ROTOR INDIA - FEBRUARY 2015 by RWSI

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<<Editorial Editorial>> Editorial

Our Deep Gratitude to CORPORATE MEMBERS Aerotech Aviation India (P) Ltd. AgustaWestland India Alliance Insurance Brokers (P) Ltd. Aman Aviation & Aerospace Solutions Pvt Ltd Andhra Pradesh Aviation Corporation Air Works India Engg. (P) Ltd. Arki Aviation (P) Ltd. AON Global Insurance Brokers (P) Ltd. AVI-Oil India Ltd. Aviators (India) (P) Ltd. Bell Helicopter India Inc. BG Shirke Construction Technology (P) Ltd. Bharat Forge Limited Bharat Stars Services (Delhi) (P) Ltd Boeing International Corporation Cairn India Ltd Chipsan Aviation Cobham India (P) Ltd. Deccan Charters Ltd. DG Civil Aviation Govt of U.P. Dhillon Aviation (P) Ltd. Directorate of Civil Avn Govt of Maharashtra Directorate of Aviation Govt of Gujarat Directorate of Aviation Govt of Chhattisgarh Donaldson Filters India Dynamic Technologies Ltd. Elbit Systems EON Aviation (P) Ltd. Escorts Corporate Aviation Ltd. Essar Power Ltd. Eurocopter India Executive Airways (P) Ltd. Fishtail Air (P) Ltd. (Nepal) Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd. Garware-Wall Ropes Ltd. Ghodawat Industries (P) Ltd. Govt of Arunachal Pradesh Grandslam Developers (P) Ltd HATSOFF Heligo Charters (P) Ltd. Himalayan Heli Services (P) Ltd. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd. Hiranandani Aviation (P) Ltd. Honeywell International Inc. Indocopters (P) Ltd. India Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd. India Flysafe Aviation Ltd. Indra Air (P) Ltd.

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

Major Helicopter Manufacturers-Participate in Aero India-2015 Aero India 2015 is being organized by the Department of Defence Production & Supplies, Ministry of Defence, Government of India during 18-22 Feb’15 at Yelahanka, Bangalore. It is a wonderful opportunity to participate in the exhibition especially in the field of Aeronautics that has made such rapid strides over the Century. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the five-day Aero India 2015, there will be for the first time the largest foreign presence at India's premier air exhibition. Of course, Russia is sending no military aircraft to Bengaluru this year. In a sign of changing times, seven of the eleven foreign military aircraft on display will be 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 - will put up aerobatics displays. In addition, there will be one Brazilian Embraer EMB-145 jet. Of 328 defence companies from 33 countries participating in Aero India 2015, America will have the largest representation with 64 companies, followed by France with 58 companies, the UK (48), Russia (41) and Israel (25). The number of foreign companies participating has risen sharply from 212 in Aero India 2013 to 328 this year. Similarly, Indian participation has risen from 156 companies in the last air show to 266 this year. For the first time there will be participation from three States that wish 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. On even years, the DEO runs the Defexpo exhibition in New Delhi, which focuses on land and naval systems. The Show will have for display the capabilities of Indian and foreign companies in design, development and production of aircraft and ground systems both for the Defence and Civil sectors. The five day long exhibition will conclude on February 22, 2015. Amongst the leading helicopter manufacturers Agusta Westland, Bell Helicopter Textron, Eurocopter, Sikorsky, Kazan Helicopters and Kamov Company are participating in the show. Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) which is joining hands with HAL in marketing Dhruv globally is also displaying their systems for enhancing combat capabilities of helicopter. Major attraction at the show is likely to be the flying display. Members of RWSI offer their best wishes to the organisers for all success. Around the same period (2-5 Mar’15) Helicopter Association International (HAI) is holding Heli Expo 2015 at Orlando, USA. We are indeed thankful to HAI for inviting the RWSI Members to present the “Indian Helicopter Scenario” at the Rotorcraft Forum. On behalf of members of the Rotary Wing Society of India, we wish the organizers of Aero India 2015 a Grand success. Yours Sincerely,

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

<<Letters to the Editor>>

Rentals for hangars at Juhu Airport Dear Sir, Commercial helicopter operators are getting caught due to increase in fiscal tariffs for various services provided by AAI at regular intervals. A classic example is recent guidelines issued by the AAI, Juhu vide their letter Ref No. AAI/LM/JJ/Cir/Genl/018 dated 29-10-2014, which has grossly hiked fees/rates (500%) for allotment of land for placement of porta cabin to nonscheduled operators at Juhu Airport. Notwithstanding the new Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intent to alleviate the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fiscal problems to assist growth, AAI continues to hike its fees/rentals for basic infrastructure facilities. As the Juhu Airport provides little infrastructure support, helicopter operators have to fend for themselves in organizing basic infrastructure facilities such as porta cabin, which would be considered standard elsewhere. The prevalent rates for allotment of land for placement of porta cabin are already very high. The recent increase in rate (500%) for allotment of land for placement of porta cabin is certainly detrimental for the operators in Juhu Airport. By a Juhu based helicopter operator Dear Sir, I am glad to inform you that RWSI has taken up the matter with MOCA. Editor

ATF at Juhu is 31% more than the ATF price at Mumbai Airport Dear Sir, Reference is made to the price chart dated 31-12-2014, indicating the ATF price revision effective 1st January 2015. From the rates given for the ATF we find that the price of ATF supplied at Juhu is 31% more than the price of ATF being supplied at Mumbai Airport. We find no logic in such vast price difference between the fuel supplied at Mumbai Airport and at Juhu Airport, which are approximately 5 km away from each other. You are requested to kindly take up the matter with the concerned agency. By a Juhu based helicopter operator Dear Sir, I am glad to inform you that RWSI (WR) has taken up the matter already with Finance Aviation SBU. Editor

Index of Advertisers Advertiser IAI Elbit Systems OSS Air Management Global Vectra Helicorp SAFRAN (Turbomeca) Heligo Charters Bell Helicopter

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Our Deep Gratitude to CORPORATE MEMBERS ITC The Royal Gardenia, Bengaluru Jaiprakash Group JK Risk Managers and Insurance Brokers Ltd. JMD Consultant (P) Ltd. Jubilant Enpro India Ltd. Jupiter Aviations (P) Ltd. KAir-Travian Flight Services (P) Ltd. Kestrel Aviation (P) Ltd Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd Merlinhawk Associates (P) Ltd. Mesco Airlines. Navayuga Engineering Co Ltd. Navnit Aviation (P) Ltd Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. OSS Aviation (P) Ltd. OSS Air Management (P) Ltd. Orient Flight School Orbit Aviation (P) Ltd. Oxford Enterprises (P) Ltd. Pawan Hans Ltd. Prem Air (P) Ltd. Prabhatam Aviation (P) Ltd. Ramco Systems Ltd. Raymond Aviation Ltd. Reliance Commercial Dealers Ltd. Reliance Transport & Travels Ltd. Ligare Aviation Ltd. RITES Ltd. Rolls-Royce India Ltd. Russian Helicopters, Joint Stock Company SAR Aviation Services (P) Ltd. Sandriver Technologies (P) Ltd. Shree Airlines (P) Ltd. (Nepal) Sikorsky-United Technologies Ltd. Simm Samm Airways (P) Ltd. Span Air (P) Ltd. SRK Aviacom (I) (P) Ltd. Survival Systems India (P) Ltd. Silver Jubilee Traveller Ltd. Skyone Airways (P) Ltd. Tata Power Company Ltd. Trans Bharat Aviation (P) Ltd. Turbomeca India Engines (P) Ltd. Thakur Institure of Aviation Technology United Helicharters (P) Ltd. UT Project Services (P) Ltd. UTC Aerospace Systems (P) Ltd. Varman Aviation (P) Ltd. VELTech Dr.RR & Dr.SR Technical University Woodstock Helicopters (P) Ltd. ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

<<Focus Helicopters>> Focus on Make in India Helicopters

RWSI Conducts National Seminar on ‘Make in India’ Civil & Military Helicopters at Bengaluru

Col KR Sasikumar SM (G) (R), Secy RWSI (SR); Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, Chief Test Pilot (Rotary Wing), HAL and President RWSI (SR); Shri V Sadagopan, ED Helicopter Div HAL; AVM K Sridharan VM (G) (R), President RWSI; Former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy PVSM, AVSM, VM & Bar, ; Dr. R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL, Shri T Suvarna Raju Chairman designate HAL and Mr. Amber Dubey, Partner & Head, Aerospace & Defense, KPMG India.

A National Seminar on ‘Make in India’ Civil & Military Helicopters: Emerging Opportunities & Challenges, was organized by the Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI), which is a not-for-profit professional Society established for the growth of Civil and Military helicopters in India. The event, which was held on 27th December 2014 at Bengaluru was attended by Dr. R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL; 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. In his welcome address, RWSI President, AVM K Sridharan VM (G) emphasized that the focus of the Seminar is to provide a platform for HAL, global helicopter OEMs and Indian companies interested in manufacturing helicopters, engines and systems, to share and exchange the latest information and views on all aspects of emerging opportunities and challenges related to manufacturing Medium & Heavy lift class of helicopters in India. As around 1200 helicopters are to be inducted in the armed forces by 2020, the sector offers phenomenal scope for meeting the benefits envisaged in Make in India concept. Speaking at the event, Dr Tyagi, Chairman HAL stated - “We need concerted efforts to intensify indigenous production of helicopters”. Developing global partnerships and collaboration in rotary wing 4

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

Lighting the lamp at the Inaugural Session

technologies will provide a solid foundation in the global aeronautics space. He added that development of risk sharing partners, vendor base of Tier-I and -II cities and outsourcing of MRO activities offers huge business opportunities to the private industry. Dr Tyagi further highlighted HAL’s success in developing helicopters that has played a key role in operations for the Indian defence forces and thus paved the way for achieving self-reliance. “With the Government’s thrust on ‘Make in India’, we now look forward to a well-defined strategy on helicopters, modernisation of production facilities, collaboration with Indian research labs and aggressively pursue technology to increase production,” he explained. Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, Chief Test Pilot, HAL, spoke about the various challenges faced in the design and development of medium and heavy lift helicopters in India. He said that with the expertise gained in

<<Focus Issues>> Focus on Civil Issues

Changes in Bid Parameters for Helicopter Services to Support the ONGC’s Offshore Rigs / Platforms in the Mumbai High The civil aviation Secretary has pointed out to ONGC, its bias against its own subsidiary, Pawan Hans Ltd (PHL), in the E&P major’s tender for hiring of helicopter services floated to support the company’s offshore rigs and platforms in the Mumbai High and other installations all over the country. In a letter to the petroleum secretary Saurabh Chandra, he has pointed out that initially ONGC used to award helicopter support services contract to its subsidiary, Pawan Hans, where it holds a 49% equity, on a nomination basis but after the announcement of the open sky policy, the E&P major has started floating global tenders. ONGC has recently floated a global tender for 12 “crew change” helicopters where it has allowed small operators with one helicopter in their fleet to be eligible to bid for the tender. Earlier, the minimum requirement was three helicopters. If this is allowed, he argued that a small helicopter operator with one helicopter in its fleet might quote a lower price and win the tender for one helicopter. Subsequently, ONGC will ask the L-2 and L-3 bidders to match the L-1 rate to meet its requirement of the balance 11 helicopters leading to a situation where tender will be uneconomical for major operators like PHL. Then again, the vintage clause in earlier tenders of ONGC which was five years has now been increased to seven years. The civil aviation secretary wants this to be increased to 10 years. It is learnt that the civil aviation secretary has requested his counterpart in the petroleum ministry to intervene in the matter and advise ONGC to award the contract to Pawan Hans on a nomination basis at mutually

...Seminar on ‘Make in India’ Civil & Military Helicopters earlier projects, Rotary Wing Research and Design Centre (RWR&DC) is now confident and well poised to develop medium lift helicopters. In his address, Amber Dubey, Partner and Head-Aerospace and Defence, KPMG in India said that a nation that stuns the world by putting a satellite in Mars orbit in its very first attempt is dependent entirely on the western world for its military helicopters. Helicopters that are assembled in India under license are also dependent on imported sub-assemblies and critical components. It’s a disgrace that needs to be reversed as a national priority. The key reason behind the sorry state is the complete sidelining of the Indian private sector by DRDO and DPSUs in helicopter design, production and maintenance. Monopoly breeds complacency, arrogance and incompetence. Decision making in defence procurement is bureaucratic as against space and nuclear sectors where the respective Commissions report straight to the Prime Minister. MoD needs to interact more with industry and academia, and heed contrarian opinions. The FDI limit of 49% is a non-starter. Global OEMs have developed sensitive helicopter engines, navigation, surveillance, avionics and weapon technologies over several decades, investing billions of dollars. It is a fallacy to assume that these can be handed over to India without majority control.

agreed rates, terms and conditions, as had been the practice so far. However, private helicopter operators are against any bias towards PSUs. They opined that private sector companies have invested heavily in acquiring helicopters for ONGC task and they just cannot wish away these companies only to support PHL. Though Govt of India is a share holder in Air India, they have now done away with the rule that all Govt employees have to travel by AI on official trips. If private sector helicopter operators are to survive, level playing field is a must.• The range of emerging technologies is so complex that even USA has 100 percent subsidiaries of foreign defence OEMs like Airbus, BAE, Saab, Rolls Royce etc. Competing with them improves the standard of US defence companies too and prevents complacency. What India needs is a single FDI slab of 74% in defence with clear norms and a level-playing field. 49% is of no use and 100% may be too one-sided. The Indian obsession with ‘ownership and control’ needs to be curtailed. Higher FDI limit will also expose certain global OEMs that are not keen to invest in India, and are using 49% FDI as a ‘convenient’ excuse to stay out. The Indian private sector needs to be co-opted as partners and not vendors by DPSUs. Certain nonperforming labs and plants of DRDO and DPSUs respectively need to be privatized. R&D funds for defence helicopters need to be allocated to the best Indian organizations and universities. The multiplicity of helicopter orders from Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and para-military forces need to be synergized so as to make the winning global bidder set up its full-fledged eco-system in India. The seminar also addressed the impact of helicopters in India and brought clarity on investment in tech partnership, supply chain management and infrastructure requirements in manufacturing helicopters.• ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

<<Focus Issues>> Focus on Civil Issues

New DGCA Regulation to Affect already Ailing Civil Helicopter Industry At a time when the world is moving towards specialisation and standardization of training, the recent notification by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has come as a dampener for the civil helicopter industry in India. The DGCA notification says that ground training of all pilots including helicopter pilots should only be handled in-house by those holding Air Operator Permit citing ICAO guidelines on the subject. This is to ensure that responsibility and onus of training oversight on the operator. Till recently, the Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI) along with a few other agencies were authorised by the DGCA to conduct refresher training courses for helicopter line pilots. However now citing ICAO guidelines & under pressure from FAA, the DGCA has decided to renew the approval of such institutions only by another three months up to 30th April, 2015. Thereafter the oversight for all refresher training shall be on operators. For small helicopter operators to create in house ground training facilities for line pilots which they can ill afford at this juncture. It may be noted that the helicopter industry is different from the aircraft sector in India. The FAA has mandated in-house training of pilots for scheduled airlines operators and failure to adhere to that regulation would mean FAA would deny permission for the Indian flights to enter the US. So, the DGCA is forced to follow that rule. FAA is mainly concerned with International airlines â&#x20AC;&#x201C; entering US air space and therefore in the case of helicopter industry, no copter is going to fly to the US from India and so, the DGCA need not impose the same rule to this sector. In USA all ground training is out sourced to professional private agencies. Further, even countries like the UK and France have outsourced flying and ground training of helicopter pilots to professional institutions, in India, DGCA has literally curtailed the growth of the helicopter industry that is already struggling with shortage of trained manpower, by failing to recognise professional training institutions and instead forcing operators to conduct in-house training. This move by the DGCA is likely to have serious implications for civil helicopter pilots in the ground training front. Stopping the ground training done by the professional training institutions in another three months is likely to create a huge backlog of helicopter pilots wanting to complete their ground training as none of the helicopter operator is ready to handle the task even if it is assigned to them now. In India, among the 102 helicopter operators (NSOP-66,

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

Private-19 and Govt/PSUs-17), there are only 17 helicopter operators, who have three or more helicopters and may be able to create suitable infrastructure for ground training of flight crew and to appoint a fully operations captain for instructional duties. If 85 per cent of the helicopter operators do not have the capacity to conduct ground training, why force them to do it, especially when specialized training facilities with standardized syllabus are available in India. Standardization of training is necessary to ensure safety in all aspects and it will be a mammoth task for DGCA to ensure the same with all 102 helicopter operators located at various locations across the country. Many companies may find it difficult to take the additional burden of ground training along with the existing routine affairs to run the company. Some of the operators may also find it difficult to get qualified personnel to handle their training. Sparing pilots for ground training vis-a-vis using them for commercial flying may also create conflict of interest, if the training is done at other operators training facility. Moreover, the rules for aircraft operators wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t suit the helicopter industry, as except for a handful of operators, others have only single-digit helicopters in their fleet and only one set of crew per copter. And it will be difficult for small-time operators to create resources for additional establishment for training as it will only reduce their already shrinking profitability. The DGCA policy till recently was to ask suitable professional institutions to create a pool of instructors duly approved by them to conduct ground training classes. Now, all the efforts taken by a number of professional institutions in building their training capacity will turn waste, if the operators are asked to handle ground training. The ground training of aircrew of all operators should only be handled in house by those holding Air Operators Permit. This is or should be applicable to those engaged in scheduled flight operations, to ensure AOM are responsible for safety oversight. The same is being made applicable to small operators both General Aviation & helicopters. Citing ICAO annexure on the subject & the requirement to obviate the lack of oversight by FAA. There are only two helicopter operators engaged in offshore operations PHHL & Global Vectra with around 40 & 20 helicopters respectively. Rest are engaged in charter operations with low utilisation of 30 hrs per month & minimal set of aircrew. With no spare capacity to detail pilots to conduct courses. A review is therefore required in consultation with the Stakeholders.â&#x20AC;˘

<<Focus Issues>> Focus on Civil Issues

Scope for Improving Helicopter Ops in Mumbai CTZ Over the last few years, a lot of innovative improvements have taken place in the aviation sector in Mumbai CTZ, with respect to Helicopter operations. It has improved safety, modified procedures for ease of operations for all. However a few aspects, listed below require immediate attention. The matter is under consideration, yet no decision has been arrived at in respect of the following issues; K Routing. Dedicated Helicopter routing was introduced in Mumbai CTZ in 2010.This has proved to be of much benefits to all pilots, controllers and helicopter operators. Helicopter traffic has increased in the last few years. This has necessitated more improvements in procedures. Some of these aspects are (a) Increase in route height, (from 500/700 feet) to 1000 and 1200 feet. This is in view of the tall buildings of height 400 to 700 feet along/in vicinity of the route. (b) Re-defining certain routes, to make them economical and less cumbersome to operate. (New routes have been tried out and can be implemented).Revised and improved route and procedures have been discussed, accepted in principle, but are

awaiting final approval for implementation, (c)VHF Communication. A detailed readability report has been made and sent to all concerned for frequencies 124.35MHZ (Juhu ATC) and 127.9 MHZ (Mumbai App). The same report is attached for reference. Communication on these frequencies has not been satisfactory. (d) Online Flight Planning. An excellent feature introduced has benefited one and all. Most important it has reduced effort, simplified procedures for flight planning and obtaining clearances. Being a trial version, a detailed system is eagerly awaited. A lot of feedback has been given to the authorities, managing online flight planning. They have implemented most of them. However the system is not fully operational. It appears that further progress in this regard is stalled due to policy paralysis. Detailed lists of suggestions have been given to AAI. It is sincerely represented to further refine the procedures/ shortcomings mentioned above in the interest of flight safety, and effective use evolving technology for every one's convenience. By Capt DS Ranade Secy RWSI Pune Chapter.

