Aerospace Diary

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  APRIL 5, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS April 5, 2013, 12:35 PM The  AgustaWestland deal in India for  AW 101 helicopters  that is being investigated after bribery allegations has prompted the Indian government to re-examine its already delayed defense procurement procedure 2013 ( DPP ). This is now focusing on “indigenization,” which defense minister  A.K.  Antony described recently as the “ultimate solution to the scourge of corruption.” In the interim, until the  DPP  2013 is released, amendments on revised offset guidelines will include preference for Indian suppliers for bids. The clause on application-based software for enterprise resource planning ( ERP ), for which Indian companies already have the skills, will be removed. To encourage system-based software development in civil and defense aerospace, high-end avionics, flight controls, flight control laws and Cat ...

Neelam Mathews Feb 27, 2013 We will get to the bottom of this," said AK Antony in Parliament on the AW helicopters scam deal answering a query of an Opposition party member. How low is the bottom, we ask? Like the deep blue sea, one suspects. a place we can never reach! No talk about why the Integrity Pact that makes it mandatory for the Italian company to release information in case of foul play. What sort of wussies are we? Release big amounts of cash and have the OEM dictate to you? Antony made sure his boring speech that totally went off track with a bit of emotion, had most of the members snoring! We will get to the bottom of this, said Antony."My party is fully backing me."  Really?  So, what's new? "There is a sense of helplessness..," said Jaitley of Antony's speech. Find the bribe-takers, he said. "For 3 decades India has a no middlemen policy. Have we made a breakthrough in a single  case?" 'What did the Bofors JPC d...

Neelam Mathews  Nov 27, 2012 Russian Helicopters, part of state defense holding Oboronprom has made its first civil medium multirole Mi-171 helicopter delivery to Indonesia. One of the largest mining companies acquired this certificated Mi-171 built by the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant.T he Mi-171 is an updated version of the renowned Mi-8. The new medium multirole Mi-171 can be deployed in various climates and temperature ranges - an important competitive advantage that was a deciding factor in the choice of an advanced Russian helicopter for use in Indonesia. Mi-171 series helicopters can be used to carry passengers and cargo, for geological surveying and patrol missions, and for fire-fighting and transfers to offshore drilling platforms. The Asia-Pacific region is a major driver of growth for helicopters. Of the 1,200 registered Russian-built helicopters operating in the region, more than 700 are from the Mi-8/17 series and almost 20 of this type for the military use in I...