SP's Aviation January 2011

• Meet us At Hall E, Booth 22 at Aero India 2011 •

An SP Guide Publication y ) SP’s o n l uy e r sed b a sed sed b a sed

News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. s. 75.00 (I n d ia -b 75.00 r s. s. 75.00 (I n d ia -b 75.00 r s. Aviationwww.spsaviation.net JANUARY • 2011

›› Mission Private Space

›› Aero India 2011: Curtain-Raiser

›› Revolutionary Shapes Concept of E-Jets of the ›› C-130J Induction

›› MEBA 2010 Report

RNI NUMBER: DELENG/2008/24199 Future PAGE 12

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Table of Contents News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. AviationIssue 1 • 2011

12 The unmanned test vehicle represents a possible future aircraft that replaces the traditional tube- and-wing design with a shape resembling a manta ray — essentially a flying wing

First Military 5 Operationally Flexible Cover Story 30 Industry Ahead of Schedule Tecknow 6 Made in India Show report Shapes of the future 32 MEBA 2010 Expert Speak Aviation behemoths such as Stunning Display 16 India-China Hindi-Chini Bye, Bye! Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Hall of fame Martin and a host of others are 34 Douglas Corrigan Diplomacy investing heavily in futuristic 18 India-Russia programmes of which some Regular Departments Advancing Defence Ties may see the light of the day and 4 A Word from Editor Space some may not 7 NewsWithViews 19 Business • – GSLV-F06 fails Mission Private Space • Meet us At HAll e, BootH 22 At Aero IndIA 2011 •

) An SP Guide PublicAtion Y l N – LCA clears drop tank o R SP’s UY e sed b sed A IA -b

d jettison test Show Preview News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. s. 75.00 (I N 75.00 s. R 24 Aero India 2011 Aviationwww.spsaviation.net JANUARY • 2011 9 InFocus Curtain-Raiser Old-Obsolescent-Obsolete Industry 10 Forum 26 Interview ›› Mission Private Combating Obsolescence Capturing India’s Space ›› Aero India 2011: Curtain-Raiser Aerospace Market ›› Revolutionary Shapes Concept of E-Jets 35 NewsDigest of the ›› C-130J Induction

›› MEBA 2010 Report

RNI NUMBER: DELENG/2008/24199 Future Civil PAGE 12 40 LastWord 27 Regional Aviation SP's Aviation cover 1-11 Final.indd 1 12/01/11 1:35 PM Where are the Dividends? Radical Concept Cover Image: Seminar An artist’s rendition of Finnair’s A1700-2400 Next Issue: 29 Aerospace Conference Cruiser which can seat 2,400 passengers Aero India 2011 Fringes to Mainstream Cover Image: Kauko Helavuo / Finnair

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 1 Table of Contents

PLUS... Publisher And Editor-in-Chief design & LAYOUT Jayant Baranwal Senior Art Director: Anoop Kamath Designers: Vimlesh Kumar Yadav, Assistant Group editor Sonu Singh Bisht R. Chandrakanth DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING Senior Visiting Editor Neetu Dhulia Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia SALES & MARKETING Senior Technical Group EditorS Head Vertical Sales: Rajeev Chugh

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ADMIN & COORDINATION Postal address Bharti Sharma Post Box No 2525 New Delhi 110 005, India. Survi Massey Representative Office Owned, published and printed by BENGALURU, INDIA MEBA 2010 Jayant Baranwal, printed at 32 Show Report 534, Jal Vayu Vihar Kala Jyothi Process Pvt Ltd and Kammanhalli Main Road published at A-133, Arjun Nagar Bengaluru 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. otherwise without prior written permission Tel: +7 (495) 911 2762 www.spguidepublications.com of the Publishers. Fax: +7 (495) 912 1260

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TECHNOLOGY CONCEPT PLANES TECHNOLOGY CONCEPT PLANES

COVER STORY Shapes Fuof theture Aviation behemoths such as Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed HIGH ON CONCEPT: FINNAIR A600-850 CAN SEAT Martin and a host of others are investing heavily in 600-850 PASSENGERS AND HAS FOUR ENGINES THAT CAN futuristic programmes of which some may BE TILTED, ALLOWING FOR VERTICAL TAKE-OFFS see the light of the day and some may not

N 1893, HORATIO PHIL- By R. Chandrakanth fort; and are environment friendly. NASA’s goals for a 2030-era aircraft are: electricity-generating fuel cells to power advanced LIPS built a “Flying Ma- Airbus Research and Technology • A 71-decibel reduction below current Federal Aviation electrical systems. chine” which looked like head Axel Krein said, “The planes of Administration noise standards, which aim to contain • With its 180-passenger D8 “double bubble” configura- the future will offer an unparalleled, objectionable noise within airport boundaries. tion, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology team a motorised “Venetian unobstructed view of the wonders of • A greater than 75 per cent reduction on the Inter- strays farthest from the familiar, fusing two aircraft blind”. Over a century the five continents —where you will be national Civil Aviation Organisation’s Committee on bodies together lengthwise and mounting three tur- later, “concept planes”, able to see the pyramids or the Eiffel Aviation Environmental Protection Sixth Meeting, or bofan jet engines on the tail. Important components of some of which are straight Tower through the transparent floor of CAEP/6, standard for nitrogen oxide emissions, which the MIT concept are the use of composite materials for Iout of science fiction, are flying off the drawing the aircraft.” This can be done using special ceramics. aims to improve air quality around airports. lower weight and turbofan engines with an ultra high boards at supersonic speed. The doable futuristic • A greater than 70 per cent reduction in fuel burn per- bypass ratio for more efficient thrust. In a reversal of SUPERSONIC CRUISING formance, which could reduce greenhouse gas emis- current design trends the MIT concept increases the by- designs are getting shape and expected to rede- Sometime around 2030 or 2035, a concept aircraft, envisioned sions and the cost of air travel. pass ratio by minimising expansion of the overall diam- fine air travel in the not so distant future. by Lockheed Martin, may take to the skies. The futuristic air- • The ability to exploit metroplex concepts that enable eter of the engine and shrinking the diameter of the jet Scientists, innovators, engineers and aircraft manufac- craft is set to revolutionise supersonic cruising by relying upon optimal use of runways at multiple airports within exhaust instead. The team said it designed the D8 to do turing companies are busy designing and working on “con- a so-called “inverted-V” engine-under wing configuration, metropolitan areas, as a means of reducing air traffic the same work as a Boeing 737-800. The D8’s unusual cept planes” driven by different needs. Aviation behemoths where the engines sit atop the wings rather than beneath. This congestion and delays. shape gives it a roomier coach cabin than the 737. such as Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and a host of oth- is expected to quiet the sonic boom, the main reason why su- • The Northrop Grumman team foresees the greatest ers are investing heavily in futuristic programmes of which personic flights are banned over land routes. That prevented FOUR TEAMS RACING need for a smaller 120-passenger aircraft that is tai- some may see the light of the day and some may not. the now-defunct Concorde airliner from going supersonic ex- The teams were led by General Electric, Massachusetts In- lored for shorter runways. The team describes its si- With the turn of the 21st century, a surfeit of aircraft de- cept over water during transatlantic trips. stitute of Technology, Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Here lent efficient low emission’s commercial transport (SE- signs surfaced that have been wildly imaginative and un- In October 2008, NASA gave a mandate to the industry and are some highlights from their final reports: LECT), concept as “revolutionary in its performance, if orthodox, particularly military aircraft with stealth and strike academia to develop advanced concepts for aircraft that could • GE Aviation conceptualises a 20-passenger aircraft not in its appearance.” Ceramic composites, nanotech- features. The designs are weird, exotic and even monstrous. satisfy anticipated commercial air transportation needs while that could reduce congestion at major metropolitan nology and shape memory alloys figure prominently In the civil aviation realm, the aircraft manufacturing compa- meeting specific energy efficiency, environmental and opera- hubs by using community airports. The aircraft has in the airframe and ultra high bypass ratio propulsion nies, propelled by business considerations, are considering tional goals in 2030 and beyond. The studies were intended an oval-shaped fuselage that seats four across in full- system construction. investments in designs which improve operational efficiency; to identify key technology development needs to enable the sized seats. Other features include an aircraft shape • Boeing’s subsonic ultra green aircraft research (SUG-

PHOTOGRAPHS: FINNAIR & AIRBUS consume less fuel or alternate fuel; enhance passenger com- envisioned advanced airframes and propulsion systems. that smoothes the flow of air over all surfaces, and AR) team examined five concepts. The team’s preferred

12 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 13

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08/2419 Shapes

NG/20 ›› Mission Private R: DELE of the Space MBE

NI NU ›› R Fut Aero India 2011: Curtain-Raiser

SP's A ›› viati Revolutiona on cover 1-11 Fin a Concept of E-Jets l.indd ure 1 ry ›› C-130J Induction PAGE 12 ›› MEBA 2010 Report

12/0 1/ 11 1 :35 PM

• Meet us At HAll e, BootH 22 At Aero IndIA 2011 •

) An SP Guide PublicAtion Y l N o R SP’s UY e sed b sed A IA -b d News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India. s. 75.00 (I N 75.00 s. R Aviationwww.spsaviation.net JANUARY • 2011

›› Mission Private Space

›› Aero India 2011: Curtain-Raiser

›› Revolutionary Shapes Concept of E-Jets of the ›› C-130J Induction

›› MEBA 2010 Report

RNI NUMBER: DELENG/2008/24199 Future PAGE 12

SP's Aviation cover 1-11 Final.indd 1 12/01/11 1:35 PM

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Winner of the last month’s photo contest: Aleena Joseph Winners get free one year subscription of SP’s Aviation magazine A Word from Editor As the Aero India Air Show grows in size, SP Guide Publications is taking a ring-side view to give the industry relevant information and be part of the growth momentum

irst, the good news—SP Guide Publica- is going to be dominated by weird looking planes which tions is the official media partner for the eighth would be lot more operationally efficient and ultra-fast. edition of Aero India International Air Show Giving an insight into the engineers’ dream of “Concept 2011 being held in Bengaluru from February Planes” is R. Chandrakanth. As such a number of major 9 to 13. As the show grows in size, SP Guide aircraft manufacturers are working in that direction— Publications is taking a ring-side view to give increasing fuel efficiency; reducing noise levels; and making the industry relevant information and be part of the growth it faster and efficient. Fmomentum. The next-generation aircraft are all demand-driven. In Needless to mention, the global aerospace industry is the regional jet category, the Brazilian aircraft company— inclined to gravitate to India attracted by the size of the Embraer has shown to the world how E-Jets make major aerospace market it has to offer over the coming decades. difference in air travel, particularly connecting towns to Capturing this essence is Air Marshal B.K. Pandey in the metros and this is highlighted in this issue. The Middle East Aero India 2011 curtain-raiser. The global aerospace majors market is one to watch. The Middle East Business Aviation would be the major beneficiaries of this mammoth exercise (MEBA) 2010 event held in Dubai recently forecast 10 to 15 entailing staggering levels of investment, while the $30 bil- per cent business aviation growth in the next decade and lion (`1,35,000 crore) worth of business generated in India the show report has the details. for domestic entrepreneurs under “offsets” obligation would With the year having begun on a promising note, SP be of immense interest to the Indian aerospace industry, es- Guide Publications is bracing up for the Aero India show pecially in the private sector. and beyond. We wish all our readers a rewarding year. To give the sector a further boost, Defence Minister A.K. Antony on January 7 revised the Defence Procurement Pro- cedure (DPP), liberalising it and expanding the scope for the private sector. In a recent conference on “Energising Indian Aerospace industry” the refrain was opening up of the sector for the private sector in a more aggressive manner. India is indeed a force to reckon with, acknowledged by the many heads of state who visited in 2010. The year 2010 ended with the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev re-affirm- ing Russia’s interest in the booming defence sector here. The outlook for 2011 appears bright and it is strongly believed that Lockheed Martin’s Super Hercules C-130J would be inducted into the Indian Air Force ahead of schedule, heralding the re-introduction of the US built military transport aircraft into the IAF after a gap of five decades. It almost answers the concerns of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik that defence equipment which comes at substantial cost has to be made available at the right time. The Air Chief had remarked that substantial equipment in Jayant Baranwal the IAF was obsolete and needed to be replaced. Publisher & Editor-in-Chief And couple of decades down the line, the global air space

4 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net irst F

F Operationally Flexible Fire-X vertical unmanned aircraft successfully completes first flight

ire-X, a vertical unmanned air system (VUAS) developed by Northrop Grumman Corpo- ration and Bell Helicopter completed its first fully autonomous flight at Yuma Proving Ground, Ari- Fzona recently. The VUAS has been developed in less than one year’s time. The VUAS can meet the growing needs for cargo and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. Fire-X’s operational capabilities can be expanded to meet the emerging military requirements in all the Ser- vices and Special Operations Command of the US. The first flight of the VUAS involved a short-duration hover to validate safe and reliable autonomous flight. Ad- ditional flight tests and reliability data gathering will be conducted in the coming weeks. Integration of ISR sensor payloads and cargo carrying capability test flights is set to occur early next year. The expertise of Northrop Grumman in unmanned systems combined with Bell’s rotorcraft knowledge is what makes Fire-X successful. The first flight was accomplished in the eleventh month since development began. It was achieved by integrating Fire Scout’s proven autonomous systems developed for the US Navy with the highly successful Bell 407 helicopter, a FAA-certified helicopter that’s been in commercial service worldwide since 1996. The 407 system can carry ISR sensors and a useful load of more than 3,200 pounds for fuel, payloads and enhanced cargo hauling capabilities both internally and externally. Fire-X will also be able to conduct ISR missions up to 16 hours in endurance and various cargo missions in support of the US Army and Marine Corps requirements. The Fire-X demonstration aircraft will retain the ability to be optionally piloted—a capability which may ap- peal to military users because of its added operational flexibility. SP —SP’s Aviation News Desk

E-mail your comments to: [email protected] p grumman Photogra p h: northro

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 5 ec Know T T

Made in India DRDO demonstrates indigenous aerostat system

he Defence Research and Development Or- The complete balloon systems, ground based command ganisation (DRDO) recently demonstrated its indig- and control systems, and payloads have been integrated for enously designed and developed aerostat system ca- full exploitation. The gimbals with 360 degree azimuth free- pable of carrying electro-optic and communication dom and high degree freedom in elevation, is highly stabi- Tintelligence (COMINT) payloads for surveillance. Trials of the lised and can carry out steering, scanning and tracking with system have been concluded, which included surveillance high precision. The payload also carries thermal camera over Agra and interception of a variety of communications. for surveillance at night and in low visibility condition. The Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) and radar payloads are also electronic intelligence payload carries a communication being developed indigenously. This platform is a result of intelligence system for capturing and analysing all types development of a number of high-end technologies in the of communications in air. Health monitoring of aerostat field of aerodynamic design of balloon, fabric, fabrication, and simultaneous command and control of payload from hydraulic winch, electro-optic tether, high pressure helium ground control station has also been demonstrated. The cylinder manifold, active pressure control system, etc in as- system will be useful for all the three services, the para- sociation with large and medium sized industrial partners. military forces as well as for civilian applications including The system has been designed, developed and integrated disaster management. SP by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establish- ment (ADRDE), a premier laboratory under the DRDO working in the field of parachutes, lighter than air systems, floa- E-mail your comments to: [email protected] Photogra p h: Pib tation systems and aircraft arrester barriers.

