SP's Aviation October 2009

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• NBAA REPORT Still • COPE INDIA ’09

DELENG/2008/24199 • ISRO’S VOYAGE • SPECIAL FORCES

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TABLE of CONTENTS News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. AviationISSUE 10 • 2009

While sales have hammered the business jet sector across the world, the Middle East remains an oasis of hope that will lead the industry back to recovery

SPECIAL FEATURE Cover Story HALL OF FAME 10 IAF Day Parade 35 Valentina Tereshkova Celebrating 77 Years INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE... SHOW REPORT REGULAR DEPARTMENTS ...that even as corporate 25 NBAA aviation the world over 3 A Word from Editor Strong Despite the Storm continues to reel under the brutal blow of economic 5 NewsWithViews SP’s EXCLUSIVE recession, the market in the - India Developing MIRVs Arabian Gulf states shows 28 MMRCA Deal little or no signs of regress. - Curbing the Naxals Flying the Super Viper • 7 InFocus

�� MILITARY �� Muscles On Display

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�� 12 Indo-US Exercise ��www.spsaviation.net 8 Forum Cope India 2009

�� More Lean Than Mean 29 MMRCA Deal �� Super In Every Sense 36 NewsDigest �� 30 Special Forces �� SP's Avn 10 of 09 Cover_final.indd 1 11/10/09 8:26:27 PM 40 LastWord Garuds for All Reasons Reality Bites Cover Photo: SPACE Cessna recorded signiﬁcant sales across the Middle East for their larger business jets. NEXT ISSUE: 32 ISRO Life Begins at 40 Photo Credit: Cessna Joint Strike Fighter: Progress Report

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 1 TABLE of CONTENTS

PLUS... PUBLISHER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DESIGN & LAYOUT Jayant Baranwal Associate Art Director: Ratan Sonal Graphic Designers: Rajkumar Sharma, ASSISTANT EDITOR Vimlesh Kumar Yadav Arundhati Das DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING Neetu Dhulia SENIOR VISITING EDITOR SALES & MARKETING Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia Head Vertical Sales: Rajeev Chugh Sales Manager: Rajiv Ranjan SENIOR TECHNICAL GROUP EDITORS Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey SP’S WEBSITES Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand Senior Web Developer: Shailendra P. Ashish Web Developer: Ugrashen Vishwakarma CHIEF SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT 25 NBAA Report © SP Guide Publications, 2009 Sangeeta Saxena

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION Inland: Rs 850 • Foreign: US$ 250 Abhishek Singh Email: [email protected] SUB-EDITOR Bipasha Roy LETTER TO EDITOR [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS [email protected] INDIA Air Marshal (Retd) P.K. Mehra FOR ADVERTISING DETAILS, CONTACT: Air Marshal (Retd) N. Menon [email protected] Group Captain (Retd) A.K. Sachdev [email protected] Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha [email protected] [email protected] EUROPE 12 SP GUIDE PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD Alan Peaford, Phil Nasskau, Cope India 2009 A-133 Arjun Nagar, Rob Coppinger (Opposite Defence Colony) New Delhi 110 003, India. USA & CANADA 32 Sushant Deb, LeRoy Cook, Lon Nordeen, Tel: +91 (11) 24644693, Anil R. Pustam (West Indies) 24644763, 24620130 ISRO Fax: +91 (11) 24647093 Turns 40 CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR Email: [email protected] Jayant Baranwal POSTAL ADDRESS ADMIN & COORDINATION Post Box No 2525 Bharti Sharma New Delhi 110 005, India. Survi Massey REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE Owned, published and printed by BENGALURU, INDIA Jayant Baranwal, printed at 534, Jal Vayu Vihar Kala Jyothi Process Pvt Ltd and Kammanhalli Main Road published at A-133, Arjun Nagar Bangalore 560043, India. (Opposite Defence Colony), Tel: +91 (80) 23682534 New Delhi 110 003, India. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be MOSCOW, RUSSIA reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or LAGUK Co., Ltd., (Yuri Laskin) transmitted in any form or by any means, Krasnokholmskaya, Nab., photocopying, recording, electronic, or 11/15, app. 132, Moscow 115172, Russia. www.spguidepublications.com otherwise without prior written permission Tel: +7 (495) 911 2762 of the Publishers. Fax: +7 (495) 912 1260

2 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net A Word from Editor Flourishing business aviation in the oil-rich Gulf nations makes for compelling read even as back home, ominous grumblings from India’s northern neighbour prompts a recce of the IAF’s combat strength

eople who buy corporate jets are not affected by the National Business Aviation Association held in Florida was the global recession—a telling observation, albeit successful despite initial expectations of a lacklustre show. slightly altered, by a top corporate honcho of a Back home, harsh reality and its grim implications stare leading aircraft manufacturer neatly sums up the us in the face. Of prime concern is the combat power of consummate lure of luxurious private wings for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Undeniably, the Air Force Day the jet-setter, glitterati and glamorous. Deeper the Parade on the IAF’s 77th anniversary on October 8 was re- pocket, more lavish the ride. That said, the spectre of global splendent in its showcasing of pomp and pageantry, but if Peconomic recession has invariably robbed the corporate avia- one were to go by the number of aircraft on display, there tion industry of its enviable gleam. Derided and denounced for was no escaping the uncomfortable question: is this an omi- its unabashed proclamation of opulence and overt arrogance nous sign that the IAF still finds itself in a trough of eroded in the face of a global economic meltdown, business aviation combat capability due to the dwindling strength of its com- has taken a beating in most of its hitherto flourishing mar- bat squadrons? Shaking off the déjà vu, it is time the Indian kets—save for one. The Middle East establishment paid heed to the warning signals emanating “Of course we are aware of the general financial situa- from across the northern borders. tion, but in the Middle East it is different,” quips Ali al Naqbi, Meanwhile, the winds of change are evident as Indian forc- the head of the Middle East Business Aviation Association. In es engage in joint exercises with armed forces of foreign coun- fact, throughout the period of global meltdown, the Middle tries even as the flight trials for the IAF’s Medium Multi Role East market has continued to grow mostly for the “larger and Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal make steady progress. This long-range business aircraft”. Delving into the reasons for this edition carries a report on Cope India 2009, the five-day Indo- relentless surge, SP’s Special Correspondent Alan Peaford con- US transport exercise that commenced on October 19 in Agra. cludes that the Middle East will eventually script the recovery With a finger on the pulse of the MMRCA deal, two leading of the business aviation industry. Throwing further light on the contenders highlight their fighter aircraft—each with unique resilience of this beleaguered sector, this time from the US, Le- and acclaimed characteristics. As always, we bring you all the Roy Cook reports that the 2009 convention and trade show of action behind the news.

SCORING A FIRST: SP’S WAS THE FIRST ON BOARD PHENOM 100’S DEBUT FLIGHT IN INDIA ON NOVEMBER 6 DURING EMBRAER’S DEMO ASIA PACIFIC Jayant Baranwal TOUR. ACCOMPANYING THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WAS JOSE EDUARDO COSTAS, VP SALES AND MARKETING, EXECUTIVE JETS, EMBRAER. (READ DETAILS OF Publisher & Editor-in-Chief THE FLIGHT IN THE NEXT EDITION OF SP’S AVIATION & WWW.SPSAVIATION.NET)

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Phenom Dr. Vivek Lall Y? 100’s Vice President, Boeing Debut Integrated Defense Systems at Delhi ‘C-17 a veryACTOR good fit for Airport Cope India Air Force Day India’s strategic needs’ Videos / Photos Videos / Photos TISF ACE OF IAFSA MODERNISA IS P es • No • Don’t Know • Y JoinJoin thethe pollpoll && commentcomment ILLUSTRATION: MAMTA NewsWithViews targets as the warheads fall toward earth. The use of MIRVof earth.usetowardwarheads fallThethe targetsas vidual warheads can then be directed to a number of differentmissile reaches the top, orapex, ofthe ballistic arc. Theindi its SLBMs. to capability ICBMs.this its extending on be use also may It for technology MIRV developed has China warheads.MIRV with SLBMs only operate UK and France whereas well, as MIRV warheads. with Russia uses fitted MIRVs are on US its ICBMs the and of SLBMs (ICBMs) Missiles Ballistic tinental Missiles Con Inter some and (SLBMs) Ballistic Launched bilities of their own. capa indigenous developing countries’ weapon also followed suit by ‘nuclear remaining the Subsequently, yields. on individual and collective weap highermuch withmissile one into warheads more/heavier put to them enabled Thisets. rock larger on warheadsthe similartechnologyplacingbut a developing Sovi by retaliated ets The period. War Cold the of adversaries major two the USSR), (then Russia and US the between race arms of triggeredItmajor escalationa rines carrying ballistic missiles. nuclearsubmaitscapacity of limitedenhancethe to US the by 1960s early the in ceived initiallyconconceptwasThe cessiontheenemyinterritory. number of targets in quick suc nuclear warheads and attack a a severalcarry allowstomissile single payload MIRV An long-rangeon guided missiles. hicleistypea ofpayload fitted MIRV?an the country’s nuclear deterrence capability. I But what exactly is VIEWS ready in another three to four years. Scientists of the organisation claim the guidance system will have a high degree of accuracy to offset even a a even target. offset to intended the accuracy of from degree high deviation a have negligible will a or system be will guidance probability of the machine error war claim ultimate circular organisation this small few the of expects past DRDO the and Scientists over system, years. four progress to three inde significant another in made multiple single-rocket-multiple-warhead has ready the it deploy for India confirmed technology has help DRDO will indigenous The an that missiles. its developing on in technologies years warheads validating (MIRV) vehicles reportedly is reentry (DRDO) targeted pendently Organisation Development and Research Defence India’s INDIA DEVELOPINGMIRV An MIRV payload separates from an ICBM/SLBM as the ICBM/SLBMas an separatesMIRVpayload from An Submarine all Today, respective nuclear arsenals. It would alsoand France—whichgreatly enhancealso possess MIRV warheads infive their ‘Nuclear Haves’ countries—the US, true,Russia,fIndia wouldindeed firstelitejointhethe clubof China, UK h mlil idpnety agtd eety ve independently re-entry multiple targetedThe ------s - - vein, several MIRVs may be aimed at a single, heavilysame theintended targets.destroyingdefend Inthe ofchances the ofwarheads provided bytheMIRV payload greatly increases cepted by anti-ballistic missile defences, the increasedattack.silewarheadssomeifmalfunction Even interare or number makes it much more difficult to defend against a ballistic mis imposed restrictions of a ‘No first-use policy’. India’s nuclear deterrence credibility to greater much even lend when also working would within it the but self-machine mobile, MIRVed Agni V would not only warheads. survivable highly SLBM road-be M51 FrenchAthe the most potent war miniaturisedwarheads, orsomewhatW88 USthe similar to is perfected and put into operation. would in all probability carry the MIRV payload by the time it RumourtheisIndian MIRV willablebe carryto 10to up Issue 10•2009 — Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia sure its destruction. target,edattempt anenin to for first launch in early 2011, it city. While Agnischeduled isV China’s northernmostHarbin, it would be able to engage even Northeastthepositioning in it by Similarly, Europe. across the capability to engage targets ing it to Amritsar, it would have country.For example, bymov the of boundaries the within closerintendedittheto target 5,500 km range) by positioning an ICBM (equal or greater than effect move into the category of in would it thatensurewould road-mobile. highly The it road mobility make would which India’s first canisterised missile uniquefeatures. Agni Vwill be severalwithkm-range AgniV missiles, is designing the 5,000 long-range, nuclear-tippedgic Hyderabad, India’s develops stratewhich in Laboratory cessful. The Advanced Systems that confidentprogrammethe sucwouldbe is DRDO However,the technologies. and involveshighly complex issues Developing MIRV capability

SP’S SP AVIATION

- 5 ------ILLUSTRATION: MAMTA NewsWithViews stan’s Inter-Services Intelligence pose a grave threatthe toNepalese India. Maoists, the Northeast insurgents and massevenkillings Paki and brutal violence. Thegroup’s affiliations with well-trained guerilla force which does not hesitate a ofshape to resort thetaken hasto up setentirecontrolstructure the centralised and command a continuously with evolving and SLRs, the besides a large and number of AK-47s unlicensed country the arms. cluding in weapons regular 6,500 to hefty20,000,possessing close ent naxal groups has reached a armed cadre strength of differ combined the that estimated is It south. the in Karnataka to north the in borderNepal called ‘RedCorridor’ stretching from so India—the across states 20 in districts 220 as many as cover to expanded has today and 1990s the in again momentum up picked gotfractionalised inthe1970s which movement The sition. oppo revolutionary through governance of system native its name) propagating an derivedalter movement naxal the which (from Naxalbari called hamletWestinaBengal from Sanyal Kanu and Majumdar Charu by 1960s the in revolt started as essentially a peasant conflicting ideologies? of lens a different under problem naxal the views Centre the be it Could country? the of parts other in areas from the ones operating between the perpetrators of terrorism operating differentiate in the naxal affected why But so. Apparently Northeast? the or Kashmir and Jammu from emanating ones the than serious more even was terrorism naxal the that hinting he R VIEWS 6

violence was almost unanimous in the view thattheIndianarmedforcesshouldnotbeusedinfightagainstMaoists.violence wasalmostunanimousintheview attack on the police party. Hours later in Delhi, the government’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) while debating on how to the tackle a launching in the Taliban-stylebefore man surge execution a in beheading naxalite by brutality of bar the raise to bar,ready provocation were the raising they from apart that showed Chhattisgarh.also with extremists border The the to district,Maharashtra’sclose Gadchiroli in 8 October on ambush brazen a in policemen 17 killing by higher notch a bar provocation the raised extremists strategy,Left-wing government’santi-naxal Indian the to challenge contemptuous a In CURBING THE NAXALS

aa ognstoa poie ad taeis ae been have strategies and profiles organisational Naxal was movement naxal The SP’S problem for India. In making such a statement was a reached stage so as to become the gravest internal security had violence naxal the that admitted had Singh Manmohan Dr Minister ecently,Prime AVIATION

