IV/2013 ARerospace &Defence eview Heroism in the Hills Time for the Tejas ? The Rotorcraft Scene Indian Naval Aviation turns 60 Paris Air Show 2013 Eurocopter at Marignane CFM IV/2013 IV/2013 Aerospace &Defence Review Hell & Heroism in Do we want the not much ‘Of Indian Interest’ at 32 52 the Show but HAL’s Chalet was the Hills Tejas – or Not ? rendezvous for many. The last fortnight of June 2013 Air Commodore Parvez Kokhar had scores of helicopters puts its straight when he poses and aircraft engaged in what this question : after 30 years became one of the largest air in the making and cost over Heroism in the Hills Time for the Tejas ? rescue operations in the world. runs, should the IAF now induct The Rotorcraft Scene Indian Naval Aviation turns 60 The IAF deployed 64 aircraft, the Tejas LCA ? The emphatic Paris Air Show 2013 Eurocopter at Marignane mostly helicopters (in Operation answer is both YES and NO ! IAF Mi-17V5 takes off from Dharasu ALG, Rahat) while Army Aviation Read on ! with C-130J at the background (in Operation Surya Hope) (photo courtesy PRO IAF). supported relief operations with another 13 helicopters plus Base Arienne a mountain brigade, in addition 102 EDITORIAL PANEL to which were 12 civil-registered BA 118 at helicopters, evacuating over MANAGING EDITOR Mont-de-Marsan 52,000 people and transporting Continuing Vayu’s tour in Vikramjit Singh Chopra some 400 tonnes of relief stores. France, courtesy the French EDITORIAL ADVISOR Ministry of Defence, was visit to the Armee de l’Air’s largest Admiral Arun Prakash air base for briefings on air EDITORIAL PANEL defence systems, space imagery and defence/intelligence Pushpindar Singh telecommunications as also the Air Marshal Brijesh Jayal The Rotorcraft Scene 61 This Vayu survey on the Global Military Air Experiment Centre Air Cdre. Jasjit Singh ‘Fly Navy’ ! Rotorcraft Market looks at (CEAM). Included is the ‘Pilot’s Dr. Manoj Joshi 38 60 years of Indian Naval Aviation the near and mid-term future, perspective on MBDA weapons Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar were commemorated in May with inputs from Forecast at BA 118 Mont-de-Marsan’. Lt. Gen. SJS Sehgal 2013 with commissioning of the International. Despite various Navy’s first multirole combat Gp Capt JC Malik challenges including looming aircraft squadron – INAS 303 defence budget cuts, the industry Cdr M Nirmal ‘Black Panthers’ – equipped with is expected to grow in tandem Monica Arora the MiG-29K/KUB shipborne with eventual economic recovery Angad Singh fighter. Angad Singh ofVayu spent and global military expansion. Richard Gardner (UK) four days in Goa to bring readers In this context, ‘Helicopters in this comprehensive overview of Reuben Johnson (USA) the Indian Equation’ reviews the Indian Naval Aviation as well as requirement for large numbers Aviation Aficionado’s Simon Watson (UK) on the commissioning ceremony. of helicopters particularly by the 111 Bertrand de Boisset (France) Indian Navy and Army Aviation. Paradise Dr Nick Evesenkin (Russia) Thereafter, Vayu’s Managing Editor visited Eurocopter Tamir Eshel (Israel) at Marignane, which, as a ADVERTISING & MARKETING MANAGER location, does not get better. The Franco-German-Spanish Husnal Kaur Eurocopter Group is part of BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER EADS which, with more than 11,800 helicopters in service Premjit Singh 44 Time for Introspection in 148 countries, accounts for Admiral Arun Prakash, former 33% present of world helicopter CNS, feels that it is time fleet in the civil and para public for introspection as Indian market. Naval Aviation turns 60. The proliferation of aviation assets Published by: in terms of aircraft carriers Braving the Economy THE SOCIETY FOR AEROSPACE STUDIES helicopters, MR-ASW and 80 D-43, Sujan Singh Park, AEW assets as well as UAVs is – and Elements New Delhi 110 003 India indicative not only of the growing The Vayu editorial team were on ground at Le Bourget in Tel: +91 11 24617234 salience of aviation in maritime operations, but also of the huge mid-June 2013 to cover the Fax: +91 11 24628615 Also : burden of responsibility on the 50th Paris Air Show. Braving Changing Dynamics, A Paradigm e-mail: [email protected] air arm and its people. the rain, scores of companies Change, State-of-the-A400M, First e-mail: [email protected] were met, interviews held and A350 XWB flight, Mediterranean conferences attended. Not Caimans, Yudh Abhyas 2013. Printed at Aegean Offset Printers unexpectedly, the ‘big two’ announced massive orders The opinions expressed in the articles Regular features : published in the Vayu Aerospace and (‘Devilish Haul’), with Airbus Commentary, Outlook, Viewpoint, Defence Review do not necessarily reflect announcing commitments for Aviation & Defence in India, World the views or policies of The Society for 1000 new airliners and Boeing Aviation & Defence News, Vayu 25 Aerospace Studies. just a little behind. There was years back, Tale Spin Visit us at: www.vayuaerospace.in Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks. With the A380, the sky is yours. Designed for airline growth, it carries 30% more passengers to boost direct and connecting traffi c into your network. So you can capture more business, open new routes and increase profi table connecting traffi c. That means higher market share, higher load factors and higher revenues. Own the sky Airbus_VAYU_JulyAug.indd Pg1 Mundocom UK 14/06/2013 16:39 Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks. With the A380, the sky is yours. Designed for airline growth, it carries 30% more passengers to boost direct and connecting traffi c into your network. So you can capture more business, open new routes and increase profi table connecting traffi c. That means higher market share, higher load factors and higher revenues. Own the sky Airbus_VAYU_JulyAug.indd Pg1 Mundocom UK 14/06/2013 16:39 C O M M E N T A R Y unit, expressed confidence that deals would follow the jet’s first Airbus vs. Boeing at Paris test flight due shortly. t close of the Paris Air Show 2013, Airbus emerged as Andrew Parker in Financial Times Athe narrow victor over Boeing by unveiling deals valued at $68.7bn to sell 466 passenger jets to airlines and leasing companies. This compared to Boeing’s sales total of 442 aircraft Rescue Mission valued at $66.4bn, although the more important statistics are that n response to the Uttarakhand tragedy, the Indian Air Force Airbus has so far this year secured orders for 734 aircraft, while Imay have mounted the biggest heli-lift in its history. The the US group has 692. Indo-Tibetan Border Police has built helipads, vehicular routes Apart from numbers that highlighted sustained demand for and foot-tracks. Of course, the Army has also made a marvellous passenger jets, the show captured the escalating battle between contribution to the evacuation effort. This is reminiscent of Airbus and Boeing in the twin-engined widebody aircraft what has happened in numerous earlier cases like the Sikkim market, where the US group is intent on retaining its lead. It also earthquake in 2011: our armed forces provide the most effective highlighted Airbus’ comfortable lead in sales of next generation disaster response force. narrow-body jets. And because their history of help has built a framework of And while fighter jets performed deafening displays at the trust, it is of genuine comfort to hear Air Chief Marshal NAK show, Paris had few significant announcements by the defence Browne promise that the IAF's helicopter rotors will not stop industry. Some groups – notably from the US – chose to stay churning till it gets each and every pilgrim out. But massive away, such as Northrop Grumman. Fabrice Brégier, chief reconstruction work lies ahead of the rescue mission. Roads, executive of Airbus, said his civil aerospace-focused company communication towers and power transmission lines have to had an “excellent air show”, in spite of the poor weather, which be rebuilt. Local people, whose concerns have hitherto taken included several spectacular thunderstorms. “I discovered air a backseat to the tourists, have lost their livestock, livelihoods, shows are like weddings – when it’s raining we are getting schools, shops, homes, farms and even their entire village in lucky,” he added. extreme cases. They will need sustained succour. Many of them Furthermore, Airbus and Boeing included in their sales tallies relied on the annual yatra season to sustain them, and this is in at the show this year some deals that were already known before limbo now. Kedarnath and various other revered temple sites the event – for example, Singapore Airlines announced before need major restoration. the show that it planned to buy some of the manufacturers’ jets. Although the armed forces have hitherto filled in the vacuum Boeing’s tally also included some orders recorded on its books of civic management, this will not suffice in the coming days. before the show. Already there are signs that the confusion between various Airbus secured orders for 65 A350s at the show, bringing government agencies will impede relief work. The National the sales total to 678 for this airliner which involves a Disaster Management Agency has failed us horribly. But we need step-change in technology and materials because it is made it to reboot and take charge of coordinating the rehabilitation mainly from lightweight carbon-fibre reinforced plastic rather exercise. Unfortunately, its failure to acknowledge culpability than traditional aluminium, to reduce fuel burn. But A350 does not really signal a turnaround any time soon. sales are running behind the jet it is designed to compete For long-term reconstruction and recovery the Uttarakhand with – Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner has attracted orders for government will have to rethink existing policies - or more 930 aircraft, partly reflecting how the US group launched accurately the lack of them - in such areas as unregulated its product earlier.