Special ISSUE SP’s AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION ED BUYER ONLY) ED BUYER AS -B A NDI I News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. 100.00 ( ` Aviationwww.spsaviation.net OCTOBER • 2012 •• MID-SIZE BUSINESS JETS •• REGIONAL AVIATION: NEED PLANES APLENTY •• THE WAY FORWARD: DR VIVEK LALL Indian Air Force Modernisation years Interview with Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne Vision Personified: Air Chief Marshal (retd) P.V. Naik Interview with R.K. Tyagi, Chairman, HAL Getting Ahead with Upgrades 80RNI NUMBER: DELENG/2008/24199 Enhancing Combat Potential READY FOR TRAINING PILATUS - TAILORED SOLUTIONS FOR PILOT TRAINING Pilatus Aircraft Ltd P .O. Box 992, 6371 Stans, Switzerland Phone +41 41 619 61 11, Fax +41 41 610 92 30 www.pilatus-aircraft.com SP’s AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION TABLE of CONTENTS News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. AviationIssue 10 • 2012 19 Interview ACM N.A.K. Browne 22 IAF Vision Vision Personified 26 Interview HAL Chairman 30 Transport On the Move 33 Viewpoint The Way Forward 35 Helicopters Development sans Indigenisation 37 Fighters Upgrades Getting Ahead The Indian Government has selected Boeing’s AH-64D Apache Block III 39 Fighters Fleet in its effort to buy new attack helicopters for the Indian Air Force. 35 Contract negotiations are expected to begin shortly. Status Per Se 42 UAVs Getting Lethal CIVIL IAF SPECIAL 44 Force Multipliers 6 Business Aviation Enhancing Combat Potential Mid-Size, the Right Size 13 Seminar Report IAF’s oNGOING PLANS 46 Training Mood Upbeat The IAF is celebrating its 80th Strengthening the Foundation anniversary. On this special Industry AIR TRANSPORT occasion, let us take a look at IAF’s 48 10 Regional Aviation modernisation, upgradation and Range of Offers Need Planes Aplenty transformation endeavours. 49 Space Expanding Roles IAF SPECIAL • 4 A Word from Editor 51 Hall of Fame Special ISSUE Karun Krishna Majumdar Messages AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION 14 SP’s (1913-1945) – Defence Minister News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. 100.00 (INDIA-BASED BUYER ONLY) BUYER 100.00 (INDIA-BASED ` Aviationwww.spsaviation.net OCTOBER • 2012 – IAF Chief •• MID-SIZE BUSINESS JETS 52 NewsDigest •• REGIONAL AVIATION: NEEDS PLANES APLENTY 16 SP’s Exclusive •• THE WAY FORWARD: DR VIVEK LALL – Flanker Turns 10 Indian Air Force – IAF Chief Inspects First Modernisation REGULAR DEpaRTMENTS Indigenous AEW&C Aircraft years Interview with Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne Vision Personified: Air Chief Marshal (retd) P.V. Naik LastWord – HAL Scouts Cockpit Display Interview with R.K. Tyagi, Chairman, HAL 56 Getting Ahead with Upgrades Systems for Light Choppers 80RNI NUMBER: DELENG/2008/24199 Enhancing Combat Potential Cautious Moves – IAF Hopeful of Rafale Deal SP's Aviation Cover 10-12 final.indd 1 05/10/12 5:05 PM this Year Cover Photo: – Decision on Heavy-lift Copter Competition this Month The IAF is equipping itself with next generation capabilities NEXT ISSUE: – Decision on Tanker Fifth Generation Fighters Competition Next Month Illustration By: Anoop Kamath Issue 10 • 2012 SP’S AVIATION 1 TABLE of CONTENTS PLUS... PUBLISHER AND Editor-IN-CHIEF DESIGN Jayant Baranwal Holistic Directions: Jayant Baranwal Senior Art Director: Anoop Kamath Assistant GROUP editor Designers: Vimlesh Kumar Yadav, Sonu Singh Bisht R. Chandrakanth Research Assistant: Graphics Survi Massey SENIOR VISITING Editor Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING Neetu Dhulia SENIOR Technical GROUP EditorS Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey SALES & MARKETING General Manager Sales: Rajeev Chugh Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand Mid-size, SP’S WEBSITES the Right Size 6 SENIOR Copy editor & Sr Web Developer: Shailendra Prakash Ashish CORRESPONDENT Web Developer: Ugrashen Vishwakarma Sucheta Das Mohapatra © SP Guide Publications, 2012 Contributors Annual SUBSCRIPTION INDIA Inland: Rs 1200 • Foreign: US$ 320 Air Marshal (Retd) N. Menon Email: [email protected] Group Captain (Retd) A.K. Sachdev Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha LETTER TO EDITOR [email protected] EUROPE [email protected] Alan Peaford FOR Advertising details, contact: USA & CANADA [email protected] 10 Need Planes Aplenty [email protected] LeRoy Cook [email protected] CHAIRMAN & Managing Director SP GUIDE PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD Jayant Baranwal A-133 Arjun Nagar, (Opposite Defence Colony) PLANNING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT New Delhi 110 003, India. 