Issue 10•2009 - - - -

- little confidence. involved in the operations, their past fiveeven years’though a recordstaggering inspires 100,000 security men are PolicereportedlyForce, Indo-Tibetan Border Police andsoon. However, forcescomprising theBorder Security Force, Central Reserve meetingOctoberemploymentonthewith8, para-military of Chidambaramoffensiveanlaidouthad plan during CCSthe to eliminate the naxal terror threat, once and for all.the armed forces would do well to take charge, ascrossed a last for resort, a successful outcome of the para-military offensive, fence if fired upon by hostile naxal rebels. receivedthegreensignal take toretaliatory actionself-de in performing most of its support roles. IAF helicopters have also Againstthisformidable forceHometheMinistry underP. n u, hl te ete ol b keig t fingers its keeping be would Centre the while sum, In — Air Marshal(Retd) V.K. Bhatia naxalrebels, the IAF would be ing offensive action against the Inother words, except for tak terialintoareasoperations.of standby to move men and on ma heavy- be also will resources IAF’slift the addition, In jungles. in hideouts expose naxal help to foliage thick seeingthroughcapableofare UAVs,including sensors of which help the withsurveillance persistent provide to role its evacuation.ty couldexpandIt forcedeployments and casual supportoperationsspeedyfor militaryforceshelicopterwith para- the helping already is tingencyready.plans IAFThe armedtheforceskeepcon to ments,it would be prudent for marksechoing Antony’s senti P.V. re Naik’s Marshal Chief Chief(IAF)AirForcedian Air In notwithstanding theever, citizens. How Indian fight to armedforces were not trained stand to state that the country’s ister A.K. Antony took the high the armed forces. Defence Min tensiblydecided notinvolveto For now, the Centre has os www.spsaviation.net SP ------PHOTOGRAPHS: ABHISHEK / SP GUIDE PUBNS InFocus INDIAN AIR FORCE O was showcased as a proud possession of the EscortedIAF byat twothe Su-30s, parade. the ‘Phalcon’ endowed eye-in-the-sky and medical evacuation roles. versions in production are for transport, otherutility, countries for bothreconnaissance military and commercial use. Militaryfirst exported NepaltoandIsrael, orderonseveralandisby forces.Its civilian variant is also available. Thehelicopter Indianarmedthesupplied beingwas helicopter torole isDhruv Squadrons (No.104 Firebirds and No.125 HelicopterGladiators). Mi-25/35Attack two currently operates IAF The compartment. Externally, it can carry Itacan carry loadup to 36 passengers of uptoor 4tonnes 4.5within tonnes.the cargo Mi-17helicopter hasmaximuma take-off weight of13tones. important part of this fleet. A version of the Mi-8 airframe,forceairmaintainshelicopters fleet ofa the anMi-17the isand battlefield. commoditiessential the across Consequently, the providingairdefence cover andtransportingby menandes with two AVRO 748 and two AN-32 in echelonlowedspectrumaby position. comprising oneDornier 228theinlead kmph.Next, a the AirForce Ensign at aheight of 60 metres and speed of trooping80 formation ‘Vic’ helicopters in was marked by a fly past by three Mi-17 mencement of the Air Force Day Parade Chief General Deepak Kapoor. The com ofthe AirForce, ArjanSingh, and Army witnessed among others by the Marshal took the salute and inspected the parade earned the crowd’s applause. the prowess of Surya Kiran and Sarang (AWACS),sky,the IAF’s inandthe eye AirborneWarningSystemControl and the of entry maiden the 2000,Mirage aircraftSukhoi 30, Jaguar, MiG-29 and display of air power by frontline fighter Fine Delhi. of outskirts the on ziabad Gha inairbase Hindon at (IAF)Force birthday77thIndianthetheingof Air spellbound with the celebrations mark left was audience the as even ground For the firsttheFortime, theAWACS unveiledwas nation. theto On the other hand, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s multi- objectivekeysupporttoA isIAFthe groundof troops by Earlier, Marshal P.V. ChiefAir Naik MUSCLE id ih h pm and the pomp on unfolding the pageantry with vied AERIAL OF ESTRY TAP THE 2009. 8, CTOBER chakra formation of three Mi-25/Mi-35 was fol

brilliance - - - - o n the imagination of of air power on Air The IAF’s display strove to conceal

the nation Force Day DISPLAY the fatigue - - threats to the nation emerging on the horizon? mained:would thecurrent strength suffice keepingin bayat capability. and strength re question However, nigglingof a lesof every Indian heart, sending forth a reassuring message deceive anti-ballistic missiles. improvednavigationfeaturessystem. thetomissile has The missilewaslaunched with anextended range of350kmand tres and was proudly displayed at Hindon. In atarget airfields,recenttoused controlcommand cenbetest,couldand the Ballistic Missile II Prithvi acquired recently aircraft.The IM Jaguar100hasIAFTheeightandIS maritime strikeJaguar carrying nuclear weapons. capable of is 1.6, Mach ofspeed squadronsJaguars.of twin-engineThe JaguarIB,top witha with a 30 mm cannon along with R-60 and R-27 missiles.fighter, has a top speed of 2,445 andkmphlater1971. in (MachMiG-29, the2.3)IAF’s anddedicated isair superiorityarmed of the MiG-21 since its debut in the India-Pakistansuperiority warfighter. of 1965 Theforce has been one of the largest groundusers attack munitions. TheSu-30MKI is the IAF’s prime missiles, combat close missiles various Magicair R550 and two 30 mm integral cannon, two Matra Super 530D medium-range —and Admittedly,cockstaticdisplayswarmedtheand air the the are force attack ground IAF’s the amongForemost ﬁred wide range of weaponry,rangewideof including two rolefighter jet. Theaircraft cancarrya (Mach 2.35), are the IAF’s premier2000s, capablemulti-flying of2,500at kmph theWestern Command.Air MirageThe operating from five different aircraftair bybases carried out in display was air formingflawlessa Vertical Charlie. The aircraft per leadmanoeuvre, the with ‘Trident’ a carriedSu-30MKIs out also the formation of trail The MKI. Su-30 Baaz(MiG-29), Vajra(Mirage 2000) and incoming threats. and air defence counter measures to the helpsin directing Indian fighter aircraft asit flies far away from the border and even bases, their from off takingsiles closewatch on enemy aircraft a and mis keep to capability IAF the provides mountedRussianonIL-76, theAWACS Israeli-made radar the withEquipped lowedthreeBisonbyeachof(MiG-21), fol closely formation ‘Vic’ in Jaguars Issue 10•2009 Thefighter fly past was led bythree —By SangeetaSaxena

SP’S AVIATION SP

7 ------INDIAN AIR FORCE rum

Fo More

LEANthan MEAN

C C O L A D E S up its combat jet fighter squad- APART, THE rons to 39-and-half against a AIR POWER recommended figure of 45 and DISPLAY by the While adversaries are maintained it long enough for Indian Air Force it to be considered as the ap- (IAF) on its 77th building their air force proved squadrons’ strength. anniversary on October 8 could arsenals at a feverish pitch, But the lack of any meaning- Aat best be described as moder- ful acquisition programmes ate—exceptions being the 250 the IAF’s acquisition throughout the 1990s started km-range Prithvi on static dis- and modernisation to have the inevitable adverse play and the mighty Airborne effect on its combat squad- Warning and Control System programmes continue to rons’ strength by the turn of (AWACS), displayed for the first the century. All of the factors time in Indian skies since its either languish, or move combined drained the IAF induction in May. The combat forward at a snail’s pace that started to lose its com- power of the IAF was restrict- bat squadrons at a rapid pace “The Indian Air Force will shortly acquire ed to five ‘Vics’ of three aircraft from 2002 onwards, eroding enhanced capabilities and leapfrog a generation each (total 15 aircraft) consist- one-quarter of its numerical ing of Jaguar strike aircraft, the ahead.” strength in just a few years. upgraded MiG-21 Bisons, the —Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, Then again, is there a silver Mig-29 air superiority fight- October 8, 2008 lining on the horizon? Speaking ers, the multi-role Mirage 2000 at the sidelines of the Air Force and the top-of-the-line Su-30 Day Parade on October 8, the MKI air dominance fighters. In Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air sharp contrast, air displays during the previous years show- Chief Marshal P.V. Naik admitted to the large scale downslide in cased five-aircraft arrowheads as basic formations, with much the number of combat squadrons, but struck a hopeful note, “I larger numbers of aircraft of all types of fighters participating. would like to share one thing—we do not have a small force. We Is this an ominous sign that the IAF still finds itself in are on the low side of the sine curve and we are only going to a trough of eroded combat capability due to the dwindling go up... The strength (of the fighter squadrons) has to increase. strength of its combat squadrons? Was the drawdown, which By 2014, it will start increasing. By 2022, we expect to have had started earlier in the decade, attributable merely to obso- the requisite numbers.” Earlier, while addressing the parade lescence and retirement of aircraft that had completed their after the investiture ceremony, the IAF Chief put forward his service life? Or, was it also the fallout of hasty and premature vision of the force, visualising a powerful aerospace entity, ca- withdrawals of some types that were beset with maintenance pable of dominating the entire spectrum of information, cyber

PHOTOGRAPHS: ABHISHEK/ SP GUIDE PUBNS/ IAF support problems? To redux, the IAF had painstakingly built and airspace. According to him, a large number of acquisitions,

8 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net INDIAN AIR FORCE

like the Medium Multi- air force with only a support role for the surface forces to being rum Role Combat Aircraft a truly strategic and inter-continental aerospace power in tune

Fo (MMRCA), helicop- with growing national aspirations and, to meet future military ters, Flight Refuelling challenges and increased regional/global responsibilities. Aircraft, AWACS and What was stated earlier by the outgoing Chief Fali Homi transport aircraft will Major has been reiterated and reinforced by the present CAS be in place in the next in his Air Force Day address, that the IAF is in the midst of a few years which will near total transformation of its capabilities. It is true that a “provide a quantum comprehensive and focused modernisation programme has leap to the IAF’s opera- been set in motion which envisages replacement of a large tional capability”. proportion of IAF’s vintage combat assets over the next Later, responding three ‘Plan’ periods, that is, by the end of 2022. Planned I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE to a question from the augmentations comprise additional radars and sensors of media, Air Chief Mar- all classes, air defence missiles, combat aircraft, helicopters ONE THING—WE DO NOT shal Naik said, “Our and transport aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, AWACS, HAVE A SMALL FORCE. WE priority is to meet the in-flight refuellers, communication equipment and smart ARE ON THE LOW SIDE OF national aspirations. precision guided weapons. India has spheres of However, while force augmentation and force-multiplica- THE SINE CURVE AND WE influence from the tion may be the IAF’s mantra, it is implementation which is of ARE ONLY GOING TO GO Strait of Malacca to the grave concern. The IAF has to take into account the growing Strait of Hormuz, and might of the air forces of its two neighbours and major adver- UP... THE STRENGTH (OF THE the IAF should have saries, namely, China and Pakistan. China’s military moderni- FIGHTER SQUADRONS) HAS greater reach and air sation, progressing purposefully since the mid-1980s, received TO INCREASE. BY 2014, IT superiority. The IAF another shot in the arm in the early 1990s when Beijing ob- today is improving its served the superiority demonstrated by the coalition forces in WILL START INCREASING. BY reach, firepower and the first Iraq war. China’s modernisation drive to replace its 2022, WE EXPECT TO HAVE protection.” He fur- antiquated weapon systems with the help of Russian technol- THE REQUISITE NUMBERS. ther added that pri- ogy and expertise saw the rapid transformation of the People’s orities are to acquire Liberation Army Air Force. China today is close to realising its —AIR CHIEF MARSHAL long-range aircraft, goal to have a predominantly Fourth Generation air force, pro- P.V. NAIK, CHIEF OF THE lethal weapons, pre- viding it with all-pervading capabilities of a modern, state-of- AIR STAFF cision munitions and the-art, offensive air arm with matching force-multipliers and a robust air defence support systems in a network-centric warfare environment. network. “The IAF Pakistan, on the other hand, as a partner in Washington’s this year inducted one Global War on Terror, has already been supplied with $11 bil- AWACS aircraft, and lion (Rs 51,727.5 crore) worth of modern weapon systems, in- two more will come cluding the latest model of F-16 aircraft. In addition, Pakistan on line in 2010. In addition, the IAF is acquiring three mid- has already started indigenous production of the JF-17 Thun- air refuellers, six C-130J transport aircraft, 80 medium-lift der (Chinese FC-1) jet fighters. The Pakistan Air Force is likely helicopters, Spyder air defence systems, medium power ra- to get a few squadrons of J-10 fighters from China in the next dars and low-level transportable radars,” he informed. Citing couple of years. Soon, India could be confronted with 1,500 to India’s agreement with Russia for joint development of Fifth 2,000 jet fighters across its borders. Generation Fighter Aircraft and the Medium Transport Air- Against such a backdrop, the IAF has to build itself to craft, he said, “We are also building capabilities in satellites, face emerging and future challenges. But while adversar- communications, radars and electronic counter-measures.” ies are building their air force arsenals at a feverish pitch, Naik explained that India’s ‘Dissuasive Deterrence’ mili- the IAF’s acquisition and modernisation drives continue to tary policy depends on the Sukhois (Su-30 MKI) as well as the either languish, or move forward at a snail’s pace. Take the 3,500 km nuclear-capable Agni III missile, which will be ready case of Hawk advanced jet trainers that were recently in- for operational deployment by 2011; and the 5,000 km-range ducted after over two decades of negotiations. Similarly, the Agni V missile in the pipeline. He confirmed that his force was MMRCA programme, initiated in 2001, is moving at a glacial indeed “interested” in acquiring more Sukhois—which will be pace with hardly any hope of the selected aircraft’s induc- the mainstay of the IAF’s fighter fleet for the foreseeable fu- tion before 2015. Ditto for all other projects which are in ture—to further its combat potential. the pipeline for the IAF, credit mainly to the innumerable A question often asked is whether the IAF is on track in bureaucratic hurdles that stifle the procurement process. terms of force augmentation and, capability enhancement It’s time the Indian establishment paid heed to the warn- through meaningful modernisation, answer to which would ing signals emanating from across the northern borders emphatically be in the positive. The IAF was the first service and accelerated the process of infrastructural upgrade and out of the three in the country to enunciate a comprehensive modernisation of the armed forces. The disparity in combat doctrine in the mid-1990s which gave it an impetus to trans- capabilities should not be allowed to balloon to the extent as form itself into a potent regional/global force. In pursuance of to make India vulnerable to a ‘lesson’ akin to 1962. SP this goal, it drew a roadmap to transcend from a mere tactical —By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 9 SPECIAL FEATURE IAF DAY PARADE

Celebrating77 Years... PHOTOGRAPHS: ABHISHEK / SP GUIDE PUBNS GUIDE SP / ABHISHEK PHOTOGRAPHS:

10 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net SPECIAL FEATURE IAF DAY PARADE Celebrating77 Years...

1. THE IAF SARANG ADVANCE LIGHT HELICOPTER (ALH) TEAM IN ACTION 2. MI-17 HELICOPTER FLY PAST 3. PERFORMANCE BY A PARATROOPER OF THE RENOWNED AKASH GANGA TEAM 4. IAF AIR WARRIORS SALUTE THE CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF (CAS), AIR CHIEF MARSHAL P. V. NAIK, ALONG WITH MI-35 HELICOPTERS (IN FLIGHT) 5. AN ALH OF THE SARANG TEAM 6. THE PRITHVI II BALLISTIC MISSILE 7. MARCHING OUT OF THE PARADE GROUND 8. AKASH GANGA MEMBERS IN CLOSE FORMATION 9. THE AWACS EXECUTES A LOW FLY PASS 10. SURYA KIRAN AEROBATIC TEAM’S BREATHTAKING MANOEUVRE 11. THE SU-30MKI 12. THE CAS INSPECTS THE PARADE 13. AN SU-30MKI LOOMS OVER THE PARADE PARTICIPANTS 14. AKASH GANGA FORMS THE TRICOLOUR IN AN AERIAL DISPLAY For videos visit www.spsaviation.net

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 11 ��

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16 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net BUSINESS AVIATION MIDDLE EAST

VIP TRAVEL: THE EMBRAER LINEAGE 1000’S FIRST DELIVERY WAS TO A MIDDLE EAST CUSTOMER ... (SEEN HERE IS ITS INTERIOR) that even as corporate HE ARABIAN GULF STATES SIT aviation the world plumb at the centre of the world. over continues to reel A proud but true boast is that 75 per cent of the world’s popula- under the brutal blow tion lives within a six-hour flight of the Gulf—easily a boon for the of economic recession, airport and commercial airlines the market in the that use places like Doha, Bah- rain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi as hubs for continuing Arabian Gulf states Tflights to Africa, Asia or Europe. But for business, too, the prospect of being at the crossroads of the shows little or no world’s key commerce routes has led to a steady signs of regress. growth for those using corporate aviation. “Of course we are aware of the general finan- Quite the contrary! cial situation, but in the Middle East it is different,” said Ali al Naqbi, the head of the Middle SP’s Special East Business Aviation Association. Throughout Correspondent the period of global meltdown, the Middle East has continued to grow. “It may not have been the Alan Peaford growth of 25 per cent that we were witnessing two years ago, but we have continued to see growth reports from Dubai of something like 6 to 8 per cent,” Al Naqbi says. on this astonishing “The growth has mostly come for those using the larger and long-range business aircraft. Increas- phenomenon. ingly, there is more traffic to places like China, India, Russia and Africa,” he said.

