Indian Air Force: IAF Guns for 42 operational fighter squadrons by 2022
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Indian Armed Forces Getting What They've Asked For — UAVs
The Indian Defence ministry has approved another major induction of UAVs for armed forces, with surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions becoming critical on the western and eastern fronts as well as along the huge coastline.
The Indian Army is going in for two more “troops” (six to eight birds each) of advanced Heron UAVs from Israel for Rs 1,118 crore, after getting the nod from the Defence Acquisitions Council headed by defence minister A. K. Antony. The 1.13-million strong force has also projected a requirement of seven “troops” of the Rustom drones being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation and Aeronautical Development Establishment in a Rs 1,000 crore project with Israeli help. As a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) drone, Rustom will be capable of operating for 24 hours, with a 300-km range and a 10,000-metre maximum altitude. The Army is already inducting the indigenous Nishant and Lakshya UAVs.
Similarly, the Indian Navy’s case for two more Israeli UAVs at a cost of Rs 386 crore has also been approved, in addition to the ongoing Rs 1,163 crore joint project between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and DRDO for NRUAVs (naval rotary UAVs). Thev Navy is already using its UAV fleet of eight Searcher-II and four Herons for maritime surveillance up to 200 nautical miles. With Army planning to induct these miniature spy drones right down to the battalion-level by 2017, it’s keen they also be capable of carrying explosives for “hard kill” of “light targets”.
Apart from regular infantry units, Para (Special Forces) battalions will also get “stealthy” drones for covert missions beyond enemy lines and counter-terrorism operations. The armed forces had gone in for a major infusion of Israeli UAVs after the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2002 Operation Parakram in the wake of Parliament terror attack. At present, they have more than 100 UAVs, primarily Israeli ones such Searcher-II and Heron, as also some “killer drones” designed to detect and destroy enemy radars by functioning like cruise missiles. While the aim in the 11th Plan (2007-2012) period is to also induct armed drones like the American ‘Predators’, which are being successfully used to take on Taliban in Af-Pak region with their ‘Hellfire’ missiles, the eventual objective is to have full-fledged UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles). The plan, as of now, is to further boost the snooping capabilities of armed forces as well as fully-integrate UAVs with weapon platforms for delivering precision-guided munitions.
Indian Armed Forces Getting What They've Asked For UAVs : Satnews Publishers
The Indian Defence ministry has approved another major induction of UAVs for armed forces, with surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions becoming critical on the western and eastern fronts as well as along the huge coastline.
The Indian Army is going in for two more “troops” (six to eight birds each) of advanced Heron UAVs from Israel for Rs 1,118 crore, after getting the nod from the Defence Acquisitions Council headed by defence minister A. K. Antony. The 1.13-million strong force has also projected a requirement of seven “troops” of the Rustom drones being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation and Aeronautical Development Establishment in a Rs 1,000 crore project with Israeli help. As a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) drone, Rustom will be capable of operating for 24 hours, with a 300-km range and a 10,000-metre maximum altitude. The Army is already inducting the indigenous Nishant and Lakshya UAVs.
Similarly, the Indian Navy’s case for two more Israeli UAVs at a cost of Rs 386 crore has also been approved, in addition to the ongoing Rs 1,163 crore joint project between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and DRDO for NRUAVs (naval rotary UAVs). Thev Navy is already using its UAV fleet of eight Searcher-II and four Herons for maritime surveillance up to 200 nautical miles. With Army planning to induct these miniature spy drones right down to the battalion-level by 2017, it’s keen they also be capable of carrying explosives for “hard kill” of “light targets”.
Apart from regular infantry units, Para (Special Forces) battalions will also get “stealthy” drones for covert missions beyond enemy lines and counter-terrorism operations. The armed forces had gone in for a major infusion of Israeli UAVs after the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2002 Operation Parakram in the wake of Parliament terror attack. At present, they have more than 100 UAVs, primarily Israeli ones such Searcher-II and Heron, as also some “killer drones” designed to detect and destroy enemy radars by functioning like cruise missiles. While the aim in the 11th Plan (2007-2012) period is to also induct armed drones like the American ‘Predators’, which are being successfully used to take on Taliban in Af-Pak region with their ‘Hellfire’ missiles, the eventual objective is to have full-fledged UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles). The plan, as of now, is to further boost the snooping capabilities of armed forces as well as fully-integrate UAVs with weapon platforms for delivering precision-guided munitions.
Indian Armed Forces Getting What They've Asked For UAVs : Satnews Publishers
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IAF steps into future, goes total net-centric
Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Monday emphasised the need for a four pronged approach by the Indian Air Force Comm-anders viz. to see first and farthest, reach the target first and fastest, hit hard wi-th accuracy, and protect the available assets and maintain their airworthiness at all times.
Inaugurating the two-day annual conference of commanders here, he said the IAF is stepping forward to be totally net-centric which will be the future operational requirement. New acquisitions of aircraft and weapon system are on track, which will act as a force multiplier and transform the IAF into the 21st century aerospace power.
The Air Chief further stressed for a need to achieve accident free environment and exhorted commanders to put their best to safe guard the areas and airspace concerned.
He later awarded the Best Flying Training Establishment Trophy and Best in Maintenance Trophy to Air Force Station, Hakimpet while the Air Force Station, Tambaram received the Best Ground Training Establishment Trophy. The Air Force Administrative College, Coimbatore bagged the Best in Administration Trophy.
Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Monday emphasised the need for a four pronged approach by the Indian Air Force Comm-anders viz. to see first and farthest, reach the target first and fastest, hit hard wi-th accuracy, and protect the available assets and maintain their airworthiness at all times.
Inaugurating the two-day annual conference of commanders here, he said the IAF is stepping forward to be totally net-centric which will be the future operational requirement. New acquisitions of aircraft and weapon system are on track, which will act as a force multiplier and transform the IAF into the 21st century aerospace power.
The Air Chief further stressed for a need to achieve accident free environment and exhorted commanders to put their best to safe guard the areas and airspace concerned.
He later awarded the Best Flying Training Establishment Trophy and Best in Maintenance Trophy to Air Force Station, Hakimpet while the Air Force Station, Tambaram received the Best Ground Training Establishment Trophy. The Air Force Administrative College, Coimbatore bagged the Best in Administration Trophy.
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FORCE August 2009
‘There is An Ambitious Programme to Expand Our Space Communications Capability Over the Next Decade’
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik PVSM, VSM, ADC
What are your operational KRAs?
India, being a large country with lot of resources and a large population, has immense potential and is an emerging power. As an emerging power you have attendant responsibilities as well as larger security challenges. In order to meet the country’s security challenges the IAF needs ‘Strategic Reach and Capability’. Therefore, my critical focus is on acceleration of build up of the IAF, which is seriously affected by the depletion due to phasing out of aircraft and systems since last few years. A very comprehensive modernisation plan is already underway. It involves enhancement and modernisation of our Air Defence and Offensive Strike capabilities, enhancement of our force multipliers, and operationalisation of our Space and NCW capabilities.
With the induction of large number of aircraft, weapon systems, Air Defence radars, AWACS etc, there is a need to ‘operationalise’ these at the earliest. This is another critical KRA.
‘Jointmanship’ would be the key to success in any future war. There is a greater need to synergise our technological and operational capabilities with the sister services towards enhancing our joint operational capability. Jointness would be essential not only in employment of combat forces, but also in integrated development of operational concepts and strategies for war fighting.
What is meant by ‘surgical air strikes’? If undertaken ever against Pakistan, will these escalate to a full-scale war that could cross the nuclear threshold? If not, why?
‘Surgical Air Strikes’ are precision strikes carried out with Precision Guided Weapons based on accurate intelligence. It is difficult to predict as to what would be the response of the adversary in such a situation. However, I would like to assure you that IAF is fully prepared to face any contingency.
Your predecessor had said that the desired progress on construction of ALGs in the eastern sector against China could not be achieved. What are the reasons for this and what priority will you accord to catch up with the results as envisaged in the 11th defence plan (2007-2012)?
There is a renewed focus towards the development of North Eastern states by the government of India. Logistical infrastructure in the Northeast has lagged for many decades. The government of India has now identified this as a high priority requirement not only from military operational point of view but even more from the angle of social and economic development of the region. While road and rail infrastructure development are being given a boost, the ALG and air connectivity to the border areas in this region are of critical importance. Construction and development of ALGs in the remote locations is as much a humanitarian and peacetime requirement as during operations. This gains further importance due to the high altitudes and inaccessible terrain where these ALGs are located. As part of this renewed focus, the IAF has been tasked to develop and maintain ALGs in the Northeast. This is a high priority area. We are going ahead full steam with the projects and soon the results would be visible.
What is the roadmap and timeline for operational integration of the three AWACS, considering that all would join the IAF, hopefully, by 2010? In what priority would the roles and missions be allocated to the AWACS?
The first AWACS arrived on 25 May 2009 and has already commenced operations. The other two AWACS would be with the IAF by mid-2010. These would be integrated into the envisaged Command and Control system known as ‘Integrated Air Command and Control System’ (IACCS) which is also planned to be operational by 2010. It would give immense boost to our Air Defence capability.
The IAF plans to utilise AWACS as Airborne Control and Intercept station while operating in conjunction with ground-based automated Command and Control Centre (IACCS), for the purpose of achieving Air Dominance. It would be a strategic asset to be employed for air battle management in specified areas and providing support to Offensive Air Operations. The other important roles would be air space management and control in nominated areas, electronic and communications surveillance and AD cover to land-based strategic assets or to a naval battle group/flotilla.
What will be the stages for the flight evaluation of the MRCA competitors? When will the flight evaluation commence and when do you expect to have the results ready?