MOCA Reviews Tariffs levied by AAI There was a meeting convened by Economic Advisor MOCA in the Ministry of Civil aviation on 14th Jan, 2015 to review the decisions taken in the earlier meetings related to Tariffs levied by AAI. The meeting was chaired by Dr & Ms Renu Singh Parmar, Financial Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation and attended by Mr. G. Asok Kumar, Jt. Secretary, MOCA , Sr. Representatives from AAI incl GM (finance) AAI , Wg Cdr Ramesh Mallik, Secy Gen RWSI, Gp. Capt. RK Bali, BAOA and Mr. RP Sahi, Consultant, MOCA. Tariifs /rentals charged by AAI for various services related to Heli Ops was discussed in detail in the meeting. Since more comprehensive data was required to take a final decision, the helicopter operators were requested to collect latest Tariifs /rentals charged by AAI for various services provided for Heli Ops at various airports, for review at the next meeting. Status Report on various issues are; (1) Parking areas for Helicopters at various Airports. Tariffs Required from Operators related to Parking Charges for Helicopters at various Airports? RWSI Proposal: As parking of Helicopters does not cause any wear & tear of the tarmac, there should not be any parking charges for Helicopters at any airports (Pvt or AAIs), (2) RNFC Charges. The industry would welcome the waiver of RNFC charges for a period of 3-5 years, as these services are not used by helicopters. If charges are mandatory, it should be levied in routes where helicopters can avail the radio & navigation facilities. Charges should not be levied where the services are not provided for helicopters, like while

flying in offshore, mountains & remote areas. A reasonable lump-sum annual charge may be considered for all helicopters and all fixed wing aircraft falling under the definition of small/light aircraft, i.e., with maximum weight up to 5,700 kg instead of per landing costs. This will also help to reduce the collection cost. (3) Ground Handling charges. Data Required from Operators about various ground handling charges levied by various Airports for helicopters. Of the total 260 helicopters, around 200 are in commercial use owned by 66 commercial operators. It is also a fact that 90 per cent of the operators have a small fleet of six or less than six machines. Frequent hike in Tariffs /rentals charged by AAI for various services provided for Heli Ops at various airports raise barriers to entry. Using fixed wing tariffs on helicopter charter services have pushed operating costs up consequently leading to high fares and limited markets. RWSI estimates that even if the MOCA waives off tariffs on negligible services provided by AAI for Heli Ops, the financial impact is likely to be negligible. It is unfortunate that some of these issues have been taken up with AAI on numerous occasions over the last 10years at meeting held at MOCA but of no avail. Knowing the Industry has had negative growth in the last two FYs, it is time to act. In respect of Helicopter Op, MOCA should waive off Parking & Ground handling charges at all airports and RNFC Charges where the services cannot be availed in routes over remote areas and offshore.â&#x20AC;˘

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

<<Focus Issues>> Focus on Civil Issues

Pawan Hans Seeks AW139 Pilots and Engineers

It is learnt that Indian helicopter operator Pawan Hans has recently filed a job notice for pilots and maintenance engineers with an endorsement on the AgustaWestland AW139, even though the helicopter type is not part of its existing fleet. The operator has a fleet of 46 helicopters, mainly consisting of Airbus Helicopters AS365N and N3 Dauphins, along with Airbus Helicopters AS350 B3, Bell 206L4 and 407, Hindustan Aeronautics

Limited (HAL’s) Dhruv and Russian Helicopters Mi-172. According to the job notice, filed on 7th Jan 2015, the AW139 pilots are being sought for “fluctuating contracts” involving helicopter services and to “fulfill the short-term and long-term business commitments” of Pawan Hans. The minimum number of hours for captains/commanders is an ATPL (H) license and three instrument rating renewals, with 3,000 total hours. The listing also mentions 2,000 hours in command, 1,200 hours in a turbine helicopter, and 500 hours demonstrated experience operating on fixed and mobile offshore platforms, including landing during normal and emergency conditions. The minimum hours required for co-pilots applying for the position include 1,000 total hours, 500 hours in command, 100 hours in turbine helicopters, and at least 50 hours flying in offshore environments. Recent Pawan Hans contracts concluded from April to October 2014 focussed on spares for the Dauphin series and the Turbomeca engines that support the helicopters. As is known in aviation circles, Pawan Hans supplies helicopter services to Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), as well as a number of state governments in India, along with pipeline surveillance, rescue operations, charter services, VIP transport and aerial photography.•

Pawan Hans Posts Highest Ever Turnover of Rs.530 crore for the year 2013-14 At a time when most of the airliners in India - both state-owned and private - are bleeding losses despite the free fall in global crude oil prices, Pawan Hans has added another feather to its glorious wing by posting the highest ever turnover of Rs. 530 crore for the year 2013-14. This growth is around 15 percent more than the previous year’s figures of Rs. 465 crore, the company said in a statement. The profit from operations has increased to Rs. 73 crore from Rs. 39 crore in 2012-13 recording an increase of 87 percent and profit net of tax depreciation and all other liabilities has also been more than doubled to Rs. 38.57 crore during 2013-14. After incurring a loss of Rs. 10.35 crore during 2011-12, Pawan Hans started paying dividend after a gap of four years and for 2013-14 it has declared Rs. 7.71 crore keeping in view the improved financial results. It is a success story for the helicopter company that may prove useful for others to emulate. The company has also recruited 10 fresh pilots under its new recruitment policy that has reduced the cockpit cost and it is expected to save Rs. 7.30 crore in two years time. “This turnaround has been achieved due to various strategic steps taken to make an aviation company efficient and minimize the overheads,” said Anil Srivastava, CMD, Pawan Hans in a statement. Further, he added that the safety aspect has not been compromised and there has been no incident involving Pawan Hans in the last three years.

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

Fleet serviceability of its fleet of 53 helicopters has also been at it’s highest ever level and was around 83 percent. With deployment of 11 helicopters in the North East, Pawan Hans has started a new region to cater to the demands from that region with its headquarters at Guwahati. Overall performance and its turnaround have also been recognized by various external agencies and the airliner has been bestowed with five awards during last one year including the prestigious “Golden Peacock” recognition at London for overall business sustainability. This is noteworthy that Pawan Hans gets most of its business through an open competitive bidding and does not take any assistance from govt budget. Pawan Hans Ltd, the national helicopter company was incorporated in 1985. Presently, the government of India has 51 percent stake in the company and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) 49 percent. Pawan Hans was incorporated with the primary objective of providing helicopter support services to the oil sector for its off-shore exploration operations, services in remote and hilly areas and charter services for promotion of tourism. Pawan Hans has grown into one of the Asia’s largest helicopter companies. Thanks to its growing wings, the aviation ministry in November last year said it would list Pawan Hans Ltd. along with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the stock exchanges to improve efficiency and transparency.•

ws (Militar y) Na tional <<Hel Helii Ne News (Military) National tional>> Hel

India to Buy 22 Attack, 15 Heavy - Lift Copters As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to bolster the nation’s military posture, India is to acquire 22 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters for the Indian Air Force (IAF), valued at $2.5 billion. The deal to acquire the attack helicopter (Apache) and the heavy lift helicopter (Chinook) are currently in the Government approval stage. Sources pointed out that India’s defence acquisition process mandates that all contracts that are in excess of $50 million require 30% offsets. Way back in 2013, Boeing had signed a memorandum of understanding with Dynamatic Technologies of Bangalore, to manufacture the aft pylon and cargo ramp assemblies for the Chinook. Sources indicated that Boeing had done this in anticipation of the IAF order. “Defence spending eligible for offsets through 2017 are huge. Based on the current order pipeline, big procurement programmes ensure that offset obligations could become an opportunity worth $10-$20 billion for the domestic industry,” said sources. Another official pointed out that offsets are expected to spur growth, as well as aid the basic intent of the offset policy, which is to build a domestic defence manufacturing base. India has been offered the AH-64E, the newest member of the combat proven Apache family, and is to get the latest upgraded version of the helicopter, which has been delivered only to the US Army. In the case of Boeing’s Chinook helicopter, the tandem rotor H-47 Chinook is the most capable, advanced heavy lift helicopter, providing maximum value at the lowest risk.•

Boeing AH-64E Apache

CH-47F Chinook

Co-Production of Kamov-226T Helicopter in India Discussed Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held his first meeting with new Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 21 Jan 15, which included discussions on the co-production of the Kamov 226 light utility helicopter and resolving disagreements over the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft [FGFA]. The initial batch of Kamov-226T helicopters will cater to the demands of the Indian armed forces, with exports to follow later on, say Russian embassy officials. The deal first made its appearance as a global tender, before being cancelled and was replaced with a ‘Buy and Make’ clause, under the Defence Procurement Procedure. The deal was finally taken up by Russia during Russian President Vladmir Putin‘s visit to India when he was accompanied by a large delegation, including arms manufacturers. Both the countries agreed to assemble 400 advanced Kamov-226T helicopters per year, built using Russian technology in India. The Kamov-226T is a proven twin-turbine utility helicopter, with an interchangeable mission pod, in place of a conventional cabin, allowing the use of various accommodations or equipment configurations.•

Shri Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar Defence Minister

Kamov-226T

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

<<FFocus on Militar Militaryy>>

Emerging Military Requirements for Helicopters in India As the defence services are poised to induct well over a thousand rotary wing aircraft in the coming decade, the majority of them will be developed and built in the country. Already on the anvil for the army, IAF, navy and coast guard are the following: The IAF is inducting 139 Russian Mi-17 V-5 medium lift helicopters, for an estimated $2.4 billion. The new-model MI17 V-5 is a vastly superior machine, with new engines, rotor blades and avionics. An IAF order for 80 Mi-17s is already being delivered, which is likely to be followed by an order for 59 more. Fifteen American CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters will be bought to replace the IAF’s Russian Mi-26 helicopters, of which just 3-4 remain serviceable. The IAF has also completed trials for the purchase of 22 medium attack helicopters, and homed onto Boeing’s AH-64 Apache. The IAF and army have also placed Rs 7000 crore order for 159 Dhruv Mark III utility helicopters. These have been designed and built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which builds 36 Dhruvs each year. There is an estimated need for more than 350 Dhruvs for the army, IAF, coast guard and paramilitary forces. The army and the air force would also buy 76 Rudras. HAL is also developing the Light Combat Helicopter, of which 179 are on order (IAF 65; army 114). This 5.5 tonne light armed helicopter features the Shakti engine, the Dhruv’s dynamic components (main rotor, tail rotor, and the gearbox), and the weapons suite that is being developed on the Rudra. The military’s other bulk requirement is for 384 light utility helicopters,

or LUH’s, to replace the army and IAF’s obsolescent Cheetahs and Chetaks. This has been divided into two streams: 197 LuHs are being bought off- the-shelf through a global tender; and 187 LuHs are being developed and built in India by HAL. In pursuance of the Govt programme, HAL is keen to have a realistic indigenisation plan for manufacturing medium and heavy class of helicopters to meet the country’s growing demand for such class of helicopters (civil and military) by 2020. In building its capacity, HAL is keen to dialogue with global helicopter OEM’s interested in manufacturing helicopters, engines and systems, to share and exchange the latest information and views on all aspects of emerging opportunities and challenges related to manufacturing medium and heavy lift class of helicopters in India.• Emerging Requirements for Military Helicopters in India 1. Mi-17 V-5 - 139 Russia - Heavy lift likely 2. 15-CH-47 Chinook likely 3. Medium attack helicopters - 22 AH-64 Apache likely 4. Utility twin-engine helicopters -159- Dhruv MK III 5. Naval twin-engine helicopters- 50- Global market 6. Naval medium, multi-role- 91 - Global market 7. Weaponised utility helicopter -76-Rudra (HAL) 8. Light Combat Helicopter- 179 -LCH (HAL) 9. Light Utility Helicopters- 197 - Global market 10. Light Utility Helicopters - 187 - HAL

Defence Manufacturing to Get a Major Thrust in Line with Make in India Policy While speaking at a seminar, “Gujarat: Preferred Hub for Defence Production”, held on the sidelines of Vibrant Gujarat, in Gandhinagar on 11th Jan 15, the Union Minister for Defence, Shri Manohar Parrikar said that a 20 billion dollar import bill for defence was not affordable. Such a huge import bill has undesirable consequences on the economy, development and unemployment in the country. He added that for strategic reasons too, the country should not be dependent on defence imports. With this background the Minister said that his government hopes to come up with a document in two to three months time on a suitable model for defence manufacturing and procurement. Shri Parrikar also stated that his ministry should soon be in a position to decide, which

items should be manufactured in India and over a period of time, gradually that list would be increased. The minister also said that high-end technology should be used in defence. However, after spending crores of rupees in certain projects the goal post suddenly shifts. Therefore, there is a need for total overhaul in conceptualizing and thinking with regard to defence manufacturing and procurement. Once the concepts are clear, we can then engage the Gujarat govt and involve them in the process of defence production, the minister said. He hoped that good suggestions would come out of the seminar.•

Govt may hike foreign direct investment in defence units to 74% The next big sector for foreign investments is defence. To attract serious players, the government has to ease the policy. Once the political climate cools down we will move a cabinet note to increase the cap to 74%, as a senior Govt of India official said during the recent Gujarat Summit in anonymity. This may take up to two years. 10

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

ws Inter na tional <<Hel Helii Ne News Interna national tional>> Hel

Moscow and Beijing to China to gift 3 Z-10 Attack Develop Helicopter with 38 Helicopters to Pakistan Tons Maximum China is likely to gift three Z-10 Attack helicopters (latest anti-tank attack helicopter that was designed by the Russian design bureau, Kamov). Take-Off Weight The primary missions for the Z-10 are anti-tank missions with air-to-air secondary mission capability. These helicopters will join Army Aviation of Pakistani Army. This helicopter will be able to attack targets on ground or in air. It has a range of 3-4 kilometres without appearing on the radar. The maximum speed of Z-10 is 300+ km/h with a range of 800+. It also has 23 mm or 30 mm auto cannon mounted, 57 mm, 90 mm multi-barrel unguided rocket pods and four hard points for missiles. It is believed that this aircraft will be used by Pakistan against the ongoing terrorist operations. Pakistan will also be adding a batch of Mil Mi-35 ‘Hind E’ heavy attack helicopters from Russia.

Russia and China are going to develop a heavy transport helicopter specially designed for high-altitude regions, according to sources from the Russian aviation industry cited in the Moscow-based Military-Industrial Courier. China is aiming for a model lighter than the Mi-26 of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plan because it is going to be operated in mountainous regions. The helicopter will use the Russian-built D-136 engine, said the sources. Since China required Russia to reduce the weight of the helicopter, it has been designed with a better thrust load than the Mi-26. Dmitriy Rogozin, Russia’s deputy premier said Moscow and Beijing reached an agreement to develop the helicopter with a maximum take-off weight of 38 tons in late 2014. It will be built in China with materials and technologies provided by Russia, according to Rogozin. This helicopter is required particularly for China’s disaster relief operations.

Forward Firing tests on MV-22B Bell Boeing carried out forward-firing missile tests with an MV22B Osprey tiltrotor in November, using the US Army Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona for the trial .Since its operational deployment in 2007, the V-22 has demonstrated outstanding mission success under various scenarios in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa and elsewhere, supporting covert raids and rescues, casualty evacuation, theatre security cooperation, and the tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel. Integrating a forward-firing capability will provide added suppression and defensive options during an approach to hot spots, but also reduce reliance on short range attack helicopters to support V-22 operations and their need for forward arming and refuelling points (FARPS). Without this need, V-22s could be launched more frequently and at shorter notice.

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

ws Inter na tional <<Hel Helii Ne News Interna national tional>> Hel

A Drone, Too Small for Radar to Detect, Rattles the White House WASHINGTON - A White House radar system designed to detect flying objects like planes, missiles and large drones failed to pick up a small drone that crashed into a tree on the South Lawn on 26 Jan 15 early in the morning, according to law enforcement officials. The crash raised questions about whether the Secret Service could bring down a similar object if it endangered President Obama. The drone, which was about two feet in diameter and weighed about two pounds, was operated by a government employee whom the Secret Service did not identify. The agency said the employee was flying the object near the White House around 3 a.m. for recreational purposes when he lost control of it. Officials did not explain why the man, who does not work at the White House and who has not been charged with a crime, was flying the drone at that hour. The crash was the latest security breach showing the difficulties the Secret Service has had protecting the White House in recent years. In September, a man with a knife climbed over the White House fence and made it deep inside the building before officers tackled him. In 2011, a gunman fired shots that hit the White House, when one of the Obama daughters was home. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said that a small electronic device which was found on the White House lawn overnight is not thought to pose a threat to anyone within the building. On 26 Jan 15, a Secret Service officer who was posted on the south grounds of the White House “heard and observed” the drone, the agency said, but the officer and others stationed at the residence were unable to bring it down before it passed over the White House fence and struck a tree. The drone was too small and flying too low to be detected by radar, officials said, adding that because of its size, it could easily have been

confused for a large bird. The incident comes just days after the Department of Homeland Security held a conference in Arlington, Va., on the dangers that such drones pose to the nation’s critical infrastructure and government facilities. On display at the meeting was a DJI Phantom drone — the same type of drone that crashed at the White House on 26 Jan 15. But the drone on display had three pounds of fake explosives attached to the payload as part of an effort to show how easily it could be used to launch an attack, according to a participant at the conference. A counterterrorism official at the meeting warned that small drones could also be used to launch chemical and biological attacks, according to Daniel Herbert, who attended the conference.•

Another Dhruv Helicopter Crash in Ecuador On 27 January, Ecuadorian Air Force Dhruv Helicopter crashed near the town of Tena in the remote interior of the country. Two people were reportedly injured in the accident. It is reported that the Dhruv helicopter caught fire after taking off at a military base in Tena, a provincial capital, on a flight to Guayaquil. It was the fourth Dhruv to suffer an accident since 2009, of seven that Ecuador bought from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. “Three aircraft have had their operations restricted because they are undergoing a complete check,” Navas told the newspaper El Universo. On the basis of an agreement signed between Ecuador with HAL in 2008, seven Dhruv helicopters at a cost of USD45 million were delivered in a phased manner. During the last five years, Ecuadorian Air Force lost three Dhruv Helicopters (the first aircraft was lost on 28 October 2009, the second on 22 February 2014, the third on 13 January 2015, and the fourth on 27 January 2015).Sequel to the Dhruv accident on 27 Jan, Ecuadorian Air Force has restricted operations of the remaining of three Indian-made Dhruv military helicopters.

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

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<<Gallantr Gallantryy Awar ardd Winner innerss>> Gallantr

Angels from the Sky Receive Presidential Awards Shaurya Chakra The Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or selfsacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, sometimes posthumously. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Vir Chakra.

Commander Gosavi Kaustubh Vijaykumar, NM. During the month of July 2014, the officer was involved in four separate gallant and courageous acts viz. on 03 July, 18 July and 19 July 2014 wherein he was successful in saving lives of 15 personnel in a short span of 16 days. On 03 Jul 2014, 842 Squadron was tasked to undertake a medical evacuation of a patient who was suffering from acute abdominal pain onboard MV Star Eagle. The officer whilst navigating through adverse weather/ low visibility/ rains and strong winds, winched up the patient after ascertaining his medical condition from doctor and successfully evacuated the Philippine national to base. The patient was subsequently transferred to hospital for immediate surgery thereby saving his life. On 14 Jul 14, a distress message was received from MV Priyanka that the ship was grounded off Revdanda close to Mumbai and was listing dangerously thereby endangering the lives of crew onboard. The officer flew through the rainy weather along with heavy swell and strong seas in the area and rescued all eleven crew members of MV Priyanka. On 18 Jul 14 at about 1400h an alert message for rescue stranded personnel in Lotus building at Andheri which was on fire was received. On reaching the building he realised that survivors had gathered in a corner one floor below the top floor of the building about 450 feet high and were unable to reach the top due to the towering flames. These menacing flames, strong winds and intense heat made even the approach of the helicopter to area difficult. Notwithstanding the difficult flying environment, he successfully winched up Mr Manik Ogale, fire fighter from Andheri Fire Brigade. On 19 Jul 14, 842 Squadron was directed to execute Medical Evacuation of two Chinese patients ex MT Ocean Crown, The operation was required to be executed at fringes of Chetak operating ranges of about 20nm into the sea. There was no possibility of landing helicopter on the ship and the rescue had to be undertaken by winching up the patients, an arduous task as the patients had multiple fractures. Commander Gosavi employed all his experience and outstanding flying skills to bring the helicopter to a low hover height on deck of MT Ocean Crown. In a challenging and daring operation, he saved the lives of 15 personnel and has been awarded Shaurya Chakra.â&#x20AC;˘

Major Abhijai (Posthumous), Shaurya Chakra Major Abhijai was nominated as Captain of the Aircraft for Operational readiness consolidation sortie for OPERATION IRON FIST for induction into Operational Area and Battle Inoculation of aviators on 01 October 2014. The aircraft suffered a catastrophic failure of tail rotor while flying over the heavily populated area of village Bhartol and unit lines of 54 Engineer Regiment where a Sainik Sammelan was in progress at Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. The aircraft had logged approximately sixty minutes of flying time till then. The aviator, having promptly identified the emergency, exhibited indomitable valor, extreme courage and utter disregard for personal safety by maneuvering the crippled aircraft away from the inhabited area and 54 Engineer Regiment. In the limited time available, the aviator transmitted a distress call to the air traffic control tower and also cut off the fuel supply to the engine in order to minimise the collateral damage. The aviator successfully diverted the aircraft despite the tremendous damage suffered in order to save the lives of his brethren in uniform and populace of village Bhartol. Major Abhijai put the lives of these men ahead of his own and sacrificed himself in the process. The aviator diverted the aircraft away from the habitation displaying split second reactions despite knowing fully well that it would lead to loss of his own life.â&#x20AC;˘

Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) The Vayusena Medal is an Indian Military decoration, usually awarded in peacetime for a job well done. However it has been granted during times of conflict for acts of gallantry in the face of enemy, though not in the same numbers as the Vir Chakra. Posthumous awards may be made and a bar is authorized for subsequent awards of the Vayu Sena Medal.The Awards over the past decade or more have been classified into two categories. One is Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) and the other Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty).