‘SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS OPENING UP HERE’ For companies like Abu Dhabi’s Royal Jet this has been par- ticularly true. Royal Jet is the world’s largest operator of Boe- ing Business Jets (BBJs) and have utilised the 737-800 based jet since its formation out of the Abu Dhabi royal wing. The operator now has 10 of the type in its fleet and is expanding geographically as well to meet the growing demands of its customers with new offices in Dubai and a joint venture in Saudi Arabia. Tapping the Saudi market—undoubtedly the largest single business aviation user in the region—is key to any charter or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sales push. Royal Jet linked up with Saudi Arabia’s Arabasco with

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 17 BUSINESS AVIATION MIDDLE EAST

a commercial and op- this to within two to four days of when they wish to travel,” erational alliance that said Shane O’Hare, Royal Jet’s CEO. “But we are finding they say could change that within the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries the face of elite ser- there is strong demand, with a steady stream of bookings vices within Saudi. from Qatar and, especially, Saudi Arabia, where the alli- Under the terms of ance with Arabasco has already led to a surge of interest the agreement, Royal from the Kingdom. Jet has placed a BBJ “In part, this is also down to our new pricing policy that and a Gulfstream 300 we introduced a few months ago within the Gulf region. at Arabasco’s key hubs Previously, we calculated our prices based on where the in Jeddah and Riyadh actual aircraft originated from; now, we price the charter to operate under Ara- from where the guests commence their flight. This has led basco’s Aircraft Op- to dramatic reductions in charter rates, sometimes by as SAUDI ARABIA IS THE erators Certificate, to- much as 20 per cent,” he said. SINGLE LARGEST AND gether with crew, full Other larger operators and business jet management MOST MATURE PRIVATE operations team and companies are seeing the same. Airbus is certainly en- all necessary support- joying significant success in the region and the Europe- JET MARKET IN THE ing logistics. From an manufacturer’s head of corporate aviation Francois REGION, AND THERE ARE its private terminals Chazelle is convinced that size does matter. “The people SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS THAT within the Kingdom, the ‘joint venture’ will ARE OPENING UP HERE, offer private jet char- ESPECIALLY WHEN ONE ter, as well as domestic and international ENTERS THE MARKET WITH travel from Saudi Ara- AN ESTABLISHED BRAND bia, using the two air- AND PRODUCT OFFERING. craft which can com- fortably accommodate —SHEIKH HAMDAN BIN 30 and 12 passen- MUBARAK AL NAHYAN, gers, respectively, to CHAIRMAN, ROYAL JET cities like London, Moscow, Bangkok, as well as other business and leisure hubs in the region. Achieving growth in a key regional market such as Saudi Arabia is an important focus of Royal Jet’s expansion strategy, said Royal Jet Chairman Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan. “This was part of our strategic five- year plan and this alliance will help us consolidate our position. Saudi Arabia is the single largest and most mature private jet market in the region, and there are significant benefits that are opening up here, especially when one enters the market with an established brand and product offering,” he told SP’s Aviation. Arabasco President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brigadier (Retd) General Mohamed Al Shablan echoes Roy- al Jet’s optimism. Noting that business travel should either maintain or increase current frequency and flight capacity, he said, “There will always be a market for premium jet services, especially in Saudi Arabia. Our business comes from the upmarket segment, which has maintained sufficient levels of liquidity and will never compromise on the luxurious standards of business travel that they have been BIGGER THE accustomed to.” BETTER: CESSNA RECORDED ‘STRONG DEMAND WITHIN THE GULF COUNTRIES’ SIGNIFICANT As a result of its emphasis on the top end, Royal Jet has SALES ACROSS seen a 15 per cent rise in bookings over the past year. “We THE REGION FOR THEIR LARGER are finding that there is a trend for our guests to make BUSINESS JETS their bookings much later than they used to, often leaving

18 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net COMPETITORS ARE ALREADY FRUSTRATED BY YOUR VISION. INFURIATE THEM. Make no mistake, in these economic times, there will be winners and there will be losers. And in the zero-sum game of corporate survival, it goes without saying cavalier excess will no longer be tolerated. But neither will conventional thinking. The victors in this economy will be the ones who can keep a clear head and develop a plan to stare down the beast. To that end, we will be here with a full range of aircraft to maximize efficiency and increase productivity. So keep ﬂying in this storm. Eventually, the weak will wither. And the bold will emerge stronger. Your primary mission is to ensure that you are among the latter.

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THE PEOPLE WHO BUY CRUISING AHEAD: AIRBUS IS THE MARKET AIRBUS CORPORATE JETS LEADER OF THE ARE NOT AFFECTED BY THE REGION (SEEN HERE IS THE A320 AND THE GLOBAL RECESSION IN INTERIORS OF ITS VIP CABIN) THE SAME WAY. THEY ARE LONG-TERM INVESTORS AND ARE NOT GOING TO who buy Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) are not affected by ship of the Brazilian SUDDENLY SWITCH TO the global recession in the same way. They are long-term OEM’s growing busi- FLYING COMMERCIAL investors and are not going to suddenly switch to flying ness aircraft offering. commercial aircraft to attend to their business. We are It delivered to Abu AIRCRAFT TO ATTEND working with billionaires and they have seen this as an Dhabi’s Prestige Jets TO THEIR BUSINESS. opportunity,” he said. in May 2009 where it WE ARE WORKING WITH Coming from a late introduction to the VIP market com- is managed for a pri- pared to the BBJ, Airbus has now taken over as the mar- vate owner and has BILLIONAIRES AND THEY ket leader with more than 150 aircraft, including 50 or so been exceeding ex- HAVE SEEN THIS AS AN wide-bodies and 100 of the ACJ family comprising the A318 pectations in demand OPPORTUNITY. Elite, ACJ and A320 Prestige. These are popular with the and usage. The maxi- corporate pilots as the aircraft include a modern and user- mum range of the Lin- —FRANCOIS CHAZELLE, friendly cockpit with practical pull-out tables, modern fly- eage 1000, originally VICE PRESIDENT, AIRBUS by-wire controls, Category 3B autoland as standard, cen- projected to be 4,200 EXECUTIVE & PRIVATE tralised maintenance linked to every aircraft system, and nm (7,778 km) with large outward-opening cargo doors. eight passengers, or AVIATION The ACJ forms the backbone of the fleet operated by UAE’s 4,350 nm (8,056 km) Al Jaber Aviation with six ACJs—the largest single operator in with four passengers, the Middle East and the first to offer the aircraft to VVIP char- has been extended to ter. “Our Airbus ACJ Family aircraft will offer private travel in 4,400 nm (8,149 km) unprecedented comfort and style, providing families and com- with eight passengers, or 4,500 nm (8,344 km) with four panies with a new way to fly ,” says Al Jaber Chief Executive passengers, both with NBAA IFR reserves. Mohammed Al Jaber. “In addition to the huge improvement in Embraer is expecting to see even more growth in the space and comfort, high-end travellers in the Airbus ACJ Fam- region with the development of Falcon Aviation as an autho- ily will also benefit from separate cabin-zones and unmatched rised service centre across the Embraer fleet. Falcon has a freedom of movement in flight,” he adds. vested interest in the success as it already operates two Leg- acy 600s of its own and is due to receive one more this year. PREFERRED LAUNCH SPOT The company also has two Legacy 500 and four Phenom Not surprisingly, the Middle East is fast becoming the key 300 jets on order, plus two Lineage 1000s. Falcon Aviation destination for launch customers of new aircraft. “The Services (FAS) is building a new 8,000 sq m jet maintenance launch customer for the A350XWB Prestige—the VIP version facility at Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi which will be capa- of the new Airbus extra wide body airliner—is MAZ Aviation ble of accommodating up to three Lineage 1000s. “There is in Saudi Arabia who has six on order and, of course, the great potential for the Lineage 1000 in the region, and that world’s first A380 Prestige will be with Kingdom Holdings in is why we are investing so much in our maintenance facili- Riyadh,” said Chazelle. Meanwhile, the Kuwait royal family ties in Abu Dhabi,” said Philip Markham, CEO of FAS. are believed to be the launch customer for the new Boeing 747-800 VVIP jet when the type is built for 2011. ‘PURCHASERS HERE KNOW WHAT THEY WANT’ Another VIP aircraft to get its first delivery to a Middle There is also great demand for the ultra-long range large East customer is the Embraer Lineage 1000. This is the flag- purpose-built business jets such as the Gulfstream 450

20 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net BUSINESS AVIATION MIDDLE EAST GULFSTREAM PERSPECTIVE Soaring Sales Defy Downturn Despite the global recession and falling oil prices, the region By is expected to recover and will Ruedi Kraft, be part of the international FLY IN STYLE: Regional Vice President, INTERIOR OF THE G550; Gulfstream Aerospace expansion of business aviation (INSET) IN FLIGHT

he international market for Gulfstream Aerospace business jets has in- The G500—The large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G500, powered by two creased dramatically over the past several years to the point where more Rolls-Royce BR710 engines, can fly 5,800 nautical miles with eight passengers Tthan 50 per cent of our orders are international. The Middle East is an at a cruising speed of Mach 0.80. The G500’s required takeoff distance is only important part of that growth. Despite the global recession and falling oil prices, 5,150 feet. Owners of the Gulfstream G500 enjoy a wide range of cabin selec- the region is expected to recover and will be part of the international expansion tions that include multiple layouts with configurations to accommodate 14 to of business aviation. Proof of that is the growing presence of Gulfstream in the 18 passengers. Standard equipment and option packages combined with the Middle East. Between 2002 and 2008, the number of Gulfstream aircraft regis- proven reliability, safety, comfort and performance offer an exceptional combina- tered to operators in the region nearly doubled. The majority of that increase tion of features. On January 11, 2005, the G500 received validation from both was in the large-cabin market. The appeal of large-cabin Gulfstream aircraft lies the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Joint Aviation Authorities. in their speed, range, safety and cabin amenities. The first G500 entered service in May 2004. The G650—For instance, the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream The G450—The large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream G450 business jet, which G650, powered by two of the new Rolls-Royce BR725 engines, offers the lon- was introduced at the 2003 National Business Aviation Association’s annual gest range, fastest speed, largest cabin and the most-advanced cockpit in the meeting, is an entire aircraft upgrade of an already outstanding business jet, Gulfstream fleet. It is capable of travelling 7,000 nautical miles at 0.85 Mach or the Gulfstream GIV/GIV-SP/G400. With the ability to accommodate 12 to 16 pas- 5,000 nautical miles at 0.90 Mach. Using an advanced aerodynamic design, the sengers, travel 4,350 nautical miles and cruise at speeds up to Mach 0.88, G650 has a maximum operating speed of 0.925 Mach, which will make it the the G450 can handle domestic and international flights with ease. The G450 fastest civil aircraft flying. It can climb to a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet, is powered by upgraded Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8C engines. Combined with aero- allowing it to avoid airline-traffic congestion and adverse weather. The G650 dynamic and material improvements, its flight and performance characteristics features the most technologically advanced PlaneViewTM II cockpit with a num- provide greater fuel efficiency and lower operating costs. The G450 features the ber of enhancements, including four 14-inch, adaptive, liquid-crystal displays; PlaneView cockpit as well as Gulfstream EVS. three standard PlaneBook computer tablets; a smaller pedestal; a standby mul- The G350—The large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350 offers the most cabin tifunction controller that combines current display controller functionality with volume, the best performance and the largest number of standard features standby flight instruments; and a fully automatic, three-dimensional scanning compared to any aircraft in its class. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8C weather radar with an integral terrain database for efficient ground-clutter elimi- engines, the G350 has the ability to accommodate 12 to 16 passengers, travel nation. In addition, the G650 uses the Gulfstream Enhanced Vision System (EVS) a maximum of 3,800 nautical miles and cruise at speeds up to Mach 0.88. II, the Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display and Head-Up Display. The aircraft Like the large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream G450, the G350 features the exclu- offers a full three-axis fly-by-wire system that delivers flight-envelope protection, sive PlaneView cockpit. Available as optional equipment on the G350 are the increased redundancy and reduced maintenance. next-generation Visual Guidance System, Honeywell Head-Up Display (HUD) and The G550—The large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550 can fly up to Gulfstream EVS. In November 2004, the G350 received both a Type Certificate 51,000 ft at speeds up to Mach 0.885. Powered by two Rolls-Royce BR710 en- and a Production Certificate from the FAA. In addition, the G350 received EASA gines, the G550 can fly eight passengers and four crew members 6,750 nautical validation on March 30, 2005. miles. The G550’s standard equipment includes the Gulfstream EVS and the Gulfstream Signature Cursor Control Devices. The fully equipped G550 offers a Office in the Sky choice of cabin layouts and option packages. Customisation packages are also Additionally, our large-cabin Gulfstream aircraft offer many office amenities that available. Depending on the configuration, the G550 can accommodate 14 to 18 make them ideal for Middle East operators. Broad Band Multi-Link (BBML), passengers. Early 2004, the G550 team was awarded the 2003 Collier Trophy, which is available for Gulfstream G300, G350, G400, G450, G500, G550 and the most prestigious award in aviation in North America. Gulfstream won the other large-cabin business jet aircraft, delivers Internet access via a broad band award the second time in less than a decade. The G550 is the first civil aircraft data channel between the aircraft and the ground. Data speeds are up to 3.5 to receive a Type Certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Mb per second. With BBML, a user can search the Internet, read and send e- that includes an EVS as standard equipment. The aircraft also contained the mail, including large attachments, and eventually do video conferencing with first cockpit to incorporate PlaneView, an integrated avionics suite featuring four voice and imaging over the Internet. Just open your wireless-equipped laptop 14-inch liquid crystal displays in landscape format. and you are up and running with BBML installed. SP

