SP's Aviation September 2013

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table of contents

vol 16 ISSUE 9 • September • 2013

Cover Photo: Flying in main line, regional or lowfare environments, the operating economics of the E195-E2 are the best among aircraft in its category.

higher capacity, lower cost: This E-Jet is ideally positioned between larger, new-generation, single aisle jets and smaller capacity equipment.

Photograph by: Embraer

SP’s Exclusives 9 – DAC Approves Six More C-130J for IAF

–IAF Keen on Six More C-17 –IAF Impressed with Airbus A400M

First 10 The New Dream-liner Civil

Business Aviation 14 Jet, Set, Go 18 Dassault’s 50th Anniversary

36 Our Main Focus in Asia is India: Lockheed Martin

34 OEM EADS to Rebrand as Airbus

Seminar 38 Report

regular Departments 3

Military

4 NewsWithViews Historic Landing by IAF C-130J

27 Fighters Repercussions of Delay

6

In Focus

29 Induction C-17 Induction: Defining Moment

7

Forum

Local Ventures, Global Impact

for IAF

31 Neighbourhood Sino-Pak Alliance

Industry Interview 33 We are Definitely Winning in India:

Rockwell Collins

www.spsaviation.net

Lead Story

India to Develop 50 New Low-cost Airports

19 Regional Aviation

page 22

A Word from Editor-in-Chief

at Daulat Beg Oldie

Indo-Pak Air Balance

Changing the way you fly The E-Jets family of E170, E175, E190 and E195 have proven their worth with airlines and continue to grow at a healthy pace. Airlines appreciate E-Jets for their configuration flexibility.

Strategies & Action Plans

39 Hall of Fame

Ruth Law (1887-1970)

40 Focus India 41 NewsDigest 44 LastWord

A Rising Star

NEXT ISSUE Indian Air Force Special

ISSUE 9 • 2013

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table of contents 14

Jet, Set, Go

Publisher And Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal senior Editor Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey Assistant Group editor R. Chandrakanth Editorial adviser Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra Senior Technical Group Editor Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand Assistant editor Sucheta Das Mohapatra

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Local Ventures, Global Impact

Contributors India Group Captain (Retd) A.K. Sachdev Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha Europe Alan Peaford USA & Canada LeRoy Cook Chairman & Managing Director Jayant Baranwal Planning & Business Development Executive Vice President: Rohit Goel ADMIN & COORDINATION Bharti Sharma

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C-17 Induction: Defining Moment for IAF

design Holistic Directions: Jayant Baranwal Creative Director: Anoop Kamath Designers: Vimlesh Kumar Yadav, Sonu Singh Bisht Research Assistant: Graphics Survi Massey

DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING Neetu Dhulia SALES & MARKETING General Manager Sales: Rajeev Chugh SP’s websites Sr Web Developer: Shailendra P. Ashish Web Developer: Ugrashen Vishwakarma © SP Guide Publications, 2013 Subscription/ Circulation Annual Inland: Rs 1200 • Foreign: US$ 320 E-mail: subscribe@spguidepublications.com subscribe@spsaviation.net LETTER TO EDITOR editor@spsaviation.net expert@spsaviation.net FOR Advertising details, contact: neetu@spguidepublications.com rajeev.chugh@spguidepublications.com SP GUIDE PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD A-133 Arjun Nagar, (Opposite Defence Colony) New Delhi 110 003, India.

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ISSUE 9 • 2013

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A word from editor-in-chief The IAF landed the C-130J Super Hercules at DBO adding another feather to its cap. It would not be surprising if the IAF ventures to land at DBO its latest acquisition, the C-17 Globemaster III, thereby demonstrating not only it’s phenomenal operational capability but also firmly reinforcing the subtle message to our northern neighbour.

T

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has indeed been making waves in the recent past. The formal induction of the three C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift aircraft at Hindon into the newly formed transport squadron, so aptly christened as “Skylords”, was described by the Minister of Defence A.K. Antony as “a defining moment for the IAF”. The operational significance was quite appropriately highlighted by Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, Chief of the Air Staff, when he described this asset as being a game-changer in the way the IAF would carry out air transport operations in the future. This fleet truly enhances the strategic profile of the IAF which is being pursued as one of the objectives of the transformation the IAF is currently embarked upon.

Another feather in the cap of the IAF was the landing at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) by a Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules four-engine transport aircraft inducted recently into the IAF. This event acquired special significance on account of the recent episodes of hostile activity by China on the line of actual control and is seen by some analysts as a subtle message to China. It would not be surprising if the IAF ventures to land at DBO the C-17 thereby demonstrating not only its phenomenal operational capability but also firmly reinforcing the subtle message to our northern neighbour!

The other issue troubling the IAF is the agonising wait for the finalisation of contract for the 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), the Rafale from Dassault Aviation. Over six years have gone by since the issue of RFP; but the time frame for finalisation of the deal continues to remain uncertain. The implications of delay are serious for all the stakeholders as brought out by Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey in this issue. Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra examines the growing nexus between our two not-so-friendly neighbours. India must surely take this into account in its security calculus. In a candid interview, Susan A. Maraghy, Vice President, South Asia, Corporate International Business Development, Lockheed Martin, expounds the business plans of the company and the shifting focus to the Asian region.

In another interview, Colin Mahoney, Senior Vice President, International and Service Solutions, Rockwell Collins, elaborated on the company’s investments in India providing solutions in both commercial and defence segments of the aerospace industry.

In the civil aviation segment, Arun Lohiya and Sonia Safri

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review the state of business aviation in India and conclude that it is only with a clear vision and undaunted commitment by the industry as well as the government that the civil aviation industry can hope to prosper. Joseph Noronha reviews the global scene in respect of regional aviation and observes that economic slowdown appears to be impinging on regional aviation both in the US and Europe. However, as the centre of gravity of aviation is shifting gradually towards Asia, regional aviation still holds promise in this part of the world. In this issue, R. Chandrakanth describes the enormous strides Embraer has made in respect of regional airliners having already delivered 1,000 aircraft of their family of E-Jets. The company has expanded its global footprint through an innovative approach and aggressive marketing strategy.

At the Sixth ASSOCHAM International Conference on Civil Aviation held in Delhi in August, the high profile participants connected with the Indian civil aviation industry discussed a wide range of issues including development of airports, regulatory affairs and regional connectivity. A report on the conference is included in this issue.

All this apart from the regular features. Welcome aboard and happy landings!

Jayant Baranwal Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

ISSUE 9 • 2013

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News

with views NEWS:

Historic Landing by IAF C-130J at Daulat Beg Oldie In a subtle show of strength to China, on August 20, 2013, the Indian Air Force (IAF) landed one of its latest acquisitions, the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules four-engine military transport aircraft at the world’s highest and recentlyactivated Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) airstrip in Ladakh near the line of actual control (LAC). This area was the scene of a standoff with Chinese troops in April this year.

The achievement will enable the armed forces to use the heavy-lift aircraft to induct troops, supplies, improve communication network and also serve as a morale booster for the troops positioned as they will be provided far better air maintenance and logistic support. The decision to deploy the C-130J was taken by the IAF considering the lower load carrying capability of An-32s and helicopters.

Photograph: Indian Air Force

VIEWS: Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) is a place in Ladakh named after a 16th-century Yarkandi nobleman who journeyed through the Karakoram Pass that is just 17 km away from it and perished at this location. In fact, the name literally means “Daulat Beg Died”. The airfield at DBO was commissioned in July 1962, a few months before the Sino-Indian conflict. Located at an elevation of 16,614 feet above sea level, DBO is the highest airfield in the world. The first IAF pilot to land a C-119G Fairchild Packet aircraft at DBO was Squadron Leader C.K.S. Raje who set a record of sorts. However, on account of an earthquake in 1966 that caused some instability of the runway surface, operation by fixed-wing aircraft was discontinued. Helicopters, however, continued to operate to support troops deployed in the forward areas as these machines are not runway-dependent. The airfield was once again activated for fixed-wing aircraft with an IAF An-32 landing there on May 31, 2008. For some reason, logistic support by transport aircraft was not sustained thereafter.

Located a few kilometres from the line of actual control (LAC), the airfield at DBO is strategically and tactically an extremely important outpost especially if it were to be developed to support large-scale operations by heavy-lift transport aircraft. Should the military situation demand, the airfield at DBO can help achieve a variety of military objectives. It can be used to dominate the Karakoram highway that is becoming a vital economic link between China and Pakistan especially from the point of view of the former’s energy security needs. Strategically, China is building a road link to Gwadar port on the southern coast of Pakistan to gain easy access to the Arabian Sea. The airstrip at DBO can also provide an alternative route to the Indian military to support forces deployed on the Siachen Glacier, another area of vital strategic interest to India.

Since 1962, India and China have been engaged in a seemingly interminable border dispute, attributable primarily to the fact that the Sino-Indian border has never been formally demarcated. Despite several meetings at different levels between the representatives of the two nations, the border dispute continues to remain unresolved. The unending impasse has been a major irritant in the Sino-Indian relationship. In the recent past, there

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ISSUE 9 • 2013

was once again a confrontation between China and India when on April 15, 2013, Chinese troops intruded 19 km into Indian territory in the Depsang Valley. The stand-off ended after three weeks when Chinese troops withdrew.

China has developed five airfields in Tibet and continues to create elaborate infrastructure on its side of the border to support large-scale military operations. However, China is opposed to India doing likewise in Indian territory over which it lays claim.

China has even gone to the extent of warning India against any kind of build up along the LAC on the Indian side of the border.

The tension on the Sino-Indian border therefore persists.

Given its strategic and military importance, it is only logical that India should develop the airfield at DBO for operations by fixed-wing medium- and heavy-lift transport aircraft of the IAF. It should also be expected that China would be sensitive to such effort by India and its concerns could be manifest through further incursion into Indian territory in Ladakh or in Arunachal Pradesh. As for the IAF, landing by the C-130J Super Hercules, an event that is in focus, was more in the nature of a trial landing by a modern transport aircraft, newly acquired by the IAF. As compared with the Packet C-119G, the Dakota C-47 and the An-32 that have landed there earlier the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft are far more powerful and are specifically designed for operating from semi-prepared runways of restricted length.

While the IAF carried out a trial landing purely for professional and military considerations, the event appears to have acquired the overtones of a political exercise.

One should not be surprised if the IAF lands at the airfield the much larger and more capable recently acquired Boeing C-17 Globemaster III four-engine strategic heavy-lift aircraft. at the DBO. Amidst the escalating tension between the two nations, this step by the IAF in all likelihood will be interpreted as a stronger political message to China. But perhaps more important is the clear demonstration of will by the IAF to continue development and operationalisation of airfields in border areas that are sensitive. SP —By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

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Air Power

inFocus

INDO-PAK AIR BALANCE The US military support to Pakistan and strategic cooperation with China will help PAF unfold its modernisation plan by 2019 building up to 28 combat squadrons. As air power will be critical to victory, the IAF will need to maintain clear-cut edge over PAF.