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Fax: +7 (495) 912 1260 2 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2012 www.spsaviation.net T HE WORLD STANDARD Extensive range, record-setting speed, advanced technology, opulent comforts, and a top-rated worldwide product support network. The World Standard® isn’t just a company tagline, it’s a benchmark by which all others must be measured. INDIA: +91 98 182 95755 – ROHIT KAPuR gulfstream Authorized Sales Representative TOLL fREE 180 0103 2003 INTL: +65 6256 8301 – JASON AKOvENKO gulfstream Aerospace corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of general Dynamics. guLfSTREAm.cOm 12_11909_SPsAviation_V01R01.indd 1 9/10/12 5:37 AM IAF SPECIAL A Word From Editor A KEY ASPECT OF THE IAF’s fORCE BUILD-UP PROGRAMME IS TO NOT ONLY REGAIN ITS ERSTWHILE COMBAT JET FIGHTERs’ STRENGTH OF 39½ SQUADRONS BUT ALSO TO AUGMENT IT FURTHER TO 42 SQUADRONS BY 2022 s it celebrates its 80th anniversary, the Indian On the civil aviation front, R. Chandrakanth points out Air Force (IAF) may have just one wish to make as to how mid-size jets are labelled as the future of business before blowing out the candles on the birth- travel being sought out by most of the contemporary cor- day cake—modernise and transform. Indeed, porate leaders, while Joseph Noronha writing on regional the IAF is truly in the middle of an amazing aviation in India feels that a fleet of small sturdy turboprops phase of metamorphic modernisation in a bid is what the doctor ordered to rapidly take aviation services to transform itself into a ‘force’ with full-spectrum capabili- to the remote reaches of the country. Aties at par with the leading air forces of the world. In this, ‘Air Force Special’ issue, we not only take a look The IAF has come a long way since its inception in 1932 at the IAF’s ongoing endeavours in its flight to achieve the when it began with half a dozen officers and a few Wapiti desired capabilities, but also on the burgeoning responsi- aircraft. Today, the men and women ‘in blue’ of the world’s bilities of the private sector in the aerospace field in building fourth largest air force can proudly look on those years, hav- them for the IAF. Creating the much desired and much cher- ing bravely faced challenges not only from the enemy but also ished self-reliance to meet the requirements of the country’s have operated in some of the most hostile terrain in the world. aerospace power perhaps would be the best way to salute The IAF of tomorrow should be ready to scramble to guard the IAF, which should ideally aim for a 50-combat squadron India’s enhanced strategic and security interests that extend force by say 2032, when it could happily put 100 candles on to not only from the Strait of Hormuz to the Strait of Malacca its anniversary cake. but much beyond. For this, it is of paramount importance to Jai Hind! augment the IAF’s entire range of capabilities—from preci- sion attack weapons to combat and transport aircraft to UAVs and heliborne operations, besides ushering in an era of vigor- ous research and development with active private sector par- ticipation. No wonder the acquisition of force multipliers like airborne warning and control systems (AWACS), mid-air refu- elling aircraft, advanced radars and aerostats—all crucial to force potency—have been on the IAF’s extended shopping list. Speaking on the status of his force to the media in June this year, Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne had said that key year for the IAF would be 2022. “All the contracts which were signed during the Eleventh Five Year Plan, will be executed till 2017. At least 65 to 70 per cent of force build-up will be accomplished by 2017.” A key aspect of the IAF’s force build-up programme is to not only regain its erstwhile combat jet fighters’ strength of 39½ squad- rons but also to augment it further to 42 squadrons by 2022 (end of Thirteenth Plan). In all, the IAF could spend as much as $100 billion in the next decade towards realis- ing it’s sanctioned ‘perspective plans’. Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, Chief of the Air Staff, IAF, in an interview Jayant Baranwal with SP’s Aviation, spoke in detail about IAF’s capacity en- Publisher & Editor-in-Chief hancement plans to meet future security challenges. 4 SP’S AVIATION Issue 10 • 2012 www.spsaviation.net The Beechcraft King Air 250 – The King of Innovation. Across India, the King Air has helped support effective government and build profitable businesses.