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 21 BUSINESS AVIATION MIDDLE EAST CESSNA PERSPECTIVE

tion Excel, with excellent baggage space, an APU and regional range, enabled Cessna to meet people’s needs, while also offering low op- Undeniable Change, erating costs. Another favourite of the area was the Hawker 800 and, now, more recently, the Citation Unbeatable Growth Sovereign. As time moved on and as eco- The relatively low-cost business nomic activity grew, so did the need for travel. Business aviation began jet travel has a lot of promise to prosper outside of Saudi Arabia, for a certain section of the notably in Egypt and the UAE. We By Trevor Esling, also began to see progressive sales Vice President, business community in the in the north African Arabic-speaking International Sales, states, such as Libya, Algeria and Cessna Aircraft Company Gulf region and beyond Morocco. So what do we find in 2009? It’s a market that, in common with others worldwide, has been hit he Middle East market for business jets has seen a substantial change by recession to some extent. Certainly, the charter operators have had a over the last 10 to 15 years—both in terms of the types of business jet difficult time. The Dubai Air Show due to be held in November this year will Tproduct that the market has absorbed and in transformational develop- be a good test of the current state of the industry in the area. However, my ments in the broader economy of the Middle East. expectation is that, after this hiatus, the market will continue to grow, and Late 1980s and early 1990s, the area was dominated by Saudi Arabia, although a preference for wide-bodied longer range business jets will remain, and indeed to this day Saudi Arabia remains the predominant economy in mid-size aircraft will continue to grow in importance. the area, followed by Egypt and Israel, although for political reasons the The traditional light jet market remains small in the region. My personal latter remains a point of discussion and politics rather than an overt trading view is that the light jet market will slowly develop, as it has in other markets partner. Moreover, as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) where similar ‘top-down’ growth in business aviation has taken place, such economies began to expand, there was a progressive freeing up of markets as Russia. The GCC area is, in my view, ripe for smaller business jets, be they and a slow development of business and trade which, towards the end of Cessna or Embraer (although the former is, of course, always welcome!). While the 20th century, was picking up pace rapidly. While the events of 9/11 and the lack of an APU is a problem, I believe relatively low-cost business jet the subsequent invasion of Iraq proved to be a handicap to growth, at least travel has a lot of promise for a certain section of the business community in initially, the Middle East again prospered on the back of a rapid escalation the GCC region and beyond. Over the next five to 10 years, I believe this light in the price of the oil as the world economy boomed on the back of cheap jet market will grow substantially, credit and globalisation, and new consumers of their products, notably India as will the mid-size, although for and China, began to become even more significant consumers of oil. Indeed, a variety of reasons I still believe in some respects, after 9/11 the Middle East acquired a certain sense of intro- the wide-cabin aircraft will lead spection, which was a spur to intra-Arabian trade and development and use the market. of business jets to facilitate business travel in the area. The new confidence of Facilities and infrastruc- the Middle East and the Pan-Arabic identity, despite many challenging issues, ture will continue to improve. is probably best symbolised by the TV network Al-Jazeera. Governments will continue to What did all this mean for the business jet market in the area? Previously, ease regulation and provide for the business jet market was structured almost exclusively around Saudi Ara- greater freedom of movement, bia and its various organs of government or very high net worth individuals. adding an important element to The picture was similar for the other major economies in the area, although business jets’ attractiveness. Cer- on an even smaller scale. Facilities for business aviation were, therefore, tainly, the world’s reliance on oil sparse and regulation was tight and not favourable to private companies, in the short to medium term will especially in the role of charter services. In terms of aircraft types, wide-body not abate. Why else would Saudi and long-range aircraft prospered. As a generalisation, as long as the aircraft Arabia have recently invested was big and could fly non-stop from the Middle East to London or Paris, that around $100 billion (Rs 4,69,600 was fine. Another essential requirement was an auxiliary power unit (APU) to crore) in upgrading its oil-produc- allow air-conditioning at all times and baggage space to swallow the infamous ing capacity from eight million to ‘Saudi bags’! 12 million barrels a day? Strong From the mid-1990s, as governments in the Middle East slowly loosened economies, the modernisation their hold over air space and aircraft operation, a number of companies be- of political and regulatory frameworks, and easing of regulation mean that gan to enter the nascent charter market. Again, wide-cabin was the interior aviation will grow and be an increasingly important part of the Middle East’s of choice. An increasingly visible private business and high net worth sector economy. Were Iran, Iraq and Syria to assume a fuller role in the region’s econ- began to look at private aircraft. Not all required a 747 or Boeing Business omy, then the region would really soar. If one considers trade as a method of Jet to fly between Riyadh and Jeddah. Through a slow process of education, introducing prosperity, understanding and peace between nations, then it is people began to realise that smaller aircraft could be used to conduct busi- to be hoped that business aviation in the Middle East will play an increasingly ness just as effectively in the Middle East. The advent of the mid-size Cita- crucial role for the future peaceful development of the area. SP

22 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net BUSINESS AVIATION MIDDLE EAST

STRICTLY BUSINESS: ABU DHABI’S ROYAL JET IS THE WORLD’S and 550 and the Bom- LARGEST OPERATOR bardier Global Express OF BOEING BUSINESS JETS; (RIGHT) XR and the Global INSIDE A BBJ 5000. “Purchasers in the Middle East know what they want,” said Ray Jones, head of international sales for Ca- nadian manufacturer Bombardier. “The aircraft need to have the capacity to take staff and are used for a mix of business and leisure two Citation Sovereigns certified for medical evacuation and so many take families, too. You need the space to be (medevac) with a dual-patient system from LifePort. The able to differentiate in the cabins.” two medevac Sovereigns are part of a six-aircraft order Bombardier has been working hard to introduce the Chal- from Smart. Smart Aviation, based in Cairo, is one of Egypt’s lenger 850 to the region. Based on the airframe of the Cana- leading charter companies with operations throughout the dair Regional Jet, the CRJ200, the cabin Middle East, Africa and Europe. The is virtually the same as the Global Ex- medevac mission will be in addition press. It doesn’t have the 13-hour 4,800 to Smart’s regular VIP charter ser- nm (8,900 km) range of the Bombardier vice. “The Citation Sovereign is the flagship but for shorter missions—and THERE WILL ALWAYS BE perfect platform for our various op- they are far more common—it is ideal. A MARKET FOR PREMIUM erations, giving us the range, cabin Jones is facing strong competition space and operational performance from former Bombardier colleagues JET SERVICES, ESPECIALLY we need for our customers,” said who have developed a company IN SAUDI ARABIA. OUR General (Retd) Sameh Anwar, Chief making their own conversion of the BUSINESS COMES FROM Operating Officer for Smart. “The CRJ200, called Project Phoenix. Phoe- combination of the Sovereign cabin nix is headquartered in Dubai and THE UPMARKET SEGMENT, and the LifePort will give us an unri- during the summer had the first flight WHICH HAS MAINTAINED valled capability.” and subsequent delivery to an Asian Hawker Beechcraft (HBC) has SUFFICIENT LEVELS OF customer of the first aircraft. “This is also been growing interest in the re- an ideal aircraft for the Middle Eastern LIQUIDITY AND WILL NEVER gion Dubai’s Empire Aviation Group and Asian markets,” says Mike Cappuc- COMPROMISE ON THE (EAG), became the first aircraft op- citti, the company’s President. erator in the GCC to take delivery of LUXURIOUS STANDARDS the latest HBC jet—the Hawker 4000. OPPORTUNITIES GALORE OF BUSINESS TRAVEL The super-midsize Hawker 4000 is Further down the business jet food THAT THEY HAVE BEEN the first business jet made from ad- chain there remain strong signs of life vanced, sophisticated composite ma- with Cessna recording significant sales ACCUSTOMED TO. terials and offers significantly lower across the region for their larger busi- —BRIGADIER (RETD) operating costs to owners. The new, ness jets, such as the Citation X and the GENERAL MOHAMED AL eight-seater, twin-engine Hawker Citation Sovereign. 4000 was acquired from the manu- The growth in demand for business SHABLAN, PRESIDENT & facturer following the sale by EAG to jets for medical evacuation flights has CEO, ARABASCO an owner in the region and will be proved a boon to Cessna. Egypt’s Smart managed by EAG, as well as offered Aviation has taken delivery of the first for charter. A further two Hawker

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 23 BUSINESS AVIATION MIDDLE EAST

4000 aircraft sales have already been of which are available for charter) completed by EAG for delivery to the with another two to three aircraft region in 2009-2010. expected to join the fleet before end- Originally known as the Hawker 2009, subject to delivery. Horizon, the Hawker 4000 took years to certificate because of its ambitious RAPID AEROSPACE DEVELOPMENT development of using a fuselage con- Among the smaller aircraft, there are structed from advanced composite even more interesting developments materials. This reduces the weight of for the Middle East region. Increasing- the aircraft, increases performance ly Arab investment houses are playing and significantly reduces the oper- a major part in supporting aerospace ating costs. The composite material development. Dubai investment com- does not corrode or fatigue, and is pany Emivest now owns the former PURCHASERS IN THE stronger and lighter than aircraft Sino Swearingen business, and as a fabricated from metals, resulting in result in October delivered the first MIDDLE EAST KNOW lower costs and higher performance. wholly branded Emivest SJ30 busi- WHAT THEY WANT. THE It cruises at 514 mph at an altitude of ness jet to a US owner. The Emivest AIRCRAFT NEED TO HAVE 45,000 ft, with a range of 3,280 nau- Aerospace Corporation’s SJ30 busi- THE CAPACITY TO TAKE STAFF AND ARE USED FOR A MIX OF BUSINESS AND LEISURE AND SO MANY TAKE FAMILIES, TOO. YOU NEED THE SPACE TO BE ABLE TO DIFFERENTIATE IN THE CABINS. —RAY JONES, VICE PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL SALES, BOMBARDIER BUSINESS AIRCRAFT

Dhabi’s Mubadala has taken a major interest in the previously Ferrari owned Piaggio Aviation. In partnership with India’s Tata holdings, the Abu Dhabi investment is supporting development of the beau- tiful twin-pusher and the cre- LURE OF THE LUCRE: ation of a new jet version. “The BOMBARDIER HAS involvement of Mubadala and BEEN WORKING HARD the Chairman has made a big TO INTRODUCE THE tical miles, which puts CHALLENGER 850 TO ness jet is the light difference,” said CEO Alberto Galassi. within direct reach from THE REGION jet with a range of “We have been able to understand Dubai, for example, des- 2,500 nautical miles much more about the demands of the tinations such as Paris, and the highest cruise customers in the Middle East and ex- Singapore, Geneva, and speed in the light jet pect to see the aircraft much more in Mauritius; with London industry of Mach .83 the region.” accessible direct from Jeddah and (486 kt). This single pilot certified jet So, while sales have hammered the Riyadh. The new aircraft joins EAG’s operates at altitudes to 49,000 ft and business jet sector across the world, mixed fleet of business jets, one of the maintains a “Sea Level Cabin” through the Middle East remains an oasis of largest managed fleets in the region 41,000 ft (12 psi differential). hope that will lead the industry back which now comprises 13 aircraft (10 In the turboprop market, Abu to recovery. SP

24 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net SHOW REPORT NBAA STRONG Stormdespite the

The National Business Aviation Association convention meets expectations despite initial apprehensions of a no-show under the ominous shadow of the economic downturn

ORKING FROM By LeRoy Cook, Orlando, 84 per cent of 2008’s hall space, 91 THE HYPOTHESIS Florida, USA per cent were returnees, by NBAA that it could have reckoning. Still, some companies been much worse, scaled back their exhibits, others the 2009 convention opted to work from flight line dis- and trade show of plays and several regular exhibitors the National Business Aviation Associa- sat out the show entirely. The pau- Wtion (NBAA), held in Orlando, Florida in city of new product announcements October was a successful event. Expectations of a lacklustre merely reflected the overall mood. show had been prevalent during the months leading up to Even with the curtailments, the 62nd annual NBAA meeting the event, due to the economic downturn. New aircraft manu- was a large, grand affair. A total of 22,920 registrants attended, facturing had been severely curtailed in the past year, used down from 30,811 last year, and the static display was chock- aircraft prices were depressed across the board, many flight a-block with nearly 100 aircraft as large as Boeing 737s. The departments had been dissolved and utilisation of business Showalter Flying Service ramp at Orlando’s Executive airport aircraft was keeping pace with the sluggish economy. All in all, was once again the static display venue. KORL is a well-run everyone was expecting a bleak show. Class D general aviation facility that is free of airline traffic. However, attendance was only off by about 25 per cent Activities at NBAA included seminars for operations and from the 2008 total and there were glimmers of hope that the management, addressing specific issues common to companies world’s economy was reviving. Galvanised by a joint NBAA that might not have occasion for contact during the rest of the and General Aviation Manufacturers Association “No Plane, year. Outfitting and maintenance firms were eager to discuss WWW.EMBRAER.COM No Gain” advertising campaign, the industry’s corporate pilots, ways to keep an existing aircraft in service for the near term, owners and flight department managers were eager to assem- avionics suppliers touted the worth of their wares, and modifi- ble, shop and share information. cation purveyors offered the benefit of upgrading older planes instead of buying new ones. A LARGE, GRAND AFFAIR The huge Orange County Convention Center exhibit hall in GARMIN PRESSES ON Orlando had much unsold and unoccupied space signs of As we said, new announcements were few and far between,

PHOTOGRAPHS: LEROY COOK & PHOTOGRAPHS: LEROY the distressed industry. Of the 1,075 exhibitors, who took but Garmin International, always at the cutting edge of avi-

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 25 SHOW REPORT NBAA

FREEZE FRAME: (LEFT TO RIGHT) 2009 WINNERS FOR onics and electronic instrumentation, lit- NBAA SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS; CESSNA CUTS BACK EMBRAER UNVEILED A NEW erally “pressed on” by announcing its new MODEL OF ITS ALREADY-FLYING Like Piper, Cessna Aircraft did not display glass cockpit for small turbine airplanes; LEGACY 650 AIRLINER-DERIVED at the display hall, but concentrated its ef- the G3000 system replaces twisting knobs BUSINESS JET; forts on an expanded presence at the static AN AERIAL VIEW OF THE with touch screens to control its integrated TRADE SHOW display on Orlando Executive airport, a 30- functions. Much like the iPhone, mode and minute drive from the indoor exhibits and function selection is controlled by tapping seminars. All seven models of the Citation and scrolling across handpads, using a jet line were made available, including one proprietary infrared technology. So-called of the first Citation Xs fitted with Winglet “soft keys” remain on the lower bezel of the displays to ad- Technology elliptical winglets. Of the single-engine propeller dress needs for that particular screen, but primary control line, only the turboprop Caravan and high-tech Corvalis were of the system is based on the GTC 570 central keypads. shown. A Citation CJ4 test aircraft was flown to the show to The G3000 (a G2000 was evidently passed over) is de- join the static display for one day; certification is expected signed for original equipment manufacture, not retrofitting, by year’s end or early-2010. Jack Pelton, company President, because its worth lies in the integration of all avionics and said the CJ4’s performance figures are well above target. instrumentation in the aircraft. Bits of data are shared among As for the cancelled Columbus large-cabin jet programme, navigation, autopilot, engine and flight path requirements. Pelton said he prefers to consider the aircraft “suspended” The first two launch customers jumping on the G3000 band- rather than entirely called off, leaving open the speculation that wagon at NBAA were Piper and Honda, who hope to enhance it might be revived in better times. However, to cope with the their in-development PiperJet and Honda Jet aircraft with the current sales drought, Cessna’s employment has been slashed newest panel around. in half and production lines halted or slowed to a crawl.

