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ROTOR INDIA - QE 31 MARCH - 2015

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Dear Readers, This Rotor India quarterly is a special issue for me as its editor. It has been 17 years since the first issue of this magazine was published on March 31, 1999. From a simple 20-page journal in black and white covering civil and military rotary wing aviation activities in India, it has now grown to be the most sought after and only magazine dedicated to cover helicopter aviation activities in the country. More importantly, the aviation ministry and other related government departments and the rotor wing industry look forward to the views expressed in this magazine and give serious considerations to the suggestions.

I would like to place on record my thanks to the corporate members, whose advertisement support has been the back bone for the magazine. It has helped us sustain the publication for the past 16 years. I am also indebted to the members of the editorial team for their voluntary support, which has helped us maintain the quality and content of the publication. Vinod Sadanand, who has assisted me in this endeavor from the formative years, deserves to be complimented.

This issue provides a special coverage of Aero India 2015, organized by the Ministry of Defence from February 18 to 22 at Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru and HAI HELI-EXPO held from March 2 to 5 at Orlando, USA. In addition, I have attached a report on RWSI covering the entire performance of the Rotary Wing Society of India during the period 1998-2015.

The key indicators of RWSI performance outlined in the report will portray the major and significant contributions made by the society towards promoting helicopter community’s needs and the industry. We have also ensured good health and financial management of the society especially when you consider that RWSI was started with zero investments. I would therefore urge you to read the report so that you can appreciate the work of several members, who have been doing yeoman service on a voluntary basis, in building the organization.

The RWSI has never shied away from taking the issues affecting the industry to the concerned authorities, namely the Civil Aviation Ministry (MOCA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and that has helped solve many issues. Even recently, Capt Uday Gelli, President, RWSI (western region) met the civil aviation minister Shri. Ashok Gajapathi Raju and briefed him on various issues affecting the growth of civil helicopter operations in the country and he was assured of action in finding speedy solutions to the problems.

As we move towards electing GC Members next month, I trust the office bearers of RWSI will continue to work with the higher dynamism and zeal towards achieving better ambience for the growth of helicopter industry in India. On behalf of RWSI Governing Council, I would like to thank every member for his or her unstinted support to Rotary Wing Society of India in the past 17 years and I look forward to a brighter future for the Society and the Indian helicopter industry in the days and years to come.

Yours Sincerely,

AVM K Sridharan VM (G) President RWSI & Editorial-in-Cheif

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ROTOR INDIA QE 31 MARCH 2015

Helicopter VFR Offshore routes to Bombay High Dear Sir, 1. Refer to AAI Supplement 09 / 2010 dated 12 Mar 2010, on Helicopter Routing Mumbai/Juhu.

2. Helicopter VFR Offshore routes were established to streamline the flow of helicopter movement within Mumbai Control Zone to various helipads and Bombay High. However, after having established and flown on these routes (from K017 to K024), it has emerged that there are a few susceptible pockets / reporting points, where during low visibility/weather conditions, the chances of mid-air collision cannot be ruled out and needs urgent attention/addressing. These critical points/areas are, at and around Points ‘P’ and ‘R’ (points on an arc of 35 NM from BBB on radial 300 and 290 respectively).

3. Though, the safety aspect/concern at these points were discussed during the initial stages of the implementation and were also put up during Flight Safety Meetings, however, the issue could not be resolved and eventually, was left to PIC to take appropriate action to avoid any incident (situational awareness), as no procedures is considered as fool proof.

4. Apprehension. At and around these points, an outbound aircraft commences descend and the inbound aircraft either maintains height or initiates climbing ex field/destination like BLQ/PQ. 5. New Procedure. To obviate possible incident of mid-air collision at these crucial points/areas, following additional off shore procedure is recommended:(a) An additional Low Level Routing (LLR) be established in the present setup of Off Shore Routing, which may be restricted up to 50 NM only from Mumbai/Juhu (it virtually encompasses BLQ, Neelam, Heera and PQ fields). (b) All outbound aircraft to follow the existing K-Routing up to 25 NM from BBB and thereafter, follow the standard offshore routing legs up to their respective fields/destination at 800 feet. © The inbound aircraft to climb to 1200 feet immediately after takeoff from their respective field/destination till 35 NM from BBB/Point ‘R’, thereafter, to follow standard routing to Juhu. (d) Between fields, the aircraft to maintain 1000 feet. (e) The traffic proceeding North/South of radial 270 to skirt at 25 NM DME from BBB at 800 feet and shape course to its destination appropriately.

6. Advantages. This new procedure would accrue following benefits and safety:(a) It would be beneficial to all aircraft (safety wise) proceeding or returning from destinations like BLQ, Heera, Neelam and PQ fields. (b) The departing/outbound aircraft from Juhu at 800 feet, will be able to establish communication with the departing aerodrome i.e. Mumbai/Juhu as well as destination/controlling platform after 25 NM from Juhu ie, B193/BLQ and PQ. (c) Safety Aspect. The traffic proceeding North/South from radial 270 would skirt at 25 NM at 800 feet and proceed to respective destinations, hence would keep clear of incoming traffic at 500 feet. (d) Speed variations of different types of aircraft from Juhu would pose no threat either (view prevailing VFR/Spl VFR conditions enroute upto 50 NM). (f) The returning traffic at LLR would be at 1200 feet and hence, would keep clear of other returning traffic coming at 1500/2000 feet following the existing procedures.

7. The above proposal may be considered after deliberation at the appropriate forum for its implementation.

Regards Capt TS Rait Dear Sir, Before we take up the matter with AAI (WR), we request other stakeholders involved in Heli Ops in Bombay High to forward their views on the proposal made by Capt T. S. Rait on or before 15 Apr 2015 to RWSI (rotorindia@hotmail.com).

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It is almost four years since the 169 report of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on “Helicopter Operation in India” was presented to the Rajya Sabha on 11 August 2011. The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture in its meeting held on the 15th September, 2009 decided to have an in-depth study on the Helicopter Operations in India in view of increasing number of helicopter accidents in the recent past. The Committee considered and adopted the Report at its meeting held on the 13th April, 2011. Action Taken Replies on the recommendations/observations were received by Rajya Sabha Secretariat during the same year. However, there are many recommendations / observations made in the Report which have implications for safety of Helicopter Operations in the Country that are still waiting to be implemented.

As recommended by the Parliamentary Standing Committee Report, the present Helicopter Cell at DGCA does not have all the experts from airworthiness, aerodrome standards, air safety and flight operations directorates of DGCA as well as representatives from the industry, namely PHHL and Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI).

Presently the rules governing operations are framed keeping in view the commercial fixed wing operations and thereafter made applicable to helicopter. This greatly undermines the flexibility of the helicopters resulting in under utilisation.

They urgently need Joint Director General heading the Helicopter Cell at DGCA along with all the domain experts. The Report also outlined the objects & responsibilities of the helicopter cell as follows: (i) Review and updating of standards of airworthiness and operations of helicopters in consultation with helicopter industry; (ii) Stipulate requirements for operations from improvised helipads, temporary helipads for seasonal operations, heliports, roof-top operations and other aerial work operations. This will include the requirements for preparation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Minimum th

Equipment List (MEL), Maintenance Programme and other technical documents and their approval; (iii) Plan and conduct audits of helicopter operators including offshore operations on annual basis and follow-up on the observations of audits; (iv) Revision of relevant sections of Schedule II of the Aircraft Rules, dealing with PPL, CPL and ATPL (helicopters) in line with international standards as per ICAO Annex / EASA regulations; (v) Review of FDTL regulations for helicopter pilots & AMEs (vi) Approval of Operations Manual of NSOP applicants (helicopters) and association with preparedness meetings for the grant of NSOP for helicopter operators. This may include demonstration flights and demonstration of operational procedures (load and trim, flight dispatch, evacuation, passenger facilities, FDTL monitoring, flight data evaluation, external load applications etc.); (vii) Inspection of helipads for seasonal operations and approval for SOPs for such operations; (viii) Coordination with AAI for approval of separate procedures for helicopter operations; (ix) Matters related to creation of heliports including identification of sites and related follow-up; (x) Conducting annual meetings with helicopter operators to review the areas of concern expressed by them from time-totime, and the necessary follow-up; (xi) Compiling and analyzing statistics of helicopter pilots, AMEs, hours of operation in different categories, surveillance observations, audit findings, etc.

It is critical that DGCA strengthen its Helicopter Cell and streamline its efficient functioning as recommended by the 169 Report besides informing the details of the major observations / decisions made by the Helicopter Cell and the Action Taken for implementation thereof.• th

Civil Helicopters Record Nil Accident During 2014

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ROTOR INDIA QE 31 MARCH 2015

Capt. Uday Gelli President RWSI (Western Region) called on Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri. Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju in his chamber on 5 Mar 15 to share with him issues affecting the growth of Civil Helicopter Operations in the Country. We are indeed glad to report that the Minister heard to the problems facing the Industry with interest and assured him of speedy solutions to resolve the issues.

Regarding the issues affecting the Industry, the Minister was informed that numerous meetings have been held at MOCA in the past. Unfortunately, a number of decisions taken to resolve some of the issues at these meetings have not been implemented. Presented below is a brief summary of issues that were taken up. a)Helicopter Cell at DGCA. Presently there is no dedicated Joint Director General heading the Helicopter Cell at DGCA. If the composition of the Cell and objectives & responsibilities assigned to the members outlined in the 169 th Report submitted by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transportation to the Rajya Sabha on 11 August 2011 on Helicopter Operations in India are followed, the situation may greatly improve. b)Infrastructural Facilities at Airports. AAI is not providing any facility for helicopters parking at metro airports and not providing even rest rooms for the crew when the helicopters are transiting thru certain airports. Though the helicopter corridors have been created at certain airports, the routings are not economical which needs to be rationalized.

Since Mumbai airport does not allow night parking of helicopters, the adjoining Juhu airport needs to create more parking area for helicopters.

Either AAI creates the parking areas or allow the operators to develop the tarmac area for parking and operations. c)Developing a network of Helipads and Heliport. There is the need for developing a network of helipads and heliports in and around metros as well as in the hilly and remote parts of the country. A dedicated heliport wing is also required in the Airports Authority of India to oversee the development of heliports and verti ports and heli-routes in the country.

Decentralization of decision making to enable Regional Directors of DGCA to take quick decisions in matters related to Airworthiness and Safety. For example, Western region which is the major hub of aviation activity is being managed by a Director level officer instead of the sanctioned Deputy Director General level officer because of which every matter is referred to HQ, thus delaying decisions which is adversely affecting the operations.

Simplified Procedure for issue of C of R / C of A / Aero mobile license for newly imported helicopters. The present procedures are taking unusually long time to get the helicopter endorsed on the Operators permit - at times it is taking as much as 60 days to complete the procedures resulting into huge financial set back to the company. The

operators who bring in the helicopters on lease are required to pay the rentals from the day they take delivery and therefore they lose the money while helicopter is idling on the ground due to procedural delays - sometimes as much as a crore of rupees. DGCA officers need to be sensitized about the economics of operations to eliminate the losses the operator undergoes due to procedural delays.

AAI has raised the charges at various airports and services exorbitantly. In Juhu airport, the hangar rentals are raised by 360 times in the last 32 years. The hangars when given to the operators are in dilapidated condition due to which the operators are required to spend lacs of rupees to make it operational. Operators who have been given Porta Cabin permissions have been asked to pay higher land charges which have been hiked by 500% last year. With no additional facilities provided, the AAI has recently asked all operators to pay 10% of hangar rentals as facilitation fees. All these rents being hiked are in an arbitrary manner without taking stake holders into confidence.

High Ground Handling Charges(Refers to para 8 of the Minutes of the meeting held under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation on 9 December, 2014).

Operators should be given the choice to do their flight handling at the airports or select any of the service providers for Ground Handling their helicopter at the metro airports. By forcing the operators to select the nominated flight and ground handler at exorbitant rates put the operators to great expenses when they do not really require such facilities. About Rs. 10,000 is charged compulsorily, and even when not needed by passengers, approximately Rs. 1000 is charged per trip for going to terminal building. Unless required charges are paid to Ground Handling agency, ATC clearance is not given for the helicopter to operate.•

ROTOR INDIA QE 31 MARCH 2015

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Maintenance Safety Issues at IGI Airport New Delhi We understand that the present plan of GMR is to establish a MRO through a FBO which will develop Infrastructure at IGI Airport and thereafter provide Maintenance support to the Operators. The FBO is expected to invest around Rs.1000 Crores for the project. The GMR is confident that their MRO project has full support of the GOI. If the proposed plan of GMR to establish a MRO fructify, it is likely to have following implications;(1)MRO established at IGI will have complete monopoly, (2) All smaller Maintenance agencies would have to close down their business,(3) As there will be no competition AMC charges will be higher leading to increase in the operating cost of General aviation Companies, and (4) Other implications would include loss of job for a few hundred technically qualified people employed by existing Maintenance Companies unless the same manpower is employed by the new MRO. It is good to develop infrastructure but it is also important to have a level playing field for all the stake holders. GOI specified that the

Dr. B P Sharma is new CMD Pawan Hans Dr. B P Sharma has taken over the charge of Chairman and Managing Director of Pawan Hans Limited (PHL). Prior to this he was working as APD and Executive Director- Projects at Airports Authority of India, Kolkata Airport. As far as his candidature is concerned he is graduate engineer with MBA & PhD in Business Administration-Change Management in Civil Aviation. Sharma has 28 years of multifaceted experience in the field of Civil Aviation Management, planning & developing engineering proposals for airport facilities. He also worked in International Civil Aviation Organization’s Field Project Office in Kabul as an E&M Engineer and Instructor.•

Pawan Hans signs pact with BSNL Pawan Hans Ltd signed as agreement with BSNL for utilization of cloud services. PHL is the first organization under the Ministry of Civil Aviation which has opted for Cloud Services, which means organization is moving away from a traditional CAPEX model (buy the dedicated hardware and depreciate it over a period of time) to the OPEX model (use a shared cloud infrastructure and pay as one uses it) thereby saving huge cost on maintenance. Cloud computing, focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of the shared resources. This step of PHL is to focus more on operations of Helicopter.•

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policies would be formulated for growth of Aviation Industry but the steps taken are encouraging monopolistic approach to business, which in the longer run would be detrimental to growth.

With no options, the present Maintenance organizations would be forced to shift out their premises at IGI Airport Delhi for some smaller Airport elsewhere .As these companies would take time to develop their business, they may opt to close the shop.

To conclude, we were better-off before privatization when AAI was managing affairs at IGI Airport. If similar financial support was given to AAI, even they would have created the infrastructure as it stands today.

Presently, only the ‘Arrival’ and ‘Departure’ lounges have improved.

Sadly the maintenance infrastructure behind the scene is in a dilapidated and in extremely sorry state. In an ‘Audit’ by an International Aviation Auditor from Singapore, the comment which sums it all, said, “can’t you find a cleaner place to maintain your aircraft which would be indeed better and safer?” This was in reference to the GA dispersal area.•

Second Simulator Platform for HATSOFF The Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF) is planning to set up a second simulator platform in Bangalore for training pilots for specific flying training like Eurocopter Dauphin or the Bell 412 or India’s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH-Dhruv). HATSOFF is a joint venture of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and CAE. According to Captain N S Krishna, CEO HATSOFF, the number of hours involved in pilot training is going up every year. Once it reaches 4,500 hours of simulator training, HATSOFF plans to set up a second training platform in their facility.