MMRCA procurement is in progress as per the procedure given in DPP — 2006. The Field Evaluation Trials (FET) for MMRCA are planned to be conducted in India and abroad. The aircraft will be evaluated under India specific conditions at Bangalore, Jaisalmer and Leh for assessment of flying qualities, aircraft performance, systems and firing of conventional weapons. Thereafter, evaluations of advanced avionics, radar, EW suite and weapons will be undertaken at vendor specified locations. The field evaluations are likely to be completed by mid-2010.
What surveillance capabilities and its approximate numbers to include aerostats, SAR, high and medium powered radars, LLTR, and UAVs (medium and high altitude) are expected to be procured from outside and built indigenously by the end of the 12th defence plan (2012-2017)? What space-based capabilities are being sought in the same timeframe?
IAF is procuring Aerostats to enhance coverage in the Western and the South Western sectors. High Power Radars (HPRs) are considered to be adequate. The IAF is planning to phase out some of the Medium Power Radars (MPRs) which have already completed their useful life. IAF has contracted for MPRs with ELTA Israel and their delivery would commence from 2010. DRDO is also developing MPRs. IAF has a deficiency in LLTR and we plan to procure some of these LLTRs under BUY category while the remaining would be manufactured under TOT. The contract for these radars is likely to be signed shortly.
IAF is also planning to procure Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs and indigenously built Rustom UAVs from ADE Bangalore. These UAVs would have the capability to fly long range missions and will have satellite communication.
Space capabilities are essential for successful military operations. IAF is acquiring requisite ground-based capabilities, to optimally exploit the existing space-based assets of ISRO to meet its surveillance needs. There is an ambitious programme to expand our space communications capability over the next decade. We would also have our Space Navigation aids, on the lines of GPS, by early next decade.
Air space management in peacetime is an important task of the IAF. With growing civil aviation, how is this being tackled, especially with regards to the integration of all national radar resources of the army, navy and the civil sector?
The Air Defence of the Indian Airspace is the responsibility of the IAF. During peacetime, in particular, this requires efficient and safe management of the Indian Airspace. The responsibility of Air space management is divided between the IAF and the Airport Authority of India (AAI). With exponential growth in civil aviation underway, the need for integration of civil and military radars was felt long ago. Khola committee which was set up post 9/11, also recommended the need for civil and military radar integration. The IAF is progressing well in integrating all its sensors. The first such node would become operational in the Western sector by October 2009. All radars in Western and South Western sector would be integrated within a year. The integration of civil radars is also progressing side by side. The IAF has plans to integrate all radars of IAF, army, navy and civil, in order to enable comprehensive Air Defence of the country.
What is the update on network-centric warfare, especially on the AFNET, the induction of Integrated Air Command and Control (IACC) and data linking of combat assets? How will this affect the sensor-shooter loop?
The implementation of AFNET which is based on Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) network is progressing satisfactorily. After engineering of all links as per design and stabilisation period, AFNET would function as the backbone for IAF’s network-centric warfare capabilities linking the sensors with the shooters. Various other combat applications including the IACCS and linking of combat assets would be achieved through AFNET. This is expected to substantially reduce time of sensor-shooter loop and enhance our combat capability.
What air defence assets are being sought by the end of the 12th defence plan? The IAF has procured limited numbers of SPYDER and Akash missiles for protection of VA and VP. What approximate numbers would be sought during the 12th defence plan?
The IAF is embarked on a modernisation plan that involves induction of new weapon systems and technologies and also upgrading our existing assets. The Surface to Air Guided Weapon procurements includes the already contracted Akash, SPYDER LLQRM and Medium Range SAM systems. IAF’s plan includes induction of required number of SAGWs with different ranges such as the Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORADS), Short Range Air Defence Systems (SRSAMS), Medium Range Air Defence Systems (MRSAM) and Extended Range Surface to Air Missile Systems (ERSAM) in the 12th and 13th plan period.
Provisioning of spares, especially of Russian origin platforms, continues to be a problem area. What do you propose to do in this regard with the OEMs and HAL?
There is a problem in procuring spares of Russian origin. However, in the month of April 2009, there was an inter-governmental meeting between Government of Russian Federation and Government of India on the after sales support of Russian arms and military equipment. In this meeting the problems faced by IAF have been communicated in detail to the Russian representatives. The Russian Government has agreed to look into the matter and try to resolve the issues. HAL has been supporting many of IAF’s existing Russian fleet. More indigenisation efforts by HAL are also expected to improve the situation.
FORCE - A Complete News Magazine on National Security - Defence Magazine
‘There is An Ambitious Programme to Expand Our Space Communications Capability Over the Next Decade’
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik PVSM, VSM, ADC
What are your operational KRAs?
India, being a large country with lot of resources and a large population, has immense potential and is an emerging power. As an emerging power you have attendant responsibilities as well as larger security challenges. In order to meet the country’s security challenges the IAF needs ‘Strategic Reach and Capability’. Therefore, my critical focus is on acceleration of build up of the IAF, which is seriously affected by the depletion due to phasing out of aircraft and systems since last few years. A very comprehensive modernisation plan is already underway. It involves enhancement and modernisation of our Air Defence and Offensive Strike capabilities, enhancement of our force multipliers, and operationalisation of our Space and NCW capabilities.
With the induction of large number of aircraft, weapon systems, Air Defence radars, AWACS etc, there is a need to ‘operationalise’ these at the earliest. This is another critical KRA.
‘Jointmanship’ would be the key to success in any future war. There is a greater need to synergise our technological and operational capabilities with the sister services towards enhancing our joint operational capability. Jointness would be essential not only in employment of combat forces, but also in integrated development of operational concepts and strategies for war fighting.
What is meant by ‘surgical air strikes’? If undertaken ever against Pakistan, will these escalate to a full-scale war that could cross the nuclear threshold? If not, why?
‘Surgical Air Strikes’ are precision strikes carried out with Precision Guided Weapons based on accurate intelligence. It is difficult to predict as to what would be the response of the adversary in such a situation. However, I would like to assure you that IAF is fully prepared to face any contingency.
Your predecessor had said that the desired progress on construction of ALGs in the eastern sector against China could not be achieved. What are the reasons for this and what priority will you accord to catch up with the results as envisaged in the 11th defence plan (2007-2012)?
There is a renewed focus towards the development of North Eastern states by the government of India. Logistical infrastructure in the Northeast has lagged for many decades. The government of India has now identified this as a high priority requirement not only from military operational point of view but even more from the angle of social and economic development of the region. While road and rail infrastructure development are being given a boost, the ALG and air connectivity to the border areas in this region are of critical importance. Construction and development of ALGs in the remote locations is as much a humanitarian and peacetime requirement as during operations. This gains further importance due to the high altitudes and inaccessible terrain where these ALGs are located. As part of this renewed focus, the IAF has been tasked to develop and maintain ALGs in the Northeast. This is a high priority area. We are going ahead full steam with the projects and soon the results would be visible.
What is the roadmap and timeline for operational integration of the three AWACS, considering that all would join the IAF, hopefully, by 2010? In what priority would the roles and missions be allocated to the AWACS?
The first AWACS arrived on 25 May 2009 and has already commenced operations. The other two AWACS would be with the IAF by mid-2010. These would be integrated into the envisaged Command and Control system known as ‘Integrated Air Command and Control System’ (IACCS) which is also planned to be operational by 2010. It would give immense boost to our Air Defence capability.
The IAF plans to utilise AWACS as Airborne Control and Intercept station while operating in conjunction with ground-based automated Command and Control Centre (IACCS), for the purpose of achieving Air Dominance. It would be a strategic asset to be employed for air battle management in specified areas and providing support to Offensive Air Operations. The other important roles would be air space management and control in nominated areas, electronic and communications surveillance and AD cover to land-based strategic assets or to a naval battle group/flotilla.
What will be the stages for the flight evaluation of the MRCA competitors? When will the flight evaluation commence and when do you expect to have the results ready?
MMRCA procurement is in progress as per the procedure given in DPP — 2006. The Field Evaluation Trials (FET) for MMRCA are planned to be conducted in India and abroad. The aircraft will be evaluated under India specific conditions at Bangalore, Jaisalmer and Leh for assessment of flying qualities, aircraft performance, systems and firing of conventional weapons. Thereafter, evaluations of advanced avionics, radar, EW suite and weapons will be undertaken at vendor specified locations. The field evaluations are likely to be completed by mid-2010.
What surveillance capabilities and its approximate numbers to include aerostats, SAR, high and medium powered radars, LLTR, and UAVs (medium and high altitude) are expected to be procured from outside and built indigenously by the end of the 12th defence plan (2012-2017)? What space-based capabilities are being sought in the same timeframe?
IAF is procuring Aerostats to enhance coverage in the Western and the South Western sectors. High Power Radars (HPRs) are considered to be adequate. The IAF is planning to phase out some of the Medium Power Radars (MPRs) which have already completed their useful life. IAF has contracted for MPRs with ELTA Israel and their delivery would commence from 2010. DRDO is also developing MPRs. IAF has a deficiency in LLTR and we plan to procure some of these LLTRs under BUY category while the remaining would be manufactured under TOT. The contract for these radars is likely to be signed shortly.
IAF is also planning to procure Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs and indigenously built Rustom UAVs from ADE Bangalore. These UAVs would have the capability to fly long range missions and will have satellite communication.
Space capabilities are essential for successful military operations. IAF is acquiring requisite ground-based capabilities, to optimally exploit the existing space-based assets of ISRO to meet its surveillance needs. There is an ambitious programme to expand our space communications capability over the next decade. We would also have our Space Navigation aids, on the lines of GPS, by early next decade.