PIPERJET UPDATE STATIC DISPLAY COVERS THE SPECTRUM Piper CEO Kevin J. Gould revealed plans to increase pro- Beechcraft Hawker, likewise, limited its NBAA presence to the duction for 2010 (considering 2009’s abysmal numbers, airport display, showing the King Air turboprop line, Premier that won’t be difficult), extend the product line and con- 1A and Hawker jet series, with follow-on airplanes like the tinue development of the PiperJet single-engine light jet, Hawker 450 (a re-engined Beechjet 400) and the Premier 2 for which first deliveries are anticipated in 2013. Gould being kept on hold pending economic recovery. Beechcraft once again raised an old spectre of product liability insur- also showed a “Missionator” multi-mission version of the ance costs, which he says have doubled in the past four 1900D twin turboprop, which could be configured for medical years, not just for Piper but other companies as well. He evacuation, charter, light cargo or other multi-role purposes. vows “I intend to get to the bottom of it”, insisting that he At the other end of the convertible-EMS spectrum, Boeing sees no loss history or change in exposure to account for Business Jet exhibited a BBJ-C, a 737-700 with a huge cargo the premiums increase. door in the forward cabin to facilitate loading of medical, cargo Company President John D. Becker brought us up to date and industrial paraphernalia. Airbus Corporate Jets showed a on the PiperJet, which had made 160 flights totaling over newly-completed Comlux A318 Elite corporate carrier. 230 hours. Maximum speed attained thus far is 353 knots Dornier showed its venerable SeaStar 12-passenger twin- TAS, making the target of 360 knots easily within reach as turboprop composite-construction amphibian, which is tar- soon as aerodynamic cleanup is done. The adjustable engine geted for developing countries in water-rich areas. Using the exhaust nozzle used to counter the asymmetric thrust line venerable Dornier push-pull overwing nacelle and sponson from the Williams fanjet above the fuselage has performed displacement, the flying boat is capable of handling 2.5-foot flawlessly, according to Becker. The EXACT (exhaust angle swells. Production is slated for a Canadian location, with com- control technology) system was developed by Williams and pany headquarters in Florida. Piper, obviating any need for an adjustable horizontal stabi- Embraer unveiled a new model of its already-flying Legacy lizer. Piper also revealed some interior details for the Piper- 650 airliner-derived business jet. The new 650 will combine Jet, which will feature a stylised instrument panel for the the ERJ135 fuselage with an ERJ145 wing, with a stronger three GTC 570 Garmin G3000 displays. glass windshield and increased fuel capacity. Meanwhile, the

26 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net SHOW REPORT NBAA

Phenom 100 and 300 light jets were also on display. of the storm is over. Pilatus’ PC-12NG big-single turboprop will Outgrowths of composite-construction kit aircraft, the be receiving a new trackball cursor control device to better Farnborough F1 Kestrel and Comp Air 9 and 12 airplanes were manage the Primus Apex glass cockpit introduced last year. in the static display. The Kestrel prototype was built under contract for Farnborough Aircraft Limited by the now-defunct LBA MEETINGS ARE NOW CO-SPONSORED Epic Aircraft, which had proposed a line of turboprop and jet Recognising that the greatest percentage of business flying kit planes, and will now seek certification with improvements is done in propeller-driven airplanes, NBAA is continuing to as the Kestrel. The successful Comp Air line is well established develop a Light Business Aircraft (LBA) constituency, partner- in kit form, and certification plans for the Honeywell-TPE331- ing with owner organisation Aircraft Owners and Pilots Asso- powered pressurised Comp Air 12 are pending. ciation to co-host LBA conferences at the 2010 conventions of Daher-Socata exhibited its TBM850 Very Fast Turboprop, both groups. NBAA’s 63rd Annual meeting will be held in At- now past 500 units delivered, and remained open to a fol- lanta, Georgia, USA, from October 19 to 21 next year. low-on twin-engine aircraft, which will offer performance im- Assuming unfettered recovery by a free economy, one provements over the TBM850. However, it remains unclear can expect business flying to resume its role as a vital fa- whether the Super Socata will be powered by turboprop or jet cilitator of corporate growth. European regulators have un- engines, and the market must be ready. wisely chosen to hobble business aviation with an Emission Piaggio Aero’s CEO Alberto Galassi reports that the P.180 Trading Scheme for supposed carbon pollutants, a move Avanti II is enjoying continued success. The company is now that does little beyond creating paperwork and taxation. one-third owned by the Tata Group, along with Italian and Meanwhile, the American Transportation Security Adminis- Abu Dhabi interests, with a healthy backlog of 70-plus orders. tration has attempted to impose airline-style badging, vet- A new plant is scheduled to open in 2011 in Italy. Some 29 ting and baggage screening on private aviation, expanding P.180s will be built in 2009, nearly matching 2008 production. Transportation Security Administration’s mission to grow When conditions are favourable, there will be a follow-on jet its bureaucracy. For the immediate moment, however, from Piaggio, to be partially built by Tata. NBAA is engaged in an effort to fight off the effects of a Bombardier is proceeding with the Learjet 85 all-compos- recent political witch-hunt in the US that labeled business ite mid-size business jet, to be built in Mexico and assembled aircraft as pointless luxuries. in Wichita. The plague of order cancellations and defaults has All eyes are trained on the business aviation industry hit the Learjet and Challenger lines hard, but optimism seemed and its important role in the economy. From the bottom of to be the order of the day, under the assumption that the worst a steep decline, all paths lead upward. SP

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IndoPacific Half Page AD.indd 1 10/30/09 12:31:56 PM Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 27 SP’s EXCLUSIVE MMRCA DEAL Flying the SUPER VIPER The F16-IN meets and exceeds all radii of action and loiter-time requirements of the MMRCA, ensuring that you can put any enemy target ‘at risk’

STRIKE FIGHTER IS A COMBAT AIRCRAFT that is Control of the agile F-16IN Super Viper is with your right capable of attacking targets both in the air and on the hand on the side-stick controller. There is no stick in the ground, with equal efficiency and effect. India’s Medi- middle of the cockpit blocking your view of the displays. um Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender calls Each of the three main 12.7x17.8 cm full-colour displays is Afor a strike fighter to replace older generation aircraft and en- fully programmable, reflecting selections you made during hance the combat potential of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The your mission planning. For every system, weapon or sensor, F-16IN Super Viper meets and even exceeds the challenging there is a preset mode of your choosing. Vital for today’s strike fighter requirements, delivered within a timely, low-risk attack is the all-in-one Tactical Situation Display (TSD) you programme tuned for India’s defence industry. The Super Vi- have configured on the centre display. per is the ultimate Fourth Generation fighter, combining ad- After take off, you settle into a seat optimised for close vanced Fifth Generation capabilities with its combat proven combat and concentrate on the mission. The mission will be performance, reliability and maintainability. flown at low altitude—too low for aerial refuelling—but the Imagine yourself preparing to lead a strike fighter mis- high fuel-to-weight ratio of the F-16IN design provides plenty sion. Your target: a weapon depot deep inside enemy terri- of range to fly your mission and navigate through any un- tory. The F-16IN meets and exceeds all radii of action and foreseen diversions. As you penetrate enemy airspace, you loiter-time requirements of the MMRCA, ensuring that you are flying at 30 metres above the ground, on auto pilot, using can put any enemy target ‘at risk’. Learning that the target is terrain following radar backed up by a passive digital terrain guarded by modern surface and air threats, you commence database. Nap of the Earth flight at 900 km per hour! preparations with the help of your computer-based Mission Planning System with the confidence that the F-16IN Super ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATS Viper, custom designed for the IAF and its missions, is the The Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar scans fighter for any challenge. All the data is there at your finger the flight corridor in front of you to detect terrain and obsta- tips to optimise the mission. cles, like radio masts, that may not have been in your pre-mission database. While conducting terrain following, the AESA ATTACK & DESTROY TARGET radar is also scanning the sky for threats. Viewing your TSD, Using a predicted Electronic Order of Battle (EOB), digital you see contacts orbiting over an enemy air base. Exchange maps of the terrain and key intelligence data, you deter- of data link symbols lets you confirm the other fighters in mine the route to and from the target. Your mission data is your strike mission have also detected the contacts. shared across a network with the other aircraft in the mis- Soon you encounter the first of the enemy defence con- sion and soon all routes for the multiple fighters in the strike centrations. You see the pre-mission threat locations on the package are optimised and coordinated. Synthetic imagery TSD in yellow with rings indicating their lethal range. Your and maps, predicting what each pilot expects to encounter planned flight route weaves in, around and through them. during the mission, are created and reviewed. Now it is time Your digital integrated Electronic Warfare System is listen- to embark on the mission. ing for any enemy radar or laser emissions, programmed Pre-flight preparation of the F-16IN Super Viper is rapid- especially for this mission and these threats. The noise in ly accomplished, even though your strike fighters configured your headset alerts you. A Surface-to-Air Missile battery with two precision-guided stand-off weapons, a full set of has activated its radar, attempting to lock-on to your strike close-in and beyond visual range air-to-air missiles for self- fighter. The radar cross section of your Super Viper is small, defence and external fuel tanks. All weapons and pre-flight hence, it is extremely difficult for the threat to track your gauges are easy to inspect on the ground and there is no strike fighter flying low and ‘in the clutter’. SP need for maintenance ladders or stands. The mission planning data you have prepared is automatically loaded into (To be continued.)

PHOTOGRAPH: LOCKHEED MARTIN the advanced mission computer via the cockpit receptacle. —By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey, Bangalore

28 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net MILITARY MMRCA DEAL Boeing and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet partners reiterate the ﬁghter SUPER aircraft’s suitability for the IAF’s MMRCA IN EVERY SENSE requirements

AJOR FACTORS THAT MAKE THE F/A-18E/F Super the best offer in the competition.” Chadwick further points out: Hornet competitive are the economies of scale ac- “Ours is not an aircraft—it is an integrated weapon system.” crued from two key aspects. First is the aircraft and Coleman informed that “Raytheon provided the first AESA its major subsystems, which are active production (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar sets to both the Mlines and hence have USAF (US Air Force) steadily reduced the unit and USN (US Navy)”, cost of the aircraft. Sec- and the company ond, the modular nature continues to lever- of the aircraft’s sensors age technological im- and propulsion system provements across allow technology inser- its product lines in tion that dramatically improving the Super increases performance Hornet’s AN/APG-79 at minimal expense. At radar. As for compe- a media briefing in Delhi tition from European on October 28, Boeing contenders, like Eu- and its Super Hornet rofighter and Ra- partners—Raytheon and fale believed to be a General Electric (GE)— generation ahead of reiterated the fighter air- other programmes, craft’s suitability for the Program Director of Indian Air Force’s (IAF) F/A-18 International Medium Multi Role Com- Operations Michael bat Aircraft (MMRCA) E. Rietz struck an op- programme. SUPER HORNET TEAM: (LEFT TO RIGHT) timistic note. “Euro- BOEING MILITARY AIRCRAFT IDS PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER M. CHADWICK; VICE In reply to a query PRESIDENT AND INDIA COUNTRY HEAD OF BOEING IDS DR VIVEK LALL; BOEING fighter was designed on Boeing’s response PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF F/A-18 INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS MICHAEL E. RIETZ; originally as an air in- to expectations vis-à-vis DIRECTOR, ASIA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OF RAYTHEON SPACE AND AIRBORNE tercept fighter. The de- transfer of technology, SYSTEMS GLENN COLEMAN; GE AVIATION’S DIRECTOR OF F404/F414 PROGRAMS gree by which you can JAMES H. CAPLAN; AND NORTHROP GRUMMAN INTEGRATED SYSTEMS’ MANAGING Boeing Military Aircraft DIRECTOR OF INDIA OPERATIONS COMMODORE GYANENDRA SHARMA take an air intercept IDS President Christo- fighter and evolve it pher M. Chadwick said, into a true multi-role “Technology transfer is a aircraft... I’ll let the key element of any partner company or for any competition IAF decide on the practical implications of it. So far as Dassault where you have international competitors, where you have an Rafale is considered, every aircraft has pluses and minuses. air force and an industry which wants to have the state of the Rafale, for whatever reason, has failed in every international art equipment or 21st century warfare equipment. We have competition. I look forward to compete against any European worked with our government and determined what state-of- country or company.” the-art technology we can provide and partner with Indian The F-18 is also competing with the F-16, yet another industry, and are now in the process to move them forward to contender from the US. “The history of the F/A-18E/F’s de- put in place the mechanisms to transfer that technology.” velopment has now seen a negative slope in terms of cost Glenn Coleman, Director, Asia Business Development of and a positive slope in terms of capability. For this reason, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, which is making the we feel for the first time we are competing on even terms radar for the aircraft, emphasised: “The F-18 aircraft was de- with the (Lockheed Martin’s) F-16 in terms of price,” Chad- ABHISHEK / SP GUIDE PUBNS signed for growth and growth was designed at inception. Su- wick signs off. SP per Hornet was designed with this radar in mind. It can’t fly —By Our Correspondent the radar in isolation. This radar, too, was designed with this For videos visit www.spsaviation.net PHOTOGRAPH: aircraft in mind. Should India select the Super Hornet it will be

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 29 MILITARY SPECIAL FORCES

GARUDS for ALL reasons

N INDIAN HINDU MYTHOLOGY, GARUDA is de- picted as a demi-god—a mythical being, half man Apart from protecting and half eagle—swift, with tremendous power and the IAF’s vulnerable Lord Vishnu’s vahan (carrier). Appropriately, ow- ing to its attributes, Garud is also the nomencla- infrastructure ture of the recently raised Special Forces Unit of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Himalayan Eagle adorns the IAF and installations, Iinsignia. Like the Indian Army commandos and the Indian Navy’s MARCOS (Marine Commandos), Garuds form the Garuds engage in IAF’s commando force albeit, arguably, with much greater counter-terrorism, multi-tasking capabilities than the other two. The genesis of the IAF commando force lies in the dar- hostage rescue, ing attempts by Pakistan-sponsored and trained terrorist outfits against two major air bases in Jammu and Kashmir providing aid during in late 2001. Even though the attacks, aimed at the main entrances to these bases, were successfully repulsed and natural calamities the terrorists eliminated, a need was felt for a specialised and special military force to protect the IAF’s vital and vulnerable assets. While the Indian Army safeguarded selected IAF airfields, espe- operations in the cially the ones located in terror-intense areas, its units were always moved out on rotation, necessitating repeat of train- national interest ing for the newly inducted units. Therefore, for certain dedi- cated air force tasks, the IAF decided to raise an exclusive commando force. By Air Marshal (Retd) Initial plans mooted in early 2002 called for a spe- V.K. Bhatia cialised force with 2,000 commandos. The group, original-

MULTI-FACETED: SPECIALLY TRAINED GARUDS OPERATE MORE ON THE LINES OF THE ARMY’S PARA- COMMANDOS AND THE NAVY’S MARCOS PHOTOGRAPHS: ABHISHEK / SP GUIDE PUBNS & IAF

