Defence & Aviation
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II/2017 Aerospace & Defence Review Interview with CAS Aero India 2017 : In Perspective An Advanced Hawk Vayu flies Gripen India’s Aviation Industry The Air at Yelahanka II/2017 II/2017 Aerospace & Defence Review Road map for Future An Advanced Hawk Air Enthusiasts Monami Guha Das 27 and Debaditya Das write on and IAF Fighters photograph “the beauties in the skies” at Aero India 2017. Interview with CAS Aero India 2017 : In Perspective The Air at Yelahanka An Advanced Hawk 62 Vayu flies Gripen India’s Aviation Industry The Air at Yelahanka Still, the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer Cover : Hawk Mk.132s of the IAF’s Surya was much in evidence at Yelahanka, Kiran Formation Aerobatic Team both in the air and on the ground with (Photo courtesy IAF/HAL) HAL-built Hawk Mk.132s of the Surya Kiran Formation Aerobatic Team (SKAT) DITORIAL ANEL performing daily, even as the Advanced E P Hawk “for India and the World” had MANAGING EDITOR pride of place. The joint BAE-HAL AFS Yelahanka, where the biennial Vikramjit Singh Chopra development includes a new more powerful engine (Adour Mk.951), and Aero India international air shows have EDITORIAL ADVISOR a completely redesigned wing with been held since the 1990s, is nearing its Platinum Jubilee since its establishment. Admiral Arun Prakash leading edge slats and updated ‘combat In an exclusive interview with the Vayu, flaps’ which significantly expands the Joseph Antony recalls its chequered EDITORIAL PANEL Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Chief of aircraft’s envelope. history. Its origins lie in the early 1940s when Italian POWs were engaged to Pushpindar Singh the Air Staff IAF articulates on major thrust areas for the IAF over the next build its runways and other facilities Air Marshal Brijesh Jayal few years and comments on the road 42 Some highlights of to the time it was resurrected post Dr. Manoj Joshi map for induction of fighter aircraft to Aero India 2017 1962, becoming the key base for multi- Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar ensure the IAF reaches its authorised engined aircraft conversion training of IAF/IN/CG pilots. Lt. Gen. BS Pawar strength at the earliest. Air Marshal M. Matheswaran Nipped in the Bud ! Gp Capt JC Malik 32 The way we were 67 Cdr M Nirmal (are) ! Monica Arora Angad Singh Vayu interviews with some leaders of Sayan Majumdar the industry as also various highlights Richard Gardner (UK) are collated for reader’s reference. Reuben Johnson (USA) Of course, Vayu’s Show Dailies were Bertrand de Boisset (France) published and widely distributed throughout the Show and – as always Dr Nick Evesenkin (Russia) – were first on the scene ! Tamir Eshel (Israel) Dr Sanjay Badri Maharaj explores India’s aviation industry with special ADVERTISING & MARKETING MANAGER focus on how a clear and systematic Husnal Kaur development programme for combat aircraft and trainers was abandoned BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER before it could bear fruit. This has had Premjit Singh serious consequences for the industry, which was reduced to becoming a serf for licence-production, with consequential loss of design capability. PUBLISHED BY He laments the fact that there was no follow on to the HF-24 Marut Vayu Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. Vayu’s Angad Singh ‘pulled G at Aero programme and the Tejas LCA has India 2017’ and his flight in a Gripen D D-43, Sujan Singh Park, consequently suffered owing to lack was undoubtedly the ‘experience of a New Delhi 110 003 India of continuity in aerospace design and lifetime’, and is included in this Issue. Tel: +91 11 24617234 In retrospect of the recently concluded manufacturing capabilities. Aero India 2017 Show, the Vayu Fax: +91 11 24628615 Also: ‘Bye, Bye, Lynx, Welcome e-mail: [email protected] Editorial Team takes readers through “A Day in the Life of this biennial event, preceded by the 60 Wildcat’, ‘Winds of Change at e-mail: [email protected] Air Enthusiasts” International Seminar (on Aerospace Guvercinlik’ Book Reivew on IAF - Technology) organised by the DRDO at ‘We Dare, We Care’ . Bangalore. Clearly, there was a redux Printed at Aegean Offset Printers of the M-MRCA contest, with three Regular features : of the original six contenders present. Commentary, Viewpoint, Aviation However, ‘HAL was King’ at the The opinions expressed in the articles & Defence in India, World Aviation published in the Vayu Aerospace & Defence Show, with new aircraft programmes & Defence News, Ancient Aviator Review do not necessarily reflect the views announced (the IMRH) and displayed Anecdotes, Vayu 25 Years Back, or policies of the Publishers. (the HTT-40). Tale Spin. Visit us at: www.vayuaerospace.in C O M M E N T A R Y track-record; and its lovely beaches are no substitute for an industry Bravo, ISRO ! that came into being during