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While the world is embroiled in the Middle East, the emergence of China, belligerent North Korea, the epicentre of terrorism in nuclear Pakistan and nuclear India searching for its rightful place under the sun, action is shifting to the Asia-Pacific region.

This also is the century for dominance by aerospace power. India and Pakistan, with large standing armed forces, have fought four wars and continue to be in conflict. There is therefore the need for balance in this sensitive South Asian region.

Indian Air Force

Photograph: usaf

As the Indian Air Force (IAF) enters its 82nd year, it continues to dominate the region. From its small inheritance in 1947, it has grown to be the fourth largest air force of the world, gaining significant experience in the four wars with Pakistan, operations in Goa, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Siachen and in United Nations Peacekeeping Missions. It has participated in joint exercises with the air forces of USA, UK, France, Singapore and UAE. With 1,60,000 personnel and 1,350 aircraft, of which 850 are combat aircraft, it is a sizeable force. The IAF is A four-ship formation of responsible for the air defence F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Pakistan Air Force of the mainland and island territories, battlefield air support, and strategic and tactical airlift capability. The IAF also leads India’s military space capability.

The ten remote sensing satellites currently in orbit are not dedicated military satellites, but with sub-meter resolution can have military applications. The IAF provides aid to civil administration for disaster management and has a special operations force ‘Garud’ tasked to protect critical installations, combat search and rescue, radar busting and other missions in support of air operations. With the induction of the Boeing C-17 and Lockheed C-130J-30, along with the existing IL-76 and An-32 aircraft, the IAF can paradrop a Brigade Group in battle. The Phalcon airborne warning and control system (AWACS), aerostats and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system greatly enhance warning and control capability. IL-78-based aerial refuelling capability is being enhanced with new inductions.

The IAF’s primary air dominance fighter is the Su-30MKI, of which 170 have been inducted against an order for 272. Currently under upgradation, the 66 MiG-29 air defence aircraft and 51 Mirage 2000 multi-role aircraft continue to be the backbone of the IAF and the upgraded MiG-21s (Bison) are also operational in significant numbers. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)-

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ISSUE 9 • 2013

built LCA Tejas is slated to replace the MiG-21. The 139 upgraded Jaguars and 100 MiG-27s are dedicated strike aircraft. Induction of the Rafale MMRCA will enhance combat capability significantly.

The Hawk AJTs too have close air support capability. The An-32 tactical transport fleet has been used in bombing role in the past.

Large number of HAL-built Dhruv (ALH), Chetak and Cheetah light-utility helicopters, the medium-lift Mi-8 and Mi-17 variants and the heavy-lift Mil Mi-26 are part of the 350-plus helicopter fleet. Mi-25/35 attack helicopters will soon be complemented by the Apache. The Chinook will join the heavy-lift helicopter fleet.

Six squadrons of IAI Searcher, Heron and Harpy will constitute the unmanned fleet.

Pakistan Air Force

Formed in 1947, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) now has 65,000 personnel and 900 aircraft, 450 of which constitute the combat fleet. Pressler amendment resulted in an arms embargo on Pakistan in 1990. This slowed down all expansion plans for over a decade.

Pakistan’s combat fleet of 22 squadrons is dominated by four types. Fifty-four Lockheed F-16 A/B variants are now under midlife upgrade and 32 F-16 C/D are under induction. The Mirage III and Vs (150) and Chengdu F-7P/ PG (180) continue to be in service.

Two hundred fifty Sino-Pak JF-17 are under induction to replace F-7s and the A-5s. By 2015, PAF will induct two squadrons of Chinese Chengdu FC-20, a variant of J-10 and these could go up to 150 aircraft later. The Saab 2000 Erieye and Chinese Shaanxi Y-8 airframe based AEW&C provide early warning and control. Lockheed C-130, An-26, Airbus A-310, CASA CN-235, Boeing 707 heavy-lift transport aircraft and Fokker F-27 make up the transport fleet.

PAF also has four IL-78 aerial refuelling aircraft. Alouette-III and the Mi-171 form the helicopter fleet. Crotale-4000 missile system is being replaced by MBDA Spada-2000. Pakistan has significant number of man-portable short-range air defence missiles.

The US military support to Pakistan and strategic cooperation with China will help PAF unfold its modernisation plan by 2019 building up to 28 combat squadrons. As air power will be critical to victory, the IAF will need to maintain clear-cut edge over PAF. Should India prepare for a two-front war and change strategy and tactics? For some answers, turn to Forum. SP —By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

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Forum

Air Power

Strategies & Action Plans With long combat reach, extended radar cover and large numbers of air supremacy fighters, the IAF must fight its next war deep inside Pakistani territory.

Photograph: usaf

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The Indian Air Force (IAF) has acquitted itself outstandingly well in the last eight decades. The timely induction of troops by air was the real saviour of the Kashmir valley in 1948.

The fledgling service opened air routes to remote high altitude areas of Ladakh to reinforce and support forward positions.

Sparingly used in Sino-Indian conflict of 1962, IAF provided crucial inter-valley logistic support and also undertook limited close air support missions.

The 1965 war was forced upon the nation by an over-confident Pakistani leadership. Undoubtedly, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fought well but the IAF not only won in the air, it also supported a decisive victory on the ground. Complete air supremacy over East Pakistan in the Indo-Pak War of 1971 facilitated speedy conclusion of the liberation war. The famous airborne assault operations carried out at Tangail, the heli-lift supported river crossings, and the final strike by MiG-21 fighters on the Governor’s house that forced the surrender of one of the largest standing armies, are operations taught in military academies around the world. Indian Gnat aircraft also earned the sobriquet ‘Sabre Slayers’. The air strikes that came to the rescue of Indian ground forces in Longewala and Chammb are part of history. The back-stabbing incursion by Pakistani forces in Kargil in 1999 forced another war upon India. In spite of serious political restrictions, the IAF used innovative means and precision-guided munitions (PGM) to destroy matchbox-sized bunkers and logistic nodes to achieve a quick and decisive victory.

The IAF has had a quantum jump in capability since the war in Kargil. Induction of Su-30MKI in large numbers, upgradation of practically all fighter fleets along with in-flight refuelling capability, have given the IAF a significant reach and muscle power.

The AWACS and aerostats enable the IAF to monitor most air activity over Pakistan. The inductions of ground radars provide seamless cover over the entire subcontinent. There has been a quantum jump in the IAF’s airlift capability, both fixed-wing and rotarywing. A large number of ground-based air defence missile systems are under procurement or are being developed indigenously.

Comparative Strength: Need for Edge Traditionally, the IAF has maintained a 3:1 superi-

ority over PAF. In the recent past, this has been diluted somewhat and now stands at under 2:1. Unlike Pakistan where the military can enforce quick decisions, India’s weapon acquisition processes have been somewhat tardy. Also the aircraft and systems under development and production with the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs), have suffered inordinate delay. The IAF needs to quickly attain the authorised level of 39.5 squadrons for the combat aircraft fleet and then increase to the required level of 45 squadrons. In view of the two powerful, nuclear, not so friendly neighbours, there is a need to rethink the final numbers. Think tanks are suggesting a 55 squadron air force to take on a two-front war. The already selected medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) needs to be procured quickly. The indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) and Indo-Russian fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) programmes need to be driven with ‘stick-in-the-hand’ at the Ministry of Defence level. We may have no choice but to make repeat orders for Su-30MKI and Rafale (MMRCA) to build numbers. Decision to develop or procure weapon systems may be taken based on ground realities but not at the cost of security preparedness. Undoubtedly, India’s defence industry needs strengthening. Other indigenous programmes that require taskforce level attention are HS-748 replacement, UAV and UCAV development, light combat helicopter, advanced medium combat aircraft, multi-role transport aircraft and newer variants of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).

Combat Operations Former Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis feels, “Air power is the dominant instrument of all forms of war today. Any use of power against Pakistan cannot be constrained by nuclear blackmail on their part but by our own national objectives.

Imperative that to maintain our force structure, the acquisitions be hastened. Low serviceability of weapon systems seriously depletes combat potential and so the need to stock adequate spares.

A strong air power will also act as a deterrent to China. India needs to adopt A Pakistan Air Force crew chief the Israeli model of quick conducting a post flight inspection use of air power. Targeting on a F-16 Falcon

ISSUE 9 • 2013

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Forum

Air Power ‘China wishes to keep India strictly confined to its periphery in South Asia, whereas Pakistan has kept India militarily embroiled and economically burdened.’

—Air Commodore Zia Ul Haque Shamsi, PAF officer

‘Air balance is not merely a bean count of equipment. Although quality and quantity do matter, far more important is strategic culture and coherent interplay of national agencies to achieve national goals.’

—Air Marshal V. Patney, former Vice Chief of the Air Staff

Command and Communication Centres and armament logistics nodes would pay quick dividends.” Defence analyst and former Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Vinod Patney says, “Air balance is not merely a bean count of equipment. Although quality and quantity do matter, far more important is strategic culture and coherent interplay of national agencies to achieve national goals.” Pakistani Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt says, “I am very satisfied with the performance of the JF-17 and along with China, we are looking for export markets. Ultimately we will have just two types of fighters, F-16 and JF-17. PAF must prepare for a two-front situation in view of its combat role in the anti-terrorism campaign and being India’s neighbour.”

“Airpower can achieve much more in a short span of time,” he added. PAF’s heavy reliance on short-range SAMs needs to be factored in. Being a smaller force, PAF chose to remain air defence centric. For the IAF, adequate stocks of air armaments, especially PGMs, are very crucial to sustain operations. IAF’s beyond visual range missile advantage has of late been neutralised by PAF acquiring sizeable numbers and needs urgent attention. Special Force Garuds will have to take on a multitude of missions including against the frontier radars. They will have to work closely with attack helicopters—Mi-25/35 and Boeing AH64E Apache Longbow—under acquisition. The IAF needs a clear edge over PAF and hopefully it will start rebuilding the superiority index to 3:1 and more.

Force Multipliers AWACS, air refuellers and added strategic heavy-lift capability, have greatly tilted the balance in IAF’s favour. With long combat reach, extended radar cover and large numbers of air supremacy fighters, the IAF must fight its next war deep inside Pakistani territory. The future is in unmanned platforms.

The strength of unmanned units has to more than double.

Unmanned combat variants are required most urgently. More refuellers and AWACS are required to cover two-front operations in case China chooses to come in support of a losing Pakistan. Helicopters will become crucial to sustaining operations in the mountains. Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters that have combat experience over varied terrain, will make a big difference. There are welcome new developments on infrastructure. Many advanced landing grounds have been upgraded and operationalised in the Northeast and Ladakh. More airfields on the eastern sea-board are needed. There is a need to create at least one more major airstrip in the eastern island territories. The ongoing improvements in airfield infrastructure will

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ISSUE 9 • 2013

‘Pakistan has perfected a policy of deliberate aggression with tactical appeasement.’