Air space management in peacetime is an important task of the IAF. With growing civil aviation, how is this being tackled, especially with regards to the integration of all national radar resources of the army, navy and the civil sector?
The Air Defence of the Indian Airspace is the responsibility of the IAF. During peacetime, in particular, this requires efficient and safe management of the Indian Airspace. The responsibility of Air space management is divided between the IAF and the Airport Authority of India (AAI). With exponential growth in civil aviation underway, the need for integration of civil and military radars was felt long ago. Khola committee which was set up post 9/11, also recommended the need for civil and military radar integration. The IAF is progressing well in integrating all its sensors. The first such node would become operational in the Western sector by October 2009. All radars in Western and South Western sector would be integrated within a year. The integration of civil radars is also progressing side by side. The IAF has plans to integrate all radars of IAF, army, navy and civil, in order to enable comprehensive Air Defence of the country.
What is the update on network-centric warfare, especially on the AFNET, the induction of Integrated Air Command and Control (IACC) and data linking of combat assets? How will this affect the sensor-shooter loop?
The implementation of AFNET which is based on Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) network is progressing satisfactorily. After engineering of all links as per design and stabilisation period, AFNET would function as the backbone for IAF’s network-centric warfare capabilities linking the sensors with the shooters. Various other combat applications including the IACCS and linking of combat assets would be achieved through AFNET. This is expected to substantially reduce time of sensor-shooter loop and enhance our combat capability.
What air defence assets are being sought by the end of the 12th defence plan? The IAF has procured limited numbers of SPYDER and Akash missiles for protection of VA and VP. What approximate numbers would be sought during the 12th defence plan?
The IAF is embarked on a modernisation plan that involves induction of new weapon systems and technologies and also upgrading our existing assets. The Surface to Air Guided Weapon procurements includes the already contracted Akash, SPYDER LLQRM and Medium Range SAM systems. IAF’s plan includes induction of required number of SAGWs with different ranges such as the Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORADS), Short Range Air Defence Systems (SRSAMS), Medium Range Air Defence Systems (MRSAM) and Extended Range Surface to Air Missile Systems (ERSAM) in the 12th and 13th plan period.
Provisioning of spares, especially of Russian origin platforms, continues to be a problem area. What do you propose to do in this regard with the OEMs and HAL?
There is a problem in procuring spares of Russian origin. However, in the month of April 2009, there was an inter-governmental meeting between Government of Russian Federation and Government of India on the after sales support of Russian arms and military equipment. In this meeting the problems faced by IAF have been communicated in detail to the Russian representatives. The Russian Government has agreed to look into the matter and try to resolve the issues. HAL has been supporting many of IAF’s existing Russian fleet. More indigenisation efforts by HAL are also expected to improve the situation.
FORCE - A Complete News Magazine on National Security - Defence Magazine
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Indian Air Force to receive $7.2 million FLIR's multi-sensor surveillance systems
Thu, Aug 6, 2009
FLIR Systems, Inc. announced today that it has received a $7.2 million U.S. Government Foreign Military Sale (FMS) order for the Indian Air Force. The order includes FLIR System's Star SAFIRE III infrared multi-sensor surveillance systems, training and The units delivered under this award will be installed on C-130J Fixed Wing Surveillance Platforms in support of Indian Ministry of Defense airborne missions.
This FMS order represents the first fixed-wing sale of FLIR's multi-sensor systems to the Indian Ministry of Defense. Work on this order will be performed at FLIR's facility in Wilsonville, Oregon and deliveries are expected to be completed by 2011.
"This order, the result of FLIR's world-class products and significant investment in regional support and training, demonstrates our ability to penetrate new international markets," said Earl R. Lewis, President and CEO of FLIR Systems. "We are pleased the Indian Ministry of Defense has chosen FLIR products for their critical homeland security and national defense missions and look forward to collaborating with them in the future."
http://www.defenseworld.net/go/defensenews.jsp?id=3410&h=Indian%20Air%20Force%20to%20receive%20$7.2%20million%20FLIR's%20multi-sensor%20surveillance%20systems
Thu, Aug 6, 2009
FLIR Systems, Inc. announced today that it has received a $7.2 million U.S. Government Foreign Military Sale (FMS) order for the Indian Air Force. The order includes FLIR System's Star SAFIRE III infrared multi-sensor surveillance systems, training and The units delivered under this award will be installed on C-130J Fixed Wing Surveillance Platforms in support of Indian Ministry of Defense airborne missions.
This FMS order represents the first fixed-wing sale of FLIR's multi-sensor systems to the Indian Ministry of Defense. Work on this order will be performed at FLIR's facility in Wilsonville, Oregon and deliveries are expected to be completed by 2011.
"This order, the result of FLIR's world-class products and significant investment in regional support and training, demonstrates our ability to penetrate new international markets," said Earl R. Lewis, President and CEO of FLIR Systems. "We are pleased the Indian Ministry of Defense has chosen FLIR products for their critical homeland security and national defense missions and look forward to collaborating with them in the future."
http://www.defenseworld.net/go/defensenews.jsp?id=3410&h=Indian%20Air%20Force%20to%20receive%20$7.2%20million%20FLIR's%20multi-sensor%20surveillance%20systems
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FLIR Systems Announces $7.2 Million Order for the Indian Air Force
FLIR Systems Announces $7.2 Million Order for the Indian Air Force
FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced today that it has received a $7.2 million U.S. Government Foreign Military Sale (FMS) order for the Indian Air Force. The order includes FLIR System's Star SAFIRE® III infrared multi-sensor surveillance systems, training and related services. The units delivered under this award will be installed on C-130J Fixed Wing Surveillance Platforms in support of Indian Ministry of Defense airborne missions.
This FMS order represents the first fixed-wing sale of FLIR's multi-sensor systems to the Indian Ministry of Defense. Work on this order will be performed at FLIR's facility in Wilsonville, Oregon and deliveries are expected to be completed by 2011.
"This order, the result of FLIR's world-class products and significant investment in regional support and training, demonstrates our ability to penetrate new international markets," said Earl R. Lewis, President and CEO of FLIR Systems. "We are pleased the Indian Ministry of Defense has chosen FLIR products for their critical homeland security and national defense missions and look forward to collaborating with them in the future."
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this release by Earl R. Lewis, and the other statements in this release about the order described above, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including the following: the ability to manufacture and deliver the systems referenced in this release, changes in demand for the Company's products, product mix, the timing of deliveries under the order discussed above, the impact of competitive products and pricing, constraints on supplies of critical components, excess or shortage of production capacity, the ability of the Company to manufacture and ship products in the time period required, actual purchases under agreements, the Company's continuing compliance with US export control laws and regulations, the timely receipt of export licenses for international shipments, the continuing eligibility of the Company to act as a federal contractor, and other risks discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic and international economic conditions. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release, or for changes made to this document by wire services or Internet service providers.
About FLIR Systems
FLIR Systems, Inc. is a world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of thermal imaging and stabilized camera systems for a wide variety of thermography and imaging applications including condition monitoring, research and development, manufacturing process control, airborne observation and broadcast, search and rescue, drug interdiction, surveillance and reconnaissance, navigation safety, border and maritime patrol, environmental monitoring and ground-based security. Visit the Company's web site at FLIR Thermal Imaging, Night Vision and Infrared Camera Systems.
FLIR Systems Announces $7.2 Million Order for the Indian Air Force
FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced today that it has received a $7.2 million U.S. Government Foreign Military Sale (FMS) order for the Indian Air Force. The order includes FLIR System's Star SAFIRE® III infrared multi-sensor surveillance systems, training and related services. The units delivered under this award will be installed on C-130J Fixed Wing Surveillance Platforms in support of Indian Ministry of Defense airborne missions.
This FMS order represents the first fixed-wing sale of FLIR's multi-sensor systems to the Indian Ministry of Defense. Work on this order will be performed at FLIR's facility in Wilsonville, Oregon and deliveries are expected to be completed by 2011.
"This order, the result of FLIR's world-class products and significant investment in regional support and training, demonstrates our ability to penetrate new international markets," said Earl R. Lewis, President and CEO of FLIR Systems. "We are pleased the Indian Ministry of Defense has chosen FLIR products for their critical homeland security and national defense missions and look forward to collaborating with them in the future."
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this release by Earl R. Lewis, and the other statements in this release about the order described above, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including the following: the ability to manufacture and deliver the systems referenced in this release, changes in demand for the Company's products, product mix, the timing of deliveries under the order discussed above, the impact of competitive products and pricing, constraints on supplies of critical components, excess or shortage of production capacity, the ability of the Company to manufacture and ship products in the time period required, actual purchases under agreements, the Company's continuing compliance with US export control laws and regulations, the timely receipt of export licenses for international shipments, the continuing eligibility of the Company to act as a federal contractor, and other risks discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic and international economic conditions. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release, or for changes made to this document by wire services or Internet service providers.
About FLIR Systems
FLIR Systems, Inc. is a world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of thermal imaging and stabilized camera systems for a wide variety of thermography and imaging applications including condition monitoring, research and development, manufacturing process control, airborne observation and broadcast, search and rescue, drug interdiction, surveillance and reconnaissance, navigation safety, border and maritime patrol, environmental monitoring and ground-based security. Visit the Company's web site at FLIR Thermal Imaging, Night Vision and Infrared Camera Systems.
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IAF to rethink on Muslim beard issue - India - NEWS - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force is taking a fresh look at its tough stand not to allow a Muslim personnel to sport a beard.
