Taking aerial surveillance and Combat to the next Level

CiviL aviaTion news sPiCexPress anD newsPaCe researCH sign mou For Longrange, Heavy-LiFT unmanneD Cargo DeLivery PLaTForm n

ew Delhi: India’s largest air logistics company, SpiceXpress have signed a collaborative memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd (NRT), India’s leading domestic provider of intelligent UAVs to the Indian Defence forces, to build a product line of next generation heavy lift, long range cargo UAVs.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Sanjiv Gupta, CEO, SpiceXpress and Julius Amrit, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd in New Delhi. The flagship UAV in the product line is a 150 Kg UAV (HL 150) being developed by NewSpace Research. These UAVs will carry a payload of 150 kg over a distance of 150 km in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) notified cargo lanes. The HL 150 will have multiplexing technologies that combine NRT’s patent-pending swarming technologies with advanced hub & spoke sorting systems. This will shrink hours of transportation and handoff times associated with ground vehicles and reduce delivery times in the middle mile by over 50%.

SpiceXpress will also work towards integrating these capabilities with their widespread air cargo networks, which will make express delivery services accessible to their customers and businesses in Tier 2, 3 cities and rural India.

Geared mainly towards e-commerce logistics, express and reverse logistics, the efficiencies will benefit consumers and businesses in medical supplies, perishable goods, and others in manufacturing hubs and industrial zones.

The forward-looking drone policy of India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) released on August 26, 2021, which is focused on making India a drone operations & manufacturing hub by the end of this decade and increasing use cases in improving middle mile productivity are the building blocks of this partnership.

newLy LaunCHeD aCJ TwoTwenTy ComPLeTes FirsT FLigHT

mirabel. The aCJ TwoTwenty launched just over a year ago, completed its first flight from the Mirabel airport on 14 december 2021. The production test flight was performed by Christophe Marchand and adam Mason as Test Pilots and supported by Romuald scheling as Flight Test engineer.

The aircraft will be delivered to Comlux in the coming weeks and then outfitted with a vviP cabin by CoMLUx in indianapolis, Usa after the delivery. Comlux has been selected as an exclusive outfitting partner for the first 15 aCJ TwoTwenty aircraft.

The aCJ TwoTwenty is a new value proposition to business aviation buyers. The innovative solution combines intercontinental range enabling the aircraft to fly up to 5,650 nm/10,500 km (over 12 flight hours), unmatched personal space providing comfort for each passenger with 73m2/785 ft2 of floor space.

The aCJ TwoTwenty is the only business jet featuring six wide viP living areas, of around 12m2/130 ft2 each and is at a price point of a ULR bizjet. equipped with a signature flexible cabin catalogue, this fully completed aircraft is ideal for private and business jet users. some 200 airbus corporate jets are in service worldwide, flying on every continent, including antarctica.

BuDgeT 2022: no suPPorT For aviaTion seCTor n

ew Delhi. The aviation industry which was expecting some support from the Budget 2022-23 in terms of reduction in excise duty and concessional finance, were left disappointed.

Struggling to overcome several disruptions caused due to Covid-19, their path to recovery remains distant as of now. A strong support from the government at this stage would have firmly supported the sector’s early signs of recovery being witnessed for past two-three months.

IndiGo’s CEO Ronojoy Dutta, after the Budget was quoted in a media statement, “We were expecting tax concession to Aviation industry in the forms of cut in ATF excise duty and allocation of concessional finance to airlines to help us come out of the pandemic.”

In her budget speech, Finance Minister mentioned that airports would power the economic growth as a part of the PM Gati Shakti programme. But the details on how this would be achieved, or the timelines were missing. Similarly, there was no mention about aviation industry’s key demands for cut in airport charges, customs duty and relook at IGST charged on parts sent abroad for repair and come back.

“India’s Union Budget 2022 had nothing for aviation or tourism. This was highly disappointing & insensitive given the near-broken state of these sectors, although somewhat expected. Industry will be pinning its hopes – as in the past – on post-Budget redressal,” Aviation consultancy firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said in a statement.

Commenting on the Budget, Ashmita Sethi, President & Country Head, Pratt & Whitney said, “We congratulate the government on a strong, inclusive and growth focused budget in 2022. We believe that the farsighted measures for energy transition, climate action, and advancing defence R&D with the private sector will be crucial towards securing India’s bright future. We would have liked to see additional aviation specific reforms this year, as the sector battles the significant impact of the pandemic.”

The aviation industry is vital for the growth of the Indian economy and with government’s failure to address their concerns, clearly indicates that it was a missed opportunity.

Ronojoy Dutta Ashmita Sethi

CiviL aviaTion news imPorTeD Drones BanneD wiTH exCePTions

new Delhi: The government February 9 banned the import of foreign drones with certain exceptions as part of efforts to promote the domestic manufacturing of drones. The import of drones for R&D, defence and security purposes have been exempted from the ban but such imports will require due clearances.