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

<<Gallantr Gallantryy Awar ardd Winner innerss>> Gallantr

Wing Commander Pankaj Sharma flying (Pilot) is on the posted strength of MI-17 V5 Helicopter unit at Air Force Station Srinagar. He is a Cat A Qualified Flying Instructor and is presently the Flight Commander of the unit. Jammu and Kashmir faced a natural catastrophe in the beginning of September 2014 in the form of ravaging floods. His unit was the first to be tasked to commence rescue operations in Op Megh Rahat.Not to be daunted by the overwhelming magnitude of relief operations, he took on the responsibility of the team leader, for conducting all the rescue missions. An officer with tremendous courage and initiative, he flew extensively in the most exigent circumstances for helicopters, which included winching up of around 200 people, mass evacuation of flood affected people and dropping of relief material.On 07 Sep 2014, he volunteered for the first rescue operation involving winching operations. Running against time, he rescued 25 people stranded on precarious rooftops of collapsing house in the heart of Srinagar town, who would have other otherwise perished in the rising waters. On another occasion he evacuated critically ailing CRPF personnel from the Secretariat building amidst heavy stone pelting at the helicopter from hostile elements on ground. As the flight commander of the unit, his dedicated involvement, crew management, conduct of briefings and intricate planning of sorties resulted in smooth conduct of rescue operations against heavy odds. For his acts of exceptional courage and selfless commitment in saving lives during Op Megh Rahat, Wing Commander Pankaj Sharma has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry).• Squadron Leader Mantej Singh Somal flying (pilot) is held on the posted strength of a MI-17 V5 helicopter unit. While undertaking anti-Naxal operations in Jagdalpur, he received information that there was an attack by Naxalites on the CRPF camp in Chintalgufa. In the fierce gunfight with Naxalites, three CRPF personnel were critically injured and required air evacuation as life saving measure. He took on the onerous task of evacuating the injured amidst the ongoing fierce gun fight. Displaying an undaunting spirit, he evacuated the injured from the battle scene, which not only resulted in saving the lives of the injured but also served as a morale booster to the troops on ground. For this act of exceptional courage, he has been awarded with Vayu Sena Medal (gallantry).•

Wing Commander Amit Jain, flying (pilot) is posted as Flight Commander of a Cheetal/ Cheetah Helicopter Unit operating in the Siachen Glacier. He is a qualified flying instructor and an examiner, and has more than 3,500 hours of accident/incident free flying. For his act of exceptional courage, exemplary leadership, resolute determination and highest level of professionalism, Wing Commander Amit Jain has been awarded with Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry). Wing Commander Anup Sharma, Flying (Pilot) is on the posted strength of a Mi-17 1V unit. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and the Flight Commander of the unit. On September 4, 2014 due to incessant rains, Jammu and adjoining areas were severely affected by floods, with water level rising above danger level in Tawi and Chenab rivers. In this grave situation, he dared the marginal weather and got airborne for the first rescue mission of Operation Megh Rahat from Chenab River. His valiant efforts resulted in the rescue of a total of 244 marooned people from the clutches of death in similar operations and marginal weather including 158 people with the help of rope ladder from the raging rivers. In another instance, Wing Commander Sharma was involved in a rescue effort at Katwari border post of BSF wherein any delay in the rescue would have resulted in 23 BSF personnel being washed away across the International Border. The approach itself was restricted from one direction at this post as it was surrounded by the IB on three sides. He maintained steady hover at a height of 55 feet amid tall trees for an hour and a half to save all of them. The entire mission required courage, perseverance and an undaunting spirit against heavy odds. For acts of exceptional courage, he has been awarded with Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry).•

RWSI’s mission and reason for existence is to serve the helicopter community’s needs and to promote the Industry. Professional and Safety related programmes are essential requirements in today’s complex and competitive environment. If you are a Life Member, Volunteer your services to strengthen RWSI Team effort. For more information call RWSI at 0120-4352040/ email us through-office@rwsi.org

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

or In ution to Secutir tion <<R ecognition Invvalua aluabble Contrib Contribution Secutiryy of the Na Nation tion>> Reco gnition ffor

President’s Standard Presentation to 116 Helicopter Unit Air Force On the historic day of 04 Mar 15 at Air Force Station Jodhpur, the Honorable President Of India, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces will be presenting the coveted Presidential Standard to 116 Helicopter Unit. The Presidential Standard is the highest and most prestigious honour bestowed upon any unit of the Armed Forces in recognition of their invaluable contribution to the security of our nation both during hostilities and peace. 116 Helicopter Unit, also known as ‘Tankbusters’, was raised at Sarsawa on 01 Aug 67. During this glorious journey of five decades, the unit evolved with modernizations and changing roles, starting off with Russian Mi-4 helicopters, followed by French Aloutte III (Chetaks) and is currently operating the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (Dhruv). Being equipped with light utility helicopters, the unit had the privilege of flying many dignitaries, both Indian and foreign from varied spheres of life. It was also a favourite for Republic Day parade fly- past at New Delhi. However, with the induction of Anti Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) on Chetak helicopters, the unit was brought under the Operational Command and Control of Army and was affiliated to HQ, 12 Corps at Jodhpur. The unit took part in many joint exercises with Army, noteworthy being ‘Op Pawan’ in Sri Lanka in 88-89.

In spite of the primary offensive tasking of the unit, time and again it was called upon to provide aid to civil power. On all such occasions the unit lived up to the motto of “Apatsu Mitram” meaning “Friends in Distress” and continued to be the harbinger of hope and happiness to ravaged souls. The unit was declared the Best Helicopter Unit of SWAC many times and has a remarkable distinction of completing 30,000 hours of ‘Accident Free Flying’. From a modest beginning to being at the cusp of heralding an era of modern military helicopters, 116 HU has had a glorious history, ever living up to the Tankbusters war-cry “Avinashi Anant Vijayam” meaning “The Indestructible Shall Ever Be Victorious”.

• • • • • • •

Established on 01 Aug 67 Operated Mi 4 helicopters from 1967 to 1973 Operated Chetak helicopters from 1973 to 2014 Operating ALH Mk I since Oct 2014 Slated to induct the ALH Mk IV Rudra in near future First unit to operate Chetaks in anti tank role Participated in numerous exercises with the army, including Op Pawan in Srilanka in 1988 and Op Rakshak in 1999 • Won the Air Race India 2003 organised by the aeronautical society of India in its category • Played saviours during many a calamity, including the recent Op Rahat in Uttarakhand • Completed 30,000 hrs of accident free flying since 1995

Join RWSI as a Life Member RWSI is a force multiplier for anyone interested in the advancement of helicopters and vertical flight initiatives. Team RWSI thanks the members for their support. If you are not a member, please take the time to review some of the activities which we have highlighted in this brochure and give serious consideration to joining the team. ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

<<Indian Force>> Indian Air Force

IAF’s Heaviest Chopper Lands in Kedarnath Shrine area Recent press reports confirm that it was a Himalayan task getting the heaviest and biggest helicopter of the Indian Air Force to a newly built helipad 11,660 feet above sea level. At 9.45 am on 6 Jan 2015, with temperatures hovering around 4 degrees Celsius, the Mi-26 helicopter landed on the special helipad near Kedarnath shrine in the Himalayas, enthusing officials and workers engaged in reconstruction works in the area ravaged in the 2013 floods. The Uttarakhand government has signed an agreement with the IAF to fly heavy machines and vehicles weighing a total of 125 tonnes from the base station at Gauchar in Chamoli to Kedarnath. The MI-26 helicopter had landed successfully at Gaucher helipad near Guptkashi on 5 Jan 2015. It will be stationed there till the task is over. The Russian-made Mi-26, the country’s only rotorcraft of its tonnage, will help agencies engaged in reconstruction work by hauling heavy machines and trucks to the mountainous region, speeding up the work. Machines listed to be flown to one of the most geographically fragile locations in the country include five trucks, two earth-movers, one Hydralift crane and two snow blowers. Officials of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), the agency taking care of more than 90% of the reconstruction works in the area, said their task would become easy once the Mi-26 starts delivering the machinery and vehicles. Presently the work is being done manually. As the Mi-26 can carry a maximum of 8 to 10 tonnes in one sortie, it will have to make on an average two sorties a day, depending on the weather in the region.•

Mi-26T Heavy-lift Helicopter Celebrates 30 years In January 2015 “Rostvertol” marked the 30th anniversary of the serial production launch of the world’s largest cargo helicopter, the Mi-26T. The machine is capable of carrying up to 20 tons of cargo. It is said to still hold the record for total carrying capacity. Mi-26T is based on the Mi-26 military transport helicopter, the development of which began in the 70s The Mi-26 showed itself to be an exclusively reliable and high-performance helicopter. So plans were made to develop a civilian version. Today’s Mi-26T has become an important vehicle for transporting heavy cargo in Russia and abroad. The Mi-26T helicopter is capable of carrying up to 20 tons of equipment and massive cargo on its external suspension or in the cargo hold. The Mi-26T is different from its prototype with the inclusion of additional radio communication, navigation, and flight equipment, precision hovering system, color thermal imaging, and its lack of armor plating and amphibious or other military equipment. It has significantly expanded the equipment, which leads to a more efficient use of the helicopter when working with an external load. Since January 1985, the Mi-26T is being produced commercially at Rostvertol. Later, a new modification of the Mi-26T was developed to increase its commercial use.Thus came the refueling version. In September 1997, the Mi-26T helicopter first flew in its fire-fighting modified version equipped with an MAT-15 drain device. This version has been used in the fire fighting role in many countries. However regardless of its use, the main function of the

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

Mi-26T is to transport cargo. Its unique load capacity is in demand not only for daily tasks but also in extraordinary situations such as the transportation in 1999 of a 20-ton block of ice enclosing the carcass of a dead 20 thousand year-old mammoth. In November 2001, the helicotper transported crashed US Air Force Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters weighing 11 tons each. In 2009, the Mi-26T helicopter has also been used in performing complex installation works like installing transmission towers built along the new highways, and for the construction of cable cars. The Mi-26T is constantly being upgraded. The upgraded Mi-26T2 is currently undergoing flight tests with a reduced number of crew members, a “glass” cockpit, advanced avionics, and night-flight operation capability.•

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Cheetah / Chetak Non Replacement Safety & Op Implications The latest Cheetah accident in Nagaland on 2nd Feb this year has once again put the spot light on safe operations capability of the now ageing and obsolete Cheetah/Chetak fleet. This Lt Gen BS Pawar PVSM AVSM has followed in close proximity of the fatal Ex ADG, Army Avn Corps Cheetah helicopter accident that occurred late last year at the Bareilly Army Aviation Base, killing three officers. In the accident of 2nd Feb the helicopter crashed immediately after takeoff with the possible cause being engine failure. It is to the credit of the two pilots in handling this critical emergency, that the Corps Commander and three other officers (including the two pilots) survived the crash with minor injuries. The fatal accident of an Army Avn Corps ALH on 11 Feb is the final nail in the coffin. These frequent mishaps have an uncanny resemblance to what is happening with the ageing MIG-21’s in the Indian Air Force. The cancellation of the most important and critical project for acquisition of 197 Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopters (RSH), to replace the existing obsolete Chetak/Cheetah fleet by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in August last year has left the Services bereft of a suitable helicopter. This will no doubt affect the overall operational capability of the army, especially in high altitude areas where the Cheetah helicopter is the lifeline of troops deployed on those icy heights. This unnecessary cautious approach to cancel the Project was taken despite the fact that an oversight committee appointed by the MoD during the previous Government, had cleared the trial process of any irregularity. It is also pertinent to note that the trials for replacement helicopters were conducted by a joint team of specialists and professionals from both army and air force and hence no single entity could have influenced the outcome. After cancelling the RSH procurement process during the final lap last year a fresh RFI has been issued (published on 31st October last year), which is a ‘Buy and Make India’ procurement, with a certain number of helicopters built and supplied by the winning OEM in a flyaway condition, with the remaining number being built at a production line in India by an Indian partner through licensed transfer of technology. Basically this RFI envisages identifying probable Indian Vendors (private & public), including those forming Joint Ventures (JVs)/establishing production arrangement with an OEM, who can provide the helicopters, followed by licensed production in the country – the response date for the RFI has been extended to 17 Feb 2015 from 17 Dec 2014 earlier. This is likely to generate a lot of interest during the Aero-India Show being held at Bangalore from Feb 18-22. While this is a welcome step, the entire process itself is likely to take a minimum of three to four years, provided everything moves smoothly with no hitches or glitches. With the current dismal state of the Chetak/Cheetah fleet and serious maintenance and safety concerns, the writing is clearly on the wall. As per reports appearing in some print media, there is an uncomfortable disquiet on this issue within the aviation fraternity, which was appropriately highlighted in an article in a recent issue of ‘India Today’. This indeed is a very sad development and needs to be taken serious note of, for it will impinge gravely on operations in the high altitude areas.

The existing Cheetah/Chetak helicopters today are difficult to service and maintain with the spares situation critical - the maintenance of this fleet itself is becoming a nightmare. HAL is finding it difficult to keep this fleet airborne while the armed forces have already expressed their concerns on the dismal situation. The ‘Cheetal Helicopter’ fielded by the HAL both for the army and airforce as a stop gap measure is not a satisfactory solution as it basically remains a Cheetah with a more powerful engine, with the core technology remaining the same. The main concern remains the interim period of 3-4 years where the forces will have to perforce operate these outdated, obsolete and unsafe machines. The two recent Cheetah accidents have raised grave safety concerns about this machine. Aviation experts have cautioned against the safe operations of these machines especially in high altitudes, where these helicopters are operating at their extreme envelop – some have even going to the extent of giving them the mantle of flying coffins. There have been suggestions in some quarters both Government and Military that we could induct more ALH’s and use them in the reconnaissance and surveillance role. This should be rejected outright - as both professionally and operationally this is not a viable alternative or option, though it may help some vested interests in the short term.•

P. K. Bharali Appointed as DG Army Aviation Corp Lt Gen Pranab Kumar Bharali, Vishist Seva Medal, has been appointed as the Director General of Army Aviation Corps at the Army Headquarters, Delhi. Army promoted an officer from army aviation corps for the first time to this post. Lt Gen PK Bharali has therefore become the first officer from army aviation to be promoted to this post. He is also the first Army officer from Assam to rise to the rank of Lt General. He assumed the office on 2 Feb2015. He commanded a helicopter unit of the Army in Misamari near Tezpur in 2000-2001. He held the appointment of General Staff Officer (Operations) of a Counter Insurgency Force Headquarter, Colonel Administration of a Division Headquarter and Brigadier Aviation in a command Headquarter in Jammu and Kashmir before assuming the appointment of Head of Army Aviation Corps in the capacity as the Additional Director General in Army Headquarters as a Major General in July 2009 being the senior most officer of Army Aviation Corps. Till now the Army Aviation Corps officers could hold rank only up to Major General. Pranab Kumar Bharali has earned the distinction of becoming the first officer of the Army Aviation Corps to be promoted to the rank of Lt General. ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

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Civil Operations of Drones / UAV’s - Security Concerns The recent case of a Chinese national flying a Drone/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), apparently for fun at Chennai’s popular Marina beach has raised serious and grave security and safety issues on the uncontrolled and unrestricted use of these machines. About a year back, a little known pizza chain in Mumbai succeeded in making a test delivery less than 3 km from its Lower Parel outlet in central Lt Gen BS Pawar PVSM AVSM Mumbai using a remote controlled GPS Ex ADG, Army Avn Corps enabled drone. In a number of high end society weddings today one see’s these small drones taking photographs – so what stops a terrorist organisation from using them recce high security area’s for terror strikes. This is happening, despite the fact that current regulations in India do not allow commercial use of drones. What is more worrisome is that such drones can be bought online – the Chinese national had bought the drone via online realtor Amazon. While the police had apprehended the Chinese national and seized the drone, there is an urgent need to lay down a comprehensive policy and regulationsfor the use of these small drones, as the scope for their misuse is tremendous and safety a major concern - the agencies required to act are the DGCA and Home Ministry. Integration of drones into the national airspace of a country requires review of current policies, regulations, environmental impact, privacy considerations and certification issues. It also involves identification of gaps in current drone technologies vis a vis regulations and policies and development of new technologies with revised regulations, standards, policies and procedures. The civil aviation regulatory authority is responsible for developing plans and policy for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace. This responsibility includes coordinating efforts with national security and privacy policies so that the integration of drones into the national airspace is done in a manner that supports and maintains the respective Government’s ability to secure the airspace and address privacy concerns. In the US the FAA has already embarked on this exercise keeping in mind the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) laid down policy guide lines for safe and orderly development of international civil aviation. In India it is understood that the Indian Regulator the DGCA, is also in the process of drawing up regulations for certification and operations of UAV’s/drones. Integrating public and civil UAVs into the national airspace carries certain national security implications, including security vetting for certification and

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training of UAV-related personnel, addressing cyber and communications vulnerabilities, and maintaining/enhancing air defence and air domain awareness capabilities in an increasingly complex and crowded airspace. The aviation regulatory authorities will have to work with relevant Government departments and agencies and stakeholders through coordinating bodies,to proactively address these areas of concern.•

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India Eyes US Aircraft Carrier Technology as Arms Ties Deepen NEW DELHI: It is learnt that India wants to use state-of-the-art US technology to boost the range and potency of a planned aircraft carrier to counter China’s military influence in the region. Although, our indigenously manufactured aircraft carrier would not be ready for at least another decade, such cooperation could act as a balance against China’s expanding presence in the Indian Ocean. Indian Navy inducted an old aircraft carrier from Russia in 2014 to add to its ageing British vessel likely to be decommissioned in 2018. Last year, MOD cleared funds to ensure another carrier being built domestically was ready for service in 2018.It is learnt that the PM Modi has endorsed navy plans for a further carrier which would be its biggest, and it is this one that may be built with US technology. The joint statement by Obama and Modi spoke of a “working group to explore aircraft carrier technology sharing and design” as part of the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative. It is believed that this could lead to direct US participation in building the 65,000-tonne INS Vishal carrier.•

Landing Craft Utility Ship for Indian Navy Launched at GRSE Calcutta-The third ship of the Landing Craft Utility(LCU) Mk IV project, Yard 2094, for the Indian Navy was launched at an impressive ceremony at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata here on 13 Jan 15 , in the presence of Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and Smt. Reena Lanba. Launching of Yard 2094, designed in-house and built by GRSE for the Indian Navy is yet another milestone in India’s quest for self-reliance in sophisticated shipbuilding. Invocations from Atharva Veda were recited in Sanskrit and English at the start of the launch. Smt. Lanba named the ship as ‘LCU L53’ and wished the ship good luck before launch. LCU L53 is the third vessel in the series of eight Landing Craft Utility Ships being built by GRSE for the Indian Navy. The first LCU was launched on March 12, and the second on September 23, last year. These ships will play significant role in transportation of Main Battle Tanks, Armoured Vehicles and Troops of the Indian Army during amphibious operations. The ship will be fitted with an advanced Integrated Platform Management System for remote control of propulsion, auxiliary and power generating equipment. Two CRN-91 indigenous 30 MM guns to provide fire support during operations will also be fitted onboard. The ship can be deployed for maritime roles like maritime security, beaching/un-beaching, humanitarian relief operations and evacuation from distant islands, search and rescue operations and peace-keeping missions. Speaking on the occasion, Vice Admiral Lanba commended the

contributions made by GRSE towards meeting the Navy’s growing requirements of state-of-art warships. He also lauded GRSE and its team of designers, engineers, technicians, quality controllers and the members of Warship Overseeing Team for their untiring efforts in successfully achieving this significant milestone of launching of Yard 2094. He appreciated the efforts put in by GRSE and other private sector industries for their valuable contributions towards achieving Indian Navy’s dream of transformation from a “Buyers Navy” to a “Builders Navy”.• ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

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Special Report on the National Seminar on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Make in Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - Civil & Military Helicopters : Emerging Opportunities & Challenges conducted by Rotary Wing Society of India at Bengaluru In continuation of our report about the event in pages four and five of this issue, the special report provides a brief coverage of the speeches made by HAL Chairman Dr. R K Tyagi, Former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy PVSM AVSM VM & Bar; KPMG India Aerospace & Defense partner & Head Amber Dubey, and HAL Chief Test Pilot (Rotary Wing) Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai at the inaugural session. The report subsequently covers the gist of presentations made by representatives from Original Equipment Manufacturers that includes 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 Mr. Robin Cherian, Director, K-Air. It also covers the presentations made by officials from HAL and CEMILAC in the Plenary Session II. The author of the report has collated all the suggestions made by the participants and has placed it as recommendations at the end of the report for consideration of the agencies concerned.

