Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  - June 12/15 2015, 9:50 AM The clearance for the acquisition of 36 Dassault Rafales as part of India’s medium multi-role combat aircraft bid, following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France in April, is attracting small and medium companies to enter into partnerships to provide offsets for the $4.24 billion deal. The latest to enter the fray is India’s OIS-AT (Hall 5 D210), which has signed a joint venture with French company Rafaut (Hall 2B C157), a specialist in weapons for aircraft interface devices. OIS-AT (Offset India Solutions-Advanced Technology) will “leverage Rafaut’s know-how on the manufacture of pylons and allied interface equipment that carry munitions and stores on aircraft and helicopters, at a new facility planned in Bengaluru [formerly Bangalore],” said the Indian company. Universal or specific pylon design, development and production are parts of Rafaut’s core business. For...

Publication: Jane's Airport Review Author: Neelam Mathews Section: SAFETY & SECURITY Last posted: 2014-09-26 Bangalore-based Axis Aerospace & Technologies has emerged as the lowest bidder for the approximate USD41 million requirement by the Indian armed forces for 45 bird detection and monitoring radars. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was released in 2011, specifying 39 radars for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and six for the Indian Navy. While commercial bidding opened two months ago, the order has not been awarded yet. "The radars are urgent, as safety is at risk," an Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) official said to  IHS Jane's. Bidders included Delhi-based OIS-AT, Data Patterns in partnership with DeTect, ...............More on JAR (subscription)

Neelam Mathews Sept 3, 2014 The Bid for 45 Bird Detection Radars primarily for the IAF in which Axis Aerospace was declared the lowest bidder, could to be scrapped following complaints from competitors, AerospaceDiary has heard, but could not confirm. They relate to high life cycle costs and queries  against Axis that  has used multi-currency  in its mode of payment.  It is a buzz that during the CNC meeting, the Joint Secy “was not comfortable” clearing the bid. Why it was not pointed out in the earlier stages to save time, or enough homework done on RBI rules by MoD, is a question that will continue to haunt the sane! Once again, we are back to square one.   There were 551 bird hits between April 2011 and March 2014, Defense Minister Arun Jaitley had confirmed in  Parliament on August 1.

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Indian company OIS has developed a 3-D radar for tracking bird strike threats. [Photo: OIS] March 13, 2014, 4:49 PM Large flocks of birds around many Indian airports continue to threaten aircraft that are constantly under threat of strikes particularly during takeoff and landing. Data compiled by Airports Authority of India for Chennai International Airport, for example, shows bird strikes increased from 38 in 2012 to 50 in 2013. The problem affects military operations as well, and in an attempt to deal with it, the Indian Air Force has issued a bid for 45 3-D bird-detection radars for military airports. Trials have been completed and commercial bids are set to open this year. This is also expected to set the trend for procurement by civil airports facing the menace. Delhi-based company  OIS , one of the three vendors participating in the  IAF  tender, is offering its indigenous 3-...

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...

Paris Air Show  »  2013 by  Neelam Mathews A multiple flamingo strike on a SpiceJet Boeing 737 in 2007 climbing out from Delhi airport resulted in damage costing $200,000 and grounding of the aircraft. June 14, 2013, 11:30 AM As congestion increases, avoiding collisions between aircraft and birds is becoming a more pressing issue. The Indian Air Force, which conducts many operational and training flights and often at very low level, attributes around 10 percent of accidents to bird hits. It took the lead last year by issuing global bids to four companies for 45 bird detection and monitoring radar systems ( BDRS ) to be installed at airports and air bases across India. India’s civil and military aviation is ...