HATSOFF trains people who hold a basic licence in chopper flying as well as qualified pilots to hone their skills year after year. The basic licence can be procured from The HAL Rotary Wing Academy after six months of training. Subsequently, they can go to HATSOFF to learn higher level flying or conversion training, in which the pilots fly specific helicopters that are not the basic ones (like Schweizer 300C/Schweizer 330SP).•

Rs.50cr Heliport Approved for Greater Noida Estimated to come up at a cost of about Rs 50 crore, the heliport was proposed after the international airport project in Jewar was scrapped.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had in May 2013 given his nod to the project, which was to get operational last year. Likely to get operational by 2017, the heliport will also be used for medical and evacuation emergencies, tourism besides passenger services.

The project feasibility report was handled by RITES and was ably supported by RWSI . The heliport will be constructed on a 22-acre plot in Safipur near Gautam Budh University, along the Noida-Greater Noida expressway.•

ROTOR INDIA QE 31 MARCH 2015

Anti Naxal Operations - Aviation Support Overview The red corridor, cuts a massive swathe across several states & over a period of many decades, has cost the Nation dearly, both in terms of lives as well as money. The CRPF, along with a few units of the ITBP & the BSF, have been deployed to check & hopefully overcome this menace.

The inhospitable terrain, desolate locales & poor infrastructure, go a long way in aiding the Naxals, while creating impediments for our Forces.

To overcome these issues, Anti Naxal Forces have been provided aviation support, largely from the Air Force (in terms of heavy lift helicopters) and the MHA (which provides ALH Dhruv helicopters from the BSF inventory).

The AF helicopters operate under AIR FORCE rules, while the civil registered ALH operate under Civil Aviation Requirements & the Aircraft Act 1937. This also holds true for the other few civil helicopters that are utilized from time to time, either by the state Govt or by any agency. Herein lie the pitfalls.

It has been learnt that civilian operators have been brought in for providing support in Chattisgarh. This has its consequences and this article is an attempt to provide some light on the operating conditions that prevail.

Ground Realities The outposts of the Para Military forces are isolated & often disconnected from each other by terrestrial routes. The few paths that exist are strewn with landmines & hence avoided. These outposts are mostly of a company strength (about 130 personnel), which is woefully inadequate to sanitize the required 5 km zone (the bare minimum needed to ensure safety of helicopter approaches / take offs, See graphic below). Simple mathematics are enough to calculate that a minimum

• • •

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prevent firing on helicopters during critical phase of flight i.e.

Landing & Take Off. A total distance of 4130 metres radius around the helipad needs to be sanitised.

If rounded off to say 5000 mtrs (5 KM), the perimeter of the circle = 2nR (R=5km)=31 km At best, visibility inside jungles may be 100 metres. This means soldier to soldier gaps cannot be more than 100 metres in the cordon.

Therefore, 31000/100 =310, hence a MINUMUM of 310 soldiers are needed for the outer cordon alone. If hilly / dense jungles, personnel requirement will be much more.

Even the battalion headquarters of the Para Military forces are unlikely to be able to provide the type of sanitization that is actually needed for safe helicopter operations. This harsh reality translates into inadequate sanitization. Non adherence to the Civil Aviation Requirements related to sanitization of helipads and correct dimensions of helipads have led to several helicopters being shot at. The Air Force has had at least five of its helicopters hit over the past few years. Several of its personnel have been hit by Naxal bullets. The Air Force is surely not keen on having their aircrew loosing lives due to the inadequate measures taken by the Para Military to sanitize the areas where they want troops to be landed and engage the Naxals in fire fight. It is unfortunate, the authorities concerned have even threatened the pilots of helicopters with dire consequences, in case they refuse to land or undertake missions to areas devoid of effective security cover. Added to this sad state of affairs, is total lack of mandatory safety facilities at the helipads.

Very few (if any) of the helipads conform to DGCA requirements. They lack mandatory facilities like fire fighting & first aid etc. In the absence of any audit by the regulator, the CRPF continues to ignore the Civil Aviation

strength of around 310 personnel are needed & this is only for the outer cordon, under ideal conditions. In actuality, this is a very conservative estimate.

• A restricted helicopter approach needs 1.5 nautical miles (approx 3130 metres straight in approach.

• Average small arms (AK-47, SLR.etc) effective range is1000 metres.

• Hence, a minimum of about 3130 metres + 1000 metres radius around helipad must be secured by physical presence of troops to

ROTOR INDIA QE 31 MARCH 2015

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Requirements, often pushing the pilots in risking their licenses for operating on non standard helipads. Huge correspondence that has taken place between the Operators & Para Military forces regarding the lack of safety & security facilities at their helipads are testimony to the apathy prevailing in conduct of these operations. Another important factor is related to flight safety as too many civil operators are involved in this ops without effective coordination. Driven purely by commercial interests, most of the civil operators are unwilling to take a stand against the poor facilities, dusty helipads, unsanitised fly zones.

Recommendations In the interests of FLIGHT SAFETY, following measures are recommended:• •

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Audit of all helipads by the DGCA, prior to clearing it for civil helicopter use.

Sanitization certificates must be provided by the concerned Para Military Force in the public domain as accountable & legal documents.

Concerned Para Military Force must be accountable for Search & Rescue within 5 km radii of their helipad.

The Nodal Helipad Concept, wherein units are sited so as to ensure absolute protection to a helipad by way of tactical sitting, provision of adequate manpower, weapons & tactics, be applied and ensured.

Concerned Para Military Force officials may be sensitized in respect of CAR, capabilities & limitations of various air craft.

The indenting agency must be held accountable for the safety of the aircraft.

The regulator & concerned Para Military Force authorities must regularly interact at the National level to find solutions to emerging issues.

Conclusion Anti Naxal operations by troops are in for long haul. Aviation is a force multiplier that can immensely enhance land operations. However, such operations are not without risk. A comprehensive risk assessment vs requirement analysis must be resorted to and a cohesive aviation support plan must be spelt out. Responsibilities and duties of the concerned Para Military Forces must be made accountable as they are the end users.

There is a dire need for the regulator i.e. DGCA, the National Security Agencies, operators and the customer meet at regular intervals to establish a cohesive atmosphere, wherein mission accomplishment is both safe and paramount.

Helicopter Pilot who Received the U.S. military's Highest decoration You're a 19 year old kid.

You're critically wounded and dying in The jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam ..

It's November 11, 1967. LZ (landing zone) X-ray.

Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the MedEvac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.

Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.

As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.

Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter.

You look up to see a Huey coming in. But..

It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it. Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.

He's not MedEvac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.

Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come, he's coming anyway.

And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board.

Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety. And, he kept coming back!!

13 more times!! Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.

He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force, died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise, Idaho May God Bless and Rest His Soul.

At present, there is no such proposal to prepare a separate policy on Make-in-India to invite private companies in defence sector. The defence production sector was opened in 2001 for 100% private sector participation. Further in pursuance of the Defence Production Policy 2011, the Government has taken the following major steps to promote the participation of private sector in production of defence equipments: ( i) Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR), which gives out the equipment and technologies required by our Armed Forces, has been put in public domain to provide the industry an overview of the direction in which the Armed Forces intend to head in terms of capability over the next 15 years. (ii) Preference to Buy (Indian), Buy & Make (Indian) & Make categories over Buy (Global) or Buy & Make categories of Capital Acquisition cases. (iii) The procedure for Buy and Make (Indian) category, has been simplified in order to make the category more attractive for Indian Defence industry. (iv) A clear definition of indigenous content has been provided which would not only bring more clarity on the indigenous content required for different categorization, but also enhance the indigenization of defence products in India. (v) Indian private sector industry has also been allowed to receive Maintenance Transfer of Technology (MToT) in Buy (Global) cases. (vi) FDI Policy in Defence sector has been reviewed and as per the new policy, composite foreign investment up to 49% has been allowed through FIPB route and beyond 49% with the approval of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). (vii) Defence Products List for the purpose of industrial licensing has been revised and in the revised list most of the components / parts / raw materials have been taken out from the purview of the industrial licensing. (viii)Defence Exports Strategy has been formulated and put in public domain. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for issuing NOC for export of military stores has been simplified and made online.

Defence Acquisition Council has taken a decision to procure 384 Light Helicopters for Indian Air Force (IAF) & Indian Army and 56 Naval Utility Helicopters through Buy & Make (Indian) route. Acquisition covered under the Buy & Make (Indian) route would mean purchase from an Indian vendor (including Indian company forming the joint venture/establishing production arrangement with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), followed by licensed production / indigenous manufacture in the country.

Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) has decided to augment its helicopters manufacturing capacity of Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) from 24 to 36 helicopters per annum. This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shri Ravi Prakash Verma in Rajya Sabha on 17 Mar 15.•

The MOD recently scrapped a tender worth Rs.6,000 crore to procure 197 light utility helicopters from foreign vendors for the armed forces and decided to allow domestic players to manufacture these helicopters.

Scrapping the tender, the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley put the acquisition under the “Buy and Make Indian” category, allowing the Indian industry to make the helicopters under a joint venture with a foreign manufacturer. While this decision is likely to spell bad news for two foreign vendors — one European and one Russian — who were in the race to equip the Indian forces with 197 light utility helicopters to replace their aging Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, sources in the Defence Ministry said it is likely to bring in business worth Rs. 40,000 crore for the Indian industry.

In India’s first helicopter competition reserved for domestic defense companies, teams have been established between top defense companies Larsen & Toubro with Airbus Helicopters and Tata Advanced Systems with Sikorsky Aircraft to produce a Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) include Mahindra Defence Systems teaming up with Bell Helicopter and Punj Lloyd with Russian Helicopters. The domestic companies had to respond

by Feb. 17 to a Request For Information (RFI) they received in October to provide the helicopters on a Buy and Make (India) basis in the $2.5 billion tender.•

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ROTOR INDIA QE 31 MARCH 2015

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The President of India and the Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces, Shri Pranab Mukherjee awarded the prestigious Presidential Standard to 21 Squadron and 116 Helicopter Unit, during a grand ceremonial parade, held at Air Force Station Jodhpur on 9 Mar 15.

The Commanding Officer of 21 Squadron Wing Commander AK Budhwar and Commanding Officer of 116 Helicopter Unit Wing Commander VS Rao received the Presidential Standard.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pranab Mukherjee said that while embarking on the path of economic progress, it is essential to preserve peace, for which effective deterrence is necessary. He expressed confidence that our armed forces will rise to the occasion and keep the country's flag high, when the need arises. He also said that professional excellence, grit and determination exhibited by both the units over the years is highly commendable and he complimented all the personnel and families of 21 Squadron and 116 Helicopter Unit and

wished them continued success in their future endeavors.

A ceremonial parade was held to mark the occasion, which was commanded by Group Captain Raman Goyal.

The President also released the First Day Covers of 21 Squadron and 116 Helicopter Unit at the function. There was a spectacular display of a precision and daredevilry by the Air Warrior Drill Team and fly-past consisting of Mi17, MiG21 and Su 30 which regaled the audience. The breathtaking fly-past was synchronized with significant events of the parade. The main attractions of the ceremony were an impressive display of Low Level Aerobatics by single Su-30 MKI aircraft and performance by the Sarang Helicopter Aerobatic display team which enthused the gathering.

Interacting with media after the function, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said that Indian Air Force is on a trajectory of modernization and is transforming into a strategic aerospace power with full-spectrum capability. •

After nearly three decades, the people of the war-ravaged cities namely Anuradhapura, Talaimannar and Jaffna witnessed landing of helicopters belonging to the Indian Air Force carrying the head of the Indian government Narendra Modi, this time for a peace mission. It was the first time that Prime Minister Modi had used the choppers to reach destinations in his three-nation five-day tour of the Indian Ocean region.

The choppers were sent to Colombo in advance for the complicated itinerary that the Indian PM had in Sri Lanka. Security had been very high, with policemen patrolling all streets and even the alleys.

In Jaffna, the presence of the Indian choppers caused quite an excitement, as the locals recalled the air dropping of supplies by the Indian Air Force in 1987, when the country was in the midst of a civil war.

At that time, rumours were spreading about an impending air-attack

by Sri Lankan forces on the unarmed civilians. The then Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi directed the IAF to air-drop supplies over Jaffna with an intension to send a message to the LTTE code-named Operation Poomalai (Floral Garland) that the air dropping of supplies by the IAF was a signal to the Sri Lankan forces to stop attacks on unarmed Tamils.

Five AN-32s along with two Mirages carried relief supplies from Bangalore’s Yelahanka air base and dropped them without any opposition from the Lankan forces, who were informed that they would

be met with retaliation, if they tried to stop the Indian birds. Shocked and offended by Operation Poomalai, an attack on its sovereignty, Lankan President Julius Jayawardene reached the negotiating table and signed the India-Sri Lanka accord on July 29, 1987.

If Operation Poomalai was a success, Operation Pawan involving Indian choppers in Jaffna did not end so well.

The paratroopers, who were supposed to be heli-dropped to perform a commando raid at the Jaffna University to take out the top LTTE leadership, were ambushed after the LTTE intercepted radio transmissions of the IPKF. Twenty-nine of the 30 Sikh Light Infantry troopers were butchered in the battle.

In all, it was said that the IAF had flown over 2000 tactical transport and a thousand helicopter sorties to back the ground operations within a few months in Sri Lanka. But this time, the helicopters flew in peace transporting an Indian Prime Minister and his delegation to a Buddhist place of worship, a mission to reinvigorate the relationship with its southern neighbour.

Modi became the first Indian PM to set foot in the war-ravaged region.

He also visited the IPKF memorial and lay to rest the dismay, hurt and sorrow of an operation that led to the death of so many brave Indian soldiers, who fought a war that they were ill-equipped to handle, a military operation that went wrong.•

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General Helicopters today are integral part of land, sea and air operations of modern armies and are being increasingly employed in sub conventional operations (counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations) across the world. This trend is likely to continue in the future, with helicopters acquiring special features as in the case of Black Hawks used in ‘Operation Neptune Spear’.

Military Aviation is looking at the next generation of military helicopters and the strategy to modernize vertical lift capability long term, with improved avionics, electronics, range, speed, propulsion, survivability and high altitude performance. The philosophy is to improve on the present limitations by examining emerging technologies within the realm of the possible, with speeds in excess of 170 knots, combat range 0f 800 km, hover with full combatload under high/hot conditions and with a degree of autonomous flight capability. There is a need to harness technological innovation by looking beyond current force technology and identifying possible next generation solutions in areas such as propulsion, airframe materials, rotor systems, engine technology, survivability equipment and mission systems among others.

Future Developments & Capabilities Today the global helicopter industry is undergoing a significant transformation as are customer demands and the capabilities offered by cutting edge technologies. Significant advances in technology such as computation structural dynamics modelling, expanded use of additive manufacturing, fly by wire controls, advanced condition based maintenance (CBM) and health and usage monitoring (HUMS) systems and advanced turbine engine programmes, promise a big leap in rotorcraft capabilities. Governments worldwide are initiating new defence procurements, while simultaneously developing and expanding indigenous production and development capabilities for both military

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and civil applications – India has also taken the lead in this area by its recent exposition of its‘Make in India Policy’ in the defence sector and inviting the private sector to be part and parcel of the growing defence aerospace industry.

