Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews 8th October 2017 Addressing border incursions in northern India and an ongoing conflict with home-grown Naxal insurgents in eastern and central areas, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), ... more on Shephardmedia

Neelam Mathews May 31, 2017 Special Ops As threats from porous borders cause concerns, experts noted critical gaps in counterterrorism technology, procurement and governance in India at a homeland security meeting organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Delhi on 24 May. Immediate challenges faced by ... Read on ShephardMedia  

Neelam Mathews Arakkonam /Chennai Call me unconventional but I have concluded one thing after a longish career in writing. If the rest of the hotel industry could function with the perfection that Central Industrial Security Force does, I can personally guarantee the world would be a more efficient and hospitable place. By the way they don't lock rooms here! Given their guest house at the Arakkonam regional training center is run with the finesse of a 7- star hotel I am not surprised to find how in-depth and close to perfection training of young recruits here is. I'm here to learn how training is conducted on security.  Who would have thought the tough looking guys in uniform screening you whom we have no time to even look at, could be so multi skilled, dexterous and even have a heart! This,I discovered during a cultural entertainment show where their diverse skills could put TV talent shows to shame. Arakkonam is a few hours from Chennai, and the RTC  is spread a...

Neelam Mathews and Ben Vogel Dec 3 2015 US -based PrecisionHawk (PH) is building a low altitude tracking and avoidance system (LATAS) as a solution for safe air traffic management (ATM) of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS). PH is developing LATAS in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NASA, and major industry partners Verizon, Harris, and DigitalGlobe. The aim is for LATAS to enable pilots of manned aircraft to pinpoint the location of unmanned aircraft in the airspace before they become a safety hazard. 1644271 Could LATAS assuage FAA concerns over RPAS safety? (PrecisionHawk) LATAS is being assessed in the FAA Pathfinder programme and the NASA-led UAS Traffic Management (UTM) project. PH is working with NASA and other partners to test a wide range of RPAS in real-world scenarios. As NASA continues to develop a workable UTM, LATAS will have the potential to serve as the hardware addition for each drone attached to that overarchin...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  AUGUST 5, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Etihad Airways chief executive James Hogan (left) and Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal. (Photo: Etihad Airways) August 5, 2013, 12:10 PM Clearance of Etihad Airways’s $380 million investment in Jet Airways by India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board ( FIPB ) last week has paved the way for completion of the deal. The airlines now await approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs ( CCEA ), which oversees foreign investment proposals of more than $200 million, and security clearances of foreign nationals. Numerous caveats in the shareholder agreement now address concerns about the possibility that Etihad Airways would gain control of Jet Airways, despite the fact that the deal would give Etihad only a 24-percent stake. The restructured airline’s board would consist of 12 members, four appointed by Jet and two by Etihad (compared with the origi...

Neelam Mathews Feb 11, 2013 For a show like Aero India in which so much planning has been done and tax money spent, it is a pity the presence of some senior people unable to attend, was sorely missed by exhibitors who came in the hope of meeting them. A dmiral Devendra Kumar Joshi, Navy chief, was unfortunately on a foreign tour and though some did say this was an aviation-related show, we should remind ourselves of the various navy-related RFPs that are expected and clarifications to be sought. It;s an "unfortunate coincidence," moaned an exhibitor. Another missing peg was the MHA secretary who was stuck at a security conference in New Delhi. Pity we cannot plan our events so they don't clash with simultaneous ones. Or will we need another show to catch up with MHA? We also hear no one from DOMW was present at the Offset Conference! Also heard at the show- " This is the first time the Army Aviation DG is not an aviator." Fortunately, he wasn't missin...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  JANUARY 11, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS  and  CHRIS POCOCK The long-endurance multi-intelligence vehicle (LEMV) first flew last August. Northrop Grumman has proposed the hybrid airship to India for border and maritime surveillance. (Photo: Northrop Grumman) January 11, 2013, 10:10 AM Northrop Grumman has proposed its long-endurance multi-intelligence vehicle ( LEMV ) hybrid airship to meet new Indian requirements for border surveillance,  AIN  has learned from a senior official at the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs ( MHA ). The huge, unmanned  LEMV  was being developed for  U.S. Army missions over Afghanistan, but has fallen behind schedule. It  first flew last August , one year later than promised. In a presentation to the   MHA , Northrop Grumman described the   LEMV   as a lighter-than-air ( LTA ) vehicle that offers “a revolutionary ca...