While the Air Force had on an affidavit in the Supreme Court strongly argued that Islam does not mandate its members to keep a beard or not to trim it, realisation that its tough stand could incite a controversy led it to tell the court that it would look at the sensitive issue anew.
Responding to a petition filed by one Mohammad Zubair challenging the Air Force's policy not to allow Muslim recruits to keep beard if on the date of joining they did not have it, the IAF said, "All Muslims do not carry beard."
"The practice of growing and keeping beard is optional and sporting a beard is not universally recognised in the religion of Islam. Therefore, it cannot be said that Muslim religion prohibits the cutting of hair or shaving of the face of its member," it told the Supreme Court in an affidavit.
Having said this on an affidavit, the Centre realised that such a stand could stoke a huge religious controversy. Appearing for the government, additional solicitor general Indira Jaising told a Bench comprising Justices D K Jain and H L Dattu on Monday that the government was taking a fresh look at the issue.
While deferring hearing for eight weeks, the Bench noted in its order: "The ASG appearing on behalf of the Union of India states that fresh thought is being given to the controversy raised in the present petition. She prays for adjournment."
The IAF in its affidavit had said that its decision not to allow Muslims who did not have a beard at the time of joining the force to grow a beard was also judicially approved.
It cited a 1985 decision of the Kerala High Court, which had held that Muslim personnel serving in the armed forces like the state police cannot grow beard as a matter of right and that they were bound by the departmental instructions in this regard.
"For the effective and efficient functioning of such a large combatant force, with 11,000 officers and about 1.2 lakh personnel below the officers, it is imperative and essential that its personnel are guided by a sense of brotherhood and feeling of `espirit-de-corps' without any distinction of caste, creed, colour or religion," the IAF's affidavit said.
NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force is taking a fresh look at its tough stand not to allow a Muslim personnel to sport a beard.
While the Air Force had on an affidavit in the Supreme Court strongly argued that Islam does not mandate its members to keep a beard or not to trim it, realisation that its tough stand could incite a controversy led it to tell the court that it would look at the sensitive issue anew.
Responding to a petition filed by one Mohammad Zubair challenging the Air Force's policy not to allow Muslim recruits to keep beard if on the date of joining they did not have it, the IAF said, "All Muslims do not carry beard."
"The practice of growing and keeping beard is optional and sporting a beard is not universally recognised in the religion of Islam. Therefore, it cannot be said that Muslim religion prohibits the cutting of hair or shaving of the face of its member," it told the Supreme Court in an affidavit.
Having said this on an affidavit, the Centre realised that such a stand could stoke a huge religious controversy. Appearing for the government, additional solicitor general Indira Jaising told a Bench comprising Justices D K Jain and H L Dattu on Monday that the government was taking a fresh look at the issue.
While deferring hearing for eight weeks, the Bench noted in its order: "The ASG appearing on behalf of the Union of India states that fresh thought is being given to the controversy raised in the present petition. She prays for adjournment."
The IAF in its affidavit had said that its decision not to allow Muslims who did not have a beard at the time of joining the force to grow a beard was also judicially approved.
It cited a 1985 decision of the Kerala High Court, which had held that Muslim personnel serving in the armed forces like the state police cannot grow beard as a matter of right and that they were bound by the departmental instructions in this regard.
"For the effective and efficient functioning of such a large combatant force, with 11,000 officers and about 1.2 lakh personnel below the officers, it is imperative and essential that its personnel are guided by a sense of brotherhood and feeling of `espirit-de-corps' without any distinction of caste, creed, colour or religion," the IAF's affidavit said.
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IAF instructor commits suicide - Chandigarh - City - NEWS - The Times of India
CHANDIGARH: Police on Thursday night recovered the highly-decomposed body of a 40-year-old instructor with 3BRD Air Force station from his rented
accommodation in Behlana village near Sector 31. A native of Assam, Mahananda Dass is believed to have committed suicide after having remained depressed for quite sometime.
‘Air Force police has been informed about the incident and senior officials have inspected the spot,’ said SHO of Sector 31 police station, Bhupinder Singh. Neighbours became suspicious when foul smell started emanating from within the locked residence at Maan House Building, where the deceased had been staying since June 2008.
‘Dass had covered all gaps on windows with newspapers. When we broke open the house, we found him hanging with a rope from the ceiling and the body was touching the floor. Preliminary investigation suggested he might have died a few days ago,’ said sub-inspector Nirmal Singh, adding, ‘a suicide note in Assamese was found on the spot.’
Dass, whose father passed away a few years back, is survived by his mother and brother. ‘Air force officials said his mother had visited city last month and expressed her desire of seeing him get married,’ added cops.
The body has been kept in the morgue of Government Multispecialty Hospital, Sector 16, for an autopsy, which will reportedly take place after the arrival of Dass’ family members from Assam on Saturday.
CHANDIGARH: Police on Thursday night recovered the highly-decomposed body of a 40-year-old instructor with 3BRD Air Force station from his rented
accommodation in Behlana village near Sector 31. A native of Assam, Mahananda Dass is believed to have committed suicide after having remained depressed for quite sometime.
‘Air Force police has been informed about the incident and senior officials have inspected the spot,’ said SHO of Sector 31 police station, Bhupinder Singh. Neighbours became suspicious when foul smell started emanating from within the locked residence at Maan House Building, where the deceased had been staying since June 2008.
‘Dass had covered all gaps on windows with newspapers. When we broke open the house, we found him hanging with a rope from the ceiling and the body was touching the floor. Preliminary investigation suggested he might have died a few days ago,’ said sub-inspector Nirmal Singh, adding, ‘a suicide note in Assamese was found on the spot.’
Dass, whose father passed away a few years back, is survived by his mother and brother. ‘Air force officials said his mother had visited city last month and expressed her desire of seeing him get married,’ added cops.
The body has been kept in the morgue of Government Multispecialty Hospital, Sector 16, for an autopsy, which will reportedly take place after the arrival of Dass’ family members from Assam on Saturday.
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Infrared thermal camera for Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft to be supplied by FLIR Systems - Military & Aerospace Electronics
WILSONVILLE, Ore., 6 Aug. 2009. FLIR Systems Inc. in Wilsonville, Ore., will supply an infrared camera system to the Indian air force under terms of a $7.2 million Pentagon electro optical contract for foreign military sales. The thermal camera infrared surveillance system is the FLIR Star SAFIRE III infrared multisensor surveillance system, and will go aboard Indian C-130J surveillance aircraft.
The Star SAFIRE III thermal infrared camera has electro optics consisting of an 640-by-480-pixel indium antimonide infrared sensor and thermal imaging camera, optional color CCD zoom camera, optional spotter scope, optional low-light image intensifier camera, eye safe laser range finder, and optional digital inertial measurement unit and GPS sensor.
The military infrared electro optical system can cover 360 degrees, at elevations from 30 to -120 degrees, has RS 232 interface to laptop or handheld computer, meets the guidelines of MIL STD 810E and MIL STD 461F, and ARINC 429 and MIL STD 1553 aircraft interfaces.
Work on this order will be at FLIR's facility in Wilsonville, Oregon and deliveries are to be completed by 2011. For more information contact FLIR Systems online at FLIR Thermal Imaging, Night Vision and Infrared Camera Systems.
WILSONVILLE, Ore., 6 Aug. 2009. FLIR Systems Inc. in Wilsonville, Ore., will supply an infrared camera system to the Indian air force under terms of a $7.2 million Pentagon electro optical contract for foreign military sales. The thermal camera infrared surveillance system is the FLIR Star SAFIRE III infrared multisensor surveillance system, and will go aboard Indian C-130J surveillance aircraft.
The Star SAFIRE III thermal infrared camera has electro optics consisting of an 640-by-480-pixel indium antimonide infrared sensor and thermal imaging camera, optional color CCD zoom camera, optional spotter scope, optional low-light image intensifier camera, eye safe laser range finder, and optional digital inertial measurement unit and GPS sensor.
The military infrared electro optical system can cover 360 degrees, at elevations from 30 to -120 degrees, has RS 232 interface to laptop or handheld computer, meets the guidelines of MIL STD 810E and MIL STD 461F, and ARINC 429 and MIL STD 1553 aircraft interfaces.
Work on this order will be at FLIR's facility in Wilsonville, Oregon and deliveries are to be completed by 2011. For more information contact FLIR Systems online at FLIR Thermal Imaging, Night Vision and Infrared Camera Systems.
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Handing over of command at 3 BRD& Air Force
Chandigarh: Air Cmde Subhash Chander Luthra, AOC, 3 Base Repair Depot(BRD) handed over the command of to Gp Capt K K Gupta on Monday in an impressive Handing/Taking over parade held at the Depot.
He stands posted out to headquarter IAF to take over as Air Officer Engineering Services, on promotion to the rank of Air vice Marshal, an official spokesman said here.
During the occasion a Cofee Table book is also released by him which is a compilation of enormous tasks have been done in 3 BRD since its inception.
Air Cmde SC Luthra reviewed the smartly turned up parade and took the salute from the air warriors before handing over command to the incumbent.
In his message to the Depot personnel, he exhorted them to continue their excellent efforts to maintain high standards of professional skill.
He stressed to imbibe the order of military discipline in all walks of life and advised the air warriors to keep abreast with the latest technological developments as maintenance of highly sophisticated machines owned by the Indian Air Force rests on their shoulders.
He wished all the personnel and their families the very best and happiness.
Air Cmde SC Luthra had taken over the command of 3 BRD on August 31,2007.
Chandigarh: Air Cmde Subhash Chander Luthra, AOC, 3 Base Repair Depot(BRD) handed over the command of to Gp Capt K K Gupta on Monday in an impressive Handing/Taking over parade held at the Depot.