World War II. aunching 104 satellites into space in one rocket called While no deals are expected to be firmed up at such events, it is LPSLV-C37 is, no doubt, a triumph of India’s space research. It is worth noting that while there is need for some 200 combat aircraft an achievement on a global scale as well, sort of. While the number to maintain the desired squadron-strength of the Indian Air Force, of satellites launched is more than three times the previous record no “new” aspirant flipped its wings at Yelahanka. The Lockheed for simultaneous launches, set by Russia in 2014, the combined Martin F-16, Swedish SAAB Gripen, Dassault’s Rafale and Russian weight of the satellites was a mere 1.3 tonnes, of which a cartography Su-30 have all been evaluated before, and if more attractive financial satellite weighed more than 700 kg. The rest were nano-satellites, arrangements are now on offer the event was not where they would each weighing a few kilograms. be made. The grapevine has it that those firms participated in Aero The Indian National Committee for Space Research, founded India 2017 only because they apprehended that staying away would in 1962 at the initiative of Jawaharlal Nehru and Vikram diminish their chances of bagging an order. Sarabhai, metamorphosed into ISRO in 1969, barely a month The domestic industry did not really “sell” itself: though the after humankind’s first walk on the Moon. Conquest of the final public sector HAL displayed a range of helicopters, most of them frontier has been a work in progress, for all nations. Two commercial have been on the market for some time now. The Air Chief flying the entities, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, are Tejas LCA was merely for show. Much was made of the “induction” serious contenders in the satellite launch business. India’s space of an indigenous AWACS, but this ’plane had participated in the programme has been spectacularly low-cost. However, its ability flypast on Republic Day, and a “bigger” platform is now being to launch heavy payloads remains limited — anything above four considered. tonnes stumps it. ISRO’s GSLV series of launch vehicles have an It was disappointing that the participants were informed that indigenous cryogenic engine, after a long delay. But their boosting the revised procurement/offsets policy would be announced shortly power remains small. While ISRO must continue indigenous work — prudence demanded that it be made public ahead of the show. on rockets, materials, guidance systems, etc, it must proactively The short point being that Aero India will attract the “cutting edge” source available technology from around the world. only if India convinces that it is ready to do business. One consequence of India’s nuclear deal with the US has been its membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), From The Statesman secured last year, and liberation from assorted technology-denial sanctions that had been imposed after India’s nuclear tests. As an What alone will fly MTCR member, India’s access to rocket and related technology is ecently, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, when much broader than it was, prior to that membership. India must Rasked about the future of Air India, said the Centre wanted use the new access it has to identify and procure the technologies the airline “to survive”, but that it did not matter “who runs it”. it needs, to enhance its satellite-launch capability. India can and He argued that taxpayer money could not sustain the airline must stop reliance on foreign launchers for its communication forever. These statements, taken together, are both welcome and satellites. Further, it must become a significant player in the market disheartening. On the one hand, they open the door to a possible for heavier satellites as well. future in which the state-controlled airline is perhaps operated, or From The Economic Times part-owned, by the private sector. On the other hand, they betray a lack of confidence in the market and inadequate awareness of how the aviation sector, in particular, works. If Air India is to survive Only for thrills ? then that will have to be a decision made by passenger choice competent financial audit will calculate the expenses incurred on and market principles — or else it will continue to need taxpayer A the biennial military-aviation fiesta Aero India, the 11th edition financing forever. of which took place at IAF Yelahanka, Bangalore. Unfortunately, it If the government believes that taxpayers cannot pay for Air would be difficult to assess in financial terms the “gains” that accrued India forever, then it does not appear to be acting on that basis. from the extravaganza. For while 500,000 footfalls, and massive For one, contradictory reports are emerging over whether the airline traffic jams when the show was thrown open to the public might intends to purchase or lease additional Dreamliner airliners.