and Indigo passes small package test Neelam Mathews Aug 14, 2012 Realized yesterday when I was at Cochin airport how serious the red alert -hear there's an advisory that a family of four might be planning to hijack a plane- is being taken. I thank God- or shall I say the MHA for that. Even the woman security officer confessed she was confiscating water bottles carried by women and children she generally permitted them to carry (!). God have mercy on us aam admi when there is no red alert! However, sometimes things can be downright ludicrous in India. I was carrying masalas (spices) I bought at the shops at the airport and of the10 packets, only 3 were pulled out of my bag by security. I was told to check them in as the ingredients included red chillies! I have never tried throwing masala into anybody's eyes sans the chillies- but I suspect it could cause a lot of harm too! Who am I to argue with gun-toting ferocious looking guys with a look that says it means busines...

Aviation International News » May 2012 by  Neelam Mathews Maintaining rotorcraft in India, such as this AgustaWestland AW139, is challenging since maintenance providers are not permitted to own an inventory of parts and customs duties for spares are onerous. May 3, 2012, 4:50 AM   Operators flying some 300 helicopters in India say regulatory issues are stifling an industry that has enormous potential for expansion. Suffocating restrictions, say operators, hound them at every step, starting with brutal import taxes. India’s rules require separate certification for every model type, so the lack of commonality and a mix of fleet types creates additional obstacles. For example, “Maintenance providers are not permitted to own a pool of inventory of spares, which could bring in efficiencies,” according to Sanjeev Choudhary, senior v-p of sales...

Neelam Mathews May 4, 2012 The government has cancelled the security clearance of Ravi Rishi-owned Global Vectra Helicorp, says the electronic media. Interestingly, calls to the Global Vectra office were met with surprise and the fact they were answering phones, said it all! They had no idea! Yet, we had Ajit Singh, minister of civil aviation, informing the press that following a Minister of Home Affairs directive, security clearance was cancelled and licenses of the company’s helicopters would be pulled out by the DGCA. Nobody knows, nor is there any statement to say this has happened. “With great surprise we have seen today’s news on a TV ‐ channel regarding GVHL’s security clearance. We wish to state that GVHL has not received any information or communication from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA nor Ministry of Home Affairs, nor from any other Authority, that the security clearance of this company has been withdrawn. We are presently investigating this new...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Oct 4, 2011 The United States Department of State, in partnership with the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday, September 30, concluded a two-week seminar titled “Surveillance for Law Enforcement.”  The session was conducted by instructors from the Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program and hosted by the Rajasthan Police Academy in Jaipur, says a statement. This month’s training seminar focused on the execution of foot, vehicle, and fixed-point surveillance in urban and rural environments. ATA courses emphasize the “train-the-trainer” method of teaching so participants are able to instruct others in the techniques they have learned from the program. The interactive workshop featured realistic scenarios and mock exercises that trained mid-level police officials to effectively conduct surveillance of terrorist suspects and operations. 19 Indian law enforcement officials from federal and state agencies were selected to pa...

Defense Technology International Sep 01 , 2011 , p. 32 Neelam Mathews New Delhi India adding formidable security capabilities Printed headline: Forging Ahead India’s homeland security challenges can be summed up by a recent oil spill. Surveillance of the Mumbai coast proved lacking when oil from a sinking cargo ship fouled the waters and remained undetected by authorities for a week. The incident shows that much remains to be done when it comes to surveillance—and thus security—despite the fact that Mumbai was the scene of a 2008 terror attack that killed 164, and in July suffered three bombings that killed 17. Despite the difficulties of installing an extensive and competent homeland security system, India is committed to protecting its citizens, burgeoning economy and national interests with an aggressive and costly effort to secure its territory and coastline. As Indi...