“Import of drone components, however, shall not require any approvals,” the civil aviation ministry said in a release. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the commerce and industry ministry has issued a notification banning the import of foreign drones. “Import policy for drones in CBU (Completely Built Up)/ CKD (Completely Knocked Down)/ SKD (Semi Knocked Down) form… is prohibited with exceptions provided for R&D, defence and security purposes,” DGFT said.

Import of drones by government entities, educational institutions recognised by central or state government, the government recognised R&D entities and drone manufacturers for R&D purposes will be allowed in CBU, SKD or CKD form. This will be subject to import authorisation issued by DGFT in consultation with concerned line ministries. The civil aviation ministry said that in order to promote Made in India drones, the import of foreign drones has been prohibited with effect from February 9, 2022. The ministry came out with liberalised drone rules in August 2021. After the rules, the ministry issued the drone airspace map and PLI scheme in September 2021, the UTM policy framework in October 2021. Besides, the drone certification scheme and single window DigitalSky Platform were put in place last month.

LaunCH oF airBus aTLanTiC, a new gLoBaL PLayer For aerosTruCTures

toulouse. a wholly-owned airbus subsidiary, airbus atlantic, a global player in the aerostructures field, was officially established on 1st January 2022. The new company groups the strengths, resources and skills of airbus’s sites in nantes and Montoir-de-Bretagne, the central functions associated with their activities, as well as the sTeLia aerospace sites worldwide. This unification is part of the transformation project announced in april 2021, aimed at strengthening the value chain of aerostructure assembly within airbus’s industrial setup, this activity being considered as core business. it marks the intention to gain competitiveness, innovation and quality for the benefit of airbus’s programmes of today and tomorrow. as such, airbus atlantic will be an essential element in the group’s value chain and will play a key role with regard to the aerostructure supply chain, with more than 500 direct suppliers (flying products) and more than 2,000 indirect suppliers (general procurement products). With an estimated business volume of around 3.5 Bn euros, airbus atlantic is the world number two for aerostructures, world number one for pilot seats and ranks in the top three for Business Class and First Class passenger seats, which continue to be marketed under the sTeLia aerospace brand.

KuwaiT’s Jazeera airways ConFirms orDer For 28 new a320neo FamiLy airCraFT

Singapore. Jazeera airways, the kuwaitibased carrier, has firmed up an order with airbus for 28 aircraft, including 20 a320neos and eight a321neos. The order confirms the Memorandum of Understanding announced in november 2021. The a320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines, sharklets and aerodynamics, which together deliver 20% in fuel savings and Co2 reduction compared to previous generation airbus aircraft. The a320neo Family has received more than 7,400 orders from over 120 customers.

asia-PaCiFiC region wiLL neeD over 17,600 new airCraFT By 2040

Singapore.in the next 20 year passenger traffic growth of 5.3% per annum and accelerated retirement of older less fuel efficient aircraft will see the asia-Pacific region require 17,620 new passenger and freighter aircraft. nearly 30% of these will replace older less fuel efficient models. in a region which is home to 55% of the world’s population, China, india and emerging economies such as vietnam and indonesia will be the principal drivers of growth in asia-Pacific. GdP will grow at 3.6% per year compared to the world average 2.5% and double in value by 2040. The middle class, who are the likeliest to travel, will increase by 1.1 billion to 3.2 billion and the propensity for people to travel is set to almost triple by 2040. of the demand for 17,620 aircraft, 13,660 are in the small category like the a220 and a320 Family. in the medium and long range categories, asia-Pacific will continue to drive demand with some 42% of global requirement. This translates to 2,470 Medium and 1,490 Large category aircraft. Cargo traffic in asia-Pacific will also increase at 3.6% per annum, well above the global 3.1% average and will lead to a doubling in air freight in the region by 2040.

ge aviaTion To ParTner wiTH Boeing on HyBriD eLeCTriC FLigHT TesT DemonsTraTion Program

evendale, ohio. GE Aviation has selected Boeing to support flight tests of its hybrid electric propulsion system using a modified Saab 340B aircraft and CT7-9B turboprop engines. Boeing and its subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences will provide GE Aviation with airplane modification, system integration and flight-testing services. That work includes nacelle manufacturing, flight deck interface design and software, aircraft-level performance analysis, and systems integration.

Previously, NASA and GE Aviation announced the launch of a new research partnership to mature a megawatt (MW) class hybrid electric propulsion system to demonstrate flight readiness for singleaisle aircraft. Plans are to conduct ground and flight tests in the mid-2020s. The program, part of NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project, is a total $260 million effort including investments from NASA, GE Aviation, Boeing and other partners over five years. Aircraft systems engineering and testing work will be based at Aurora’s headquarters in Manassas, Va., with nacelle manufacturing taking place in its facilities in Mississippi and West Virginia. GE Aviation has been maturing components of highpower hybrid electric systems for more than a decade, including motors, generators power convertors and power management systems. The electrification technologies GE Aviation is advancing are highly compatible with Sustainable Aviation Fuel and hydrogen, as well as advanced engine architectures such as the open fan and new compact engine core designs. Hybrid electric propulsion technologies can save fuel and optimize engine performance, helping the aviation industry reach its commitment of net-zero CO2 emissions from flight by 2050.