30 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsawww.spsaviation.netviation.net MILITARY SPECIAL FORCES ly christened ‘Tiger Force’, was later renamed ‘Garud Force’. Flight Lieutenant. The flights are individually based at various About a year later, in 2003, the Government of India autho- Air Force Stations, where they are operationally deployed. rised a 1,080 strong force to be raised and trained on the lines Garuds are not limited to being a base protection force of para-commandos of the army and MARCOS of the navy to safeguard airfields and IAF’s key assets which tasks are but, with the additional mandate of performing niche air force by and large performed by the Air Force Police and person- specific operational tasks. Consequently, the first batch of 100 nel from the Defence Security Corps. Specially trained Garuds volunteers from the IAF No. 1 Airmen Training Centre at Bel- operate more on the lines of the army’s para-commandos and gaum in Karnataka was earmarked to undergo commando the navy’s MARCOS to undertake missions anywhere, includ- training in Gurgaon in Haryana. The Garud Force came into ing behind enemy lines. However, even though trained to per- being on February 6, 2004 in Delhi with 62 out of the initial form diverse and high-risk tasks, their role generally remains 100 volunteers successfully completing the course curriculum. specific to the air force, including security of vital IAF installa- The Garuds were first seen publicly during the Air Force Day tions in the vulnerable border areas. celebrations at Delhi on October 8, 2004. During peacetime, apart from protecting the IAF’s vulnerable infrastructure and installations from possible ter- TRAINING THE GARUDS rorist attacks, Garuds contribute towards counter-terrorism, Unlike its counterparts in the army and navy, officer candi- hostage rescue, providing aid during natural calamities and dates for Garud commandos are selected from volunteers of special military operations. During hostilities, Garuds are also other branches. Recruitment of airmen to the Garud Force involved in combat search and rescue, suppression of enemy is done directly through Airmen Selection Centres. Candidates found eligible for the force undergo a 52-week basic training course, which is one of the longest among all the Indian Special Forces because it also includes basic airman training. The initial phase is a three-month pro- bationary, mainly rigorous physical training, which filters out the promising candidates for the next higher phase. The initial phase, which usually has a high attrition rate, is conducted at the Garud Regimental Training Centre located at Air Force Sta- tion, Chandinagar, District Bagpat, Uttar Pradesh. The subsequent phase of special operations training is imparted with assistance from the special group of the Special Frontier Force, the Indian Army, the Na- tional Security Group and the para-military RARING TO GO: forces. The IAF, however, is on the thresh- GARUDS SPORTING old of establishing its own advanced train- NIGHT VISION GOGGLES; (RIGHT) ing facilities. Those who qualify, proceed to the Parachute GARUDS PREPARE air defences, including ground radar Training School at Agra to complete the basic airborne FOR A PARA-JUMP busting in enemy’s border areas, target operations phase. The remainder of the phases consists of FROM AN IL-76 acquisition and designation for aerial other niche fields such as jungle and snow survival, bomb AIRCRAFT strikes and so on. demolition, and so on. Equipment and Weapons: All Garuds Garuds also train with the Army’s Counter Insurgency sport the 9mm pistol as personal arm. and Jungle Warfare School. The final phase of training They are also equipped with the in- consists of active operations on being attached to operationally digenous INSAS rifles and advanced AK-47 Kalashnikovs. deployed Special Forces Units of the Indian Army, which helps They are being provided with special sniper rifles, armoured the Garuds to gain firsthand operational experience. After in- personnel carriers, special kits for bomb/IED disposal and duction, the Garuds are required to hone their skills further by special equipment for self-protection. undergoing advanced training, including specialised weapons Operational Experience: Though barely a few years old, Ga- handling. A few selected Garuds have also undergone training ruds have already won operational spurs with deployments in foreign countries like the US, and so on. to Congo as part of the Indian UN peace keeping contingents. Recently, on the sidelines of the Air Force Day Parade on Octo- PRESENT STATUS & TASKS ber 8, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik indicated the possible use of Aspiring to be a 1,500-strong force, at present there are armed Garuds to man IAF helicopters engaged in anti-Maoist around 1,080 Garuds. Garud air warriors are inducted as air- operations to ward off any naxal attack on them. Garuds could men within the IAF’s rank structure. The force is organised assist the local police and para-military forces in securing/sa- into 15 ‘Flights’. A Garud flight is roughly the equivalent of a nitising the helipads and landing/drop zones in naxal infected ‘Company’ in an infantry battalion of the Indian Army and is areas as also fire back in self-defence, if required. SP commanded by ay an officer of the rank of Squadron Leader/ With inputs from Air Headquarters

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 31 SPACE ISRO

Life begins at

By Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha, Goa

ISRO turned 40 in August. Following the success of ROUND 2015, AN INDIAN UNMANNED space- 40 craft should blast off for a rendezvous with Chandrayaan-I, it is now Mars. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), buoyed by a string of recent successes, eyeing the Moon. If the is evaluating launch opportunities for a low- cost voyage to the ‘red planet’. Only the fool- government agrees to hardy would be willing to bet on its failure. foot the bill, an Indian AIt wasn’t always so. In the 1960s and 1970s, at the height of the space race between the Americans and the Russians, astronaut could walk on the former had dismissed India’s nascent space programme as inconsequential. A series of early disasters seemed to bear the surface of our nearest them out. Like a raw gymnast who frequently stumbles, ISRO could do almost nothing right. But building on each failure heavenly neighbour as

PHOTOGRAPHS: WWW.ISRO.ORG with unwavering confidence it has reached a stage where, early as 2020.

32 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net SPACE ISRO

ISRO’s first major foray into space was via the Satellite Launch Vehicle, a light launcher. First flown in 1979, it was intended to reach a height of 500 km and carry a tiny payload of 40 kg. Only two of its four test flights were successful. Its successor, the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), first tested in 1987, hardly fared better. Its first two launches were failures and some began to wonder if the Americans were right after all. However, an expert committee thoroughly reviewed every as- pect of ASLV and many changes were made. The next two flights were flawless. On hindsight, ASLV’s steep learning curve was perhaps responsible for ISRO’s subsequent successes. Next in the series, and more powerful than ASLV, was the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Its first launch in September 1993 failed, but ISRO was unfazed. Subsequently, PSLV has proved its reliability and versatility through an amazing 15 consecutive successful launches, put- REACH FOR THE MOON: PSLV-C11 ting 30 satellites (14 (SEEN HERE LIFTING OFF) WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY FOR LAUNCHING Indian and 16 foreign) INDIA’S FIRST MOON MISSION, into a variety of orbits. CHANDRAYAAN-I, ON OCTOBER 22, In April 2008, it suc- 2008; (FACING PAGE) PSLV-C11 ON THE LAUNCH PAD cessfully launched 10 satellites at one shot, breaking a world record earlier held by Russia. PSLV-C11 will go down in history for launching India’s first Moon mission, Chandrayaan-I, on October 22, 2008. It used larger strap-on motors to achieve higher payload capability. Apart from an orbital study of the Moon, Chandrayaan-I delivered the Tricolour on its surface. According to ISRO, it also validated many important principles of interplanetary travel. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Ve- hicle (GSLV) first flew in April 2001. At present, it is ISRO’s heaviest launch vehicle, capable of putting a payload of 2,500 kg into geo-syn- chronous transfer orbit. December should see seemingly, it can do nothing wrong. Spectacular successes the first flight of an indigenous cryogenic engine powered are now taken for granted and occasional flops accepted as GSLV—a crucial milestone. GSLV Mk-III, currently under inevitable hazards of the high-stakes space game. And the development, is designed to make ISRO fully self-reliant in world is sitting up and taking notice. ISRO has been hailed launching heavy satellites weighing 4,500 kg to 5,000 kg. Its 40 globally for its contribution to the recent discovery of water maiden flight is expected by 2011. on the Moon. In another sign of recognition, ISRO’s former Chairman, Dr G. Madhavan Nair, took over as President of WHAT MAKES ISRO TICK? the International Academy of Astronautics on October 11. In a country where most government departments are synony- mous with corruption, waste and inefficiency, ISRO’s excellence FAILURE BREEDS SUCCESS is remarkable. Enjoying support across the political spectrum ISRO turned 40 in August. In its early years, India’s space and freedom rare for a government agency, it has been able programme was limited to launching sounding rockets of to develop a flexible management and administrative style. It uncertain performance. Then, on August 15, 1969, ISRO learns from each failure. And there have been many. ISRO was was formed, bringing all space activities under a single um- prevented from accessing western technology for decades, yet brella. Dr Vikram Sarabhai was its first chief. Within a few it turned adversity into advantage and crippling sanctions into years, ISRO painstakingly established several research, test, successful indigenisation. Though the space programme was construction and launch, and tracking and control facilities delayed by several years, engineers triumphed in developing across the country. many critical technologies with little or no outside help.

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 33 SPACE ISRO

ISRO has its critics. Considering that a large proportion of interact with oxygen on the lunar surface to produce water. the population live below the poverty line, India’s space pro- Considering that the cost of transporting one bottle of water gramme may be considered wasteful extravagance. However, from Earth to Moon works out to $50,000 (Rs 24 lakh), the as ISRO has repeatedly shown, predicting monsoon rains, fore- discovery of water is indeed exciting. And it would come in casting crop yields and forewarning the government of possible useful if India were to establish a permanent research sta- food shortages is critical for the country’s development. Pro- tion on the Moon—another of ISRO’s dreams. ducing topographical and hydrological maps from satellite im- If Indians reach the Moon, they could find it crowded. ages helps rural communities locate areas most likely to yield China plans a 2012 unmanned landing on the Moon, where underground water. Consequently, the success rate for drilling it hopes to put an astronaut by 2020. Russia has set 2025 wells has doubled to 90 per cent and an estimated $100 mil- for a Moon mission, while Japan also has lunar ambitions. lion (Rs 470 crore) has been saved. The same information can NASA also plans to return to the Moon with its Orion-Al- be used to plan where to build small dams to capture rainwa- tair project. This is astonishing, since human beings haven’t ter and recharge underground reservoirs, thus crossed beyond 500 km from helping to reclaim arid and semi-arid land for Earth after Apollo 17 re- agricultural use. From doubling fish catches in turned from its lunar voyage the last decade to implementing disaster-warn- Chandrayaan-II, in December 1972. ing systems, from tele-education to telemedi- ISRO already has sanc- cine—ISRO has a finger in many progress pies. to be launched tion for a human spaceflight Its latest project is to study climate change. ISRO by GSLV in programme. The first manned claims that the space programme has returned mission is likely around 2015. $2 (Rs 94) on every dollar invested. It is today 2013, is an This would make India only the lowest-cost satellite launching agency in the Indo-Russian the fourth nation, after the world. No wonder then that Antrix Corporation, USSR, the US and China, to ISRO’s commercial arm, is reportedly pursuing joint lunar carry out manned missions. contracts worth $100 million to $150 million (Rs mission An astronaut training centre 704 crore) and is in global demand for low-cost is to be set up in Bangalore. space solutions. featuring a ISRO also plans to build a new ISRO has successfully operationalised two lunar orbiting launch pad for the purpose. It major constellations: the Indian National Satel- has begun preliminary design lite (INSAT) System for communication services spacecraft work on a three-tonne orbital and the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) Satellite and two lunar vehicle that will carry a two- System for management of natural resources. member crew into low Earth INSAT consists of multipurpose geostationary landers orbit at an altitude of 275 km satellites that satisfy the telecommunications, for seven days. The spacecraft broadcasting, meteorology and search-and- will be launched by GSLV. ISRO rescue needs of India. Commissioned in 1983, must also make time to visit a it is the largest domestic communication sys- nearby asteroid and the Sun. tem in the Asia-Pacific Region. IRS is a series of On a more utilitarian note, Earth observation satellites that constitute the the Indian Regional Naviga- largest constellation of remote sensing satellites for civilian tional Satellite System is an autonomous system that would use anywhere in the world. be under total control of the Indian government, unlike the GPS whose service may not be assured during hostilities. TOP OF THE LEAGUE ISRO plans to launch the constellation of satellites between In the decade approaching its golden jubilee ISRO can look 2010 and 2012. India also aims to increase its transponder back with satisfaction and look forward to even more hectic capacity to 500 during the 11th Plan, which ends in March times. Following the success of Chandrayaan-I, which achieved 2012. ISRO plans to launch six communication satellites by its mission objectives to the approval of the global scientific then, including GSAT-11, its heaviest satellite so far. community, ISRO is now eyeing the Moon. If the government ISRO maintains quality by bringing in young talent from the agrees to foot the bill, an Indian astronaut could walk on the country’s premier research institutes. It isn’t easy to join. The surface of our nearest heavenly neighbour as early as 2020. number of aspirants for ISRO jobs could be as high as 125,000 Chandrayaan-II, to be launched by GSLV in 2013, is an applications per vacancy. Over the years, the agency has vali- Indo-Russian joint lunar mission featuring a lunar orbiting dated India’s core competence in space—its ability to conceive, spacecraft and two lunar landers. ISRO will make the orbiter design, build and operate complex space systems and to use and a small lander/rover while Russia’s Roskosmos will be them in various aspects of national development. In the words responsible for the main lander/rover. The wheeled rovers of Dr Nair, “Today, India is rated as one of the top five or six will trundle across the lunar surface and pick up soil or rock countries in the world having end-to-end capability in space samples for on-site chemical analysis, transmitting data to technology and, more than that, our country has shown to the Earth via the orbiter. Data gathered from Chandrayaan-I world as to how advances in space technology and applica- showed traces of water on the Moon. And the Moon appears tions can be tailored to take care of the common problems fac- to be generating its own water. Much like a large sponge, it ing the country.” So long as ISRO does not stray from a strong absorbs charged particles emitted by the Sun, which then developmental agenda, its critics will lack credibility. SP

