Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Jan 7, 2012 The RFP released to Honeywell and HAL for the reengining of 120 Jaguars with  F125IN engines ( 280 turbofans including 40 spare engines) that expired today, has been extended by a month as HAL has “yet to fill in the blanks” that include details on man hours etc, AerospaceDiary learns. The upgraded Jaguars will feature a Glass cockpit with DARIN-3 navigation and attack avionics suite HOTAS controls and an Integrated Defensive Aids Suite (IDAS) being co-developed by the DRDO’s Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) and Cassidian (formerly EADS Defense Electronics). The approximate over $2billion project has a 30% offsets clause. Already, Honeywell has fitted two RAF Jaguars with the engines.  Once the project is signed, two IAF Jaguars will be modified, before the complete fleet is refitted.

Neelam Mathews Nov 22, 2012 Cassidian an EADS company, has developed a new generation of transmit & receive modules which give the new AESA radars with electronic beam scanning (AESA - Active Electronically Scanned Array) previously unattained performance. The multi-mode and multi-tasking capabilities of AESA antennas can be enhanced on a sustained basis while at the same time significantly reducing production costs. The new technology offers operational advantages for the customer that Cassidian can expect AESA radars to be used in many fields of reconnaissance and surveillance in future. The products using the new TRMs include the Eurofighter’s future e-scan radar, the security radars in the Spexer family as well as spaceborne earth observation radars. “Our new-generation modules increase radar performance, while the cost of production is reduced by more than 30 percent,” says Dr. Elmar Compans, head of the Sensors & Electronic Warfare unit at Cassidian. In...

Neelam Mathews March 9, 2012 IATA has just sent Aerospace Diary this statement: IATA has suspended Kingfisher Airlines’ participation in the Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) and Cargo Accounts Settlement System (CASS).  The suspension was because the airline did not provide IATA with a cash deposit, required to continue its participation in the BSP and CASS.  The required cash deposit was intended to ensure the airline is able to meet its financial obligations in the BSP and CASS.    The BSP and CASS programs facilitate and simplify the selling, reporting and remitting procedures between airlines and travel and cargo agents.  Suspension from the BSP and CASS means that the airline would not be able to use the BSP and CASS to settle their sales with travel and cargo agents. The airline is still free to sell and settle directly with travel agents and freight forwarders. Kingfisher’s participation in the BSP and CASS will be reinstated after the airli...

Neelam Mathews Jan 26, 2012 Cassidian, the defense and security division of EADS, has developed a new-generation Vehicle Protection Jammer that significantly enhances the protection of military vehicles against attacks by Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices. After passing extensive field trials, the series production ramp-up started in December 2011. "Lessons learnt in recent conflicts prove that radio-controlled explosive devices remain one of the major threats in asymmetric scenarios," explained Elmar Compans, head of Sensors and Electronic Warfare at Cassidian. "Progress in digital technology now gives us the means to counter this threat by far more effectively than hitherto possible", he said in a statement. Cassidian's Vehicle Protection Jammer uses the new, ultra-fast Smart Responsive Jamming Technology to enhance the protection level substantially. It detects and classifies radio signals intended to ignite a roadside bomb. Then, it respond...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Sept 15, 2011 Millions of pounds could be saved over lifetime of equipment by removing need for unnecessary return and repair. A recent internal study by Cassidian estimated that on a land platform fleet of 450 vehicles a single Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) type could be expected to incur £4million of unnecessary No Fault Found (NFF) costs over a 7 year life. Studies from the civil aviation industry have shown that between 20%-60% of electronic units returned for repair are typically NFF. The answer is “Gold standard screening”. This involves taking a fully functional “Gold standard” item, and “learning” how it should function under various conditions. Equipment suspected to be faulty can then be screened against the behavior of the Gold standard without the need for access to complex test equipment, says Cassidian. One such “Gold standard” screening system is Cassidian’s electro-optical tester – OLISE - intended primarily for use in testing smaller opt...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Sept 14, 2011 Cassidian, the defense and security division of EADS, has introduced TRS-4D- a new generation of naval radars into the market with capabilities for the surveillance of sea areas and countering even asymmetric threats. It opens a new dimension in Sensor Technology with capabilities of threat detection, improving mission success and platform survivability. Unlike other available radars on the market, TRS-4D is the first surveillance radar to make full use of the advantages of simultaneous multiple beams based on Active Electronically Scanning Array (AESA) technology. A non-rotating variant of TRS-4D with four fixed array panels is already under production for the new F125 frigates of the German Navy. "While capitalising on high operational availability in extended missions, our new radar also offers improved ship survivability", explains Elmar Compans, Head of the Sensors and Electronic Warfare Business Line of Cassidi...

Neelam Mathews July 2, 2011   Even as support for Russian equipment wanes in India, Agilent Technologies is in talks with local suppliers to change and adapt interface of instruments to supply to clients such as HAL. “It is difficult to interpret Russian instruments. The business is presently worth $1 million to $1.5  (in this space) alone,” said Arun Dogra, Country Manager and VP- Sales, Marketing & Support, EMG- Agilent Technologies to Aerospace Diary.                          Agilent Technologies is the world’s premier measurement company and a technology leader in chemical analysis, life sciences, electronics and communications. It launched seven new products and solutions for Aerospace & Defense (A&D) Electronics on July 1. The products include Arbitrary Waveform Generator that creates realistic signal scenarios to test radars and the...