Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Aug 14, 2014   Recently, while visiting the head office of a US publication I write for regularly, I was surprised to hear myself as was my editor, to hear me wax eloquent on the new government and its plans and how we as Indians finally saw hope on the horizon. For a person reporting deals and scams for the past few years, this was a transformation, and the editors eagerly offered me numerous assignments. Digging a bit deeper for my stories, I sadly found the same bureaucratic mindset and stubbornness to change and a ministry making unofficial leaks, ensuring journos hear their point of view alone. Twitter and a news agency is now the government’s mouthpiece and they do not reply to queries! Dear lord- this administrative inertia is what I had not voted for! I had voted for a promised change in policies to push India ahead, a fresh mindset and a freedom of expression- within limits of course. All this was reinforced after I read a story on Rol...

DH- Nov 2012 While India has acknowledged it needs to move rapidly to replace its elderly service helicopter fleets, government red tape and protests by losing bidders are holding up acquisition efforts, reports  Neelam Mathews. India’s plans for modernising its military aviation capabilities, including big-ticket deals such as the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft requirement for 126 jets, also have a substantial rotarywing component, with the objective being to induct more than 900 helicopters within the next decade. Demand for civil and military rotorcraft in India is projected to increase by an average of 6% annually, with a number of separate purchases being planned by the military, which recognises that acquisition needs to be done at a fast pace to replace a rapidly ageing fleet. The purchase of an RSH has been deferred by the Indian government, much to the fru...

Neelam Mathews Oct 10, 2011 Time- 9.30am IST The first test for the offsets policy may just be on the board. Eight VVIP AW119 helicopters supplied to India by AugustaWestland have yet to deliver on their offsets. The helicopter was chosen over its competitor, Sikorsky.  The company has honored a miniscule percentage. According to the contract, it must complete $160million worth of offsets by next year. Failing this, there is a penalty of 5% -which though, gets covered in the contract along with a significant fine every year, it could face the risk of blacklisting. “It is not a well structured offsets program. They have not said where they are sourcing parts from clearly,” a defense official told Aerospace Diary. Last year AgustaWestland proposed the manufacture of the AW119 in India following a joint venture announcement with the Tata Group for final assembly, completion and delivery. The progress of the project is not known to Aerospace Diary. “This significant order...

News Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Feb 17 , 2010 , p. 02 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — AgustaWestland and Tata Sons have signed a Shareholders Agreement for the formation of an Indian joint venture company to build a final assembly line in Hyderabad in South India for the AW119 helicopter. The agreement was signed here by Giuseppe Orsi, CEO of AgustaWestland, and Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons. The joint venture company will be responsible for AW119 final assembly, completion and delivery, while AgustaWestland will retain responsibility for worldwide marketing and sales. With an initial international order of 50-60 helicopters, the joint venture will roll out the first aircraft from its Indian plant in 2011. The plant will initially have the capacity to produce 30 helicopters annually. AgustaWestland, which also has a facility in Philadelphia, says it will continue looking for its facility in India to grow. “As the market grows, we will look at other models,” Graham Cole, managi...