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With Make in India concept, defence manufacturing in India can increase from 30% to 70% : AVM K Sridharan VM (G), President RWSI

both civil and military helicopters and infrastructure requirements related to manufacturing these classes of helicopters were also addressed in separate sessions.He hoped that the wish list and recommendations that emerged from the seminar would benefit the policy makers and the industry. ****

The defence sector in India is expected to grow exponentially, following the “Make in India” concept created by the government. “Make in India” concept, has the potential to raise defence manufacturing in the country from the present 30 per cent to 70 per cent in the next few years, said Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI) president AVM K. Sridharan (Retd). Speaking at the inaugural session of a National Seminar on “Make in India - Civil and Military Helicopters: Emerging opportunities and Challenges,” AVM Sridharan said that the country could be developed into a hub for the MRO business. “By investing in R&D technology processes and by focusing on development of skills in 70 plus trades related to the aerospace industry, we can accelerate the growth process,” he added. Further, if around 1,200 helicopters are to be inducted in the Armed Forces by 2020, then the sector offers phenomenal scope for meeting the benefits envisaged in the “Make in India” concept. The slogan “Make in India” was coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 25, 2014 to attract business from across the world to invest and manufacture in India, which will lead to job creation, among other benefits. The government has included the aviation sector in the campaign. According to AVM Sridharan, India has emerged as one of the most attractive defence markets since 2012 and an even more lucrative aerospace market in the world, especially with the steady increase in defence budget for modernization of the Armed Forces. With 30 per cent in the defence budget allocated under the offset clause, the defence production policy espousing indigenization and self-reliance holds promise for the foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), he added. “This step is likely to foster innovation, enhance skill development and help us build world-class infrastructure for manufacturing medium and heavy lift class of helicopters,” AVM Sridharan said. While, the “Make in India” concept will certainly help the country to meet its growing demand for such class of helicopters (civil and military) by 2020, it would also help in opening up of huge investment opportunities in the sector. AVM Sridharan stated that the objective of the seminar was to provide a platform for HAL, global helicopter OEMs and Indian companies interested in manufacturing helicopters, engines and systems, to share and exchange the latest information and their views on all aspects of manufacturing medium and heavy lift class of helicopters in India. He added that the focus during the plenary sessions was to address design and development requirements for making medium and heavy lift helicopters in India by HAL. In addition, certification requirements of 26

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Emerging Opportunities & Challenges related to making Civil & Military Helicopters in India by Dr. R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL Today, India has 289 helicopters in the civil stream. With a population of about 17 per cent of the world, we hold less than one per cent of helicopter population in the country. That too, when we know that India is a country that could be called a helicopter country, as the demand for helicopters are more, especially during earthquakes, floods and so on. In the military segment, we have around 800+ helicopters. Overall, in the helicopter space we handle about 1000 helicopters. This is what we have achieved in the last 50 years. How are the things changing? In the next five years we will see more demand for helicopters. The order book is around 1200 helicopters in the military segment. It includes 197 RSS, 187 ALH, 123 MUH, 73 Dhruvs, 61 Apaches, 139Mi 17s. We need 180 helicopters for disaster management and surveillance, 20 for northeast connectivity and 50 for medical ambulances. Totally, we are talking of an investment of about Rs 40,000 crore, which will come into the helicopter industry in the next 5-7 years. The only difference will be that today we have 289 helicopters in the civil segment and they are manufactured by foreign OEMs and not on Indian soil. These 2000 helicopters, which will be coming, will be “Made in India.” The government has already allowed 49 per cent of FDI. The Ministry of Defence has created a Defence Innovation Fund to the tune of Rs 100 crore. “Come and Make in India” is the message from the Prime Minister. It means not only a lot of opportunities would emerge but also a lot of challenges for the Indian industry. We will learn to know how to start factories here. We will master how to create the task for some technologies and how to specialise on those technologies. Being the only helicopter manufacturer in India today, HAL’s board has recently approved a modernisation and capacity augmentation plan of Rs 3600 crore. Government of Karnataka has given us 600 acres of land near Tumkur. We are also creating aseparate helicopter vertical. All manufacturing will take place in the PPP mode, where we invite the industry for joint ventures or for outsourcing. One of our corporate priorities is to increase outsourcing to 50 per cent from the current 25 per cent. Since, the future is in R&D, we have created a R&D corpus with

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1/10 of the profit pumped into it. This corpus will be available to the private industry also to do any fundamental or applied research in the specified areas. In our roadmap for the defence forces, we have identified 111 technologies, of which, 41 will be handled in the priority mode. We have reached out to IIT Roorkee for structures, IIT Kanpur for rotary systems, IIT Kharagpur for radars and IIT Mumbai for communication systems. Our idea is to associate with organisations like the Rotary Wing Society of India and the private industry in India. As far as the challenges to the helicopter industry are concerned, we need a national helicopter policy. We need skill development. We need pilot licensing and national training academies. We have to give comfort to the helicopter industry by reducing sales tax on ATF. The next five years will be the time to do more than what we together did in the last 50 years. ****

Challenges & Lessons in Indigenous Design & Development of helicopters by Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, Chief Test Pilot (Rotary Wing), HAL The necessity to own a helicopter that was required to carry 200 kgs plus a large fuel load at 20,000 ft, led to the development of Dhruv in India. And HAL achieved it within the global benchmark of 14-16 years. When compared to a few other contemporary projects developed during the same period, the Rs 1,155 crore spent to develop Dhruv utility and Dhruv WSI was lesser than the cost of development of a Tata Indica car project (Rs 1,750 crore). While the country inducted S-55 and Bell 47 helicopters in the 1950s, they were procured in small numbers. Soon, a larger number of MI - 8 helicopters were bought. But the country required helicopters to operate at high altitudes and it resulted in Lama/ Cheetah helicopter, which is still a revolutionary machine. Later Dhruv was developed indigenously, as at that time, no helicopter in the world could meet the requirement of India. Today, Dhruv is a success story for India. IAF roles included 20 mm cannon, anti-armour and air-to-air missiles, EW suite, MAWS and advanced sighting and aiming systems. The naval roles included SAR, troop carriage, ASV and ASW. The weapons included torpedoes, exocet-class missiles and depth charges. Sensors like dipping sonar, surveillance radar, sonobuoys and MAD were needed. The naval requirements were too large for a 5.5 ton platform. In all, the requirements listed were clearly beyond the range of contemporary technology for a single platform. According to HAL’s chief test pilot (rotary wing) Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, some of the requirements for Dhruv were contradictory from the technological point of view. For example, in blade design, high speed and

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good hover were at either ends of the spectrum. “It was difficult to design a rotor that can cruise at 280 kmph and also hover at 20,000 ft with 500 kg of useful payload,” he noted. In July 1984, the government formed a negotiations committee and contracted Germany’s MBB as a design consultant for a period of 10 years. “As the requirements were not met by the proven technology, the negotiations committee approved certain advanced design options recommended by MBB. These options were cutting edge, yet budding technological options in critical areas like rotor blades, gearboxes and vibration control,” he added. The innovative but green design concepts selected by the negotiations committee included integrated dynamic system, a radical main gear box design and a very light-weight yet powerful, bearing-less tail rotor. Each of the selected systems promised to meet the challenging air/naval requirements in terms of manoeuvrability, high altitude performance, reduced basic weight and crashworthiness and ballistic tolerance. However, implementing some of these concepts caused delays and proved extremely challenging. In 1994-95, the consultant exited, as MBB’s contract expired and was not extended by the Government of India due to severe financial crunch. The project was in early stages, with four prototypes undergoing flight. Design related problems were showing up in the form of repeated and early failures of critical components like MGB and ARIS. Increase in basic weight had also clearly manifested during this period. With the departure of MBB, the design issues of complicated systems had to be tackled solely by the HAL designers and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. “Since our designers did not have the requisite experience to fall back on, solutions were arrived at by experimenting with numerous design changes that took many iterations to resolve the problem and required repetitious flight testing. Today our designers are far more confident of design than they may have been, had MBB continued. Finally, the flight testing towards IOC was completed in 2001,” Wg Cdr Pillai added. The next stage was commencement of production. A large number of changes in the first limited series production (LSP) helicopters vis-àvis prototypes were made. These changes caused issues with vibrations, handling and reliability of production helicopters. However Dhruv today has evolved from 1 to 3. Wg Cdr Pillai noted that the success of a project depends on the resolve of the manufacturer and the users to iron out the deficiencies noticed. This resolve is apparent from the fact that, there is a sea change in ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

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the present day production of MK-3 compared to the first LSP Dhruv, 12 years ago. There are changes in quality, reliability, maintainability, vibrations, aesthetics and any other issues pointed out by the users. “In Dhruv helicopter, the cockpit has evolved from 1 to 3. While the first one was analog, the second and third were glass and today, we continue to polish up the software for the glass cockpit,” he added. Further, today HAL has Shakti engine. “Shakti was installed to ensure that we meet the high altitude requirements,” Wg Cdr Pillai said. MK III has state of the art vibration cancellation systems, vibration monitoring system, EW suite and EO pod. Talking about the evolution of Dhruv, Wg Cdr Pillai said requirement is the prerequisite for development of any product. According to him requirements need to be arrived at by keeping in mind contemporary technology and made in consultation with local industry or design houses. The user requirements are more realistic now when compared to 30 years ago, he added. The lessons learnt by HAL included making the consultant accountable till the designs are proved and the helicopter enters production. “Too many new concepts were tried out and there was a possibility that MBB had either over-estimated their capabilities or attempted to experiment the feasibility of some of these concepts,” Wg Cdr Pillai added. Another takeaway was the need to produce same standard of helicopters as the last prototype tested, he said. He concluded that a machine, which has an average of 30 years of life on a pIatform, will have to be upgraded and modified to suit the changing requirements. “If the IPR of the design does not rest with India, adapting the machine to our changing requirements over its life becomes difficult. Following the US, the EU and Russia, India has achieved self sufficiency in design and development of helicopters. For design and development an ecosystem has to be evolved, which needs nurturing and growth through new design challenges. India has taken 30 years to establish such a system, and we need to preserve it,” he added. ****

Policy Initiatives to Promote ‘Make in India’ Medium & Heavy Lift Helicopters by Mr. Amber Dubey, Partner & Head, Aerospace & Defense, KPMG India There is a lot to be done on the policy front for civil helicopters. There is licensing - we have to create heli corridors like the ones in Delhi and Bangalore, in all the major cities congestion is there and it is only going to increase. There is a huge demand on the corporate side for medical evacuation and also for law and order enforcement. So we have to create heli corridors and agencies like the Rotary Wing Society have to engage very closely with the powers

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that be in Delhi and other states to create these corridors and then create infrastructure that allows free flow of helicopters. Today we don’t need to land at active runways and airports. We can have 4-5 heliports all across the city, which speed up this moment and people, are willing to pay. We pay Rs 1,000-1,500 just to go from our office or from our homes to the airport and I am sure it even escalates to Rs 5,000 or even Rs 10,000 in certain cases, there are companies that are willing to pay. On the medical evacuation side, lakhs of people pass through toll plazas. Just add Rs 2 extra to toll fee and multiply by lakhs. You are earning something like Rs 10-20 lakhs per day, which can be used to create a common infrastructure for both civilian heli movement and medical evacuation, because it is not that accidents are happening every day. There may be 2-3 accidents on the entire expressway and for that two helicopters can immediately move from the nearest centre as conversion today is very quick from a civilian to air ambulance. You can even have dedicated ambulances that can pick people and take them back and this would be across all social strata. Anybody who pays Rs 2 extra at the toll plaza could actually get medical evacuation by helicopters and be saved in the golden hour. As years pass, time will be valued more and so the need for civilian helicopters would only increase. On the military front, huge orders are expected and at policy level, government may take a leaf out of China to improve its bargaining power. China has forced airbus to start a plant outside France. Airbus has set up A320 plant in China and talks are on to create infrastructure to build A350s in China. It helped in improving scalability and it also provided thousands of jobs in an indirect way and helped China save billions of dollars. They don’t have slogans like ‘Make in China,’ but they just go ahead and do it. I think collaboration is going to be the future. We don’t like it when we are dependent on import of Apaches, Super Hercules etc. We need robust local manufacturing setup, but the fact is that no country in the world is completely self sufficient. If you look at DARPA, which is the US equivalent of DRDO there are only 140 scientists and they are responsible for protection of American interests both on territory, in the air space and all across the world wherever there are American interests. These 140 scientists depend on the rest of the American nation and society, private companies, government labs, defence labs and universities. Similarly, collaboration is the way to go forward for us. DARPA headed by Dr Arti Prabhakar is responsible for protection of American interest now and in the future. If the mighty US could trust an Indian born lady to lead their DRDO, surely we can now start bursting these silos and look for the best. Let’s do that. By spreading knowledge within India, the country would gain, but by holding on to knowledge, we are only spelling on our doom. At KPMG, we support FDI. We feel it should be an open field. Let the best come here and compete. If you are so good, why should we worry? But if you are bad, then we should be worried anyways. There is a lot of talk about ownership and control. When we get these fully built Apaches or Super Hercules or the Chinooks built on US territory, what kind of ownership and control do we have of all these equipments? But if you talk to Boeing or the Airbus people, they say if the same equipment is built in India, don’t we have better control? Of course we

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Be Proud of “Made in India” products: Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy

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will not have ownership because nobody is going to transfer them to us. Even India is not going to transfer sensitive military technologies developed over 2-3 decades to Cambodia or Nepal or Bangladesh. It is unfair to expect someone out there, who has spent five decades to become what they have become, built over years of failures and funding and money, which went waste and acquisitions and mergers that never reached their ultimate objectives to share everything with us. All the big OEM giants have become what they have over a period of time. So we cannot expect them to hand over things to us on a platter. Now, the chances are that FDI will go beyond 51% and 74% and, when that happens flood gates are likely to open and we will have competition. We should make India a great place to do business. In “Ease of Doing Business” we were 140 last year and now we have become 142. Clearly there is no “Make in India” unless we improve our EoDB ranking to top 20-30. We should become a more welcoming country, much more open and allow the best of the world to come here. We need independence of decision making for programmes to move and collaboration to happen. This cannot be done by bureaucrats, who may not have great knowledge about the sector. So, we need an aeronautical commission along the lines of the nuclear commission, space commission, where the head is a techie but has well rounded knowledge of the finance and other policy matters and strategic issues as well and he reports straight to the Prime Minister. There is a lot of talk of aeroparks coming up in most of the leading states. We ourselves are involved with Gujarat and a couple of other states. In Vibrant Gujarat, we unveiled the Aerospace policy. FDI is not the answer. It is just the first gate, but after that there are 20 other gates that need to be demolished. We need greater interaction between the rulers and the ruled. Rulers sitting in the north block and south block, I just appeal to them to talk to us. HAL is the place, history of Indian aeronautics has happened. Our dream is that by 2030, we should have at least 3-4 products, for which the world should come begging to us. Today it sounds like a laughable dream but nothing is impossible. We can talk about UAV technology, super alloys and stealth technology to private companies and youngsters, students in IITs and engineering colleges and encourage them to do research in material science etc. It will excite a whole new generation. ****

Be proud of the nation and take pride in things manufactured in India. Allow private sector to “Make in India.” Join together and grow together as Indians. This was the message former CAS, Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy shared at the National seminar on “Make in India - Civil and Military Helicopters: Emerging opportunities and Challenges.” Calling all Indians to be innovative, imaginative and bold in their outlook, the former CAS said that the country would shine better when we combine our collective abilities to “Make in India” and also be proud in saying it is “Made in India.” He wanted us to appreciate our products at all places and especially at global forums. “You feel proud when you see the ALH Sarang Aerobatic Team performing. It is not because the product came from HAL or PSU or private sector. We appreciate because it is ‘Made in India.’ So what we need to do is enhance our potential and capability and stand confidently anywhere in the world and proclaim that ‘our helicopter is better’,” he added. Noting that the private sector should enter and compete with others to produce worldclass products,the former CAS also gave some advice to bureaucrats. “Give complete freedom to the private sector and allow them to produce whatever they want, whosoever they want to do with. Don’t breathe down their neck. Let them develop on their own. You give them priority treatment, be kind to them, encourage them,” he said. Talking about various interpretations to the word privatisation, ACM Krishnaswamy said that people in the government or PSU would resist if privatisation hits them. “Why not be open and permit free exchange of people from industry to government, government to military and vice versa. This inter-change of manpower will help decision makers learn newer processes and leverage it as they grow,” he added. He cited examples of how such free exchange of people from different sectors have yielded positive results in Israel and America. “In Israel and America, I see one person wearing uniform and the next day he is sitting as a manager, head of some design office in one of the industries. Why can’t we implement the same in India? Why do you need to be put in a silo and that you will only fit there,” he added. Noting that the country is probably 20 years behind when it come to complex aerospace programmes, ACM Krishnaswamy said that the Indians have always been a master in ‘jugaad.’ While the focus of ‘Make in India’ is perceived to be more FDI coming into India, more business, increased production, more sales, industry development and so on, the former CAS gave a different perspective. According to him, “Make in India” is an emotional appeal from the Prime Minister of India. “It is not so much about bringing a workforce, giving the job and getting the money. It is about being proud as an Indian, being proud of our products and being proud of whatever we have ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

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achieved,” he said, adding that constructive criticism was acceptable as long as we don’t lose our pride on what India is. “At HAL, we have tried every kind of possibility in creating ‘Make in India’ products. We did license manufacturing and we did indigenous designing. ‘Marut,’ designed by Mr Kurt Tank is the most beautiful aeroplane to fly. There is no fighter that cruises from here to Delhi or Halwara or anywhere and you set the speed at point nine mach. Unfortunately we ran out of steam, mainly because we didn’t have technology, we didn’t have capital and we didn’t have encouragement,” he said. “Every helicopter, whether it is made in America or Europe or anywhere else, they all have teething problems. The same can be said in the automobile sector and so, why are we critical when it comes to the aerospace sector,” he added. Noting that an organisation can produce only a certain number of products in a year, former CAS said that the country should encourage private sector into manufacturing such products. “If someone comes and says, ‘I like your ALH helicopter and I want 30 of these’ - do we have the capacity? No. Why don’t we give it to a private sector company and say we will buy all your products. You make from end-to-end and deliver. We will integrate, flight test and sell it. There is nobody in the country other than HAL, who can do integration, flight testing, delivery and post delivery support. Let the industry also grow. You are saying PSU. They have taken 40 years. You come as private sector. You guys can do it in 20 years,” ACM Krishnaswamy said. He urged the industry not to give vendors, parts to make. “Instead let us be liberal, positive and magnanimous to our own industry - private sector. If somebody is making license manufacture of some parts as offset programme or any other programme, why can’t we give the complete line of ALH? Set it up. I am sure we have financiers here. They will give brilliant ideas, how to raise funds and how to market. Also in industry, auditors and financiers will carefully look at how much money you make,” he added. In the course of his speech, ACM Krishnaswamy also spoke critically about the Indian mentality in doing business and hoped that the country encourages private sector and utilizes “Make in India” campaign in a positive way. ****

PLENARY SESSION-I : Make in IndiaMedium & Heavy Lift Helicopters

Air Cmde Ravish Malhotra Chief Mentor & Co-Founder, Dynamatics Technologies; Shri Abdul Rashid Tajar, Manager (Design), Aerodynamics Group, RWR&DC, HAL; Shri V Sadagopan, ED, Helicopter Complex, HAL; Wg Cdr BS Singh Deo VM, MD, Bell Helicopter India and Vice President RWSI, Shri Robin Cherian, Director, K-Air and Shri Amitabh Mukherjee, Customer Support Manager, Turbomeca India.

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Design & Development Requirements for making Medium & Heavy Lift Helicopters in India by Shri. Abdul Rashid Tajar, Manager (Design), Aerodynamics Group, RWR&DC, HAL Medium and heavy lift helicopters play a very important role during conflicts and they will continue to play pivotal roles in future conflicts. So, they are more relevant to India. The category of medium helicopters is the most popular worldwide. USA has 12 types of medium and heavy lift helicopters, followed by Russia (11) and Europe (10). In Asia, we have only three types of medium helicopters. Our Armed Forces will have formidable state-of-the-art machines with the inclusion of Indian multirole helicopters. There are difficult parameters to comply with pertaining to Army, Navy and Airforce in India and hence there are a number of major or minor improvements to be done on the basic helicopter. Rotors may have to be modified, either main rotor or tail rotor or both. Landing gear may have to be changed. Engine upgrade is required to comply with high altitude requirements. If there is any change in rotor and engine, the transmission has to be changed and to improve the high altitude performance, transmission has to be upgraded and weaponisation needs to be carried out. If we are able to do one of the changes or combination of them on the basic helicopter, then we will get a multirole helicopter, which will be good for Indian conditions as well as for the global market. The design and development process will be divided into three parts. Phase I will be conceptual, where you will define the goals and then the concept is evaluated. In the design phase, we will design the product, make a prototype, then if any improvements are possible, incorporate these improvements and finally go for qualification stage, where comprehensive testing is done on that component and it is demonstrated. At HAL we have a separate helicopter complex formed under rotary wing design centre (RWDC) and helicopter division. At RWDC we are engaged in design activities. In the helicopter division and composite manufacturing division we are engaged in production activities and in the MRO and Barrackpore division, we are involved in maintenance repair and overhaul of Cheetah, Chetak and ALH. We have availability of manpower and infrastructure. We have 500+ designers with us who will be available for this project in a phased manner. We have facilities for CAT modelling and ground test and flight test facilities. We have experience of operations in Indian conditions. We have an established supply chain at HAL. We are familiar with our customers. We have some time and cost constraints. So we want to make a foray in this particular category (10-15 ton class of helicopters) with the support of a partner.

