Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Jane's Airport Review 24-05-2016 On 23 May 2016, controllers began training on systems in the new 25-storey air traffic control (ATC) tower at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi,  India . IHS Jane's   was given a tour of the 102 m-tall tower, which cost more than USD 50 million. The visual control room has 21 controller positions with 360-degree visibility of the runway and taxiways, while 12 ground controller positions are in place at an operational level. Indira Gandhi International is the busiest airport in  India  with 344,413 aircraft movements in the 12 months to March 2016. In the same period, passenger volume rose by 18.1% to 48.42 million. The new tower is designed to deal with expected growth up to 2032, when 500 stands are expected. Training is under way for controllers at the new ATC tower in Indira Gandhi International Airport. (Neelam Mathews) A hydraulic control system enables the cabin to be raise...

Jane's Airport Review Neelam Mathews , New Delhi Section: ATC Last posted: 2015-07-21 Images: 1 image The Airports Authority of  India  (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have officially implemented the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) navigation system for Indian airspace - but airlines must still be convinced to adopt it. Two satellites (GSAT-8 and GSAT-10) in geostationary earth orbit are broadcasting signals for the Indian Flight Information Region (FIR). A second backup satellite called GSAT-15 will be launched in early 2016,  IHS Jane's  understands. The system is interoperable with other satellite-based augmentation systems (SBASs) to deliver precise positional data for airspace users: the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) in the  United States ; the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS); and the MTSAT Satellite Au...

ATC Neelam Mathews, New Delhi   - IHS Jane's Airport Review 20 July 2015     The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have officially implemented the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) navigation system for Indian airspace - but airlines must still be convinced to adopt it. Two satellites (GSAT-8 and GSAT-10) in geostationary earth orbit are broadcasting signals for the Indian Flight Information Region (FIR). A second backup satellite called GSAT-15 will be launched in early 2016,  IHS Jane's  understands. The system is interoperable with other satellite-based augmentation systems (SBASs) to deliver precise positional data for airspace users: the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) in the United States; the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS); and the MTSAT Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS) in Japan......Read more (subscription) in Janes Airports........

by  Neelam Mathews  -  July 15, 2015, 10:15 AM I India's airlines worry about the high cost of equipage and certification associated with Gagan. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) India’s airlines are resisting attempts by the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) to adopt the recently launched Gagan ( GPS   Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) system, citing the high cost of associated equipment and the time needed for retrofits, training and certification. One of the world’s four satellite-based augmentation systems, Gagan is a joint project of the Airport Authority of India ( AAI ), the Indian Space Research Organization ( ISRO ) and Raytheon. Its advanced air navigation technology provides coverage for the entire Indian Flight Information Region ( FIR ) via broadcast signals from two Indian built satellites ( GSAT   8 and   GSAT   10). “It improves fuel efficiency of airlines operating throughout India,” said Raytheon’s country...

Neelam Mathews, London   - IHS Jane's Airport Review 05 March 2015 Model of the mobile air traffic control tower for the MAFI programme. Source: Neelam Mathews The second stage of the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) Modernisation of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) programme will begin in June 2015,  IHS Jane's  has learned. In total, 30 airfields are earmarked for modernisation in Phase 1 of MAFI and 25 in Phase 2, including facilities run by the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard. Negotiations are underway to widen MAFI even further. First-batch of the Phase 1 work is already complete at six sites. The base at Gwalior in central India will be the first to be modernised under Batch 2, followed by Chandigarh in the north of the country. Tata Power's Strategic Electronics Division (SED) was awarded the USD196 million, 42-month contract to lead the first phase of MAFI in 2011. MAFI includes upgrades, installation, and integration of a range of equipment...

15 December 2014 - 10:39 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi  THE Indian Navy is strengthening the country’s coastal security by installing 46 coastal radar stations and 51 automatic identification centres.  It has also set up an Information Management Analysis Centre (IMAC) on the outskirts of Delhi to track the movements of some 250,000 fishing boats along the 7 ...for more subscription Shephardmedia.com

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Indian companies may manufacture parts for the ShinMaywa US-2 amphibian under a recent agreement between India and Japan. (Photo: Chris Pocock) September 11, 2014, 11:33 AM With a clear mandate from the 100-day-old government to make aerospace manufacturing a focus area for domestic and export markets, there is renewed interest by manufacturers to be in the forefront. This was clear at a recent conference the Center for Air Power Studies and the Confederation of Indian Industry held in New Delhi. India is taking stock of aerospace manufacturing opportunities that are expected to arise in offsets from the $72 billion worth of contracts signed or about to be signed for work running through 2021. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics’ ( HAL ) current commitments will keep it busy for the next decade, and private-sector involvement in the manufacturing arena is imm...

