Aerospace Diary

13th July 2018 - 03:00 GMT  |  by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has released draft regulations on requirements for civil UAS operations, but it is yet to release its regulatory policy, ......... ‘We are trying to push the ministries of home and of civil aviation, and integrating the two is proving to be a challenging job,’ said Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog, ...Read more in Shephardmedia.com

by  Neelam Mathews  Aug 5 2015 The Cheel UAV to be co-developed in India by Dynamatic and AeroVironment will be a development of the latter’s Raven, seen here. (Photo: AeroVironment) Bangalore, India-based Dynamatic Technologies is co-developing a new generation lightweight unmanned aerial system (UAS) with AeroVironment of the U.S. It is named the Cheel (Hindi for Eagle) and will be based on AeroVironment’s proven expertise , with the design evolving from the 5 kg Raven and 12 kg Puma UAS. The project is one of the six “pathfinder projects” identified under the U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI)  earlier this year . “The first Cheel will fly eleven months after formal approval,” Udayant Malhoutra, Dynamatic CEO and managing director told  AIN . The Indian company is already a supplier to Airbus, Bell and Boeing and has built an advanced avionics and communications laboratory; payload developm...

by  Neelam Mathews The U.S. extended the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) signed with India in 2005 by another decade, to 2025. The move came during this week’s visit to India by President Obama, the first U.S. president to be chief guest for India’s 66th Republic Day celebrations. He was accompanied by a large defense-related delegation. The visit came barely a week after Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu was in the country for the 14th meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Technical Cooperation. The DTTI covers potential partnership in U.S.-India military-industrial matters. From a list about 17 technologies permitted for transfer, the two sides have identified four “Pathfinder projects” for co-development and co-production. They are the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven B UAV; roll-on roll-off cargo modules for disaster-relief operations worldwide by Lockheed Martin C...

Neelam Mathews Oct 11, 2014 We’re a strange complicated bunch. We tolerate matters that affect our own security without as much a whimper. We either have a death wish or believe –somewhat rightly- that the Gods are watching over us. They must be. The way we are flouting use of civil drones not allowed over our airspace, is cause for serious concern. DGCA in all its wisdom has woken up as usual too late with typically, a public notice with no teeth. ICAO has “yet to publish Standards and Recommended Practices as far as certification and operation of civil use of UAS is concerned,” says DGCA covering its back. It recognizes “due to lack of regulation, operating procedures/standards, and uncertainty of the technology, UAS poses threat for air collisions and accidents.” So, why not dear regulator, put some procedures in place? We at AerospaceDiary learn, this was proposed by the then DGCA Naseem Zaidi. What happened dear august body after he left? Best to let sleeping dogs...er...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS March 12, 2014, 3:09 PM International trip support provider United Aviation Services ( UAS ) is looking for a partner in India. Viney Garg, the Dubai-based group’s business development manager, said it wants to get a partnership up and running this year. One possible complication is the Indian government’s requirement that ground handling companies in the country are 51-percent owned by Indian nationals, and India’s complex tax rules could also be problematic. However, there is clearly strong demand among business and private aircraft operators for help in India with flight and landing permits and all aspects of trip support in a country that remains short on infrastructure and where bureaucracy can be an impediment to smooth operations. “India is a promising market but continues to face regulatory issues,” Garg told  AIN . “For instance, while the notice period for an arriving flight has been reduc...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS This full-scale model of the Rustom 2 Male UAV being developed by the DRDO was displayed at the 2010 Aero India event. September 27, 2013, 1:00 PM India’s own medium-altitude long-endurance (Male)  UAS  has experienced another delay, with first flight now expected toward the end of next year. A senior official from the Defense Research Development Organization ( DRDO ) told  AIN  that the Rustom-2 project has suffered from lack of access to technology for sensors and engines. “Requirements for  ISR  are huge in India, given threats from the border. However, Hale, micro and nano  UAV s require powerful algorithms. That is where we require help,” added  V.S.  Chandra Shekhar, associate director of the  DRDO ’s Aeronautical Development Establishment ( ADE ). Shekhar said that taxi trials of the Rustom-2 are now sche...