Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  -  August 31, 2018, 10:33 AM African air charter company Major Blue Air is adding Mahindra Aerospace Airvan 10 turboprop singles to its fleet. (Photo: Mahindra Aerospace) Maun, Botswana-based air charter company Major Blue Air has accepted its first 10-seat Mahindra Aerospace Airvan 10. The turboprop single received type certification from both the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and U.S. FAA last year. The charter operator already has five eight-seat Airvan 8 piston singles in its fleet; other models on property include the Cessna 172 and 206, Hawker 800XP, and Beechcraft King Air B200 and Baron 58. Major Blue Air’s base hangar is situated at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone. “Over last few years, we have enhanced our focus and attention to the important [air charter] market. With increasing traffic, this market needed a bigger and turbine aircraft. And the larger Airvan 10 complements the Airvan...

Neelam Mathews Apr 24, 2016 Pix-Neelam Mathews As the Indian Air Force (IAF) squadrons hit a low of around 33 against the 42 projected and India has come closer to signing 36 Rafales for its Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft requirement, it is now looking at a second line of fighters to be produced in the country.  Given that the IAF has a varied fleet with spares inventory management getting tedious and more expensive, what happens to commonality we asked Chief Arup Raha. It is no secret that lack of commonality in aircraft models has made inventory management a grueling task for the IAF in the past. “Commonality in the IAF fleet is very important. We have too many inventories, and each aircraft requires spares., " confessed CAS to AerospaceDiary. In an exclusive, he added that "while it was best is to have lesser inventories, we have so many Su-30s. We cannot keep expanding one particular fleet (as) there are vulnerabilities and (so) we (must keep) balance....

LAND WARFARE 07th March 2016 - 11:05 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  India's Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) programme has moved a step closer to the starting blocks with industry putting forward an expression of interest (EoI). The US$10 billion  Future Infantry Combat Vehicle  programme has attracted formal EoIs from eight of the initial ten vendors. Shephard  has learned that Rolta and Punj Lloyd have decided not to submit proposals. The government-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has already been down-selected as one manufacturer and the MoD will provide 80% of prototype development costs for two other vendors that will be shortlisted by year’s end. Bets are on Tata Motors to be a frontrunner...more in Shephardmedia

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

by  Neelam Mathews   Jan 26, 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India’s intention to acquire Rafale fighters from Dassault and military helicopters from Airbus, in talks with President François Hollande. France’s nine-year wait for a contract from India for the Rafale is not quite over, but an inter-government agreement covering acquisition of 36 fighters was signed during President François Hollande’s visit to New Delhi on January 26. Invited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day military parade in New Delhi, Hollande also joined the Indian leader in witnessing the confirmation of a previously announced partnership between Mahindra Defence and Airbus Helicopters. The Rafale signing “has effectively transformed the nature of the transaction from a commercial bid to a government to government sale,” Rahul Gangal, partner with consultancy group Roland and Berger, told  AIN . While Dassault Aviation...

ROTORHUB 26th November 2015 - 16:40 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  Aiming at more strategic tie-ups between OEMs and Indian manufacturers under its Make in India mantra, India’s Ministry of Defence is in the process of identifying a helicopter manufacturer to feed its voracious appetite for helicopters. The MoD has a need for some 1000 light utility helicopters (LUH) required by the military and parapublic forces within the next 15-20 years. Airbus Helicopters, AgustaWestland and Sikorsky are likely contenders for a possible tie-up.  An MoD official revealed to Shephard that Sikorsky was in discussion with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for a potential joint venture, although for this to work HAL would ‘need to buckle up’. Sikorsky is understood to be in discussion for the manufacture of components for the  S-97 Raider , as it explores possible civil applications for the coaxial compound, such as transporting personnel between offshore oil pl...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  OCTOBER 28, 2013 by    GREGORY POLEK  and  NEELAM MATHEWS From left to right, Arvind Mehra, executive director and global CEO of Mahindra Aerospace; Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group; Hemant Luthra, president of Mahindra Systech; and Pedro Fuente, COO of the Aernnova Group, celebrate the inauguration of Mahindra Aerospace’s new aerostructures facility in Bangalore last Monday. October 28, 2013, 10:55 AM India’s Mahindra Aerospace inaugurated a 270,000-sq-ft aerostructures manufacturing plant last week at the Narsapura Industrial Estate near Bangalore. The plant opening accompanied an announcement by Mahindra that it signed a technology partnership agreement with Spanish Tier 1 supplier Aernnova Group, the first for Aernnova with an Indian aerostructures manufacturer. The facility can make large, complex sheet-metal parts using  CNC  routing, stretch-forming,...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  JULY 19, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Indian commerce minister Anand Sharma (Photo: Ministry of Commerce, India) July 19, 2013, 11:45 AM Indian commerce minister Anand Sharma announced the raising of the country’s cap on foreign direct investment ( FDI ) in 13 important industrial sectors, including defense. But while the defense industry was expecting the cap to be raised to 49 percent from the present 26 percent, Sharma said that defense proposals for more than 26 percent will be permitted only for state-of-the art technology for which, the Cabinet Committee on Security ( CCS ), a body that decides on matters of national security, will consider any proposals “on a case-by-case basis.” Because “state-of-the-art” products were not defined, it falls to the Ministry of Defense to make the decision, said Sharma. “So what’s new? This is a classic case of pulling wool over eyes to show India has made ...

  AIN NEWS LIVE FROM AEROINDIA  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Eurocopter India has achieved significant growth in sales and deliveries over the past 12 months. [Photo: Eurocopter] February 8, 2013, 5:26 AM India’s Ghodawat Industries placed an order for a Eurocopter  EC135  helicopter at the Aero India show in Bangalore this week. The aircraft will be configured for four passengers and is due for delivery in May, when it will replace the customer’s existing  EC120  model. During the event, the manufacturer also delivered another example of the light twin to Indian industrial group Mahindra  &  Mahindra. Despite a shaky local economy, Eurocopter India recorded orders for 12 helicopters in 2012, nine of which were for the  EC135 . The European airframer’s two-year-old Indian subsidiary claims that this represents a 70-percent market share in this category of rotorcraft in the local market....

http://issuu.com/ain_publications/docs/farnborough_airshow_news_07_12_12#download Apologies for this. Do click link above. reworking of Hawk jigs, problems establishing production of complex engine components and radar software for the Su-30 MKI, certification delays with the Shakti engine, changes in design standards for the LCA and engine delays for the HJT-36 IJT. Other Projects At the same time, HAL is developing its planned multirole transport aircraft and fifth-generation fighter jointly with Russia, while also looking to codesign and coproduce a 10-metric-ton-class medium-lift helicopter. However, it now seems likely that a private company will handle the latter program. Given delays in completing projects, HAL’s effective monopoly over state-backed programs is increasingly being questioned. For instance, some industry observers have suggested that the LUH program should be reassigned to one of India’s growing body of private aerospace co...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews July 26, 2011 Mahindra Aerospace and Mahindra Satyam have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a trade partnership with the Eurocopter Group and its Indian subsidiary, Eurocopter India.  The partnership will be focused on manufacturing of sub assemblies, engineering and customization of civil helicopters and the joint development of specific market segments. Details of the scope and structure of the partnership will be decided in the coming months, says a statement. Lutz Bertling, President and CEO of Eurocopter pointed out that “the synergies between our two companies will enhance our contributions to the Indian civil helicopter market.”  “Eurocopter has a solid, long term strategy for the growth of the India market, while we are already creating a niche for ourselves in the fixed-wing aircraft and aerostructures manufacturing space. We see this MOU as a significant step forward for both of us as well as the domestic aviation indust...