He stands posted out to headquarter IAF to take over as Air Officer Engineering Services, on promotion to the rank of Air vice Marshal, an official spokesman said here.
During the occasion a Cofee Table book is also released by him which is a compilation of enormous tasks have been done in 3 BRD since its inception.
Air Cmde SC Luthra reviewed the smartly turned up parade and took the salute from the air warriors before handing over command to the incumbent.
In his message to the Depot personnel, he exhorted them to continue their excellent efforts to maintain high standards of professional skill.
He stressed to imbibe the order of military discipline in all walks of life and advised the air warriors to keep abreast with the latest technological developments as maintenance of highly sophisticated machines owned by the Indian Air Force rests on their shoulders.
He wished all the personnel and their families the very best and happiness.
Air Cmde SC Luthra had taken over the command of 3 BRD on August 31,2007.
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India plans to construct tunnels in Kashmir
India is planning to construct two tunnels on Srinagar-Ladakh highway in India-controlled Kashmir to make it all weather and improve the road connectivity to the region.
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the bicameral Indian Parliament, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways R.P.N.Singh Tuesday made the announcement.
The minister said two tunnels, one at Zojila Pass between Sonamag and Drass measuring 12 kilometers and another one at Z Morh measuring 3.10 kilometers are proposed to be constructed.
The survey on the project is going on and the feasibility report is expected to be submitted with the ministry within a period of 18 months.
Road to Ladakh remains closed during heavy snow in winters mainly at Zojila Pass and the tunnels would make it all weather.
India is also planning to connect Ladakh region with rest of India through a railway line via Himachal Pradesh.
The first rail link measuring 498 kilometers is likely to come up between Leh district of Indian-controlled Kashmir and Bilaspur of Himachal Pradesh.
Already Indian Air Force (IAF) is building an airbase at Neomanear line-of-actual-control (LaC). The airbase in east Ladakh would be made operational this year as per IAF officials.
Last year Daulat Beg Oldi and Fuk Che airbases were built by Indian Air Force in Ladakh.
The airfields are being revived for defense purposes but officials said that they would also use them for tourism purposes to cater to future tourist inflow in the mountain-locked region.
Ladakh is the gateway to the highest battlefield in the world, Siachen Glacier
India is planning to construct two tunnels on Srinagar-Ladakh highway in India-controlled Kashmir to make it all weather and improve the road connectivity to the region.
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the bicameral Indian Parliament, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways R.P.N.Singh Tuesday made the announcement.
The minister said two tunnels, one at Zojila Pass between Sonamag and Drass measuring 12 kilometers and another one at Z Morh measuring 3.10 kilometers are proposed to be constructed.
The survey on the project is going on and the feasibility report is expected to be submitted with the ministry within a period of 18 months.
Road to Ladakh remains closed during heavy snow in winters mainly at Zojila Pass and the tunnels would make it all weather.
India is also planning to connect Ladakh region with rest of India through a railway line via Himachal Pradesh.
The first rail link measuring 498 kilometers is likely to come up between Leh district of Indian-controlled Kashmir and Bilaspur of Himachal Pradesh.
Already Indian Air Force (IAF) is building an airbase at Neomanear line-of-actual-control (LaC). The airbase in east Ladakh would be made operational this year as per IAF officials.
Last year Daulat Beg Oldi and Fuk Che airbases were built by Indian Air Force in Ladakh.
The airfields are being revived for defense purposes but officials said that they would also use them for tourism purposes to cater to future tourist inflow in the mountain-locked region.
Ladakh is the gateway to the highest battlefield in the world, Siachen Glacier
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The Hindu : National : Aviation lubricant tests successful
HYDERABAD: India has successfully completed ground tests for one variety of indigenously developed synthetic aviation lubricant, and is on the verge of testing another variety, according to scientists at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) here. The premier research institute is involved in preparing base oil, the majority component of the lubricant, at its Rs.17-crore Synthetic Aviation Pilot Plant Project.
Significant development
The development is considered significant as the country is currently dependent on some global oil companies. The lubricant is necessary for all aircraft — civilian and military — and India is spending huge amounts of foreign exchange on buying it.
IICT scientists say it would take at least two more years for the country to take up commercial production.
There are two varieties of the lubricant being developed. One named ‘SVS 11 equivalent to OX27’ was tested for bearings and engine as prescribed by the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, IICT Director J.S. Yadav said on Tuesday. The second variety, ‘SVS 21 equivalent to OX38,’ is expected to be tested by the end of the year.
Awaiting engines
“We have successfully completed ground tests for the lubricant and are awaiting aircraft engines from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to test how it performs in the air,” Dr. Yadav said.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation recently approved the supply of aircraft engines by the Indian Air Force for testing the developed lubricant.
Once India starts manufacturing the lubricant that has “stringent properties,” the costs would come down by 30 to 40 per cent, Dr. Vijay Kale, coordinator for Synthetic Aviation Lubricants, told The Hindu. The lubricants should handle extreme speed, temperature, and other stress without breaking down or forming deposits between the parts.
HYDERABAD: India has successfully completed ground tests for one variety of indigenously developed synthetic aviation lubricant, and is on the verge of testing another variety, according to scientists at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) here. The premier research institute is involved in preparing base oil, the majority component of the lubricant, at its Rs.17-crore Synthetic Aviation Pilot Plant Project.
Significant development
The development is considered significant as the country is currently dependent on some global oil companies. The lubricant is necessary for all aircraft — civilian and military — and India is spending huge amounts of foreign exchange on buying it.
IICT scientists say it would take at least two more years for the country to take up commercial production.
There are two varieties of the lubricant being developed. One named ‘SVS 11 equivalent to OX27’ was tested for bearings and engine as prescribed by the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, IICT Director J.S. Yadav said on Tuesday. The second variety, ‘SVS 21 equivalent to OX38,’ is expected to be tested by the end of the year.
Awaiting engines
“We have successfully completed ground tests for the lubricant and are awaiting aircraft engines from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to test how it performs in the air,” Dr. Yadav said.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation recently approved the supply of aircraft engines by the Indian Air Force for testing the developed lubricant.
Once India starts manufacturing the lubricant that has “stringent properties,” the costs would come down by 30 to 40 per cent, Dr. Vijay Kale, coordinator for Synthetic Aviation Lubricants, told The Hindu. The lubricants should handle extreme speed, temperature, and other stress without breaking down or forming deposits between the parts.
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Rolls-Royce Eyes Business In India | AVIATION WEEK
NEW DELHI — Rolls-Royce Defense Aerospace is exploring further opportunities in India as it awaits decisions in numerous pending bids in the military engine and civil nuclear arenas.
“We wish to take advantage of India’s competitive edge [by] extending our relationship with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and in newer areas of value-added components,” said Anil Shrikhande, president of Rolls-Royce India.
“Engineering services is another area of expansion,” Shrikhandea added. “India has engineering talent in IT and its skill sets are evolving in engineering services… Labor rates remain attractive… [We will] look at a high labor content.”
There are 60 Rolls-Royce-designed vessels and more than 300 vessels with its Marine equipment operating in India, plus an additional 39 UT design vessels currently under construction at Indian shipyards. The company also opened a new Marine MRO facility in Mumbai last year.
Rolls-Royce is competing with Honeywell in a race to re-engine the Indian Air Force’s 125 Jaguar aircraft, with Rolls-Royce offering the Adour Mk 821 and Honeywell proposing the F125IN turbofan engine.
Rolls-Royce feels its strength is that HAL has been manufacturing the Adour Mk811 for the Jaguar since 1981 and is now producing the Adour 871 for the new Hawk Mk132 advanced jet trainer under a new licence agreement. India ordered 66 Mk132s.
There is a possible follow-on order for 57 more Hawks, with 40 for the Indian Air Force and 17 for the Indian Navy. The Hawk AJT aircraft powered by the Adour are being used to train the next generation of Indian pilots. The first HAL-produced Hawk aircraft with the HAL-produced Adour engine already has been delivered to the Indian Air Force.
Last month, Rolls-Royce said it had successfully installed and tested the Adour Mk 821 engine in a Jaguar aircraft to prove its capability and suitability for the Jaguar upgrade requirement. The Mk 821 engine was installed into a Royal Air Force Jaguar for the ground test at Cosford, which was witnessed by a representative of the Indian government. “The installation went smoothly and required no airframe changes. During testing the Adour Mk 821 ran at full reheat and passed all performance targets set down by the Indian Air Force,” Rolls says.
“As the only engine certified for the Jaguar we were always confident that the Adour MK 821 could be successfully installed without any aircraft modification, even with the new technologies and enhanced performance, but this exercise has allowed us to demonstrate this high level of compatibility to the Indian Air Force,” said Martin Fausset, managing director for Defense Aerospace. India’s Jaguars currently have the Adour Mk 811.
HAL is producing the Mk 871 for the advanced jet trainer Hawks. Commonality between the Mk 811 and Mk 871 is 90 percent, according to Rolls-Royce. “HAL can avoid costly investments in export control restrictions. Rolls offers the most cost-effective solutions,” Fausset insists. “Our Fadec [full authority digital engine control unit] will require less change with our system as far as cockpit changes, for instance, are concerned.”
Meanwhile, Honeywell is looking at the Jaguar aircraft with its F125IN turbofan engine. “Improved propulsion and enhanced safety features in the engine can save the [Indian Air Force] more than $1.4 billion in lifecycle costs compared to the other options being considered,” an official said early this year.
NEW DELHI — Rolls-Royce Defense Aerospace is exploring further opportunities in India as it awaits decisions in numerous pending bids in the military engine and civil nuclear arenas.