—Pavan K. Varma, Diplomat

‘Air power is the dominant instrument of all forms of war today. Any use of power against Pakistan cannot be constrained by nuclear blackmail on their part but by our own national objectives.’

—Air Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis, Former Chief of the Air Staff

support safer flying and efficient operations. Since significant part of conflict zone would be in the mountains, radar coverage there has to increase. Space, the new frontier, will be a place of action. Enhancing space surveillance capability, secure satellite communications and indigenous satellite-based navigation system, will be the key result areas. Building a formidable ballistic missile defence is high priority and this could be a game changer in the region. Formation of an Aerospace Command is a necessary first step.

Military Strategy “Pakistan has perfected a policy of deliberate aggression with tactical appeasement,” noted diplomat Pavan K. Varma in a recent article. Chanakya, the author of treatise Arthashastra spelled out strategic vision as ”Sama, Dama, Danda, Bheda” i.e. reconciliation, inducement, deterrent action and subversion. India often stops at step two. Kargil was a good opportunity to display national intent on use of punitive force. Many more trigger incidents thereafter did not get befitting military response. The fourth largest military force cannot be seen as weak. India needs to run a former US President Ronald Reaganlike peace-through-strength programme. The IAF would have to overwhelm PAF and keep it on the defensive, head down in its own territory.

Every punitive action is not going to trigger a nuclear war.

This bluff needs to be exposed. Collusion with China could either be Kashmir-centric or China could concentrate on their area of direct interest, Arunachal Pradesh, and thus split the assets of the IAF. Given the overwhelming impact of technology and changing nature of warfare, air power has taken a dominant position. To enhance influence beyond its frontiers, one needs to have a strong air force. The IAF needs support of a modern aerospace industry and end-product targeted realistic aerospace research. A PAF officer, Air Commodore Zia Ul Haque Shamsi, who wrote a paper on IAF’s modernisation, writes: “China wishes to keep India strictly confined to its periphery in South Asia, whereas Pakistan has kept India militarily embroiled and economically burdened.” Putting himself in the IAF shoes, he says, 55 squadrons could somewhat be justified.

India’s slowing economy may put strain on the defence budget, but the most threatened nation in the world cannot but act to defend its sovereignty. Need to put the money where it pays— into the Indian Air Force. SP

—By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

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SP’S EXCLUSIVEs C-130J, C-17, Airbus A400M

DAC approves Six more C-130J for IAF The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, has finally approved the purchase of six additional C-130J Super Hercules special mission transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The deal will need to go through the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) before the contract is signed between the two governments.

The additional C-130J will join 77 Squadron ‘Veiled Vipers’, which have seen much action this year, including humanitarian relief operations in Uttarakhand as well as the record-breaking landing last month in Ladakh’s Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector. The first lot of C-130J in service were delivered before time, making the IAF extremely optimistic about the platform, which has gone on to prove itself well from the Hindon Air Force Station.

The IAF had also revealed in 2011 that cost savings from speedy deliveries would be transmitted to the second deal as a discount, which could work out to as much as `300 crore. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne has been a strong proponent of the deal, given the efficiency of execution and early

Photographs: Lockheed Martin, Anoop Kamath

IAF keen on six more C-17

With a successful induction of three Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavylift transports into Hindon’s 81 Squadron ‘Sky Lords’ on September 2, the IAF is now hoping for an early conclusion of a follow-on deal for six aircraft. Top sources indicate that the process, which was begun under former Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, is now being pushed through, with the IAF conveying to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that unless the process is begun with the United States’ Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), India will lose the opportunity to place orders for additional aircraft, since the deadline for fresh orders from Boeing’s Long Beach facility expires by early next year.

While the IAF had ideally wanted 10 more aircraft, an assessment of squadron requirements, asset deployments, etc has brought the number down to six. With a total of 16 aircraft, the IAF will split eight aircraft between two squadrons, the second to be raised under the Eastern Air Command. The C-17 platform will also be used soon for airdropping and landing at the Daulat Beg Oldie airfield, after an assessment is conducted of the feasibility and possibility, given that it will be the largest aircraft ever to land at such a high altitude. SP

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deliveries of a platform desperately needed by the IAF for the entire gamut of operations. The next batch of C-130J will have minor technical modifications as required by the IAF. SP

IAF impressed with Airbus A400M In February this year, Airbus Military began a quiet campaign to showcase the A400M airlifter to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The company knew this was a difficult proposition, given that the IAF already has its resources committed to several existing programmes, including the C-130J acquisition, the HAL-UAC multi-role transport aircraft (MTA), the HS-748 Avro replacement, the Saras, An-32 upgrade among a few others. It would seem unlikely that the service is looking for new platforms other than those that fill these immediate requirements.

However, Airbus sources say their strategy is not near-term.

The Indian team has been mandated, rather, with showcasing the A400M to the IAF as a possible future platform, perhaps modified for Indian use, with Indian inputs. As it turns out, the IAF has been very impressed with the A400M, even if it does not immediately fit with their requirements. For instance, the IAF has been observing events pertaining to the A400M with a great degree of interest, including trials on unpaved runways (an area of persistent interest to the IAF), its recently demonstrated airfield assault capability at RAF Boscombe Down in the UK, and the first flight of the first Turkish A400M. Senior sources in the IAF say, “The A400M is a formidable aircraft.

It is rapidly proving its capabilities across the spectrum. The IAF requires a highly serviceable and available transport fleet.

Perhaps in the future the Airbus A400M will be something we can consider.” SP

 By SP’s Special Correspondent

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1

FIRST

The New Dream-liner The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner took to the skies for the first time, beginning a comprehensive flight-test programme leading to certification and delivery in mid-2014

Photograph: Boeing

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The newest member of the efficient 787 family—the 7879 Dreamliner—took to the skies for the first time on September 17, and completed a five-hour 16-minute flight, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, at 11:02 a.m. local time and landing at 4:18 p.m. at Seattle’s Boeing Field. “Today’s first flight marks a significant milestone for our team, including our partners,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Officer Ray Conner. “We are tremendously proud to have our customers fly the 787-9 and look forward to delivery of the first airplane to Air New Zealand next year.”

787-9 Senior Project Pilot Mike Bryan and 787 Chief Pilot Randy Neville departed to the north, reaching an altitude of 20,400 feet (6,218 metres) and an airspeed of 250 knots, or about 288 miles (463 km) per hour, customary for a first flight.

While Captains Bryan and Neville tested the airplane’s systems and structures, onboard equipment transmitted real-time data to a flight-test team on the ground in Seattle.

“We accomplished a lot in this flight, and it went really well,” said Bryan. “The 787-9 is a great jet and we wanted to just keep on flying.” Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, the first 787-9 will be joined in flight test by two additional airplanes, one of which will feature General Electric GEnx engines.

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Those airplanes are in the final stages of assembly in Boeing’s Everett factory. Over the coming months, the fleet will be subjected to a variety of tests and conditions to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the airplane’s design.

With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (six metres) over the 787-8, the 787-9 will carry 40 more passengers an additional 300 nautical miles (555 km), with the same exceptional environmental performance — 20 per cent less fuel use and 20 per cent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes. The 787-9 leverages the visionary design of the 787-8, offering the features passengers prefer such as large, dimmable windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

The company states that it is on track to deliver the 787-9 to launch customer Air New Zealand in mid-2014. As of now, 25 customers from around the world have ordered 388 787-9s, accounting for 40 per cent of all 787 orders. SP

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MORE TO BELIEVE IN

Civil

Business Aviation

LOOKING UPWARDS: DUE TO increase in the number of INDIAN billionaires, BUSINESS AVIATION IS SET TO TAKE OFF IN THE COUNTRY

Jet, Set, Go Photograph: Sp guide pubns

With healthy economic growth, expanding business interests and increase in the number of billionaires, India is an emerging market for private jets. A clear vision and undaunted commitment by the industry as well as the government will help business aviation scale greater heights.

By Arun Lohiya & Sonia Safri

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ISSUE 9 • 2013

www.spsaviation.net

Civil Business Aviation

Citation CJ2: For Versatile Use

Photograph: Airworks

A

According to industry sources, general aviation in India, of which business aviation is a part, constitutes about 25 per cent of the total aircraft holding of civil aircraft in the country. A report by the Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (CAPA) published a year ago identified growth in general aviation in India as the next wave in the civil aviation industry. The report highlighted major opportunities of growth with the rise in aircraft sales of up to $12 billion over the next decade. By this date, the general aviation fleet is expected to reach 2,000 aircraft, up from the current strength of 680. The report estimated that the direct and indirect contribution of general aviation to the economy could be close to $4 billion per annum by 2020. It is also believed that an investment of over $40 billion is expected to be made in the general aviation sector during the Twelfth Five Year Plan.

In 2012, with a fleet of 165, India became the second-largest operator of business aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region after China that has 220 of these aeroplanes. Estimates are that around 120 business jets, 150 small aircraft and 180 helicopters will be added to the fleet of general aviation aircraft by the year 2017. Going by numbers, aircraft manufacturers have reason to be optimistic about India’s business aviation market. Reports speak of the nation’s expanding footprint in the world and an exponential increase in the number of billionaires in the country. Also, the Indian economy has not been as severely affected by the global recession in the recent past as the economies of some other nations. According to the World Bank, the growth

rate of the gross domestic product (GDP) of India which stood at 7.7 per cent in 2009, is expected to be sustained in the years ahead. There is no denying the fact that with the healthy economic growth, expanding business interests and increase in the number of billionaires, India is an emerging market for private jets. The strategic geographic location and favourable demographics provide impetus not only to business aviation but to the aviation industry in general.

Changing Perceptions In the recent times, the perception of air travel being a luxury or elitist has undergone a sea-change. Air travel is now looked upon as a speedy, time-saving, more comfortable, convenient and a highly reliable mode of transport. In fact, a business aircraft, apart from being a means of transportation, is now regarded as a management tool. No wonder that business houses and individuals in increasing numbers are harnessing the benefits of both fixed- and rotary-wing business aircraft for their travel needs. This in turn generates lucrative opportunity for growth of business aviation in the country. Predictions are that by 2017, the Indian civil aviation market will be among the three largest globally.

MRO The maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry in India has been, for long, severely affected by numerous adverse factors, thereby losing out to their international competitors.

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Civil Business Aviation

Photograph: Anoop Kamath

Dassault Falcon 7X: Dassault is one of the major OEMs contributing towards India’s business aviation growth

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ISSUE 9 • 2013

www.spsaviation.net

Civil Business Aviation On Display: Biz aircraft at Aero India

Photograph: Sp guide pubns

The industry has been opposing the levy of 13 per cent royalty levied at the airports under the Airports Authority of India (AAI), along with the 12.5 per cent service tax and an import duty including countervailing duty of 18.5 per cent on spares.

