Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Sept 5, 2012 Frankly, the Tatra controversy that erupted without enough proof , has been a classic case of shooting one’s mouth off. “Tatra Trucks being utilized in the Indian Army conform to the requisite qualitative requirements. BEML has so far supplied around 6500 Tatra Trucks of various models amounting to 3660   crores (approximately) to Ministry of Defense and other Defense Public Sector Undertakings,” Minister Pallam Raju confirmed in parliament today. Even if the trucks did not conform to the requirements, can you blame the OEM or the government authorities who signed on the contract? To ground the company’s helicopters  that were being used for special services without proof and no association with the trucks, one feels, is unacceptable. A case of using ‘security concerns’ as a blanket cover, gone wrong?

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...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE »  JUNE 1, 2012 by  NEELAM MATHEWS The Indo-Russian Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) will be a high-wing, twin-turboprop design. (Photo: HAL) June 1, 2012, 2:20 PM India’s Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has signed a contract with Russia’s United Aircraft Corp Transport Aircraft (UAC-TA) to co-develop the 15- to 20-metric-ton-payload multirole transport aircraft (MTA). The pair formed a joint venture, Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd, in 2010, following an inter-governmental agreement three years earlier. The MTA is likely to be derived from the Il-214 twin-turbofan design by the Ilyushin Design Bureau. It will have a maximum takeoff weight of 65 metric tons; payload capacity of 15 to 20 metric tons; cruise speed of 430 knots; a range of up to 1,460 nm and a service ceiling of 39,400 feet (12,000 m). “The investment for the program is $771 million,” junior defense minister M.M. Pallam Raju told the Indian parliament recently. India require...

AIN Defense Perspective » May 25, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews India’s version of the advanced and stealthy fighter has been delayed by two years. (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov)   May 25, 2012, 11:32 AM The joint Indo-Russian project to produce a fifth-generation fighter aircraft ( FGFA ) for the Indian Air Force is facing a two-year delay. It will now take nine years instead of the stipulated seven to develop. The Indian Air Force attributes the delay to Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ), which has a workshare of 25 percent in the program. The two-seat FGFA is based on the single-seat Sukhoi T-50 PAKFA . HAL is tasked with supplying designs for the tandem seating and cockpit displays, none of which have been provided on time, a senior air force official told AIN . HAL is also responsible for navigation and countermeasure dispensing. Indian juni...

Singapore Air Show » February 14, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews India’s big-ticket military acquisitions are expected to aggressively push schedules for the transfer of production to the country’s ambitious aerospace and defense industry. But the technology that India expects to be transferred through co-development work generated by offset agreements is raising concerns among vendors about possible violations of intellectual property rights (IPR). A revised policy on offsets is expected to be released soon and the industry hopes that this will at last deal with the thorny issue of transfer of technology (TOT), whi...

Neelam Mathews New Delhi June 2, 2011 Defense contracts raise concerns about offsets in India Printed headline: Seeking Clarity India has short-listed Dassault’s Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) bid, which is expected to result in procurement of 126 fighters worth $12 billion. A huge battle over industrial terms is now expected as vendors submit their revised offset proposals later this year. The schedule for production transfer is aggressive, and the technology that India expects to be transferred through co-development work generated by offsets is raising concerns among vendors about intellectual property violations and the potential for counterfeit products. Observers say India’s lack of clarity on such violations may result in OEMs finding ways to circumvent the use of advanced technology, on the grounds that India does not have safeguards to protect manufacturers that license tech...

Neelam Mathews April 20, 2011 Time: 11:15 P.M IST Even as the Offset policy guidelines were expanded to include civil aerospace, internal security and training in January, further additions are now expected. “There will be changes (to be announced) in April,” Minister of State for Defense M.M Pallam Raju told Aerospace Diary at the 2 nd National Manufacturing and Innovation Summit. This was reaffirmed by Vivek Rae, Director General Acquisitions, who said the MoD was “modifying offset guidelines in the near future.” The “revised” procedures in the DPP 2011 will include transfer of technology, which Raju confirmed was “a ticklish issue,” but needed to be addressed. It is also likely that the offsets banking time-lines will be extended from two to five years. Raju was emphatic that the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) order would not be covered under the DPP 2011. When asked if not including the around $10billion project under DPP 2011 would be counterproductive to help ...

Programs Aerospace Daily         Dec 7, 2010 NEW DELHI — Following initial delays, the Indian army’s Corps of Signals will soon have a Tactical Battlefield Communication System (TCS), Minister of State for Defense M.M. Pallam Raju said at a seminar in New Delhi Dec. 2. The deployable wide-area network provides a secure communications infrastructure and network-enabled operating environment to cover communication needs on the battlefield. As India looks to shifting from Platform-Centric to Network-Centric Warfare, “a strong, robust and secure information grid is a prerequisite for this,” says Chief of Army Staff Gen. V.K. Singh. The Indian army’s network-centricity efforts are being operationalized. “Once equipped, I see our armed forces increasingly harnessing the power of data and voice networks . . . that use information as a weapon to strike with pinpoint precision,” he says.