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The way ahead is to co-develop a product, integrate and weaponize it and then go for flight testing and certification. We have to get operational clearances like IOC and FOCs. Finally the product will go for production. In all, what we are looking for is a partner, who can provide a basic helicopter to us or at least the main rotor, tail rotor and transmission systems. We want to make IMRH, the Indian Multi Role Helicopter. ****

A View from Bell Helicopter by Wg Cdr BS Singh Deo VM, MD, Bell Helicopter India “Make in India” is not a path forward. It is the end in itself. We have to follow various paths to end up in a state, where we make as much as possible, nearly 100 per cent “Make in India.” That is the goal. It is not just a first step. Today, no manufacturer makes everything. If you take any of our commercial models, being made, say in Canada, the raw material comes from Europe. It is very difficult to say okay 50 per cent, we will make locally. This needs to be looked at, if you want to make a start. Co-production, license production is not an end in itself. You have to do it to learn and then launch into original design and production. Transfer of Technology (ToT) is not a manufacturing activity or management activity. ToT is strictly a training activity. Don’t think that foreign experts will manufacture 100 helicopters here and we will learn and make the next one ourselves. We will have to keep training and in the process of training, if we make 10 helicopters and two of them are okay, we can say that we have gained two. If we don’t give training top priority, then after the license period is over, we are back to square one. What does it takes to be a major aircraft manufacturer? Global presence - You can make in India, but think global. Aircraft do not see any boundaries. Aircraft certification is a very complex process. There are many steps that have to be processed. We have made this presentation to DGCA, stating that when you are talking of a new helicopter, a 90-seat aircraft, these are the processing steps. The DGCA was surprised to see that there were too many steps to follow. Unfortunately, they do not have test pilots on their strength. FAA, YASA, Australian CA, everybody, has test pilots but in India we do not have any test pilot with the regulator. Certification time lines are too time consuming: • Transport category, big helicopter - 5 years • Non transport category - 3 years • Engine and propeller - 3 years • Appliance - 2 years It is not short term to make a medium helicopter whether it is

military certification or civil certification. There are too many steps to go through. That is why; right from the design stage onwards the certification agency has to be involved with you. Cost is a big driver. When the IAF started with Wapitis, it cost something and years later the spitfire came to replace the Wapitis. The cost of one spitfire was nearly the same as a whole squadron of 20 Wapitis. Hunter replaced spitfires. A squadron of spitfires was probably the cost of a single hunter and same ratio continued from the Hunter to the MiG 21. I haven’t gone beyond Sukhoi 30, but I am sure similar ratios are continuing. Costs are shooting up. There is no escape, but what you can do is, insist on value for money. One spitfire could probably do what 20 Wapitis could do in terms of productivity - speed, range or weapon capacity and delivery. When it comes to civil helicopters, it could be seat/km cost, useful load things, time between overhauls and so on. Commonality is one thing to keep the cost down. It cuts down your long occurring expenses, recurring savings and of course life cycle cost. What is this commonality? At the design stage we have to keep in mind that certain items starting from airframe components, drive systems, power plants and hydraulics can be common. When you have too many roles specified by the customer, you have to convince him that the same aircraft cannot do so many roles. You have to separate roles and have a little variation. For example in the AH-1Z and UH-1Y, where 84 per cent of the parts by part numbers are identical and the same pilot can fly both, same display system, same rotor, same dynamics systems, same maintenance can maintain both and spare parts holding also comes down. These are ideal for cutting down cost. When we talk of medium, I said the future is what the industry calls super medium. These are larger, up to 19 seats helicopters and are futuristic too. By the time (about five years), when it is introduced, it would still maintain the state-of-the-art condition for even up to a couple of decade. Bell is now developing the Bell 525 Relentless. For this, we have spent two years inviting customers across the world at our cost, to have a meeting once in three months and to tell us their requirements. Definition of the design is crucial. So corporate, VIP, fire fighting, oil and gas, helicopter emergency medical service, SAR, para public, all kind of roles need to be executed, with minimal variations. The 525 Relentless is a fly by wire triple redundant system with a touch screen glass cockpit, side arm control with inter-connectivity, which is a step ahead of the Airbus. In the Airbus, the side arms do not have inter-connectivity. That is a great advantage in this aircraft and they have carried out simulator training. It was found that if for example, you are taking off from an oil rig and at a critical moment, the engine fails, you do not know whether to take off for land back. A pilot may decide to land back and while landing he has to think of gusting winds. He has to think of temperature, weight, whatever other conditions may be including his load and then use his skills to make a good landing. Make him do that landing a100 times. Ninety nine times he may be perfect but one time he may not be perfect. We made the auto pilot do it. Our auto pilot decides whether to land or to go around and 100 times out of 100 it made absolutely no mistake in landing. So procedures for this futuristic aircraft are, when an emergency happens, just sit back. The auto pilot takes immediate actions, gets to a safe condition, then you take over and decide whether you want to land or divert or whatever. This kind of automation, our generation of pilots find it very difficult to accept. All our ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

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engineers and designers are about 30 years old. They are changing the entire paradigm of the future in the way we fly. So productivity implies that production and operational costs have to be reduced. With the 525, we established a fly by wire, five bladed rotor, canted tail rotor and 20 seats. There is a cockpit with side arm control, touch screen, your track is showing from A to B and say en route, a CB cell comes up. You touch your track and drag it to the right; the helicopter will now follow that. It is very different kind of aviation - Intuitive pilot vehicle interface. It senses what the pilot should be doing so when you move your control, your errors are corrected and we will follow a flight path that should be actually followed. ****

A View from Turbomeca by Shri Amitabh Mukherjee, Customer Support Manager, Turbomeca India Turbomeca is familiar with the changing scenario in the manufacturing sector in India. We know that “Make in India” is the new thrust area. We are aware that this would involve building close relationships between government and private manufacturing industries in the sphere of development, manufacturing, assembly and test and support of helicopter engines. We are also conscious of the fact that this will require certain degree of hand-holding at various stages of the activity and be more applicable for the private industry, which we might partner with. For this to happen, we need to have successful partnerships. As far as Turbomeca’s point of view is concerned, we feel that the prerequisites for such a partnership are to meet a political will, which incidentally is present now. Understand the cultures of the partners. Take advantage of the complementarities of technologies. Choose the model of collaboration and define a common coherence of strategy. For such a partnership to be successful, we feel that the partnership should meet the requirements to comply with the market. Lean on a global partner and be recognized in the helicopter world. Bring in new technological skills and increase the experience of each partner. Create and secure a competitive product. Extend to new markets and in short, develop, produce and support locally. Turbomeca has a very rich experience to fall back as far as our partnership is concerned. Be it the partnership with Rolls Royce for the RTM 322 engine or the Adour engine or the Chinese AVIC for the license of Arriel 1C with the German MTU for the MTR 390 co-development or closer home for the co-development of Shakti engine with HAL. Our partnership with HAL spans over several projects for a long period of time. Association with HAL started in the 1960s with the license of R23B engine, which continue to perform even today. Then came the cooperation and co-development of the Shakti engine in 2003 and more recently, repair and overhaul licenses for the TM333 group of engines. 32

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We have also associated with HAL on various helicopter platforms including the most recent light utility helicopter, which will be powered by the Ardiden 1U. Turbomeca is also proud to be associated with the Adour engine that is powering the Hawk and Jaguar platforms. In the near future, we will be operating in the range of almost about 2200-3000 shaft horsepower or relevant to the RTM 322 platform for the medium lift category. We are open to having a partnership for codevelopment, co-production support of power plants, including transfer of technologies. Turbomeca has been privileged to be associated as a key player in the Indian helicopter industry for the past 50 years. We have immensely successful partnerships with HAL in projects that continue to perform even today. Turbomeca is aware that development and manufacturing are going through a paradigm shift and are poised for greater heights of self reliance. You will see a lot of new players coming up, and playing a more meaningful role in complementing the capabilities of HAL. Turbomeca is committed to be a part of this process and is open to taking all the right steps to make it happen. ****

A View from Dynamatics Technologies by Air Cmde Ravish Malhotra Chief Mentor & Co-Founder, DynamaticOldland Aerospace TM, India We have acquired 30 acres of land at the aerospace park near the International airport in Bangalore. Our facility is just 500-600 metres from the control tower. This is our expansion plan. If we have some kind of joint venture or transfer of technology or whatever is the form of the “Make in India” programme, we want to be part of it. We want to do complete helicopter manufacturing in India. In order to achieve something like what HAL has done, we need to start somewhere. We can do in-house, all our sheet metal machining and aero-structure assembly. We will buy composite panels from outside. In order not to delay the programme, we will buy a few other parts from abroad till such processes are made available in India. We also need to import rotor blades, avionics, transmission and engines. We will do the final assembly, flight test and delivery. We will require test pilots and flight test engineers, as we move forward on this programme. Whenever you tie up with any OEM, you need to ensure that core technology is transferred to you by the OEM. India should eventually look at manufacture of the blades, main and tail rotor blades, transmission systems, avionics, hydraulics and fuel systems. The engine manufacturers must set up a facility in the country.

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The cost of raw material and the engine will take you beyond 50 per cent with engine alone costing anywhere between 25-30 per cent. So the possibility of bringing down cost to 50 per cent by “Make in India” is less. Therefore we need to revert to the government and ask them to reconsider this particular requirement. Further, if you are building the helicopter in India you will need OEM support for approvals namely certification from CEMILAC, DGCA, FAA, EASA. Then for the flight test procedures, we need to make sure that our test pilots are trained along with theirs. Also, after having built the aircraft and made the delivery, service as well as MRO activity needs to be followed up.

PLENARY SESSION - II: Challenges in Certification Requirements

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A View from Kaman K-MAX by Shri Robin Cherian, Director, K-Air K-Air is India’s leading aircraft sales and leasing company. It is the only Indian general aviation company with a global footprint, having representative offices worldwide in Dubai (UAE), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Texas (USA), Paris (France) and Manila (Philippines). As a dealer for major business jets, helicopters and turboprop aircraft manufacturers, we have different verticals dealing with these three types of aircrafts. We have the largest pre-owned aircraft Inventory in India and South Asia. We have sold more than 20 per cent of Bell helicopters in India. We are the leaders in the sales of pre-owned Hawker Beechcraft King Air products, with a collective wisdom of over 40 years and 75 aircraft transacted since 2005. The single engine helicopter K Max can be useful in the mountainous and hilly terrains of India for disaster relief, power line laying and pipeline laying works. Rate of climb of this helicopter is 800 ft per minute. Another 15-20 minutes for fixing up the operation and the entire operation can be completed in 30 minutes. The same operation with road accessibility might take two days. Joint manufacturing in India would require: • An ideal partner with infrastructure and skilled manpower. • K Max is already a developed product and so we are not looking for developing it in India. • Manufacture is only possible for orders of more than 20 in number. • Joint collaboration for development of new systems on the K Max. • Can explore unmanned drones/K Max. • Kaman is also a leader in composites, blades, blade erosion reduction paint and other precision products. This paint particularly has been painted on all the black hawk helicopters of the US and they have seen that in sandy conditions and snowy conditions,it has reduced the wear and tear of the rotors by almost about 60 per cent. They have also acquired other precision products like a nozzle that has been developed by K Max for refuelling and we are supplying them to the US Army and Navy.

Mr. Stanly Chacko Sr. Manager (Design), RWR & DC, HAL; Mr. Anurag Shukla, Scientist ‘D’, Deputy Director, RCMA (Helicopters) CEMILAC, Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, Chief Test Pilot (Rotary Wing) HAL and Shri GN Satyanarayana Sharma, Integrated Business Development, & Project Management Organization, HAL

“Certification requirements for military helicopters” by Mr. Anurag Shukla, Dy Director RCMA (Helicopter) CEMILAC Certification applied to aviation is known as airworthiness certification and the need for airworthiness certification arose from: • Social consideration • Safety of passengers • Safety of people on ground • Numerous agencies and work centres In India, the DGCA Aircraft Act 1936 is for civil certification and for the military the guiding document is DDPMAS-2002, which is design, development and production of military own stores. Centre for Military Worthiness and Certification – CEMILAC is the regulatory body for military worthiness certification in India. CEMILAC is headed by chief executive, who reports to SA to RM. We have Joint Airworthiness Committee and CEMILAC Advisory Council with different areas of expertise. The roles and responsibilities of CEMILAC – we are into airworthiness certification of Ab-initio Designed and Developed Aircraft and Systems and consumer development airworthiness and a whole lot of activities – manufacturing, modifications, airworthiness directives, defect and accident investigation, upgrades and so on. The important policy formulation by CEMILAC are: • DDPMAS -2002 • DDPMAS-Software • DDPUAV-2011 for certification of UAVs • Policy for clearance of bought out items • Joint Venture programmes • SOF test guidelines • Approval of design/test houses, TOT etc DDPMAS is “Design, Development and Production of Military Aircraft

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and Airborne Stores”. It is a governing document for military airworthiness and certification in India. It is applicable for manned aircraft/helicopters and their systems. The first version was released in 1975 and it was later revised in 2002. The detailed guidelines/procedures are as follows: Airworthiness and certification of ab-initio designed and developed aircraft, helicopters and airborne stores Airworthiness and certification of licensed manufactured and boughtout aircraft and helicopters Indigenization of airborne stores/ items It also lists roles and responsibilities of - main contractor, CEMILAC/ RCMAs, DGAQA/ORDAQA, users Second volume of DDPMAS -2002 was released in 2009 for software development and certification DDPUAV-2011 – The governing document for airworthiness and certification of military Unmanned Air vehicles (UAVs) As you are aware military aviation’s prime importance is performance and mission completion. Safety levels have to be mutually agreed amongst user, designer and airworthiness authorities. Operational effectiveness in meeting threats dictates usage of advance technologies yet to be proven. This makes the design as well as certification, a complex process. The definition of airworthiness in the military parlance, in very simple terms - Fitness for flight, demonstrated capability of an aircraft to perform safely within prescribed limits. The classical definition as per DDPMAS is “the continued capability of the aircraft to perform satisfactorily and fulfil the mission requirements of the user throughout its specified life in the prevailing environments with acceptable levels of safety and reliability.” The philosophy is to be airworthy as well as useful. An aircraft or helicopter must possess standards of performance and efficiency acceptable for the task to which it has been designed throughout the specified life. Therefore certification authorities must also guarantee the performance of the aircraft / helicopter although their main task is to ensure safety. The major considerations are: • Flight safety • Performance assurance • Assured life • Redundancy management • Deterioration due to life cycle environment • Maintainability aspects The constituents of airworthiness are design, manufacturing and the operation and maintenance. Airworthiness evaluation starts at the requirements stage and continues till the retirement of the aircraft. Airworthiness has to be built into the design. It cannot be enhanced during manufacture or operation. Proper manufacturing processes/ practices are required to maintain design airworthiness level after manufacturing and it has to be ensured during operation through scheduled maintenance activities. A typical certification methodology that we follow for ab-initio development programmes and upgrades: We begin with the requirements finalisation, we involve in that stage. Next it will be finalisation of technical specification. Then evaluation of design and a whole lot of analysis, simulation, ground tests, software validation, verification and safety evaluation are done. The flight testing data reduction and analysis,

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assessment of the performance and documentation/ type record are done before the certification. Some of the typicalities of ab initio design and development: At CEMILAC we are following concurrent certification approach and design team and we move hand in hand. Airworthiness function starts with finalization of requirements and technical specifications. It progresses through design evaluation, analysis and testing for performance assessment and culminates into certification finally. A rigorous and systematic methodology required to be followed for ensuring airworthiness. Availability of all the design data is an advantage in case of certification of ab-initio developed stores. Continued airworthiness activities made much simpler due to availability of all the design data. Under the gamut of continued airworthiness we have a lot of issues – manufacturing, modifications, airworthiness directives, lifting of components, defect and accident investigation, in-service issues, upgrades, new system integration etc. Airworthiness Implementation does not stop with design and prototypes but continues with manufacturing and operation. Aircraft/helicopter/systems produced should have approved SOP. Adherence to defined manufacturing processes, production acceptance tests must be ensured. Lifting policies, maintenance and servicing practices have to be evolved. Users must operate the aircraft within the prescribed boundaries and maintain as per laid down schedules. Life etc have to be reviewed based on service feedback/failures. Modifications/checks have to be evolved to address failure. Airworthiness directives necessary to ensure airworthiness are issued from time to time by certification agencies. Another important activity is the mid-life up gradation or life extension. Mid-life upgrades are necessary to take advantage of new technologies/ concepts, typically applicable to us in the present situation, improve mission capabilities and avoid obsolescence etc. During upgrades, original performance of the machine and safety levels should be maintained as far as possible. Extension of Total Technical Life (TTL) is another activity of significance for both indigenously designed as well as bought platforms/ systems to exploit full potential. These two can be handled very easily in case of ab-initio design programme where we have design data. In case we do not have typical task and we need to generate a lot of data, which may call for extensive ground and flight test and analysis. In case of life extension or defining the life, we start with initial life/ TBO. We do sampling inspections, additional tests, if required, field performance and finally culminates into life or time between overall extension. In SOP changes arising out of modifications, upgrades, they are assessed technically. System design, reliability performance, safety and

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required testing is done. Then finally it is put up to local modification committee, approved and gets into SOP for compliance further. Field issues are addressed by analysis of data on PWR/ DI, accidents. In this data analysis there are two outcomes – modification proposal to address the issue, again it is assessed technically and goes to LMC or there could be in some cases airworthiness directives, service instructions, service technical instructions, high alert notices that go to the users for compliance. License manufacture projects - as per the guidelines given in the DDPMAS 2002. In majority of the cases re-certification by CEMILAC may not be called for unless it is asked by the user and agreed in contract. Continued airworthiness is the major activity. The procedures to be followed are the same as those followed for in-house development projects. The important thing is design data as deemed necessary by CEMILAC for ensuring continued airworthiness. This shall be obtained from the licensor as part of Transfer of Technology (ToT). Transfer of type record of the equipment and major components from the licensor to CEMILAC shall be negotiated along with the terms and conditions of the licence projects. It will be incumbent as far as possible upon the licensee to arrange for transfer of type record or any technical information (including proprietary data). Main focus is on data on reliability, fatigue life, various systems, basis of life, load spectrum, EMI/EMC map, vibration and environmental map etc. This becomes typically applicable in the present context of “Make in India,” where there could be a lot of issues on this. This needs to be further deliberated upon. Next case is bought out aircraft. Re-certification may not be called by CEMILAC. Continued airworthiness is the major activity. The procedures to be followed are the same as those followed for license manufacture projects. Here also DDPMAs clearly brings out that CEMILAC and DGAQA have to be associated in the negotiations during purchase of airborne stores to ensure that certification requirements are met and certification documents and type records (as in case of license manufacturing) are transferred whenever possible. Approved design agency should also be involved. In some of the cases, where civil certified products are offered to use by Indian military revalidation by CEMILAC is required, as operating envelop and conditions of operations may be different for service use. In this case procedure to be followed would be advised on specific reference to CEMILAC. Another major activity is indigenisation of stores. Indigenization is a major area of thrust at CEMILAC. Indigenization occasions could be: • Indigenous substitution of stores/systems of license manufactured or bought-out platforms. • Development of stores by Indian establishments to meet specific user requirements and in case of secret systems. • Indigenous development of system to obviate obsolescence. • Voluntary indigenous development by PSUs, govt. establishments. • A well laid-down procedure for indigenization of military airborne stores defined in Sec IV of DDPMAS-2002. • We are following concurrent certification approach • Regular dissemination of knowledge on certification procedures for indigenous development by CEMILAC through seminars and workshops

etc to promote indigenization are also being done. The material or system or item to be indigenised has to be identified first. It could be by HAL, BRDs, private industries, DRDO labs or any government labs. Then it is classified for its criticality in local type certification committee. Depending upon the criticality classification the certification route further progresses, starts with finalisation of technical specification, then developmental activities, formation of test schedule and qualification tests. If the results are found not okay then it again goes through modification and re cycle starts. If they are found alright then they go to type records. For critical components we issue provisional clearance and for non critical components clearances through local type certification committee clearance and finally it is given type approval. Tests have to be done in recognised test houses as per the DDPMAS requirement. “A helicopter is an assembly of SEVERAL thousand loose pieces, flying more or less in formation” Then, why helicopters?Father of helicopter Igor Sikorsky said, if you are in trouble anywhere in the world an airplane can fly over and drop flowers, but helicopter can land and save your life. Design criteria - we need high reliability of the systems, damage tolerant/ fail safe structures, high TBO Life, safe life components, good handling qualities, crashworthy features and less vibration/ noise. Some of the latest technologies to meet all these requirements in the field of helicopters are: Extensive use of composites Integrated dynamic system Fly-by-wire/ Fly-by-light controls Latest weapons/ sensors Active vibration control devices and HUMS FADEC controlled engines Glass cockpit/ advanced avionics Hingeless/ bearingless rotors/ ducted fans After finalisation of requirements and technical specification the first step in certification process is design evaluation. This is to ensure that selection of appropriate standard/ specification. Selection of structural design criteria like safety, casting factor and so on. A lot of analysis like wind tunnel tests, aerodynamic analysis and structural design– stress analysis are performed. Electrical load analysis, EMI/EMC studies are also done. A lot of activities are required as part of design evaluation before we take the next step forward. Next step is a Mock-up evaluation, which could be placed somewhere in parallel to design evaluation and ground testing etc. Mock-up is a representative of the helicopter structure. Mock-up evaluation gives inputs on: • Cockpit lay out and management • Vision assessment • Aircrew accommodation • Crew interface with structure • Ingress, egress, escape path clearance • Reach of various controls, switches • Readability of various parameters ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