However, in tandem with the growth of the civil aviation industry, these issues would hopefully be resolved and that the MRO segment of the civil aviation industry would also flourish. It has been estimated that India’s MRO segment will grow at 10 per cent annually to reach $2.6 billion by 2020. Ready availability of MRO facilities in India will enable operators to achieve quicker turnaround of aircraft, savings in operating costs and a decline in foreign exchange outflows. Today, 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) is permitted under the automatic route for MRO, flying and technical training institutions.

Challenges Ahead As India’s fleet of business aircraft grows, designers of air frames are quick to point out that there are quite a few hurdles that need to be removed before a full-fledged takeoff is possible.

The most fundamental of all is dedicated infrastructure including airports, fixed base operator (FBO) facilities, helipads and training schools in aviation management, air navigation and air traffic control (ATC) services. Unfortunately, the government has been of little help so far. In fact, high taxes and complex financial regulations and the stifling regulatory framework in India, makes it difficult for companies or individuals to acquire an aircraft. Added to these are the highly restrictive provisions for training as stipulated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). What remains for the hapless operator is a mesh of woes!

Over the next decade, India is poised for a strong and sustained economic growth. The increasing international trade links and emerging industrial belts in the remote areas of the country would generate demand for business aircraft, spurring growth of the fleet. It is indeed surprising and tragic that a sector that has potential for high growth and substantial contribution to the national economy has no dedicated policy, regulatory framework and infrastructure. The leading manufacturers of business aircraft in the world and the international operators are somewhat distressed at the paucity of infrastructure, lack of

easy access to airspace, inordinate delay in obtaining landing permits and exorbitant costs of facilities at airports. All these serve as serious impediments to the growth of business aviation in India. The CAPA report has also identified opportunities for helicopters that when compared to fixed-wing aircraft, offer greater flexibility, do not require sophisticated infrastructure and have lower sustainability cost.

The Future There is no denying the fact that the road to the future of the civil aviation industry would be no cakewalk. The immense potential of the sector has been muffed beneath unstructured and under-funded means with no dedicated policy framework, with the resultant issues of constant concern i.e. safety and security. The role of general aviation needs to be recognised at the policy-making level. Consistent and industry-friendly regulatory framework needs to be evolved and correction in the prevailing negative fiscal environment is urgently needed.

But it seems there is still some hope. The government has undertaken a major programme to develop and improve the ecosystem for the civil aviation sector which includes the establishment of an aviation university. Realising the potential of the sector, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has decided to roll back the hike in royalty charged from the companies providing MRO services especially for business jet owners and charter flight operators. The Finance Bill for 2012-13 calls for a significant reduction in duties on tyres and test-equipment required for MRO. While there are definite signs of change, by when would the Indian aviation industry match international standards, is a question the government still may not have an answer.

Despite the umpteen challenges, airframers like Bombardier, Embraer, Cessna, Falcon and Gulfstream are not holding back from strengthening their presence in India. Cessna is looking to create another service centre in India, while Beechcraft is in the “final stages” of setting up a second service centre in Mumbai. It is also planning a bonded warehouse this year to ensure ready availability of spares.

All said and done, it is only with a clear vision and undaunted commitment by the industry as well as the government that business aviation can and will scale greater heights and emerge as the driving force for the economy. SP

In 2012, with a fleet of 165, India became the second-largest operator of business aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region

ISSUE 9 • 2013

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Civil

Business Aviation

50TH ANNIVERSARY

Brand New: Falcon 2000LXS was recently certifed by EASA and FAA

Falcon 2000LXS sets new standards as Dassault marks its 50th anniversary

Photograph: Dassault Falcon

A

As Dassault celebrates 50 years of designing and manufacturing advanced business jets, its latest Falcon 2000LXS model, unveiled in October 2012, is set to deliver on its promise. The Falcon 2000LXS was recently certified by EASA and the FAA and is the newest sibling in the Falcon 2000 family, nearly 500 of which are in service around the world, making it one of the most popular twin-engine models in operation. Dassault built its reputation for advanced high-performance aircraft in the region with the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has operated Mirage fighters for about 50 years. Today, this reputation for design excellence is also driven by advanced business aircraft, which share the same design ‘DNA’ with the jet fighters, like the Falcon 2000 series, which offer unparalleled performance, comfort and fuel economy.

Dassault Falcon commands a significant share of the Indian market for executive jets and is continuing to consolidate its position as the economy develops, while continuing to invest in service and support of aircraft owners and operators. New aircraft programmes, such as the Falcon 2000LXS, will also help to stimulate the market and offer attractive new options to potential customers.

The 4,000nm Falcon 2000LXS is the newest aircraft in the Falcon 2000 family and inherits the same qualities as its siblings: a spacious cabin, outstanding performance and efficiency, cutting-edge technology and maximum flexibility. It is built on the proven and capable Falcon 2000 platform.

The aim of the 2000LXS is to offer improved airport performance, payload and cabin comfort. Almost a year after its unveiling, the 4,000nm Falcon 2000LXS is ready to make an impact with certification complete—including for landing at London City Airport, one of the world’s most challenging airfields—and orders booked for first deliveries starting at the end of the year.

The 2000LXS is proving its capabilities in accessing more airports, thanks to its new full-length inboard slats which gives the aircraft category-leading airport performance and balanced field length—critical benefits when considering the evolving private aviation infrastructure in India. The aircraft has a balanced field length of 4,675 feet (SL, ISA), which is over 1,000 feet better than some aircraft in its category at 42,800 lb of MTOW, and offers the same exceptional landing performance as the Falcon 2000S. With a typical end-of-flight profile, the Falcon 2000LXS needs just 2,260 feet of runway to land, no longer than that needed for a turboprop aircraft.

“Customers are demanding more of their business jet and that’s what Dassault is delivering in the Falcon 2000LXS. Like all Falcons, the 2000LXS offers the best fuel economy and the lowest operating costs in its category and is building on the highly successful Falcon 2000 platform, which has set the highest of standards for comfort, reliability and efficiency in business aviation,” says John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon.

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Typical examples of Falcon 2000LXS city pairs (standard aircraft; full fuel, 6 pax, M.80, NBAA IFR reserves, 85 per cent annual winds) include Paris-Delhi, and Beijing-Mumbai.

The Falcon 2000LXS offers the same spacious cabin dimensions as the Falcon 2000, a maximum cabin width of 92 inches, a cabin height of over six feet and a cabin volume of more than 1,000 cubic feet and is available in a variety of floor plans with a fully customised interior. The cabin sound level has been lowered by two decibels compared to its predecessor.

The 2000LXS is equipped with an entirely new FalconCabin HD+ cabin management system that places more controls and greater convenience in the hands of passengers making the transition from the office to the aircraft as seamless as possible.

The Falcon 2000LXS comes standard with Dassault’s next generation EASy II flight deck which will also feature a sleeker, more modern look. EASy II includes a host of enhancements designed to increase safety and situational awareness and reduce pilot workload in communications, dispatch and navigation.

Upgraded Pratt & Whitney PW308C engines make the Falcon 2000LXS economical to operate and environment friendly. Thanks to the engine’s TALON II combustor, the Falcon 2000LXS will generate significantly lower emissions than previous aircraft models and meet the most exacting future emission standards with margin to spare. SP

www.spsaviation.net

Civil

Regional Aviation

Embraer 195: In service with Lufthansa CityLine

LOCAL VENTURES, GLOBAL IMPACT As urbanisation spreads and incomes rise, air travel will become less of a luxury. There’s bound to be increasing demand for regional aviation services and enough passengers at least to fill small planes. Independent regional carriers operating mainly point-to-point flights with low per-seat costs and limited competition from other airlines may be the ones best placed to prosper.

Photograph: embraer

By Joseph Noronha

R

Regional aviation is not an unchanging concept; it assumes different forms in various parts of the world. The most commonly recognised regional carriers, especially in North America, are feeder airlines. They operate under contract with major airlines and deliver passengers from surrounding locations to the nearest hub. Such regional ventures are often the only source of commercial aviation for communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service. They are highly dependent on their dominant partners and sink or swim along with them. On the other hand, Europe and other parts have large independent regional airlines that are neither owned by, nor primarily contracted to, a major carrier. They operate point-to-point service under

their own brand, sometimes with over 100-seat jets, connecting mainly medium and large cities, even flying internationally. Independents transport a third of all regional traffic in the world. In some countries like India, however, all scheduled flights to small or remote destinations are termed regional aviation.

The regional jet revolution of the last 20 years or so was sparked by small planes like Bombardier’s CRJ200 and Embraer’s ERJ-145. They made flying even with limited passengers viable.

However, post-9/11 recession, their operating costs became prohibitive. Since the global economic crisis in 2008, many airlines are in dire straits. Passenger demand is static or falling, operating costs are rising, especially on account of high fuel prices, and

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Civil Regional Aviation

Bombardier CRJ900: Benchmark for regional aviation efficiency

Photograph: Bombardier

governmental regulations are getting more stringent. Regional airlines, the small ones in the industry, have it even tougher.

American Angst According to Flightglobal, about 96 per cent of all North American regional traffic is flown by captive or feeder airlines, carriers owned by or flying under contract for a major airline.

Independents are practically non-existent. According to the US Regional Airline Association, 50 per cent of the nation’s passenger flights amounting to over 13,000 flights daily are operated by regional carriers. America is where regional feeder airlines popularised the hub-and-spoke model from the 1980s. But now because of the financial crisis exacerbated by high fuel costs, regional carriers are in trouble. Small regional carriers face especially grim prospects because they are heavily dependent on their major partner’s fortunes.

Most major airlines are struggling to cut costs and are concentrating on their more lucrative long-haul routes to the detriment of low-traffic regional operations. They are pressurising their regional partners to phase out 50-seat jets that have some of the highest per-seat costs in the industry. Relations between the major carriers and regionals have reached such a point that it is doubtful many regional ventures will even survive. In desperation, regional airlines are bidding against each other for contracts from the major carriers. In a classic race to the bottom, many like Comair and Colgan Air, have already become defunct while others may be on the way. The number of small cities served is also dropping steadily. Within a decade, as many as 100 small and remote cities in the United States may lose scheduled commercial service altogether.

A fresh problem is looming due to new Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) regulations, effective January 2014, specifying that pilots must have 1,500 flight hours to become first officers.

Although the rule applies to all commercial airlines, regionals are likely to be the worst affected because perhaps 3,000 of their more experienced pilots may be hired by the mainline car-

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riers consequent to the new rule. Some experts conjecture that the existing regional airline model may already be broken. The only way for regionals to survive would be for them to return to their roots, fly independently and provide air service to small markets that have been abandoned by major airlines.