34 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net Hall of Fame ALENTINA TERESHKOVA final training included at least two long down lasted two hours. Then Vostok 6 was the first woman to cross ground simulations of six days and 12 made a textbook launch and Tereshkova the threshold of space. In days duration. Vostok 5, with cosmonaut became the first woman to fly into space. June 1963, she spent three Valeriy Bykovsky on board, launched on Her call sign was Chaika (seagull). (It days orbiting the earth. Ap- June 14, 1963. After watching the suc- was later commemorated as the name Vproaching the half-century mark of of an asteroid, 1671 Chaika.) her epic feat, Tereshkova remains Vostok 5 and 6, which had dif- the only woman to have flown solo ferent orbits, passed around 5 in space. km from each other, and the two Valentina Vladimirovna Teresh- cosmonauts made radio contact. kova was born on March 6, 1937, As with all Vostok recoveries, in the village of Maslennikovo, then Tereshkova ejected about 6 km part of the Soviet Union. Her father above the earth and descended served in the Soviet Army during by parachute. She landed near World War II. She was two when he Karaganda, Kazakhstan, on died. Her mother, a worker in a cot- June 19, 1963, after completing ton factory, raised the family single- 48 orbits (one every 88 minutes) handed. Tereshkova was only able totalling 70 hours 50 minutes in to begin school at age 10 and had space. The Soviet propaganda to complete her education through machine immediately swung into correspondence. Though her child- action, propelling Tereshkova as hood was filled with economic de- a worldwide celebrity. She was privation, her ‘proletarian’ back- VALENTINA decorated with the Hero of the ground proved crucial in the final Soviet Union medal, the USSR’s selection of the candidate to be the TERESHKOVA highest award. Among numer- first woman in space. ous other awards, in October In 1959, Tereshkova joined an Born on: March 6, 1937 2000, she was named “Greatest air sports club and excelled in ama- Woman Achiever of the Century” teur parachuting. When candidates In 1963, Tereshkova success- by the International Women of were recruited for the Soviet space the Year Association. programme, she volunteered, even fully logged three days in The Vostok mission remained though she had no experience as space—more than the total Tereshkova’s only flight. In later a pilot. At the time, parachuting years, unconfirmed reports be- skill was invaluable, because cos- flight time of all American as- gan to circulate that Tereshkova monauts had to eject from their had experienced physiological capsules after they re-entered the tronauts till that date. Teresh- and psychological problems in earth’s upper atmosphere. Teresh- kova, who celebrated space. As with much else that kova was one of five women se- happened in the Soviet Union at lected as cosmonaut-candidates in her 70th birthday a couple of the height of the Cold War it is dif- February 1962. Though the least years ago, said: “If I had the ficult to separate fact from fiction. qualified, with no higher educa- Whatever the truth of the matter, tion, her tally of 126 parachute money, I would enjoy flying to and although she was little more jumps worked in her favour. All than a passenger in the fully- five contenders underwent rigor- Mars. This was the dream of automated Vostok, Tereshkova ous training, including weightless the first cosmonauts. I wish I successfully logged three days in flights, parachute jumps, isolation space—more than the total flight tests and centrifuge tests. They also could realise it! I am ready to time of all American astronauts trained as pilots in MiG-15UTI jet till that date. In fact, the US did trainers and were commissioned as fly without coming back.” not send a woman into space lieutenants in the Soviet Air Force. until 1983, when astronaut and Reports emerging from the US that physicist Sally Ride flew aboard 13 American female pilots who had the space shuttle Challenger. passed the astronaut physical eval- Tereshkova, who celebrated uation were likely to be trained as Mer- cessful launch, Tereshkova began final her 70th birthday a couple of years ago, cury astronauts, and one of them would preparations for her own flight. On the said: “If I had the money, I would enjoy probably make a spaceflight before the morning of June 16, 1963, Tereshkova flying to Mars. This was the dream of the end of 1962, provided a strong impetus and her backup were both dressed in first cosmonaut. I wish I could realise it! I to the mission. In the event, the Mercury spacesuits and taken to the launch pad am ready to fly without coming back.” SP women never made it. by bus. After completing communication —Group Captain (Retd) Eventually, Tereshkova and a backup and life support checks, she was sealed Joseph Noronha, were chosen to fly aboard Vostok 6. Their inside the Vostok. The flawless count- Goa

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 35 NEWSDigest MILITARY cooperation between India Pakistan’s Erieye AEW&C RoundUp and Russia are likely to be aircraft undergoes final tests Quick Asia-Pacific signed during Prime Minister In a ceremony in Linköping, Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to Saab and the Pakistan Air AGUSTAWESTLAND Lockheed Martin unveils Moscow later this year. The Force celebrated the start first new F-16 For Pakistan first would be on extending of the final tests of the new • AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica the Military Technical Coop- Erieye AEW&C aircraft. The company, has announced that the eration for 10 years, from aircraft is currently undergo- Korea Coast Guard has taken deliv- 2011 to 2020 ,and the second ing system tests in Sweden ery of two AW139 medium twin heli- relates to After-Sales Product and will continue with follow copters during an official ceremony Support for Defence Equip- on testing in Pakistan later this held at Vergiate plant (Italy). ment of Russian origin. year. The aim is to evaluate the complete system, includ- • Polish helicopter manufacturer Indo-US military ties ing aircraft, radar, C2 system, PZL Swidnik has delivered the growing rapidly communication and live 1,000th fuselage to AgustaWest- Lockheed Martin unveiled situation picture including land during an official ceremony the first of 18 new F-16s integration into the Pakistan held in Swidnik, marking 13 years being produced for Pakistan Air Force’s command and of successful cooperation between in ceremonies on October control ground environment. the two companies. 13, at its Fort Worth, Texas, Saab signed a contract in facility. Officials, including October 2005 to supply an ALENIA AERONAUTICA the Chiefs of Staff of the US airborne surveillance system and Pakistan Air Forces, for Pakistan. The contract • Alenia Aeronautica has delivered were on hand to witness the came into effect in June 2006. to the Lithuanian Air Force the last event. Air Chief Marshal Rao The system consists of three out of three C-27Js, as per the Quamar Suleman, Chief of the parts; an airborne segment, contract signed in June 2006. Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, a ground-based segment and accepted the first F-16 Block logistics and support service. AN-24 52 aircraft. Also present were The airborne segment includes Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s Saab 2000 aircraft equipped • On October 20, An-24 completed Ambassador to the US, and The fact that Indo-US military with the airborne early warn- 50 years since its maiden flight other senior officials. The US relations are on an upward ing radar system Erieye. The as a passenger airplane for local government was represented trajectory is evident from the new system will, together with air routes. An-24 was developed by Rep. Kay Granger, Texas fact that, besides holding joint existing ground based radars, to replace old Il-14, Il-12 and Li-2 12th District, and Gen. Nor- military exercises with the US provide a more detailed pic- aircraft powered by piston engines, ton Schwartz, Chief of Staff military, India has also started ture to decision makers. and became the basis for whole of the Air Force. The aircraft buying US armaments worth family of the airplanes. order is designated as ‘Peace billions of dollars. The latest Embraer sells second ERJ Drive I’, continuing a long India-US defence deal is the 135 jet to Royal Thai Navy ARMASUISSE tradition of naming F-16 in- sale of the Airborne Early ternational sales programmes Warning aircraft, Hawkeye • Armasuisse, the agency respon- with the word Peace. The E-2D, developed by Northrop sible for acquisition, technology programme raises the total Grumman. Woolf Gross, the and real estate in the Federal number of F-16s ordered by company’s Corporate Director, Department for Defence, Sport and Pakistan to 54. The Peace says the reconnaissance plane Civil Protection, has accepted the Drive I order is for 12 F-16Cs is yet to be introduced in the latest batch of AIM-9X infrared- and six F-16Ds, all powered US Navy. Its sale to India, he guided missiles acquired as part by the Pratt & Whitney F100- says, is a symbol of how close of Armaments Programme 2003. PW-229 engine. The first Indo-US military relations Embraer has signed a contract The AIM-9X Sidewinder infrared aircraft—a two-seat F-16D are. During Secretary of State with the Royal Thai Navy for guided missile being delivered is model—will be delivered to Hillary Clinton’s visit to India the sale of its second ERJ 135 a latest-generation weapon. It will the US government (as agent in July, the two countries jet. Added to the other two arm the Swiss Air Force F/A-18 and for Pakistan in the Foreign agreed on the terms of such orders made by the Royal replaces the previous model AIM- Military Sales process) in De- high technology sales to India. Thai Army, this is the fourth 9P Sidewinder. cember, with the remainder India’s Ambassador to Wash- aircraft—all long-range—ac- following in 2010. ington, Meera Shankar is op- quired by the Thai government BOEING timistic. “Our militaries, once in less than two years. The Defence Minister Antony unfamiliar with each other, acquisition is included in Em- • American Airlines will equip 42 visits Russia now hold regular dialogue braer’s firm order backlog for Boeing 787s on firm order with India’s Defence Minister A.K. and joint exercises in the the Q3 of 2009. The first deal GEnx engines and another 58 Antony attended the 9th air and on land and sea. We between Embraer and the Thai aircraft if they exercise the option meeting of the India-Russia coordinate anti-piracy efforts government was announced in they have reserved. In all, the Inter Governmental Commis- and have worked together on November 2007, involving two complete deal would involve 220 sion on Military Technical humanitarian missions. Our aircraft—one for the army and engines. Cooperation in Moscow from defence trade was negligible another for the navy—both of October 14 to 15. The meet- a decade ago. We placed which were delivered end- • The Boeing Company has submit- ing was chaired by Antony orders worth $3.5 billion (Rs 2008. As in the previous con- ted two proposals to the Indian Air and his Russian counterpart, 16,400 crore) last year and it tracts, the one with the navy Force, offering the AH-64D Apache A.E. Serdyukov. Two major could grow even more in the includes a logistical package and the CH-47F Chinook for India’s agreements to boost defence future,” Shankar said. and provisions for a Medical

36 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net NEWSDigest Evacuation (MEDEVAC) instal- EXERCISE EASTERN BRIDGE: QuickRoundUp lation kit. Thailand is the first IAF PILOTS HAVE A FIELD DAY OVER OMANI SKIES military operator in Southeast Asia to use the ERJ 135 for Primarily optimised as a low level deep strike aircraft, low fly- attack and heavy-lift helicopter civilian and military official ing for Jaguar’s pilots remains the raison d’etre of their lethality. competitions. India is seeking 22 transportation and MEDEVAC For the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Jaguar pilots of Gorakhpur-based attack helicopters and 15 transport missions. ‘Flaming Arrows’ and ‘Cobras’ squadrons, low flying in the Omani helicopters and has not set a date skies was a dream come true. Missing were the usual irritants, to announce the winning proposals. Prithvi-II tested by SFC such as poor visibility, birds, obstructions and other restrictions, of the skies back home in Uttar Pradesh. In Oman, the local fly- • Boeing and low-cost carrier Nor- ing area around the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) Thumrait wegian Air Shuttle have confirmed airbase is a flat desert terrain with unlimited visibility. Birds were an order for an additional six conspicuous by their absence and the odd one sighted by pilots, Next-Generation 737-800s. With at some distance, was rather a welcome sight than a threat. this order, Norwegian has a total of 48 Next-Generation 737 airplanes The first-ever Indo-Oman Air Forces’ exercise, code-named on order from Boeing. ‘Eastern Bridge’, was conducted in Oman from October 23 to 29. The aim of the exercise was to conduct joint operations un- CANADIAN HELICOPTERS der realistic scenarios culminating in live strikes with training armament stores. Simply put, IAF pilots found the low flying ex- • Canadian Helicopters Income perience in Oman exhilarating. After the initial familiarisation Fund announced receipt of a sorties and tactical flying phase were over, joint strike missions Notice of Intent from the US were flown with special emphasis on inter-operability factors. Department of Defense to exercise India’s tri-Service Strategic On the penultimate day, Exercise Eastern Bridge peaked with “Option Year 1” of its contract with Forces Command (SFC) has the IAF and RAFO Jaguars mounting several low-level, two and Canadian Helicopters with respect tested two advanced ver- four-aircraft missions, culminating with pounding of the targets to providing transportation services sions of the nuclear-capable at the ‘Aqzail’ live armament range located close to the Omani in Afghanistan. The extension covers Prithvi-II ballistic missile, with airbase. The marksmanship of both sides was highly impressive the period between December 1 a strike range of 350 km, from with near 100 per cent direct hits with practice bombs on mul- and November 30, 2010. the Chandipur interim test tiple targets in each mission. Omani F-16s also joined the fray, range. A defence ministry offi- both in offensive and defensive roles. DENMARK cial explained that the two P-II Indian and Omani defence relations have continued to grow missiles, which can carry 500- with the passage of time. Oman is reportedly a priority-one • Denmark has postponed a kg warheads, were success- country on the IAF list for defence cooperation in the West Asian decision on its combat aircraft fully launched within minutes region. At present, a two-tier arrangement for defence coop- replacement programme, initially of each other by the armed eration—Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMCC) and Air due at the end of this year, until forces as part of operational 2010 at the earliest. The reason for Force-to-Air Force Staff Talks (AFST)—are in place with Oman. exercises. Aiming two differ- the slippage is a new evaluation of ent targets 350 km away from Three rounds of JMCC and AFST have so far been undertaken the operational lifespan of the F-16 the launch point, the missiles between India and Oman. India’s Ambassador to Oman Anil fighters now in service, showing met all mission objectives. Wadhwa, Senior IAF Observer Air Vice Marshal R. Rai and Com- they can continue operating until mander RAFO Air Vice Marshal Yahya bin Rasheed Al-Juma vis- 2018 or later. Typhoon availability pact ited the IAF contingent during the exercise. • for Royal Saudi Air Force EADS The Royal Saudi Air Force has commenced flying operations Americas designation for the Advanced • The EADS A330 Multi-Role Tanker following delivery of the first Composite Cargo Aircraft. The Transport, currently in produc- four of 72 Typhoon aircraft to Lockheed Martin’s Trident II X-55A is a technology dem- tion for four allied nations, has the Royal Saudi Air Force. To D5 achieves record 129 onstrator for the design and marked another major performance support this, the governments successful test flights manufacture of future aircraft milestone with the first in-flight of the Kingdom of Saudi Ara- The US Navy conducted suc- using advanced composite ma- refuelling performed from the Royal bia and the UK have reached cessful test flights on Septem- terials. The X-55A is a modi- Australian Air Force A330 MRTT util- an agreement on detailed ber 3 and 4 of two Trident II fied Dornier 328J with the ising its integrated Aerial Refuelling arrangements under the Salam D5 Fleet Ballistic Missiles built fuselage aft of the crew station Boom System. The fuel transfers Support Solution that will by Lockheed Martin. The navy and the vertical tail removed were made with two F-16 receiver provide support for operations launched the unarmed missiles and replaced with new struc- aircraft and validated the advanced by the Royal Saudi Air Force from the submerged subma- tural designs. These designs ARBS handling qualities. of the Typhoon fleet for three rine USS West Virginia (SSBN are made from composites years. The arrangements will 736) in the Atlantic Ocean. using new out-of-autoclave FRANCE be operated through a full The Trident II D5 missile now curing techniques. Strength, availability service contract has achieved 129 consecutive lightweight, ease of manufac- • French Defence Minister Herve with BAE Systems, the first of successful test flights since ture and corrosion resistance Morin has welcomed his Kuwaiti its kind for Typhoon, in accor- 1989—a record unmatched by just are some of the composite counterpart, Sheikh Jabir Mubarak dance with the Understanding any other large ballistic missile materials, characteristics air Al Hamad Al Sabah, at Paris and Document signed on Decem- or space launch vehicle. force officials want to use the the two ministers signed a bilateral ber 21, 2005. The contract X-55A to explore. cooperation agreement in the field includes training in the UK New designation for Advanced of information exchange, assistance, for RSAF Typhoon pilots and Composite Cargo Aircraft Northrop Grumman to supply training and equipment of the armed Typhoon multi-skilled aircraft The US Air Force (USAF) have USAF with LITENING G4 forces. At the media conference, technicians. approved X-55A as the new The USAF has awarded