6 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net photograph: isro NewsWithViews T that theproblemcouldcomparatively beresolvedmoreeas- huge costofthefailedmission—the goodnewswouldbe tions then—notwithstanding thenationalredfaceand FAC hasgonethroughitsfactfindingenquiryanddelibera - the mainsolid-fuelfirst-stage rocketbooster. four strap-onliquidboostermotorsusedinconjunctionwith the signallinkgotsnappedtonozzleactuatorofone the stages tocontroltherocket. Inthisflight, the datashowsthat control systemintheequipmentbaytovariouspropulsion are transmitted from the flight tronic actuationstage. The signals computers, didnotreachtheelec- trol commandsfromtheon-board that, theconnectorsthattakecon- study oftheinitialdatasuggests emanating fromthestatistical forthcoming missions, thereports venting their recurrences in the make recommendationsforpre- led tothefailureofrocketand to gointotheexactcausesthat Failure Analysis Committee(FAC) be intheprocessofconstitutinga search Organisation(ISRO)would safe watersoftheBayBengal. debris fellanywhereexceptinthe to atleastensurethatnoneofthe to pressthe ‘self-destruct’ button team hadnootherrecoursebut huge fireball. The flightcontrol flight pathandbreakingupina one side, veeringofftheintended wobble andtiltdangerouslyto the launchvehiclestartedto close tooneminuteintoascent an embarrassingspectaclewhen have beenanidealChristmasgifttothenationturnedinto wan Space Centre on India’s easterncoastbut what would lifted offmajesticallyjustafter4p.m. fromtheSatishDha- after commencementofignition. The 167-foot-talllauncher digenously developedcryogenicenginefailedimmediately in adismaldisasterwhenthefirsteverattemptwith- VIEWS performance ofthevehiclewasnormalupto50seconds. Soonthevehiclelostcontrolandwehadtodetonateitatanaltitudeofeightkilometres.” the GSLV-F06missionhasfailed. The lift-offwasnormal. All thestrap-onmotorsgeneratednormalpressurebeforesolidcorewasignited. The boosted thecountry’s broadcastandtelemedicinefacilities. television ISROchairmanK. Radhakrishnanbriefedreporters, “I’m sorrytosaythat be destroyed63secondsafterlift-offfromSriharikota, 100kmfromChennai. The GSLV-F06hadonboardtheGSAT-5P satellitethatwouldhave India’s ambitiousspaceprogrammesuffereda blow on December25when the geo-synchronoussatellitelaunchvehicle(GSLV)-F06 rocket had to GSLV-F06 f If thissnagdoesturnoutto betherealculpritafter While theIndianSpaceRe- An earlier April 15launchthisyearhadalsoresulted to-back failuresofIndia’s largestrocket, theGSLV. another blow to India’s space programme after back- he December25fiascoatSriharikotahasdealt ails endangering apreciouspayload. sion systemtogainthemuch neededconfidencebutwithout dummy loadtoproveboththe vehicleaswellthepropul- next GSLV launchshouldbewithanindigenous cryo and a forward itsplannedfuturespace programmes. Perhaps, its ‘vehicle’ andtheindigenous ‘cryo’ stageifitwantstotake cies, itisimperativethatsortsouttheproblemsof boththe satellite by borrowing transponders from other global agen- face bystatingthatitwouldcompensatelossofGSAT-5P compared tothePSLV launcheswhichhasbeenahugesuc- measures initiated, ifrequired. Itmayberememberedthat important thattheissuebeexamined closely andremedial it isferventlyhopedthatwontbethecase, itisequally and lackofqualitycontrolintheproductioncycle? While and thenationalpridepointtocertainlaxityinproduction nonetheless hascausedirretrievablelosstotheexchequer On the other hand, does such a simple malfunction which complex issuessuchaspropulsion, stage-separation, etc. ily asitwouldbeoutsidethepurviewofmuchmore Issue 1•2011 —Air Marshal(Retd) V.K. Bhatia the ‘Cryo’ stage. the ‘Cryo’ launch whichdidnotevenreach that includedtheDecember25 used sixRussiasuppliedengines Since then, ISROhasalready ‘Cryo’ stagetookplacein2001. flight oftheGSLV usingRussian tested friendRussiaandthefirst seven enginesfromitstime- India hadmanagedtoimport therefore, awellguardedsecret. weight ofthelaunchvehicleand loads withthesameoverall permits launchofheavierpay- and strategictechnologywhich propulsion isahighlycomplex synchronous orbit. Cryogenic payload to be hurtled into a geo- quirements foratwo-tonneplus tral totheoverallpropulsionre- cryogenic enginewhichiscen- thing butrosy. plete successes—hasbeenany- one partial and just two com- launches—with fourfailuresand cess story, ISRO’s record of GSLV While ISRO is keeping a bold Then, thereistheissueof

SP’S AVIATION 7 Illustration: Anoop Kamath NewsWithViews J and skinsamodern ‘glass cockpit’. However, self-reliance facture ofadvancedcarbon-fibre composite(CFC)structures digenous effortsucceededwas inthedevelopmentandmanu- ing thesuccessesandfailures indifferentfields. Where thein- indigenous’ state-of-the-artfighter, itwouldbeworthexamin - mastered forIndiatobeable to designandbuilda ‘completely ogies identifiedatthebeginningofLCA programmetobe enous defencerelatedprogramme. Ofthefivecritical technol- century. LCA hasindeedbeenoneofthemostambitiousindig- lent historyofdevelopmentspanningmorethanaquarter ofa ered manyastorminitsturbu- number ofroadblocks and weath- programme stumbledthrougha 1983, theindigenousLCA Tejas testing’ programme. out towards the end ofthe ‘flight- as suchtestsarenormallycarried initial operationalclearance(IOC) be comingclosetoachievingthe gests thatthe Tejas mayfinally from Bengaluru. The testalsosug- process couldbeeasilymonitored cinity alsoensuredthattheentire derabad orPokhran. The nearvi- to distantlocationssuchasHy- consuming andcostlydetachment the requirement of moving time- proximity toBengaluruobviated Challakare, Chitradurgainclose (NFTC) air-to-ground rangeat sioned NationalFlight Test Centre conducted at the recently commis- ability, etc. The trialwhichwas to birdstrike, aircraftunservice- getting airborneforamissiondue premature returntothebaseafter tors. Other scenarios could include redundant—especially whenbeingchasedbyenemyintercep- the droptankswouldhavegenerallyemptiedoutandbecome as a quick getaway after mission completion—by which time carried outbyfighteraircraftduringemergentsituationssuch point ofview. As thenamesuggests, jettisoningdroptanksare less, itisextremelyvitalfromtheoperational-cum-flightsafety VIEWS 8 number ofconditionssuchasempty, andfulldroptankunderdifferentejectorreleaseunitsettings. partial separation withadequateclearancesfromthemotheraircraftorneighbouringexternalstoresneedtobeestablishedflighttestscoveringa 1,200-litre droptankjettisontrialwasconductedatacriticalpointintheenvelopeon Tejas LSP-3aircraft. To ensuresafetyofflight, clean bythe The featwasachieved Tejas overDRDO’s air-to-groundfacilitynearChallakareinChitradurgadistrict, about250kmfromBengaluru. The On December17, theindigenouslightcombataircraft(LCA) Tejas passedanothermilestonebysuccessfullycarryingoutthedroptankjettisontest. LCA clearsdrop tank jettison test

Conceptualised as far back as Conceptualised asfarback SP’S AVIATION of an aircraft in its development programme. Nonethe- accomplishments inthecourseofdetailedflight-testing sound likeamundaneexerciseamidstthemorecomplex ettisoning drop

Issue 1•2011 tan ks fromafighteraircraftmay the IAF. best beakintoathree-legged ‘Cheetah’ onthe inventoryof starts topowertheMkIIversion oftheLCA, Tejas wouldat obvious thattilltherecently selected(98kN)F414-GE-INS6 effect ontheoperationalemployment oftheaircraft. Itisquite IAF’s airstaffrequirementof100kN, with inevitableadverse lb) of the 402, the F404-GE-IN20 still falls way short of the static thrustwith afterburning, comparedto78kN(17,700 the Indian Air Force(IAF). Butevenat84kN(19,000lb)max own, it wasin the field ofmulti-moderadarandthe power heed Martinandlaterthroughsomeinnovativeeffortofits from foreign players such as the British Aerospace and Lock- team was somehow able to pass muster withhelpcoming constituted forthepurpose, NationalControlLaw(CLAW) All these proved real tough nuts to crack. And while being pulse-doppler radar(MMR)andafterburningturbofanengine. fly-by-wire (FBW)flightcontrolsystem(FCS), multi-mode sophisticated andhencemostchallenging—systemsvizthe goals alsoincludedindigenousdevelopmentofthethreemost

SP —Air Marshal(Retd) V.K. Bhatia equip the first two squadrons for equip thefirsttwosquadronsfor with morethan40onorderto cially designedfor the Indian LCA of theoriginalF404-GE-402, spe- GE-IN20 isanimprovedversion the propulsionsystem. The F404- for theGeneralElectrictosupply power theLCA, ADA hadtosettle development effort. Similarly, to is madeintheindigenousMMR a standardfittillbreakthrough the first time in LSP3 and will be Elta EL/M-2032wasinstalledfor tries (IAI), ahybridversionof help ofIsrael Aerospace Indus- planned parameters. With the in performancefromtheoriginal resulted inconsiderableshortfall tems fromabroadwhichperforce for obtaining the two major sys- the LCA programmehadtosettle opment Agency (ADA) overseeing course left, Aeronautical Devel- to faceembarrassingfailures. GTRE fortheKaveriengine)had agencies (LRDEfortheMMRand plant systemsthattheconcerned With nootherindigenous re- www.spsaviation.net Photograph: Abhishek / Sp guide pubns InFocus A Old- Procurement especially thelatter, itissuggestedthattheequipmenton capital intensiveequipment oftheNavyand Air Force cent andobsolete. However, takingintoaccountthehighly talks ofthreecategoriessuch asneworcurrent, obsoles- or operationalrelevance. The Indian Army, forexample, currently handlingmanytypes ofequipmentintermsage services, theIndian Army andtheIndianNavy. ment, theIAFwouldfinditsplacesomewherebetween thetwo Army perhapsisthegreatestvictimintermsofobsoleteequip - ment dependingupontheserviceinquestion. While theIndian dismal situation in some or much of their operational equip- Indian armedforceshavebeenunabletoavoidreaching this scrutiny wouldindicatethatforacombinationofreasons, the the Indianarmedforcesfaredinthisregard?Evenamodest been abletokeeptheirdefenceequipmentcurrent, howhave it becomesobsolete. While mostworldclassarmed forceshave prudence woulddemandthattheequipmentisreplacedbefore long periodsinthedefenceforcesworldover. However, Therefore, itisinevitablefortostayinoperationaluse ed oratbest, antiquated’. or goingoutofuse’andobsoleteas ‘disused, alreadydiscard- lescent as ‘something whichisintheactofbecomingobsolete ing obsolescentorobsolete?Oxforddictionarydefinesobso- alluding toobsolescenceofsometheIAF’s equipment. channel, hadtheopportunitytoclarifythathewasactually Chief ofthe Air Staff(CAS), whilebeinginterviewed bya TV inventory. Fortunately, soonafterthepressconference, the nature withregardtothestateofequipmentonIAF’s been true, itwouldhaverungalarmbellsofthemostserious its equipmenthavingbecomeobsolete. Ifthisstatementhad solescence ofitsequipmentwithasmuch50percent prudence wouldprudence demandthat the forces theworld over. However, for inthedefence longperiods It istruethatatanygiventime, aservicewouldbe con- Defence equipmentinmostcasescomesatgreatcosts. So whatisthedifferencebetweenasetofequipmentbe- equipment isreplaced before Therefore, itisinevitable for Defence equipment inmost it tostay inoperational use cases comesat great costs. was grapplingwiththeproblemoflarge-scaleob- Chief, Air Chief MarshalP.V. NaikstatedthattheIAF anniversary oftheIndian Air Force(IAF), the Air t a pressconferenceheldtomarkthe78th it becomesobsolete. Obsolescent

- Obsolete operational effectiveness? Turn toForumforsomeanswers. ment andwhatshoulditbe doing toregainandenhanceits squadrons isconcerned, isofcoursewellknownbynow. and ominousdrawdownas far asthe number ofjetfighter portable missilesystemsconcerned. The unprecedented the SAM-8 OSA-AK quick-reactionorSAM-24 IGLAman- case of AD radarsand AD SAMs suchastheSAM-3 Pechora, the airdefencefrontisequallyappalling, especially inthe reached ominous levels of obsolescence. The situation on IAF strugglingwithmanyMiG-21squadronswhichhave left inthem. The othersideofthecoinhaswitnessed the from service even though they had a lot of service life still Su-7 andatalaterstageMiG-23swereprematurelyretired flight safety constraints. Similarly, the Soviet-built fighters Gnat/Ajit andMarut(HF-24)fromservicemostlydue to the classiccasesofprematurewithdrawalindigenous has gonewellbeyondthestageofobsolescence. There were still carryingon, withaparticularequipmentevenafterit have beeninstanceswhentheIAFhadtocarryonandis towards completionoftheirrespectiveservicelifeandthere especially theaircraft—muchbeforetheycameanywhere tional ineffectiveness, the IAF has discarded equipment— to designdeficiencies, flightsafetycompulsionsoropera- aspect isconcerned. There havebeentimeswhenowing ciencies intheoperationaleffectivenessof Air Force. on reachingobsolescencewouldresultindangerousdefi- where itbecomesobsoleteasnotreplacingtheequipment equipment shouldeverbeallowedtoreachthelaststage ever, the impact of technologies is such that no Air Force old’ thatthissecondstagehasbeenrecommended. How- extensions when it reaches the stage where it starts to ‘get equipment invariablyundergoesmidlifeupgradeswithlife exorbitantly highcostsofinitialacquisition, the Air Force obsolescent andobsolete. As statedearlier, becauseofthe its inventorybedividedintofourcategoriesi.e. new, old, How istheIAFdealingwith problemsofobsoleteequip- The IAFhashadachequeredhistoryinsofarasthis Issue 1•2011 —Air Marshal(Retd) V.K. Bhatia

SP’S AVIATION 9

SP Procurement some step forward: AW101 coming to india For VIP and multiple reasons ranging from the collapse of the Soviet Union vvip Travel in the early 1990s on whom the Indian armed forces were

Forum heavily dependent for continued supply of military hardware and the dire financial straits in which India found itself at about the same time might have had a cascading effect leading to obsolescence in the later years. However, even if the financial resources and alternate sources of defence equipment were made available, it is felt in some quarters that the Bo- fors scandal which had erupted at about the same time, and later Tehelka, so paralysed the politico-bureaucratic regime that none of the acquisition/modernisation plans of the armed forces were allowed to be extricated from the cold storage of inaction they had been consigned to. Whatever the reasons, the stark reality is that India’s armed forces started to feel the heat of obsolescence and reduced inventories by the turn of the century. For example, the IAF in the new millennium witnessed a very quick and alarming decline in its jet fighter squadrons, losing almost a quarter of its fighter force in a few years. Hasty decisions to withdraw some fleets based purely on flight safety and maintenance Combating support concerns further accelerated the process of decline. While the fighter force in the IAF may have experienced the worst downslide, other fleets and systems too have not Obsolescence been left unscathed from the menace of obsolescence or worse. The most alarming decline has been in the field of From greater number of force- air defence but other support and infrastructural systems have also been affected in varying degrees. But the good multipliers to UAVs and UCAVs news is that riding on the financial support of an economi- et al, the IAF has indeed worked cally resurgent India and backed by its sound and far-sight- ed plans, the IAF is slowly coming out of the quagmire of out its modernisation plans obsolescence. The slim ray of hope is turning into an ever well. What is required to be seen brightening dawn beckoning the IAF to establish itself on a purposeful path studded with new acquisitions and mod- now is that it gets the necessary ernisation/upgradations. So, how is the IAF combating the scourge of obsolescence? support from the powers that First, as far as its fighter force is concerned, the IAF is be, and in a timely manner. trying hard to come out of a deep well of decline by induct- ing new fighter aircraft into its inventory. Spearheading the new inductions, are the twin-engine Su-30 MKI state-of- the-art air dominance fighters more than hundred of which have already been inducted into squadron service in the ithout getting into the controver- three operational commands of the IAF. With six squadrons sy on the percentages with regard to the of these aircraft operative, two each at Pune in South West- amount of IAF equipment having become ern Air Command (SWAC), Bareilly in Central Air Command obsolete, one statement of the CAS dur- (CAC) and Tezpur in Eastern Air Command (EAC), the IAF ing the IAF’s 78th anniversary conference has been able to effectively arrest any further downslide in is worth noting when he spoke words to the numbers of its fighter force which had been hovering the effect that the IAF was striving to bring down obsoles- around 30 squadrons down from the earlier level of 39 ½. Wcence levels to around 20 per cent by 2014-15. Describing Even Western Air Command (WAC) is gearing up to accom- the security scenario in India’s neighbourhood as a “volcano” modate the next two squadrons at its frontline base at Hal- which could erupt anytime and exhorting the air warriors to wara in Punjab. With these inductions, the IAF would be be prepared to tackle any eventuality, and while putting up a able to reverse the trend and start building up on its squad- brave front during his interaction with the media by stating ron strength once again. The total IAF order for the Su-30 that in spite of shortcomings, the IAF was capable of handling MKIs currently stands at 270 aircraft with their production threats, it is clear that the IAF leadership is deeply concerned continuing at the HAL factory at Nasik. The IAF could equip with the widespread obsolescence of its equipment and the close to 12 squadrons with these aircraft when the order resulting adverse effect it has on its operational capability. is complete. That would be a formidable fleet and has the But why has the IAF allowed this level of obsolescence to potential to be built upon further. creep into its inventories? One would be hard put to single The Su-30 MKIs alone cannot cater for the total require- out one particular determining factor which might have led ments of the IAF to meet the emerging threat scenarios. De-

