fighter within 36 months of signing the agreement while the remaining jets will be delivered in the following 30 months. “We have requested them to (deliver it) as fast as possible,” said defence minister Manohar Parrikar. Analysts view this in the backdrop of increased cross border tensions following n...

by  Chris Pocock  and Neelam Mathews  - April 15, 2015, 4:45 PM This model of the Rafale in Indian Air Force markings was displayed at the last Aero-India show. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) The new Indian government’s decision ‘in principle’ to  buy 36 Rafale combat aircraft  direct from the Dassault production line in France, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 10, appears to spell the end of the medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA ) acquisition process. Speaking on Indian television two days later, defense minister Manohar Parrikar acknowledged that the protracted delay in closing the  MMRCA  deal, caused largely by difficulty in agreeing terms and conditions for licensed production of the Rafale in India, had not served India well. Under the  MMRCA  plan, the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) would have received its first squadron of 18 Rafales from France, 12 single- and six twin-seaters. A further 108 woul...

AIN NEWS LIVE FROM AEROINDIA  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Indian defense minister AK Antony has expressed his impatience over long delays to HAL's Light Combat Aircraft program. {Photo: Pradip Dasgupta, Indian MoD]]. February 5, 2013, 7:00 AM India’s defense minister A K Antony today admonished the country’s Defense Research Development Organization ( DRDO ) for “delays in delivery” and said he was “impatient” to see completion of the Light Combat Aircraft ( LCA ) program. Antony was addressing the “Aerospace products- challenges in design to deployment” seminar held as part of the biennial Aero India show in Bangalore. “I am happy for your achievements at  DRDO  but not fully happy,” said the minister. “Delay in delivery is a real problem… Try to speed up your process and reduce time [taken] for research, development and production. Delays should be avoided.” “The very long gestation period of developm...

AIN Defense Perspective » May 4, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews The naval prototype of India’s Tejas light combat aircraft made its first test flight on April 27. May 4, 2012, 2:15 PM   The naval prototype of India’s Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) made its first test flight on April 27. Already delayed by four years, the program still faces design concerns, including weight. Strengthening of the rear airframe for carrier operations, and the addition of an arrestor hook, has made the aircraft about 1,000 pounds overweight. “The naval variant of the LCA will require the F414 Enhanced Performance Engine [EPE] providing up to 26,500 pounds of thrust, a 20-percent boost,” an Indian Navy official told AIN . General Electric and Boeing have proposed the EPE for future versions of the F/A-18E/F Super Horne...

Press Release Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 29, 2012 The indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft Tejas LCA Navy NP1 made its maiden flight in Bangalore when Commodore JA Maolankar, Test Pilot and Wg Cdr Prabhu, Flight Test Engineer completed a 22 minutes flight.  During the flight the aircraft was put through various manoeuvers including low speed handling and even undertook a close formation flying at slow speed with another aircraft. Earlier the LCA Navy NP1 had completed various intensive Ground testing regimen including Low Speed Taxi Trials (LSD), High Speed Taxi Trials (HSD), Ground Vibration Test (GVT), Structural Coupling Test (SCT) and extensive system integration tests with power plant using State-of-the-Art facilities at Bangalore HAL airport. With this India has crossed a major milestone in Design, Development, Manufacturing and Testing of a “four plus” generation Carrier Borne Fly-by-Wire STOBAR aircraft, says MoD. LCA Navy aircraft is the first attem...