The US remains the world’s largest purchaser and developer of military helicopters, with major aviation giants like Sikorsky, Boeing and Bell taking the lead in the design, development and manufacture of state of art military and civil helicopters. The US military has embarked on the most transformative science and technology initiative in decades – the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) technology demonstration effort, where the industry plans to prove the revolutionary capabilities of high speed approaches for a family of future military products. In Russia the Moscow based ‘Russian Helicopters’ has been a leading player in the Global Helicopter Industry, with its major thrust being towards design and development of military helicopters. Europe has in the last two decades also emerged as a major contender in the helicopter market, both in the civil and military domain - Airbus Helicopter formerly ‘Eurocopter’ and Anglo-Italian AgustaWestland are the two major companies whose products have flooded the civil as well as military market around the globe.

The new generation helicopter platforms are expected to feature the latest advances in aeronautics giving military helicopters improved flight performance especially in relation to speed. This offers the new generation machines unprecedented capabilities-increased autonomy, reduced acoustic signatures (enhanced stealth), more accurate navigation systems, enhanced data acquisition and protection systems, more effective weapons and munitions and improved reliability and maintainability at lower operating costs. Helicopters will have to become truly modular, making it possible to change part of the system without affecting overall integrity. The concept of modularity is likely to increase, especially with the emergence of the concept of multirole machines.

ROTOR INDIA QE 31 MARCH 2015

World over today the armed forces are seriously looking at the multirole concept, due to the changing nature of conflicts and financial constraints. This concept basically revolves around the use of utility helicopters both in the lift/logistics and armed role. The size of such helicopters would be between cargo and light observation and their armament would generally be restricted to guns and rockets. Some of these may also have the capability to be fitted with air to air and air to ground missiles. The ALH is a classic example of a multirole helicopter with its utility and armed version (Rudra) available to the Indian Military.

The US military is already moving in this direction and their JMR fleet vision envisages narrowing down the more than 20 helicopter types spread across the services to only three basic models, plus a new ‘ultra’ category extending vertical take-off and landing aircraft into the domain of medium sized fixed wing transports. The vision lays down that no helicopter in all three basic categories-light, medium and heavy will be slower than today’s fastest conventional helicopter and should be powerful enough to carry their predecessors as external payload.

With regards to data acquisition, day/night observation and detection capabilities will increase and become more diversified specially in respect to information sharing and cooperation with other aircraft and UAVs. This aspect has already been incorporated in the Block III Apache model. Target engagement capabilities with regard to weapon range and precision is likely to remain the focus of future development. With sub conventional operations gaining ascendency around the world, helicopter survivability will assume greater significance.

Advances in stealth, such as reductions in radar and acoustic signatures offer major results in this area, as does the development of early detection/jamming countermeasure capabilities.

Some of the above technologies are already being incorporated in the development of Eurocopters X2 and X3, and Sikorsky’s X2 co-axial compound helicopter as technology demonstrators. The main emphasis is on speed, stealth, reliability and survivability. Many of these designs go well beyond the tried and tested rotor and propeller system that has defined generations of helicopter technology since their introduction into the military use in the forties. The coaxial rotor design by cutting out the requirement of a tail rotor, provides a whole heap of benefits to include more

power (enhancing the payload capability), greater speeds, stability and noise reduction. Infact in its demonstrative flight, Sikorsky’s X2 achieved a speed of 287 mph a major leap from the current standard helicopter speeds – the X2 has a rear tail fin rotor which provides the speed boost rather than anti torque thrust. Its military version the Sikorsky ‘S-97 Raider’ is stated to be the future light tactical scout helicopter of the US Military. Eurocopters X3 technology demonstrator is another oddball chopper that can’t seem to figure out whether it wants to be a helicopter or a plane. But this aircraftis already turning heads by having achieved speeds that are fifty percent faster than the conventional helicopters and lower vibration levels. The X3 has two propellers on the side of the craft thereby removing the need for a tail rotor and is being projected by Airbus Helicopters for the military’s use in search and rescue, special forces operations and troop transport.

Finally, the development of innovative concepts, along the lines of V22 Osprey (tilt rotor technology), could generate fresh momentum in the utility/logistics domain. The V-22 has operated extensively in Afghanistan and was instrumental in the rescue of a downed US pilot in Libya in 2013.

AgustaWestland has also come up with a similar rotorcraft, the AW-609 - a significant player in the emerging tilt rotor market. AgustaWestland sees the craft as a troop transporter similar to the Bell- Boeing V22 Osprey.

Such an aircraft would be ideal for deployment in our North Eastern region where the infrastructure is woefully inadequate. The latest in the tiltrotor field is ‘Bell’s V-280Valor’ third generation tiltrotor demonstrator. Bell’s Valor programme is a quantum technology jump on its earlier V-22 Osprey aircraft and attacks affordability with technology – the Valor is expected to fly in 2017.

Another area of future development is helicopter UAVs. Two avenues are already being explored and implemented in different countriesUAV-helicopter cooperation and development of rotary wing UAVs. Lockheed Martin’s K-MAX helicopter UAV was deployed in Afghanistan for logistic resupply and has proved to be quite a hit. It has been able to fly in adverse weather conditions when manned helicopters could not fly. Northrop Grumman’s ‘Fire Scout’, is another helicopter UAV which is already in service with the US Navy, capable of operating from ship decks. The latest in the unmanned field is the unmanned version of Sikorsky’s UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter modified for both manned and unmanned flights. The Indian Military is also seriously examining these unmanned options.•

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The Indian Navy concluded its annual Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX) on 27 Feb 15. This month long war drill encompassed all dimensions of maritime warfare, and witnessed participation of around 50 ships and submarines, along with over 70 aircraft from the three Naval Commands. The exercise also saw participation of units from the Indian Air Force and the Indian Coast Guard. The area of operations spanned the Arabian Sea and Northern Indian Ocean and was aimed at validating the Indian Navy’s Concept of Operations. During TROPEX-2015, the Navy had deployed two Carrier Task Forces simultaneously at sea, with both Viraat and Vikramaditya operating with their integral flights in an operational scenario. This assumes significance as it makes the Indian Navy, besides the US Navy, capable of deploying more than one Carrier Task Force at sea, at present.

TROPEX also saw extensive deployment of the nuclear submarine Chakra, the recently inducted P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft, the recently commissioned guided missile destroyer Kolkata and

Anti Submarine Warfare corvette Kamorta. The exercise provided the right opportunity for the Navy to integrate these acquisitions into its war-fighting concepts. TROPEX-15 also served to reinforce the Indian Navy’s offensive capabilities across all dimensions, including Network Centric Operations, wherein, the indigenous satellite Rukmani was extensively utilised. The Navy also underscored its Op Logistics capability to effectively sustain Fleet Operations for extended periods at large distances.

The exercise reinforced the Navy’s ability to serve in different roles with relative ease, when it exercised a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission, as part of the build up to the main phase of the exercise. This exercise was conducted against the backdrop of the Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands having been struck by a super cyclone.

The Indian Navy has the inherent capacity and capability to reach outlying islands and coastal areas, with relief and rehabilitation material, and remains continuously prepared for this task. Overall, the exercise reiterated the Navy’s preparedness and capability to meet various roles mandated for it, in support of national objectives.•

Both aircraft carriers of the Indian Navy, INS Vikramaditya and INS Viraat, and five other frontline ships that are part of the Navy’s Mumbai-based Western Fleet are in Kochi after participating in the just-concluded TROPEX (Theatre-level Readiness and Operational Exercise).

This is the maiden visit of INS Vikramaditya, inducted into the Navy last November, to Kochi. Both Vikramaditya and Viraat, which is slated to be decommissioned in 2016, are at the outer anchorage while the other vessels are berthed alongside the quays at the Naval Base. The potent Western fleet is commanded by Rear Admiral R Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding of Western Fleet.

“A number of professional interactions are planned between personnel of different training units based in Kochi and the visiting ships in order to synergise the training and operational aspects of the Navy,” a spokesperson said. The ships would set out for Mumbai in a day or two on completion of professional engagement. The newly-inducted aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, the Navy maintained, had been fully integrated with the fleet post-trials and was extensively used in its operational role in TROPEX. Homeported at Karwar, Vikramaditya is commanded by Captain Suraj Berry. The outgoing aircraft carrier Viraat is commanded by Captain Rajesh Pendharkar.•

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India is trying to fast-track finalization of its longpending ambitious plan to launch indigenous construction of its largest-ever aircraft carrier. Though the propulsion system for the proposed 65,000-tonne warship is yet to be decided, the plan is veering towards nuclear power for greater operational endurance. The ongoing "detailed" naval study for this indigenous aircraft carrier-II (IAC-II) project has gained urgency since the ageing 56-year-old INS Viraat -- quite toothless now with just 11 Sea Harrier jump-jets left to operate from its deck -- will be retired next year. India has to plan ahead since it will take at least 10-12 years to construct IAC-II, which will be christened INS Vishal, if it wants to systematically build military capabilities to counter China's expanding long-range naval deployments in the Indian Ocean Region, say officials.•

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China's 'gift' of Z-10 helicopters to Pakistan raises suspicion

Airbus Helicopter H225: +300 Nautical Miles and More

China's reported decision to present Pakistan three Z-10 attack helicopters as a "gift" this year has raised suspicions of ulterior motives, says Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet.

Citing unconfirmed Russian media reports, Duowei claims that although Pakistan had shown an interest purchasing the Z-10s, which are designed by Russia's Kamov Design Bureau under contract from Beijing, China decided to give the helicopters to its "closest friend" for free.

The Z-10s, designed primarily for anti-tank missions with secondary air-to-air capabilities, will reportedly be added to the Pakistan Army aviation fleet and be deployed in the ongoing fight against terrorism in the country. The helicopter is said to be capable of targeting the enemy in the air or on the ground with a range of 3-4 kilometers without appearing on radar.

Some military experts have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the Z-10 on counter terrorism operations, saying that its WZ-9 operation engine has relatively low power as well as a smaller payload and weaker defensive capabilities in comparison to other attack helicopters.

Even if the reports of the gift are true, Duowei said, the new Z-10 helicopters will only enhance Pakistan's position against India, which is about to pair its domestically produced light combat helicopters with newly imported AH-64 Apache attack helicopters manufactured by Boeing. Though there is still a sizable gap between the power systems of Z-10s and Apaches, the Chinese aircraft's body design and weapon system configurations are comparable to the world's most advanced attack helicopters, especially because of the excellent performance of its TY-90 air-to-air missiles.

For China, the "gift" to Pakistan could serve as a gift for the givers as well, as it might allow the PLA to see how the Z-10s perform in actual combat situations, providing valuable data for further research and development, Duowei said. China may have already been collecting information on its domestically produced weaponry acquired by Pakistan in recent years, including the MBT-3000 tank, the JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft and the F-22P general purpose frigate. The decision to make the Z-10s a gift instead of selling them could therefore stem from Pakistan's limited defense budget and China's relatively robust arms industry, Duowei added.•

“The main asset of the H225 (formerly known as EC225e ; “e” for “evolution”) is the increase in its operating range in hot weather conditions (ISA +20ºC) from 140 to 190 nautical miles when 19 passengers are being carried, and up to 300 nautical miles with 10 passengers in ISA conditions. It is learnt that the increase comes in response to strong demand from offshore operators, which the manufacturers have responded by re-engining the aircraft with Turbomeca’s Makila 2B. With an increased gearbox rating for OEI flight, the Makila 2B allows an increase in maximum takeoff weight from 10.45 to 11 metric tons in PC1conditions (ISA+20°C). Thanks to this increase in payload, the helicopter can optionally be fitted with a 470-liter fuel tank, lending it even more endurance. The tank can easily be installed in less than two hours and automatically is registered by the fuel management system.

Modernization of the Avionics. A second feature of this H225 evolution is the upgraded avionics, which now enable IFR approaches to be made with GPS-based lateral and vertical guidance – all backed by the Space-Based Augmentation System (SBAS). The resulting improvement in approach safety brings with it a reduction in crew workload. Furthermore, the Euronav 7 digital mapping system, AIS (Automatic Identification System), TCAS II and upgraded transponder in the ADSB Out system provide pilots with optimal awareness of the flight environment.

It is learnt that in performing flights in IFR conditions to offshore platforms, the H225, e version, will allow fully-automated GNSS (GPS) approaches to be made right up to the landing decision point, at 200 feet above the sea (also called Rig’N Fly ) The pilot can then land the aircraft intuitively and in complete safety by the support provided by the new and improved autopilot modes.

The Makila 2B is expected to receive certification in 2015, with the H225, e version, then following suit in 2016. Delivery of the first aircraft is scheduled for 2016.•

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ROTOR INDIA QE 31 MARCH 2015

boeing.co.in

TOGETHER. BUILDING THE FUTURE. Boeing is proud of its longstanding partnership with India. A partnership India can depend upon to meet its developing requirements, from surveillance, strike and mobility platforms to C4ISR, unmanned systems and support services. The most advanced systems and technologies providing the greatest value for India today and tomorrow.

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ver the past few years, the Rotary Wing segment has been widening its business operations across a variety of activities such as Medical Transport, Emergency Rescue, Logging, Firefighting, Construction, Offshore Oil & Gas supply and personnel transportation, Military Operations, Law Enforcement Support, Electronic News Gathering, Agriculture, Aerial Observation besides General Transportation. The rapid expansion has made this segment one of the faster growing within the aviation industry. The problem with any rapid growth is the latency in addressing critical challenges that sprout out like hot springs.

Among the critical hot springs are Operational challenges; one that an operator faces regularly globally. Factors such as harsh weather, low light conditions are among the just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to operating in a variety of terrain.

The scarcity of skilled manpower needed to address complex, unforeseen AOG situations (Aircraft On ground) has forced specialized MROs to restrict the amount of work they are willing to take up. Another major obstacle adding fuel to the fire is parts availability. Having the right part at the right time to ensure quicker turnaround has become every modern day maintenance planner’s mandate.

The level of complexity involved in maintaining helicopters makes the process relatively more challenging. For example, while recording journey logs for a particular flight session, the extent of part usage varies depending on the fleet type and operation performed. The actual usage of the specific part is increased on the basis of a number called the “Penalty Factor”. For example, if an AW139 helicopter undergoes “CAT A Training Operations”, the Main Rotor blade assembly would face a Penalty Factor of ‘2’ on the flying hours. Additionally, if the helicopter starts or stops with a wind speed of over 27 Kts, the corresponding Penalty Factor of 3.5 is added to the flying hours to calculate the usage of the same part.

Tracking of maintenance programs becomes all the more critical as certain schedules are based on the part’s position on the aircraft. Keeping pace with SB/AD releases makes the process all the more critical. Any violation in tracking penalty factor, position based maintenance or compliance of ADs would become an airworthiness issue, thereby significantly affecting business operations.

Monitoring of PBH agreements and maintaining adequate stock of parts is no walk in the park. Any shortfall in tracking these factors could cost the operator significant monitory loss. These challenges makes it difficult to bill the customer accurately based on usage.

Fortunately, today, handling these challenges does not involve extensive human intervention. Maintenance planners now have access to “intelligent” Aviation ERP software to help overcome these obstacles.