Photogr ap hs: Abhishek / Sp guide p ubns to such large-scale obsolescence in the IAF. More accurately, fence Minister A.K. Antony had made a statement that by the

10 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Procurement

end of the 13th Five Year Plan i.e. by 2022, the combat fleet start reaching the Indian shores by 2011. A joint venture has of the IAF would be increased to 42 fighter squadrons. How been also set up with Israel to produce what has come to be

Forum would this be achieved? First are the gradual inductions of known as the MR-SAM but which essentially is the ‘Barak the indigenous LCA Tejas which would primarily be used to II’ or ‘Barak NextGen’ missile. The other good news is that replace the remaining MiG-21 squadrons in a phased man- the indigenous ‘Aakash’ SAM systems have been developed ner. Second, the much-hyped MMRCA project is slowly inch- sufficiently by the Defence Research and Development Or- ing towards the final stages of awarding the contract to the ganisation (DRDO) for the IAF to show its faith by ordering winning competitor which may happen sometimes in 2011 or eight squadrons worth of equipment. Hopefully, these should early 2012. As the order matures it has the potential for the get inducted into the IAF before the existing Pechora systems total numbers to go up to 200 aircraft from the present 126. start to fall by the wayside. Then, there is the Indo-Russian joint venture to coproduce In its fixed-wing transport fleets, while the IAF is going the PAK-FA fifth generation fighter which should start see- in for mid-life upgrades for it’s close to 100 An-32s, it can ing the light of the day by 2017 or so and the just initiated do little to bring up the now almost obsolete HS-748 Avro indigenous medium combat aircraft (MCA) design work on aircraft. These aircraft are on the threshold of retirement in which has reportedly commenced. The new generation air- a phased manner. IAF’s heavy-lift IL-76 aircraft are also fac- craft would ultimately replace the by then old models such as ing obsolescence. The IAF is creditably tackling the problem the Mirage 2000, Jaguars, MiG-29s, etc. But whether the IAF by adopting a multi-pronged strategy. An unprecedented or- will be able to achieve der for six C-130J Super the recommended figure Hercules ‘special op- of 50 combat squadrons erations’ aircraft from to cater to a possible two- Facing Lockheed Martin is close front scenario owing to obsolescence: to fructification with the ever increasing Sino-Pak il-76 first aircraft arriving in nexus is likely to remain India in February this within the realm of spec- year. India also inked ulation, at least in the an agreement to buy foreseeable future. 10 Boeing’s C-17 Globe- The second area of master III aircraft with major concern for the IAF an option for six more is air defence network, during the US President especially, its ground- Obama’s visit to New based radar surveillance Delhi last November. as well as ground-based In a balancing move, it air defence weapon sys- has also formed a JV tems which though con- with Russia to co-devel- tinue to be sustained op/co-produce a multi- through a series of life role transport aircraft extensions, are heavily (MTA) in the 10-tonne weighed down by mount- payload class. ing obsolescence. IAF’s The rotary-wing seg- high and medium power ment of the IAF is also radars such as the THD- being properly attended 1955, PSM-33 and TRS-2215 as well as most of its low level to. With an additional order of 59 helicopters to the original transportable radars (LLTRs) are becoming victims of obsoles- 80 Mi-17 1V from Russia, the IAF would be in a position to cence. The IAF has initiated measures to acquire long-range replace the Mi-8s and the older models of Mi-17s. The IAF surveillance radars (LRSRs) and high-power radars (HPRs) to is also on track to acquire light utility helicopters through a not only combat the present obsolescence but also to enhance joint RFP with the Indian Army and is going in for advanced coverage in the mountainous terrain bordering China and heavy-lift and attack helicopters. It has already sealed a deal Pakistan. This is in addition to the 19 LLTRs, four medium- to acquire the AW101helicopters for VIP travel. power radars (MPRs) and 30 indigenous medium-range Ro- The list doesn’t stop here. From greater number of hini radars along with additional aerostats from Israel. force-multipliers to UAVs and UCAVs et al, the IAF has in- As far as the ground-based AD weapons are concerned, deed worked out its modernisation plans well. What is re- Pechora SAM-3 systems which were inducted more than quired to be seen now is that it gets the necessary support three decades ago, cannot be sustained much further, espe- from the powers that be, and in a timely manner to be able cially, the missiles which have been already subjected to a to tackle not only the mounting obsolescence but also be number of life extensions. The OSA-AK quick-reaction missile able to modernise; otherwise, the CAS’ assertions that the systems are hardly faring any better. In a nutshell, all these IAF will be able to bring down the obsolescence levels to 20 need urgent replacements. Stung by the failure of the highly per cent by 2014-15 and that, it would emerge as a highly publicised indigenous Trishul SAM systems, the IAF was left potent force in the next 5-7 years, may turn out to nothing with little choice but to finally go in for the Israeli Spyder sys- but a mere rhetoric. SP tems, of which, the first lot of the 18 systems on order should —Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 11 Technology Concept planes cover story

high on concept: Finnair A600-850 can seat 600-850 passengers and has four engines that can be tilted, allowing for vertical take-offs

n 1893, Horatio Phil- By R. Chandrakanth enhance passenger comfort; and are lips built a “Flying Ma- environment friendly. chine” which looked like Airbus Research and Technology head Axel Krein said, “The planes of a motorised “Venetian the future will offer an unparalleled, blind”. Over a century unobstructed view of the wonders of later, “concept planes”, the five continents —where you will be some of which are straight out of science fiction, able to see the pyramids or the Eiffel Tower through the Iare flying off the drawing boards at supersonic transparent floor of the aircraft.” This can be done using speed. The doable futuristic designs are getting special ceramics. shape and expected to redefine air travel in the Supersonic cruising not so distant future. Sometime around 2030 or 2035, a concept aircraft, envi- Scientists, innovators, engineers and aircraft manufac- sioned by Lockheed Martin, may take to the skies. The fu- turing companies are busy designing and working on “con- turistic aircraft is set to revolutionise supersonic cruising cept planes” driven by different needs. Aviation behemoths by relying upon a so-called “inverted-V” engine-under wing such as Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and a host of oth- configuration, where the engines sit atop the wings rather ers are investing heavily in futuristic programmes of which than beneath. This is expected to quiet the sonic boom, the some may see the light of the day and some may not. main reason why supersonic flights are banned over land With the turn of the 21st century, a surfeit of aircraft routes. That prevented the now-defunct Concorde airliner designs surfaced that have been wildly imaginative and from going supersonic except over water during transat- unorthodox, particularly military aircraft with stealth and lantic trips. strike features. The designs are weird, exotic and even In October 2008, NASA gave a mandate to the indus- monstrous. In the civil aviation realm, the aircraft manu- try and academia to develop advanced concepts for aircraft facturing companies, propelled by business considerations, that could satisfy anticipated commercial air transporta- are considering investments in designs which improve tion needs while meeting specific energy efficiency, envi-

P hotographs: Finnair & A ir B us operational efficiency; consume less fuel or alternate fuel; ronmental and operational goals in 2030 and beyond. The

12 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Technology Concept Planes Shapes Fuof theture Aviation behemoths such as Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and a host of others are investing heavily in futuristic programmes of which some may see the light of the day and some may not

studies were intended to identify key technology developing community airports. The aircraft has an oval-shaped ment needs to enable the envisioned advanced airframes fuselage that seats four across in full-sized seats. Other fea- and propulsion systems. tures include an aircraft shape that smoothes the flow of air over all surfaces, and electricity-generating fuel cells to NASA’s goals for a 2030-era aircraft are: power advanced electrical systems. • A 71-decibel reduction below current Federal Aviation With its 180-passenger D8 “double bubble” configura- Administration noise standards, which aim to contain tion, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology team strays objectionable noise within airport boundaries. farthest from the familiar, fusing two aircraft bodies together • A greater than 75 per cent reduction on the Inter- lengthwise and mounting three turbofan jet engines on the national Civil Aviation Organisation’s Committee on tail. Important components of the MIT concept are the use of Aviation Environmental Protection Sixth Meeting, or composite materials for lower weight and turbofan engines CAEP/6, standard for nitrogen oxide emissions, which with an ultra high bypass ratio for more efficient thrust. In a aims to improve air quality around airports. reversal of current design trends the MIT concept increases • A greater than 70 per cent reduction in fuel burn per- the bypass ratio by minimising expansion of the overall di- formance, which could reduce greenhouse gas emis- ameter of the engine and shrinking the diameter of the jet sions and the cost of air travel. exhaust instead. The team said it designed the D8 to do the • The ability to exploit metroplex concepts that enable same work as a Boeing 737-800. The D8’s unusual shape optimal use of runways at multiple airports within gives it a roomier coach cabin than the 737. metropolitan areas, as a means of reducing air traffic The Northrop Grumman team foresees the greatest congestion and delays. need for a smaller 120-passenger aircraft that is tailored for shorter runways. The team describes its silent efficient Four teams racing low emission’s commercial transport (SELECT), concept as The teams were led by General Electric, Massachusetts In- “revolutionary in its performance, if not in its appearance.” stitute of Technology, Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Here Ceramic composites, nanotechnology and shape memory al- are some highlights from their final reports: loys figure prominently in the airframe and ultra high by- GE Aviation conceptualises a 20-passenger aircraft that pass ratio propulsion system construction. could reduce congestion at major metropolitan hubs by us- Boeing’s subsonic ultra green aircraft research (SUGAR)

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 13 Technology Concept Planes

Boeing’s X-48B Manta Ray wings Boeing and NASA have completed the first test flight in 2010 of its latest blended-wing-body research aircraft, designated the X-48B. The unmanned test vehicle represents a possible future aircraft that replaces the traditional tube-and-wing Reaction Engines Limited A2 design with a shape resembling a Range of 20,000 km manta ray — essentially a flying A2 is a design study for a hypersonic wing. The prototype has a 21-foot airliner intended to provide environ- wingspan and weighs 500 pounds. mentally-friendly, long range and high George Muellner, President, capacity commercial transportation. Advanced Systems unit in Boeing’s It is being examined as part of the defence division, has said that with LAPCAT programme of the European continued government funding, a blended-wing-body military-cargo Union. Reaction Engines Limited, SUGAR Volt the British design firm, says it could plane could be in use sometime between 2015 and 2020. Foldable wings probably be developed into a work- The Boeing Company’s Subsonic Ultra ing aircraft within 25 years, if there is Green Aircraft Research’s SUGAR Volt is a demand for it. twin-engine aircraft with hybrid propul- The vehicle is intended to have sion technology, a tube-shaped body and a about 20,000 km range and good truss-braced wing mounted to the top. The subsonic and supersonic fuel ef- SUGAR Volt wing is longer from tip to tip, ficiency. The top speed is projected to shorter from leading edge to trailing edge, be Mach 5+ and the fuel is likely to and has less sweep. It also may include be liquid hydrogen, having twice the hinges to fold the wings while parked specific energy of kerosene, and can close together at airport gates. Projected be used to cool the vehicle and the air advances in battery technology enable a entering the engines via a precooler. unique, hybrid turbo-electric propulsion The airliner may be able to fly from system. The aircraft’s engines could use Brussels to Sydney in about 4.6 hours. both fuel to burn in the engine’s core, and electricity to turn the turbofan when the eindy A llendra N asa & R eindy boeing, engines, P hotographs: R eaction core is powered down.

team examined five concepts. The team’s preferred concept, the SUGAR Volt, is a twin-engine aircraft with hybrid pro- Fantasy Flight—Airbus Concept Plane pulsion technology, a tube-shaped body and a truss-braced At the 2010 Farnborough International Airshow, aircraft man- wing mounted to the top. Compared to the typical wing used ufacturer Airbus unveiled images of what air transport could today, the SUGAR Volt wing is longer from tip to tip, shorter be like in 2050—even 2030 if advancements in existing technologies continue apace. from leading edge to trailing edge, and has fewer sweeps. Airbus experts in aircraft materials, aerodynamics, cabins It also may include hinges to fold the wings while being and engines came up with the design which is an ‘engineer’s parked close together at airport gates. Projected advances dream’ to meet the expectations of the passengers of the fu- in battery technology enable a unique, hybrid, turbo-electric ture. Ultra long and slim wings, semi-embedded engines, a U- propulsion system. The aircraft’s engines could use both fuel shaped tail and light-weight ‘intelligent’ body all feature to fur- to burn in the engine’s core, and electricity to turn the turbo- ther improve environmental performance or ‘eco-efficiency’. fan when the core is powered down. Charles Champion, Executive Vice President Engineering at Beneath these high-flying designs, engineers are work- Airbus, says, “The Airbus Concept Plane represents an engi- ing on breakthrough airframe and propulsion technologies neer’s dream about what an aircraft could look like in the long- that are going to improve overall efficiency. These ultramod- term. It’s not a real aircraft and all the technologies it features, ern designs find shape through memory alloys, ceramic or though feasible, are not likely to come together in the same fibre composites, carbon nanotube, etc. manner. Here we are stretching our imagination and thinking beyond our usual boundaries.” Finnair’s exotic concepts Robin Mannings, an independent futurologist, looks ahead, Futuristic designs have emerged from the Finnair group “Most of us want reduced traffic congestion—both on the ground and in the sky—together with improved comfort for a better which in celebration of its 85th anniversary, released con- travelling experience. By 2050, we’ll also expect seamless ac- cept aircraft that beat imagination. The collection is based cess to a plethora of technology and applications. And ‘flexibility’ mainly on current trends to create more environment

14 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Technology Concept Planes

GreenSupersonic Machine Inverted-V engine-under wing This future aircraft design concept for supersonic flight over land comes from the team led by the Lockheed Martin Corporation. The team used simulation tools to show it was possible to achieve over-land flight by dramatically lower- ing the level of sonic booms through the use of an “inverted-V” engine-under WB-1010 Aircraft wing configuration. Other revolution- 1,500 plus seating capacity ary technologies help achieve range, The WB-1010 aircraft from designer payload and environmental goals. This Reindy Allendra is an entry to the concept is one of two designs presented KLM Indonesia aircraft design in April 2010 to the NASA Aeronautics competition. Looking 85 years into Research Mission Directorate for its the future, the concept aims to solve NASA Research Announcement-funded the transportation needs for a world NASA’s X-43A studies into advanced supersonic with a crowded population. The fu- New York - Sydney in 2 hours cruise aircraft that could enter service ture aircraft will be similar in design Flights between New York and Sydney in the 2030-35 timeframe. to present day aircraft, only a lot take a minimum of 21 long hours. In faster and with better technology. future, 40 winks and two hours are all The WB-1010 will be able to seat that may be needed. about 1,500 people and be able to NASA is planning to develop hypersonic reach a speed of nearly 1,000 kmph. planes that can just do that— travelling at This giant plane’s body will be made five times the speed of sound. In 2010, an of a material similar to GLARE used experimental aircraft travelled at a record- in the Airbus A380, with helium breaking speed of 7,200 kmph. injected inside the body to make the NASA plans to allocate $5 million airplane lighter. A robotic extractable (`22.5 crore) each year over three years to stand at the plane’s belly will help make the design of the new craft a reality the plane during landing, and work- as part of its 2010 aeronautics proposal. ing in conjunction with a super jet, it The engineers will look into ‘entry, descent will be able to land vertically, with- and landing of high-mass vehicles enter- out the requirement of a runway. ing into planetary atmospheres’ and ‘air breathing access to space’.

friendly aircraft technology and to use lightweight materials. The Finnair A600-850 M resembles a dart—it even has the needle-thin nose. It is little wonder then that this proposed aircraft is described as being a ‘zero-emission supersonic aircraft’. It’s most impressive feature is probably the super-light nanoceramic material that will construct the fuselage, making the aircraft super fast and super efficient. The three chosen fu- els are solar fuel, biofuel and hydrogen fuel. Passengers on this futuristic vehicle will have all the amenities they could dream of and more. The Finnair 600-850 M would be capable of seating a whopping 600 to 850 passengers. The Finnair A600-850 looks more like the Voyager spaceship. It has the same seating capacity, but has a completely different look and it is designed for much shorter will become the new mantra for air travel, with us as passengers trips. The aircraft has four engines that can be tilted, allow- choosing levels of speed or luxury in cruise ships of the sky.” ing for vertical take offs. In ‘The Future by Airbus’ the company talks of morphing The Finnair A1700-2400 Cruiser looks more like a fly- seats made from ecological, self-cleaning materials, which ing saucer than an airplane and is capable of seating up change shape for a snug fit; walls that become see-through at to 2,400 passengers—all of whom get to enjoy luxurious, the touch of a button, affording 360 degree views of the world self-contained cabins complete with toilets, showers and in- below; and holographic projections of virtual decors, allow- ternet access. This is more of a cruise ship than an airplane. ing travellers to transform their private cabin into an office, bedroom or Zen garden. The aircraft has seven engines that can be rotated for VOTL • take-offs and increased flight stability. SP

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 15 Expert Speak india-china

Rising powers: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao with PM Manmohan Singh in New Delhi

Hindi-Chini Bye, Bye!

