Aerospace Diary

February 2011 Neelam Mathews Indian Air Force (IAF), the fourth largest in the world, is striving to match the pace of its modernization in step with India’s changing status in the global economic and security environment. With an escalating need for India to project force beyond its troubled borders, the challenge for the IAF is to augment its reach and maintain its technological qualitative edge. In parallel with this commitment to qualitative measures of air power, the IAF also remains wedded to quantitative measures of strength. The IAF wants both numbers and quality. Under implementation, the Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) 2002-2017 seeks to acquire cutting edge technology, weapon systems and platforms. In a candid statement, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said: “50 percent of equipment - including fighters, transport aircraft and air defence weapons - was obsolete, making the pressure to procure at a faster pace, more imminent.” Lined up f...

Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, chief of the air staff of the Indian Air Force, caught up with ShowNews’ Neelam Mathews last week to discuss his expectations for procurement, and immediate plans for increasing force levels. ShowNews: What is the status of the Medium  Multi Role Combat Aircraft bids? Where do  you see it moving from your perspective? CAS: This month, the Commercial Negotiation  Committee (CNC) will start. We have  given recommendations [to the Ministry of  Defense (MoD)] as to who meets the criteria and who does not. [The CNC is constituted  under the MoD. Its members are drawn from  the Acquisition Wing, the Service headquarters,  users, quality assurance directorate, and  the R&D organization]. All the six (vendors) meet 95% of the  requirements. SN: What are the technologies you expect to  get from foreign vendors? CAS:We expect to import raw metals, single  crystal engine blades, and, for th...

Business Strategies Defense Technology International Feb 01 , 2011 , p. 50 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Printed headline: Managing Assets Procurement policies—and related issues such as technology transfer and intellectual property rights—impact many organizations, especially the services that get the equipment. The Indian air force is set to deploy a number of game-changing platforms, from the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft to advanced sensors and missile systems. Contributing Editor Neelam Mathews discussed plans for new capabilities and strategies for maintaining legacy equipment with Air Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, air force chief, at his New Delhi office. Defense Technology International: What is your biggest challenge in an era when technology can be obsolete before it is installed? Credit: INDIAN AIR FORCE Naik: Aviation is techno-intensive. Hence, the rate of obsolescence is as rapid as the evolution of new te...