Europe’s Woes European commercial aviation is also hard hit on account of the global economic crisis and fuel price rise. Flights have been severely slashed because of falling demand. LCCs like Ryanair and EasyJet are rushing to take over as many routes as possible, in the process expelling regional airlines from their natural domain. Since 2008, about a third of all regional carriers have been driven out of business. They include as many as half of the new regional airlines—a frightening mortality rate by any yardstick. Competition from other modes of transport like high-speed rail is also increasing.

Regional carriers are attempting to cope by dumping their small jets and moving to higher-capacity aircraft, including turboprops, as quickly as possible. These help to distribute fixed costs over a higher number of seats. That is why the regional jets of choice nowadays are the Embraer E195 and Bombardier CRJ900 with more than 90 seats. For shorter flights with lower traffic, slightly smaller turboprops like the ATR 72-600 or Bombardier Q400 NextGen are preferred. Since many more European cities are within the range of regional aircraft than in North America, European regionals fly more point-to-point routes and rely less on feeder contracts with the major airlines.

And there are still a few countries like Russia where small pre-owned jets have a market. RusLine, for instance, is one of several small Russian carriers that are expanding rapidly in a market characterised by high growth and relatively high yields.

They prefer to buy regional jets like the 50-seat CRJ200, which they can obtain at knockdown prices from the US carriers desperate to switch to larger jets. The high operating costs of these

www.spsaviation.net

Civil Regional Aviation

New induction: Ryanair has ordered 175 Next-Generation 737 from Boeing

Photograph: Boeing

jets are offset to some extent by low acquisition costs. And they are ideally suited to many routes not yet ready for large regional jets or narrow-body aircraft.

Advantage Asia Meanwhile, the global centre of gravity of aviation is shifting gradually towards Asia. In about 20 years, the Asia-Pacific region and China are predicted to become the largest aviation market in the world, accounting for around a third of global revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs). RPK is a measure of traffic calculated by multiplying the number of revenue-paying passengers by the distance flown. Regional aviation has been slow in making an impact in various Asian countries because of inadequate infrastructure and the marked preference of many airlines to operate on inter-metro routes. However, with the advent of LCCs like AirAsia and its subsidiaries, there’s increasing emphasis on taking aviation services to remote and underserved destinations.

Already, according to SkyTrax, half of the world’s top ten regional airlines are Asian. Hong Kong-based Dragonair was recently chosen as the “World’s Best Regional Airline” as part of SkyTrax’s prestigious World Airline Awards 2013, in which more than 18 million airline passengers from around the world were polled for their travel experiences. Dragonair, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific, operates a fleet of 39 standard narrow-body jets and serves 45 regional destinations in 14 countries and territories across Asia. Bangkok Airways, ranked third, is a regional airline that operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand and neighbouring countries. And SilkAir, ranked fourth, is the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, and serves many shorthaul destinations in the Singapore Airlines Group network.

In China, limitations of infrastructure and inadequate air traffic management services force the airlines to use standard narrow-body jets of around 150 seats even on routes with limited demand. But the number of regional aircraft is increasing because many carriers now realise that even if they cannot

make money on regional routes, at least the losses on account of empty seats will be smaller with small planes. However, price wars and competition from high-speed trains are making life difficult for regional carriers.

In the Indian market too, regional aviation is grossly underserved because of the airlines’ fondness for planes with a capacity of 180 seats or more flying on inter-metro routes. While the regional space is filled to some extent by the major carriers, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to launch specialist regional airlines. The most recent example was Delhibased Air Mantra which launched operations in July 2012 with two small 19-seat turboprop aircraft, but was unceremoniously wound down in April this year. The country has a long way to go in successfully establishing regional aviation.

Most aviation headlines these days feature Middle Eastern airlines as they are expanding at a rate well above the global mean.

Regional aviation too is doing well, thanks to adequate funding and tight capacity management. Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways, for instance, has a strong regional focus with most destinations within less than two hours flight time. It concentrates on yield first and growth second so as to ensure consistent profitability.

Although they serve a vital purpose, regional ventures may have only limited opportunities in emerging economies because of their high operating cost per seat and because passengers are not averse to taking surface transport for short distances to save money. In many countries, regional carriers survive only with government financial support designed to enable them to serve remote areas more effectively. But as urbanisation spreads and incomes rise, air travel becomes less of a luxury.

There’s bound to be increasing demand for regional aviation services and enough passengers at least to fill small planes.

Independent regional carriers operating mainly point-to-point flights with low per-seat costs and limited competition from other airlines may be the ones best placed to prosper. They also need to focus on profit ahead of growth. SP

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Civil

Regional Aviation

Photographs: Embraer

Changing the way you fly The E-Jets family of E170, E175, E190 and E195 have proven their worth with airlines and continue to grow at a healthy pace. Airlines appreciate E-Jets for their configuration flexibility.

By R. Chandrakanth

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www.spsaviation.net

Civil Regional Aviation

Seating Versatility: Equipped with inflight entertainment, E-Jets Provide quality experience to commuters

value high-density, single-class seating to minimise unit costs.

Regional and mainline airlines can configure their E-Jets with segregated, premium cabins and variable-pitch arrangements.

Full-service galleys, dedicated lavatories, spacious wardrobes and cabin dividers, ensure E-Jets deliver a consistent, quality experience for first and business class passengers across an airline’s network.

M

Optimised design An optimised design means that E-Jets are built with the lowest possible aircraft operating empty weight in order to carry the highest revenue-generating payload. Since fuel consumption is proportional to aircraft weight, a lighter airplane translates directly into cost savings that go right to the bottom line. A streamlined maintenance programme, a high degree of parts commonality among the family and fast turnaround times increase overall utilisation and efficiency while decreasing unit costs.

E-Jets maintenance The E-Jets maintenance plan emphasises simplified procedures and longer check intervals to help keep costs low. Routine checks every 120 flight hours or 14 days (whichever comes first), can be performed overnight. Basic checks are scheduled every 750 flight hours and are easily performed overnight. Heavy checks for aircraft structure occur every 20,000 flight cycles.

More than 100 airlines from over 60 countries are flying the Brazilian birds. Embraer’s E-Jets family has captured the imagination of airlines which know-how to service their markets efficiently and effectively. The E-Jets family of E170, E175, E190 and E195 have proven their worth with airlines and continue to grow at a healthy pace.

One of the high points of the E-Jets family has been customer experience and the foremost among them being seating.

There are no middle seats and everyone Embraer has incorporated either sits by a window or on the aisle, new sound-absorbing and passengers love E-Jets for this reamaterials, produced son among others.

Airlines appreciate E-Jets for their lighter, quieter systems and configuration flexibility. Seating versatilimproved engine nacelle ity makes E-Jets compatible for a range of business applications. Low-cost carriers acoustics

High degree of commonality A high degree of spare parts commonality among the E-Jets family (up to 86 per cent) delivers cost savings right to the bottom line. Inventories are reduced, maintenance procedures streamlined, and crew training and transition expenses are minimised.

With cross crew qualification, differences training, differences checking and recurrent training are some of the simplest in the industry and use

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Civil Regional Aviation POSITIVE RESPONSE: The first E175 entered service in July 2005

Incredible Journey Embraer E-Jets touch 1,000 mark, look beyond

I

n March 2004, when LOT Polish Airlines took delivery of the first E170 jet from Embraer’s aviation and defence behemoth, it was the first milestone of a remarkable journey in the history of the Brazilian company. There has been no looking back for the Brazilian aerospace major. On September 13, 2013, Embraer touched a major milestone in its journey of excellence. The 1000th E-Jet production aircraft was delivered to Bryan Bedford, President, Chairman and CEO of Republic Airways Holdings at a ceremony at Embraer’s Sao Jose dos Campos facility. The journey of Embraer has been dotted with many highpoints as the Brazilian air framer showed to the world the capabilities of an emerging economy. Being innovative, tuned to market needs, aggressive and forward looking, have made Embraer reach great heights.

The first version to be produced was the Embraer 170 (E170). The prototype 170-001, registration PP-XJE, was rolled out on October 29, 2001, with the first flight 119 days later, on February 19. The aircraft was displayed to the public in May 2002 at the Regional Airline Association convention. Certification for the E170 took nearly two years after the public debut and delivery of the first E170 jet was in March 2004.

Following the positive response from the airline community, E-Jet Delivery Milestones

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1

LOT Polish Airlines

Poland

2004

100

Air Canada

Canada

2006

200

Copa Airlines

Panama

2006

300

NW Airlink

USA

2007

400

US Airways Express

USA

2008

500

Régional – Air France

France

2008

600

LOT Polish Airlines

Poland

2009

700

British Airways CityFlyer

UK

2010

800

China Southern

China

2011

900

Kenya Airways

Kenya

2012

1.000

Republic Airlines / American Eagle

USA

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Embraer went ahead and launched the E175. The first flight of the stretched E175 was on June 2003. The launch customer for the EMB 170 was US Airways. After FAA certification, the aircraft entered into revenue service on April 4, 2004, operated by the Mid Atlantic division of the US Airways, Inc. The first E175 was delivered to Air Canada and entered service in July 2005.

Deliveries of Embraer commercial jets span the world and there was celebration across when Republic Airways took delivery of the 1000th Embraer jet. The aircraft is an E175 that the Republic will fly on behalf of American Eagle, the regional partner of American Airlines of Ft. Worth, Texas. It was celebration time and the event paid tribute to the 85 customers and 26 leasing companies that have added E-Jets to their fleets since the first revenue flight of an E170 by LOT Polish Airlines.

The theme of the ceremony was “change” in reference to how E-Jets have transformed commercial aviation and brought new efficiency, connectivity and standards of onboard comfort to the regional aircraft sector. Truly, the Brazilian company has transformed itself in the realm of aerospace development, keeping abreast of the changing times, demanding needs and highly environmental conscious community.

Employees carrying placards with logos and flags of each customer paraded through the audience and assembled beside the aircraft to form a map of the world. Frederico Curado, President and CEO of Embraer, spoke of the magnitude of the changes that E-Jets have brought to customers, passengers and even to Embraer itself, in its journey which has just begun, so to say. He made specific reference to how E-Jets continue to open new markets, particularly in China, and how perceptions of regional aircraft have changed.

E-Jets have defined a new category of aircraft. Embraer E-Jets have blurred the line between smaller regional jets and larger single-aisle airplanes. Today, Embraer customers’ flying E-Jets with audio and video-on-demand entertainment systems, WiFi and premium class cabins, is quite the norm. E-Jets routinely fly long sectors—some as long as five hours—and are often scheduled on routes in parallel with larger single-aisle jets. SP —­­By R. Chandrakanth

www.spsaviation.net

Civil Regional Aviation

Saga of Success E-Jets drive Embraer into big league

B

razilian coffee and soccer have swept people across the most preferred aircraft in the category is built around endearing world. That is not all. In the global aviation scenario, Bra- family traits: versatility to match capacity with market demand by zil through Embraer has captured the imagination of the delivering range, economy, and a superior passenger experience. world with its products in commercial, executive and mili- Added to these features is a robust global service network.

