Aerospace Diary

19th February 2016 - 9:54 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  BAE Systems has  down-selected Mahindra Defence & Aerospace  as its business partner for a proposed in-country Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT) facility for ultra-lightweight howitzers for the Indian Army.  Discussions are ongoing between the US and India for a foreign military sale (FMS) of 145  M777A2 howitzers. ‘It is logical for the two companies to partner because of historical proximity and significant investments that both have made over time in an effort to work with each other,’ Rahul Gangal, a partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, told  Shephard . Although a 2008  joint venture for mine-protected vehicles  between BAE Systems and Mahindra was later reversed, the former had capitalised resources within Mahindra. These processes ‘are as valuable as work share’, a vendor said. Furthermore, ...Read more ...subscription ShephardMedia

Neelam Mathews June 30, 2014 Air Indias B-777s and crew put on standby to fly to Iraq to bring stranded Indian citizens back home, is a misplaced decision. Simultaneously, the government has released a tender on June 26 for a wet lease charter to fly to Iraq. While it is still not clear whether any response has been received to the tender   ( http://aerospacediary.blogspot.in/2014/06/breaking-air-india-wants-to-charter.html ) which we have viewed, it was clearly urgent. Questions come to the fore as to why a commercial national carrier is carrying out a role meant for the Air Force and Indian Navy. "Clearly India has no military clout and political leaders need to address this. Indian military aircraft will not be allowed in the war zone," said a former Indian Air Force official. After all, we did get the C-17s. It is clear that more needs to be done on the strategic front.” Recently a C-130J transporter of the IAF crashed. The investigation results have not been...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  OCTOBER 11, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS India will receive its first 10 C-17s by next year. Six more are expected to be ordered. (Photo: Indian Air Force) October 11, 2013, 12:25 PM The Indian Air Force ( IAF ) has expressed concern that major aviation-related defense procurements will be delayed following the sudden death of Arun Kumar Bal, Ministry of Defense chief negotiator for air acquisitions. “It will take around three months for his replacement. This is a setback for anything the  IAF  is acquiring,” Air Chief Marshal  NAK  Browne told  AIN . One such acquisition is the approximately $20 billion contract for 126 Rafale fighters the service ordered from Dassault Aviation to fill its need for a  medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA ) . A contract signing had been expected by the end of this year, but this “will also be delayed,” said Browne. Furthermore, the j...

PARIS AIR SHOW  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS The Maharajah’s seventh 787 awaits delivery June 18, 2013, 10:30 AM Air India’s seventh  GE nx-1B-powered Boeing 787 of the 27 ordered is taking flight at the flying display here at the Paris Air Show. The airline will take delivery of this 787 next month, and a total of eight by the end of this year, five in 2014, six in 2015 and two in 2016. A Qatar Airways 787, which flew at the Farnborough Air Show last year, is also on static display here. Air India’s 787 operations are flying on the domestic sector from Delhi to Bangalore, Kolkata and London. Plans are afoot to start flights to Birmingham, Rome, Milan, Melbourne, Sydney and Moscow, Air India managing director Rohit Nandan said recently. Nandan had last year indicated the importance of the 787 for Air India, which has been struggling to use its 777s effectively. “Dreamliners are expected to achieve great performa...

Neelam Mathews Jan 26,2013 China's large 4-engined military transport- Y-20- developed by 603 Institute, XAC and SAC, smaller than the C-17 and based on some IL-76MD technology, made its first flight on Jan 26. Assistance was also sought from Antonov Design Bureau in 2008. Its max payload was expected to be 50~66t and max TO weight 180~200t. It is capable of taking off from relatively short and unpaved runways, like the C-17. It is  unclear whether the aircraft will have an IFR probe installed. The Y-20  appears shorter than  Il-76MD , bearing some resemblance to Japanese C-2 transport. 

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Jan 23, 2013 Boeing delivered the first of 10 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters for the Indian Air Force (IAF). India's first C-17 will now enter a U.S. Air Force flight test program at Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, Calif. Boeing is on track to deliver four more C-17s to the IAF this year and five in 2014, says a statement. India's Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with the U.S. government on June 15, 2011, to acquire 10 C-17 airlifters, making India the largest C-17 customer outside the United States. The governments finalized the Foreign Military Sales contract for the airframe on June 6, 2012.

