Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Aug 14, 2014   Recently, while visiting the head office of a US publication I write for regularly, I was surprised to hear myself as was my editor, to hear me wax eloquent on the new government and its plans and how we as Indians finally saw hope on the horizon. For a person reporting deals and scams for the past few years, this was a transformation, and the editors eagerly offered me numerous assignments. Digging a bit deeper for my stories, I sadly found the same bureaucratic mindset and stubbornness to change and a ministry making unofficial leaks, ensuring journos hear their point of view alone. Twitter and a news agency is now the government’s mouthpiece and they do not reply to queries! Dear lord- this administrative inertia is what I had not voted for! I had voted for a promised change in policies to push India ahead, a fresh mindset and a freedom of expression- within limits of course. All this was reinforced after I read a story on Rol...

AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS  »  SEPTEMBER 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Despite tough times, India’s Nirma Group took delivery of an AgustaWestland GrandNew light twin outfitted in full VIP configuration. September 4, 2013, 3:10 AM Even as the presence of helicopter  OEM s doubled in India (to 10 from five), double-digit growth in its civil helicopter fleet in the seven years preceding 2011 gave way to negative growth last year when the fleet reduced from 293 to 266. High operational costs, exacerbated by a depreciated rupee that fell 35 percent in the past 40 months, are posing challenges for the industry. “It’s a cumulative result of lack of optimum utilization, safety performance, infrastructure constraints and regulatory issues,” said K. Sridharan, president of the Rotary Wing Society of India ( RWSI ). The cost-related issues of the helicopter industry range from micro to macro even as the  RWSI  has call...

PARIS AIR SHOW  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Sikorsky S-92 cabins are now being manufactured in India under a joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems. The facility recently increased production to four units per month. June 17, 2013, 2:40 AM As vendors await the announcement of belated contracts, India continues to grapple with its ever-changing  defense procurement policy , with the latest– DPP  2013–announced and effective from June 1. The focus of  DPP 2013 is on buying Indian defense products, even though these can fill only a fraction of the country’s requirements. It is being viewed as a kneejerk reaction to bribery allegations surrounding the procurement of AgustaWestland  AW 101  VVIP  helicopters. “The new procedures will give further impetus and a new momentum to indigenization,” Defense Minister  A.K.  Antony said recently. “We also [want] to aggressively pursue indigenizatio...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  MAY 24, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS An Indian Air Force requirement to replace these aging Avro 748 transports is supposed to create a privately held aircraft manufacturing company. (Photo: Indian Air Force) May 24, 2013, 9:00 AM India’s Ministry of Defense has issued a request for proposal ( RFP ) for the procurement of 56 transport aircraft to replace the air force’s aging fleet of around 30 Avro 748Ms. In a bid to launch an indigenous private defense manufacturing capability, this is the first time an  RFP  states that the Indian Production Agency ( IPA ) will be a private company. This leaves out Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ), which has until now held a monopoly in defense programs. The last date for submission of bids is October 8. The  RFP  for the five-ton and above, 50-seater transport aircraft with a rear ramp has been released to eight  OEM s–Airbus Military, A...

Neelam Mathews April 16, 2013   While I have no love lost for politicians –no matter what their affiliations are- one would have expected the likes of Yashwant Sinha to have bothered to understand the value of life cycle costs (LCC) before turning his verbal rocket on the concept in Parliament and elsewhere. For a change, the Congress has done something right by including LCC in RFPs and adding post contractual maintenance, and we must applaud it. Unless ofcourse, we want to continue moving as we did in the days of yore and be held ransom to OEMs that charge the earth for spares and maintenance- something that continues to happen with legacy fighters even today. The proof is apparent. Of the five recent crashes of the IAF, three were due to technical faults related to maintenance and spares, AerospaceDiary learns, but could not confirm. One hopes the presentation given by Air Chief NAK Browne in parliament over a week ago, will have opened the eyes and ears of...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  APRIL 5, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS April 5, 2013, 12:35 PM The  AgustaWestland deal in India for  AW 101 helicopters  that is being investigated after bribery allegations has prompted the Indian government to re-examine its already delayed defense procurement procedure 2013 ( DPP ). This is now focusing on “indigenization,” which defense minister  A.K.  Antony described recently as the “ultimate solution to the scourge of corruption.” In the interim, until the  DPP  2013 is released, amendments on revised offset guidelines will include preference for Indian suppliers for bids. The clause on application-based software for enterprise resource planning ( ERP ), for which Indian companies already have the skills, will be removed. To encourage system-based software development in civil and defense aerospace, high-end avionics, flight controls, flight control laws and Cat ...

Neelam Mathews March 25, 2013 IPR and TOT remain  fragile  and not fully- understood subjects in  aerospace offsets. A  Training and  Certification  Program  on Transfer of  Technology and  Intellectual  Property Rights  in Aviation and Aerospace Industry   on Monday, 22 nd  April, is being  held in New Delhi  to address i ssues plaguing  the industry. Ajay Batra, M anaging Partner and CEO of  World Intellectual Property Rights Bank  asked me  to share this with those interested. ( +919910863666 ).  The full day- workshop will cover the  interrelation of TOT portfolios and IPRs.  And, also why it  is it important to have a demonstrable IPR capability and maturity in  aerospace companies. A session on  Management of IPRs in  TOT programs  will include a b asic awareness program on IPRs in Aviation and Aerospace...

Neelam Mathews Dec 27, 2012 The ghost of the adage, ‘You scratch my back, I scratch yours,’ continues to flutter in India’s corridors of power. Is it fact, imagination or  just a strange coincidence that the day the two Italian marines held for the killing of two fishermen off Kerala’s coast were allowed to ‘go home for Christmas’  even as two of the 12 ordered VVIPs AW101s flew to India? Wonder if the day will come when all those on bail are permitted to fly to Bangkok or the US to celebrate Diwali or Eid with their families? Suppose they miss their relatives too. Coming back to this issue, what in the blazes happened to defense minister A.K Antony ensuring the bribery- report that emanated in Italy on the procurement of the 12 helicopters was shared with the Indian government before it accepted delivery of the helicopters? Here at AerospaceDiary, we do feel that the government should put its foot down when OEMs create issues to derail procurements when rejected....

Neelam Mathews Dec 4, 2012 Even as Airbus Military formally delivered the fifth and final A330 MRTT multi-role tanker transport ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) which it has designated the KC-30A, a controversy might just be brewing in India over ASQRs of the tanker bids for which commercial bids have opened and technical evaluation completed.   At the risk of going overboard, we here at Aerospace Diary, feel it is time national interests come first and if any OEM has been cleared by a technical evaluation committee chosen by the government, we have to trust them and stop holding back projects in a bid to look transparent, everytime a company losing a bid, cries foul. Our squeaky clean defense minister now needs to hold the hand of his chosen lieutenants and show the world India means business on its own but fair, terms. We are hearing there seems to be some confusion on the SQRs. Para 5.7, according to some people we spoke to, said the tankers need...

Neelam Mathews Nov 26, 2012 Today a number of people were foxed when they read reports on the so called 56 Avros replacement RFP. Fortunately, AerospaceDiary was able to confirm with the IAF spokesman who made an effort to check it out and let us know that it is still in the "final stages" of processing. So what is happening to that much touted RFP that was to have private sector participation? Last year in December, OEMs were assured it would be released in 3-4 months. When they met 8 months later, they were assured it would be released in 3-4 months again.  Hopefully like Rip Van Winkle, the MoD will wake up from its slumber. For things aren't that hunky-dory anymore and money is running out even from the cows they've been used to milking.