Aerospace Diary

DEFENSE Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense. GA-ASI finally has a customer for its long-proposed maritime surveillance version of the Predator B UAS. June 29, 2017 Neelam Mathews and Chris Pocock T he U.S. has offered to sell the GA-ASI Sea Guardian unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to India, as part of a planned boost in defense cooperation between the two countries. A meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on June 26, discussed what would be India’s first procurement of a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) UAS. After the meeting, the White House stated that “the U.S. and India look forward to working together on advanced defense e...

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...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  January 6, 2016, 1:34 PM The sole current operator of the US-2 amphibian is the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). (Photo: Chris Pocock) India's aerospace industry stands to miss out on a production partnership for Japan's ShinMaywa  US -2 amphibian aircraft, according to sources close to the situation. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi last month and stressed “the full potential of an India-Japan strategic and global partnership.” However, a deal proposed  during their previous meeting  in 2014 for final assembly in India of the  US -2 remains unsigned. Indian defense industry sources speaking to  AIN  on condition of anonymity said that the delay might cause the Japanese to turn instead to Indonesia as a production partner. Japan’s Ministry of Defense presented a detailed report on production arrangements for the amphibian in India last year, but ...

by  Neelam Mathews   Dec 30, 2015 A summit meeting between Indian Prime Minister Modi and Russian President Putin confirmed the long-expected Ka-226 helicopter deal. (Photo: Indian Prime Minister’s Office) A visit to Russia by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 23 and 24 sealed an agreement between the two countries on helicopter engineering, including the  big Ka-226 deal  that has been under negotiation for over a year. It was one of 16 bilateral pacts that were signed, including ones covering space exploration and satellites and nuclear and solar energy. But they did not include an agreement for Russia to supply S-400 air defense systems, despite previous speculation in some media. Referring to the supply of approximately 200 Kamov Ka-226T helicopters, Sergei Chemov,  CEO  of the Russian state-owned industrial conglomerate Rostec, said: “This is the first Russian-Indian high-tech project implemented by the Indian governm...

ROTORHUB 22nd September 2015 - 18:12 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  India has cleared the procurement of 22  AH-64E Apache  attack helicopters and 15  CH-47F Chinook heavy lifters for the Indian Air Force.  The country’s Cabinet Committee of Security (CCS) approved the deal on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second visit to the US on 24 September and a contract is expected to be signed by November.  In June, India and the US signed a strategic ten-year defence framework pact envisaging joint development and manufacture of defence equipment and technology, including jet engines, and aircraft carrier design and construction. The $1.4 billion AH-64E proposal for India includes both a direct commercial sale (DCS) and a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) component. The FMS contract includes 50 In 2013, Boeing signed a MoU with..............Bangalore-based Dynamatic Technologies to manufacture aft pylon and .......Read more of Sh...

Neelam Mathews June 15, 2015 Prme Minister Modi and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, left, have taken the relationship between his nation and India "out of the closet." India’s thrust in the past year to get a greater slice of the international defense equipment pie has resulted in a host of agreements being signed in the first five months of 2015, under the new Narendra Modi government. The country is aggressively tapping the world for hi-tech equipment. Underscoring India’s aerospace technology plans, Minister of State for Defense Rao Inderjit Singh said the focus is to “open opportunities for innovative minds to exploit the globally evolving spirit of teaming up and pooling resources.” Modi has not been shy of talking openly about relations with Israel, which is a top-three exporter of arms, following India’s establishing of diplomatic relations with the country in the early 1990s (which it kept under wraps due to sensitivities). He will become the fi...

Neelam Mathews Oct 5, 2014 It is that time of the year again when exhibitors and guests start to schedule their calendars, start to tear their hair, grit their teeth, and down an upper or a stiff swig. Why, you ask me? Time to look at the aero india website and hope like hell everything is in order, that rates have not gone up again just because the dollar has, and visas will not be a pain as they usually are. Hate to disappoint you, but by the looks of it, you, dear guests better brace once again for tough times to attend the mega event from Feb 18-22 2015. Yes, the site looks sexier, has a whole lot of links to government sites, which I suggest you look at later as they will take you on a roller-coaster journey as they are meant to. An exhibitor luckier than I was, managed to access the Rates and was flabbergasted. “This is more expensive than the Singapore Air Show where we get a lot of business done. If India wants to attract investment, they should stop making th...

Neelam Mathews July 19, 2014 If you thought the end of losses for airlines operating in India was history, you might want to think again. So volatile is the situation that with the possible start of giant Tata-SIA soon, even Jet-Etihad has realized it cannot be silent anymore. A press briefing called next week will have both Naresh Goyal and James Hogan addressing us mere mortals. Don’t bash me up for this, but besides the fact they are expected to inform us on how the India market figures in their strategy, we are hearing a buzz that they might even announce the acquisition of a large ailing budget airline (SpiceJet?) that is suffering from TDS and service tax payment defaults. However, AerospaceDiary could not confirm this.  Just reporting a buzz! Moreover, that is where, we suspect a blog differs from a newspaper report. Taking a bit of editorial leverage here! Air India has joined Star Alliance and that might give it a temporary relief as it adds more codeshares to ...

Neelam Mathews  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 17 July 2014 ATC  The incoming BJP government led by Narendra Modi must surmount a number of aviation obstacles Even as the Indian Parliament prepares to clear the creation of an independent Civil Aviation Authority to replace the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the corporatisation of Air Navigation Services (ANS) is top on the list of the new Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 100-day agenda. Other immediate plans include establishing low-cost airports. Some aviation insiders harbour serious concerns about ANS corporatisation. Subit Kobiraj, president of the CNS [Communication, Navigation and Surveillance] Officers Guild, described "grey areas" in the implementation plan - and  IHS Jane's  has seen a letter dated 4 July, addressed to the AAI Member ANS from Shamsher Singh, general secretary of the ANS Guild. ....read more on Janes Airprots Review

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  MAY 30, 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Arun Jaitley, India’s new defense and finance minister, meets Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha. (Photo: Indian MoD) May 29, 2014, 3:55 PM A lack of decision-making on large Indian defense procurement deals in the past two years is expected to end with the swearing-in of the new government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Changes in procurement and offset policies are also expected. Major projects that are in the final stage of processing and require a signature for conclusion include the 126-aircraft  medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA ) won by Dassault Aviation’s Rafale ; the Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport ( MRTT ); and naval multi-role helicopters. While these are likely to be signed this financial year, a crash crunch could hold other decisions until next year. To fast-track some projects, the Ministry of Defence has proposed an approxim...