ROTORHUB 06 December 2012 - 10:24 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi India has confirmed its purchase of 15 Boeing Chinook CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters for the Indian Air Force (IAF), sealing the fate of the Russian Mi-26T. Both the helicopters had qualified for technical trials and it is understood the CH-47F scored on lifecycle costs, a vital ingredient in all request for proposals released by India. ‘The cost of the contract will depend upon the outcome of the contract negotiation with the L1 vendor [lowest bidder], which has not yet concluded,’ defence minister AK Antony announced in parliament on 5 December. The field evaluation trials for the CH-47F helicopters conducted by the IAF ‘have found them to be compliant with all the stated Air Staff Qualitative Requirements’, added Antony.  He said ‘divulging further details… may not be in the interest of national security’. Boeing is expected to sign the contract by April 2013 and delivery ...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  DECEMBER 7, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Aerospace offsets are under examination in India. Boeing is supposed to offset $600 million of the cost of supplying P-8I maritime patrol aircraft. (Photo: Boeing) December 7, 2012, 9:22 AM India’s audit body for government projects, the Comptroller and Auditor General ( CAG ), has censured the Ministry of Defense for violations in the offset clause of five projects for which waivers were given. As a result, the  CAG  says, more than $376 million in foreign direct investment for the Indian aerospace industry has been lost. The projects were all started before India  introduced its latest offset policy  earlier this year. CAG  named Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Rosoboronexport and MiG in its report, which noted the lack of any value addition by the nominated Indian service provider. The MoD did not respond to many of its queries, said t...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 1, 2012 Press Release Boeing in Long Beach integrated the forward, center and aft fuselages and the wing assembly of India's first C-17 Globemaster III during the airlifter's "major join" ceremony. Embassy, senior Indian Air Force and local elected officials drove ceremonial rivets into the aircraft as they celebrated the achievement of this key program milestone. India's Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with the U.S. government on June 15, 2011, to acquire 10 C-17 airlifters, making India the largest C-17 customer outside the U.S. Those governments finalized the Foreign Military Sales contract for the airframe alone on June 6. "The defense relationship between India and the United States is an important dimension of our strategic partnership," said Ambassador N. Parthasarathi, Consul General of India, San Francisco. "This momentous occasion, where we see India's first C-17 take shape...

FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW  »  JULY 10, 2012 by Neelam Mathews July 10, 2012, 6:00 PM Embraer and Boeing signed an agreement here yesterday to collaborate on the integration of new weapons on the  A-29 Super Tucano single-engine turboprop trainer . The deal adds yet another twist to the saga of the  U.S.  Air Force Light Air Support ( LAS ) program, where the Super Tucano is pitched against the somewhat similar Hawker Beechcraft  AT -6. Embraer and Boeing said their new cooperation would not only enhance the Super Tucano solution for  LAS , it would exceed the requirement “in ways that are important to the customer.” There is a wider context to the news; Embraer and Boeing signed a broad cooperation agreement in April, followed two months later by a deal to collaborate on Embraer’s new  KC -390 airlifter. “Why not space in the future?” said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, president of Embraer Defesa  &  Segura...

India’s Procurement Policy Remains A Challenge FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW  »  JULY 12, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS July 11, 2012, 6:05 AM Boeing has expressed in no uncertain terms to  AIN  the pain of having to honor offsets in India and the challenge of managing a constantly shifting policy landscape. The growing Indian defense budget  ($44 billion by 2016) may be attractive but it would seem that the trials and tribulations being faced by initial winners such as Boeing could be a significant downside for the foreseeable future. “The biggest challenge is the defense procurement policy [ DPP ],” Christopher Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft, told  AIN . This is not just a Boeing challenge but an industry issue…The intentions of the Indian government that the Indian industry should grow, we support,…but the speed [of acquisition] cannot absorb the offsets.” Defense procurements in India call for an...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 30, 2012 Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) have been signed with the Government of the United States (USG) for the procurement of C-17 Globemaster aircraft as well as six C-130J aircraft along with associated equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF) The estimated cost of the procurement of the C-17 aircraft is US $ 4.116 billion while the cost of the procurement of the C-130-J 30 aircraft is US $962.4 million, says defense minister AK Antony in parliament. . The cost of an aircraft depends on its specifications, configurations and equipment on-board. The cost at which the aircraft is being supplied to India is commensurate with the cost at which C-17 aircraft is supplied to the United States Air Force and its allies. All ten C-17 aircraft and their associated equipment are expected to be delivered to the IAF between June 2013 and June 2015. The induction of the C-130 J30 aircraft commenced in February 2011 and five aircraft have been induc...

U.S. Department of Defense Press Release on Contracts dated Feb 2, 2012 The Boeing Co., Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $1,781,413,723 firm-fixed-price contract for a modification is a Foreign Military Sales requirement for the Indian Air Force.  Ten C-17 aircraft will be procured for the IAF.  The location of the performance is Long Beach, Calif.  Work is expected to be completed by Jul. 28, 2014.  ASC/WLMK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8614-06-D-2006, DO 0009).

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 3, 2011 Defense Minister AK Antony answering to queries said: ·          India needs around 250 Fighter Jets for induction in Indian Air Force from 2018 onwards. ·          There is presently no proposal for procurement of additional C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for the Indian Air Force. ·          Acceptance of Necessity for acquisition of Six Submarines under Project-75(I) has been accorded by the Defence Acquisitions Council. The proposal is being progressed. Cost details would be available on finalization of contracts. ·          A Preliminary Design (PD) contract has been signed between HAL and Rosoboronexport, Russia in December, 2010 for implementation of design & development of Prospective Multi-role Fighter (PMF) Aircraft program by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) jointly with ...

Neelam Mathews July 6, 2011 Time- 11:35pm IST EXCLUSIVE!  Eco Wash for IAF engines? Neelam Mathews July 6, 2011 The Indian military may finally be waking up to the reality of keeping costs down and understanding the power of moving towards a green culture. Pratt & Whitney is in discussions with the Indian Air Force for its EcoPower engine wash for its fleet of aircraft, Aerospace Diary learns from a government official. The Indian air force has around 1400 aircraft. Should the IAF agree to go green, the project will be carried out in phases, starting with western engines of the Mirages first and then after developing manifolds, moving to the Russian engines. The equipment will be based at strategic units at numerous air bases in the country. While the project may not be very lucrative in financial terms, it is bound to get P&W visibility and recognition of its line maintenance services. The EcoPower(R) engine wash service uses a closed-loop system with pure, ato...