Pilatus to set up aircraft manufacturing unit in India

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

HYDERABAD, MAY 31:
Swiss aircraft maker Pilatus is planning to set up a manufacturing facility in India. The firm, which is supplying 75 basic training aircraft PC-7 to the Indian Air Force, intends to set up a facility that will initially manufacture airframes for its single-engine turboprop PC-12 aircraft.

"This will be our third support facility for PC-12 aircraft, the other two being in Portugal and Poland. It will be part of our offset commitment in India," Jim Roche, Vice-President of the company, told newspersons on the sidelines of a function to mark the induction of the first set of PC-7 aircraft into the Indian Air Force.

The Union Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh inducted the training aircraft at the IAF Academy, Dundigal on the outskirts of Hyderabad, in the presence of N.A.K. Browne, Chief of Air Staff.

Roche said the airframes that will be manufactured in India would be shipped to Switzerland for final assembly of the aircraft. He however was not willing to give a time-frame or possible location for the proposed Indian facility.

Pilatus has so far sold 1,200 PC-12 aircraft worldwide and 12 in India. It is a nine-seater that is effective for surveillance, evacuation and disaster management operations. It is currently developing the PC-24, claimed to be the first ever business jet for use on short unmade runways. "We are looking for its roll-out by early 2017," he said.

TRAINER AIRCRAFT

The Chief of Air Staff said India expected to receive all the 75 PC-7 trainer aircraft by August 2015. "We signed the agreement in May last and have already received 12 aircraft. By end of this year we will have 30. The total agreement is for Rs 3,500 crore," he said.

As part of the agreement, Pilatus will be setting up a training facility with simulators and maintenance unit for these aircraft in Hyderabad.

On modernisation, Browne said India was likely to complete negotiations for the flight refuelling aircraft Airbus 330 MRTT (multi-role tanker transport) this year.

Pilatus may set up aircraft manufacturing facility in India - The Economic Times

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

(from left) Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, Minister of State for Defence Jitender Singh and Swiss Ambassador Linus Von Casteimer, at the induction of the Pilatus PC-7 MK II trainer aircraft into the Indian Air Force at Dundigal Air Force Station, 40 km from Hyderabad on Friday. -- P.V. Sivakumar

 

[TrueSpirit]

IAF needs more than the Pilatus to plug gaps in its flying training

IAF rookies will start learning their first flying lessons on the brand new Pilatus PC-7, a Swiss basic trainer aircraft, from July onwards, but the training troubles at the Air Force Academy, Dundigul, are not getting over anytime soon.

The local aircraft-maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is yet to sort out critical design issues related to the development of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) – a simple jet meant for the second stage of the flying syllabus – leading to concerns about the project on which the pilot training programme is heavily dependent.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) desperately needs IJTs by 2014 by when the existing ageing fleet of Kiran Mk I and Mk II jets – currently being used for the second stage training – will begin to be phased out.

Normally, flying is taught in stages with cadets beginning on basic aircraft, graduating to a jet, and then moving on to more advanced versions of the flying machines

But for the last few years, IAF cadets have been flying Kiran jets right from the word go, an arrangement which is unadvisable. The IJT was first flown in 2003, four years after it was conceived in 1999. But it has been a struggle since then.

The design problems – pertaining to the stall and spin characteristics of the aircraft – became so complicated to address that HAL was forced to appoint a consultant in 2012.

Link

 

[TrueSpirit]

IAF needs more than the Pilatus to plug gaps in its flying training

IAF rookies will start learning their first flying lessons on the brand new Pilatus PC-7, a Swiss basic trainer aircraft, from July onwards, but the training troubles at the Air Force Academy, Dundigul, are not getting over anytime soon.

The local aircraft-maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is yet to sort out critical design issues related to the development of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) – a simple jet meant for the second stage of the flying syllabus – leading to concerns about the project on which the pilot training programme is heavily dependent.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) desperately needs IJTs by 2014 by when the existing ageing fleet of Kiran Mk I and Mk II jets – currently being used for the second stage training – will begin to be phased out.

Normally, flying is taught in stages with cadets beginning on basic aircraft, graduating to a jet, and then moving on to more advanced versions of the flying machines

But for the last few years, IAF cadets have been flying Kiran jets right from the word go, an arrangement which is unadvisable. The IJT was first flown in 2003, four years after it was conceived in 1999. But it has been a struggle since then.

The design problems – pertaining to the stall and spin characteristics of the aircraft – became so complicated to address that HAL was forced to appoint a consultant in 2012.

Link

 

[The Last Stand]

A manufacturing unit for only 75 aircraft. *Raises eyebrows*

Something fishy is going on. I might expect the Air Marshal to suddenly announce that they bought 300 PC-7 instead of 75.

:shocked::shocked:

 

[ladder]

A manufacturing unit for only 75 aircraft. *Raises eyebrows*

Something fishy is going on. I might expect the Air Marshal to suddenly announce that they bought 300 PC-7 instead of 75.

:shocked::shocked:

IAF to order 37 more Pilatus trainers worth Rs 1,250 cr

IAF to order 37 more Pilatus trainers worth Rs 1,250 cr | Business Standard

And secondly why does it raise eyebrow?
They are not going to manufacture / assemble PC-7 that IAF is buying in India.
What the opening article says, that they will setup a manufacturing facility for PC-12 aircraft.
This probably is due to the off-set clause, which a OEM needs to plough back a certain percentage of contract value in India.

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

A manufacturing unit for only 75 aircraft. *Raises eyebrows*

Something fishy is going on. I might expect the Air Marshal to suddenly announce that they bought 300 PC-7 instead of 75.

:shocked::shocked:

its not just for 75 rather a support facility for PC-12 aircraft which is entirely different aircraft . The Pilatus PC-12 is a single-engine turboprop passenger and cargo aircraft.

Pilatus PC-12