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Besides functionality to overcome these hurdles, the software also helps optimize maintenance resource and capacity utilization.

Boosting planning efficiency resolves most problems. Aviation ERP software help in predicting maintenance activities and also displays resource requirement and allocation for the specific task. The advance notification on resource/skill requirements provides the floor in-charge breathing space to procure the same either temporarily or permanently.

Penalty Factor applied parameter values can now be captured at the click of a button.

Unlike stone-age practices of referring manuals to track new schedules for part maintenance on the basis of position, present day maintenance IT solutions have the capability to set schedules depending on attachment options.

In-built automation engines enable tracking of SBs/ADs and inculcates them into the maintenance planner’s planning horizon.

Manpower, Material and Time required for SB/AD can be forecasted. The software helps prepare audit-ready reports within seconds cutting down the preparatory time that goes into several days prior to a regulatory audit.

Power By Hours, or as it is normally referred to by its acronym – PBH parts can be tracked easily with these solutions. It facilitates modelling of contracts with multiple OEMs for a part to increase part availability and lower customer risk.

Developing Flight Contracts and Invoices is now a matter of a few clicks, which previously involved running through multiple sheets of legal contracts between operator and customer and several journey logs.

ERPs have become so ’self-aware’ that they can be integrated with Electronic Flight Bags to generate the invoice as soon as each journey comes to an end.

In order to make such solutions more widely accessible, low cost heli-operators can now stand to gain from its benefits by running the software on-cloud with complete security at a ‘wallet friendly’ monthly subscription based payment model.

Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi had made it clear at the Aero India event in Bangalore earlier this year that the country would be conducive for Foreign OEMs to start manufacturing in India.

Home grown in the 9 largest market for civil aviation globally, India is the birth place of Ramco Aviation. Synonymous to PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ drive, Ramco has taken Aviation IT to new altitudes, reaching the no.1 Gold standard in Maintenance IT for the Helicopter industry globally in 2014, powering over 2650 aircraft across 70 worldwide customers.

With increasing support from the Government, the Aviation Industry in India seems to be one that shows great potential, and it would be in everyone’s best interest, that these trends keep showing an upward momentum.•

ROTOR INDIA - QE 31 MARCH - 2015

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<<Hindustan Aeronutics Ltd.>>

The cold weather trials of LCH were carried out at Air Force Station, Leh recently. “The trials covered engine starts with internal batteries after overnight cold soak at 3 km altitude and 4.1 km altitude”, says Mr. T. Suvarna Raju, Chairman, HAL. The engine starts were satisfactory in the temperature of minus 18 degree C at 4.1 km. The flights were also carried out to assess high altitude performance and low speed handling.

The LCH prototype, TD2 was ferried from Bangalore to Leh and the flight trials were carried out involving customer pilots from Air Force and Army and with the participation of representatives from RCMA (H/c) and DGAQA (H/c).

“Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Technology Demonstrator TD-3 made its maiden flight in November last year and the TD-4 is likely to fly soon. The IOC is expected in the later part of this year and to achieve this we are concentrating on building more prototypes and increase the number of flights to reduce the lead-time for IOC”, adds Mr. Raju.

During recently concluded Aero India 2015, two LCHs – one on static

BANGALORE, India - Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., India’s largest aerospace and defense company, said on 19 Feb 15 that it would build a new factory to manufacture military and civilian helicopters. The factory is part of the company’s plan to invest 30 billion Indian rupees ($483 million) over the next three years to develop new products and modernize its existing products, Hindustan Aeronautics Chairman T. Suvarna Raju said.

The helicopter plant would primarily produce its latest light utility helicopter for the Indian armed forces, but would also make a civilian version, Mr. Raju said at a news conference at the Aero India aerospace and defense show.

“We will be initially investing about 4 billion rupees to build a

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and another on flying display- enthralled lakhs of people who appreciated many features of this helicopter.

About LCH: LCH is of 5.5 ton class, powered by two Shakti engines and inherits many technical features of the Advanced Light Helicopter. The features that are unique to LCH are sleek and narrow fuselage, tri-cycle crashworthy landing gear, crashworthy and self-sealing fuel tanks, armour protection, nuclear, and low visibility features which make the LCH lethal, agile and survivable. The helicopter would have day/night targeting systems for the crew including the Helmet pointed sight and Electrooptical pod consisting of CCD camera/FLIR/Laser Range Finder(LRF) / Laser Designator(LD). The LCH is fitted with Self Protection Suite consisting of Radar/Laser Missile warning systems and Counter measures dispensing system. The first prototype helicopter had its inaugural flight in May 2010. The second and third prototype had their first flight in June 2011 and November 2014. The forth prototype is currently being built to speed up the trials for certification process.•

helicopter complex in Karnataka,” Mr. Raju said. “The plan is to build about 60 helicopters a year.”Mr. Raju said Hindustan Aeronautics already has orders for 187 light utility helicopters from the military and expects to sell hundreds of commercial helicopters in India in the coming years.

Hindustan Aeronautics is ready to welcome new investors if the government decides to sell part of the company, said Mr. Raju. New Delhi has been discussing plans to divest part of its stake in Hindustan Aeronautics to raise much-needed revenue and make the company more transparent. The process of selling a government stake in Hindustan Aeronautics has been delayed as the company wanted to be exempted from some of the disclosure rules for listed companies as it manufactures military hardware.•

ROTOR INDIA - QE 31 MARCH - 2015

About the Rotary Wing Society of India (1998-2015)

Introduction Sixteen years back Rotary Wing Society of India was registered in NCT, New Delhi on 18 June 1998 as a not-for-profit organization to promote helicopter as a safe and effective mode of commerce and development of civil helicopter industry. Since then, RWSI has been able to make significant contribution to remove many ops & fiscal bottlenecks faced by the Operators by playing a supportive role to DGCA, AAI & MOCA in finding solutions to outstanding issues.

The not-for-profit organization has grown to become an important cog in the wheel of the aviation industry in India. The succeeding paragraphs outline the growth of this organization and its contribution to the Indian Helicopter Industry.

Membership 2. Growth of Membership is a key indicator of the contribution made by RWSI to the rotary wing aviation community. Since 1998, in recognition of its performance and contribution to the Industry, over 1187 aviation professionals including Pilots and Air Craft Maintenance Engineers, who have spent their life time in Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s civil and military helicopter industry, have joined the Society as Life Members. Many of them are gallantry award winners and in active flying. Besides, over 164 Corporates associated with helicopter industry who have joined the RWSI as Corporate Members. The growth of Life Membership & Corporate Membership is highlighted in (Graph 1 & 2 below).

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ROTOR INDIA - QE 31 MARCH - 2015

Regional Chapters and Voluntary Services 3. The RWSI has four Chapters at Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi and Bangalore to coordinate RWSI activities in respective regions. The Chapters were formed to serve the Helicopter community's needs and promote the Industry.

4. It is amazing to note that RWSI has been fortunate to get endless number of member volunteers who through their trust, discipline, and selfless devotion to duty, made huge contribution to activities aimed at achieving the objects of the Society. The entire Team deserves salutation for their dedicated support and contribution to RWSI achievements.

National and International Recognition to RWSI 5. RWSI is a participating Society of the National Aeronautical Society of India and an Affiliate Member of Helicopter Association International (HAI) and American Helicopter Society (AHS). It is also a founding member of International Federation of Helicopter Association (IFHA), which has an observer status at International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It is also a member of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) since 24 February 2006 and has pledged to reduce the rate of Helicopter accident in India by 80% before 2016. AVM (Retd.) K. Sridharan President RWSI is the lead IHST for India and is periodically invited to participate in the IHST Regional Panel Meetings.

RWSI has also been nominated to participate in important national & international fora such as General Aviation working Group in Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) as a Nodal Agency for Helicopter Industry in India since May 2004 as also:Member, Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC) since May 2010. Ø Member, Steering Committee of NDMA for Mass Casualty Evacuation in 2007. Ø Member, National Aviation Committee of FICCI & CII Ø Member, HSG IFHA Ø Member, IHST Regional Panel Ø Industry Representative by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Ø Culture, Rajya Sabha.

ROTOR INDIA - QE 31 MARCH - 2015

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Patrons 6. The Chiefs of the Army, Naval and Air Staff, Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation, India and Air Commodore (Honorary) Dr. Vijaypat Singhania, Chairman Emeritus Raymond Ltd are Patrons of the Society.

Objectives of the Society 7. All RWSI activities are planned towards the promotion of its aims and objectives as set forth in the Memorandum of Association.

By encouraging communication and cooperation amongst members. Ü Ü Enhancing professional skills. Ü Collecting, compiling and analyzing pertinent data and sharing resultant information. Ü Assisting Govt. and private sector to design, develop and improve the number and quality of helipad/heliports including safety services. Ü Providing the latest information on safety trends, statistics and management techniques related to industry. Ü Interaction with Regulatory Authority to help establish an enabling environment. Ü Encouraging collaboration with other institutions in India and abroad, with similar objectives/activities Ü Contribute to periodicals, print, publish and distribute reports, studies, surveys, newsletters and other publications and journals. Ü Establish information systems and organize conferences, seminars, safety meetings, workshops and displays in fulfillment of objectives of the Society.

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ROTOR INDIA - QE 31 MARCH - 2015

Responsibility of RWSI as nodal agency 8. In addition, RWSI is also committed to promoting the advancement of the Industry in achieving the highest levels of safety and efficiency. When it comes to common issues affecting the Helicopter Industry, Team RWSI has spared no effort to take them up with DGCA /AAI/ MOCA on a day to day basis. It is thru such dedicated efforts, MOCA vide its letter DO No.AV.15013 /07/2003 dated 28 May 2004 designated RWSI as the nodal agency for the Helicopter Operators.

Major Contributions of RWSI 9. Major Contributions made by RWSI are in Promoting Efficient and Safe Conduct of Civil Helicopter Op in India. To bring about a change in safety culture, RWSI has also been involved in a number of activities which are outlined below. (a) For promotion and diffusion of knowledge of Rotary Wing Aviation, RWSI has been publishing its qtly magazine “ROTOR INDIA” since 31 Mar’99 besides E-monthly from March 2008. The magazine is circulated to RWSI members and key aviation professionals in the Country. Rotor India has a readership of more than 80,000 & has been rated very highly by a professionals. The entire publication work is handled by few volunteers and the revenue earned out of the Advts has not only helped to sustain the publication but has also ensured the growth of corpus. (b) Towards Building Awareness of its Fraternity on Latest Concepts in Rotary Wing Aviation, Technology and Matters of Topical Interest to the Industry, since Mar 99, RWSI has held 38 National Seminars / Symposiums / workshops and seven International Seminars at New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. It has also held 8 International Seminars at New Delhi and published Special Reports on the deliberations. The list of Seminars / Symposiums / workshops conducted by RWSI is placed at page-37

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( c) Safety through Education Since 2004, RWSI Training Faculty comprising of volunteer instructors have carried out ground training for Industry professionals on wide ranging subjects including Special VFR, Recurrent Training, Monsoon Adverse weather operation, Safety Management System, Human Factors, DGR Awareness Training, CRM & Survival Training, Accident Prevention and Accident Investigation. A total of 3776 candidates comprising of pilots, engineers and other aviation professionals have undergone various courses conducted by RWSI at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Jamshedpur and Ahmedabad and have benefitted from the 207 Courses conducted

by RWSI. Some of the courses were attended by serving pilots from the three services. RWSI had also conducted HF, SMS Training at Kathmandu & Singapore. The details of the Trg Courses conducted by RWSI are placed at Table.

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(d) Towards Enhancing Safety Towards Enhancing Safety of onshore & offshore operations, RWSI has carried out 45 Third Party Safety Audits including Safety Audit of helidecks at offshore Rigs for various E & P operators.

Please see the details of Third Party Audit conducted by RWSI.

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(e) As representative of the Industry In Establishing an Enabling Environment for the Industry to grow, RWSI as a nodal agency has played a very vital role in coordinating the views of the Industry and the Public with the DGCA, AAI & MOCA and in representing common Op & Fiscal issues of the Operators on a weekly basis. Details of meetings/events in which office bearers of RWSI Hqs have participated in the FY 2014-15 are attached to this Report. (f) Salutes to Excellence Awards In recognition of professional excellence, RWSI has been giving away following awards during Biennial International Heli Power India (HPI) and International Seminars from year 2004. ( i) Igor I Sikorsky award for pioneering work in the field of rotary wing aviation in India (ii) RWSI award for outstanding achievements in the civil helicopter industry (iii) RWSI Pilot Safety Award (iv) RWSI AMEs Safety Award (v) HAL Safety Award (vi) Bell Award for Humanitarian Service in Helicopter Aviation (vii) RWSI Award- Best Helicopter Pilot, Helicopter Training School, Indian Air Force.

(g) Awareness building of youth on use of helicopter for public good To popularize usage of helicopters for Public Good amongst students in India, RWSI has introduced an essay competition. The winners of the best essays were awarded cash prizes during Biennial International Heli Power India (HPI) seminars since 2006 onwards. The pics of students receiving the Best Essay awards are shown above.

Captain William J. Kossler Award for the greatest achievement in practical application or operation of rotary wing aircraft instituted by American Helicopter Society (AHS) for 2013 was given to Indian Helicopter Operators for their contribution to search and rescue operations in Uttarakhand .

The award was presented during the AHS International Grand Awards Banquet on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Québec, Canada. The nomination was made by AVM (Retd.) K.Sridharan President RWSI.

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Photo, left to right: Mr. John Garrison, AHS International Chair of the Board and Bell Helicopter President and CEO; Col (Retd) Sudhir Mallik, Span Air India; Honorable High Commissioner to Canada Admiral (Retd) Nirmal Verma and Wing Commander (Retd) Unnikrishna Pillai, President, Rotary Wing Society of India Southern Region.

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(h) Participation in Professional Expos /Forums.

In co-operating and collaborating with other institutions, having wholly or partly similar objectives in India and other parts of the world, RWSI has actively participated in: ( i) Aero India show organized by MOD at Air Force Station, Yelahanka (ii) Indian Aviation show organized

by MOCA at Hyderabad Airport (iii) Heli Expo organized by Helicopter Association International (iv) International Safety Symposium organized by IHST (v) Airport & Airline Expo at New Delhi.

Founding Members of the Society 10. The successful journey of the society started in June 1998, when a Team of dedicated helicopter professionals who had served in Indian Air Force namely Wg. Cdr. B.S. Singh Deo (Retd.) VM; Capt. S.P. Singh VM; Gp Capt SK Gupta (Retd.) VSM; Capt PP Singh (Retd.); Air Cmde M K Saini (Retd.); Wg Cdr Y Ahlawat (Retd.); Gp Capt B K Dhir (Retd.) VM; Gp Capt Y Rajendra Prasad (Retd.) (RIP); Wg Cdr S Bose (Retd.); Wg Cdr G S Kahlon (Retd.); Mr. S Gaur; Gp Capt T Jayaraman (Retd.) (RIP); Wg Cdr O S Sareen (Retd.) and Gp Capt DC Kaushik (Retd.) VM led by AVM K Sridharan (Retd) VM(G) established the Society to create suitable ambiance for growth of helicopter industry in the country.