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Inputs obtained from these are incorporated in the detail design by means of suitable design/configuration changes. Next step is ground testing/ evaluation of systems. The requirement is different for different type of systems. Extensive ground testing is required before any system gets into the helicopter. To list a few: • Coupon testing to establish the design allowables • Static and fatigue testing of dynamic components • Testing of structural modules like transmission deck, engine deck, empennage etc • Ballistic damage tests on rotor blades • Environmental tests • Lightning test • Bird hit tests • Number of tests for mechanical systems. For electrical and avionic system, we have: • Functional tests of the unit • Safety of flight tests • EMI/EMC testing •Power supply • Acceleration, shock and vibration tests • Environmental tests • Bench/rig checks – System integration rigs, looming rigs etc. At the helicopter level: • Shake tests • EMI/EMC tests — qualitative and quantitative • Integration of all systems on iron bird/ ground test vehicle • Endurance testing of GTV • Ground resonance testing of the helicopter • Software Certification as per DDPMAS-2002, Vol-II software development and certification • Independent validation and verification of software (IV&V) is required • Applicable standards - RTCA DO 178B, DOD STD 2167A, MIL STD 498 etc. Just to give you a glimpse of what it takes to complete ground testing, these are some of the test set ups, which we have used for testing ALH components: Test set up for main rotor blades, root end test, resonance test and tension torsion test. This is main rotor hub getting tested, control system endurance test, world tower test for main and tail rotors, test on the main gear box, load test, intermediate and tail gear box, Landing gear drop test, harpoon test, breakaway fuselage test, helicopter shake test to find different moods of vibrations, natural frequencies etc. Finally the ground test vehicle. Ground Test Vehicle GTV is a full helicopter anchored to the ground with all systems. Purpose of GTV is to demonstrate the functional and integration aspects of all systems under defined power spectrum. Endurance run of GTV is required to determine the TBO. The whole idea is to say that a whole lot of testing is done on ground and CEMILAC is involved, we go through all the tests, we finalise the test requirements,

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go through all the test reports before we take the system to the next step, which is flight testing. Proof of pudding is in eating, so finally the helicopter and systems have to fly and produce goods they have to perform. Theory and analysis have to be supplemented and confirmed in flight tests. Things like navigational inaccuracies, helicopter performance after engine failure is difficult to predict in the absence of flight trials Flight testing become necessary to establish- performance boundaries, operational margins, air resonance stability, handling qualities, manoeuvre limitation, dynamic stability, controllability, noise and vibration and emergency procedures. We follow rigorous methodology for according the first flight clearance after detailed analysis and ground testing. Only then we get the clearance for the first flight and flight envelope progressively increased during trials. We monitor the flights on day to day basis, clearance of data and then finally accord clearance for the next flight. Details of flight testings, which are required for helicopter certification, helicopter performance: Hover performance, Climb performance, Level flight performance, Range and endurance, Stability and control, Handling characteristics, Establishment of V-N (Speed vs. g) diagram, Establishment of H-V (Height vs. Speed) diagram, Auto rotation, Air resonance tests, Night flying, Weapon carriage, firing and jettison flights, Performance of various systems The details of flight testing: Different configuration for flight testing, ranging from minimum to maximum all up weight, different C-G conditions, different altitudes, different cross wind directions, landing conditions, flight testing at sea level and at different altitudes up to the service ceiling. Hot weather and high altitude/ hot weather, cold weather high altitude, flight testing over sea, ship deck landing to establish the ship helicopter operating limitations. This is glimpse of rigorous of flight testing. For integration of external stores, we look at: Effect on A/C weight & C.G Local reinforcement and wing strength Suspension system strength Store separation characteristics EMI/EMC Harmonization Controllability Maneuverability Effect of firing on other a/c system Carriage, firing, release/jettison envelope Aircraft performance Finally, overriding consideration is safety of aircraft We say, we have absolute trust in god but from all others we need evidences before we say YES. • ****

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Presentation on Overview of Civil Type Certification Procedures and its Challenges by Mr. Stanly Chacko, Sr. Manager (Design), RWR & DC, HAL The Indian civil aviation authority is DGCA. Aircraft Engineering Directorate and Airworthiness Directorate are the two important department directorates in DGCA that handles the Type certification and we need to interact with them. The Aircraft Engineering Directorate is backbone of the type certification process. It gives type approval for the aircraft parts, and appliances. Airworthiness Directorate gives the individual clearance. After DGCA certification, we go to international authorities like EASA, FAA for evaluation. The most important regulation that we will be dealing in certification is the CAR and the advisory circulars and Ads. This is the national framework and in this national framework DGCA tries to meet its international obligation. We are signatory of ICAO Chicago convention in which India is signatory country and we are called contracting state and so all the ICAO regulations find their way on to the Indian aircraft rules and to the CAR. That is how India shows compliance to the ICAO. Type certification – in civil we call the products as aircraft, engine and propeller and the terminology product is associated with it and regulatory basis is the Indian aircraft rule 1937 the CAR 21. This is the main rule that we need to follow in type certification. And Sub Part B caters to type certification and E caters to supplemental type certification in case of major modifications carried out by non TC holders. The other regulations - EASA Part-21 is from where CAR 21 has been derived. We have been closely involved with DGCA in involving this CAR 21 and we keep updating the CAR 21 so that we come at par with international regulations. You can fly only if you have a COFA. Prerequisite for COFA is type certificate and that is why Aircraft Rule 49 is required. This is the regulatory basis why one should go for type certificate and type certificate is applicable for all the three categories – aircraft, engine and propeller. STC is a recent rule, which was published. At the moment STC is limited to aircrafts that are manufactured within India. You can also get an STC from outside India and get it revalidated here but today STC is limited to equipments, which are certified within India. This is the generic certification process. It involves many steps but it has four big processes. We make an application and that sets the entire project rolling and everything is determined as per that application date. Then, we determine the type certification basis and the rules that will apply for this product. Later, we enter into planning phase. We go para by para, word by word trying to tell DGCA and work with DGCA to evolve a certification plan. This certification plan will say how we are going to

comply. After certification plan, we directly go to the demonstration of compliance stage. It is your ground test analysis, flight test. It is highly iterative process. For the first application in the 1990s, the project got steamed by 1998 and in 2003 only we finished validation. It is an iterative process. You finish all the means of compliance, which was initially agreed and you end up with final TC. There are four processes- application, planning, demonstration of compliance and issue of TC. Parallel to that it you should make sure that your organization is a design organization approval holder. You start the process of DOA approval plus production organization approval for your prototype. These two branches go parallel. The constraint is that before the DGCA signs the TC, you need to have DOA legally and before you start flying you need to have DOA agreed upon. We in DGCA, except for a few exemptions in certain paragraphs, follow everything that is internationally prescribed. The Part 29 as far as medium helicopters - this is a standard. All the other standards are derived from FAR and CS European certification specification. It is internationally laid down and the point to note is your date of application that will determine the amendment levels for these standards. It will remain so for five years. Other important aspect of civil certification is environment. The external noise, the emissions, all these are governed by ICAO and ST. We have different chapters. Chapter 8 is for FAR 29 category aircraft. Noise limits are based upon your weight and you’ve got to meet them. Details of compliance can be seen in the ICAO Environmental Technical Manual No. 9501, which is also the international standard in both EASA and FSA. Few essentials for type certification • The organization should have Design Organization Approval • For STC you could modify subers. You want to modify a Bell helicopter you could do that provided you have a No Technical Objection from Bell or you convince the authority that yes the organization has its own resources to do the modification. That is the eligibility for STC application. Applicable fees in India are very less. FAA is also cheaper than EASA. You need to have Production Organization Approval to build your prototype. That is the full aircraft certification process. We step into the Parts and Appliances certification process. The basis is the Aircraft Rules, 1937, Rule. 53, which clearly says, all that is put on board should be approved by the Director General. To make things very simple we have three major types of parts in the whole helicopter – • Indian Technical Standard Order (ITSO) parts • Platform dependent parts • Standard parts We borrowed ITSO rules from EASA and FAA. EASA and FAA from their own wisdom have identified that there are certain parts that can be certified irrespective of the platform. The certification effort for these parts gets bifurcated at the part level and then when you go on to certifying the platform we get to do only the insulation test. The ITSO really reduces the burden of certification. Then there are platform dependent parts for which the TC holder has to show compliance and there is standard part. The definition of parts and appliances as laid down in CAR 21 is very important. It has all these equipments in. Most important is, it should be ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

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used in or intended to be used in operating or controlling an aircraft in flight and is installed in or attached to the aircraft. It precludes all the GSE, GHE from this definition. Indian Technical Standard Order (ITSO) is a great instrument for reducing the certification burden. Today DGCA has a bilateral agreement with FAA. If DGCA certifies a TSO item, it will be validated by an FAA letter of design approval. There is a great opportunity for Indian industry to pitch in. These are TSO items that are platform independent. At present there are 200 of them in the whole list. These TSOs are common for both FAA and EASA and DGCA derives its own ITSO from either of them. It is a similar process and a well harmonised one. Standard part is another interesting part in civil, where there is a lot of liberty given to the manufacturer. Standard part is defined as a part made in total compliance with official standards, available in public domain. It means standard part should be made by XYZ but to the same standard. If you are having a standard part, the responsibility of quality control of the standard part is placed on the production organization today. As a consequence the standard part is elevated from the requirement to have a production organization approval by itself. But the platform production organization approval holder will bear the responsibility of standard part. There is an ITSO, which can go straight up to the aircraft and there is a standard part which doesn’t require a POA and there are other processes through which, a part can end up in the aircraft. It is very important in the “Make in India” context to visualise this. There is a new rule issued in CR 21.1.33d which allows license manufacturing or the arrangement is quite similar to the FAA PME. Key requirement for TSO approval is • Application • Manual of procedures (I.A.W SUB PART O) • Certification plan • Data package • Production Organization Approval, which the TSO organization should have because it is basically going to make the part. The key requirements for standard part are that you need have official recognised standards. These standards should be available on the public domain. Anyone should be able to make a standard part and it should not be of proprietary nature. The quality control of the standards part lies with the production organization of the platform. Design organizations approvals - there are two type of design organizations approvals - JA and JB. JA is for the platform and JB is for parts and appliance holders. The good benefit of a DOA is that you get these privileges. These privileges are akin to the military. Once you are a DOA, you are entitled to make minor changes and minor repairs of your own because you have an assessed capability. The whole process becomes fully in-house processes except for major modes and major repairs. The importance of DOA is that it is a sort of approval of the organization, where in the certification authority gets to appreciate or gets confidence on the organization and that it has a framework. It has rules and procedures and it can show compliance and certify a part by itself. That is the main use of DOA for the authority. It lets the authority rely on

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

the organization for findings of compliance. The key requirement of DOA is design assurance system. The design assurance system is that the organizations in itself has an ability to show compliance, which means study the standard and wherewithal to show the compliance and there is an independent group within the organization that will be able to verify the compliance and say that he has complied to the certification authority. Production Organization Approval POA - there are two parts. Regular production organization approval and other is for the start ups. You could have production organizations with very limited scope. When we went round to find environmental testing facilities, most of the facilities available in India are fine tuned to the defence. You have everybody complying with 8-10 and very few with DO160 compliance, capable of showing DO160 compliance. That is one of the challenges. One of the other areas, where we should be looking at is the high intensity radiated fields. This test set up and understanding of the regulation is in a nascent stage. I think it is totally devoid in the country. When we are talking about medium helicopters S92 recently is fully icing envelop certified. We should be thinking about icing. Noise is a challenge. There are some short comings with respect to lack of regulation pertaining to test pilots and joint certification is one another area, where we are working at the ministry level to see how military and civil certification authorities can collaborate and save a lot of resources. The most important thing is project management. Most of the civil projects including Dhruv civil variant is not customer driven. Instead, it is company’s own initiative. It is very different. It would be a good idea, if the forum thinks about custom of funding of civil projects. This has not happened in India and I believe if the customer drives the civil programmes in this country, it will grow faster. ****

TECHNICAL SESSION-III Infrastructure Requirements related to Manufacturing Medium & Heavy Lift helicopters by GN Satyanarayana Sharma, Integrated Business Development & Project Management Organization, HAL HAL has produced more than 750 helicopters so far. This shows magnitude of experience that we posses in design and manufacture of rotary wing products and under development is new generation – 3 ton helicopter LUH, which is upcoming and we are also contemplating medium/ heavy lift helicopter in the form of IMRH.

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Manufacturing perspective on the medium and heavy lift helicopters: Make in India concept seeks to make India manufacturing hub and it gives very smooth sailing window opening for OEM investors, imbibes manufacturing competitiveness and facilitates small and medium-sized industries to play a big role. It also encourages availability of cutting edge technologies, facilitates critical in-house research and development (R&D) to make sure ‘Make in India’ gets competitive edge in the market. This will be the long run vision because if we just end up making ToT products, we stay there only. So there should be enhancement and up gradations. Manufacturing strategic option for MLH and HLH is that we will identify core manufacturing competencies that are available with us and thereby identify the scope for indigenous manufacture of heavy helicopters. Identify domains where technical support is necessitated. Tie up with potential OEM for assimilation of manufacturing technologies. To create for large eco system we go for participation with private companies and this will enhance the local capabilities and base for defence production. Core competencies in airframe manufacture – we manufacture all detail part, sheet metal, machine, composites, piping, tubes and weldings. We have also embarked on huge outsourcing of non critical sheet metal and machine and currently we handle the critical ones in house. We have the structure assembly capabilities, sub assembly, modules and complete air frame assemblies to exact standards. Final assembly (equipping) – we have final assembly lines capabilities and we are performing all these operations on successful Dhruv platforms. We have specific tooling capabilities in design and manufacture of aircraft assembly jigs and this we are doing in 3D CAD to latest standards of being set with laser trackers and building them to that accuracy. They are high precision assembly jigs. Most of them are gaugeless jigs that automatically guarantee inter-changeability for us in the builds. For augmentation of manufacturing capability, support is contemplated in manufacture of rotors and rotors assemblies, transmission assemblies, engine and typically in tooling, we feel the need for INVAR tooling for composites. Infrastructure requirement – we need plant and machinery for product manufacture. Support infrastructure in the form of heli runway, telemetry, control towers. Service infrastructure for MRO, upgrades and life cycle support as well as with the base is at customers. Social infrastructure to support the whole eco system of Greenfield plant concept. In addition to the physical infrastructure, skill sets and capabilities are add-on resources to physical infrastructure, crucial for successful functioning of the plant. HAL has embarked on expansion programme of our helicopter manufacturing infrastructure. We are contemplating a Greenfield plant. The state government has granted 610 acres of industrial land near Tumkur. Land has been taken over by HAL and initial civil work planning activities are under progress. Infrastructure development will be in-line with project phases. As the project evolves, infrastructure will come up in phases and it will be of world class state-ofthe-art. A typical Greenfield helicopter plant will have dedicated helicopter division, which will be the mother plant for assembly, structure assembly equipping and flight test and all current aircrafts have sizeable composites in them so that we will have composite manufacturing division. We contemplate an exclusive transmission division, which manufacture critical gear box and transmission assemblies with MRO capabilities. Engines for engine manufacture. Serrate MRO division for taking care of MRO activities. We will have a dedicated heli-pad and runway as well. Among these divisions a lot of commonalities shall be worked out in terms of having common facilities among the divisions. This leads to synergies like what all the common machineries, shops etc required among the divisions, can be made common and synergies can be created. This will give an optimize plant and machinery requirement. Better capacity utilization will bring down the capital expenditure and manpower requirement. Plant efficiency goes up by optimising. Additional facilities shall include training and related learning facilities to make sure ToT doesn’t end up as ToT but as part of training. To support the ecosystem hospital, medical, residential townships and things like that should be in place. As a lead integrator, HAL has supporting divisions and they can be upgraded suitably and scaled up and deployed for manufacture of medium and heavy lift helicopters.

As far as our suppliers are concerned, currently we are outsourcing components from tier-II suppliers. Structural sub-assemblies and assemblies will be out-sourced from tier-I suppliers for upcoming production programmes. Now, we are embarking on development of tier-I suppliers and are doing all the necessary handholding. This existing infrastructure can be scaled up and suitably upgraded for MLH. HAL perspective - New business models being explored with Indian and foreign companies for the growing Indian helicopter business. We have capabilities to manufacture and support medium and heavy lift helicopters and offer many advantages in terms of location attractiveness, quality and costs. That is due to the legacy experience and capabilities. Make in India advantage with HAL: • Qualified and experienced manpower • Established infrastructure, scalable and upgradable • Design ToT absorption capability for core systems • Production ToT absorption capability for core systems • Can customize requirements with Indian systems and certification • Established ROH facilities for all major systems • Expertise in mid life upgrade • Capabilities required to manufacture and maintain helicopters • Intends to join hands with public and private players • India can get capability in terms of development and production of MLH / HLH, leading towards future self reliance.• ****

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

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Recommendations - Make in India MAKE IN INDIA – THE WAY AHEAD

LIGHT HELICOPTERS TO BE MADE IN INDIA

The excitement and upbeat sentiments in industry, especially in sectors that hitherto fore were fighting a losing battle, rose to a fresh high in 2014, riding on the wave of the ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ sentiment that is sweeping across the Nation, infusing enthusiasm, generating revolutionary thought and setting the tone for the future. The Rotary Wing Society of India, a not for profit body for the upliftment of aviation, especially the helicopter industry, conducted a seminar, with the theme – “MAKE IN INDIA”, with emphasis on the helicopter industry. The seminar provided an insight into the challenges that exist. It also provided a platform for industry giants to meet on a common platform. The seminar highlighted existing capabilities and also voids. We are sanguine that the voids will be addressed by the industry as time goes by so as to achieve ‘Make in India’.

The DAC has also decided that all the 384 light-utility helicopters needed by the Army and Air Force to replace the existing Cheetah / Chetak fleets will be made in India with foreign collaboration. This is definitely a step towards – MAKE IN INDIA. Thus, in addition to other projects, the value of investment for such projects is likely to be to the tune of Rs. 65,000 crores.

MAKE IN INDIA – GOI PAVES THE WAY

Capacity building has progressed by way of the LCA program and the Tejas initiative. There is a dire need to expand civil markets for existing products like the Advanced Light helicopter (ALH). This will ensure that we reach out and compete in the open market, thereby up scaling our products to world class standards.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the apex decision-making body of the Ministry, triggered a scorching pace of acquisition by clearing proposals worth over Rs 1.50 lakh Crores for the Services in 2014. Most of the equipment and platforms, cleared by the DAC, will be manufactured in the country, either by the public or private sector entities, through collaborations and tie-ups with foreign manufacturing companies. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Defence Sector has been encouraged by liberalising policies.

MAXIMISING INDIGENISATION & MODERNISATION For speedy indigenization, the Government has increased the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit from 26% to 49%. Above 49%, the proposal will go to Cabinet Committee on Security on a case-to-case basis. The three-year lock-in period for foreign investment in Defence sector has been done away with. The defence products list for the purpose of industrial licensing has been revised. In the revised list most of the components / parts / raw materials, castings, forgings, production machinery, testing equipment etc. have been taken out of purview of industrial licensing. This will reduce the license requirement for many items, which earlier required industrial license for manufacturing.

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

ACQUISITIONS DAC approvals for Apache and Chinook helicopters will also generate interest in the industry. The Navy too is acquiring helicopters. Several other acquisitions have been fast tracked. All in all, the MAKE IN INDIA drive is well on its way.