The President and CEO Frederico Curado is optimistic that tary segments, to become the third largest of the jet makers, just behind the biggies Airbus and Boeing. And Forbes has ranked the the company will notch up lot more orders in the coming years as aerospace and defence major Embraer at 1517 in the Forbes airlines see the benefit of right-sizing aircraft. He said the comGlobal 2000 companies. Embraer has reached such great heights pany expected to deliver 90-95 E-Jets this year, a similar number and is still going strong, thanks first to the Brazilian Government in 2014. It has bagged 281 firm E-Jet orders in 2013, including for the initiatives it took in the teething stages and subsequently 150 for its new ‘E2s’ (second-generation).

Embraer airplanes are with over 90 customers worldwide, to the private enterprise which has been upfront when it comes to proving that the jets produced by Embraer have established theminnovation, product development and delivery.

In the 1940s, the Brazilian Government was keen on making selves as essential tools for the development of aviation, worldplanes itself and it made several investments during the 1940s wide. The 70- to 120-seat E-Jets have a strategic function in airline and the 1950s, and in 1969, the Empresa Braileira de Aeronau- companies, helping them to maintain their competitive edge.

With the first-generation of E-Jets having a formidable presence tica (Embraer) was created as a government-owned corporation. In 1995 it was privatised. The company’s first product was a turbo- in the marketplace, Embraer is now launching the E2s. The secondprop transport, the Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, primarily cater- generation promises even higher achievement than the first, promising 16-23 per cent improvements in ing to the domestic market. While military fuel burn and 15 per cent lower mainaircraft made up the majority of Embraer’s tenance costs. The E2 is expected to products during the 1970s; by 1985, a reenter service between 2018 and 2020. gional airliner had debuted, the Embraer Embraer airplanes are There has been encouraging deEMB 120 Brasilia. Aimed at the export with over 90 customers mand for E-Jets, but according to Curamarket, this plane marked the first of Emdo, the company expects E-Jet producbraer’s highly successful small airliners. worldwide, proving that the tion rates to remain at about eight per The company which has three disjets produced by Embraer month through next year. Europe actinct operations—commercial aviation; have established themselves counted for 31 per cent of overall sales defence and security; and executive aviain 2012, followed by North America tion—has been able to make noteworthy as essential tools for the at 25 per cent. Brazil and China were strides in each of the segments. It has development of aviation, sharing third place with 14 per cent produced more than 5,000 aircraft that each. Curado expects North America operate in 80 countries of five continents, worldwide to regain its top spot in the next two and it is the market leader for commeryears when airlines pick E175s which cial jets with up to 120 seats. As of May are mainly used as hub feeders.

2013, it had a market capitalisation of Analyst Derek Spronck of RBC Capital Markets has stated $6.27 billion. The commercial aviation segment is involved in the development, production and sale of commercial jets, as well as that Embraer’s market share between 2013 and 2015 will inin the provision of support services, with emphasis on the re- crease to 63 per cent from the aggregate 54 per cent it achieved gional aviation industry and aircraft leasing. Embraer has over the between 2001 and 2012. He said Embraer benefits from an inyears achieved enormous technological and industrial capabili- stalled base of 1,800 planes over 60 customers and its recent ties. Commercial aviation accounted for 61 per cent of Embraer’s announcement to revamp its line of products. Embraer’s backlog revenues last year, followed by 21 per cent for business aircraft now is at a point where he anticipates a 17 per cent ramp up in deliveries in 2014, adding $425 million in extra revenue. and 17 per cent for defence products.

Montreal-based Bombardier used to dominate the regional jet The entry into service of the new Embraer 170/190 family of commercial aviation in 2004, confirmed Embraer’s definitive pres- market but has seen its leadership dwindle since Embraer introence in the aviation market with the launch of new products, as duced its E-Jet family in 2004. While the two rivals have historicalwell as the expansion of its operations into the aviation services ly accounted for about 95 per cent of the regional jet market, they market, and also established solid foundations for the future devel- are expected to face competition in the coming years from new opment of the company. It has been making history at regular inter- arrivals, including Japan’s Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), Russia’s vals, the latest being the E-Jets touching the 1,000 mark and the Sukhoi (Superjet) and Comac of China.

Brazil’s enormous strides made in the aerospace sector have overall aircraft deliveries totalling 5,087, as of September 2013.

By December 2012, the Embraer family of 170/190 had firm or- become an example for other developing nations, particularly India ders for 1,093 with 580 options, of which it has touched 1,000 de- which is still toying with the idea of a regional transport aircraft. SP liveries. E-Jets revolutionised air travel by unlocking the potential of the 70- to 130-seat segment and its proven success as the world’s —­­By R. Chandrakanth

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Civil Regional Aviation VERSTATILE REACH: THE MAP DEPICTS THE EFFECTIVE RANGE OF E-JETS BY EMBRAER

efficient—CO, UHC, NOx and smoke emission margins range from 26 per cent to an impressive 98 per cent below ICAO Annex 16 (Volume II) CAEP/6 limits for the E170/ E175 and from nine per cent to 77 per cent for the E190/E195.

the latest computerbased training and simulator tools.

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) grades EJet training in each of these categories at level A. There are minimal training differences instruction required for maintenance personnel and flight attendants and none for flight dispatchers or operations engineers.

With the benefits of a common family, airline schedulers and crew planners will find last-minute equipment changes easier to accommodate.

E170: Regional redefined This versatile aircraft has redefined regional flying with the E170 advanced range (AR) version which can carry a full load of passengers up to 2,100 nm (3,892 km).

Reliability Reliability is the cornerstone of scheduled airline operations. That’s why Embraer developed AHeAD-PRO, an innovative aircraft health, analysis and diagnostic system available on every E-Jet. AHeAd-PRO is a computational, webbased platform that allows airlines to continuously monitor the performance of an E-Jet while in flight. It regularly transmits fault identification data for analysis by ground personnel, so that they can plan maintenance remedies at a downline station. In-flight fault messages are received from the EICAS and central maintenance computer and transmitted via the ACARS network. Using links to Embraer’s digital technical publications, errors are identified, correlated and logged. AHeAd-PRO allows airline maintenance teams to continually monitor each E-Jet’s operating history in the fleet to minimise ground time and maximise air time.

Environment conscious E-Jets comply with ICAO Annex 16 Chapter IV noise restrictions mandated in 2006. Together with its partners, Embraer has incorporated new sound-absorbing materials, produced lighter, quieter systems and improved engine nacelle acoustics. Embraer teams continually work to improve aircraft operational procedures to ensure uncompromised performance at noise-sensitive airports. General Electric’s CF34 engine is designed to be more

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E175: More seats, more revenue, lower unit cost Tapping the gap between regional and mainline aircraft with an E-Jet means you can pick a starting point.

The E175’s flexible configuration lets you determine the optimal number of seats you need to match capacity to market demand. Moreover, complete family commonality makes it easy to introduce larger E-Jets to serve the 70-120 segments the way you want.

The advanced range (AR) version of the E175 can carry a full load of passengers up to 2,000 nm (3,706 km).

E190: Discovering 100-seat potential Airlines around the world have discovered the untapped potential of the 100-seat capacity aircraft. The E190 replaces the old generation jets, right sizes fleets, supplements or replaces mainline flying and opens new markets. Single class, dual class, LCC, longor short-haul, the E190 has the versatility to go the distance.

The E-Jets maintenance plan emphasises simplified procedures and longer check intervals to help keep costs low

E195: Model your business your way As the E195 delivers a mainline standard of cabin comfort, it can be deployed to suit an airline’s business model. An optional high capacity version makes it ideal to expand LCC networks with the right number of seats and frequencies, especially in new markets, or fly the E195 to replace your ageing fleet. The advanced range (AR) version of the E195 can carry a full load of passengers up to 2,400 nm (4,448 km). SP

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Military

Fighters

Dassault Rafale: Contract negotiations with the OEM are yet to be concluded

REPERCUSSIONS OF DELAY

Photograph: Dassault Aviation

Going by the most optimistic estimates, the Rafale can be inducted by the beginning of 2018 at the earliest. This implies that the Rafale fleet of the IAF will require mid-life upgrade within four to five years of induction, entailing sizeable investment. In the fourth article of the five-part series on MMRCA, read how further delay in the finalisation of the contract will place overwhelming demands on the already overburdened exchequer.

O

By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Indian Air Force (IAF) last year, in an interview, Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, Chief of the Air Staff, had stated, “The $20 billion medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal, in which the French Rafale has emerged as the winner, looks set for contract finalisation in the early part of the next financial year (2013-14). As per the plan, the first Rafale squadron comprising 18 aircraft will be inducted in three to four years after signing of the contract. The remaining 108 aircraft will be manufactured by HAL under the transfer of technology agreement with France and will be inducted in the following seven years.” While Air Headquarters has been pursuing the case with vigour since 2001 and despite the impediments that have been cropping up with almost predictable and disconcerting regularity, the IAF has managed to sustain a remarkable level of optimism about the prospects of a successful execution of the deal.

Protracted Negotiations The case for the 126 fourth-generation plus MMRCA to equip six squadrons in the IAF was conceived at Air Headquarters in 1999.

It was projected to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2001, over 12 years ago. However, the request for proposal (RFP) was issued by the MoD only in August 2007, six years later. After intimate scrutiny of the technical bids, the IAF undertook an elaborate and complex evaluation procedure that left only two of the six contenders in the race. Of these, on opening of the commercial bids on January 31, 2012, the Rafale offered by Dassault Aviation of France was found to be the lowest bidder (L1) and hence was the preferred platform over the Eurofighter, the only other competitor in the race. But even after 18 months, the contract negotiations that include three important areas namely life cycle cost, transfer of technology and offset obligations on the part of the vendor are yet to be concluded.

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Military Fighters in the strength of the combat fleet. As a The first two stipulations lie in a zone with matter of partial relief, however, the IAF which the establishment is not totally au expects to receive up to four squadrons fait and hence the protracted negotiations.