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Management of the Society 11. The Society is managed by a 15 Member Governing Council as per the RWSI Rule Book and shall have authority to exercise all the powers of the Society in the attainment of its mission and objectives and in carrying out the activities set forth in the Memorandum of Association. A copy of MOA is sent to all the members at the time of dispatch of membership cards. The tenure of the Governing Council is three years. The founder members constituted the Governing Council in the formative years. In 2006, the Council approved induction of elected Life Members to serve in the Council. Since then, elections have been held every three years to induct new Life Members who wish to serve in the Council.

Governing Council Meetings & Annual General Meetings 12. As per the Society Rules, RWSI has been conducting Governing Council Meetings & Annual General Meetings periodically. So far, RWSI has conducted 47 Governing Council Meetings and 12 Annual General Meetings. All the Minutes of the Meetings are kept with the Sr. Adm Officer RWSI.

Present Governing Council & Office Bearers 13. Office bearers of the Society today such as Wg Cdr BS Singh Deo VM, Capt Uday Gelli, Lt Gen BS Pawar PVSM AVSM, Wg Cdr. Unnikrishna Pillai, Capt. K.V. Kunhikrishnan, Wg Cdr O S Sareen, Capt. Ramesh Mallik, Gp Capt M K Labroo, Col. K R Sasikumar SM (G), Wg Cdr Sanjay Mittal YSM VM, Col DK Chand SM (G), Col DS Ranade, Major Gen Ajit Hari Gadre VSM and Col Sanjeev Dubey are all Professional Stewards in their domain and have impeccable integrity and standing in the Industry. They all have provided inspiring support to RWSI in all activities undertaken by it. Their dedicated support and contribution to RWSI along with the Inspiring leadership provided by Sridharan as President RWSI has led to the Society’s steady growth. The pics of current GC Members of the Society are placed.

14. Today, RWSI is proud of being a premier institution that acts as a primary forum for exchange of information on civil and military helicopters in India. In the run up to its present position, RWSI has won several accolades and credits for its contribution. It played a significant role in the preparatory work of 169 th Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and culture on the “Helicopter Operations in India”. The Report made path breaking suggestions including an urgent need to put mechanism, rules, regulations and the required infrastructure specific to the Helicopter sector in place. Even now, RWSI is invited by Rajya Sabha Secretariat to offer its views on any draft Acts related to Civil Aviation to be tabled in Parliament.

15. It may not be out of place to mention the phenomenal role played by AVM K. Sridharan, Gp Capt SK Gupta, Hony Secy Gen for the first seven years, and Late Air Cmde Ashok Rai, Hony Admin & Finance Secy in building the Society with little resources during the years 1998-2005, when it operated from the residence of AVM KSridharan and then from a car garage (stores), Sector 21, Noida.

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16. Rotor India is the mouth organ of RWSI in sharing latest developments in the industry and also in offering suggestions to those in Authority about the way the industry could be developed in the country.

AVM K Sridharanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution as Editor-in-Chief on a voluntary basis in the publication of the magazine with no overhead costs during the last 16 years has been singular and exemplary. Thanks to a number of Corporate Members without whose Advt Support, sustaining the publication would have been impossible. Perhaps, it is also astonishing and worth noting that a small group of volunteers has been bringing out Rotor India Qtrly over the last 16 years. The revenue generated by the magazine thru advts exceeds Rs.1.49 crore. The surplus generated from the publication has made a significant contribution to the growth of RWSI Corpus.

17. It is quite admirable in the Management of the Society that the Governing Council took a decision at the formation of the Society to place all the revenue earned from its activities in the corpus and meet the recurring expenditure to running the Society with the help of interest earned from its corpus. Very efficient management of its finances by Late Air Cmde Ashok Rai, RWSI has ensured steady growth of its corpus.

18. Recognized for its role in promoting the helicopter industry, RWSI has received number of appreciation letters from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Patrons of the Society. Today, RWSI is in a position to further influence the growth of the rotary wing aviation in India, especially at a time when the aviation industry in the country is trying to emerge from strategic inflection with a stronger focus on growth more than maintenance.

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RWSI Office Accommodation 19. Presently, RWSIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office is in a rented accommodation in B-61, Sector-22, Noida. As a long term requirement, the Society had made an upfront payment of Rs.1,42,51,162/- and Rs.71,28, 674/-to acquire Two units of Office Accommodation measuring 3000 sq ft and 1500 sq ft (super area) on the 10th floor of Tower B respectively in Ithum at A -40, Sector-62, Noida. The project is delayed.

20. In view of the delay, the builder had offered to allot similar units on the 6th floor of Tower A which was nearing completion, measuring 3270 sq ft (super area) and 1160 sq ft (super area) on the same terms and conditions which was accepted by the Governing Council. The office accommodation is likely to be handed over to RWSI by June 15 end.

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Financial Management of the Society 21. The Society had no funds at its inception in Jun 1998 and was not supported by any grants in order to serve the Helicopter Industry. The Governing Council therefore decided to place the entire surplus revenue generated by RWSI from its various activities to build up a corpus that could pay from its interest, the establishment expenditure and services promised to its Life Members. Every effort was therefore made to keep the expenditure down by handling the activities with volunteers in order to build up the corpus. It may be seen from RWSI Audit Reports, surplus generated from various activities undertaken in pursuit of the RWSIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objectives (Rotor India Publications, Training, Safety Audit, Consultancy and Seminar/Workshop) have been deposited in the corpus.

22. Ever since establishing the Society, the yearly audit has been handled by Charted Accountants M/s. Raj K Sri & Co. All the Audit Reports of the Society have been approved by the AGM and the Minutes circulated among Members along with the Annual Report.

23. Till December 2014, the maintenance of accounts of the Society was outsourced to M/s. Gupta Associates. The same are being handled now by the newly appointed Accounts Officer of RWSI. These are also verified by our Internal Auditors.As on date, RWSI has paid its Service Tax and 100 percent compliant.

24. As regards Income Tax exemption, the Society filed exemption of IT under section u/s 80G of IT Act on 28 Feb 2000. After protracted efforts, IT/Appellate Tribunal upheld the application of RWSI on 6 Mar 2008 which paved the way for registration of RWSI as a Charitable Trust. The Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemption) New Delhi has issued a letter of Registration under section 254/12AA (read with section 12A) of the IT Act 1961 vide DIT(E)/12A/2008-09/T-469/420 dated 16 Jun 2010 wef from FY 2004-05. IT Returns are also filed by our Auditors (pl see Para 23 of RWSI Annual Report 2010-11) and has received refund for the IT Return filed for FY 2012-13.

Conclusion 25. On behalf of all members of RWSI, I wish to thank all the current Office Bearers including Wg Cdr BS Singh Deo VM, Capt Uday Gelli, Lt Gen BS Pawar PVSM AVSM, Wg. Cdr. Unnikrishna Pillai, Capt. K.V. Kunhikrishnan, Wg Cdr O S Sareen, Capt. Ramesh Mallik, Gp Capt M K Labroo, Col. K R Sasikumar SM (G), Wg Cdr Sanjay Mittal YSM VM, Col DK Chand SM (G), Col DS Ranade, Major Gen Ajit Hari Gadre VSM and Col Sanjeev Dubey for providing inspiring support to RWSI in all activities undertaken by RWSI. Our Special thanks to for the Editorial support to Rotor India publications. We cannot forget the hard work put in by Admin support team at RWSI Hqs led by Gp Capt RS Malhari, Sr. Admn Officer who was ably supported by the members of the staff. The entire Team deserves accolades for their dedicated support and contribution to RWSI activities.

26. On behalf of the Governing Council Members, I would like to thank all Corporate & Life Members for their unstinted support to RWSI over the years and look forward to a bright future for the Society & Indian Helicopter Industry.

AVM K Sridharan VM (G) President RWSI 36

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ROTOR INDIA - QE 31 MARCH - 2015

Spectacular Aerial Show at Aero India 2015

Asia’s premier air show, “Aero India 2015” ended with pomp and glory in the form of splendid aerial feast by the metal birds, but the event turned out to be a dampener on business front, as no mega deal was signed during the five-day event.

The 10th edition of Aero India, organized by the Department of Defence Production and Supplies, Ministry of Defence, Government of India from 18 to 22 February at Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The event provided excellent opportunities for the participants to showcase their products in the field of aeronautics. Close to three lakh people thronged the Air Force Station to witness the air carnival. Display of flying skills by aerobatic teams enthralled visitors at the show.

Indian Air Force helicopter aerobatic team Sarang and air display teams from Sweden, the UK, Czech Republic and open sky jump by USA Special Forces were among top draws.

Rafale fighters of French giant Dassault — shortlisted for acquisition by the IAF, also made its aerobatics displays, while indigenously made Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and Light Combat Helicopter demonstrated its air prowess.

A few anxious moments were also witnessed, when two pilots of Red Bulls aerobatic team of the Czech Republic had a miraculous escape on the second day after their aircraft touched wings in mid-air while doing stunts. The aircraft landed safely but with their wings damaged.

The number of foreign companies that participated in the show rose sharply from 212 in Aero India 2013 to 328 this year. Similarly, Indian participation had increased from 156 companies in the last air show to 266 this year.

For the first time there were participation from three states in the country that wished to promote defence industry - Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Run biennially on odd years in Bengaluru, Aero India is the country’s premier air exhibition.

Fifty-four ministerial and high-level delegations from various armsexporting nations also participated in the expo. A total of 34 countries were present, which was the largest and most expansive in the history of the show.

Sixty four companies represented the US, followed by France with a

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presence of 58 companies. Manufacturers from the UK (48), Russia (41) and Israel (25) also participated in the event. The Israeli defence Minister Moshe Yaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;alon also visited India, bringing with him a huge contingent of chief executives of major defence companies.

While, Russia did not send any military aircraft to Bengaluru this year, a total of 41 Russian companies attended the air show. The list included state hi-tech corporation Rostec, state arms seller Rosoboronexport, the Almaz-Antei conglomerate, which develops S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, Russian Helicopters rotocraft producer, the United AircraftBuilding Corporation and the Sukhoi, MiG and Irkut civilian and military aircraft manufacturers.

The on-board C-404 communications complex, produced by NPP Polyot OJSC, with an integrated antenna system designed for the Ka-62 helicopters and some other types of civil aircraft were also displayed.

In a sign of changing times, seven of the eleven foreign military aircraft on display were American - two F-15C Eagles, two F-16C Fighting Falcons, one Boeing KC-135 tanker, one C-17 Globemaster III and a P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft.

The IAF flies the C-17, while the Navy operates an Indian version of the P-8A, called the P-8I. Besides these American aircraft, three French Rafale fighters - shortlisted for acquisition by the IAF - put up aerobatic displays. In addition, there was one Brazilian Embraer EMB-145 jet.

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Among the leading helicopter manufacturers, manufacturers AgustaWestland, AgustaWestland W Bell Helicopter Textron, T Textron Eurocopter Sikorsky, Sikorsky Kazan Helicopters and Kamov Eurocopter, Company took part in the show. Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI), which is joining hands with HAL in marketing Dhruv globally also, displayed their systems for enhancing combat capabilities of helicopter.

Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica participated in the 'Aero India' show, a year after it was ousted from the biennial military exhibition Def Expo in the wake of bribery charges in VVIP chopper scam.

Visitng the stall, Secretary (Defence Production), told reporters that "We have a very clear policy on that. Scam-tainted people, they were all (blacklisted) with respect to procurements. This is totally different. This is industrial type event and we are not preventing anyone from particpating."

Bell Helicopter had lined up a fine array of its latest military and commercial rotorcraft offerings during the event. The much-talked about unarmed Bell 407GX was on the static display during show hours.

Bell Helicopter and Textron Systems recently announced an agreement establishing Dynamatic Technologies Limited of Bangalore as a single source supplier of major airframe assemblies for the Bell 407GX and 407GT over the next seven years.

On 19 February 2015 at the Show, Airbus Helicopters has conferred an Excellence Award on Pawan Hans Limited for this Indian operator’s overall contribution to the success of the worldwide Dauphin rotorcraft fleet.

As India‘s national helicopter company, Pawan Hans has logged the highest number of flight hours with the twin-engine Dauphin in India – and the second highest in the world. At the beginning of 2015, approximately 450,000 airborne hours had been accumulated with its inventory of 35 Dauphins – consisting of 18 SA365 N versions, and 17 in the AS365 N3 configuration.

Airbus Helicopters said that it has been talking with the Indian companies including Mahindra and Mahindra, Reliance Industries and Tata Group to jointly make military helicopters, to comply with rules aimed at helping the local defence industry.

The company, part of Airbus Group, is offering to build its light utility AS550 Fennec and the medium lift EC725 for India's armed forces, which are heavily dependent on an ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.

Airbus Helicopters is in the selection process and are willing to partner with Indian companies to supply light utility helicopters to the Indian military.

Seen in the above picture is Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Arvind Walia, Regional Executive-India and South Asia (2nd from left), Sikorsky, explaining the advantages of Sikorsky's S-92 VVIP helicopters to US Ambassador to India (4th from left) Richard Rahul Verma. Cabin's for Sikorsky's S-92 VVIP helicopter are 100% indigenously manufactured in India at Sikorsky's Hyderabad facility. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in aircraft design, manufacture and service. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. It is learnt that Sikorsky's parent company United Technologies Corp are interested in participating in the bidding process for supplying 123 multi-role S-70B Seahawk helicopters to the Indian navy once the tender opens.

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Elbit Systems Ltd. had also put up an impressive stall at the show.It operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (“C4ISR”), unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”), advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, signal intelligence (“SIGINT”) systems, data links and communications systems and radios. The Company also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications and providing a range of support services, including training and simulation systems.

At the show, Russian Helicopters and Rosoboron export presented Mi-171A2, which is based on Mi-8/17 helicopters, in the Mi-8/17 family and the multirole Ka-226T. The Ka-226T can be operated by India’s military, police, and civilian agencies. The first prototype of the Mi-171A2 started flight tests in November 2014.

The Mi-171A2 delivers significant improvements in its flight capabilities which makes it more cost-efficient and expand its operational range. The aircraft can be operated in high mountainous areas, extremely hot and dry climates, dramatic rises and falls in temperature, and in very dusty environments. It does not need a hangar for storage or maintenance.

In addition, Russian Helicopters representatives held talks and consultations on the development of after sales support and maintenance services for Russian helicopters in the region.

Safran, a leading global player in the aerospace, defense & security sectors, show cased an impressive range of their products at the event.

Their display included the M88 engine that powers the Rafale multirole fighter, and the Shakti helicopter turbine which was co-developed with HAL for the Dhruv twin-engine rotorcraft. Besides, it displayed a wide range of products that include the AASM (air-to-ground modular missile) “Hammer”, BlueNauteTM, an ultimate “maintenance free” solution for maritime navigation, and explosives and narcotics detection technology handheld and desktop devices – Mobile Trace, Hardened Mobile Trace and Itemiser.

Mi-171A2

Ka-226T

Mi-17V-5

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HAL’s indigenous products impressed the visitors with their flying and static display at the event. HAL’s Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) - Tejas, put up flying displays showing their versatility.

The display is themed around “Evolution of HAL as a centre of excellence in Aviation R&D and Technology over 75 years of its existence”.

HAL believes that “Make in India” will be a game changer in Aerospace & Defence and HAL hopes to make a major contribution towards India’s defence preparedness.

