SP's Aviation 04 of 2009
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SP’s News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. ISSUE 4 • 2009 AviationWWW.SPSAVIATION.NET AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION MMRCA Deal: Progress & Perspectives SP’s Corporate EXCLUSIVE Aviation: Concerns of Pilots Operating Smaller Aircraft May Ease Burden of High ‘The FOCUS is on ATF Costs TIMELY DELENG/2008/24199 EXECUTION RNI NUMBER: Ashok Nayak, HAL Chairman PAGE 16 PAGE 8 ’ EMB_SPAVIATION_WIND.pdf 4/1/09 11:48:21 AM C M Y CM MY CY CMY K SP’s AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION TABLE of CONTENTS News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. AviationISSUE 4 • 2009 Ashok Nayak, Chairman, Hindustan 16 Aeronautics Limited OEM PERSPECTIVES CORPORATE AVIATION MMRCA Deal SP’s Exclusive 28 Operations 10 Bernhard Gerwert Expect the Unexpected CEO, Military Air Systems, SERIES EADS Defence & Security ‘FOCUS ON TIMELY 34 Commercial Aviation 11 Eddy de la Motte EXECUTION OF ORDERS’ Marketing Director, In his first interview as HALL OF FAME Gripen International India Chairman of Hindustan 33 Alberto Santos-Dumont 12 Ambassador Douglas Aeronautics Limited, A. Hartwick Chief Executive, Ashok Nayak traces the REGULAR DEPARTMENTS Lockheed Martin India organisation’s strengths, 4 A Word from Editor Operations potentials and progress. • 5 NewsWithViews ON RECORD - Chopper Deal Gets the Axe 21 Civil ���� - Su-30 Disaster ������������������������������������������������������������������ �������������� Embraer Perspective ��������������������������� 7 InFocus ������������������������ ������ ��������������� �������������� � ���� MMRCA Deal: Report Card ���������� ��������� ���������� ������������ CIVIL ������ ������������������ 8 Forum ������������������ ���������������� 23 Operational Cost ���������������� ���������� Time is of the Essence Wildly Fluctuating � ������� 36 NewsDigest ������������������ ���������� ����������� ��������������������������� ������� ������ � LastWord MILITARY SP's Avn 04 of 09 Cover.indd 1 5/11/09 3:50:54 PM 40 Save Air India, Go Private 13 AJT Cover Photo: M-346: Get Combat Ready Ashok Nayak took over as the Chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited from April 1. NEXT ISSUE: 26 Reminiscences Farewell to MiG-23 BN Photo Credit: HAL Meet the new IAF Chief 1 SP’S AVIATION Issue 4 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net 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 SALES & MARKETING Director Sales & Marketing: Neetu Dhulia SENIOR VISITING EDITOR Head Vertical Sales: Rajeev Chugh Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia Sales Manager: Rajiv Ranjan SENIOR TECHNICAL GROUP EDITORS © SP Guide Publications, 2009 Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand Inland: Rs 850 • Foreign: US$ 250 SPECIAL CHIEF CORRESPONDENT Email: [email protected] Sangeeta Saxena 7 LETTER TO EDITOR SUB-EDITOR [email protected] MMRCA: Report Card Bipasha Roy [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS FOR ADVERTISING DETAILS, CONTACT: INDIA [email protected] Air Marshal (Retd) P.K. Mehra [email protected] Air Marshal (Retd) N. Menon [email protected] Group Captain (Retd) A.K. Sachdev [email protected] Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha SP GUIDE PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD A-133 Arjun Nagar, EUROPE 26 (Opposite Defence Colony) Alan Peaford, Phil Nasskau, Farewell to New Delhi 110 003, India. MiG-23 BN Rob Coppinger Tel: +91 (11) 24644693, USA & CANADA 24644763, 24620130 Sushant Deb, LeRoy Cook, Lon Nordeen, Fax: +91 (11) 24647093 Anil R. Pustam (West Indies) Email: [email protected] CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR POSTAL ADDRESS Jayant Baranwal Post Box No 2525 New Delhi 110 005, India. ADMIN & COORDINATION Bharti Sharma REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE 28 BENGALURU, INDIA Owned, published and printed by Jayant Flying 534, Jal Vayu Vihar Baranwal, printed at Rave India and Corporate 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. 