In the interest of national of the Su-30MKI aircraft by 2017. Even if Another issue of contention between Dassecurity, it is of vital the contract with Dassault for the Rafale sault Aviation and the MoD was related to importance that as a first is signed by the end of the financial year the selection of the Indian partner over 2013-14, since delivery of the Rafale can which as per reports, there were differing step, the combat fleet only commence not before 2018, there is perceptions. Collectively, these issues have of the IAF is suitably no possibility of increase in the strength of led to the delay in the finalisation of the the combat fleet till 2017-18. contract, something that is proving to be a equipped to confront the In fact, with the phasing out of the cause for deep anxiety in the IAF. challenges of a two-front other ageing fleets such as the MiG-27, the Despite periodic assurance from the strength of the combat fleet will only fall war in the future highest echelons of the establishment below the current level of 34 squadrons. and the general mood prevailing in the Further delay in the finalisation of the concountry, at this point in time, it appears tract with Dassault will only result in eroas if the contract is very far from being signed in the near future. In a written reply in the Parliament sion of combat capability of the IAF, a situation completely underecently, A.K. Antony, the Minister of Defence, stated, “Given the sirable and unacceptable in the context of the rapidly deteriorating complexity of the proposal, no definite time frame can be fixed at security situation in the region. In this context, the imperatives of this stage for signing the deal.” These are ominous signs that the national security may leave no option for the IAF other than to procurement of the six squadrons of the Rafale for the IAF can- postpone the retirement of the obsolete and difficult to maintain not be regarded as a “done deal” as yet. Delay in the finalisation fleet of the MiG-21 till such time the induction of the MMRCA beof the MMRCA contract that is beginning to appear interminable, comes a certainty. In this situation, apart from reduced size of the could well undermine the 12 years of effort by the IAF and would combat fleet, the IAF will be left to operate at a much lower level of technological sophistication with largely third-generation aircraft militate seriously against national security interests.

What then are the implications of inordinate delay in the in sharp contrast to the potential adversaries who are currently embarked on rapid modernisation of the combat fleets of their refinalisation of the MMRCA contract? spective air forces with modern and more capable platforms.

Increasing Hostility in the Region The structure of the combat fleet of the IAF has and is influenced Cost-Penalty on Account of Delay to a large extent by the need to maintain a favourable equation At the RFP stage, the value of the MMRCA contract was estimatwith hostile forces in the neighbourhood. In recent times, there ed at $10.4 billion based on the exchange rate prevailing then. has been growing tension and conflict on the borders with both Last year, the CAS revealed the value to have gone up to $20 the possible adversaries China and Pakistan. The situation is set billion, double of that originally estimated. The escalation is beto aggravate especially with the withdrawal of the US and the lieved to be on account of detailed reassessment of life-cycle costs North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces from Afghani- and transfer of technology commitments, aspects that were not stan. There is also a strong possibility of covert or even overt comprehensively enunciated in the RFP. By the time the contract collusion between China and Pakistan in their designs against negotiations are completed, it is well nigh possible that the value India. As such, it is incumbent upon the leadership to ensure that of the contract could go up to $30 billion which at the prevailing the nation is prepared for the worst case scenario—that of a two- exchange rate, will be in the region of `2,00,000 crore, a threefront war and is not caught off-guard. fold escalation in terms of the US dollars and five times in terms In the interest of national security, it is of vital importance that of the Indian rupee. The cost of delay has already been high and as a first step, the combat fleet of the IAF is suitably equipped to could well be higher with further delay in the finalisation of the confront the challenges of a two-front war in the future. Tragical- contract. Given the state of the Indian economy, finding the rely, today the IAF is woefully short of this capability. Currently, its sources even at the current value of the contract may be a chalcombat fleet has whittled down to 34 squadrons as against 39.5 lenging exercise for the government. Any further delay is only squadrons, the force level authorised for war on a single front. Of likely to make matters far more difficult. The real danger is that these, five squadrons of the venerable MiG-21 fleet are scheduled delay may make the deal unaffordable. to be phased out by 2017 and replaced by the Su-30MKI. Mercifully, the government has approved the combat fleet of the IAF to Cost of Technological Obsolescence be progressively enhanced to 42 squadrons by 2022. However, The life of a combat fleet is normally in the region of 40 to 50 this is still short of a force level of 45 squadrons that would be years. With technology galloping at a frenetic pace, even a modrequired to conduct offensive operations on one front and fight ern fleet of combat aircraft is likely to be overtaken by obsolesholding action on the other. For a full-fledged two-front war, the cence in around 20 years and would require mid-life upgrade, IAF would clearly need a combat fleet of about 60 squadrons. especially in respect of avionics and weapon systems. Having become operational in 2001, the Rafale would definitely need mid-life upgrade by 2021. Going by the most optimistic esCombat Capability of the IAF As things stand, five squadrons of the MiG-21 fleet of the IAF that timates, the Rafale can be inducted by the beginning of 2018 are to be phased out by 2017 are to be replaced by the HAL-built at the earliest. This implies that the Rafale fleet of the IAF will light combat aircraft Tejas. Unfortunately, even after being under require mid-life upgrade within four to five years of induction development for three decades, the Tejas has not been able to get entailing sizeable investment. Further delay in the finalisation of even its initial operational clearance. As final operational clear- the contract will, therefore, significantly enhance the capital cost ance continues to remain a distant dream, it would not be prudent of the project and place overwhelming demands on the already on the part of the IAF to bank on the Tejas to arrest the erosion overburdened exchequer. SP

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Military

Induction

c-17 Globemaster III during the induction ceremony at the Hindon Airbase on September 2, 2013

C-17 INDUCTION: Defining Moment for IAF

Photograph: Anoop Kamath

At a ceremony held at Hindon Airbase, the Minister of Defence A.K. Antony formally inducted the first three of the ten Boeing C-17 Globemaster III into the Indian Air Force.

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By Sucheta Das Mohapatra

In the 81st year of its existence, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has raised No. 81 Squadron located at Hindon Airbase. This new transport squadron christened as ‘Skylords’ will be equipped with four-engine 10 C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift aircraft currently under procurement. At a ceremony held at the Hindon Airbase on September 2, 2013, Minister of Defence Minister A.K. Antony formally inducted the first three of the ten C-17s ordered from the US defence major Boeing. Two more C17s will be inducted this year and the remaining five will be delivered by November 2014. The US Ambassador to India Nancy Jo Powell, Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Arup Raha, Air Officer Command-

ing-in-Chief Western Air Command Air Marshal S.S. Soman and senior officials from the United States Air Force (USAF), IAF and Boeing were present at the induction ceremony. The symbolic “Golden Key” was formally handed over to Group Captain B.S. Reddy, the forst Commanding Officer of the 81 Squadron which will be based in Hindon.

Antony described the induction of the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft into the IAF as a ‘defining moment’. “With this, the IAF has taken a giant stride towards its goal of acquiring multispectrum strategic capabilities, essential to safeguard India’s growing areas of interest. Today’s induction of the C-17 will further boost the IAF’s capability for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” he said.

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Military Induction

Photograph: IAF

Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne with Air Warriors of the newly formed C-17 Squadron Skylords, during the induction ceremony at Hindon Airbase on September 2, 2013

“Traditional challenges to our national security have evolved into complex multidimensional threats. A long-term comprehensive capability enhancement approach by and for our armed forces is the need of the hour. The government remains fully committed to this responsibility,” the Defence Minister went on to say. He further added that the induction of C-17 added another important milestone in the Indo-US strategic partnership.

Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne stated that the C-17 will be a game-changer and an enabler. “The induction of ten C-17 aircraft promises to be a game-changer on how we conduct air transport operations. The C-17 fleet will provide tremendous flexibility in terms of operational response options in any future campaign. The long-range, heavy-lift capability will allow commanders to induct troops, squadrons, re-locate forces as well as shift forces between theatres rapidly. The C-17 would form an extremely important component of the strategic airlift capability and reach of the IAF.” “The Skylords join a very unique group of personnel of our transport squadrons who bring with them a legacy of honour, dedication and sacrifice with a mandate to uphold the highest professional standards of IAF.” The CAS later stated that the C-17s will be used in border areas as well as in the hinterland.

Like the C-130J, which recently made a historic landing at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), the C-17 can also land at the world’s highest airstrip. The first C-17 has already flown an Infantry Battalion to Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A picture of the C-130J landing at DBO was handed over by the CAS to the Minister of Defence.

Antony said that as there was a need for a capable strategic airlift platform, the government had expedited the process of procuring 10 C-17 Globemaster III from the US through the foreign military sales (FMS) programme. The first and the second Boeing C-17 airlifters had arrived in India in June and July respectively and the third Globemaster had departed from the company’s Long Beach facility on August 20 this year.

Operational since 1991, the C-17 is a large, versatile military transport aircraft capable of carrying heavy, oversize loads over long distances and land on rough and unprepared surfaces. It

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has been used in humanitarian and military missions around the world and recently surpassed 2.6 million flight hours. As of date, Boeing has delivered 256 C-17s, including 222 to the USAF and a total of 34 to Australia, Canada, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and Partnership for Peace nations.

According to Boeing, the C-17’s ability to fly long distances and land at remote airfields in rough, land-locked regions, make it a premier transporter for military, humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. It can take off from a 7,600 feet runway, carry a payload of 1,60,000 pounds, fly 2,400 nautical miles, refuel while in flight and land in 3,000 feet or less even on unpaved runway by day or night. The C-17 can drop a single 60,000-lb payload, with sequential load drops of 1,10,000 lb, seat 54 on the sidewall and 48 in the centre line.

To a question whether India will allow the US to use the Thiruvananthapuram airbase, the Minister of Defence said that while India is procuring state-of-the-art modern capabilities from the US, but we are not tilting towards any country. We are also buying from other countries like Russia, UK, France and we will not be a party to any country’s military growth. “There is no proposal to give the airbase to the US,” he said.

On the issue of medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), the Defence Minister said that he would not be able to tell as to when the contract would be signed as it depended on the completion of the procurement procedure. Contract negotiations on the Dassault Rafale MMRCA selected for the IAF is on and there will be many more processes to complete even after the contract negotiations are over. Antony avoided commenting on the issue of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) engaging in talks with Pakistan and said that it is a decision that the Prime Minister will be taking and that as the Minister of Defence, he had no authority to say anything on the subject. On being asked about the government’s decision to cancel the Air Chief’s proposed visit to China, the Defence Minister said that the Air Chief should visit friendly countries, if and when invited. SP

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Military

Neighbourhood

In action: A Pakistani F-7 Airguard aircraft

Sino-Pak Alliance China supports Pakistan on regional issues and is committed to provide tacit support in case of war with India. Just coming out of ‘the year of friendship-2011’, Sino-Pak relations are at an all-time high. For Pakistan, China is a low-cost and high-value deterrent against India.

Photograph: defenseimagery.mil

By Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra

P

Pakistan was the first Islamic and the third non-communist nation to recognise the People’s Republic of China in 1951.

Their relationship blossomed after the Sino-Indian conflict in 1962. In its quest to win over China as a counter-weight against India, Pakistan ceded to China 5,180 sq km of territory in the Karakoram. In a single stroke, Pakistan made China party to the Kashmir dispute on its side. The two nations gradually grew to be de facto strategic allies with China providing economic and military assistance. Pakistan was again the first non-communist country China established a civil-aviation link with.

From 1966, China began to provide military assistance to Pakistan and immediately after Pakistan was dismembered in 1971, a formal strategic alliance was forged between the two nations.