What comes out loud and clear from the so-called moderate Wen Jiabao’s visit is that China gives little cognisance to India as a rising and matching power even after taking into calculations India’s growing strategic closeness to the United States

f the occurrences in the recent past are any 12,300 ft, would connect Metok with China’s national high- indicators, visits to Delhi by the Chinese dignitaries way system. Security implications of this new development are invariably accompanied by disconcerting devel- were not lost on India’s defence establishment as Metok sits opments in the bordering Tibet Autonomous Region next to Tibet’s eastern border with the state of Arunachal (TAR) or in mainland China, creating more than Pradesh. Metok, the region’s last isolated county, is also the mere pinpricks to India’s security concerns. The replace where river Brahmaputra enters India. cent (December 15-17) Chinese Premier’s trip to India was If there were hopes that Wen’s December visit would be Ino exception. As Wen Jiabao descended into Delhi, riding based on no-holds-barred contours that would take talks be- on the wave of a ‘charm offensive’ with a huge business tween the Indian leaders and the Chinese Premier to the next delegation in tow, news broke out of Chinese engineers hav- level where he had left during his earlier 2005 visit, then the ing blasted through the last part of a tunnel which would outcome was certainly not as per the expectations. The Indian provide Metok, a small township of 11,000 inhabitants, an team was hoping for a forward movement on all controversial all-weather, round-the-clock connectivity with the rest of issues such as stapled visas, a proposed dam on the Chinese

Photogra p hs: ib Tibet. The 3.3-km Galongla Tunnel, built at an altitude of side of Brahmaputra River and India’s case for a permanent

16 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Expert Speak india-china

China’s Belligerence: seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), not to It also gave no commitment to stop India needs to accelerate speak of Pakistan’s role in terrorist activities especially against nuclear arming Pakistan leave alone economic growth India and the niggling border issue. But on all the above is- rationalising large-scale conventional sues, the Indian side cut little or no ice. For example, Wen’s arming of the Pak military. In direct 2005 visit had been truly forward-looking at least in establish- contrast, immediately after landing on ing a roadmap on settling the border issue, which included the Pak soil, Wen and his delegation signed a number of deals respecting settled areas, etc. However, since then, there has including a gigantic gigawatt nuclear power plant—sidestep- been considerable backsliding noticed on the Chinese side ping the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group proliferation concerns and such as increasingly assertive claims to Arunachal Pradesh. infrastructural projects in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir— Not only did Wen’s December visit yield no fresh initiatives on showing no concern for the Indian sensitivities, shoring up fur- the border issue, the Chinese side chose not to resolve even ther the proven special relationship with Islamabad which has the minor issue of the stapling of visas of Jammu and Kash- variously been described as an all-weather, time-tested rela- mir residents. Premier Wen himself nipped it in the bud by tionship—higher than the mountains and deeper than oceans. asserting that this is a subject that can be discussed between What comes out loud and clear from the so-called mod- the officials of the two sides, leaving a red rag in India’s face. erate Wen Jiabao’s visit to its South Asian neighbours is that There was nothing but stony silence from the Chinese side on China gives little cognisance to India as a rising and match- India’s bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. ing power even after taking into calculations India’s grow- So, what was achieved and what wasn’t? There was a ing strategic closeness to the United States and inspite of measure of success on the non-political front, predominantly overtly echoing Dr Manmohan Singh’s statements that there in bilateral trade and investment. Armed with a 300-strong is enough space in Asia and the world for China and India to business delegation, Wen was witness to the signing of $16 bil- grow together. Back home, the Chinese hardliners must be lion (`72,000 crore) worth of trade deals. In addition, Beijing finding it difficult to conceal their derisive reaction to ‘timid’ committed to redressing India with diplomatic finesse. the trade imbalance heav- In response, the Indian leadership seems to have shown ily skewed in its favour at some spunk by refusing to once again commit itself to the ‘One present by allowing more China’ concept given Wen’s reluctance to treat J&K as an in- market access to Indian Wen refused tegral part of India. A step in the right direction for India to products and services. Both to utter a take forward the argument that Tibet was never allowed to sides also set a $100 billion function as a genuinely autonomous region. As a starter, India (`4, 50,000 crore) bilateral word against may start showing Tibet in different colours in the official/un- trade target for 2015. A ‘all-weather official maps—a quid pro quo to China showing PoK as part hotline was also operation- of Pakistan and the rest of J&K as disputed territory. This may alised between the two PMs. friend’ Pak set the score somewhat right against China’s growing belliger- But unlike all other on anti-India ence, but what India really needs is to not only accelerate the heads of states of the perma- process of economic growth (possible only sans the ‘scams’) nent members of the UNSC, terrorism but also to rapidly enhance its military capability by improving Wen refused to utter a word infrastructure and modernising its armed forces to be able to against ‘all-weather friend’ ward off any evil designs emanating from Sino-Pak nexus. SP Pak on anti-India terrorism. —Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 17 Diplomacy india-Russia Advancing Defence Ties The Russian President’s recent India visit strengthened decades old strategic partnership Firm pact: between the two countries Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with PM Manmohan Singh

ussian President Dmitry Medvedev was of the Russian aircraft by 2017. Both countries signed a deal the last head of the state among the five permanent to share high-precision signals from the global navigation member countries of the UN Security Council to vis- satellite system (GLONASS) for defence as well as civilian use it India in 2010. But he seemed to be the foremost and agreed to a protocol to ensure uninterrupted supplies of Ramong all to grab a major chunk of the country’s booming BrahMos cruise missiles to Indian armed forces. As per the defence market, besides strengthening cultural ties, and co- agreement, Russia will provide access to the GLONASS high- operation in nuclear and pharmaceutical sectors. precision navigation signals to India. A Cold War ally and a long time strategic partner for During his visit to the Indian Institute of Technology, decades, Soviet Union (now Russia) has been a major arms Mumbai, the Russian President assured assistance to India supplier to India, but of late the country has been facing considering their strategic partnership in security and de- competition from the US and Europe. Medvedev’s visit fence. “The decision of using weapons is a prerogative of gave a boost to the waning Indo-Russian ties. Both nations India. We are ready to help and assist as we are already agreed to double bilateral trade by 2015. Indian Prime Min- doing. I am not disclosing a state secret but when I visited ister Manmohan Singh described Russia as a “time-tested India four days after the Mumbai terror attacks I told them friend...that has stood by us in our times of need in the (government) a simple thing—if India needs our assistance past”. “It is a partnership that has, and will continue, to de- in terms of anti-terrorism, we are ready to help and provide velop independently of our relations with other countries,” weapons, modern knowledge and technology. We have to he said. Prime Minister Singh and Medvedev reviewed the react and strike terror hotbeds and smoke them out of their progress made in bilateral scientific dwellings,” he said. and technological cooperation and ex- The two countries also signed many pressed satisfaction at the extension of other pacts including a deal to expand the integrated long-term programme The Russian a Russian-built nuclear power plant (ILTP) for scientific and technical coop- in Kudankalum in southern India and eration for another decade and its fo- President came held discussions on the construction of cus on identifying innovation-led tech- as a salesman a third and fourth reactor as well. nology programmes. Like his US and European counter- Delhi and Moscow signed an agree- and went back parts, the Russian President also came ment for the design and development of home with as a salesman accompanied by about fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), a 100 business leaders and went back 250-300 of which will be acquired by trade deals home with trade deals worth billions of the IAF over 10 years worth up to $35 dollars and hope for enhanced econom- billion (`1,57,500 crore). According to worth billions ic ties in future. He also voiced Russia’s the agreement, India’s Hindustan Aero- of dollars support for India “as a deserving and nautics Ltd (HAL) and Russia’s Rosobo- strong candidate” for a permanent seat ronexport and Sukhoi will work togeth- in an expanded UN Security Council SP

Photogra p h: ib er to begin delivery of an Indian version —Sucheta Das Mohapatra

18 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Space Business Mission Private Space

stirring saga: falcon 9 taking-Off from the launch pad

In a mission lasting just three hours and 20 minutes from lift-off to splashdown, the massive Falcon 9 rocket and its unmanned Dragon capsule, designed and built by SpaceX, were the stars of the show

ecember 8, a great By Joseph Noronha, launches unattractive to private indus- day for the California- Goa try. But now many governments, es- based company Space pecially those in the developed world, Exploration Technolo- are strapped for cash and seem only gies (SpaceX), might ul- too keen for private entrepreneurs to timately turn out to be a foot at least part of the bill. A number giant leap in the stirring saga of space of companies are getting ready to ven- Dexploration. In a mission lasting just ture into space. They will introduce three hours and twenty minutes from lift-off to splashdown, some much-needed competition, which means lower prices the massive Falcon 9 rocket and its unmanned Dragon cap- and more choices for the customer. sule, designed and built by SpaceX, were the stars of the show. This was the first time a private corporation had suc- SpaceX—the Spearhead cessfully launched a rocket and space capsule into low earth The US space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space orbit (LEO) and guided the capsule through a safe re-entry Administration (NASA), currently depends on the space shut- and return to earth. Since the world’s first space launch— tle and the reliable Russian Soyuz craft to deliver supplies Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, this is a feat that only five na- and crew to the International Space Station (ISS). But only tions plus one multi-government agency have achieved: the a couple of launches remain this year before the shuttle is alactic & x cor Virgin G alactic Bruno S anchez - Wiki p edia, aceX, Soviet Union/Russia, the United States of America, China, retired for good; then NASA will be entirely reliant on Soyuz. India, Japan and the European Space Agency. Dragon’s successful mission is a step towards decreasing Governments have had a monopoly over the final fron- this galling dependency. It was the first demonstration under tier until now, and with good reason. Huge risks, astronomi- NASA’s commercial orbital transportation services (COTS)

Photogra p hs: Sp cal outlays and uncertain returns have so far made space programme, which is aimed at spurring growth in the com-

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 19 Key player emerging in the region

"Asia's Premier Air Show"

SP's will have upto eight publications at the show

Hall E, Booth 22 Explore our upcoming plans and activities Visit us at Aero India 2011 from 09 - 13 February 2011 Key player emerging in the region

"Asia's Premier Air Show"

SP's will have upto eight publications at the show

Hall E, Booth 22 Explore our upcoming plans and activities Visit us at Aero India 2011 from 09 - 13 February 2011 Space Business mercial space industry and promoting a viable private space NASA permits) it may even berth with the station. The first cargo industry. In a deal valued at $1.6 billion (`7,200 crore), operational cargo flight to the station is slated for Novem- NASA has contracted for 12 cargo flights from SpaceX. The ber 2011, with regular flights following on at three to four commercial rival of SpaceX, Orbital Sciences Corporation, month intervals. also has a $1.9 billion (`8,750 crore) deal with NASA for Further ahead, SpaceX believes its Dragon capsule eight missions, and plans the first flight test of its Taurus II could ferry astronauts within three years of being tasked rocket and Cygnus capsule in May or June 2011. to make the conversion—time necessary to add an escape Success is still sweet and failure all too common in the system and other safety measures, besides more testing high-stakes space industry, but Falcon 9 performed flawlessly. and data analysis. The Dragon has room for up to seven Its first stage, powered by nine of SpaceX’s proprietary Merlin astronauts. Once the space shuttle retires, Dragon will be rocket motors burning liquid oxygen and kerosene, blasted the the only spacecraft capable of returning humans to Earth 48-metre-tall rocket off the launch apart from the Soyuz. Europe’s pad. The first stage burnt for three proposed automated transfer ve- minutes before being jettisoned; hicle (ATV), Japan’s H-2 transfer then the second stage, a single vehicle (HTV) and Orbital Sciences Merlin rocket, cut in. Nine min- Corporation’s Cygnus capsule will utes after lift-off, the second stage only deliver cargo. shut down and separated from the Dragon capsule. The Dragon was Virgin’s Vision successfully placed in a 300-km Meanwhile, Sir Richard Branson’s circular orbit inclined at 34.5 de- Virgin Galactic is on a different grees to the Equator. After two or- mission—to be the first to take bits of the earth, the Dragon fired thrill-seeking tourists on pleasure its thrusters and later deployed its trips to the edge of space at a cost large parachutes to slow down to of $2,00,000 (`90 lakh) per ticket. a descent rate of about eight me- Space scientists might also sign up. tres per second. It made its splash- The first passenger flight should down in the Pacific a few hundred happen early 2012. In this system, kilometres off the coast of southern the small SpaceShip Two will sepa- California within 800 metres of its rate from its jet-powered mother- designated spot and within a min- ship WhiteKnight Two at a height of ute of the target time. This flight, about 15 km, and blast into space which was only the second for the at three to four times the speed of Falcon 9, tested the spacecraft’s sound. It will attain a height of 110 propulsion, navigation, control and km— well beyond the 100 km Kár- communications systems and pre- mán line, which is the generally ac- cision landing technique, as also cepted boundary between Earth’s the efficacy of its heat shield, which atmosphere and outer space. The 2 is critical for its survival during re- The unmanned 1/2-hour trip will include five to six entry. The only payload that the version of the minutes of weightlessness. Dragon had carried, as revealed SpaceShip Two, built by Mo- later, was French cheese. Dragon can carry jave-based Scaled Composites, Besides cheese, SpaceX hopes 5,987 kg of cargo can carry two crew and six pas- to prove that its Falcon 9 rocket sengers. The passengers will have and Dragon capsule constitute an in its pressurised to train for at least three days be- unbeatable combination to safely and unpressurised fore making the flight. Last Octo- and cost-effectively deliver crew ber, the spaceship was released and cargo to the ISS. The un- cargo bays at an altitude of 45,000 ft by its manned version of the Dragon can mother ship and safely glided carry 5,987 kg of cargo in its pres- back to Earth. Some 380 people surised and unpressurised cargo have already made advance book- bays. To view this capability in ings with what will be the world’s perspective, the Indian Space Re- first commercial space line. Until search Organisation (ISRO) has been working on its geosyn- now, space travel has been limited to professional astro- chronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) for many years. Yet nauts and a handful of wealthy folk who have made it to GSLV, currently, ISRO’s heaviest launch vehicle, can inject a the ISS aboard the Soyuz after paying hefty sums for the payload of just 5,100 kg to LEO. privilege. All told, around 450 humans have travelled into SpaceX plans its next launch before the middle of the space. If Virgin’s ambitious plans fructify that number could year—a five-day mission during which the Dragon will ap- be repeated within its first full year of operation. The plans proach within 10 kilometres of the orbiting ISS to prove received a boost with the recent inauguration of the runway the accuracy of its rendezvous sensors. If all goes well (and at the world’s first spaceport in New Mexico, USA. Spaceport

22 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Space Business

debut in 2012: Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic will take thrill-seeking Lynx are under construc- tourists on pleasure trips to tion at Spaceport Curaçao the edge of space at a cost of $200,000 per ticket; XCOR in the Caribbean. Other Aerospace plans to operate companies, including Mas- suborbital space-tourism ten Space Systems of Mo- flights and scientific research missions on its jave, California, and Arma- Lynx space plane. dillo Aerospace of Rockwall, Texas, are testing their own systems designed to lift unmanned payloads to space. In about five years, space exploration, particularly in the US, should look very different. With a dozen or so companies vying to prove they can successfully undertake spaceflights, a combination of affordable rates and frequent flights will provide scientists a new set of options to investigate space. And freed of the burden of attending to run-of-the-mill missions, NASA could then rein in budgets and expend its energies on more distant and difficult missions, perhaps America, with its three-kilometre long runway, is designed to Mars or the asteroids. After the space shuttle retires, a specifically to launch commercial spacecraft. single American astronaut’s round-trip Soyuz ticket to the ISS could cost around $51 million (`230 crore). Against this, Others Get Going SpaceX has publicly committed to a price of no more than XCOR Aerospace has a more modest business plan. Its goal is $20 million (`90 crore) per seat provided NASA buys four to operate suborbital space-tourism flights and scientific re- flights per year of its seven-seat Dragon. That would per- search missions on its Lynx space plane. Lynx is smaller than mit 28 astronaut visits to the ISS per year which equals the many business jets and should be operational by January current space shuttle manifest. The real challenge, however, 2014. It will have rocket power to briefly blast thrill-seekers will be to bring down the cost of a small satellite launcher to into the upper part of the atmosphere (around 65 km alti- a few million dollars, in which case the strange spectacle of tude) including a brief period of weightlessness at a bargain a satellite costing five million dollars to build but $30 million price of $95,000 (`42.75 lakh). It will then land on a runway (`135 crore) to launch may well become a thing of the past. like a conventional aircraft. Specially designed facilities for Private enterprise is all set to deliver. SP