In the HAL’s indoor pavilion, there was a display of Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer cockpit on a full scale cockpit simulator. There was also a static display of Advanced Light Helicopter – Weapon System Integration (ALHWSI) Rudra, ALH Skid Utility, LCH and the first series production Light Combat Aircraft (Sp1). Besides, there was a full-scale model of Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) designed and developed by HAL on display. This utility platform is a single engine multipurpose helicopter in the threetonne class and is designed to perform various roles like policing, urban surveillance, medical ambulance etc.

Some New Initiatives to Boost HAL Capability Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), one of the leading Indian manufacturers of aircraft manufacturing, has embarked upon a slew of new initiatives to take on current challenges in the rapidly proliferating aerospace sector.

HAL is planning to set up a green field facility for manufacturing light utility helicopter (LUH) and naval multi-role helicopter (NMRH) in Timkur district, Karnataka. HAL and National Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL) will jointly take up design, development and manufacture of 70 to100-seater regional civil aircraft through a special purpose vehicle (SPV), said Dr T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL, on the side-lines of Aero India 2015.

Towards narrowing the gap in skill requirements in the sector, now a meagre two percent when compared to Germany (75 percent), Korea (96), Japan (80) and UK (68), HAL has tied up with Bangalore Chambers of Industry & Commerce (BCIC) and Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies & Industries (SIATI) for skill development in aerospace sector. This aerospace skill council will firm up the skill requirements in long term of this highly technology intensive sector.

A Design & Development Management Board (DDMB) under the chairmanship of HAL with members from DRDO Labs, Department of Defence Production and Services for synergising the R&D efforts in country is also among the new initiatives.

New manuals for purchase, system audit, accounts, outsourcing policy, indigenisation policy, R&D policy, Employee Handbook have been released to align business processes towards better operational efficiencies, he added.

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In his inaugural speech, PM Modi used the occasion to make a strong case for indigenisation of defence equipment, in line with his ambitious ‘Make in India’ programme. “A nation with a strong defence industry will not only be more secure, it will also reap rich economic benefits,” he said. “It can boost investment, expand manufacturing, support enterprise, raise the technology level and increase economic growth in the country,” he added.

Emphasising the emergence of India as a major global centre for defence industry, PM Modi said that it was a beginning of a new era for the defence industry in India. “We will build an industry that will have room for everyone – public sector, private sector and foreign firms.

From sellers, foreign firms must turn into strategic partners,” he added.

The Prime Minister called on the international defence firms to set shop in India so that the country becomes part of their global supply-chain. ‘We need their technology, skills, systems integration and manufacturing strength. The nature of industry is such that imports will always be there. In turn, they can use India as part of their global supply chain,” he added.

Noting that the defence output will double if domestic procurement goes up from 40 percent to 70 per cent in the next five years, PM Modi stressed upon the need to reduce imports in the defence sector, adding that even a reduction by 20-25 per cent in imports, would create direct jobs of 1 lakh to 1.2 lakh highly skilled jobs.

With $250 billion expected to be spent on defence, the PM asked defence contractors winning bids to supply India to provide not only the equipment but also the technology behind the equipment.

“We have the reputation as the largest importer of defence equipment. This may be music to the ears of some of you. But this is an area where we don’t want to be No.1 country in defence imports : PM said. “It will no longer be enough to buy equipment and simply assemble here,” he added.

India’s offsets policy requires defence contractors to invest a specified percentage on the total value of the deal to be invested in India, which will now be recalibrated to encourage further technology transfer and move away from mere assembling and local production.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that the Defence Ministry was undergoing major offsets, of which, some are “in chaos.” Major changes to rules and regulations are expected to boost the small and medium enterprises.

As the curtains came down at Aero India 2015, questions were raised over the venue of the next air show in 2017. While it has been a tradition for the defence minister to welcome the delegates for the next edition of the show with confirmed dates in his speech, Mr Parrikar refrained from making any announcement allowing the rumour that the next edition will be shifted to Goa spread among people.

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Special Issue of Rotor India was released on 19 Feb 2015 at Aero India 2015 by Shri D.Balasubramanian, Offg ED (H) Helicopter Div, Bangalore Complex HAL. The issue provides a coverage of Major Helicopter Manufacturers-Participation in Aero India-2015.

Besides,it includes Special Report on the National Seminar conducted by RWSI on ‘Make in India’ Civil & Military Helicopters at Bengaluru on 27 Dec 14. The event, was attended by Dr. R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL; Shri. T Suvarna Raju Chairman designate HAL; Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy PVSM AVSM VM & Bar; Mr. Amber Dubey, Partner & Head, Aerospace & Defense, KPMG India and Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, Chief Test Pilot (Rotary Wing), HAL. Representatives from Original Equipment Manufacturers included Wg Cdr BS Singh Deo VM, MD, Bell Helicopter India; Amitabh Mukherjee, Customer Support Manager, Turbomeca India; Air Cmde Ravish Malhotra Chief Mentor & Co-Founder, Dynamatics Technologies and Shri Robin Cherian, Director, K-Air. In addition, around 250 delegates including officials from HAL, Govt. agencies such as CEMILAC, users (Civil & military), MROs and Aerospace Training Institutions participated in the event. Most importantly, the publication covers various suggestions given by the speakers on how to implement PMs vision on ‘Make in India’ work in respect of Civil & Military Helicopters.

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Air shows are essentially about business meetings and exhibits of military hardware and merchandise. But over the years the reputation of Aero India, now into its tenth edition has also been assiduously built by magnificent displays – static and aerial – by both civil and military aircraft, including participation by famed aerobatic teams from around the world enthralling audiences.

World-Acclaimed aerobatics teams – Breitling Wingwalkers (US), Scandinavian Air Show, Flying Bulls from Czech Republic, Yakovlevs formation display team from UK –captivated the young and old onlookers alike at Aero India 2015.While all aerobatic display teams were enthralling to watch ,the widest and loudest applause came for our very own Indian aerobatics team ‘Sarang’ flown by young IAF helicopter pilots who are usually the show-stoppers whenever they take to the sky.

The IAF Sarang Helicopter Display Team has the unique distinction of being one of only two helicopter display teams in the world, the other being ‘Blue Eagles’ of the British Army.The team evolved from the erstwhile ‘Advanced Light Helicopter’ Evaluation Flight (AEF) formed at Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Bangalore, on March 18, 2002. The leitmotif ‘Sarang’ is derived from Sanskrit for ‘peacock’. The helicopters have been painted in bright colours with the peacock form superimposed on them. It is today a widely and easily recognised artwork on these indigenously built helicopters.“It attempts to symbolise the beauty and grace of the peacock during the display,” explains Sarang Team Leader, Wing Commander AS Abhyankar. A qualified flying instructor and now Commanding Officer of the

outfit. He first flew in the 2003 Aero India edition as a young Flight Lieutenant.

The Sarang team first debuted at the Asian Aerospace Air show at Singapore in Feb 2004.

Since then, the team has performed in over 35 air shows in India and abroad. Their scintillating performance at Al Ain Aerobatic Show, UAE, in Jan 2005, earned them a reputation as one of the best display teams in the world. In Berlin air show of May 2008, the team was adjudged as the ‘best looking close formation team’. The team made history after five of its helicopters ferried across the English Channel from Germany to the United Kingdom.“We are compelled to give bang for the buck,” says Wing Commander Mudit Chaurasia, a sub-section leader in the formation who flies as ‘Sarang-2’. Mudit has also flown in three previous editions of Aero India. “We have done shows all over the world but we get the maximum appreciation here,” he enthusiastically adds.

The ‘Sarang’ team continuously strives to modify and perform new profiles for each display.

While it is natural to expect daring and precise formation displays by fixed wing aircraft it is difficult for helicopters to perform similar manoeuvres owing to the inherent instability and large and unwieldy rotors, explains Sarang-2 leader Mudit. “This is what makes them so special and unique,” he adds.

Having flown in several major air shows worldwide including at RIAT (Royal International Air Tattoo), Fairford, UK among others, Wg Cdr Chaurasia singles out his recent air show in November last over Passighat in Arunachal Pradesh as memorable. It is mostly in valleys of the northeast or J&K where most IAF helicopters earn their spurs early in their flying career.

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The Sarang Team The Sarang profile will begin with entry in an inverted wine glass formation. This will be followed by various close formations in ‘Line Astern’ and ‘Diamond’ formation to facilitate a closer look at the helicopters for the audience. Three helicopters then group together to perform the star manoeuvre which is unique to helicopter flying – the ‘stall turn’ known as the ‘Dolphin’s Leap’. The team then continually keeps the audience glued to the skies with their breath-taking manoeuvres. The team then regroups for its final signature manoeuvre ‘The Sarang Split’ involving the four helicopters criss-crossing each other vertically and horizontally to form a knotApart from the two Sarang leaders, other team members include Wing Commanders Vinod Negi, the deputy Team Leader, Wing Commanders S Saravanavel, PR Ponnappa, Squadron Leaders G Komar, AS Pawar, SK Mishra, Milind Londhe, Daish and SS Barsing, who

is the latest entrant to the team.

Squadron Leader Deepika Misra is the first and the only woman pilot in the team and has the onerous responsibility as the Team Safety Officer.

Two pilots always remain on standby with the fifth helicopter in case of any eventuality while a quartet is flying.

The flying machines are kept airworthy at all times by a team led by Wing Commander Tarundeep Puri, Senior Engineering officer. Others in the team include Squadron Leaders Sourabh Kakkar and Joydeep, Flight Lieutenants Bharat Bajaj, Chandan Kumar, Sandeep Tewatia besides others. Wing Commander Bhavana Mehra the team administrator also does the commentary for the displays. She has the distinguished privilege of being the commentator for not only the Sarang team but also with the erstwhile Suryakiran Aerobatic Team.

Thanks to ATC controllers, who Ensured Flawless Air Display at Aero India 2015 Aerial displays are the core attractions of any air show that bring visitors thronging to the event. Aero India 2015 also lived up to its reputation as the biggest air show in Asia. More than 15 teams comprising 23 or more aircraft performed precision flying twice daily during the event.

While the controllers at ATC Yellahanka Airfield under IAF did a good job in regulating the movement of all aircraft taking off, landing or operating over the airfield, the aerobatic displays were handled by a team of officers and men from the Aircraft Systems & Testing Establishment who kept a hawk-like vigil on all proceedings ensuring the displays were flawless, and more importantly, safe. They operated from a specially erected Flight Display Control cabin .

So while the normal controlling of the aircraft were handled from the ATC, the control of the flying display aircraft was additionally done from Flight Display Control cabin. Air Commodore AP Singh was the Flight Display Director and he and his Team ensured no air violations took place.

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To ensure this, proper pre-flight briefings were held every day. At the end of the display, proper debriefs were also held.. They had also set up an array of marked display screens in the control cabin which indicated the heights and distances that the display aircrafts were not to violate.

These were ensured strictly by all operators.

The task of keeping tight vigil was additionally ensured through specially erected cameras at various airfield locations as well as over demarcated areas to ensure flight safety.

To make the display attractive and more appealing the aircraft usually fly low and closer to the viewing area,efforts were therefore made to lay down the height and distances depending on the speed and the class of aircraft.

Meanwhile, to make the visual spectacle more delightful a commentary team in an adjoining cabin were relaying the proceedings explaining the manoeuvres being performed while also providing basic and background information all the while.

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IAF gives Wings to Dreams Women Officers now in Sarang Team

Women officers in the Indian Air Force continue to storm new bastions.

The IAF’s much heralded helicopter display team ‘Sarang’ now boasts of a women pilot Squadron Leader Deepika Misra and a woman engineering officer, Flight Lieutenant Sandeep Singh in their team marking new beginnings. It was during her passing out parade at Air Force Academy, in December 2006 that Deepika Misra, then a Flight Cadet, first fell in love with the aerobatic displays by the ‘Surya Kirans’ and ‘Sarang’, IAF’s fixedwing and rotary-wing aerobatic display teams respectively.

Deepika imagined herself flying some day in either of the formation flying teams. Back then however, it seemed an impossible dream. But she never gave up hopes and prayed hard. She was commissioned in the helicopter stream and was posted to a Chetak/Cheetah helicopter unit.

Women short services commissioned pilots were only permitted to fly these single engine helicopters then.

In a major policy shift in 2010, IAF allowed conversion of women pilots to twin-engine category of medium to heavy-lift helicopters.

Deepika felt extremely lucky. Having notched up nearly 1,600 hours on Chetak and Cheetah helicopters after her two stints at Bareilly and Udhampur, Deepika was more than ready when the opportunity came.

IAF had meanwhile also sought volunteers from amongst women helicopter pilots to join the Sarang Team. Sqn Ldr Deepika had no hesitation and promptly volunteered for the new challenge. She was among the first to be inducted into the indigenously built Advanced Light Helicopter while a few others joined the Mi-8/Mi-17 class of helicopters.

Sqn Ldr Deepika joined the Sarang Unit last July. Her prayers were now answered. In the process, she also became the first IAF woman pilot ever to join a formation display team.

Incidentally, Deepika’s husband, Sqn Ldr Sourabh Kakkar, an aeronautical engineering officer was already posted to the Sarang unit and

the couple would now be a team. Deepika would not remain the only women officer in the Sarang outfit for long. Flt Lt Sandeep, a lady engineering officer would soon join her in the Sarang unit. Both Deepika and Sandeep now share a rare camaderie as among the first and the only two lady officers in the Sarang team. Incidentally, ‘Sarang’ is the only second military helicopter display team in the world after ‘Blue Eagles’, the British Royal Army Corps helicopter display team.

Having begun her conversion in right earnest, Sqn Ldr Deepika is nearing completion of her operational conversion before beginning her flying as a Sarang formation member. She is training hard and understanding the nuances of formation flying, which was always among her most favourite flying profiles.

Sarangs are the show-stoppers at the ongoing Aero India 2015. For the present, Sqn Ldr Deepika is happy doing her role as the ‘Safety Officer’ of the team. She is required to monitor the formation display and debrief the team members after the sortie. “It is a great learning process,” she says.

Meanwhile, an onerous responsibility rests on the shoulders of Flt Lt Sandeep. Keeping the metal birds serviceable at all times is her responsibility along with six other engineering officers. Having another lady officer in the team as a flying member is a great source of inspiration, she says.

Both Deepika and Sandeep are, however, sure of one thing. They have a great responsibility to uphold the highest standards expected of them and are hopeful that someday there will also be an all-women team in one of the ALH in the Sarang quartet. As she steps out for her day’s flying job, Sqn Ldr Deepika feels happy to tell Aalya, her bewildered four-year old daughter that she will look out for her from the sky. It seems only a matter of time when little Aalya will get used to seeing her mother perform aerial ballad. Perhaps someday she too may take to the skies just like her mother.

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Dear Reader, RWSI was fortunate to be invited to visit the Helicopter Association International’s Heli-Expo 2015 during March 2-5 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando. Wg Cdr BS Singh Deo, VP RWSI was requested to represent RWSI in the forums.

The event was attended by an estimated 20,000 professionals. Unique features of the event were: 1 million sq.ft. of meeting and exhibit space, International press exposure, Numerous sponsorship opportunities, 20,000 potential buyers, 700 + competitive exhibitors, 57+ helicopters on display and around 100 + education opportunities including education courses, safety sessions, workshops, and forums.