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Fax: +7 (495) 912 1260 2 SP’S AVIATION Issue 4 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net ������������������ ��� ���������� ��������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������ Back CVR Lockheed M AD.indd 1 2/6/09 8:19:08 PM A Word from Editor An exclusive interview and an exhaustive procurement procedure hold a mirror to India’s defence scenario even as corporate aviation pilots outline the perks and pitfalls of the job n exclusive is often confused with the exception- thoughts are Ambassador Douglas A. Hartwick, Chief Execu- al. If exclusives are sporadic and hard to come tive, Lockheed Martin India Operations; Bernhard Gerwert, by, encountering the exceptional is breathtak- CEO Military Air Systems, EADS Defence & Security; and ingly refreshing. Both these attributes, however, Eddy de la Motte, Marketing Director, Gripen International have been captured between the covers of this India. Amid all the excitement was the somewhat piquant edition. More so, in the Cover Story. Display- news—a “rumour”, as it may well turn out to be—of Das- ing exemplary candour and forthrightness in his first ever sault having been ousted from the race. Ainterview after taking over at the helm of Hindustan Aero- Seeking clarification straight from the horse’s mouth as nautics Limited, Ashok Nayak painstakingly underlines the it were, SP’s approached the company’s India representa- public sector organisation’s strengths, weaknesses, potentials tive who categorically denied receiving any official intima- and progress to SP’s Senior Technical Group Editor Air Mar- tion of any such development. “On the contrary, we are go- shal (Retd) B.K. Pandey. “We need to be impatient and patient ing ahead with our preparations for the flight evaluations at the same time,” Nayak said. “Impatient means, we need and the company is in constant touch with Air HQ,” Dassault to drive ourselves towards implementation, and patience Aviation’s Deputy Delegate in India P.V. Rao confirmed. Even means, we have to give it a minimum time to take root.” as the race hots up, the IAF on March 6 bid farewell to the Work culture, meanwhile, is in the spotlight as the eyes MiG-23 BN, 29 years after its induction. of the world’s defence industry are glued to India’s long- On the other end of the spectrum, an exhaustive analysis winded Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft project. Dogged of the issues pertaining to corporate aviation crew reflects by delays and labyrinthine procedures, current reports the allure and pitfalls of this attractive career option—osten- suggest the flight trials will be completed by October but sibly “one of the best jobs in flying”. Read on and do let us probabilities of the exercise extending into the next year are know if you agree. high. Perspectives from some of the contenders who were forthcoming with their response to SP’s queries throw light on the comparative advantages and benefits. Penning their OWNER’S PRIDE: SP’S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JAYANT BARANWAL PRESENTS A COPY OF SP’S MILITARY YEARBOOK 2008-2009 TO DEFENCE MINISTER Jayant Baranwal A.K. ANTONY IN NEW DELHI PHOTOGRAPHS: SHARAD SAXENA / SP GUIDE PUBNS Publisher & Editor-in-Chief 4 SP’S AVIATION Issue 4 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net CHOPPER DEAL GETS THE AXE Views India has scrapped a tender for 22 attack helicopters as four international firms vying for the multi-million-dollar deal had been unable to meet the military’s requirements. “The request for proposal (RFP) was cancelled last week after the four companies could not meet the qualitative requirements,” Indian Defence Ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said. “A fresh RFP will be floated shortly,” Kar added, without specifying the date. A ministry source sWith said the attack helicopter tender, floated last year, was worth nearly $550 million (Rs 2,720 crore). The source added EADS, which owns the world’s largest helicopter-maker Eurocopter, was ready to bid again. New VIEWS ast year, an Request for Proposal was floated for in the case of the $550 million (Rs 2,720 crore) contract for 22 attack helicopters to replace the ageing fleet 197 Light Utility Helicopter just as it was about to be con- of Mi-35 of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Initially, cluded with Eurocopter whose Fennec had scored over Bell six foreign machines were in the race—AW129 407. The justification put forward was irregularity in the LMangusta from AgustaWestland, Bell’s AH-1Z Super Co- process of selection after the allegation was duly endorsed bra, Boeing’s AH-64D Apache Longbow, Eurocopter’s Ti- by the Central Vigilance Commission. Yet another deal likely ger HAD