Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Jan 4, 2014 Do read my story on UAVs in Asia. Link Below- http://plus.shephardmedia.com/publications/magazines/unmanned-vehicles/volume-19-number-1/

Neelam Mathews Dec 17, 2012 Replies to questions in Lok Sabha by Defense Minister A.K Antony: The Indian Air Force (IAF) presently operates Embraer Executive Jets and Boeing Business Jets for VIP I WIP duties. All these aircraft are equipped with Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance Systems and Ground Proximity Warning Systems as anti-collision features. The total cost of procurement of these aircraft and the associated equipment is inclusive of the collision avoidance systems mentioned above.  IAF has decided that all aircraft to be procured by them in future will have anti-collision technologies incorporated in them. The type of equipment will depend on the role and operational employability of the aircraft. The US Government has requested to conduct search and recovery missions in the North East region to recover the remains of US service personnel presumed to have been killed in aircraft crashes in the region during World War II. So far, three such missions have be...

  Posted by- Neelam Mathews March 31, 2012 As we reported two days back , Data Patterns Group and SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica Company, have signed a Head of Terms agreement with a view towards forming a Joint Venture later this year.  The JV will be located in Chennai, India and “will focus on a broad range of defense electronic products and state-of-the-art technology developments. The two companies will leverage their strong development and manufacturing capabilities and their advanced product ranges.”  The JV will be their primary vehicle for bids. The joint venture will provide greater thrust to critical technologies at a product and system level in ‘Buy and Make’, ‘Make’ and ‘Offset’ programs in the areas of Avionics, Navigation, Radars, UAVs, FINSAS etc in the Indian defense market and also facilitate access to export markets. “This joint venture will bring a technology value to India’s growing defence programmes” said S Rangarajan, CEO of Data Patterns Group...

Press Release Feb 27, 2012  The Indian Army is all set to begin a major exercise in Rajasthan named 'Ex Shoor Veer' commencing from March to May 2012 in which all formations and units of Jaipur based South Western Army Command will participate to validate its war-fighting doctrines in a joint service environment. The exercise will be based on the integrated theatre battle concept and will involve the elite Corps Strike one in the lead and will be joined by the Chetak Corps.   Joint Service synergy will be enhanced by active participation of IAF in this exercise.   With over 20,000 troops participating in the exercise, this will be one of the largest military manoeuvre conducted so far.   The exercise aimed at rapid mobilization involves several mechanized operations towards offensive operations, Battlefield transparency and operational plans based on real time situational awareness will be enhanced using intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 2, 2011 The government does not propose to manufacture small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of less than 200 Kgs. Private industry is allowed to manufacture and market small UAVs, said the minister of state for defense M.M Pallam Raju,  replying to a query in the Lok Sabha. DRDO has developed 370 Kg UAV "Nishant" and 800 Kg "Rustom-I" for the Army, having endurance of 4 and half hours and 12-15 hours respectively. Small UAVs generally have very low Radar Cross Sections and may not be easily detectable by radars.

Global Dispatches Defense Technology International May 01 , 2011 , p. 19 Neelam Mathews New Delhi India’s military wants to buy 1,500 UAVs Printed headline: Ramping Up India is increasing procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), a critical need in light of the insurgency it is fighting in the northeast, the ongoing threat of terrorism, tension along the Pakistan border, and its emerging role as a regional naval power and subsequent need for persistent maritime surveillance. The military wants to acquire at least 1,500 unmanned systems in the next 3-4 years, ranging from man-portable drones to high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) vehicles. A request for proposal (RFP) is expected this month from the army for 530 systems, capable of flying at 14,000 ft. An air force RFP will be released simultaneously for 150 systems, with ceiling of 22,000 ft., endurance of 1.5 hr. and 4-5 kg (8.8-1...

Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, chief of the air staff of the Indian Air Force, caught up with ShowNews’ Neelam Mathews last week to discuss his expectations for procurement, and immediate plans for increasing force levels. ShowNews: What is the status of the Medium  Multi Role Combat Aircraft bids? Where do  you see it moving from your perspective? CAS: This month, the Commercial Negotiation  Committee (CNC) will start. We have  given recommendations [to the Ministry of  Defense (MoD)] as to who meets the criteria and who does not. [The CNC is constituted  under the MoD. Its members are drawn from  the Acquisition Wing, the Service headquarters,  users, quality assurance directorate, and  the R&D organization]. All the six (vendors) meet 95% of the  requirements. SN: What are the technologies you expect to  get from foreign vendors? CAS:We expect to import raw metals, single  crystal engine blades, and, for th...

Feb 15, 2011 FUNDING & POLICY NEW DELHI — As air traffic growth in India puts pressure on available airspace, the country’s unmanned aerial vehicle industry is calling for a centralized body to draft regulations and set standards for UAV systems. “Though currently in India it isn’t a major issue, in the next five to six years as smaller systems take to the sky, we will need regulation similar to [that] being drafted in the U.S. by the FAA,” says Avdhesh Khaitan, CEO of Kadet Defense Systems. Kadet has been awarded a long-term contract from the Indian defense ministry for its all-composite, low-subsonic 350 JX2 Radio-Controlled Aerial Target System, with deliveries to start in two months and span five years. The JX2 is to be used as a missile test target. “The basic problem in India is that UAVs are needed urgently because currently only Searchers and Herons are operated from the command level,” a defense official says. “They need to understand the circumstances under which ...

April 7, 2010, FUNDING & POLICY NEW DELHI — Many areas in east India are now under alert following the April 6 insurgent attack in which rebels trapped and gunned down 75 security personnel in the state of Chhattisgarh. The attack comes just more than a month after India’s Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said that the homegrown insurgents, known as Naxals, were regrouping under the pretense of a cease-fire, and violence would increase. The attack might result in a change in the government policy to involve the army and air force to deal with the rising threat. An emergency meeting was called April 6, Aerospace DAILY learned. “Deploying the army in anti-Naxal operations has the army uneasy, as it is not in the interest of the army to wage war against its own country,” an official told Aerospace DAILY. Heavy collateral damage among civilians is also likely to spark emotions. “Insurgency has grown as a result of social issues such as neglect, lack of education and misguided youth t...