“We wish to take advantage of India’s competitive edge [by] extending our relationship with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and in newer areas of value-added components,” said Anil Shrikhande, president of Rolls-Royce India.
“Engineering services is another area of expansion,” Shrikhandea added. “India has engineering talent in IT and its skill sets are evolving in engineering services… Labor rates remain attractive… [We will] look at a high labor content.”
There are 60 Rolls-Royce-designed vessels and more than 300 vessels with its Marine equipment operating in India, plus an additional 39 UT design vessels currently under construction at Indian shipyards. The company also opened a new Marine MRO facility in Mumbai last year.
Rolls-Royce is competing with Honeywell in a race to re-engine the Indian Air Force’s 125 Jaguar aircraft, with Rolls-Royce offering the Adour Mk 821 and Honeywell proposing the F125IN turbofan engine.
Rolls-Royce feels its strength is that HAL has been manufacturing the Adour Mk811 for the Jaguar since 1981 and is now producing the Adour 871 for the new Hawk Mk132 advanced jet trainer under a new licence agreement. India ordered 66 Mk132s.
There is a possible follow-on order for 57 more Hawks, with 40 for the Indian Air Force and 17 for the Indian Navy. The Hawk AJT aircraft powered by the Adour are being used to train the next generation of Indian pilots. The first HAL-produced Hawk aircraft with the HAL-produced Adour engine already has been delivered to the Indian Air Force.
Last month, Rolls-Royce said it had successfully installed and tested the Adour Mk 821 engine in a Jaguar aircraft to prove its capability and suitability for the Jaguar upgrade requirement. The Mk 821 engine was installed into a Royal Air Force Jaguar for the ground test at Cosford, which was witnessed by a representative of the Indian government. “The installation went smoothly and required no airframe changes. During testing the Adour Mk 821 ran at full reheat and passed all performance targets set down by the Indian Air Force,” Rolls says.
“As the only engine certified for the Jaguar we were always confident that the Adour MK 821 could be successfully installed without any aircraft modification, even with the new technologies and enhanced performance, but this exercise has allowed us to demonstrate this high level of compatibility to the Indian Air Force,” said Martin Fausset, managing director for Defense Aerospace. India’s Jaguars currently have the Adour Mk 811.
HAL is producing the Mk 871 for the advanced jet trainer Hawks. Commonality between the Mk 811 and Mk 871 is 90 percent, according to Rolls-Royce. “HAL can avoid costly investments in export control restrictions. Rolls offers the most cost-effective solutions,” Fausset insists. “Our Fadec [full authority digital engine control unit] will require less change with our system as far as cockpit changes, for instance, are concerned.”
Meanwhile, Honeywell is looking at the Jaguar aircraft with its F125IN turbofan engine. “Improved propulsion and enhanced safety features in the engine can save the [Indian Air Force] more than $1.4 billion in lifecycle costs compared to the other options being considered,” an official said early this year.
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“Wrong relight drills caused Saras crash”
“Wrong relight drills caused Saras crash”
BANGALORE: The board of inquiry constituted by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has completed its investigation into the March 6 crash of the Light Transport Aircraft Saras near Bidadi in Karnataka.
Two pilots and an engineer, all from the Indian Air Force’s Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, were killed in the crash of the Prototype Two (PT2).
An official of the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), designers of the Saras, said the DGCA had promised to make the report available before month-end.
The Hindu has learnt from officials connected with the board of inquiry that the engine relight (engine restart) drills given by the designers and followed by the pilots were wrong.
The two test pilots were for the first time on the Saras, attempting to switch off and relight in midair one of the two Pratt and Whitney (PT6A-67) engines. The test is a mandatory requirement of the flight development programme. The aircraft had reached its designated height of 9,000 feet and the left engine switched off. After one minute, the crew attempted to relight the engine, and this was communicated to the ground crew. But soon after radio communication was lost, the aircraft started losing height and crashed. “Prior to the flight, the pilots were briefed by the designers about the drills to be followed during relight, and they followed it. But the relight drills were incorrect. With each aero engine having its own unique set of procedures to be adhered to during relight (like at what speed, airflow, where the propellers stop, etc), the pilots just followed the designer’s briefings. Errors occurred; the aircraft went out of control and crashed,” an official explained.
“Wrong relight drills caused Saras crash”
BANGALORE: The board of inquiry constituted by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has completed its investigation into the March 6 crash of the Light Transport Aircraft Saras near Bidadi in Karnataka.
Two pilots and an engineer, all from the Indian Air Force’s Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, were killed in the crash of the Prototype Two (PT2).
An official of the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), designers of the Saras, said the DGCA had promised to make the report available before month-end.
The Hindu has learnt from officials connected with the board of inquiry that the engine relight (engine restart) drills given by the designers and followed by the pilots were wrong.
The two test pilots were for the first time on the Saras, attempting to switch off and relight in midair one of the two Pratt and Whitney (PT6A-67) engines. The test is a mandatory requirement of the flight development programme. The aircraft had reached its designated height of 9,000 feet and the left engine switched off. After one minute, the crew attempted to relight the engine, and this was communicated to the ground crew. But soon after radio communication was lost, the aircraft started losing height and crashed. “Prior to the flight, the pilots were briefed by the designers about the drills to be followed during relight, and they followed it. But the relight drills were incorrect. With each aero engine having its own unique set of procedures to be adhered to during relight (like at what speed, airflow, where the propellers stop, etc), the pilots just followed the designer’s briefings. Errors occurred; the aircraft went out of control and crashed,” an official explained.
No autopilot putting Jaguar Pilots at risk: CAG
The Indian Air Force may have put the lives of its fighter pilots in jeopardy by failing to install autopilot on the Jaguar deep-strike penetration aircraft, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found.
The world’s fourth largest air force has lost four fighter pilots and three Jaguar aircraft worth Rs 282 crore due to pilot disorientation over the last eight years.
Under this condition, the pilot’s perception of an aircraft’s altitude, position or motion differs from reality.
Pilot disorientation caused the death of three fighter pilots and loss of four Jaguars in the 1990s. A twin-seater Jaguar costs Rs 95 crore compared with Rs 110 crore for a single seater.
While the defence ministry had concluded a contract for 35 auto pilot systems worth over Rs 37 crore around a decade ago, the installation has not yet commenced, the CAG said in a report tabled in Parliament last week. The systems, delivered between 2006-08, were to be fitted on the fighters by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The delay in procurement and the failure to induct the procured system becomes more significant in this context (loss of aircraft and fighter pilots), the auditor pointed out.
The government spends over Rs 10 crore on training a fighter pilot.
The autopilot enhances aircraft safety by trimming the pilot’s workload, allowing him to concentrate on navigation, target acquisition and weapon delivery.
The defence ministry admitted that the autopilot helped in reducing pilot stress and cockpit workload. It, however, told CAG that the autopilot could not have helped the situation substantially in the last three crashes.
Air Marshal A K Singh (retd), who has flown Jaguars for over 25 years, said, “Autopilot can make all the difference if the pilot experiences spatial disorientation. Its absence has a direct bearing on pilot safety.
No autopilot putting Jaguar Pilots at risk: CAG- Hindustan Times
The Indian Air Force may have put the lives of its fighter pilots in jeopardy by failing to install autopilot on the Jaguar deep-strike penetration aircraft, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found.
The world’s fourth largest air force has lost four fighter pilots and three Jaguar aircraft worth Rs 282 crore due to pilot disorientation over the last eight years.
Under this condition, the pilot’s perception of an aircraft’s altitude, position or motion differs from reality.
Pilot disorientation caused the death of three fighter pilots and loss of four Jaguars in the 1990s. A twin-seater Jaguar costs Rs 95 crore compared with Rs 110 crore for a single seater.
While the defence ministry had concluded a contract for 35 auto pilot systems worth over Rs 37 crore around a decade ago, the installation has not yet commenced, the CAG said in a report tabled in Parliament last week. The systems, delivered between 2006-08, were to be fitted on the fighters by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The delay in procurement and the failure to induct the procured system becomes more significant in this context (loss of aircraft and fighter pilots), the auditor pointed out.
The government spends over Rs 10 crore on training a fighter pilot.
The autopilot enhances aircraft safety by trimming the pilot’s workload, allowing him to concentrate on navigation, target acquisition and weapon delivery.
The defence ministry admitted that the autopilot helped in reducing pilot stress and cockpit workload. It, however, told CAG that the autopilot could not have helped the situation substantially in the last three crashes.
Air Marshal A K Singh (retd), who has flown Jaguars for over 25 years, said, “Autopilot can make all the difference if the pilot experiences spatial disorientation. Its absence has a direct bearing on pilot safety.
No autopilot putting Jaguar Pilots at risk: CAG- Hindustan Times
Russia's United Aircraft reaches maturity
For the colossus that is Russia's aerospace industry, matters are coming to a head. The newly created United Aircraft (UAC) has hoovered up the best of the nation's industry, decided which programmes to advance and which to drop, and taken its relationships with Western industry more or less as far as it can for now.
For good or ill it has to proceed with the selected programmes, begin spending substantial money and set off down the one-way street of developing and producing new aircraft.
In the military sector. Russia's fighter expertise and solid prospects among its historic allies give it a moderately secure footing, but in the civil world the extent of the challenge facing it is awesome.
Competing with the best of the West's airframers is a daunting prospect for anyone, but UAC now has to do that at the same time as it tackles the wholesale renovation of its manufacturing plants, a socially significant contraction of its workforce, and probably without the host of willing risk-share partners that the likes of Airbus and Boeing can count on.