CAPACITY BUILDING

MAKE IN INDIA –SEMINAR HIGHLIGHTS There is no doubt that reforms for the ‘Make in India’ campaign need to be initiated at the top. The GOI has sown the seeds towards providing a favourable environment. It is up to the industry to rise up to the challenge. Industry must drive reforms by performance. We need to move away from a protected regime to an age of open qualitative competition. May the best product win –needs to become the buzzword. Today, even China, which was, till recently, nowhere in terms of aviation production, has successfully produced a medium lift helicopter that set a world altitude record. Apart from the triumph of design and manufacture, this innovation has also affected the geo – military status in the sub continent. Even Brazil, geographically and possibly technologically relatively smaller than India, has produced world-class aviation products that are playing a major role in the market. Some of the efforts / endeavours / proposals that may catalyze and galvanize the ‘Make in India’ campaign are: Encourage Innovation: The ‘Make In India’ campaign must fund innovation. Innovation must be encouraged,

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recognized, publicized and regularized. Companies like Dynamatics, who have made giant strides in not only partnering with world leaders, but have also met or surpassed global standards, must be recognized at the National level. Efforts must be made to capitalize on such revolutionary entrepreneurship and achieve the ‘Make in India’ goal. Quality Control: Quality control is a hallmark of our standards. We need to ensure that our standards resonate with international standards. To this end, we must facilitate industry, provide incentives and propel the ‘Make in India’ campaign along parallel lines, as we will need to ensure that our products meet or surpass global standards, thus enabling marketability around the world. Cost Effectiveness: Meeting global standards are just one side of the coin. Any product that is churned out from our stables must also be cost effective. The entire product life cycle must be so attractive that global manufacturers not only move to ‘Make in India’, but also agree to transfer of technology as this would be mutually beneficial, in both the long term as well as short term. Transfer of Technology: The seminar on ‘Make in India’, did establish that there may be reluctance on the part of developers to share technology that they have developed at tremendous cost of time, effort and money. This reluctance must be appreciated, alternatives generated and the ‘Make in India’ program must move on. Our Nation cannot be stonewalled, merely because of one critical component that cannot be made in India at this time. Barriers to Trade: To encourage the ‘Make in India’ campaign, the reduction or complete removal of trade barriers, dual taxations, custom barriers, multiple clearances, etc must be systematically and surgically eliminated. The ‘Make in India’ program must be made so user friendly and investor friendly, that every manufacturer, has a vested interest in ‘Make in India’, an interest so unavoidable that he goes out of the way to ‘Make in India’. Regulatory Processes: Yes, we manage to garner investors, manufacturers, designers, etc. However, when it comes to actually approving the project by our regulatory authorities, our processes become time consuming and cumbersome. The regulatory processes for approval for manufacture must be along the lines of the FAA and EASA. In fact, commonality must ensure parallel approvals. The Govt of India must fast track reforms with the DGCA so as to ensure that approvals are time based, realistic and at par

with international regulators. This will provide a fillip to manufacturers as well as to the program. Spares and Customer Services: As a Nation, we must develop a focus towards achieving not just customer satisfaction, but customer delight. If Bell Helicopters can establish a network that provides spares within 24 hours, we need to emulate the model or if possible, surpass it. We need to ensure that our products are supported globally and within time frames that do not adversely affect customer performance or profitability. This must become our ethos and focus. Make in India: There is a need to establish a National Authority that is in a position to coordinate the efforts of all agencies. For example, HAL is the leading agency in terms of Helicopter manufacture. Dynamatics has achieved global standards in some fields. Turbomeca is interested in providing transfer of technology for engines. Similarly there are many players who would be willing to come together on mutually beneficial terms and conditions. An umbrella organisation must be established to coordinate and facilitate the progress of such a conglomerate. The Govt must provide a tax holiday on all activities that are focused towards the achievement of the ‘Make in India’ mission. After all, a finished product that will be globally viable would provide more revenue in terms of foreign exchange, than mere taxes. National Pride: The ‘Make in India’ campaign must be elevated to a NATIONAL MISSION. One recalls the National sentiment that was created, encouraged and capitalized on when the USA was going about its Moon Mission. The collective will, sentiments and thoughts of the entire Nation were focused towards the ultimate objective that finally culminated with Neil Armstrong’s immortal words – “One small step for me – but a giant leap for mankind”. Such a sentiment must be encouraged, nurtured and built up painstakingly, even to the extent of hysteria, so that we as a Nation are inspired, encouraged, facilitated and enabled to develop world-class products that are innovative, revolutionary and cost effective world wide. “Arise – awake and stop not till the goal is reached” – goes a famous proverb. Our Nation, has achieved several milestones. The Mars Orbiter Mission is one such milestone that has made us the envy of many a developed Nation. We must transfer the zeal, focus, enthusiasm and dedication towards the ‘Make in India’ dream. With a dedicated time line, we can make this dream a reality.•

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

ety Team <<Inter Interna national Safety eam>> Inter na tional Helicopter Saf

IHST Sees Gradual Downward Trend in Worldwide Helicopter Accidents The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) has gathered civil helicopter accident information from worldwide sources and is seeing a hopeful trend of improved safety. The IHST, which promotes safety and works to reduce accidents, was formed in 2005 to lead a government and industry cooperative effort to address factors that were affecting an unacceptable helicopter accident rate. The data collected by the IHST shows that from 1997 thru 2005, the average number of annual civil helicopter accidents worldwide was 570. In addition, this average was trending upward at an annual rate of 2.5 percent. Since 2006, when the IHST cooperative effort was formed, the average number of annual civil helicopter accidents worldwide has been 515 and the average is trending downward at an annual rate of about 2 percent. While there is no solid data on worldwide flying hour increases or decreases during the period since the IHSTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creation, the number of helicopters in the world is growing and the flying hours in many helicopter industries have been increasing. As a result, the IHST is fairly confident that the accident rate is declining by least as much as the accident count is declining. (down 2 percent) Better access to safety methods and improved safety awareness are helping helicopter operators reduce the number of accidents and enhance safety programs, but more work needs to be done to eliminate preventable accidents.

More information about the IHST, its reports, safety tools, and safety bulletins can be obtained at its web site at www.IHST.org and on the IHST Facebook page. The above chart displays worldwide civil helicopter accident totals for an 18-year period, with the blue line reflecting the total annual number of accidents. The red dashed line shows the expected total annual accidents if the pre-2006 trend had continued. The yellow dashed line shows the new expected accident totals using 2006 through 2012 data.â&#x20AC;˘

Third Party Safety Audit What is your company goal ? Achieving highest safety levels for your Customers, Passengers, Employees & Machines Have you achieved it? If not, why not? Safety audit helps timely rectification of deviations. Please Contact Sr. Admin Officer, RWSI

ety Team <<Inter Interna national Safety eam>> Inter na tional Helicopter Saf

7 Initiatives that Every Helicopter Operator and Pilot Need to Tackle 10 Feb, 15, Source: IHST. Using data from more than 500 accidents, safety experts from the International Helicopter Safety Team (www.IHST.org) developed seven safety initiatives for operators and pilots that would have the strongest impact on reducing helicopter accidents. They focus in general on pilot training, safety and risk management concepts, and maintenance practices. Install and use cockpit recording devices – Install and incorporate flight data monitoring equipment to record the actions of the flight crew. Data can be used for immediate feedback to trainers, operators and flight crews. The data could also aid during accident investigation to support a more complete analysis and future safety recommendations. Improve Auto rotation Training – Enhance auto rotation training in both primary and advanced flight training and develop simulator programs to improve auto rotation skills. Add Advanced Maneuvers to Simulator Training – Incorporate a simulator training program that includes dynamic rollover, emergency procedures training, ground resonance, quick stop maneuvers, targeting approach procedures, and practice with pinnacle approaches, unimproved landing areas, and elevated platforms. Enhance training about awareness, performance and emergencies – Establish training programs that evaluate the proficiency of critical issues such as systems failures, impending weather concerns, effects of density altitude, and wind and surface conditions. Continually evaluate pilots on aircraft performance, the effects of density altitude, gross weight and flight manual limitations.Also emphasize loss of system, recognition and recovery training. Implement a personal risk management program – Encourage the use of a personal risk management program such as the IMSAFE checklist and other simple safety tools. Establish a Safety Management System – A formal Safety Management System (SMS) requires training for specific missions, the establishment and enforcement of standard operating procedures, provisions and training of personnel to use risk assessment tools, and most importantly, a focus on changing the safety culture to ensure that all personnel put safety first during every mission. Adhere to maintenance compliance and quality assurance – Strictly follow the manufacturer’s maintenance manuals and practices. Implement a robust quality assurance program that ensures the use of manufacturers maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and procedures.•

<<RWSI Activities>> RWSI Activities

RWSI gets approval for Procedures Training Course by DGCA

Alliance Insurance Brokers want more RWSI Members to Avail their LOL Policy

RWSI and its members have taken many safety initiatives which had contributed to 2014 as Accident Free year. In pursuing with RWSI’s objective of achieving safer skies through education, its Training Faculty carried out 9 Ground Training courses for aviation professionals in January 2015. Since Sept 2004, a total of 3286 candidates that includes pilots, engineers and other aviation professionals have benefited from various courses conducted by RWSI at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Jamshedpur and Ahmadabad. Some of the courses were attended by serving pilots from the three services. RWSI had also conducted SMS training at Kathmandu and Singapore. We are glad to inform RWSI is one of the first Institutions to be approved by DGCA to conduct ‘Procedures Training Course’ for all helicopter pilots. Five courses were held in January 2015. A total number of 49 pilots attended procedures training at Delhi.

RWSI, in its continued efforts to enable the helicopter fraternity, in the past had provided Loss of License (LOL) policies through a third party vendor (TPA), namely Alliance Insurance Brokers, at Mumbai. We understand that their reluctance to handle LOL cases sponsored by RWSI is based on last year LOL claim of Pilots which far exceeded fixed wing pilots amounting to Appx 3 Crores. As against it, RWSI members who had taken LOL policy were only 80(Appx 40Lacs). This year, the TPA has expressed its inability to provide services, unless a minimum strength of at least 350-400 pilots are enrolled. Unfortunately, at this juncture, this may not be possible. Hence, perforce, the entire helicopter community will need to obtain insurance from the sole vendor, i.e. Bajaj Allianz, that too through the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP). Obtaining LOL through FIP, entails an additional expenditure of Rs.1700/-each year (or Rs.17000/ - for Life Membership). It thus increases the strain on our existing members. RWSI has therefore decided to contact Bajaj Allianz directly, so that they provide insurance cover to our members, under their policy in our actions.•

Present RWSI Governing Council & Office Bearers

RWSI Seeks Experienced Rotary Wing Pilots / AMEs as Consultants Rotary Wing Pilots/AMEs who have held senior supervisory position may volunteer their services for empanelment with RWSI to handle consultancy work. RWSI will take care of travel, boarding and lodging of consultants during the period of work. Professionals willing to volunteer their services may forward their bio-data including their professional qualification and supervisory experience by 05 Mar 2015 to Sr. Admin Officer RWSI, C/o B-61(Ground Floor), Sector-22, NOIDA (U.P.)-201 301 or by e-mail to:- office@rwsi.org

<<RWSI Activities>> RWSI Activities

Schedule for Election of GC Members for Management of RWSI (Jun 2015 to Jun 2018) Dear Life Member, The term for the present Governing Council of the Rotary Wing Society of India is scheduled to end on 31st May 2015. It is therefore planned to hold an election to the Governing Council on 25 May 15.To Manage the Society for the next three year period (01 Jun 15 to 01 Jun 18), new Governing Council will be elected from amongst the Life Members who volunteer to stand for elections for the 15 Member Governing Council. RWSI has therefore planned to meet the election dead line as follows:1. Last date for receipt of nomination papers from Life Members 23 Mar 15. Life Members who are desirous to contest for the Elections are to forward their Nomination forms (a copy is attached) duly recommended by 10 Life Members by registered post so as to reach Sr. Admin Officer, RWSI, B-61, Sector-22, Noida 201 301 by 1600hrs on 23 Mar 2015. Member if so desire may also forward their nomination papers by Email to RWSI office@rwsi.org. 2. Last date for finalizing the names of Life Members nominated to stand for Elections-31Mar 15 (to be done 8 weeks before the Election date). The forms shall then be scrutinized by Election Officer appointed by RWSI Governing Council. After scrutiny; eligible names will be included in the ballot papers to be circulated to all Life Members. The Election will be conducted by postal ballot. 3. The ballot papers to all Life Members of RWSI will be

dispatched by courier/post on or before 22 Apr 2015. Last date for dispatching ballot papers by RWSI to Life Members - 22 Apr 2015. These ballot papers will be dispatched by courier/post to all Life Members on or before 22 Apr 2015 by RWSI HQs. The members are requested to mark their choice of 15 members for the Council from amongst the names listed in the ballot paper. 4. Last date for receipt of completed ballot papers at RWSI HQs from Life Members-22 May 15. The members are to return the Ballot paper to RWSI in the attached addressed envelope so as to reach Sr. Admin Officer, RWSI, B-61, Sector-22, Noida 201301 by 1600hrs on 22 May 2015. Member if so desire can send his scanned ballot paper by e mail to office@rwsi.org before 1600 hrs on 22 May 2015. 5. Counting of ballot papers and declaring the result -25 May 15. The envelope containing the ballot paper will be opened in the presence of a three member team of Life Members at RWSI Hqs on 25 May 2015 at 1200hrs. In addition, any Members desirous of contesting for elections are also invited to be present. Any ballot paper received at RWSI HQs after 1600hrs on 22 May 2015 will not be valid. The Ballot will be counted at 1200hrs on 25 May 2015 and the team will declare the result on the same day. After counting, the Ballot Papers will be sealed and handed over to Secretary RWSI for retention. The list of new Governing Council will be posted on RWSI website www.rwsi.org on 25 May 2015.•

RWSI Holds GC Meeting at Bangalore on 26 Dec 2014 The Chairman and President, AVM K Sridharan VM (G), welcomed all members and highlighted the programme of the meeting and upcoming events including ‘Make in India Civil & Military Helicopters: Emerging opportunities and Challenges’, scheduled to be held at Bangalore the following day and the Governing Council Elections scheduled in the first half of the coming calendar year. He also briefly informed the Council that the office accommodation at Sector 62 was nearing completion and was likely to be ready for handing over by middle of March 2015. He was hopeful of finding a suitable tenant for the office space of the Society through the good offices of its members. The minutes of the 46th GC meeting held at Juhu Airport on 24th Sep 2014 were reviewed and, there being no comments from any of the members, the same were confirmed. In accordance with the approval in the last GC Meeting, Wg Cdr NS Krishna has been invited as nominated member to our Governing Council. The Chairman also informed that Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) had nominated Mr. MS Bora, GM (Tech. Support), Pawan Hans Ltd. to the Governing Council. The Council was informed about the statutory changes in training. It was informed that Procedure Training was

introduces in lieu of Special VFR course for which RWSI has got approval upto 31st January 2015. The Chairman informed the members that as elections for GC Members are due in 2015, the process and preparations for it must start well in advance so as to ensure that the new Governing Council is elected and takes over by 31 May 2015. The Secretary General informed that notice concerning the Elections have already published in Rotor India Qtly and the schedule of election will be announced at the appropriate time. The GC members were informed that those desirous of continuing may choose to contest the elections. There was also a presentation on Financial Health of RWSI was by Mr. Vinayak Accounts Officer. It was intimated to the Members that the Society had for the first time since inception received refund intimation from the Income Tax department for AY 2013-14 for Rs.4,80,860/-. He mentioned that RWSI will need to gear up for drop in monthly revenue (#Rs.3.2 lacs) once RWSI accommodation at I thum is handed over to RWSI in Apr 15. Rs.3.2 lacs per month is being paid by Grandslam Developters as penalty for delay in completing the project. The chairman concluded the meeting outlining the need for institutionalizing the Society for sustaining its unstinted service to the Helicopter Industry at large.•

<<AgustaWestland AgustaWestland>> AgustaWestland

New Gen AW169 Full Scale Production Underway Finmeccanica - AgustaWestland announced 09 Jan 2015 that the new generation AW169 light intermediate 4.5-tonne class helicopter has entered full scale production, with the first aircraft now on the final assembly line at its Vergiate facility in Italy. The event marks a major milestone ahead of EASA certification, with deliveries to the first batch of customers set to start in the 2nd quarter of 2015. The AW169 is the first all new aircraft in its weight category to enter the market in nearly forty years. The AW169 flight test programme, utilizing four prototypes, has so far amassed over 1200 flying hours during flight testing in Italy, the UK and USA. A second AW169 final assembly line is planned at AgustaWestland’s Philadelphia plant in the US, while AgustaWestland’s Yeovil plant in UK is already playing a key role in the production of rotor blades and tail rotor transmission system. In parallel to the start of full scale production, AW169 training systems are being established at AgustaWestland’s Sesto Calende Training Academy in Italy, including a level-D full flight simulator and maintenance trainer. A versatile, new generation twin engine light intermediate category helicopter, the AW169 has been designed in response to the growing market demand for an aircraft that delivers high performance, meets all the latest safety standards and has multi-role capabilities. The AW169 is being certified in accordance with EASA CS-29 / FAR Part 29 latest Amendments. The type incorporates several new technology features in the rotor system, engines, avionics, transmission and electric power generation and distribution systems, and is the first all new helicopter in its class in nearly 40 years. The AW169 can comfortably accommodate up to ten passengers in its large, unobstructed cabin, fitted with a range of customized equipment and entertainment systems. The powerplant features an Auxiliary power unit (APU) mode ensuring the continued operation of the environmental control system, radios and medical equipment when the rotors are stopped. The AW169’s avionic suite introduces state-of-theart technology including a full digital NVG compatible cockpit with touch screen technology.

The AW169 is designed with inherent ease of maintenance, for reliable, intensive utilisation in the most demanding conditions with high time between overhauls (TBO) and minimal life-limited parts. Time between successive inspections has been optimised to maximise aircraft availability and reduce maintenance man hours per flight hour, adopting MSG-3 approach for the maintenance process. Maintenance programmes can be tailored to meet operators’ specific requirements. The AW169 helicopter is part of AgustaWestland’s family of new generation helicopters that also includes the AW139 and AW189. These helicopters all possess the same high-performance flight characteristics and safety features whilst sharing the same common cockpit concept and design philosophy. This approach facilitates synergies for operators of these models in areas such as training, flight operations, maintenance and support. Over 120 AW169 helicopters have been ordered by customers around the world to date, including framework contracts and options, for a wide range of applications including executive and private transport, air ambulance, law enforcement, offshore transport and utility roles.•

Russian Company to Receive AW189 Civil Helicopters Finmeccanica - AgustaWestland, announced on 7 Jan 15 that it will provide 160 AW189 civil helicopters to the oil company Rosneft by 2025. The supply will be provided mainly through HeliVert, a joint venture between Finmeccanica - AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters (a subsidiary of the corporation Rostec). HeliVert will be responsible for the final assembly (at its Tomilino plant near Moscow) of the helicopters. The agreement includes the supply of integrated services (maintenance and training) for customers in Russia and CIS countries. With this supply of 160 AW189 civil helicopters, Rosneft will become the primary customer for the AW189 worldwide. The 8.3 ton AW189, is a new generation helicopter in the super medium category developed to meet the growing demand in the global market for long range operations. The AW189 is optimized for offshore transport and search and rescue missions. Certified in early 2014, the AW189 is already in service in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Over 130 units have already been ordered by customers worldwide so far.•

<<Bell Helicopter>> Bell Helicopter

Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Awarded Best Light Single Engine Helicopter in China Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, (NYSE: TXT), announced the Bell 505 Jet Ranger Xwas awarded “best light single engine helicopter” according to the Hurun Report’s survey of China’s luxury consumers.“We are incredibly excited the Bell 505 has been awarded this distinction in China,” said Chris Jaran, Vice President for Bell Helicopter in China. “The Bell 505 was designed based on extensive input provided by a Customer Advisory Council (CAC). Bell Helicopter unveiled the Jet Ranger X at HELIExpo in 2014. On November 10, Bell Helicopter announced the successful first flight of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter. The maiden flight took place at the Mirabel, Québec, manufacturing facility. Bell Helicopter has received more than 300 letters of intent for the new model around the world. While at Airshow China in November, Bell Helicopter announced a letter of intent with Reignwood Investment, Ltd. for fifty Bell 505 aircraft alone. The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X is a five-seat, single-engine, turbine helicopter that is designed to be the safest and easiest aircraft to fly in its category while still remaining affordably priced. With a cruise speed of 125+ knots, range of over 360 nautical miles and useful load of 1,500 pounds, the Bell 505 offers best-in-class performance. The Jet Ranger X is a multi-mission helicopter, designed to meet a wide

variety of missions with its fully flat floor, increased cabin volume and clam shell doors that will provide customers the configuration flexibility needed in today’s market. It can support a wide variety of operations categories, including the utility segment, corporate and private owners, and training schools. The combination of capabilities, performance characteristics and value will be backed by Bell Helicopter’s industryleading customer service and support.•

