IV/ 2014 Enter the A350 XWB Threats in the IOR India’s Budget 2014 Indian Army Artillery Global Helicopter Market Airshows : ILA, RIAT, FIA IV/ 2014 IV/ 2014 India’s Budget 2014 produced during 2013-2022, the C295 and CN235. Also 36 There were great expectations however with an overall dip in reviewed was the A330 MRTT but the new Government’s requirements. programme. budget announced on 10th July was somewhat more modest than anticipated. A week later, in the first DAC meeting, a series Enter the A350 XWB Threats in the IOR of procurements were approved India’s Budget 2014 Indian Army Artillery Global Helicopter Market Airshows : ILA, RIAT, FIA mostly for the Navy and the Coast Guard as also resurrection The Airbus A350 XWB of the ‘Avro replacement (photo courtesy Airbus) programme’. All systems Go ! 82 The cover story : Vayu continued DITORIAL ANEL its yatra during the ‘Airbus E P The Flying Artillery Innovation Days 2014’ event MANAGING EDITOR 68 Four years ago the US Congress with a visit to Toulouse and an Vikramjit Singh Chopra was notified of a possible extensive review of the A350 FMS to India of 22 AH-64D XWB all new family of mid sized EDITORIAL ADVISOR Block III Apache helicopters wide-body airliners. Admiral Arun Prakash and associated equipment. Sayan Majumdar reviews this EDITORIAL PANEL formidable attack helicopter in Pushpindar Singh its avatar as Boeing’s AH-64E Air Marshal Brijesh Jayal New PM on new Guardian. Dr. Manoj Joshi 38 Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar Carrier In his first visit to an operational Lt. Gen. SJS Sehgal military unit, Prime Minister Gp Capt JC Malik Narendra Modi spent time on Farnborough Cdr M Nirmal board the Indian Navy’s new 104 Monica Arora flagship, INS Vikramaditya. In International Airshow Angad Singh the following fortnight, Naval (FIA) 2014 Sonakshi Chaudhry Commander’s Conference, new In this Vayu-on-the-spot report, Vijay Matheswaran Defence Minister Arun Jaitley the editorial team ranges far Richard Gardner (UK) complimented the Indian Navy and free on its coverage of this Reuben Johnson (USA) “on its all round performance”. important biennial Air Show in Simon Watson (UK) In Search of Time England. Of particular interest Bertrand de Boisset (France) 70 to India was the ASRAAM for Dr Nick Evesenkin (Russia) Lost IAF Jaguars, but also updates Tamir Eshel (Israel) The Indian Army has not inducted on European fighters with new any new howitzers since an AESA radar and long range ADVERTISING & MARKETING MANAGER initial receipt of Bofors’ FH77B weaponry, high altitude long Husnal Kaur 155mm howitzers in 1987. The endurance surveillance aircraft, situation today is critical. India advanced turbofan engines for BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER needs to acquire large numbers the AMCA and of course, HAL’s Premjit Singh of artillery guns, and towards this interaction with the UK industry end, an ambitious Field Artillery on the proposed Indian Regional Rationalisation Plan (FARP) has Transport Aircraft programme. been formulated under which over two thousand new pieces 46 Clear and Present of artillery are to be procured. Danger Published by: Lieutenant YK Rajapaksa of the THE SOCIETY FOR AEROSpaCE STUDIES Sri Lankan Navy examines the D-43, Sujan Singh Park, ‘non-traditional security threats New Delhi 110 003 India in the Indian Ocean Region Tel: +91 11 24617234 (IOR)’. Also : ILA 2014 at Berlin ; Fax: +91 11 24628615 RIAT 2014 ; INS ‘Kamorta’ ; e-mail: [email protected] ‘Garuda V’ at Jodhpur ; e-mail: [email protected] 56 The Global Helicopter Interviews with Vitaly Borodich Visit us at : www.vayuaerospace.in Market of Irkut ; AVM BL Thakra of OIS In this survey of helicopter Aerospace; F- INSAS. Printed at Aegean Offset Printers upgrades and new developments, 89 In the Iberian it is expected that some 5000 The opinions expressed in the articles Peninsula Regular features : published in the Vayu Aerospace and civilian-use helicopters will be Vayu’s two day visit to Airbus Commentary, Viewpoint, Opinion, Defence Review do not necessarily reflect delivered over the years 2014- Defence and Space’s facilities Aviation & Defence in India, World the views or policies of The Society for 18. An additional 1400 light in Seville and Getafe in Spain Aviation & Defence News, Vayu 25 Years Aerospace Studies. military rotorcraft will also be involved updates on the A400M Back, Tale Spin. Visit us at: www.vayuaerospace.in 2 VAYU IV/2014 3 C O M M E N T A R Y around the $ 10 million mark). The dividends could be political Soaring high if there is an effective sales-push in developing countries, render he Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has proved itself them less prone to pressure from traditional suppliers in the west, Tyet again to be a dependable workhorse of the Indian Space China, South Korea etc. Diplomacy will have to chip in; it’s time Research Organisation (ISRO). The latest launch put in space five for those IFS superstars do some dukandari too, get their hands satellites on behalf of foreign clients. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dirty, for their commercial track-record is dismal. saw his first launch and used the occasion to spell out his vision The ‘profit’ would accrue to the defence industry, particularly before the scientists. The world is a family, he said and reiterated if the Modi government can foster a climate in which the private that India’s space programme was focused not on a desire for power, sector is not equated with a red-light area. A focus on exports would but on service. Thus, India shared disaster management data with expand the market, attract investment, bring economies of scale into over 30 countries. He asked ISRO to develop a SAARC satellite the equation: one reason why the private sector had been hesitant which would provide various applications and services to India’s was the sales-volumes were too low to make commercially viable the neighbours, thereby extending his SAARC-centric vision that was huge investments required for defence-grade manufacture. Having first visible at his swearing-in ceremony. to compete in a non-captive market could force the Ordnance ISRO has a long record of delivering excellence at a fraction of Factories and Defence PSUs to shake off their lethargy, upgrade the cost as compared with the Western world. The PSLV has proved the quality of their goods, cut down unproductive expenditure. itself and powered the nation’s space missions to the moon, and Maybe even the DRDO would get its act together. On paper the one currently on way to the Mars. As it moves forward from there is potential for medium-technology weaponry and a host the tried and tested PSLV to the temperamental Geosynchronous of other military stores. India boasts some ‘historic’ production Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) launch vehicles, which have centres, trouble is they were little modernised since they operated much more potential, it will need the continued support of the in monopoly conditions. Perhaps the biggest gains could come government, which the Prime Minister’s involvement indicated in attracting FDI in the defence sector ~ whether 100 per cent, will be forthcoming. ISRO’s original mission has been to provide or less is a matter for quibbling ~ for comparatively low labour the wherewithal to the country through which it can make and rates and a re-export regime could prove alluring. Provided Modi launch satellites that enhance its communication, broadcasting, means business. remote sensing and disaster management capabilities. In this it has From The Statesman excelled and made the country proud. Even as ISRO celebrates the success of the latest mission, it must now also focus on increasing the payload capacity that it Still a secret can deliver, for which it needs to master the much more difficult ast March, while in opposition, Arun Jaitley vehemently cryogenic technology that the GSLV requires. ISRO has had a mixed Ldemanded declassification of the Henderson Brooks-PS Bhagat record on the GSLV, though every mission has been a learning Report that has examined the Army’s reverses suffered during the experience. It needs to ensure that the GSLV launches deliver the 1962 Sino-Indian war. Mr Jaitley voiced his demand - both verbally same consistency as the PSLV, even as it works on the satellite that and in the form of an article - after former Australian journalist the Prime Minister has suggested for SAARC nations. Neville Maxwell posted most of the report on the website. Now four From The Tribune months later, as Defence Minister, Mr Jaitley has done a U-turn by announcing in Parliament that the disclosure of any information related to this report “will not be in national interest”. Pushing arms sales The surprising turnaround raises two issues. One, politicians nitially it would appear incongruous that one of the world’s top have a different voice when in opposition and can be both quick and Iimporters of military equipment should seek to boost the export unabashed to do a complete reversal when in government. Two, the of its own products, yet the Prime Minister’s emphasis on that has fact that the government under every political dispensation in the several positive facets. Like all seemingly “fresh” thinking it could last two-and-a-half decades has consistently stonewalled the release run into difficulties, but who can deny that for some time now of the report reflects that either there is something serious to hide India has been looking to sell military stores abroad: with minimal or the government is being obsessively secretive. Lt Gen Thomas success. Whether that was because of unclear political thinking, Bryan Henderson Brooks, an Anglo-Indian officer in the Indian or just plain inefficiency and a sarkari inability to operate in a Army, along with Brig (later Lt.