Aerospace Diary

AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS  »  AUGUST 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS India’s air force rescued thousands trapped in the mountains after June’s landslides and flooding. August 2, 2013, 4:55 AM Landslides and flooding in the mountains of North India in mid-June that killed approximately 10,000 and stranded more than 80,000 triggered the largest-ever search-and-rescue operation by the Indian military. The more than 60 aircraft involved in the operation contended with treacherous weather, low visibility and strong winds; high-tension wires; and no infrastructure or lights on the ground in perilous landing zones with no helipads. “Military pilots are trained always to find a place to land,” Nasir Hanfee, retired  IAF  helicopter pilot, told  AIN . However, this skill can prove elusive for larger helicopters that need more space. For example, while a Chetak (Alouette  III ) can land in a three-meter-diameter spac...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  MAY 10, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS May 10, 2013, 10:30 AM The Indian Naval air arm is set to double its fleet of 217 aircraft in the next decade. The fleet–a mix of 14 models–“has emerged as a mini air force,” said assistant chief of naval staff (Air) Rear Admiral  D.M.  Sudan. On May 11 the Navy will commission the first of three MiG-29K squadrons at its base in Goa. One is for training. The 16 aircraft originally ordered have all been delivered, as have four of a further 29. They will fly from the aircraft carrier  INS  Vikramaditya  (previously  Admiral Gorshkov ), which has taken five years longer than planned to be refitted. Later, they will also fly from the Indian-built aircraft carrier ( IAC -1), which is under construction in Kochi in Kerala. The MiG-29Ks are replacing Sea Harriers that previously received a limited upgrade. The  VTOL  aircraft will b...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  APRIL 19, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS India’s contract with Pilatus for 75 PC-7 Mk II basic trainers is the first to include post-delivery maintenance. (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov) April 19, 2013, 12:55 PM The Indian Air Force ( IAF ) recorded its lowest accident rate in 36 years in the year ending March 31. The introduction of upgraded Western aircraft; quality audits of maintenance practices; increased use of simulators; and voluntary reporting of unsafe acts have contributed to the improved record, a senior official said at a recent media briefing. Of the five aircraft that crashed in the last 12 months, three of the losses were attributed to equipment malfunctions: a bomb fuse misfired on an Su-30; a fan blade failed in the recently overhauled engine of a MiG-27; and a MiG-21 suffered a pump failure. Human error caused the crash of a Jaguar fighter and a Chetak (Alouette  III ) helic...

Neelam Mathews April 2, 2013 The Indian Air Force (IAF) is in discussions with government-owned defence manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) about problems it is facing with a chip warning system that is repeatedly generating an alert on its Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) fleet. This has resulted in nine HAL/Turbomeca Shakti engines being replaced. ‘The warning light comes on because it detects chips in the system. That’s not a healthy way to operate a machine. The problem could possibly be because of a bearing undergoing premature assembly, or the casing not being machined properly [by HAL]’ a former maintenance engineer at the company told Defence Helicopter. While Turbomeca and HAL are in discussions to find a solution, the IAF, which has six spare powerplants for every 20 ALHs, is likely to run out of operable engines, leaving it with no spares should another emergency occur. ‘This means more AOGs,’ said an MoD official. HAL did not respond to requests for comment. ...

Neelam Mathews March 4, 2013 Defense Queries Answered Today (Verbatim) in Lok Sabha on- HAL- So what’s new? More Excuses? Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has taken up indigenous production of SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Advanced Jet Trainer (Hawk), Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), Advance Light Helicopter (ALH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and Dornier-228 for the defence forces. Dornier-228 program has been as per schedule. There have been some delays in deliveries in respect of production programs of other aircraft. In the initial stages of the projects, delays were due to additional re-work on jigs in Hawk, late receipt of drawings from Russia for Su-30 MKI, integration issues of Integrated Architecture and Display System (IADS) with Shakti engine and other new items in respect of ALH and design and development issues relating to IJT and LCA. The certification of IJT was also delayed due to an accid...

AIN NEWS LIVE FROM AEROINDIA  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Hindustran Aeronautics's weaponized Rudra advanced light helicopter has received initial operational clearance. February 4, 2013, 12:13 PM Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. ( HAL ) is expected to unveil an armed variant of its Rudra advanced light helicopter ( ALH ) at the Aero India show this week. The helicopter will be in the flying display along with the  HAL  Light Combat Helicopter. Meanwhile, scale models of the Light Utility Helicopter, Hawk, Light Combat Aircraft ( LCA ) and Su-30 aircraft in which the Indian group is involved on partnership terms will be on display at the company’s stand (Hall E, Stand E2.6). “For the first time, we will present to the world glimpses of prospective multirole fighter ( PMF ), also known as Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft ( FGFA ), under co-development with the Russians,” said  R.K.  Tyagi, chairman of...

Press Release-Posted by-Neelam Mathews Sept 17, 2012 Continuing with his dialogue on defense cooperation with the top leadership of Maldives, the Defense Minister AK Antony today called on the President  Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik In Male’ today. The  pictures are by Sitanshu Kar, who we hope, took some time off to dive! The 30-minute meeting was attended among others by the Vice President Mohamed  Waheeduddeen and the Defence Minister Col (Retd) Mohamed Nazim. The Indian delegation included Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, FOC-in-C Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha and  High Commissioner DN Mulay. The meeting ended with the two Defense Ministers exchanging the agreement, in the presence of the President, to station the Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter in Maldives for a further period of two years. Antony, accompanied by his Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Nazim, flew down to the picturesque Maafilaafushi...

Neelam Mathews/New Delhi The first full flight of India’s 5.5 ton Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) is expected in May after unspecified modifications are made following a hover and slow-speed cyclic maneuver in late March. Developed by government defense manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), the two-seat variant of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) made a 20-min. flight Mar. 29 that allowed pilots to carry out low-speed and low-altitude systems checks using hover, clockwise and counter-clockwise maneuvers, and four circles of HAL’s home base at Bengaluru. Presently, the 12-ton Mi-35 is the only attack helicopter in the Indian air force inventory. Machine guns and rocket launchers have been mounted on Mi-17s medium lift transport helicopters. The LCH is powered by Turbomeca- Shakti (Ardiden 1H) engines, a collaboration between HAL and Turbomeca. They produce 1,200 shp, an upgrade from the 1,000 shp of the ALH’s Turbomeca TM 333-2B2. The LCH has its weapons algo...