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 23 Show Preview Aero India 2011 Curtain-Raiser Aero India 2011 will provide an excellent opportunity to global aerospace majors as also to the Indian aerospace industry to showcase their technological achievements, products and to provide a peep into the futuristic technologies

he eighth edition of By Air Marshal (Retd) the exhibitors, the air show was pa- Aero India international B.K. Pandey, Bengaluru tronised by as many as 55 overseas air show is scheduled to be delegations including one from China. held from February 9 to13, Over a decade ago, the second edition 2011 at Air Force Station of the show i.e. Aero India 1998, had Yelahanka on the northern participation by a total of 194 compa- outskirts of Bengaluru. The air show is nies. Of these, the domestic aerospace Tbeing hosted by the Defence Exhibition industry had fielded a minuscule num- Organisation of the Indian Ministry of Defence in association ber of 20, and that too dominated largely by the public sector. with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Beginning Hopefully, the momentum of growth in the level of participa- with the first international air show held at the Indian Air tion would be sustained and the level of participation in Aero Force (IAF) base in 1996, the biennial event has been grow- India 2011 would surpass all expectations. ing steadily over the years and has today acquired the status of a ‘premier global aerospace exposition’. The seventh edi- Strategic Perspective tion of the air show, Aero India 2009, witnessed participation The global aerospace industry is inclined to gravitate to India by 593 exhibitors. These included 303 entities from abroad attracted by the size of the aerospace market that the coun- representing 33 different countries large and small as also try has to offer over the coming decades. As per Air Chief 289 companies consisting of mostly the small and medium Marshal P.V. Naik, Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force

illustration: anoop kamath & P hotograph: S p guide pubns anoop kamath illustration: enterprises from the Indian aerospace industry. Apart from (IAF), 50 per cent of the equipment held on the inventory

24 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Show Preview Aero India 2011 of the IAF is being or has been overtaken by obsolescence. TEJAS: On display at Implicit in this statement is the warning that if appropriate Aero India 2009 action is not taken in time, there is serious possibility of the IAF being outclassed in the next war by the Air Force of an inimical neighbour Pakistan even when the country has been doddering on the verge of being classified as a “failed state”. To contend with the threat from the north-eastern border, China that has been acknowledged as an emerging global economic and military power, the capability of the IAF would have to be elevated to a completely new level. However, the recently promulgated statements from the political and military leadership indicates that the Indian Government has indeed been seized of the problem for some time and is now in the process of implementing plans for a major revamp of the IAF to not only correct the acute deficiency in air power but also to develop or acquire additional capabilities to meet with the new challenges in the future. Aviation assets of not only the IAF but those of the Indian Navy, the Indian Army Future Acquisitions and the Indian Coast Guard are also slated to undergo un- Lockheed Martin with the offer of the F-16IN Super Viper precedented transformation involving an investment over and Boeing fielding the F/A-18 E/F are likely to use Aero the next two decades on capital acquisitions alone, estimated India 2011 to make the final demarche for the mega deal officially to be of $100 billion (`4,50,000 crore). valued at approximately $11 billion (`49,500 crore) related While the global aerospace majors would understand- to the acquisition of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft ably be the major beneficiary of this mammoth exercise (MMRCA) for the IAF. The tender is expected to be finalised entailing staggering levels of investment, the $30 billion sometime in 2011. There are indications that selection of an (`1,35,000 crore) worth of business generated in India for American fighter in the MMRCA tender could pave the way domestic entrepreneurs under ‘offsets’ obligation would be for the IAF to access the next generation technology by way of immense interest to the Indian aerospace industry, espe- of the F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter. A fifth generation cially in the private sector. machine yet under development, the F-35 is going to be the ultimate combat machine in the sky. However, a statement Recent Capital Acquisitions from the US Defence Secretary that “the F-35 will perhaps The IAF being the flag bearer of the nation’s air power will be the last combat aircraft that the US Air Force will buy” undoubtedly corner a major share of the investment. During is a clear indication of the shifting of focus on to unmanned the last three years, contracts for the supply of military air- aerial systems. As reported in the media, Lockheed Martin craft to the IAF worth $3 billion (`13,500 crore) with both the has plans to display the F-35 cockpit demonstrator at Aero US and European firms have been concluded. These include India 2011 as the aircraft itself is not yet quite ready to be three of the customised version of Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), showcased internationally. The company is likely to be pur- 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters both for VVIP travel suing the interest shown by the Indian Navy to procure the and six C130J Super Hercules aircraft for special operations. carrier version of the F-35 for the indigenous aircraft carrier While the BBJs have been operational since April 2009, the under construction at the Cochin Shipyard. first C-130 J Super Hercules has recently been handed over Boeing is also in the process of negotiating the sale of a to the IAF at the factory in the US. In all likelihood, at least number of other big ticket items such as the 10 C-17 Globe- two of these aircraft are expected to be on display at Aero master III for over $4 billion (`18,000 crore) with option India 2011. There are reports to indicate that the IAF is con- for another six at a later date. In the rotary wing regime, templating purchase of another six of these advanced aircraft in response to the tender for 22 combat and 15 heavy lift to make up full squadron strength. Lockheed Martin will un- helicopters, Boeing has entered the race with offer of the doubtedly use the forthcoming air show to push the deal for AH-64D Apache and the CH-47F Chinook twin rotor ma- the second batch of the C-130J Super Hercules. The fact that chines, The combined value of the two contracts together the Indian paramilitary forces have also evinced interest in is estimated to be in the region of $2 billion (`9,000 crore). the aircraft should inspire Lockheed Martin to put their best Having secured a $900 million (`4,050 crore) order for the foot forward on this occasion. Also expected at the five-day F414 aero-engine for the Indian Tejas Mk II light combat air show would be the US Air Force’s WC130 Weather Bird, aircraft, General Electric will in all probability, show off its a modified version of the C-130 configured for weather data product at the air show as it could have a subtle influence mapping. The WC-130 has an endurance of 15 hours and an on the final decision related to the MMRCA tender. The unrefueled operational range of 5,600 kilometres. GE F414 engine powers the F/A 18 Super Hornet which Boeing that has signed a contract for $2.14 billion (`9,630 is competing for the MMRCA tender. Two other acquisi- crore) for eight P8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft for tions that are in the pipeline are six flight refuelling aircraft the Indian Navy, is also likely to exploit the opportunity at (FRA) worth $1.5 billion (`6,700 crore) and 197 utility he- Aero India 2011 to indulge in some aggressive marketing licopters valued at $750 million (`3,375 crore) for which effort to sell more of the aircraft not only to the Indian Navy the major helicopter manufacturers in the US, Europe and but perhaps to the Indian Coast Guard as well. Russia would be in the fray. SP

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 25 INDUSTRY interview Capturing India’s Aerospace Market

In an interview with SP’s Aviation, HAL Chairman Ashok Nayak said the company’s target for 2010-11 is `12,600 crore, up from `11,500 crore achieved in 2009-10

ith over `10,000 crore plus investments re- company remained on course with regard to financial and quired in the coming decade in the aerospace production targets. The target for 2010-11 is `12,600 crore, industry, defence aviation major Hindustan up from `11,500 crore achieved in 2009-10. The export tar- Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has embarked upon get is `260 crore and HAL, he said, would soon start renewed Wa restructuring programme. marketing efforts in new markets, particularly Latin America. Giving details of the plan in an interview with SP’s Aviation, On the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Nayak said, “We the Chairman of HAL, Ashok Nayak said that HAL is brac- are working hard on getting the initial operational clearance ing up for the competition and called for greater participation (IOC) and it should happen in mid-January, taking its last from the private sector. “HAL alone cannot handle the massive step before induction into the Indian Air Force. Of the eight programmes that are expected in the aerospace sector” limited series production, we have five flying and three more The Chairman said, “Capacity expansion will not hap- will get done soon. Then, we will start series production and pen overnight. The existing infrastructure will not suffice the IAF has given orders for 20 more, taking the total orders for the new inductions including medium multi-role combat to 48. As regards engine, the DRDO has opted for GE F414 aircraft (MMRCA). We have to build infrastructure now for engine to power the LCA and we have no issues with it.” SP which we need massive investments and we are working in that direction. We will have to have a different factory for (For the detailed interview read through the Aero India the light combat helicopter LCH. So also, there is need for Special Issue of SP’s Aviation) a new infrastructure for the light utility helicopter (LUH), which at present is on the design board. The first prototype is expected to fly in 2012 and the requirement is 187 units.” To read the full version of the interview, visit: www.spsaviation.net/interviews Photogra p h: A bhishek / Sp guide ubns Outlining HAL’s performance, Nayak mentioned that the

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26 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Civil Regional Aviation

high-tech gadgetry: a view of the cockpit of embraer’s e-jet Radical Concept Suitably placed between the larger mainline aircraft and the smaller regional jets, Embraer E-Jets have achieved outstanding success, with more than 900 firm orders logged and 700 jets in operation, worldwide

hat goes down units between 2020 and 2029. eventually By R. Chandrakanth Regional airlines are strengthening comes back up. This their networks, requiring operational statement by Paulo efficiency to sustain future growth. In Cesar, the Executive India, one of the fastest growing avia- Vice President (Com- tion markets, airlines are working to- mercial), Embraer, is typical of Brazilian optimism. Compa- wards connecting II and III tier cities to the metros, calling for Wnies, like people, often emerge from economic downturns smaller seat configuration aircraft. The expansion of low-cost with renewed perspectives. As airlines are reworking their carriers in Asia, Europe and the efforts in linking the African strategies by introducing new routes, Embraer with E-Jets in continent, call for right-sizing fleet and E-Jets fits the bill. its product line, finds itself in an advantageous position. Cesar substantiates “airlines in countries that never had Medium capacity jet aircraft with fewer than 120 seats have a unique oppor- Owing to airline demands for medium-capacity jets, Em- tunity to re-examine their approach to capacity and seize the braer launched the Embraer 170/190 aircraft family, later untapped potential of that category. As many of our more than called E-Jets, which originally encompassed the Embraer 50 E-Jets customers can attest, their fleet decision years ago 170, the Embraer 190 and the Embraer 195. Later, the fam- helped them weather today’s economic turmoil.” ily also included the Embraer175. Embraer forecasts a requirement for 6,875 new jets The project was completely new, benefiting from the in- in the 30 to 120-seat capacity segment over the next 20 teractive simulation and modeling technology in Embraer’s years with a total market value estimated around $200 bil- Virtual Reality Centre (CRV). The high degree of commonality lion (`9,00,000 crore). The projections are delivery of 2,895 among the models of this family—about 90 per cent of the

P hotographs: E mbraer aircraft between 2010 and 2019 and the remaining 3,980 parts are common to several models—allows airlines to cut

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 27 Civil Regional Aviation down drastically on operating costs and training, thereby in- The core of Embraer’s E-philosophy has been passenger creasing their flexibility and strengthening their profitability. comfort. In fact, the company spoke to about 40 prospective The launching of the new family was announced during airlines before embarking upon the next generation aircraft the 43rd Paris Air Show on June 14, 1999. Initially, the air- concept and almost all of them put passenger comfort on a planes were named ERJ 170, ERJ 190-100 and ERJ 190-200. priority list. Embraer then adopted a strategy—“Embracing Later on, during the rollout of the first prototype, the names the rise of the Empowered Passenger” and the result has were changed to Embraer 170, 190 and 195, respectively. been efficient ergonomics. E-Jets have been helping airlines The Embraer 170 was the first model of the new jet fam- to right size low load factor narrow-body routes, to replace ily to be launched. Its rollout was on October 29, 2001, and older, inefficient aircraft, and to develop new markets with its first flight was on February 19, 2002. In February 2004, lower operating costs, greater efficiency, and outstanding it was officially approved in Brazil, the United States and passenger comfort. Europe, and in the same year the first unit was delivered to LOT Polish Airlines. Lighter aircraft The Embraer 170/190 family of E-Jets consists of four The E-Jets have been designed in such a way that with the commercial jets with 70 to 122 seats, configured to give pas- lowest possible aircraft operating empty weight it can carry senger comfort while giving the airline business viabil- the highest revenue-generating payload. Since fuel ity. Embraer has emphasised that the four E-Jets consumption is proportional to aircraft weight, are suitably placed between the larger main- a lighter airplane translates directly into line aircraft and the smaller regional jets. cost savings that go right to the bottom E-Jets are known for their ad- line. The E-Jets design allows up to 30 vanced engineering design, efficient per cent more payloads per pound/ performance, outstanding operat- kilo of structural weight among air- ing economics, low emission lev- craft of similar seat capacity. els and a spacious cabin without In terms of engineering, middle seats. The aircraft have the company has initiated a a maximum cruising speed of programme called aircraft Mach 0.82, can fly at 41,000 health, analysis and diagnos- feet (12,497 metres) and have tics (AHeAD) on the E-Jets. ranges of up to 2,400 nauti- It is a simple computational cal miles (4,448 kilometres). web-based platform that al- Another key feature of the lows airlines to continuously E-Jets is the state-of-the-art, monitor the performance fly-by-wire technology, which of an E-Jet while in flight. It increases operating safety, regularly transmits fault iden- while reducing pilot workload tification data for analysis by and fuel consumption. ground personnel so that they can plan maintenance remedies Double-bubble fuselage at a down line station. The sys- The double-bubble fuselage de- tem through continuous monitor- sign provides superior comfort ing helps minimise ground time and and includes two main passenger maximise air time. entrances and two service doors, thus Also the maintenance plans have minimising aircraft turn-around time. The been structured in such a way that it helps E-Jets offer much more space for passengers, airlines keep costs low with routine checks in a single or dual-class layout, than other Superior comfort: coming every 120 flight hours or 14 days The E-Jets offer aircraft with similar seating capacities. The much more space for (whichever comes first). Basic checks are double-bubble fuselage concept, a shape de- passengers scheduled every 600 flight hours and are rived from vertically overlapping two circles, easily performed overnight. Heavy checks for with a four-abreast cross section is something aircraft structure occur every 20,000 flight unique. The widest point of the upper circle, cycles. Embraer claims that this results in which forms the main cabin, is at elbow level when passen- 19 per cent to 23 per cent lower hourly direct maintenance gers are seated. This maximises personal space and allows costs compared to other similar capacity aircraft and up to the installation of wider seats and a wider aisle compared to 53 per cent lower cost than some out of production jets. larger jets. The width of the lower circle is greatest near the As the world’s largest maker of regional aircraft, Em- cabin floor which boosts baggage and cargo capacity. braer is banking on the E-Jets to drive its international busi- Adding to the sense of spaciousness is a two-metre-high ness further. The E-Jets have achieved outstanding success, cabin, near-vertical sidewalls and large eye-level windows, with more than 900 firm orders logged and 700 jets in op- almost 30 per cent larger than those on other aircraft, that eration, worldwide. In Europe, there are currently 16 reg- lets in lots of natural light. What’s more, under seat areas istered airlines flying 161 Embraer E-Jets. Worldwide they are free of support railings so that passengers can stretch have accumulated 4.8 million flight hours and transported out in greater comfort. more than 200 million passengers. SP

28 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Seminar aerospace Conference Fringes to Mainstream India’s aerospace capabilities, if harnessed properly, would be a key driver of economic growth. Time indeed to energise the Indian aerospace industry à la the automotive sector and the space development programme.

candid summa- in aviation; space; communi- tion that the In- cations and computers would dian aerospace indus- bring about new hegemonies try is “way behind”, by in the form of Russia, China Athe Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air and India, away from the tra- Marshal P.K. Barbora is not at ditional USA; the UK; France, all surprising. Countries such Germany and Japan.” as Brazil (Embraer); Israel (Israel Aerospace Industries); MRO opportunities galore China and South Korea are up The former Chairman and there with the big aerospace Managing Director of the players, but not India. Time erstwhile Indian Airlines, indeed to energise the Indian Air Marshal (Retd) S.S. Ram- aerospace industry à la the au- das said that outsourcing in tomotive sector and the space civil aviation had become an development programme. “inescapable mantra” and it The refrain thus at the fifth was time for military avia- International Conference on at the seminar: Defence tion to start thinking about “Energising Indian Aerospace Minister A.K. Antony and it. “Almost 45 per cent of Chief of the Air Staff P.V. Naik Industry”, jointly organised by with Director General, CII military maintenance in the the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), US has been outsourced, while the RAF the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Centre has a mixed policy, whereas in India we for Air Power Studies (CAPS) was to “lever- are tied down to HAL. With sophisticated age India’s emerging economic power”. aircraft to be inducted in the near future, the three services Accordingly, the Minister for Defence, A.K. Antony an- had to wean themselves away from HAL and look at the nounced reworking the defence production policy and also private sector,” he said. the defence procurement procedure. “For the Indian aerospace industry to move from the Offset clause and clarity fringes to the mainstream, the private sector had to be en- The Chairman and Managing Director, INAPEX, Vijay Mathur couraged as the Defence Research and Development Or- said that between 1993-2005, the total volume of offsets was ganisation and the public sector undertakings had inher- 80 billion with the aviation sector alone accounting for about ent limitations,” opined the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief 68 billion. Offset clauses were operative in about 130 countries Marshal P.V. Naik. and all it required was clarity. The Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal N.V. Tya- Trends in transformation of aerospace power gi, said that the procedures were being simplified and that Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, former Chief of the Air India had to leverage its buying power. Air Commodore Staff, Royal Air Force, United Kingdom, said that unpre- Jasjit Singh, Director, CAPS, and Air Vice Marshal Kapil dictability of future conflicts would render the battle-space Kak, Additional Director, CAPS, said that the outcome of congested; cluttered; connected; constrained and contested, the conference would reach the Ministry for policy formu- and all coming under the scrutiny of an intrusive media. lation and that the key take-away was that India’s aero- Air Vice Marshal M. Matheswaran, Assistant Chief of Air space capabilities, if harnessed properly would be a key Staff Operations (Space), said, “India needs to have a leap-frog- driver of economic growth. SP