RWSI being the Founding Member of International Federation of Helicopter Association (IFHA) which has an observer status at ICAO, its representative was invited for IFHA Luncheon on 3 Mar 15. Similarly, RWSI being a member of IHST from its inception, its representative was asked to give a presentation about our efforts to reduce civil helicopter accident rate at the IHST Regional Panel Meeting on 4 Mar 15 at Orange County Convention Center Orlando. RWSI being an Affiliate Member of HAI, our representative was invited to HAI Affiliate forum. We are indeed grateful to the President HAI and organisers of IHST Regional Panel Meeting for inviting us for these events.

Wg Cdr BS Singh Deo VP RWSI made an excellent presentation at the HAI Affiliate Symposium about the work being done by IHST (India) in arresting the accident rate to civil helicopters in India .While high lighting the success achieved by Civil Helicopter operators in achieving nil accidents during the last 18 months, he also mentioned to them about the contribution made by IHST Lead organization in India namely RWSI in carrying out safety education of pilots relentlessly. The efforts taken by IHST (India) was well appreciated by the members of IHST Regional Panel.

Heli Expo 2015 provided great scope for the industry professionals in networking with 750 exhibitors in business during the three-day event. The show floor was made up of every imaginable display, tool and copter part as well as 50 flight-ready models and six mock-ups. This report briefly covers some of the important technologies related to rotorcraft and vertical-lift aircraft displayed at the event. This publication owing to constraints of space has covered the following:Airbus Helicopters unveils all-new H160 medium-class rotorcraft Broader industry endorsement of the tilt-rotor concept.

AgustaWestland debuts 7 Tonne AW139 Waypoint Signs Letter of Intent to Purchase Bell 525’s Sikorsky S-97 RAIDER™ Product Update on Rolls-Royce, Sagem and Safran Sikorsky and Bristow Embark on New Era of Search and Rescue.

The Report has also reproduced “Honeywell ’s Forecasts Steady Global Helicopter Demand for Next Five Years” and “Civilian Helicopter Industry Shows Demand for New Deliveries, Technology”.

Do hope the Report provides an interesting reading .

Yours Sincerely,

Air Vice Marshal Krishnaswamy Sridharan (Retd) VM (G) Editor-in-Chief

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ORLANDO, Fla., 3 March 2015. Airbus Helicopters at HAI Heli-Expo 2015 revealed its all-new H160 medium-class rotorcraft – the first product introduced under the transformed Airbus Helicopters corporate identity. The 5.5-6-ton-class, twin-engine H160 rotorcraft integrates up to 68 different Airbus Helicopters-patented technologies.

Its payload lift, range, and efficiency make this helicopter well suited to a variety of uses, including oil and gas operations; public services, air medical, and coast guard duties; commercial transport, and private and business aviation, officials say.

With a cruise speed of 160 kts., the H160 can carry 12 passengers at distances of up to 120 NM. For oil and gas missions, and a 450-NM range with 20-minute reserve in public service or search and rescue tasks.

The H160 includes two Airbus Helicopter firsts, offering improved performance and flight stability: the largest-ever Fenestron shrouded tail rotor, which is also double-canted at 12-degree angles, enhancing antitorque control efficiency; and the all-new Biplane Stabilizer, with a staggered placement of the dual-level, interconnected stabilizers to facilitate pilot maneuvers and reduce aerodynamic penalties in lowspeed flight and hover.

The H160 also boasts the initial production use of Airbus Helicopters’ Blue Edge main rotor blades, which reduce exterior noise levels by 50 percent (3dB) and allow a payload increase of up to 100 kilograms when compared to traditional rotor blades, depending on flight conditions.

The H160 is the first-ever, fully composite civil helicopter, officials say, resulting in an airframe that is lighter in weight, more robust, resistant to corrosion and fatigue, as well as requiring less maintenance. Airbus Helicopters’ Spheriflex bearingless main rotor hub is enhanced with the application of composite thermoplastic technology – which reduces weight and increases damage tolerance.

The H160 integrates Airbus Helicopters’ Helionix avionics, designed to deliver increased safety through reduced pilot workload, enhanced situational awareness, improved flight envelope protection, and system redundancy. In service today on the EC175 and EC145 T2, Helionix is an avionics family concept that enables software improvements to be integrated and retrofitted on the H160 as well as other helicopters in the company’s current, future, and evolved product lines, officials say.

To power its H160, Airbus Helicopters officials selected the new Turbomeca 1,100-shp. Arrano engine, which offers reductions in fuel consumption for improved range and payload performance, and a reduced environmental footprint. An optimized maintenance concept designed to decrease the need for on-site servicing will contribute to lower operational costs for the helicopter.

Additional features of the H160 include: electric landing gear, requiring less maintenance while also allowing more payload to be carried; easy access to various maintenance areas, which was taken into consideration during the concurrent engineering process; and flexibility in the maintenance plan to match operators’ needs and constraints thanks to MSG-3 (Maintenance Steering Group-3) inspection methodology.

“The H160 represents Airbus Helicopters’ strategy to provide the most efficient solutions for our customers, who serve, protect, save lives, and safely carry passengers in the most demanding environments,” President Guillaume Faury affirms.

“We are driven by this mission, because what is important to our customers is essential to us.”

Development of the H160 began in 2013, with the definition of the final aircraft configuration confirmed this year. The helicopter’s first flight will take place in 2015 and service entry is planned for 2018. •

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ORLANDO, 6 March 2015. AgustaWestland confirmed an extended technology development flight test program on the AW609 TiltRotor aircraft with an increase in the maximum take-off weight up to 18,000 pounds (8,165 kg) as a result of engine upgrades, landing gear modifications, and optimized flight control techniques.

These test results validate a sizeable increase in useful load that provides users with the capability to fly 500 nm point-to-point with a full load of nine passengers in two hours, officials explain.

To further enhance mission capabilities, underwing auxiliary fuel tanks are being developed to increase range and endurance and ensure that the additional take-off performance may be built into a wide array of mission profiles. These will permit the aircraft to boost its maximum range to 1,100 nm (2,038 km) and allow users to transport six passengers over a range of 800 nm (1,482 km) in a little over three hours.

The cabin door is also being enlarged on all variants to improve access, in particular for search and rescue (SAR) and emergency medical services(EMS) operations.

In the cockpit, the AW609 will have a new integrated Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion flight deck, combined with upgraded flight computers

and sensors, to provide pilots with the very latest features to manage and monitor flight activities and make flying safer.

With nearly 1,200 flight hours logged by the first two prototypes and two more aircraft being readied for certification testing, the AW609 program development is progressing to plan and is focused on FAA civil certification in 2017. Almost 60 customers have already chosen the AW609 globally to perform several missions such as offshore transport, patrol and search and rescue, executive/private transport and government roles. •

ORLANDO, Fla., 3 March 2015. AgustaWestland unveiled at Helicopter Association International (HAI) Heli-Expo 2015 in Orlando an optional kit for the company’s AW139 twinengine helicopter.

The 7,000-kilogram (15,432-pound) increased gross weight kit increases the standard 6,400-kg (14,109-pound) maximum gross weight by 600 kg (1,323 pounds) and is 200 kg (440 pounds) more than the existing increased gross weight clearance of 6,800 kg (14,991 pounds).

When combined with new baseline aircraft and kit improvements that are being introduced on new aircraft this year, which give a typical weight saving of 100 kg (220 lb) for an offshore configured aircraft, operators will be able to benefit from up to 700 kg (1,543 lb) of extra payload,” according to a company representative.

Existing AW139 operators can retrofit the 7 tonne increased gross weight kit to enhance their aircraft’s capabilities to provide an extra 600 kg (1,323 pounds) or 200 kg (440 pounds) of payload.

The 7 tonne AW139 allows it to compete with larger types, such as the EC175, on long-range missions with 12 or less passengers. In an offshore configuration, a 7 tonne AW139 incorporating the baseline aircraft and kit improvements has a radius of action of 230 nm (426 km) with eight passengers The AW139 with the 7 tonne increased gross weight kit retains key

operating and performance features, such as a temperature envelope at sea level of -40°C to +50°C, up to sea state 6 ditching capability, and Category A clear area at 7,000 kg (15,432 pounds) up to ISA+20 at sea level.

Deliveries of the AW139 with the baseline weight savings will begin this year from the final assembly lines in Italy and the USA. The AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopter has achieved orders for nearly 900 aircraft in more than 70 countries from more than 220 customers; more than 730 aircraft are already in service.•

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Orlando, FL -Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), announced on 3 Mar 15, Waypoint Leasing (Ireland) Limited (“Waypoint”) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire 20 Bell 525 Relentless helicopters with options for additional aircraft. Waypoint plans to provide the Bell 525 Relentless to operators servicing a wide range of missions, including oil and gas, emergency medical service, search and rescue, firefighting and governmental support. Waypoint’s existing fleet of more than 90 aircraft includes Bell 407s and Bell 412s, Bell Helicopter’s medium-lift utility helicopters.

Waypoint’s Chief Executive Officer Ed Washecka and Bell Helicopter’s President and CEO, John Garrison, participated in a formal ceremony at Heli-Expo (HAI) in Orlando, Florida to commemorate the agreement.

“We are pleased to sign this agreement with Bell Helicopter, which will provide us with cutting-edge and versatile aircraft that we believe offer an attractive value proposition for operators worldwide,” said Washecka. “The Bell 525 incorporates a number of technological advancements that enhance safety, improve performance and reduce costs. We are excited to build on our existing relationship with Bell and look forward to bringing the Bell 525 Relentless to the market.”

“The Bell 525 is a customer-driven design that will enable operators to perform a diverse mission set with the payload and range they need, and to do so more cost effectively than aircraft available on the market today,” said President and CEO of Bell Helicopter, John Garrison.

“Demand for this aircraft is intensifying all over the world, and we are thrilled a global company like Waypoint has placed their trust in this

highly capable aircraft.”

The Bell 525 is the world’s first fly-by-wire commercial helicopter, designed to operate safely and reliably in austere environments with decreased pilot workload. The aircraft integrates critical systems data to be easily accessible at-a-glance with the first fully-integrated touch screen flight deck designed for helicopters, the Garmin G5000H®. Bestin-class payload, cabin, cargo volumes, comfort and egress complement the technological advancements on the aircraft. The Bell 525 is being tested in Bell Helicopter’s fully integrated System Integration Lab (SIL), allowing for virtual flight testing of the Bell 525 before first flight, which is scheduled for spring 2015.

“This landmark agreement is one of the largest commercial helicopter orders in Bell Helicopter’s 80 year history, and demonstrates that the marketplace recognizes the capabilities and unmatched value of the Bell 525 Relentless,” added Garrison.•

On 3 Mar 15, Bell Helicopter a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), announced that an agreement has been reached for the sale of 200 Bell 407GXPs configured for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) to Air Methods Corporation (Nasdaq: AIRM), the largest provider of air medical transport services in the world. This order marks one of the largest commercial sales in Bell Helicopter’s history and one of the largest orders in the industry’s history. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2016 with a 10 year contract.

All of the Bell 407GXPs will be equipped with United Rotorcraft emergency medical services interior, designed with air critical care operators in mind. The adaptable interior can accommodate a single patient or specialty transport, and includes the Articulating Loading System for easy patient loading. The United Rotorcraft interior also provides integrated medical systems such as medical oxygen, suction, air, storage, electrical power, and approved provisions for securing medical support equipment during all aspects of flight.

Bell Helicopter has been a trustworthy partner with the HEMS

industry since its inception and continues to support the world's growing need for time-sensitive medical transportation services and access to critical care by providing safe and reliable aircraft. It is for that reason emergency medical service agencies around the world rely on Bell Helicopter products.•

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Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

(NYSE: UTX), on 4 Mar 15 announced the start of final assembly of the second S-97 RAIDER™ helicopter at the company’s Development Flight Center. Along with a team of industry suppliers, Sikorsky is developing two RAIDER™ prototypes to demonstrate the revolutionary new capabilities in improved maneuverability and flight speed. The RAIDER is a rigid coaxial rotor prototype aircraft ideally suited for armed reconnaissance and a spectrum of special operations missions.

“Our teammates on the RAIDER program have been answering our challenge to deliver a military helicopter with capabilities never seen before,” said Mark Hammond, S-97 RAIDER Program Manager. “As a team, we’ve already demonstrated the power of working together to develop a high-performance and affordable next-generation aircraft.

Starting assembly of the second prototype is a great milestone for the program.”

Sikorsky launched the S-97 RAIDER program in October 2010 with the objective of maturing the X2™ rotorcraft design and offering a helicopter to meet U.S. Army armed reconnaissance and special operations needs. The company developed the first RAIDER prototype as a test aircraft, built to prove the military application of Sikorsky’s X2 Technology™. The second prototype will serve as a demonstrator aircraft, offering key customers an opportunity to experience the capabilities of X2 Technology first hand. Sikorsky is on track to complete final assembly and test flights of the second RAIDER prototype in 2015, followed by demonstration flights beginning in 2016.

The RAIDER program is 100 percent industry funded. The second RAIDER prototype entered final assembly with the delivery of the allcomposite fuselage from RAIDER supplier, Aurora Flight Sciences of Manassas, Virginia.”Aurora’s expertise in composite airframes and rapid

prototyping was a natural fit for the S-97 RAIDER program, and was a natural fit to our core competency. We value the cohesion of the team in the design, manufacturing and test elements of the program,” said Mark Cherry, President and Chief Operating Officer, Aurora Flight Sciences.

“We are thrilled to be part of the team that’s reinventing the helicopter and putting it in the hands of the warfighters.”

Sikorsky’s Collier-Award winning X2 Technology demonstrator showed the world its exciting technologies and set the stage for launching the S-97 RAIDER program. As part of the portfolio of Sikorsky Innovations, Sikorsky Aircraft’s technology development organization, the RAIDER features a multi-mission configuration, capable of performing air assault or armed reconnaissance/light attack missions.

The coaxial counter-rotating main rotors and pusher propeller provide cruise speeds beyond 220 knots (253 mph).•

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced on 3 Mar 15 that an S-76D™ helicopter will embark on an international demonstration tour beginning next week in Southeast Asia. The announcement was made at 2015 Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo show.

The aircraft will conduct a series of events in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Sikorsky pilots, crew and sales members will provide in-flight demonstrations, product presentations, aircraft walk-arounds and answer any questions on the S-76D helicopter from attendees. Sikorsky employees will also participate in goodwill events.

Sikorsky has delivered more than 800 S-76® helicopters to customers globally since 1979, contributing daily to a growing 6.6-million-plus fleet flight hours total. The new generation S-76D helicopter, through its application of modern technologies, is designed to provide a substantial increase in performance, power and value. The S-76D helicopter’s baseline equipment includes powerful and efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S engines; an advanced THALES TopDeck® integrated avionics system and four-axis autopilot; Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) incorporated into fleet monitoring and analysis; active vibration control; and all-composite, flaw-tolerant main rotor blades.•

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March 5, 2015 ORLANDO, 5 March 2015.

Engineers at Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, are powering the new Bell 407GXP helicopter with upgraded M250 engines from Rolls-Royce in London. The companies signed a long-term agreement to purchase the enhanced M250 engines, designed to boost power and fuel efficiency.