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 37 NEWSDigest APPOINTMENTS Northrop Grumman Corpo- and evacuated by helicopter to RoundUp ration a $153 million (Rs 715 an International Security As- Quick ISRO GETS NEW CHIEF crore) contract to provide sistance Force medical facility. Dr K Radhakrishnan, Mem- LITENING G4 targeting and With the crash site secured the Sheikh Jabir also said that his ber, Space Commission and sensor systems and related helicopter was extracted just country would be “proud” to have the Director, Vikram Sarabhai equipment. Under the terms as light began to fade. Rafale in its armed forces. Space Centre, assumed the of the agreement, Northrop office of Chairman, Space Grumman will deliver LIT- Poland pledges cooperation • French Minister of Defence Hervé Commission, Secretary, ENING G4 targeting and sen- with US missile defence plan Morin has announced the arrival of Department of Space and sor pods to the active USAF On a visit to Poland, US Vice the first batch of three Eurocopter Chairman, Indian Space as well as kits for the Air President Joe Biden on Octo- EC 120 NHE helicopters at the Research Organisation ef- Force Reserve Command and ber 20 was assured by Prime Army Aviation School at Dax (Ecole fective October 31. Air National Guard to en- Minister Donald Tusk that his d’Application de l’Aviation Légère able the upgrade of existing country would take part in de l’Armée de Terre). These aircraft JET AIRWAYS APPOINTS LITENING AT pods to the G4 a new missile defence plan. are the first in a series of 36 ACTING CEO configuration. The contract Polish officials said they would helicopters that will provide flying In a major shake-up in also includes the supply of host elements of the new plan hours for helicopter pilot training private carrier Jet Airways, additional data links for the that was announced in Sep- of the three military services and Chief Executive Officer Air National Guard and ac- tember in Washington. Biden the Gendarmerie, under the first Wolfgang Prock-Schauer tive USAF. is the first high-level US official public-private partnership contract resigned on October 15 and to visit Poland since President awarded by the French Ministry of the airline’s US operations Europe Barack Obama cancelled the Defence. head Nikos Kardassis was planned Central European appointed as the acting CEO. UK troops thwart Taliban missile shield proposed by HAL AND BOEING Jet had posted a loss of Rs to recover US Chinook former President George W. 225 crore in Q1 of this fiscal. The Royal Regiment of Bush. Biden said the new • Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Scotland (3 SCOTS), fought missile plan would be enough (HAL) and Boeing have signed an NEW HEADS IN off Taliban attackers in order to defend Poland. As part of agreement to work together for AIRBUS MILITARY to facilitate the recovery of a the plan, Poland has agreed to the production of flaperons for the Airbus has made the follow- US Army Chinook helicopter host the US Navy’s Standard Boeing’s 777 series commercial ing appointments effective which had suffered a hard Missile-3 anti-ballistic-missile jetliner. HAL will make the delivery October 13: landing on difficult ground system. in phases and Boeing will get the • Rafael Acedo is the new in the Upper Sangin Valley. first set of flaperons in the next Head of Strategy. A number of UK and Afghan Third Boeing C-17 joins couple of years as per the contract. • Miguel Angel Morell suc- troops had been on the troop- 12-nation Strategic Airlift ceeds Rafael Acedo as the carrying aircraft but although Capability initiative HAWKER BEECHCRAFT new Head of Engineering The Boeing Company de- and Technology. livered a third C-17 Globe- • Hawker Beechcraft Corporation • Antonio Caramazana, suc- master III to the NATO Airlift announced the successful progress ceeds Miguel Angel Morel Management Organization on of its Beechcraft AT-6 light attack and is now Head of all October 7, in support of its aircraft programme. The AT-6 is a Airbus military derivatives. 12-nation Strategic Airlift Ca- structurally strengthened derivative Previously, he was in charge pability (SAC) initiative. The of the highly successful T-6A/B/C, of the UK FSTA Tanker delivery, which took place the world’s most proven military aircraft programme. at Boeing’s final assembly trainer aircraft. • Jaime Perez-Guerra is facility in Long Beach, com- Head of Communications. pletes SAC’s first fleet of the LOCKHEED MARTIN advanced airlifters. Assigned NEW CHIEF AT to SAC’s Heavy Airlift Wing • The Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to- BAE SYSTEMS (HAW) at Pápa Air Base in Surface Standoff Missile success- BAE Systems has appointed western Hungary, SAC 03 will fully completed Lot 7 Reliability Linda Hudson Chief Operat- support International Security Assessment Programme flight tests ing Officer, BAE Systems plc, it was badly damaged, nobody Assistance Force operations with a record of 15 successes out and President and CEO of was injured. In a bid to secure in Afghanistan as well as the of 16 flights, as officially scored by BAE Systems, Inc. the area, recover the airframe airlift requirements of SAC an independent test data scoring and to prevent it falling into member nations. board. The tests were conducted EADS APPOINTS NEW CEO Taliban hands, 120 men of by the US Air Force at White Sands EADS has named Sean Alpha (Grenadier) Company Missile Range, New Mexico, using O’Keefe Chief Executive Of- were flown to the desert site. CIVIL AVIATION B-52 and F-16 aircraft. ficer to lead the operations However, as a specialist US of EADS North America recovery team set to work Asia-Pacific NASA AND NORTHROP effective November 1. to prepare the Chinook for GRUMMAN extraction, insurgents began Bharat Hotels acquires LOCKHEED MARTIN to mass. Air cover was called Grand helicopter • NASA and Northrop Grumman Lockheed Martin Corpora- in and devastating strikes by AgustaWestland, a Finmecca- Corporation have announced the tion’s Board of Directors US attack helicopters and A-10 nica company, announced that initial flight of a Global Hawk un- has elected Christopher E. jets killed and injured several Bharat Hotels Limited (BHL), manned aircraft system to be used Kubasik President and Chief insurgents; one badly injured India’s largest privately owned for environmental science research. Operating Officer, effective insurgent was subsequently hotel company, recently took The approximately four-hour flight January 1, 2010. treated by 3 SCOTS’ medics delivery of a Grand twin en-

38 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net NEWSDigest SHOW CALENDAR ALENIA AERMACCHI M-346 MASTER RoundUp SCORES 1,000 FLIGHTS Quick 10 November – 12 November SAE AEROTECH 2009 at NASA Dryden included checkout Washington State Convention of aircraft systems, including and Trade Center, Seattle, engine, flight controls and com- Washington, USA munication. www.sae.org PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA 11 November – 12 November 6TH ANNUAL MILITARY • Pratt & Whitney Canada celebrated AIRLIFT major milestone with the delivery of Copthorne Tara, its 70,000th engine. The engine, a London, UK The new M-346 Master advanced trainer designed by Alenia PT6A-60A turboprop, was delivered URL: www.milairlift.com Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, has reached the sym- recently to Hawker Beechcraft Corpo- bolic 1,000-flight milestone. The flight was made by the third ration for installation on a Beechcraft 15 November – 19 November, King Air 350 aircraft. prototype, representative of the pre-series M-346 standard. The DUBAI AIR SHOW Airport Expo Centre, thousand flights performed by the three M-346 prototypes now RAYTHEON Dubai, UAE available at Alenia Aermacchi, cover a broad range of missions, www.dubaiairshow.aero from aircraft testing and development to the displaying to the • Raytheon Company has been many interested air forces and ferry flights for international awarded two contracts by Rafael 16 November – 17 November demo tours for important aviation events. Advanced Defense Systems Limited UNMANNED AIRCRAFT In December 2008, the first M-346 achieved the speed of to design and develop the David’s SYSTEMS Mach 1.17, becoming the fastest Italian-designed aeroplane of Sling Weapon System, a joint Crowne Plaza Hotel-St James, all times. The long ferry flights, the completion of air-to-air re- programme between the Missile London, UK fuelling tests and angles of attack of over 30 degrees, indicate Defense Agency and the Israel Mis- URL: www.smi-online.co.uk/ the significance of the results achieved so far and the overall sile Defence Organisation. uas2.asp development of the programme, which is now close to its complete maturity. SWISS FEDERAL COUNCIL 17 November – 19 November In addition to Alenia Aermacchi test pilots, the three M-346 7TH ANNUAL HELICON 2009 have already been flown by over 40 Italian military pilots and by • At its meeting in October, the The Westin Huntsville, over 70 from other countries worldwide, including those of the Swiss Federal Council decided Huntsville, AL, USA United Arab Emirates, whose air forces selected 48 M-346s in to adhere to the timetable set in URL: www.heliconsummit.com February, and those of Singapore, where the M-346 is participat- March for the proposed partial ing in the competition for the aircraft and a complete integrated replacement of the Tiger fighter 17 November – 18 November training system. • aircraft. COUNTER TERRORISM AND SECURITY US AIR FORCE Radisson SAS Portman Hotel, London, UK series—the AE 3007A2. This infrared sensor turret aboard • The US’ fleet of B-2 stealth URL: www.thedefencealliance. is the exclusive powerplant its Desert Hawk III Unmanned bombers will receive a new com/cts for the Legacy 650, the new Aircraft System (UAS), marking Northrop Grumman Corporation-de- Embraer large executive jet. the first time a small UAS has veloped radar system following the 30 November – 2 December flown with a 360-degree infra- US Air Force’s decision to authorise CIAM INTERNATIONAL red sensor. Battle-proven, the full-rate production of the units by AVIATION SHOW & INDUSTRY hand-launched Desert Hawk the company’s Radar Modernisa- CONGRESS III has provided the British tion Programme. Hilton Cancun Golf & Americas Army with critical intelligence, Spa Resort, México surveillance and reconnais- • US Air Force plans to include the www.expo-ciam.com Boeing A160T flies with sance capabilities in both Iraq C-27J Spartan (the latest propel- foliage-penetrating radar and Afghanistan. ler-driven air-lifter) in its inventory, 2 December – 3 December The Boeing A160T Humming- are steadily progressing. In April, MILITARY FLIGHT bird unmanned helicopter Defence Secretary Robert Gates TRAINING ASIA 2009 completed 20 test flights from SPACE moved the C-27J programme and Rendezvous Hotel, August 31 to October 8 with its related direct support mission Singapore the Foliage Penetration Recon- Americas from the Army to the Air Force. URL: www.asiaflighttraining.com naissance, Surveillance, Track- ing and Engagement Radar Boeing launches second US NAVY (FORESTER). The tests were WorldView satellite gine helicopter from the firm’s conducted at Fort Stewart, The Boeing Company success- • The US Navy is one step closer Vergiate plant. Georgia. FORESTER is being fully launched the WorldView- to flying the ‘Green Hornet’ with developed by the Defense 2 satellite for DigitalGlobe members of the NAVAIR Fuels team Americas Advanced Research Projects aboard a Delta II rocket on recently taking a small, but very vital Agency and the US Army. October 8. Liftoff occurred at step toward changing the source of Rolls-Royce AE 3007A2 to 1151 hours Pacific time from jet fuel the US Navy uses. The team power Embraer’s Legacy 650 Lockheed Martin flies first Pad SLC-2W at Vandenberg tested an F-404 F/A-18 engine to On October 19, Rolls-Royce 360-degree infrared sensort Air Force Base. The Delta II determine if it could run on a jet fuel officially introduced the Lockheed Martin has complet- released WorldView-2 about (JP-5) derived from a weed. latest engine in its AE 3007 ed a successful test of a new 62 minutes after liftoff. •

Issue 10 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 39 LASTWord

Bites Grounding of the REALITYresponse to the urgent requirement projected by the IAF, HPT-32 ﬂeet comes HAL has now floated a request for information soliciting at a time when collaboration from foreign aerospace companies to produce a basic turboprop trainer. Under the circumstances, the IAF is already obtaining this perhaps is a prudent course of action as faced with acute in-house design and development of a basic trainer by the HAL is unlikely in the time frame envisaged by the shortage of pilots. IAF. Tragically, the HAL has squandered the opportunity Continued neglect to develop a new aircraft on its own. The Kiran jet trainer fleet has been in service since of the trainer ﬂeets the early 1970s and its replacement should have been would seriously streaming in by now. Unfortunately, the Sitara Interme- diate Jet Trainer (IJT) programme, a replacement for undermine the Kiran, which began on a promising note, has for the IAF’s one reason or another, not been making satisfactory progress. A basic aircraft with conventional technol- grandiose plans ogy, the inordinate delay in its development, which can for modernisation prove detrimental for the training of the fighter stream, is neither understandable nor acceptable. and growth. For the second time, the IAF has been left in the lurch without the basic trainer fleet. The first HAL produced trainer aircraft, the piston engine Hindustan ome Air Force Day and it is time for the top brass of Trainer 2 (HT-2), was scrapped under similar circumstances the Indian Air Force (IAF) to catalogue achievements in the early nineties after four decades of use. As the HPT-32s and reiterate resolve to scale greater heights. The 77th were not available in sufficient strength at that point in time, anniversary this year was no different as the Chief the IAF switched over to all-jet training with Stage-I on the Cof the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, unraveled plans Kiran aircraft. The measure was neither cost-effective nor before an awed media for an ambitious modernisation drive professionally sound yet the IAF accepted the compromise with staggering levels of investment directed at total meta- as HAL had already begun series production of the HPT-32 morphosis of the force. The media was briefed on the visions and its availability in the near future was reasonably certain. of capability for the IAF to project power from the Central Also, the Kiran fleet was at that point in time, young and at Asian region to the Straits of Malacca and to emerge as one peak strength. Today, the situation is qualitatively different. of the leading air forces in the world. The session was laced The strength of the Kiran fleet is low and the HAL has no with an array of sophisticated terminology comprehensible ready solution in sight for replacement of HPT-32. Despite perhaps to only a limited section of the audience. the initiative at foreign collaboration, given the ever-increas- While the IAF appears mesmerised with visions of great- ing complexity of the procurement process, one cannot pre- ness, its foundations appear substantially weakened on ac- dict with certainty the time frame in which the replacement count of inadequate attention, lack of forward planning and aircraft will be available in adequate strength. Meanwhile, absence of proper synergy with the indigenous aerospace in- under the enhanced burden, the Kiran fleet will shrink fur- dustry in respect of its basic piston and jet trainer fleets. The ther, complicating matters for the IAF even more. The grav- Hindustan Piston Trainer (HPT)-32 has been afflicted with se- ity of the situation is evident in the reported decision by the rious problems since inception and there have been no lasting IAF to disband the world renowned Surya Kiran formation solutions from the OEM. The IAF had no option but to endure; aerobatic team to augment the Kiran fleet. losing aircraft and pilots with disconcerting regularity. The IAF cannot fulfill its aspirations and attain its lofty ob- As the life of a fleet can be predicted with a reasonable de- jectives without qualified, well trained and competent human gree of accuracy, there should already have been a clear plan in resource, with pilots providing the core strength. Grounding of place for an indigenous aircraft to replace the HPT-32 in about the HPT-32 fleet comes at a time when the IAF is already faced three decades of induction. Despite dialogue that began over with acute shortage of pilots. Continued neglect of the trainer five years ago between the IAF and the Hindustan Aeronautics fleets would aggravate shortages and seriously undermine the Limited (HAL) on the replacement for the HPT-32, today there IAF’s grandiose plans for modernisation and growth. SP

ILLUSTRATION: MAMTA ILLUSTRATION: is no design for a basic trainer even on the drawing board. In — Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

40 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net HATS OFF TO THE MOST ESSENTIAL TRADE EVENT IN THE REGION

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