Photo g r ap h: Abhishe k / Sp ui d e p ubns ging strategy with regard to aerospace technology. Dominance —R. Chandrakanth

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 29 MILITARY Industry Ahead of Schedule

Lockheed Martin’s Super Hercules C-130J would be inducted into IAF by early February. It would herald the re-introduction of the US-built military transport aircraft into the IAF after a gap of five decades.

he Indian Capital’s By Air Marshal (Retd) C-130 Hercules which was known both chilly winter weather V.K. Bhatia for crew comfort and exceptional opera- notwithstanding, Delhi- tional attributes and has been operating based Western Air Com- in a large number of air forces around mand has much to cheer the globe. It may be worth noting that as it rolls out the red car- interest in the C-130 had been evinced pet for the January (latest first week in some quarters of the IAF in the early Tof February) to receive the first Super 1970s but for various reasons including Hercules C-130J for the newly formed No. 77 Squadron, to the geopolitics of the Cold War, the idea too remained in cold be located at the nearby Hindon Air Force Station. From get- storage. It could not fructify even after a large vacuum had been ting the governmental nod in early 2008 to its induction into created in the IAF’s air transport capabilities in the 20-tonne the Indian Air Force (IAF), the C-130J programme has been payload class with the retirement of the Russian workhorse in one of the fastest as the arrival of the first Super Hercules the late 1980s and early 1990s. could well beat the stipulated three-year production period. First flown in 1954, different versions of the 20-tonne It would also herald re-introduction of the US-built military class C-130 aircraft are used by more than 60 nations in transport aircraft into the IAF after a gap of five decades. the world. During its years of service, the Hercules has par- The US aircraft, such as the ubiquitous Dakota DC-3 of ticipated in countless military, civilian and humanitarian aid World War II vintage were the first to debut in the transport operations. In 2007, the C-130 became the fifth aircraft—af- fleet of the IAF established soon after India’s independence. ter the English Electric Canberra, B-52 Stratofortress, Tu- Post-1962, Sino-Indian conflict these were augmented by the polev Tu-95, and KC-135 Stratotanker—to mark 50 years Fairchild Packet C-119G transporters. In the subsequent years, of continuous use with its original primary customer, in however, IAF leaned heavily on the Soviet Union for military this case, the United States Air Force. The C-130 is also the equipment, receiving the An-12s in the 1960s followed by the only military aircraft to remain in continuous production for medium-lift An-32 and heavy-lift IL-76 aircraft in the 1980s. 50 years and still continuing in its latest avatar C-130J/C- Russian military transport aircraft are rugged, reliable and 130J-30 (the stretched version), the ‘Super Hercules’. powerful but generally are heavy on the controls and require The Super Hercules is a more powerful and more rugged pilots with as much muscle as brain power to operate. And version of the earlier Hercules with the capability to operate while the IAF transport crews flew the Russian aircraft with a from short, semi-prepared runways in ‘hot and high’ condi- great degree of skill and confidence, there was always a long- tions—most suited for India’s ‘Himalayan’ airfields and ad-

Photogra p hs: Lockheed Martin ing to try their hands at western transports, especially the vanced landing grounds (ALGs) at Leh, Thoise and beyond.

30 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net MILITARY Industry

IAF’s C-130Js are to be configured to Indian specifications for the entire gamut of operations including for Special Forces. The contract was sealed under the provisions of direct foreign military sales (FMS) of the United States and therefore, did not have to go through the hassles of procurement through the cumbersome Indian Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP). The sale agreement also includes an option for six more aircraft, which in all probability would be required by the IAF to make up a full squadron to cater to its multifarious tasks. The IAF is also on course to acquire up to 10 or even 16 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from the US through the FMS route. Once acquired, along with the highly capable C-130Js it would provide a deadly and highly potent combination to the IAF for all of its air transport operations. C-130J Super Hercules Throughout its chequered history of operations spanning more than half-a-century, the C-130 has been instrumental General Characteristics & Performance Details in carrying out unparalleled and unprecedented feats never tried by any other aircraft. For example, the Hercules holds General Characteristics the record for the largest and heaviest aircraft to land on an • Crew: 2 Pilots, 1 loadmaster aircraft carrier. In October-November 1963, a USMC KC-130F • Capacity: – 92 passengers or made 29 touch-and-go landings, 21 unarrested full-stop land- – 64 airborne troops or ings and same number of unassisted take-offs on the USS For- – 6 pallets or restal aircraft carrier. The tests were highly successful though – 74 litter patients with 2 medical personnel the idea was considered too risky for routine carrier onboard • Payload: 19,090 kg delivery (COD) operations with Hercules aircraft and therefore, • Length: 29.79 m abandoned. Similarly, in a highly audacious move, a C-130 was • Wingspan: 40.41 m modified with a bank of rockets externally attached on both • Height: 11.84 m sides of fuselage to enable it to take-off from a 200-yard strip. • Wing area: 162.1 m² The idea was to extricate US personnel from the US Embassy • Empty weight: 34,274 kg compound in Teheran when it came under siege by the Revo- • Max takeoff weight: 79,378 kg • Powerplant: 4× Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop, lutionary Guards during the Iranian revolution. The aircraft 4,637 shp (3,458 kW) each did manage to carry out a rocket-assisted take-off within the • Propellers: Dowty R391 6-blade composite propeller, stipulated distance but the idea was finally abandoned as land- 1 per engine ing the aircraft within the confines of the Embassy compound with the help of massive drag parachutes was considered too Performance risky. However, a modified version of a USMC C-130T known • Maximum speed: 362 kts (671 km/h) as ‘Fat Albert’ and serving as a logistics support aircraft with • Cruise speed: 348 kts (643 km/h) • Range: 2,835 nm (5,250 km) the US Navy’s ‘Blue Angels’ formation aerobatic team had been • Service ceiling: 28,000 ft (8,615 m) with full payload delighting spectators with rocket-assisted ultra-short take-offs • Takeoff distance: 3,127 ft (953 m) and a mini show of its own, at least till last year. • Landing distance: 2,550 ft (777m) How popular the Hercules has been with different air forces in the world is evident from the fact that in the ongo- ing Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the C-130 in one variant or the other is being used operationally by Aus- With a computer-controlled automated cargo handling sys- tralia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Nether- tem, the aircraft is also capable of pinpoint accuracy in para- lands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, drops. Equipped with an impressive array of avionics, such the UK and the United States. And now it is India’s turn to as forward looking infra red (FLIR), head-up display (HUD) exploit the C-130 and substantially enhance its capabilities in and sophisticated navigational aids, it can operate accurate- the field of air transport operations. Known the world over ly in all-weather conditions without loss of performance. It for its innovative use of combat systems, what unprecedented can even operate from and to an unlit airstrip in complete tasks would the IAF have in store for its C-130J fleet? Perhaps darkness. For self-protection, it carries missile warning and the IAF could start with repeating the feat of another US mili- counter-measures systems of the large aircraft infra red tary transporter a C-119G Packet which landed at the highest countermeasure (LAIRCM) class. In almost all respects, the known airstrip in the world—Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO)—17,000 C-130J is reported to be clearly ahead of its contemporaries feet above mean sea level in Aksai Chin during the Sino-Indi- from Europe or Russia. an conflict in 1962. That Packet however, was carrying atop It is of little wonder that nearly three decades after the last its cargo cabin an Orpheus jet engine, brilliantly innovated of the US-built C-119G ‘Packet’ was phased out, the IAF is ea- by the Indian aeronautics engineers to give it the necessary gerly looking forward to induction of the C-130J Super Hercu- extra power to perform the feat. The C-130Js of the IAF, it is les, six of which are on order. In a little over $1 billion (`4,500 hoped, would do it with the power of their own 4X Rolls-Royce crore) deal with the US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, the AE2100D3 turboprops. That would be a good start. SP

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 31 Show Report MEBAMEBA 2010 2010

on display: lush interior of airbus a318 elite plus

Stunning Display

Many aviation majors were at MEBA 2010. There was a stunning array of aircraft ranging from very light jets to corporate jetliners from top manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer and Gulfstream

he Middle East is slow- By R. Chandrakanth Arabia alone will buy more than 150, ly bouncing back. Testimo- about 37 per cent of the market po- ny to that has been the en- tential, followed by the UAE (24 per hanced interest generated cent). The report expects a compound in the aviation sector, a key annual growth rate of 6.21 per cent in sector in the region, by dif- business aircraft movements, touching ferent players. The recently concluded 1,60,000 by 2018. TMiddle East Business Aviation 2010 (MEBA 2010) event in Excited about such potential, the Managing Director of Dubai was a pointer in this direction. The event was big, F&E Aerospace (organisers of MEBA 2010), Alison Weller having attracted 338 exhibitors from 33 countries. Over 50 said that business aviation companies from across the globe business aircraft were on display and there was new found evinced “strong interest” in MEBA 2010. enthusiasm in the region. “With a recent report predicting an annual growth rate Consequently, industry experts revised the forecast for for the Middle East business aviation market of over six per the region, predicting 10 to 15 per cent growth over the next cent the next 10 years, the region will surely see an increase four years for a market that currently has 450 business jets, in business aviation service providers to cater to this de- spurred mostly by two dominant economies—the United mand,” she said and reminded how MEBA 2008 had report- Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. The two countries ac- edly struck deals worth $1.5 billion (`6,750 crore). count for nearly 70 per cent of the regional business growth. There is a big spurt in demand for private jets from corpo- Frost and Sullivan has reported that the Middle East rations, high net worth individuals (HNWI) and other agencies.

& paul moiser P hotographs: AIRBUS & paul will get over 450 business aircraft by 2018, of which Saudi The Middle East, especially the UAE, has been witnessing a

32 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net Show Report MEBA 2010 growing demand for private Royal strides static park: charter flights as the responsi- 78 aircraft worth Propelled by growing de- bilities of top executives based $1.6 BN were on display mand for business jets, Abu in the region involve quick at meba 2010 Dhabi-based Royal Jet has and frequent trips abroad. Ali benefited the most. It has Al Naqbi, the founding Chair- emerged as the largest busi- man of MEBAA, said that the ness jet operator in the Gulf number of registered Middle with a 16 per cent market Eastern business jets has ris- share. Its fleet has grown en by 30-40 per cent over the from two aircraft to 12 in last couple of years to around less than four years and rev- 500 aircraft, of which 114 are enues by 30 per cent. based in Saudi Arabia, with Royal Jet also holds the 78 registered in UAE. From distinction of being the only 1975 to 1998, there was one operator in the Middle East business jet operator, now region of having the world’s there are over 25. largest privately operated Many aviation majors fleet of Boeing Business Jets were at MEBA 2010. There (BBJ). It has six BBJs. Its was a stunning array of air- growing fleet of jets includes craft ranging from the very light jets (VLJs) to corporate jet- two mid-range Gulfstream 300s, a long-range Gulfstream liners from top manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Bom- IVSP and a Learjet 60. In addition to the new A6-DFR, Royal bardier, Cessna, Embraer and Gulfstream were on static Jet’s multimillion-dollar refurbished BBJ will return later display at the world’s third largest business aviation show. this month, while an Embraer Lineage 1000 will arrive later in the year. Bombardier clinches orders worth $285 million The leading manufacturer of bizjets closed purchase agree- Qatar Airways forays into business jets ments worth $285 million (`1,280 crore) at list price during At the 2009 Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways launched the the show. This included a firm order by Comlux The Aviation Qatar Executive to tap the nascent business jet market in Group for two Bombardier Global 7000 business aircraft the region. “We launched Qatar Executive last year be- worth $130 million (`585 crore) at list price. cause we had identified a huge gap in the market and are “We were honoured to have Comlux endorse the Global now well on the way to filling that void,” Akbar Al Baker, 7000 and Global 8000 aircraft at the recent launch, and it Group Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways has stated. is fitting that now, here at MEBA, they are ratifying their The Qatar Executive fleet comprises two Bombardier order for two Global 7000 jets,” said Bob Horner, Senior Vice Challenger 605 jets featuring 11 seats, and the eight-seat President, Sales, Bombardier Business Aircraft. Challenger 300 aircraft. Qatar’s flourishing natural-gas Bombardier also received a firm order for five mid-size industry is a major driving factor in spurring interest in Learjet 85s and two large-cabin Challenger 605 jets, worth aviation-on-demand. a total of $155 million (`698 crore) at list price, from mul- Similar stories emanate from the other countries in the tiple companies of the same group, for principal operation Middle East. States Ammar Balkar of Elite Jets and former in Germany by Munich-based Jet Air Flug. President and CEO of MEBAA, said “In the next few years, business aviation sector in the Middle East will generate Embraer strengthens operations in Middle east revenues worth $1billion a year and there will be around Embraer delivered its ultra large Lineage 1000 to Abu 600-650 private jets in the market.” Dhabi-based Falcon Aviation Services (FAS), the first of two corporate jets the charter company ordered in 2007 at the Show ends on positive note Dubai Airshow. The aircraft, which has been certified for up Alison Weller said, “The feedback I have received from ex- to 19 passengers, has five distinct cabin zones and is config- hibitors at MEBA was that the show was all about quality, ured with a full-size luggage compartment of 323 cubic feet. which is typical of this region, quality over quantity. We are Embraer also announced the appointment of ExecuJet very pleased with the number of aircraft orders and the ser- Aviation Group (EAG) in Dubai as the new Embraer Autho- vice agreements made during the three days of the show, rised Service Centre (EASC) for the Legacy 600 and Legacy although not all the orders were announced. The nature of 650 executive jets, as part of the expansion of its customer the private aviation business is exactly that, private, and ev- support in the region. ExecuJet will provide scheduled and ermore so in this economic climate when people don’t want unscheduled maintenance services at Dubai International to be seen to be making considerable purchases, albeit to Airport. enhance their business effectiveness, which is the primary Nick Weber, Maintenance Director, ExecuJet Middle East, role of business aircraft.” said, “ExecuJet welcomes the opportunity to extend its support The very fact that MEBA will once again return to Dubai to the Embraer Legacy 600/650 aircraft, which will be served in 2014 despite great interest displayed across the region to out of our newly acquired 5,000-square-metre hangar, situated host it in other venues clearly indicates that Dubai continues next to our existing facility at Dubai International Airport.” to be a unique and best-suited venue for this show. SP