Overseeing all this is chairman and president Alexey Fedorov, who has so far managed to survive the shark-infested waters between the Putin administration and an industry full of executives fighting for their legacy companies and pet programmes.
Interviewed in UAC's downtown Moscow headquarters, however, he is at least superficially relaxed and points out that the "first stage" of the industrial restructuring in a strategy stretching to 2025 is near completion. "Now we own all the Russian companies that design and produce our aircraft. We finish the first stage of our reorganisation during this year," he says.
That in itself is controversial because it risks imperilling the health of the strongest companies by including much weaker ones. One senior Russian aerospace executive comments: "Now it is probably clear to everyone that the mistake with UAC was to put all the companies in one basket - the healthy ones and those on a declining trend."
If Fedorov shares that doubt he does not show it, and declares: "Next year we will push the second stage - we will build at least three different divisions in our company."
Those units are being named UAC Military, UAC Commercial and UAC Special, and Fedorov is pretty clear what they will be producing. Alongside those there is "an idea for several centres of competence" - notably the Aerocomposite composites centre already in creation. Ultimately the military/civil output split is intended to move from 80/20 today to at least 50/50 and, it is hoped, even 40/60.
The military business is built on the Sukhoi and RSK MiG product line-up with the intention of adding the much-discussed Sukhoi PAK FA fifth-generation fighter still due to fly in T-50 prototype form this year. A MiG-35 win in the ongoing Indian fighter contest, in which it is strongly placed thanks to the two nation's historic links in combat aircraft, would secure that division's future for the time being, although a loss would be commensurably serious.
The influential Mikhail Pogosyan, director general of the combined company and previously head of Sukhoi, says: "RSK MiG is undergoing a management system upgrade and eventually it should be compatible with the Sukhoi company system. For instance, we have reorganised project management and introduced the posts of programme directors.
The UAC military division is based on Sukhoi fighters such as the Su-35 and the RSK MiG line-up
"We do not have any problem with MiG and Sukhoi top management interaction. We have known each other for many years and some people used to work together. The majority of MiG managers retained their positions."
But he says: "The concept of integrating design and production facilities is a real challenge." The aim is to double Russia's export fighter market share from around 10% to 20%.
Fedorov says UAC Special will be responsible for "strategic bombers and things like AWACS". UAC Commercial, however, is more complex and its proposed products are at different development stages. "Most difficult and most important is the civil aircraft. We lost the global market for the last 15 years," notes Fedorov.
As well as the MS-21 midsize airliner and Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional jet, he says the following projects are active: the long-delayed Ilyushin Il-112 light cargo aircraft; a medium cargo aircraft in development with India; the revamped Il-76 known as the Il-476; an as yet unnamed short/medium-range widebody airliner; and the just agreed relaunch of the Antonov An-124 outsize freighter.
The prospects of each of those are markedly different and it is clear that UAC itself has not been in control of the process by which they were selected. Fedorov says: "Superjet was started before UAC, so it is managed by Sukhoi and its daughter company.
"MS-21 started one year ago and UAC is included in this project more deeply. We have a leader which is Irkut, but UAC has deeper input. UAC has a response to design and develop computers for the MS-21 and for Aerocomposite, which is a UAC daughter company that will be concentrated on the composite wing of the MS-21 and future Russian aircraft such as maybe a newer version of the Superjet and the widebody short-range aircraft."
In each case, however, the aircraft have been championed by other interests. Superjet, with its plausible near-term sales-prospects as UAC was being formed, was an easy winner, but the MS-21 has been driven through by Oleg Demchenko, the powerful but controversial head of Irkut.
Ilyushin's Il-476 is likely to be the last gasp of the venerable freighter and has prospects in Russia's traditional markets, but the motivation behind the Il-112 is unclear. And the An-124 production restart, which has only lukewarm support in UAC, has been largely promoted by primary operator Volga-Dnepr Airlines.
The Antonov and Ilyushin projects present UAC with an additional difficulty in that they are not truly Russian. Fedorov says: "Historically all transport aircraft were produced in the former Soviet Union countries - Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Now we plan to start to produce all these inside Russia."
PROGRAMME RATIONALISATION
On the other hand, UAC has succeeded in a degree of rationalisation of the country's programmes. The struggling Tu-204 is to be continued, but will be withdrawn as the MS-21 comes to market, and the Tu-334 regional jet will finally be laid to rest in favour of the Superjet and more utilitarian Antonov An-148.
UAC's market projection for the MS-21 is a production run of 1,200 aircraft within 25 years, of which only 300 are intended for the domestic market. "It is a product for the global market," says Fedorov.
He adds: "It will have a composite structure. For us it is a very big challenge, but that gives us a lot of advantage in the global market. We have a lot of negotiations with some companies in Europe and there should be an agreement by the end of the year. Just the design and development part of that will be with Western partners."
He declines to name candidate partners, but they are understood to be the likes of composite aerostructures specialists such as Aerolia, GKN and Spirit AeroSystems, and the relationships are intended to be risk-sharing.
Fedorov adds: "We are now in pre-design and next year it will be the working design. The first prototype is to be ready in 2013 and first flight in 2014 and deliveries in 2016."
The baseline MS-21-200 is designed around 150 passengers in single-class configuration and will be followed by a 181-seat -300 and 212-seat -400 with basic and extended-range models, plus a very-long-range MS-21-200LR. The aircraft is to be built at Irkutsk.
Fedorov insists that no engine selection has been made, despite suggestions that Aviadvigatel's PS-14 has been given the nod for the domestic version. Russia's engine industry is itself being restructured under the auspices of United Engine (ODK). For the export version UAC will choose from Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and Snecma/CFM International.
Tender committees are now considering Western proposals on the aircraft and Irkut's Demchenko says: "Most leading Western-based companies are running in this competition. Those who found partner companies in Russia stand a higher chance of winning the tenders."
WHOLESALE MODERNISATION
At the same time as putting together its product line, UAC is having to set about the wholesale renovation and technology modernisation of the national aerospace sector. "We have to plan to be the third global leader in the aviation industry. We talk about the USA and Europe and we have to plan to be the third," says Fedorov.
Part of that plan involves the virtual halving of the nation's aerospace workforce and a marked increase in productivity of the remainder.
Fedorov says: "We are working very hard for the renovation of our personnel. Our biggest problem is to increase the productivity of our companies. We have a plan to increase productivity by 10 times.
"We have about 100,000 employees in all UAC companies and in 2025 we plan to have about 50,000 employees. The total value of our product we have to increase by five times more than at present - so we need to increase our productivity by 10 times.
"It's a 15-year process. We have no plan to fire our employees today or tomorrow. We will change all our personnel over 15 years, which is a very long period of time. There will be some natural retirement and new workers and employees will come to our company. It will be a natural process not a revolution.
"And the quality of these personnel have to be changed dramatically because the new technology in aviation makes a change for us. We have to have personnel who can work with that digital technology of design and production. We are retraining and introducing lean technology. It is the most important work for our personnel."
The military/civil output split is intended to move from 80/20 today to at least 50/50
One component of the plan is to turn the Zhukovsky complex near Moscow into a central hub for the industry, a project now being handled by former Irkut senior executive Valery Bezverkhniy. "Zhukovsky will become a centre like Toulouse or Seattle in about 2015," says Fedorov.
The extent of UAC's future international co-operation is uncertain. Much of the Superjet's modest success to date is down to the high degree of Western content and support, which have reassured customers. But with even Fedorov talking about sales aspirations of merely "more than 400 over 20 years" the true benefit that will trickle back to Russia from the programme is not easy to measure.
A Russian executive with another aerospace company who was recently briefed by French vendors on their offerings says: "Most of these companies announced at the beginning that they were subcontractors on Superjet. My first impression is that this aircraft was a development by a French company."
Russia's tight links with Indian aerospace remain in place and UAC is confident of developing future aircraft with its Asian neighbour, but historic links with China may prove harder to maintain given that country's growing aspirations in civil aerospace.
Fedorov says: "We try to make good co-operation with other places like China and India. It is moving very well in the transport and military areas. We don't know how we can have Chinese and Russian strategies together. But I think we can be together in some areas and it would be a good advantage."
Co-operation on aircraft projects with the West, however, has not so far proved simple. The most active programme is the agreement with Airbus to collaborate on production of A320 passenger-to-freight conversions, initially producing kits to support an EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) line in Dresden, and 18 months or so later developing its own line in Russia. A decision on whether to locate at Zhukovsky or Ulyanovsk has still to be taken.
A bright spot is that, for now at least, UAC is adequately funded, although there may yet be challenges during the transition to production of the new models.
So far the federal government has come up with the requested investments partly through a special funding programme for the industry targeted at design and development and partly through support programmes to provide new technology and development of the plants and design bureaus.
INTERNAL INVESTMENT
UAC's component companies have also been providing internal investment, but the global financial crisis has meant that securing money from Russian banks has been largely impossible and an initial public offering originally planned for 2010 or 2011 is now off the agenda. "I don't know for certain when we will be in the market," says Fedorov. "Perhaps 2012 or 2013 - but in any case we will take money from the global finance market."
He concludes: "We have enough money now to continue our programmes. We have no critical situation of financing."
Russia's United Aircraft reaches maturity
For the colossus that is Russia's aerospace industry, matters are coming to a head. The newly created United Aircraft (UAC) has hoovered up the best of the nation's industry, decided which programmes to advance and which to drop, and taken its relationships with Western industry more or less as far as it can for now.
For good or ill it has to proceed with the selected programmes, begin spending substantial money and set off down the one-way street of developing and producing new aircraft.
In the military sector. Russia's fighter expertise and solid prospects among its historic allies give it a moderately secure footing, but in the civil world the extent of the challenge facing it is awesome.