LAND WARFARE 05th September 2014 - 9:41 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi After deciding to spend $135 million on 40  Catapult artillery  systems and $1.1 billion on 118 Arjun MkII MBTs, the Indian Army still has further to go. A much-awaited decision on anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) for which the Israeli Spike missile and Raytheon’s Javelin are contenders, was deferred. Even as the Indian Army prepares to raise over 90,000 new Mountain Strike Corps along the 4,000 km border with China by 2019, the fate of the ultra-light howitzers also continues to hang in the air.......Read more on Shephard Media (subscription free for two weeks)

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 13, 2014, 12:35 AM India’s  GPS -Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (Gagan) system, jointly developed by Airports Authority of India ( AAI ), the Indian Space Research Organization and Raytheon, has been awarded certification for in Required Navigation Performance ( RNP ) 0.1 operations. Achieved with the help of quasi- U.S. government non-profit  MITRE  Corporation, the certification makes it the world’s fourth  SBAS  system certified for operational use. The first test flight using the system will fly an approach in mid-2014 from Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat. The aircraft is likely to be an  AAI -owned Beechcraft aircraft, according to S.V Satish, general manager ( ATM -Gagan),  AAI . Raytheon has built 15 ground reference stations for the Gagan System, which will provide satellite-based navigation for civil aviation over Indian ...

AIN NEWS LIVE FROM AEROINDIA » 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 7, 2013, 9:59 AM The certification for India’s  GPS -Aided  GEO  Augmented Navigation (Gagan) project is presently being led by the Director General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) and, according to an official statement, is “expected to be operational in the summer of 2013.” However, an Airports Authority of India ( AAI ) official, speaking on condition of anonymity, has told  AIN  the schedule is likely to be pushed back toward the end of the year. Raytheon is building the ground stations for the Gagan System, which will provide satellite-based navigation for civil aviation over Indian airspace and adjoining areas in South and East Asia. The Indian Space Research Organization ( ISRO ) and  AAI  are providing the space segment, additional ground equipment, as well as participating in the integration and operating the system. Gagan lever...

Neelam Mathews Oct 25, 201 India’s quest to acquire man-portable Javelins- anti-tank guided missiles- under the Foreign Military Sales route, is not moving. India has not as yet sent the Letter of Request (LOR) that was to go out in 2010.  U.S secretary of defense Leon Panetta on a visit this year to India had  said the US was committed” to providing the weapon to India.  This came in the background of reports the deal was in jeopardy as the US was cutting down on quantity requested.  Panetta reassured: “We have not cut the quantity... I want to reassure that we are committed to the sale of Javelin to India..."  Panetta did admit there had been bureaucratic delays.” We learn one of the reasons for the delay has been caused as   a  result of a senior executive in the US State Dept who felt the numbers asked for by India were “excessive.”   Now, this  must have our babus smiling. They finally met their match!

Neelam Mathews Oct 22, 2012 A familiar face to India since 1976, William (Bill) Blair, President, Raytheon India, will be moving to Singapore by the end of this year. He will take over as Raytheon Head of Asia Pacific, that will include India. Aerospace Diary was able to confirm this news. Congrats to Bill, who we have known since his GE stint in India when he worked hard to start the technology center in Bangalore. In the past few years, Raytheon has made many more footprints into India's civil and defense sector.

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Sept 24, 2012 Raytheon Company has entered into a distribution agreement with Monument Capital Group. Under the agreement, MCG will engage potential Indian partners to provide mass notification and non-lethal systems to solve challenging security problems and emerging safety requirements. Applications of these products include high-value asset and critical infrastructure security, protection against terrorism and piracy, explosives detection, and innovative emergency response solutions for natural disaster management. Security solutions are aimed at enhancing border, port, maritime and aviation security. “Our agreement with MCG will help to expand Raytheon’s global reach in homeland security, national defense and commercial security markets,” said Mike Booen, Raytheon Missile Systems’ vice president of Advanced Security and Directed Energy Systems. “The agreement also enables our customers to set up local operations for full services,...