Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  -  January 14, 2019, 1:26 PM The first AH-64E for the Indian Air Force first flew in July 2018. The army is also to receive six of the type. (photo: Boeing) The Indian Army is looking forward to putting into operation a range of helicopters, of which its most prized are six Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters being acquired as part of a follow-on order to the deal India signed for 22 Apaches and 15 Chinook heavy-lifters for the Indian air force (IAF) in September 2015. However, the row that has been ongoing for over six years between the Indian Army Aviation Corps (AAC) and IAF concerning who will operate the attack helicopters may be simmering again. The Ministry of Defense assigned ownership, operation and maintenance of attack helicopters to the AAC in November 2012, but the current status remains elusive.The Indian Amy Chief, Bipin Rawat, accepted when talking to  AIN  on January 10 that the IAF will get their Apaches first, an...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  AUGUST 9, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS A line-up of MiG-29Ks belonging to Indian Navy squadron 303, which was commissioned in late May for service aboard the INS Vikramaditya. (Photo: Indian Navy) August 9, 2013, 10:30 AM India will launch its 37,500-ton  indigenous aircraft carrier ( IAC -1)  on August 12 at the Cochin Shipyard in Kerala. The ship is scheduled for induction by the end of 2018. Meanwhile, the former Russian aircraft carrier  Admiral Gorshkov , now the  INS Vikramaditya,  conducted final trials in the Barents Sea this week with its squadron of MiG-29K combat jets embarked. It is due to be delivered by year-end, after a delay of more than four years. Designed by the Directorate of Naval Design, the  IAC -1 will be named  INS  Vikrant . It is 260 meters (850 feet) long and 60 meters (200 feet) wide. Powered by four gas turbines, it will be capab...

Issue- Nov 2012 Neelam Mathews A battle is brewing in the Indian military over who will get the first consignment of the 22 AH-64D Apache attack helicopters ordered by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The dispute comes in light of a recent directive, despite opposition from the IAF, which will permit the Indian Army to procure and operate its own attack helicopters in future. ‘At this point, the fundamental decision is taken. Whether it will be single or twin ownership needs to be worked out and is a matter of detail. The army, now, has a larger role in prioritisation and tasking,’ army spokesman Col Jagdeep Dahiya told Defence Helicopter on 17 October. The army requires around 16 attack helicopters and ‘a roadmap to absorb capability, including training and logistics as per the army’s modernisation plan’, has been worked out.However, the IAF remains unforgiving. ‘Yes, Apache is final now,’ IAF Chief ACM NA...