Osprey Fleet Reaches 250,000 Flight Hour Milestone Bell Helicopter, announced in Dec’14 the revolutionary Bell Boeing V-22 fleet of tilt rotor aircraft has recently passed the 250,000 flight hour milestone. The V-22 Osprey has been continuously deployed since entering service in 2007 with the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The aircraft has seen extensive action in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and as part of a U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) Special Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) supporting a long-range rapid reaction/crisis response force covering the Mediterranean and parts of the African continent. Since entering service the V-22 tiltrotor has been deployed in numerous missions around the world, including Casualty Evacuation, Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel, Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief, resupply, VIP transport, and theater security cooperation. It is one of the safest rotorcraft aircraft operated by the United States Marine Corps. “This 250,000 flight hour landmark is an incredible testament to the V-22’s revolutionary design and is a tribute to the men and women of Bell Helicopter who build and support tiltrotor aircraft,” said Mitch Snyder, executive vice president of Military Programs at Bell Helicopter. “The Osprey is designed to allow operators to engage this revolutionary technology on a wide range of different missions. It comes in fast, executes resupply or support, and then takes off and exits quickly. The unique flight envelope helps the Marines and AFSOC do things which are not be possible with any other aircraft.” The recently-announced Marine Aviation Plan 2015 says, “The Osprey will remain the nation’s crisis response platform of choice in support of the ‘new normal.’ The V-22 has without question proven its worth by transforming rotorcraft operations around the globe. The operational reach and versatility of this remarkable platform has created tactical and strategic options.”•

<<Boeing Aircraft>> Boeing Aircraft

Boeing Delivers Advanced Chinook Maintenance Training Devices to Canada Boeing recently delivered a maintenance training system to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) that will help prepare technicians to keep the RCAF’s CH-147F Chinook helicopters mission ready. The Chinook Maintenance Trainer includes a complete airframe and an interactive display system that allow the technicians to gain experience addressing a number of scenarios. Boeing also delivered six training aids focused on specific items including aircraft wiring and fuel tank maintenance. “Boeing’s training helps prepare our customer to meet a wide range of operational requirements,” said Tony Barnett, Boeing project manager for Canadian Medium-to-Heavy Lift Helicopters (MHLH) Training Systems. “This training suite complements a very capable CH-147F aircraft and will permit the RCAF to accomplish their near-term operational missions.” This system is the most recent part of Boeing’s training for the RCAF and follows on the company having instructed more than 180 pilots and maintenance technicians on the Chinook’s systems. The RCAF will use the system at its MHLH Maintenance Training Center, which is being constructed at Garrison Petawawa, Ontario.•

Boeing likely to Set up Manufacturing Base in India

Chinook, Apache purchases to be Expidated

In promoting ‘Make in India’ programme of the Govt , It is reliably learnt that Boeing Aircraft company US is in talks with the govt to set up an aircraft manufacturing base in the country which not only manufacture for India but export as well. Senior Boeing executives have held a number of meetings with commerce ministry officials in the last two months. Boeing has not revealed their investment figure so far but they want to set up a manufacturing base in the country. Seattle-based Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defence, space and security systems. “Boeing continues to work with suppliers in India in not only manufacturing but the company has invested significantly in equipment, training, tooling and quality systems with partner companies,” a Boeing spokesperson said. “They are now integrated into Boeing’s global supply chain. Partnerships will be important to how we go forward, and selectively we may look at equity partnerships.”Sources said Boeing is evaluating equity partnership opportunities in India.•

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to fast-track its long-delayed procurement of Boeing attack and heavylift helicopters for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in anticipation of a possible increase in their negotiated price of USD2.5 billion after 31 March, official sources said. They said the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) could approve the purchase of 22 AH-64E Apache and 15 CH-47F Chinook helicopters by the end of March to avoid re-tendering in the event of a price increase. India's Defence Procurement Procedure mandates retendering for all acquisitions following any change in their negotiated price. Boeing has extended the price validity for both helicopters at least twice since cost negotiations concluded 16-18 months ago, with the latest six-month extension granted in October 2014.•

ith a modern and technologically advanced fleet of helicopters, we provide a range of essential and innovative services to strategic sectors for various purposes, contributing to the growth of the Indian economy.

We are the largest company serving the Oil & Gas industry for all its exploration and operational requirements and the only company with the expertise to carry out geophysical surveys. Our stateof-the-art equipment, personnel of high calibre and the highest safety and security standards allow us to conduct complex tasks like under-slung operations, aerial photography and rescue operations with ease. Our spotless track record also makes us the preferred fliers for the top rung of the country for corporate, religious and leisure travel. We have world class maintenance facilities and highly skilled and experienced pilots to ensure safe, secure and uninterrupted services to the Nation. We thank our customers for their continued support and trust in us.

Oil and Gas

Geophysical Survey

Aerial Photography

Tourism

Corporate & VVIP Flights

Underslung Operations

<<Airbus Helicopters>> Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters Fleet Surpasses 10,00,000 Flight Hour in Service of Offshore Sector Utilized worldwide in some of the most challenging conditions, the deployed fleet of Airbus Helicopters rotorcraft in service for the oil and gas industry has accumulated more than 10 million flight hours as of the end of 2014. The milestone marks a new achievement in the 50-plus year history of heli-lift duties performed by Airbus Helicopters’ product line. Operations began with the Alouette during the 1960s and continued with rotorcraft in the Super Puma, Dauphin and Ecureuil families. The reliable BO105 and Puma contributed, as did representatives from Airbus Helicopters’ EC135, EC145, and EC120 among others. Airbus Helicopters’ newgeneration EC175 is also now a part of the oil and gas global fleet, as it began operations in the North Sea following the first delivery to NHV last December. “Airbus Helicopters is proud to be an important part of the oil and gas sector’s development around the globe, and we are committed to continuing this relationship with capable aircraft that are backed by our company’s dedication to safety, reliability and efficiency,” said Christopher Grainger, Airbus Helicopters’ Vice President - Oil and Gas. Of the estimated 2,300 rotorcraft used in oil and gas missions today, approximately 25 percent are produced by Airbus Helicopters. The leading geographic region is in the Americas, where the company’s helicopters have accumulated more than 4.12 million flight hours, followed by Europe

(3.27 million flight hours), Asia (over 1.82 million flight hours), Africa (more than 557,000 flight hours) and Oceania (216,000 flight hours). In addition to such established oil and gas zones as the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico, Airbus Helicopters’ product line is increasingly utilized by operators in the evolving energy sector regions that range from China and Myanmar to Africa. Airbus Helicopters supports its international operator base by strategically locating resources that include spare parts centers, training facilities with full-flight simulators, as well as technical and safety representatives.•

Realistic Simulation Training to Enhance Safety and Capabilities of Helicopter Search & Rescue Missions The AS365 Dauphin rotorcraft full-flight simulator at Airbus Helicopters’ Singapore-based training center has been upgraded to provide highly realistic training in both day and night search and rescue (SAR) operations, offering pilots the unique capability to safely practice these demanding life-saving missions. The upgrade was made by Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia at its Seletar Aerospace Park facility, incorporating a CMA9000 flight management system into the AS365 motion-based flight simulator, and updating its APM 2010 4-axis autopilot with the SAR mode. It is the interface between these two avionics units that enhances the SAR operations training.This will enable flight crews to experience the operational environment during SAR missions while using all capabilities of the CMA9000 system and APM 2010 autopilot – including flying with precision navigation guidance, performing search patterns and hovering, as well as scenarios for deploying rescue dinghies, flares and smoke markers. The CMA9000 is a highly capable flight management system used on helicopters operated by many emergency services providers, law enforcement organizations and government agencies. The APM 2010 is a digital dual-duplex autopilot that reduces pilot workload for increased mission effectiveness and enhanced situational awareness – while providing

unique automatic hover stability with very high precision. Search and rescue training with the newly enhanced full flight simulator at Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia will begin in March, with the Royal Thai Police as the inaugural customer. This law enforcement agency currently operates one AS365 N3+ Dauphin configured for SAR missions with the CMA9000 flight management system, as well as an electrical hoist, rappelling installation, cargo sling and search lights. A second similarly-equipped AS365 N3+ will be delivered to the Royal Thai Police later this year.

<<Hindustan Ltd.>> Hindustan Aeronutics Ltd.

T. Suvarna Raju Takes Over as Chairman HAL Mr. T. Suvarna Raju who has a distinction of being granted the first patent in HAL in January 2002 has been entrusted Additional Charge as Chairman, HAL. He took over from Dr. R.K. Tyagi on 31 Jan 15. As an Engineering Gratudate he joined HAL in June 26, 1980 as Management Trainee. Raju graduated from IIT Madras. He is also a graduate of National Defence College and holds an MBA as well as Masters of Philosophy in Defence and Strategic Studies. The combination of professional responsibilities and academic exposures provided Raju an edge in leading a number of new initiatives and out of box solutions. Under the leadership of Raju, INDIA achieved self-reliance producing 25kN turbofan engines. Raju led drafting of HAL’s

first R & D policy, HAL has now applied for an unprecedented 1000 patents in the last two years. He also conceptualized, prepared and implemented a number of automation and real-time systems. Under his leadership Raju, HAL heralded a new era in research and development programmes that covered LCA, LUH, LCH, IJT, HTT-40, Jaguar DARIN-III, Mirage Upgrade etc., Significant milestones have been achieved on R&D front with delivery of first series production LCA-Tejas aircraft and ground test vehicle run of LUH. He implemented the concurrent engineering to facilitate the development and production of new aircraft. He also developed the concept of performance based logistics for military aircraft. Mr. Raju has been instrumental in taking various path breaking measures to make R&D set up of HAL more competitive. He has also been member of various High Level Teams formed by Ministry of Defence (MoD) for assessing the Techno-economic viability of acquisitions.•

LCH TD-3 Daring & Successful First Flight Today, after nearly three months, we are getting to know the details of the Team work and courage that went into the successful conduct of the maiden test flight of the third technology demonstrator (TD-3) of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) on November 12 at Bengaluru. The LCH was Piloted by Wg Cdr Unni Pillai (Retd), HAL’s Chief Test Pilot (CTP), Rotary Wing (RW) and ably assisted by Gp Capt Hari Nair (Retd), Deputy CTP (RW) in the 20-minute flawless flight. The success of flight is a huge morale-booster to the entire Project Team Helicopter Div, HAL, as the project is being funded (Rs 80 crore) completely by HAL, as part of their bold initiative to fast-track the programme. HAL has also set aside Rs.126 crore for LCH TD-4, which is expected to fly soon. Before launching the flight, there was huge suspense owing to the weather. However, not-withstanding a light drizzle, the pilots took off the LCH TD3 from HAL’s Helicopter Division and headed towards the Hoskote segment with a Dhruv chopper as the chase. The flight was a great success as every test point was carried out exactly as it was planned with nothing unusual noticed during the flight. This would certainly help in getting the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) in three months ahead of the deadline. We understand from Wg Cdr Unnipillai, the new features of LCH TD3 are that the chopper has a lifting wing now which makes it on par with the Mi-25 and Mi-35. In addition, the HAL designers have shortened the length of the chopper to improve the vibration characteristics. The wings are now sitting slightly on a higher attachment point, compared to TD-1 and TD-2. “The cockpit was glassier earlier and now we have fixed armour plating on the sides, reducing the glass factor. Even the height of the cockpit has been reduced. The LCH TD-3 will

soon be integrated with weapons and it will have a busy schedule ahead carrying out trials. In fact it is an much improved version including the Main Gear Box. We understand that the successful flight vindicated Tyagi’s bold stand in convincing the HAL Board to fund additional two technology demonstrators for LCH. He provided great leadership in interacting with the designers, engineers, Test Pilots, certifying agencies and shop-floor employees at regular intervals. It is a matter of pride that the Indian Army has given a Letter of Intent for 114 LCHs and the IAF for 65 helicopters. It is also encouraging to note that LCH TD-3 and TD-4 will have more ‘Made in India’ systems and components including Integrated Avionics and Display System and Automatic Flight Control System. It is learnt that LCH, once operational, can be a destructive platform at high altitudes. The TD-1 and TD-2 together have completed around 390 flights so far, logging 280 hours.•

<<Sikorsky Aircraft>> Sikorsky Aircraft

Indian Navy Selects Sikorsky’s S-70B SEAHAWK® Aircraft for Multi-role Helicopter Requirement Stratford, Connecticut - India’s Navy has selected Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), to fulfill the service’s Multi-Role Helicopter requirement for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare (ASW/ ASuW), among other maritime roles. Negotiations will now begin to procure 16 S70B SEAHAWK® helicopters, with an option for eight additional aircraft, along with a complete logistics support and training program. “India’s selection of the S-70B helicopter represents a major strategic win for Sikorsky in an important growth market, and positions us well for future opportunities,” said Mick Maurer, President of Sikorsky Aircraft. “We look forward to a long-term collaboration with the Indian Government and local industry as we work to bring the Indian Navy the highly advanced multi-role S-70B aircraft.” The proposed Indian Navy S-70B variant will include avionics and flexible open architecture Weapons Management Systems that integrate an advanced sonar, 360 degree search radar, modern air-to-surface missiles, and torpedoes for the ASW role. A blade and tail fold capability will facilitate shipboard storage. The S-70B aircraft will also enhance the Indian Navy’s capabilities to perform non-combat maritime roles, including search and rescue, utility and external cargo lift, surveillance and casualty evacuation.

Sikorsky has fielded increasingly more capable variants of the S-70B helicopter since 1984 for navies that prefer to acquire a modern, fully integrated ASW/ASuW platform direct from the manufacturer. Now operational in six countries (in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Latin America), the S-70B platform has a solid reputation for highly reliable shipboard operations and maintenance while operating aboard frigates and larger naval vessels. The S-70B aircraft is part of Sikorsky’s SEAHAWK helicopter family (including the SH-60 and MH-60 models) that has accumulated almost four million flight hours from more than 800 operational aircraft, and is considered one of the safest platforms available. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in aircraft design, manufacture and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.•

Sikorsky S-97 RAIDER™ Program Begins Ground Tests Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) announced on 4 Feb 15 that the start of bladed ground testing, a major milestone, for the S-97 RAIDER™ program. The RAIDER™ is an armed reconnaissance rotorcraft designed to significantly outmatch conventional military helicopters in maneuverability, payload, speed, range and high/hot environmental conditions. "Testing all of the aircraft's systems together, for the first time, marks significant progress in the development of this next generation helicopter and moves the program closer to first flight," said S-97 RAIDER Program Manager Mark Hammond. During the ground runs phase, the S-97 RAIDER team is testing the first of two aircraft prototypes as a completed system for the first time. The team will perform initial ground tests with the aircraft tied down and will focus on verifying correct operation of the propulsion system, drive train, rotor control system and pilot-vehicle interface. Sikorsky launched the S-97 RAIDER program in October 2010 with the objectives of maturing the X2™ rotorcraft design and offering a helicopter to meet U.S. Army reconnaissance and special operations needs.Sikorsky rolled out the first prototype in October 2014.

In addition to ground runs for the first prototype, the program team at Sikorsky's Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, is prepared to begin final assembly of the second prototype S-97 RAIDER helicopter, following acceptance last month of the fuselage structure from Aurora Flight Sciences. Based on Sikorsky's rigid X2 rotor coaxial design, the S-97 RAIDER helicopter features next-generation technologies in a multi-mission configuration, capable of carrying six troops and external weapons. The coaxial counter-rotating main rotors and pusher propeller provide cruise speeds up to 220 knots (253 mph).•

oducts & Ser vices <<Ne New Products Services vices>> Ne w Pr

New Chinese helicopter breaks altitude record above Everest

routine flight operations with NH90 for security reasons. This recommendation of the Inspector of the Army will follow. The Germany Ministry of Defence says that it now expects the elimination of the problem by the manufacturer as soon as possible.•

Turns Night Into Day And See Clearly Through Smoke, Haze, Light Fog

A China-made transport helicopter broke a record by attaining an altitude of 9,000 m during a test flight in Tibet, reports state broadcaster CCTV. In a clip aired on Jan. 31, a pilot flying a Changhe Z-18 transport helicopter triggered a warning signal as he reached a height of 8,900 m above sea level. The craft continued to gain altitude though, eventually reaching 9,000 m and flying above Mount Everest. The Z-18's success means China now has the ability to produce large military helicopters that can work in plateau areas and no longer needs to rely on US Black Hawks. The Chinese aircraft, developed by Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation, became the second helicopter that the aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army could use in plateaus. The first one was the Sikorsky S-70 developed by Sikorsky Aircraft which China has been using since the mid-1980s. Changhe Aircraft Industries built the Z-18 by modifying the Avicopter AC313, a transport helicopter developed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China.•

Germany grounds NH90 over design flaw The German military announced on 9 Feb 15 that they had informed Airbus Helicopters (a partner in NH Industries) on Thursday 5th February 2015 of a design issue with the NH90. Following their accident investigation of the crash of one of their NH90 helicopters on June 19, 2014 in Uzbekistan, certain technical improvements to the overhead Control Panel (OHCP) are required in their view. The issue focuses on a potential short-circuit in the triggering of the fire-fighting system of the engine. In the light of this newly discovered fact from Germany’s military Air Safety Committee (Flugsicherheitsausschuss), the Chief of Army has recommended a provisional suspension of all

Turns Night Into Day And See Clearly Through Smoke, Haze, Light Fog With thermal imaging, the EVS display enables pilots to see when flying day or night in smoke, haze, and light fog. The EVS can work as an alternative to, or in tandem with, light-based night-vision goggle technologies. The Max-Vix EVS 1400 complements synthetic vision displays, allowing pilots to see transient obstructions, like wildlife and construction barriers not in synthetic vision databases. The system gives real time confirmation of the operating environment, as well as supporting the approach to landing transition from Instrument Flight Rules to Visual Flight Rules in marginal visual conditions. The Astronics Max-Viz EVS is a leading supplier to OEMs and the retrofit market with over 50 Supplemental Type Certificates in fixed and rotor wing aircraft, providing pilots realtime display for increased visibility in adverse weather conditions, such as darkness, precipitation, fog, dust and smoke. For more information, go to www.max-viz.com.•

HUMS and Flight Data Monitoring Available Now for Smaller Helicopters There was a time when all the safety and operational benefits of Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) and Flight Data Monitoring technology were available only for heavy military and commercial helicopters. That time has passed thanks to Honeywell. They have tailored a proven HUMS/VXP and Flight Data Monitoring systems to create a highly capable and flexible vibration monitoring system that is ideal for singleengine and light-twin helicopters weighing less than 10,000 pounds.•

<<Turbomeca (Safran)>> Turbomeca (Safran)

Turbomeca (Safran): Over 50 years of Successful Partnership with India

urbomeca is the leading helicopter engine manufacturer in India, with1,500 engines in operation representing over 50 % market share. The company’s success is measured by its longterm cooperation with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and its position in the growing civil helicopter market. The relationship between HAL and Turbomeca goes back to 1962 and an agreement to produce, in India, the Artouste IIIB turbine installed in Indian versions of the Alouette III (known as Chetak) and Lama (Cheetah). Since then, this partnership has grown from strength to strength and, today, Turbomeca powersthe HAL Dhruv, a twin engine 5,5 ton helicopter, with the Ardiden 1H1/ Shakti1H1. Ardiden 1H1 is the first member of the 1,400 shp Ardiden 1 family of engines. Certified by EASA in 2009, the 1H1 variant is currently co-produced in India by HAL and fitted to the Dhruvas the Shakti 1H1. 250 Shakti 1H1 engines are currently in service in the Dhruv, flying predominantly with the Indian armed forces.

More Ardiden power on new Indian helicopters This exclusive relationship between HAL and Turbomeca will be further consolidated by the introduction of Turbomeca engines on HAL’s two newest helicopters – Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). The LCH, a new twin-engine military aircraft, is powered by the Ardiden 1H1 and, in February 2015, will be part of the flying display at Aero India in Bangalore. The LUH, a three-ton single-engine aircraft under development, will also be fitted with the Ardiden 1U, the new variant dedicated to single engine helicopters. Its first ground test took place in December 2014 at Turbomeca’s factory in Bordes (France) and the first development engine was delivered to HAL at the end of that month. EASA certification of the Ardiden 1U is scheduled for 2017. These new helicopter projects will further strengthen Turbomeca’s position in India.

Strong presence in India The French engine manufacturer committeditself to India with the establishment, in 2010, of Turbomeca India Engines Private Limited at Bangalore.As well as military customers the facility now supports 200 engines in operation with civil operators. The Dhruv, powered by theTM333 and 300 of these, together with the 250 Shakti currently in service, have accumulated a significant number of flight hours. Indian Armed Forces also rely on the Adour, co-produced with Rolls-Royce, on their Jaguar and Hawk aircrafts. The “Make in India” strategy of the new Indian government is supported by Turbomeca and Safran. Most of the 1,500 Turbomecadesigned engines in operation in India were locally produced by HAL.•

- Illustration : Marie Morency

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