Deliveries of M250-C47B/8 engines for Bell 407GXP helicopters will include a factory installed Value Improvement Package (VIP) kit, intended to increase “hot and high” power by up to eight percent, while improving fuel efficiency by up to two percent, officials say. The package will also reduce Direct Operating Costs and expand the mission range and payload capability, according to company officials.

The Rolls-Royce VIP kit has been delivered to operators as an upgrade since 2012. The new 10-year agreement with Bell represents the first time the VIP kit will be factory installed in new civil engine deliveries.“The new M250-C47B/8 engines will add power and reduce fuel costs,” says Jason Propes, Rolls-Royce, senior vice president, helicopters. “We look forward to working with Bell Helicopter on 407GXP improvements and continuing to enhance capabilities while cutting operator costs.”

“It’s great to continue this relationship with Rolls-Royce and continually improve on the capabilities of the 407 helicopter,” notes Van Wilson, Bell GXP program director, Bell Helicopter.

Bell 407 helicopters have been equipped with a Rolls-Royce engine for more than 19 years and the fleet has accumulated millions of flight hours, Wilson adds.

Rolls-Royce has been a supplier to Bell Helicopter for decades.

Overall, the Rolls-Royce M250 engine line has topped 235 million flight hours in more than 100 types of aircraft. Roughly 15,000 M250s are in service around the world.•

ORLANDO, O OR RLA LAND N O, ND O, 4 March Marc Marc Ma rchh 2015.

2015 20 0155. En EEngineers Engi nggiinneeer erss att Ma M Mare Marenco are renc enc nco Swis nco Sw Swiss wisss He H Helicopter lilico ico copt pterr ((MSH)) hhave selected l d the h ICDS-8A Glass l Cockpit k suite ffrom Sagem, a Safran high-tech company, as part of the standard avionics and instrument package for their new SKYe SH-09 helicopter.

The ICDS 8A Primary Flight Display & Engine Monitoring System, developed and produced by Sagem, increases situational awareness through customizable engine displays with intuitive LED interfaces. It incorporates a configurable user-defined checklist, display of primary flight and navigational information, engine management data, pop-up engines with display in split map/engine screen mode, display of external mount camera & VGA inputs, and custom user databases (operators can supply data points for moving map). The ICDS 8A will record all displayed data for later review and analysis.

“We are very pleased to have a modern avionics suite from Sagem which supports the overall innovation of the aircraft in general and the ease of use for the pilot in particular,” Martin Stucki, CEO of Marenco Swiss Helicopter, says. “Sagem is the ideal partner also for future avionics enhancements.”

“It is a new opportunity for Sagem to be a part of the SKYe SH-09 helicopter with its glass cockpit suite,” explains Joël Berkoukchi, executive vice president of Sagem’s avionics division. “We are committed to ensuring that Marenco has a robust and reliable system onboard the aircraft.”

Marenco Swisshelicopter was founded in 2007 by a small team of helicopter experts around Martin Stucki for the direct purpose of developing, building, and commercializing a new concept of light turbine helicopter. With this industrial visionary concept, Marenco Swisshelicopter developed a new generation helicopter in the 2.5 metric ton class to combine a full-composite fuselage, an advanced bearing-free rotor system with five blades, an electronically governed engine, and a glass-cockpit.

Sagem, a high-tech company of Safran, is a maker of optronics, avionics, electronics, and safety-critical software for civil and military markets. Sagem is known worldwide for inertial navigation systems (INS) used in air, land, and naval applications, as well as for helicopter flight controls, optronics, and tactical UAV systems.•

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Turbomeca (Safran) is developing a new strategy to further improve the proximity service it offers to its customers. Taking advantage of the planned introduction of new light helicopters, Turbomeca will enlarge its support network to offer a best-in-class service tailored to small fleet operators.

To offer the most comprehensive and reliable support network, Turbomeca is currently increasing the number of its Distributors and Certified Maintenance Centers (CMC). CMC are approved third parties able to offer maintenance and repair services for one or more Turbomeca engine models (using certified tools and equipment).

Turbomeca has currently 36 Distributors and CMC worldwide, a figure planned to double by the end of 2016 and nearly triple by the end of the decade.

In recent months, two new companies have joined this network of partners : Summit Aviation (USA) and AS Aerospace (United Kingdom). The contract with California-based Advanced Helicopter Services (AHS) has been extended to provide support and services to operators in Central America and the Caribbean. During HAI Heli Expo 2015, the British Columbianbased maintenance facility HeliWelders Canada Limited will also sign a contract and become the second member of CMC network in Canada.

Turbomeca Executive Vice President Support and Services, Franck Saudo said : “Enlarging our international footprint will deliver an even better service to operators of one or two helicopters.

These operators already represent a large proportion of the Turbomeca customer base and, with the Bell 505 entry into service, the number of Turbomeca-powered small fleet operators is set to double by the end of 2020.”

As a further illustration of its on-going commitment to customer support, Turbomeca is also offering a new engine pick-up service, a transport solution for core returns or equipment repairs.

Turbomeca USA customers will be the first to benefit from this new service that alleviates logistical burdens in a simple, affordable manner.•

Orlando, HAI Heli-Expo, 3 March 2015 : After a full year of ground tests, Turbomeca (Safran) has demonstrated that its new Arrano turboshaft will achieve anticipated performance levels in terms of power range and fuel consumption.

Last month, Airbus Helicopters confirmed Turbomeca as sole enginesupplier for its groundbreaking H160 helicopter. Thanks to the Arrano’s flexible configuration and integration of leading-edge build technologies, it was able to respond to a demand from the OEM for 10% extra power during flight in hot-and-high conditions. The first flightworthy Arrano 1A

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will be delivered to Airbus Helicopters this year, in line with the flight-test schedule of the H160.

Since its first ground test in February 2014, five test engines have been running at Bordes (France) to demonstrate performance. Major development and certification tests, now involving more than ten test engines, are now underway and will continue until 2016. After an intensive maturity program, Arrano 1A will obtain type-certification in 2017.

Arrano is a new 1,100 to 1,300 shaft horse-power engine designed for two to three ton single-engine helicopters, and for twin-engine machines weighing four to six ton. One major benefit is a 10 to 15% reduction in specific fuel consumption, compared with current turbines.

It delivers improved range and payload while reducing environmental footprint.

Cost-of-ownership is reduced through an optimized maintenance concept, designed to significantly reduce the need for scheduled servicing. Its compact design allows easier airframe integration, and a modular design maximizes accessibility and mission availability Unmatched in its category, Arrano demonstrates an ideal combination of new and proven technologies.

Safran is one of the major suppliers to the Airbus Helicopters H160.

In addition to Turbomeca’s involvement in the program, Messier-BugattiDowty is the single-source supplier for the helicopter’s electric braking system. Integrating the latest generation friction carbon material and electronic actuators, the H160 braking system represents a major technological breakthrough.•

Turbomeca (Safran) is scheduled to obtain type-certification for its new Arrius 2R engine by the end of 2015. Selected to power Bell Helicopter’s Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, Arrius 2R is the only engine in the 500 shp range to feature a dual-channel FADEC. With seven million flight hours already logged by Arrius models, the 2R will also offer an unmatched level of maturity at entry-into-service.

Launched in 2013, the Arrius 2R is following a fast development schedule with milestones such as its first ground run, on April 2014 at the company’s Bordes factory (France), and a first flight on the Bell 505 at the OEM’s Mirabel facility in November. Four flightworthy testengines have already been delivered to Bell Helicopter and the first production model will be handed in August 2015, as initially forecast.

The Arrius 2R is designed to deliver performance and power within the 500 shp range, while improving safety and lowering pilot workload via the FADEC. The twin-module configuration helps to reduce fuel consumption and operating costs.The engine will be produced out of Turbomeca USA’s facility in Dallas, Texas.

To date, more than 3,000 Arrius engines have been sold by Turbomeca, to 430 customers in 60 countries. This proven reliability is built into the 2R and reinforced by a 3,000 hour TimeBetween- Overhaul offered at service entry. The new variant will also benefit from Turbomeca’s renowned service and support capabilities. Over 300 letters of intent have already been signed for the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X.•

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HELI-EXPO, ORLANDO, Fla., March 2, 2015 – In its 17th annual Turbine-Powered Civil Helicopter Purchasing Outlook, Honeywell Aerospace (NYSE: HON) expects that 4,750-5,250 civilian-use helicopters will be delivered during 2015-2019.

Overall, five-year demand for turbine-powered, civil helicopters remains steady versus the 2014 five-year forecast, with moderate improvement in new helicopter purchase plans reported, offsetting the short-term uncertainty of large-fleet operators in the face of lower energy prices and fluctuating market currencies.

The forecast estimates the five-year share of demand from the U.S. and Canada at 34 percent, up nearly eight points on stronger North American buying plans. When combined with Latin America, the Western Hemisphere represents 53 percent of the five-year global demand.

Europe’s share tallies 24 percent, with the Asia-Oceania region accounting for 14 percent, and Africa and the Middle East contributing 9 percent.

Operators who intend to purchase a helicopter within the next five years noted that the age of their current aircraft (which includes factors such as maintenance costs, performance erosion and safety concerns), contracted replacement cycle and warranty expiration were all key reasons for their decision. For those surveyed, make and model choices for their new aircraft are strongly influenced by range, cabin size, performance technology upgrades and brand experience.

“Near-term demand appears stable despite a pullback in 2014 deliveries and ongoing concerns with the energy sector,” said Mike Madsen, president, Defense and Space, Honeywell Aerospace. “Purchase interest for helicopters in training, tourism, firefighting and law enforcement categories is trending up, influenced by increased utilization rates and helicopter replacement cycles. Interest across these mission sectors is helping to sustain near-term demand. Looking ahead, several new platforms are scheduled to enter service over the next few years, also bolstering overall helicopter demand.”

Region-Specific Results Based on the relative sizes and directions of new purchase-rate changes, demand estimates increased modestly compared with 2014.

Purchase rates in three of five regions tracked increased to various degrees, while two regions experienced moderate declines in new helicopter purchase rates planned for the next five years.

However, large fleet or “mega” operator requirements not captured in the survey offset some of the improved purchase planning results provided by survey respondents. The tumultuous changes in the energy sector, as well as emerging regional growth and political issues, have affected fleet expansion plans in select areas and are restraining some of the near-term expansion that was expected a year ago. As a result, total projected demand in the 2015 outlook remains roughly in line with 2014. “With near-term demand for new helicopters running close to recent volumes, and aircraft lasting longer through replacement cycles, Honeywell is ready to support both new installations and fleet upgrades worldwide,” Madsen said. “Our propulsion, safety, navigation, communications and flight services can help aircraft stay efficient, powerful, reliable and safe throughout their entire time in the air.”

North American purchase expectations rose seven points in this year’s survey and provided a strong base of demand for light single and twinengine platforms. Planned improvement in North American purchases is a significant finding of the 2015 survey and helps support overall industry demand projections by virtue of the large fleet active in North America.

European purchase plans also increased despite ongoing weakness in reported Russian buying plans. The sample of Russian operators responding in 2014 fell to very low levels, which continues to add some uncertainty to the overall European results. European purchase intentions currently tend to favor light single-engine and medium twinengine models.

Latin America continues to have strong fleet replacement and growth expectations, well above the world average, but 2015 results were a few points lower than the prior year. In terms of projected regional demand for new helicopters, Latin America is contributing the third highest demand among the regions tracked, trailing North America and Europe by a modest margin. Latin American respondents currently favor light singleengine models and a balance of light and medium twin-engine platforms.

Middle East and Africa leads all regions in new purchase rates, with up to 32 percent of respondent fleets slated for turnover with a new helicopter replacement or addition.

Demand in BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) continues to ebb and flow with stronger results recorded for India in the 2015 survey, while planned Brazilian and Chinese purchase rates slipped moderately, reflecting near-term slower economic growth prospects. In both cases, new helicopter purchase-plan rates still exceed the world average.

Operator Preferences by Class of Helicopter ?

Light single-engine helicopters continue to be the most popular helicopter class, garnering almost half the new purchase interest in the 2015 survey. The Airbus EC130/AS350 series, Bell 407, Bell 505 and Robinson R66 were the most frequently mentioned models. ?

Intermediate and medium twin-engine helicopters are the second most popular product class, with approximately 31 percent of total survey participants planning to buy a new model of this type. The most frequently mentioned models were the AW139, AW169, Bell 412, EC145T2 and Sikorsky S-76 series. Emerging super-medium-class helicopters such as the AW189, Bell 525 and EC175 rely on large fleet operators in the energy, natural resource, and search and rescue sectors for substantial portions of their demand, and may be underrepresented in the current survey sample. Near-term interest may be volatile based on conditions in the energy markets. ?

The light twin helicopter class earned between 18-19 percent of total operator purchase plans in the 2015 survey, with the EC135, Bell 429 and AW109 series helicopters noted most frequently. ?

Heavy multi-engine helicopters, such as the EC225, AW101 and S-92, registered small but steady levels of new helicopter purchase plans in the 2015 survey; however, demand from large oil and gas fleet operators not included in the survey continues to support volume in the heavy class even though some near-term replacement activity may be deferred. Mi-8/17 purchase plans are not fully represented due to limited response from Russian operators in the 2015 survey.

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Satisfaction With Aircraft Again in this year’s survey, Honeywell asked all respondents to indicate their current satisfaction over the past year with each model of aircraft they operate. For models that received more than 25 responses, the make and models with the highest net scores are the AW139, Robinson R66, Bell 407, Bell 429, Bell 412, Bell 206L, EC135, EC145, AS350B series and Sikorsky S-76C. These top platforms account for over 70 percent of all survey make and model mentions and can be considered the top current production helicopters in terms of recent customer satisfaction attitudes and likelihood to promote. Many other makes and models currently in production also received excellent scores that did not make the top 10 list.

Helicopter Use Expected to Increase Helicopter fleet utilization is expected to increase this year. Planned increases by region include:

?

North America: 27 percent of operators plan

increases and only 6 percent plan decreases. ?

Europe: 10 percent of operators plan increases and 4 percent plan decreases. ?

Latin America: 45 percent of operators plan increases and only 4 percent plan decreases. ?

Middle East and Africa: 18 percent of operators plan increases and only 3 percent plan decreases. ?

Asia-Oceania: 14 percent of operators plan increases and 6 percent plan decreases.

All end-use categories reported increased levels of flight activity in the 2015 survey. Oil and gas operators reported the highest flight-hour use per aircraft at approximately 850 hours per year, followed by tourism with a strong increase to just under 700 hours per year and then law enforcement at more than 600 hours per year. Emergency medical services, training, firefighting and general utility were closely grouped at approximately 400-450 hours per year. The lowest average use was reported by corporate segment operators at just over 360 hours per helicopter per year.

Methodology The 2015 outlook presents a snapshot of the helicopter business at a point in time and reflects the current business and political environment. This year’s survey queried more than 1,000 chief pilots and flight department managers of companies operating 3,400 turbine and 400 piston helicopters worldwide. The survey excluded large fleet or “mega” operators, which were interviewed separately. Input received from large oil and gas support and emergency medical service fleet operators is factored into the overall outlook in addition to the individual flight department responses. The survey detailed the types of aircraft operated and assessed specific plans to replace or add to the fleet with new aircraft.• (Deep gratitude to Honeywell for sharing their Forecast)

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