Aerospace Diary

With ‘Make in India’ the new mantra, NEELAM MATHEWS reports on the advent of the private sector in India’s aerospace industry (Aerospace UK) A decade of policy paralysis is giving a new ray of hope to the sluggish Indian aerospace industry — until recently dominated by slothful staid public sector companies plagued with delays with neither the will, nor the inclination to innovate or move forward. Driven by the promised speedy and transparent policy for aerospace manufacturing by the, now over one year old, Narendra Modi Government, that has made ‘Make in India’ its mantra, the entry of private sector into forbidden territory is changing the very dynamics of the business. While there remains a slip between the cup and the lip, $30bn worth of contracts cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in the past year are awaiting release of Request for Proposal (RFP) that, in theory at least, needs to be closed within a year. The new defence procurement policy once announced, it is ...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  NOVEMBER 1, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Cabins for the Sikorsky S-92 are manufactured in India. The company is seeking to replace AgustaWestland as India’s new VIP helicopter supplier. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) November 1, 2013, 10:30 AM Sikorsky Aircraft is lobbying to replace AgustaWestland ( AW ) as the supplier of  VIP  helicopters to the Indian Air Force. The company is already building fuselages for the S-92 in India. Meanwhile, the Indian Minister of Defense confirmed that the ministry had sent a legal notice to AgustaWestland regarding the contract for 12  AW 101s , now in jeopardy after the company allegedly violated the terms of a pre-integrity pact. The company has 21 days to respond. “Sikorsky will be more than willing to provide the helicopters, the more so as we are building the cabins in Hyderabad,” said Arvind Walia, regional executive, India and South Asia, for Sikorsk...

Statement from MoD Acquisition of AW-101 Choppers for IAF: The Facts In August 1999, the IAF which is responsible for carrying out VVIP communication task, proposed the replacement of Mi-8 VIP helicopters due to severe operational constraints, such as, inability of Mi-8 to operate at night and in adverse weather, inability to operate safely at places in elevation beyond 2000 meters etc. IAF felt the need for the replacement of Mi-8 helicopters as they were completing their total technical life. 2.               A global RFP was issued in March 2002 to which 4 vendors responded. The Technical Evaluation Committee shortlisted 3 helicopters and accordingly flight evaluations were conducted.  Since, EH-101 of M/s. AgustaWestland was not certified for an altitude of 6000 meters, it did not participate in the flight evaluation. The Russian helicopter Mi-172 could not comply with 7 mandatory Operational Re...

AIN NEWS LIVE FROM AEROINDIA  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 4, 2013, 3:11 PM Slowly and steadily, a handful of Indian aerospace companies are getting absorbed into the global supply chain of OEMs. For instance, in the opto-electronics segment, the new Samtel-Thales Avionics joint venture “plans to become the first electro-optic house in the country,” said executive director Puneet Kaura. By 2015, the company intends to supply the infrared search and track system as standard equipment for the Dassault Rafale fighter for the Indian Air Force. Meanwhile, the Thales-Bharat Electronics surface radar joint venture is on track and will be fully operational by March, Eric Lenseigne, Thales’s country head for India, told  AIN . “Offsets at a later stage could be a possibility,” he added. The joint venture between Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin following the purchase of six C-130 military transports by India “is go...

Neelam Mathews Sept 10, 2011 A "Legacy of Heroes" demonstration tour has been launched by Sikorsky with a S-92 helicopter flying on a multi-country tour. The objective is to recognize first responders to natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies around the globe while promoting the company's family of products including the H-92 helicopter, the military version of the company's commercial S-92helicopter, says Sikorsky, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. The tour route for 2011 includes parts of the U.S through late October. It will move to locations in Asia and India from early December into late February 2012, and then to Latin America and South America later in 2012.  A six-member crew, headed by veteran Sikorsky pilots Melissa Mathiasen and Joe Brennan, will conduct cockpit briefings and aircraft tours at designated stops and will participate in first responder recognition ceremonies and other special events to provide community suppor...