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 33 Hall of Fame his is possibly one of California. He was asked to take off years, he had completely stripped the drollest stories to have in an easterly direction, then at a safe the entire engine and rebuilt it twice emerged in over a century height turn to his designated westerly over. Corrigan later claimed to have of aviation. How did an course for California. He took off at noticed his “navigational error” after experienced cross-country 5:15 a.m. on July 17, 1938, with full flying for about 26 hours. He finally Tpilot get airborne from New York, fuel tanks, two chocolate bars, two spotted land; it was Ireland. He land- bound overland for California, instead boxes of fig bars, and a litre of drink- ed at Baldonnel Aerodrome, Dublin, traverse the Atlantic and reach Ire- ing water. The only map he had was on July 18, after a 28 hour, 13 minute land? According to him, it was simple of the USA, the plane had no radio, flight. The first person he met was an human error. He read the compass and his heart pointed east. army officer. Corrigan explained, “I wrong, mistaking the tail of the left New York yesterday morning pointer for the head. headed for California.” He added, Douglas Corrigan was born in “I got mixed up in the clouds and Galveston, Texas, on January 22, I must have flown the wrong 1907. His first flight at the age of way.” And he stuck to the story. 18 captivated him and he signed So Douglas “Wrong Way” Corri- up for flying lessons. An apt stu- gan he remained for the rest of dent, he soon became a proficient his life. Although he could have pilot. He took 20 flights to com- faced numerous serious charg- plete his first solo on March 25, es related to his unauthorized 1926—which he latter called the flight, Corrigan’s good fortune, most important day of his life. Be- his Irish sense of humour and sides flying he was an expert tech- his far-fetched story ensured a nician and was intimately involved happy ending. The only penalty in the construction of Charles imposed was suspension of his Lindbergh’s famous Spirit of St pilot’s licence for two weeks. Louis. When Lindbergh flew safely He became an instant celeb- across the Atlantic to Paris, Corri- rity and more people attended gan vowed that some day he would his Broadway ticker-tape parade replicate the pioneering feat. Being than had honoured Lindbergh af- Irish American, Ireland was natu- DOUGLAS CORRIGAN ter his feat. H.R. Knickerbocker, a rally his dream destination. journalist, reported, “As I looked In 1933, Corrigan acquired (1907 - 1995) over it at the Dublin airdrome, a ramshackle old aeroplane for I really marvelled that anyone $325 (`14,625). He installed his Douglas Corrigan should have been rash enough own homemade engine built from even to go in the air with it, much two other old engines, plus ex- is remembered as a less try to fly the Atlantic. He built tra fuel tanks. Over the next few it, or rebuilt it, practically as a years he made several flights thoroughly unorthodox boy would build a scooter out of across the US. In 1935, he ap- and daring pilot—one a soapbox and a pair of old roller plied for permission to fly from skates. The nose of the engine New York to Ireland, but his air- who achieved his dream hood was a mass of patches sol- craft was deemed unreliable for a of making a transatlantic dered by Corrigan himself into a non-stop transatlantic trip. Corri- crazy-quilt design. The door began made repeated modifications flight, despite official hind which Corrigan crouched and reapplications for permission for 28 hours was fastened togeth- but none succeeded. Indeed, in disapproval and er with a piece of baling wire. The 1937, his beloved plane was offi- incredible odds reserve gasoline tanks put togeth- cially grounded for some months er by Corrigan left him so little because it was judged too unsta- room that he had to sit hunched ble. Later, his autobiography ex- forward with his knees cramped pressed his utter frustration with and not enough window space to obstinate officialdom. During the long flight, he had to see the ground while landing.” Douglas In July 1938, Corrigan left Cali- make a hole in the cockpit floor so Corrigan died on December 9, 1995. fornia for New York. During the that leaking fuel would drain out, He is remembered as a thoroughly un- flight, leaking fuel filled the cockpit away from the hot exhaust. Reason- orthodox and daring pilot—one who with fumes. In New York he investi- ing that the less time he spent in the achieved his dream of making a trans- gated the leak, but felt it would take air the better, he revved up the en- atlantic flight, despite official disap- him too long to remove the tank and gine to its full-power setting of 1,900 proval and incredible odds. SP make repairs. He was raring to go. rpm, hoping it wouldn’t quit on him. —Group Captain (Retd) His flight plan was filed—New York to And why should it? Over the last few Joseph Noronha, Goa

34 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net newsDigest Military LCA Tejas gets initial operational clearance QuickRoundUp Asia-Pacific Photograph: drdo Airbus India, Russia sign contract on FGFA • The first Airbus Military A330 MRTT Future Strategic Transport Aircraft (FSTA) for the UK's Royal Air Force has successfully completed its first contacts with a receiver aircraft. In a 2 hour 40 minute sortie, FSTA conducted a series of dry contacts with an F-18 of the Spanish Air Force, using the fuselage refuelling unit. Avolon, the aircraft leasing group, had announced a firm order for eight A320 aircraft from Airbus. A contract for preliminary The eight A320 aircraft will be design of the Indo-Russian equipped with the new fuel-saving fifth generation fighter he Minister of Defence, A.K. Antony on January 10 handed Sharklets option. Avolon will make an aircraft (FGFA) was signed over the initial operational clearance (IOC) for the light engine selection for the aircraft in the between Hindustan Aeronau- Tcombat aircraft (LCA) Tejas to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air near future. tics Limited (HAL), Rosobo- Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, in Bengaluru. ronexport and Sukhoi. Antony said, “After crossing a number of challenges and Alenia The project involves accomplishing a significant series of milestones of envelope ex- design and development pansion, sensor integration and weapon delivery in over 1,500 • Alenia Aermacchi has displayed the of a FGFA that will have sorties, the country is poised for a major turning point with first two M-346 advanced trainers advanced features such as the declaration of the IOC of Tejas aircraft. Centre for Military from the first batch of six aircraft stealth, super-cruise, ultra- Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) has painstakingly for the Italian Air Force. Within a few manoeuvrability, highly evolved the roadmap for ‘release to service certification’ and fi- months, the first two T-346As will be integrated avionics suite, nally ensured all goals are accomplished. This would facilitate delivered to the Experimental Flying enhanced situational aware- delivery of the first lot of the 20 production standard aircraft to Unit at Pratica di Mare Air Force Base, ness, internal carriage of the user (IAF) with assured safety and specified performance where they will undergo operational weapons and network-cen- before the end of the year. I am also happy to announce that the evaluation testing. tric warfare capabilities. government has cleared the next lot of 20 limited series produc- Alenia Aeronautica has The aircraft to be jointly tion aircraft and I am confident that there will be a progressive delivered to the Italian Air Force developed is termed per- improvement in the standard of build. Further, there is a scope the Tornado IS86 (MM 7087), the spective multi-role fighter for supplying more of Mk2 variants of Navy and Air Force. The series-lead of 15 aircraft envisaged (PMF). PMF draws upon the by Italian Air Force’s IT Basic Full estimation is that the nation needs about 200 of Tejas aircraft.” basic structural and system MLU (RET 7) retrofit programme. design of the Russian FGFA The “Release to Service” certificate is prepared by RCMA RET 7 contract has introduced technology demonstrator (A/C), an organisation of CEMILAC, which has thoroughly scru- Night Vision Goggles, Emergency with modifications to meet tinised the entire design, development, equipment testing and Locator Transmitter, Multi Informa- Indian Air Force (IAF) speci- flight testing results of all the systems of Tejas. This is the first tion Distribution System, allowing fications which are much time an indigenously designed and developed military fighter the aircraft to operate in a net- more stringent. aircraft is being certified for IAF operations. centric manner. About two decades ago, the Tejas Programme got initiated to 171 officers commissioned develop the technologies of the fourth generation fighter aircraft Boeing into IAF and demonstrate them on the two technology demonstrator air- The Indian Air Force (IAF) craft. There was a gap of two generations of technologies at that • Boeing Corporation has been got a new batch of officers time. The Tejas team consisting of ADA, HAL, DRDO, IAF, CEMI- awarded an $87,952,000 (`396 with 171 newly commis- LAC, DGAQA, public sector undertakings, private industries and crore)contract which will acquire sioned Flying Officers gradu- academic institutions took up the challenge and flew the first tech- the radar system improvement pro- ating from the Air Force nology demonstrator encompassing fourth generation technologies gramme/mission navigation system Academy (AFA), at Dundigal on January 4, 2001. By March 2004, with one more technology upgrade installation and checkout near Hyderabad. Chief of the demonstrator and one prototype vehicle, all the technologies of for the Japan Air Self Defense Force Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal the fourth generation relevant to the Tejas had been demonstrated AWACS fleet of four aircraft. P.V. Naik reviewed the com- successfully completing the technology demonstration phase. Boeing has announced that bined graduation parade and The next phase of the programme got initiated in November its production rate for the 777 awarded President’s Com- 2001 with the government funding for not only building the pro- programme will increase to 8.3 mission to the graduating totypes for the fighter and trainer but also for establishing the airplanes per month in the first Flight Cadets that included quarter of 2013. This is the second limited series production (LSP) line, and delivery of eight LSP 39 women Flight Cadets. production increase announced for Four Indian Navy officers aircraft. Now the programme has reached the stage of demon- the programme this year. In March, and one Indian Coast Guard strating the integration of all the required sensors and weapons, the programme announced it would officer also received their also demonstration of safe and reliable flying within the speci- increase production from five to flying brevet (Wings) at the fied flight envelope. The above has been demonstrated through seven airplanes per month beginning graduation parade from the about 1,500 test flights using about 11 aircraft flown by over 15 mid-2011. Air Chief. test pilots of IAF and the Indian Navy. •

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 35 newsDigest Appointments in Indian Air Force RoundUp India–AGM-84L Harpoon Quick Air Marshal N.A.K. Browne Block II missiles Air Marshal N.A.K. Browne has assumed On December 21, the Defense The worldwide fleet of C-17 charge as the new Vice Chief of Air Staff Security Cooperation Agency Globemaster III airlifters built by The (VCAS) at Air Headquarters. He was for- (DSCA) notified US Congress Boeing Company has surpassed two of a possible foreign military million flying hours during an airdrop merly the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief sale to the Government of mission over Afghanistan. Reaching (AOC-in-C) of IAF’s Western Air Command India of 21 AGM-84L Har- two million flight hours equates (WAC), the largest and the most vital poon Block II missiles and to 1.13 billion nautical miles—the Operational Command of the IAF. He is a recipient of associated equipment, parts equivalent of a C-17 flying to the Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishist Seva Medal and logistical support for moon and back 2,360 times. (AVSM) and Vayu Sena Medal (VM). a complete package worth approximately $200 million Brazil Air Marshal Dhiraj Kukreja (`900 crore). The Government of India • Eurocopter’s Helicópteros do Brasil Air Marshal Dhiraj Kukreja has been has requested a possible (Helibras) subsidiary has delivered appointed the Air Officer Commanding- sale of 21 AGM-84L Harpoon the initial three EC725s for Brazil’s in-Chief, Training Command, IAF. The Air Block II Missiles, 5 ATM-84L armed forces, achieving a key mile- Marshal has held various important com- Harpoon Block II Training stone in the programme to supply 50 mand, staff and instructional appointments. Missiles, captive air training of these multi-role helicopters. He commanded No. 25 Squadron during missiles, containers, spare 1995-98 of which, he is now the Commodore Comman- and repair parts, support and Embraer test equipment, publications dant. The Air Marshal is a recipient of AVSM and VSM. and technical documentation, • Embraer delivered the first personnel training and train- Legacy 650 large executive jet in Air Marshal D.C. Kumaria ing equipment. India intends December for the Brazilian market to Air Marshal D.C. Kumaria has taken over to use the missiles on its In- a businessman from São Paulo. The as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, dian Navy P-8I Neptune mari- customer already owns and operates Western Air Command in New Delhi. He time patrol aircraft which will an entry level Phenom 100 jet. was the Assistant Advisor (Air) at Indian provide enhanced capabilities “It is a pleasure to see, less High Commission in Bangladesh and in effective defence of critical than two months after certification, a has served as Defence Attaché at Indian sea lines of communication. Legacy 650 operating in Brazil,” says Breno Corrêa, Embraer Vice President, Embassy in Rome with concurrent accreditation to the Lakshya-2 flight tested Marketing and Sales, Latin America Iberian countries. He was selected to write the Air Power – Executive Jets. “The unparalleled Doctrine of the Indian Air Force in 1994. He is a recipient performance and comfort that made of AVSM, VM and VSM. the Legacy 600 a sales success in Brazil are found in the Legacy 650, Air Marshal Anjan Kumar Gogoi which, with its extended range, Air Marshal Anjan Kumar Gogoi has been fully promises to continue Embraer’s appointed Air Officer Commanding-in- successful incursion into the nation’s executive aviation market,” he added. Chief, South Western Air Command. He was Director General Air (Operations) at Eurocopter Air Headquarters prior to assuming the post of AOC-in-C SWAC, IAF. He is a recipi- Aeronautical Development • Eurocopter has recently conducted ent of AVSM and VSM. Establishment (ADE), Ban- the first flight of Spain’s NH90 TTH tac- galore belonging to Defence tical transport helicopter. The one-hour Air Marshal Daljit Singh Research and Develop- mission was performed at Eurocopter’s Air Marshal Daljit Singh has been ap- ment Organisation (DRDO) Marignane facility in France. pointed Director General, Air (Operations) conducted successfully on December 20, 2010 the flight Eurofighter at Air Headquarters.He was ACAS Opera- test of Lakshya-2 the pilotless tions (Air Defence) at Air HQ prior to as- target aircraft (PTA) built to • The Eurofighter Typhoon pro- suming this post. He is a recipient of Vayu meet the anticipated users’ gramme, which has delivered 50 Sena Medal. requirements for such a ve- aircraft over the past year, achieved hicle for testing out their guns another milestone of delivering the Air Marshal P.K. Roy and missiles. 250th aircraft to the Italian Air Force. Air Marshal P.K. Roy has been appointed The users have indicated the Commandant of National Defence their requirement of flying the India College. He has also served as the Military pilotless target aircraft at very low altitudes (15 to 25 metres • An US firm has shown keen interest and Air Attaché in the Indian Embassy at above sea level) to simulat- in the explosive detection kit (EDK) Ukraine and also held the appointments of ing trajectory of low-level developed by India’s DRDO and an Senior Officer-in-Charge Administration at cruise missiles. Accordingly, agreement on transfer of technology HQ Eastern Air Command and Assistant Chief of Air Staff ADE prepared Lakshya-2 is likely to be signed soon. The EDK, (Personnel Airmen and Civilians) at Air Headquarters. He with necessary hardware and developed by the High Energy Materi- is a recipient of AVSM, VM and VSM. software to meet the user als Research Laboratory in Pune can requirements.

36 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net newsDigest Appointments rier aircraft (SCA), a modified RoundUp Boeing 747, as it took off on Quick Safran December 13 from Lambert Marc Sorel has been named Safran’s National Delegate for International Airport. The 50- identify a range of explosives such as Russia, based in Moscow. He joins the Group’s Interna- minute flight was conducted PETN, Black Powder, Dynamite, NC, tional Development department and will report to Emeric in preparation for Phantom NG, CE, Inorganic Mitrates, TNT, RDX d’Arcimoles, Executive Vice President for International Ray’s upcoming transport on and HMX based plastic explosives, Development. the SCA to the Dryden Flight and costs about `5,000 ($110). Research Center at Edwards Embraer Air Force Base, California. The Latin America Cynthia Marcondes Ferreira Benedetto has been appointed SCA flights with Phantom Ray the Company’s new CFO. She takes up the responsibilities of are being conducted under a • LAN Airlines, one of Latin America’s Luiz Carlos Aguiar, who will become the President and CEO Boeing-funded, commercial leading passenger and cargo airlines, of the recently created Embraer Defense and Security unit. space act agreement with has signed a firm order for 50 new NASA. Once Phantom Ray eco-efficient Airbus A320 family MEADS International arrives at Dryden, it will un- aircraft, making it the largest single David Berganini has been named President of MEADS Inter- dergo ground and high-speed airline order for Airbus in Latin America. national (MI). MI is the transatlantic joint venture developing taxi tests to prepare for its the medium extended air defense system (MEADS), a next- first flight in early 2011. Phan- Lockheed Martin generation, ground-mobile air and missile defense system tom Ray is one of several pro- that will replace Patriot. grammes in Boeing’s Phantom • The US Military Satellite Com- Works Division that are part munications Systems Directorate has BAE Systems of the company’s rapid pro- announced the award of a cost-plus- BAE Systems has announcedd that Peter Lynas, currently totyping initiative to design, incentive-fee contract modification Director - Financial Control, Reporting and Treasury for the develop and build advanced valued at approximately $1.4 billion Group, will take over as Group Finance Director on April 1, aircraft and then demonstrate (`6,300 crore) to Lockheed Martin 2011. Peter will be appointed as an Executive Director of their capabilities. Space Systems, for production of the BAE Systems plc and will serve on BAE Systems’ Executive fourth advanced extremely high fre- Committee. US Air Force final quency satellite by 2017. AEHF is the integrated system test successor to the five-satellite Milstar Europrop International The US Air Force/Lockheed constellation and will provide 10 EPI Europrop International GmbH (EPI) has appointed Simon Martin-led space based times greater global, highly secure, Henley as President. He will manage the TP400 engine pro- infrared system (SBIRS) team protected, survivable communications gramme for A400M aircraft. has successfully completed capability for war fighters operating the final integrated sys- on ground, sea and air platforms. tem test (FIST) of the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) MBDA million (`502 crore), the ma- satellite, a major programme Americas rine corps short take-off and milestone that verifies the • Lenkflugkorpersyteme GmbH vertical landing model is pro- spacecraft’s performance and (MBDA Deutschland) has reported Lockheed F-35 Programme jected at $109.4 million (`492 functionality in preparation that the first medium extended air faces $1 billion cut crore) which is the same as for delivery to the launch site. defense system (MEADS) launcher for the navy carrier version. Having conducted all system has been delivered to the German environmental testing and Air Force. MEADS will replace Patriot Northrop Grumman’s now with the completion of in the US, Nike Hercules in Italy and ASTAMIDS can detect IEDs FIST, SBIRS GEO-1 is on track will replace Patriot and the retired Airborne surveillance, target to meet its scheduled spring Hawk system in Germany. MEADS acquisition and minefield 2011 launch aboard an Atlas International, a multinational joint detection system (ASTA- V launch vehicle from Cape venture headquartered in Orlando is MIDS) demonstrated it can Canaveral Air Force Station. the prime contractor for MEADS. detect simulated improvised The SBIRS highly elliptical The US Department of De- explosive devices (IEDs) in a orbit payloads have already Northrop Grumman fense has requested $7.86 recently completed US Army been launched. billion (`35,370 crore) for evaluation of the end-to-end • Northrop Grumman Systems Corpo- 42 F-35 strike fighters but system. The system was Europe ration has been awarded a $486 mil- their plans are unlikely to be flown on the Northrop Grum- lion (`2,187 crore) firm-fixed-price accepted as the proposal is man Corporation-owned MQ- Euro Hawk UAS undergoes modification to a previously awarded likely to undergo $1 billion 8B Fire Scout unmanned air a 30-hour flight indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity (`4,500 crore) cut which will system. ASTAMIDS’ laser also contract for the procurement of up to reduce the inventory by seven demonstrated its capability 99 Litening pods and 241 upgrade aircraft. Maryland-based as a target designator for kits and associated repair support Lockheed is the largest US Hellfire missiles, in three mis- for AV-8B (domestic and allied), F/A- defence contractor by sales. sile firings, all missiles made 18A+/C/D, EA-6B, A-10, F-15, F-16, The measure’s $667.7 bil- direct hits on their targets. and B-52 aircraft. lion (`30,047 crore) defence section also provides $450 Boeing Phantom Ray on Pilatus million (`2,025 crore) to keep NASA’s shuttle carrier developing General Electric’s The Boeing Phantom Ray Unmanned aircraft system • Pilatus Aircraft Ltd has an- F-35 backup engine. The air unmanned airborne system (UAS) Euro Hawk for the Ger- nounced that the Swiss Air Force force version will cost $111.6 sat atop a NASA shuttle car- man Air Force has

Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 37 newsDigest Show Calendar IAF-IGNOU join hands for Akashdeep QuickRoundUp Photograph: pib 24–26 January ddress- Airport Security ing pro- is to expand its successful PC-21 Asia 2011 Afessional Jet Pilot Training System with a Hong Kong SkyCity Marriot certification follow-up order for two further PC- Hotel, Hong Kong needs of higher 21 turboprop training aircraft with www.airportsecurityasia.com learning of its logistics and engineering services personnel below plus another debriefing system. 25–27 January officers rank Air Tankers and Aerial including recog- Pratt & Whitney Refuelling nition of ‘in ser- CCT Smithfield, London, UK vice’ training, • Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engine www.militaryairtankers.com Indian Air Force has crossed 20,000 test hours as it (IAF) has signed completes the ground development 25–26 January a memorandum of understanding with Indira Gandhi National and demonstration phase of the Future of Business Jets Open University (IGNOU), launching Akashdeep, a project regis- programme. The F135 accumulated in The Middle East 3,600 test hours during the concept tering existing airmen training institutes as community colleges Movenpick Hotel, Bahrain demonstration phase, 15,800 test www.quaynote.com enabling all serving airmen to obtain a bachelor’s degree within hours during development and more 8-13 years of their service. than 700 hours powering the F-35 26–28 January Under the arrangements, the two modules of the joint ba- lightning II flight test programme Low Cost Airlines sic phase training will enable airmen to earn credit points that World Asia Pacific would be transferred to IGNOU for completing their certificates, Raytheon Grand Hyatt, Singapore diplomas and associate degrees in arts, science, commerce, www.terrapinn.com/2011/lca business administration, hotel management, hospitality servic- Raytheon Company has received es, medical services, paramedical sciences, office management, a contract from Boeing for the 1–2 February automobile trade performing skill, vocal music, instrument mu- production of advanced APG-63(V)3 MRO Middle East 2011 sic, etc. Subsequent to this, an airman can enroll for a one-year active electronically scanned array Airport Expo Dubai, UAE distance learning programme with IGNOU leading to award of radars. The US Air Force and the US Air www.aviationweek.com/ bachelor’s degree. • National Guard will receive radars from events/current/mme/index.htm the contract and deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2011. The radars 2–3 February detect electronic and commu- Bombardier sells 15 Q400 are intended to enhance the perfor- Future MRO in Civil nications emitters. NextGen aircraft to SpiceJet mance of deployed F-15C aircraft and Aviation Conference Bombardier Aerospace has will replace the current mechanically Copthorne Tara Hotel, announced that SpiceJet, India scanned radar systems. With its superior London, UK Civil Aviation had placed a firm order for 15 targeting and tracking capabilities, www.smi-online.co.uk/events/ Q400 NextGen turboprop air- the APG-63(V)3 will enable aircrews to overview.asp?is=1&ref=3503 Asia-Pacific liners and has taken options detect and identify targets well beyond on an additional 15 airliners. the range of the existing systems. 9–13 February Praful Patel launches India’s Based on the list price for Aero India 2011 first sea plane service the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the Saab Air Force Station Yelahanka, firm order is valued at approx- Bengaluru, India imately $446 million (`2,007 • Swedish Matériel Administration www.aeroindia.in/Main.aspx crore) and could increase to has handed over a Saab 340 Erieye approximately $915 million AEW and a Saab 340 for transport 21–23 February 2011 (`4,118 crore) if all 15 options and training to the Royal Thai Air Indian Business are converted to firm orders. Force. It is the first element of the Aviation Expo (IBAE) SpiceJet currently serves 22 integrated air defence system that Hotel Shangri-La, destinations in India, Nepal Thailand has bought from Sweden. New Delhi, India and Sri Lanka. Bombardier Defence and security company www.miuevents.com/ibae2011 is making significant invest- Saab has received an order for the The seaplane, that has ments in the infrastructure GIRAFFE AMB multi-mission radar captured the imagination for its support and services system and related services from the successfully proved its of people, mainly through in India and the Asia-Pacific Australian Defence Materiel Organisa- long endurance capability with James Bond movies, has marketplace. Earlier this year, tion (DMO). The Giraffe AMB system is a 30.3-hour flight. It is built by finally arrived in India too. Bombardier opened its new a modular and flexible multi-mission Northrop Grumman Corpora- Union Civil Aviation Minister Regional Support Office (RSO) radar that is capable of simultaneous tion and EADS Deutschland Praful Patel has launched in Mumbai. This office serves air defence, air/ traffic management GmbH. The Euro Hawk is the the first seaplane of the both business and commercial as well as weapon location. first international configura- Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd aircraft customers. tion of the RQ-4 Global Hawk and has aptly named it ‘Jal Sagem high-altitude, long-endurance Hans’. At a ceremony held First RNP in India UAS. Based on the Block 20 at the Juhu Aerodrome in Airbus’ Quovadis RNP subsid- • Sagem has major hopes for the configuration, the Euro Hawk Mumbai, Patel said that the iary and IndiGo have success- armement air-sol modulaire (AASM). will be equipped with a signals government has plans to fully demonstrated, using an The AASM is a low-cost weapon that is intelligence mission system expand the services to most Airbus A320, the first required similar in concept to the Boeing Joint developed by Cassidian, proof the popular island and navigation performance (RNP) Direct Attack Munition developed by viding standoff capability to coastal destinations. flight of any

38 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net newsDigest Defence Procurement Policy 2011 announced in Illescas, Spain. The carbon RoundUp fibre placement process used Quick he Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) 2011 has been ex- for producing the 5.5-metre panded to include “civil aerospace, internal security, train- long, 56-square-metre fuse- the US that turns a general-purpose Ting within the ambit of the eligible products and services lage barrel, known as section bomb into a precision-guided for discharge of offsets obligations”. 19, will be completed in the munition (PGM). In addition, the AASM The Defence Ministry has announced the changes in the DPP coming weeks. The majority bridges the gap between weapons 2011 and included weapons, protective systems and communica- of the A350 XWB fuselage is such as the BGL laser guided bomb tion equipment for internal security forces and civil aircraft design made from long carbon fibre and the AS.30L, and long-range mis- and component manufacturing in the offsets compliance category. panels which are easier to siles such as the SCALP-EG. Minister of Defence A.K. Antony said that the list of eligible manufacture and to assemble offsets will include most aspects of civil aerospace (including air than barrel sections. Sukhoi frames, aero engines, aircraft components and avionics, aircraft design and engineering services, technical publications, and fly- Eurocopter starts testing of • The Sukhoi Superjet 100 has ing and technical training institutions). He said that these chang- the second EC175 helicopter completed two tests of vital es would provide a wider range of offset opportunities to vendors importance for final AR IAC certifica- participating in defence procurements and encourage building tion—emergency evacuation testing up of indigenous manufacturing capability in crucial areas. and rejected takeoff with maximum braking kinetic energy. According to In the defence sector, the list of eligible offsets include ar- the certification requirements to the moured, bullet proof and mine-protected vehicles, riot-control emergency evacuation testing, the equipment, unmanned aerial vehicles, night vision equipment, SSJ100 SN 95007 had 90 seconds navigation and communication systems, training aids such as to get all 98 volunteers of different simulators, and specialised counter terror equipment such as as- age groups and five crew members sault platforms and detection devices. The second EC175 prototype off the plane. AR IAC Sukhoi Superjet The new policy is expected to give boost to investments by helicopter has performed its 100 SN 95003 has also successfully original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). As per the existing first flight today at Eurocop- completed the most difficult certifica- policy, overseas vendors bagging deals worth over Rs 300 crore ter’s Marignane, France facil- tion test case—rejected takeoff with have to invest 30 per cent of contract’s worth into the defence ity, marking another on-time maximum braking kinetic energy. sector only. The DPP 2011 will allow foreign vendors to invest milestone in the development in related sectors such as civilian aerospace and industry and of this new-generation rotary- Thales internal security (weapons and equipment). Both the OEMs and wing aircraft. Airborne for 45 the local industry had been demanding changes in the DPP to minutes, the first flight vali- • Thales Raytheon Systems (TRS), in expand the defence production base in the country. dated basic handling qualities collaboration with Thales Germany, Antony mentioned that the policy had been refined after tak- and system functionality for has been selected by the German ing inputs from the defence industry, both Indian and overseas. the twin-engine EC175, which Federal Office for Defense Technol- “The policy also aims to establish a level-playing field for the is a joint programme of Euro- ogy and Procurement to supply Indian defence industry, both public and private sector,” he said. copter and Aviation Industry six Ground Master 400 (GM 400) Policies regarding the shipbuilding procedures have also been Corporation of China. long-range air defence radars for the reworked to encourage participation of private shipbuilding indus- Aktives Radarrundsuchgerät für den Einsatzführungsdienst programme. try in India in defence contracts. “These guidelines will provide a Space The contract is valued around €100 level-playing field for Indian shipyards and promote indigenisation million ($140 million). and self-reliance in warship construction,” he added. • Americas USAF Lockheed Martin to commercial airliner in business jet. The event is a support NASA • The US Air Force has successfully India, at Cochin International significant step in Honda’s NASA has selected Lockheed completed evaluation of Raytheon’s Airport—the nation’s seventh aerospace programme lead- Martin to support cargo mis- new distributed common ground sys- busiest airport. The new ing to delivery of aircraft in sion services for the Interna- tem (DCGS) Germany, enabling opera- procedure for India, which 2012. While Honda enters the tional Space Station (ISS). The tional use of the upgraded intelligence, has been jointly financed by flight test programme with potential value of the contract surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) Airbus and the French Civil its conforming HondaJet, the is $171 million (`770 crore), system. The network-centric upgrade Aviation Authority (DGAC), company also nears comple- with a three- year base and to DCGS is an important element of brings several benefits to both tion of its aircraft production additional options running the US Department of Defense’s initia- local authorities and airlines at facility on its Greensboro until 2017. Having sup- tive to enable seamless, real-time, Cochin International Airport. campus. The HondaJet pro- ported NASA’s cargo mission multi-agency intelligence sharing and duction facility is scheduled since 2004, Lockheed Martin collaboration. for completion in early 2011, proposed in its bid an in- Industry with the final phase of inte- novative set of new tools and USMC rior build-out now under way. processes to help NASA lower Asia-Pacific the overall cost of processing • Spirit AeroSystems has celebrated the Europe ISS cargo. Under the Cargo rollout of the Sikorsky CH-53K helicop- Honda achieves first flight of Mission Contract, Lockheed ter fuselage being delivered to support FAA-conforming HondaJet Airbus first fuselage barrel Martin will support planning, assembly of the first developmental The Honda Aircraft Company for the A350 XWB coordination, preparation test vehicle. The CH-53K helicopter is announced that it has suc- Airbus has started making the and packing of standardised a dual-piloted, multi-engine helicopter cessfully completed the first first carbon fibre barrel for containers for cargo missions that will provide the US Marine Corps flight of its FAA-conforming the A350 XWB fuselage at the to and from the International with improved heavy lift capability. HondaJet advanced light company’s production plant Space Station. • Issue 1 • 2011 SP’S AVIATION 39 LastWord Where are the Dividends?

ir Marshal P.K. Bar- The scale of the pro- bora retired as Vice grammes is massive, requir- Chief of the Air Staff on ing a change in mindset, co- December 31, 2010. ordinated and well-planned AKnown for his forthright views, approach, moving away from Barbora in his last official pub- bureaucratic delays that have lic conference did not mince been plaguing the nation. words on the languishing state One of the first things that of the Indian aerospace in- the country has to get off the dustry and one which had not block is to set up the much- “paid back dividends”. delayed National Aerospace Addressing the fifth Interna- Commission on the lines of tional Conference on Energis- space commission. ing Indian Aerospace Industry, Control regimes, Barbora the Air Marshal began by ask- remarked, meant denial of ing, “Do we have an aerospace technology from overseas. industry?” and answered, “Yes, India relies on imports “Scientists should realise that we do have in the form of de- for all its aerospace time and tide, wait for none…. fence public sector undertak- If you do not give us technology ings (DPSUs) and ordnance needs. Size-wise we are at that moment of time, we will units.” The next question he put have to go elsewhere. By the forth was, “Has it paid worth- comparable and bigger time you come up with tech- while dividends?” The matter- than many countries, but nology, it will be redundant,” of-fact reply was, “In the last 72 he said. It was a clarion call years, it has not paid us back production-wise, we lack to move away from transfer of dividends to the desired extent. commitment and a sense technology and licence produc- Size-wise we are comparable tion approach to core design- and bigger than many coun- of urgency, resulting in ing and core development. tries, but production-wise, we delays and cost overruns. The refrain at the confer- lack commitment and a sense ence too was that outsourcing of urgency, resulting in delays is an inescapable mantra as and cost overruns. We need to the DPSUs have their own in- seriously think about this.” herent limitations. If the aero- Consequently, India has to rely on imports for all its space industry has to get into a growth momentum, the gov- aerospace needs. “It means we are paying them so that they ernment has to remove the many anomalies that exist, thus can pay their people… in other words it is robbing Peter and liberalising the environment for the private sector. Competi- paying Paul.” The miniscule Indian exports are a blot on the tion among the private and public sector units is one way of potential that exists. looking at it—a level playing field. Indeed it is time to relook at the status of the Indian aero- Taking a pot shot at the offset policy, the Air Marshal space industry—time to get the political leadership to back aero- mentioned how a foreign vendor had to submit offset re- space programmes; time to invest massively in research and quirements about 20 times before giving up. Offset policies development; time to open up the industry for increased private of countries such as Brazil, Spain, Israel and South Korea sector and foreign participation; and time to develop domestic have benefited the host country and the good points can and overseas markets. There cannot be a better time than now be picked from here. About $20 billion (`90,000 crore) of as Indian aviation requirements, both military and civil, have offset is there to be absorbed and with few more deals this grown beyond imagination. The requirement of 126 medium year, India could close at $40 billion (`1,80,000 crore) offset multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) alone is worth $11 billion programmes and an opportune moment for India to truly (`49,500 crore). In the civil aviation realm, increased passenger energise its aerospace industry à la the way the automotive and cargo movements are the key drivers for airlines to expand industry was galvanised. SP

Photogra p h: A bhishek / Sp guide ubns and MRO and other facilities to come up at a faster pace. — R. Chandrakanth

40 SP’S AVIATION Issue 1 • 2011 www.spsaviation.net anotheWatcr introductionh out for our at See us in Hall E, Booth 22 Aero India 2011

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