Competing with the best of the West's airframers is a daunting prospect for anyone, but UAC now has to do that at the same time as it tackles the wholesale renovation of its manufacturing plants, a socially significant contraction of its workforce, and probably without the host of willing risk-share partners that the likes of Airbus and Boeing can count on.
Overseeing all this is chairman and president Alexey Fedorov, who has so far managed to survive the shark-infested waters between the Putin administration and an industry full of executives fighting for their legacy companies and pet programmes.
Interviewed in UAC's downtown Moscow headquarters, however, he is at least superficially relaxed and points out that the "first stage" of the industrial restructuring in a strategy stretching to 2025 is near completion. "Now we own all the Russian companies that design and produce our aircraft. We finish the first stage of our reorganisation during this year," he says.
That in itself is controversial because it risks imperilling the health of the strongest companies by including much weaker ones. One senior Russian aerospace executive comments: "Now it is probably clear to everyone that the mistake with UAC was to put all the companies in one basket - the healthy ones and those on a declining trend."
If Fedorov shares that doubt he does not show it, and declares: "Next year we will push the second stage - we will build at least three different divisions in our company."
Those units are being named UAC Military, UAC Commercial and UAC Special, and Fedorov is pretty clear what they will be producing. Alongside those there is "an idea for several centres of competence" - notably the Aerocomposite composites centre already in creation. Ultimately the military/civil output split is intended to move from 80/20 today to at least 50/50 and, it is hoped, even 40/60.
The military business is built on the Sukhoi and RSK MiG product line-up with the intention of adding the much-discussed Sukhoi PAK FA fifth-generation fighter still due to fly in T-50 prototype form this year. A MiG-35 win in the ongoing Indian fighter contest, in which it is strongly placed thanks to the two nation's historic links in combat aircraft, would secure that division's future for the time being, although a loss would be commensurably serious.
The influential Mikhail Pogosyan, director general of the combined company and previously head of Sukhoi, says: "RSK MiG is undergoing a management system upgrade and eventually it should be compatible with the Sukhoi company system. For instance, we have reorganised project management and introduced the posts of programme directors.
The UAC military division is based on Sukhoi fighters such as the Su-35 and the RSK MiG line-up
"We do not have any problem with MiG and Sukhoi top management interaction. We have known each other for many years and some people used to work together. The majority of MiG managers retained their positions."
But he says: "The concept of integrating design and production facilities is a real challenge." The aim is to double Russia's export fighter market share from around 10% to 20%.
Fedorov says UAC Special will be responsible for "strategic bombers and things like AWACS". UAC Commercial, however, is more complex and its proposed products are at different development stages. "Most difficult and most important is the civil aircraft. We lost the global market for the last 15 years," notes Fedorov.
As well as the MS-21 midsize airliner and Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional jet, he says the following projects are active: the long-delayed Ilyushin Il-112 light cargo aircraft; a medium cargo aircraft in development with India; the revamped Il-76 known as the Il-476; an as yet unnamed short/medium-range widebody airliner; and the just agreed relaunch of the Antonov An-124 outsize freighter.
The prospects of each of those are markedly different and it is clear that UAC itself has not been in control of the process by which they were selected. Fedorov says: "Superjet was started before UAC, so it is managed by Sukhoi and its daughter company.
"MS-21 started one year ago and UAC is included in this project more deeply. We have a leader which is Irkut, but UAC has deeper input. UAC has a response to design and develop computers for the MS-21 and for Aerocomposite, which is a UAC daughter company that will be concentrated on the composite wing of the MS-21 and future Russian aircraft such as maybe a newer version of the Superjet and the widebody short-range aircraft."
In each case, however, the aircraft have been championed by other interests. Superjet, with its plausible near-term sales-prospects as UAC was being formed, was an easy winner, but the MS-21 has been driven through by Oleg Demchenko, the powerful but controversial head of Irkut.
Ilyushin's Il-476 is likely to be the last gasp of the venerable freighter and has prospects in Russia's traditional markets, but the motivation behind the Il-112 is unclear. And the An-124 production restart, which has only lukewarm support in UAC, has been largely promoted by primary operator Volga-Dnepr Airlines.
The Antonov and Ilyushin projects present UAC with an additional difficulty in that they are not truly Russian. Fedorov says: "Historically all transport aircraft were produced in the former Soviet Union countries - Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Now we plan to start to produce all these inside Russia."
PROGRAMME RATIONALISATION
On the other hand, UAC has succeeded in a degree of rationalisation of the country's programmes. The struggling Tu-204 is to be continued, but will be withdrawn as the MS-21 comes to market, and the Tu-334 regional jet will finally be laid to rest in favour of the Superjet and more utilitarian Antonov An-148.
UAC's market projection for the MS-21 is a production run of 1,200 aircraft within 25 years, of which only 300 are intended for the domestic market. "It is a product for the global market," says Fedorov.
He adds: "It will have a composite structure. For us it is a very big challenge, but that gives us a lot of advantage in the global market. We have a lot of negotiations with some companies in Europe and there should be an agreement by the end of the year. Just the design and development part of that will be with Western partners."
He declines to name candidate partners, but they are understood to be the likes of composite aerostructures specialists such as Aerolia, GKN and Spirit AeroSystems, and the relationships are intended to be risk-sharing.
Fedorov adds: "We are now in pre-design and next year it will be the working design. The first prototype is to be ready in 2013 and first flight in 2014 and deliveries in 2016."
The baseline MS-21-200 is designed around 150 passengers in single-class configuration and will be followed by a 181-seat -300 and 212-seat -400 with basic and extended-range models, plus a very-long-range MS-21-200LR. The aircraft is to be built at Irkutsk.
Fedorov insists that no engine selection has been made, despite suggestions that Aviadvigatel's PS-14 has been given the nod for the domestic version. Russia's engine industry is itself being restructured under the auspices of United Engine (ODK). For the export version UAC will choose from Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and Snecma/CFM International.
Tender committees are now considering Western proposals on the aircraft and Irkut's Demchenko says: "Most leading Western-based companies are running in this competition. Those who found partner companies in Russia stand a higher chance of winning the tenders."
WHOLESALE MODERNISATION
At the same time as putting together its product line, UAC is having to set about the wholesale renovation and technology modernisation of the national aerospace sector. "We have to plan to be the third global leader in the aviation industry. We talk about the USA and Europe and we have to plan to be the third," says Fedorov.
Part of that plan involves the virtual halving of the nation's aerospace workforce and a marked increase in productivity of the remainder.
Fedorov says: "We are working very hard for the renovation of our personnel. Our biggest problem is to increase the productivity of our companies. We have a plan to increase productivity by 10 times.
"We have about 100,000 employees in all UAC companies and in 2025 we plan to have about 50,000 employees. The total value of our product we have to increase by five times more than at present - so we need to increase our productivity by 10 times.
"It's a 15-year process. We have no plan to fire our employees today or tomorrow. We will change all our personnel over 15 years, which is a very long period of time. There will be some natural retirement and new workers and employees will come to our company. It will be a natural process not a revolution.
"And the quality of these personnel have to be changed dramatically because the new technology in aviation makes a change for us. We have to have personnel who can work with that digital technology of design and production. We are retraining and introducing lean technology. It is the most important work for our personnel."
The military/civil output split is intended to move from 80/20 today to at least 50/50
One component of the plan is to turn the Zhukovsky complex near Moscow into a central hub for the industry, a project now being handled by former Irkut senior executive Valery Bezverkhniy. "Zhukovsky will become a centre like Toulouse or Seattle in about 2015," says Fedorov.
The extent of UAC's future international co-operation is uncertain. Much of the Superjet's modest success to date is down to the high degree of Western content and support, which have reassured customers. But with even Fedorov talking about sales aspirations of merely "more than 400 over 20 years" the true benefit that will trickle back to Russia from the programme is not easy to measure.
A Russian executive with another aerospace company who was recently briefed by French vendors on their offerings says: "Most of these companies announced at the beginning that they were subcontractors on Superjet. My first impression is that this aircraft was a development by a French company."
Russia's tight links with Indian aerospace remain in place and UAC is confident of developing future aircraft with its Asian neighbour, but historic links with China may prove harder to maintain given that country's growing aspirations in civil aerospace.
Fedorov says: "We try to make good co-operation with other places like China and India. It is moving very well in the transport and military areas. We don't know how we can have Chinese and Russian strategies together. But I think we can be together in some areas and it would be a good advantage."
Co-operation on aircraft projects with the West, however, has not so far proved simple. The most active programme is the agreement with Airbus to collaborate on production of A320 passenger-to-freight conversions, initially producing kits to support an EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) line in Dresden, and 18 months or so later developing its own line in Russia. A decision on whether to locate at Zhukovsky or Ulyanovsk has still to be taken.
A bright spot is that, for now at least, UAC is adequately funded, although there may yet be challenges during the transition to production of the new models.
So far the federal government has come up with the requested investments partly through a special funding programme for the industry targeted at design and development and partly through support programmes to provide new technology and development of the plants and design bureaus.
INTERNAL INVESTMENT
UAC's component companies have also been providing internal investment, but the global financial crisis has meant that securing money from Russian banks has been largely impossible and an initial public offering originally planned for 2010 or 2011 is now off the agenda. "I don't know for certain when we will be in the market," says Fedorov. "Perhaps 2012 or 2013 - but in any case we will take money from the global finance market."
He concludes: "We have enough money now to continue our programmes. We have no critical situation of financing."
Russia's United Aircraft reaches maturity
A
Angelis
Guest
Probably hal tejas, mmrca and fgfa will come under the next set of cag rapping.