In 1978, China operationalised the Karakorum highway linking Northern Pakistan with Western China. Of late, China has become Pakistan’s largest arms supplier and the third largest trading partner. While China supports Pakistan on Kashmir, Pakistan in turn supports China on Tibet, Taiwan and Xinjiang. Pakistan also acts as a link between China and the Islamic world. Of greater concern for India has been China’s support for development programmes related to combat aircraft, guided missile frigates nuclear regime

and missiles. Driven by its national strategic interest to secure a seaport close to the oil-rich Middle East; China invested heavily in the Gwadar deep-water port. Long-term plan is to lay an oil and gas pipeline from Gwadar to Central China. China supports Pakistan on regional issues and is committed to provide tacit support in case of war with India. Just coming out of ‘the year of friendship-2011’, Sino-Pak relations are at an all-time high. For Pakistan, China is a low-cost and high-value deterrent against India.

For years, Pakistan received substantial military aid from the US. The 1990 Pressler amendment to counter clandestine nuclear programmes resulted in suspension of aid to Pakistan, pushing it literally into the arms of China which is now regarded as its most reliable ally. President Pervez Musharraf had once called China their “time-tested all-weather friend”. A Chinese diplomat is believed to have told his American counterpart that Pakistan was China’s Israel. A survey in 2013 in Pakistan indicates that 90 per cent favour China over USA. Military Ties China helped Pakistan set up munitions factories and upgrading the existing ordnance factory at Wah near Rawalpindi. China al-

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Military Neighbourhood lowed licensed production of the MBT-2000 (Al-Khalid) tank which was essentially a Chinese variant of Russian T-90. The armies of the two nations conduct joint exercises regularly. Pakistan Army has Chinese designed short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, including the Shaheen series with range up to 2,500 km. China has also built a turnkey ballistic missile manufacturing facility near Rawalpindi and will also construct four submarines for the Pakistan Navy. All these projects involve transfer of technology.

In 2008, a Chinese F-22P frigate joined the Pakistan Navy.

Under serious global concerns, state-run Chinese Overseas Ports Holdings took over the management of the Gwadar port in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. It could not only become a strategic cargo gateway to the Western provinces of China, it can also serve as a port of call for China’s submarines and naval ships. Military related technology, infrastructure and equipment continue to be the major portion of $9 billion (`54,000 crore) trade between the two countries. China has supplied Pakistan with nuclear technology and assistance, including perhaps the blueprint for Pakistan’s nuclear bomb. Chinese security agencies were reportedly in the know of transfer of nuclear technology by Pakistan to Iran, North Korea and Libya. After India secured a nuclear deal with USA, China agreed to set up two nuclear power stations in Pakistan.

Aerospace The biggest spin-offs of Sino-Pak relationship has been in the areas of aerospace, nuclear and missile technologies. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is the eleventh largest air force in the world and the largest in the Islamic world with 400 combat and over 200 support aircraft. The combat aircraft are a mix of the US and Chinese origin. In 1965, China began supplying to PAF the F-6 aircraft which was an air defence version of the Russian MiG-19. A total of 253 were inducted over the years. One squadron of Harbin H-5, a Chinese version of Russian Illyshin IL-28, was formed in early 1970s. China helped establish ‘heavy industries’ at Taxila in 1971 for equipment rebuilding, and in 1973, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra North of Islamabad. 1983 onwards, PAF received 55 A-5Cs ground attack variant of the MiG-19 and 186 Chengdu F-7s, Chinese equivalent of the MiG-21. Chinese F-6s and French Mirages among others were assembled at the facility in Kamra.

With the freezing of deliveries of the F-16 and spares for many years as a result of Pressler amendment, Pakistan turned to China for all its aerospace needs. In 2007, as a part of a jointventure project, China rolled out a ‘designed for Pakistan’ Fighter JF-17 ‘Thunder’, also called FC-1 Fierce Dragon. This lightweight fighter uses Russian and Israeli Lavi programme technologies of the 1990s. Joint production and further development of the JF17 multi-role fighter is still on. Currently, PAF has 100 of these and the strength is likely to increase to 150 by 2015 and eventually to 300. These will replace the ageing A-5s, F-7P, Mirage-III and Mirage-V fighter-bombers. This programme is also a signal to the US that Pakistan has other avenues to explore for its security needs. Orders have been placed for at least 36 Chengdu J-10 ‘Vigorous Dragon’ fighters (export version called Vanguard-10 and PAF designation FC-20). These are likely to enter service by 2015.

Pakistan is the only country to receive J-10 with Saturn-Lyulka AL-31FN engine despite opposition from Russia. This tailless delta wing with canards is being compared by the Chinese with JAS-39 and Dassault Rafale. The J-10B will one day have the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and be equipped with the improved version of the failed Chinese WS-10A engine which is a copy of AL-31FN with 12,500 kg thrust. Short-range air-to-air missiles PL-8 and PL-9, medium-range radar-guided air-to-air missiles PL-11 and PL-12, precision-guided munitions (PGMs) includ-

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ing laser-guided bombs, anti-ship missiles such as the YJ-9K and anti-radiation missiles such as the PJ-9, are part of the package.

In addition to Swedish airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) Saab 2000 Erieye, six ZDK-03 Chinese AWACS based on the Shaanxi Y-8F-600 cargo aircraft have been inducted. The fleet of Chinese Shenyang FT-5 and American T-37 trainers is being replaced by Chinese designed K-8 Karakorum intermediate jet trainers. Sixty are currently in service and more are on order. The K-8 is based on Chinese Hongdu L-15 aircraft. PAF has also received four CH-4 reconnaissance-cum-strike drones which can carry up to four PGMs and reportedly have endurance of 30 hours. Chinese SD-10 air-to-air missiles will arm the fleet of 250 JF-17 aircraft. The Chengdu J-10 fighters are being touted as superior to the Lockheed Martin F-16C. The US intelligence revealed that China had transferred 34 M-11 missiles with related technology and manufacturing capability to Pakistan. Re-transfer of ballistic and cruise missiles technology to Iran, Syria and Libya militates against the US interests in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. Despite Chinese pledge to the contrary, it has continued to provide Pakistan with specialty steels, guidance systems and technical expertise in the latter’s effort to develop long-range ballistic missiles. The M-11 is a replica of DF-11; and the Hatf, Shaheen and Anza series of missiles have been built with Chinese assistance.

Nuclear Association When the West clamped down on nuclear proliferation, China and Pakistan signed a comprehensive nuclear cooperation agreement in 1986. China supplied the equipment required to build Khusab reactor which is a key plutonium production facility. Chinese nuclear corporation also provided critical, globally banned items for uranium enrichment at the Chashma Complex. In 1989, China agreed to supply a 300 MW commercial nuclear power plant, Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (CHASHNUPP-1). In the 1990s, Chinese Nuclear Corporation sold to Pakistan thousands of ring magnets used in centrifuges. China helped Pakistan develop nuclear warheads and to run a risk-free programme. All this directly contributed to Pakistan having nearly 100 nuclear warheads by 2011. To pay back for its friendship, Pakistan gave China access to the crashed stealth American helicopter from the Osama raid.

The Hope Schoolchildren here are taught that the China-Pakistan partnership is “as high as the mountains and as deep as the seas”. The US may be Pakistan’s largest benefactor, but China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner. Of late, Pakistani officials have been suggesting to Afghan leaders to look towards China as an ascendant power, rather than align themselves with the US. India is under threat of a possible two-front war with the two nuclear neighbours, both of whom have had conflicts with India. Recent Chinese incursion in DBO has been a muscle-flexing exercise. Any foreign involvement in South Asia is unacceptable to India. While Pakistan continues to be a key element of China’s ‘string of pearls’ policy, the rise of Taliban, killing of Chinese industrial workers in Pakistan and Pakistani support to Islamic movement in Xinjiang, continue to impinge on the Sino-Pak relationship. A recent survey by the USbased Pew Research Center suggests that Pakistan is a universally disliked country, and 52 per cent of Chinese also see Pakistan unfavourably. The Chinese response is not surprising as Pakistantrained Uighur Muslims have launched terror strikes in China.

Sino-US convergence in stopping Islamic terrorism could act as a dampener for Pakistan. China’s larger economic interest in the large Indian market also acts as a counterbalance. India needs to closely watch the developing Sino-Pak nexus. SP

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Industry Interview

We are definitely winning in India Colin Mahoney, Senior Vice President, International and Service Solutions, Rockwell Collins, in conversation with SP’s Aviation, gave details of the company’s investments in India providing solutions to both commercial and defence customers.

SP’s Aviation (SP’s): Which country in Asia is your top most strategic partner today?

Mahoney: India is critically important to our company. We are growing our presence and investment in India providing solutions to both commercial and defence customers, establishing strategic partnerships, implementing our triad strategy with new business development, systems engineering and programme management resources, and continuing to expand our India Design Centre. Our priority countries in Asia today include India, China, South Korea and Australia.

SP’s: What is the marketing strategy in India?

Mahoney: Rockwell Collins sees significant business opportunities for communications upgrades, network-centric warfare, avionics, commercial aircraft systems, business aircraft systems, simulation and training and service solutions. Our company’s strength in network enabled communications, advanced, integrated avionics and communications systems for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, precision navigation and nose to tail systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) aligns well with India’s needs.

We are very focused on developing strategic partnerships in India and working with these partners to customise and add value to our products, solutions and services to meet Indian customers’ specific needs.

SP’s: Is India creating a friendly environment for global companies, by fine-tuning the offset and defence procurement procedure (DPP)?

Mahoney: We fully expect many of the future programmes in India to be “make India” programmes, so teaming with Indian partners has been and will continue to be a key element in our strategy. We value India and have set up facilities and expanded our presence here contributing to technology transfer and the economy.

Related to the DPP, we are seeing similar ‘indigenisation’ trends in other high growth global markets. Complete focus on building strong partnerships is how we are approaching business opportunities in other areas of the world as well and it seems to be paying off for Rockwell Collins, our partners and the end customers. The US Government also values India. However, there are still some challenges with bringing some of our products to India.

We’re also hopeful that India and the US will ultimately come to an agreement regarding communications and information security.

We do have a strong offset strategy across Rockwell Collins which we can tailor depending on the requirements and initiatives within each country where we do business.

SP’s: How does the company view opportunities and prospects in the Indian military and commercial markets?

Mahoney: We are growing in India, expanding our presence and contributing to the economy. We have been extremely successful

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in the commercial markets as demonstrated by the selection of our avionics, communications and electronics systems by multiple airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways and Indamar for business aviation systems, to name a few. We also recently won a dispatch asset management performance based service agreement on Air India’s 787. We are definitely winning in India.

In the defence market, we have many customers with our ARC 210 and Talon radios on platforms such as the DO 228 for the Navy, as well as electronic counter-counter measure equipment and GPS on aircraft use by defence forces through our customer the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL).

SP’s: Tell us about your partnerships in India.

Mahoney: We have had a long-term relationship with HCL and plan to continue that relationship at the same time we are growing our India Design Center (IDC). The IDC is a channel for us in the India market and was started to support specific programmes in India and from across the globe. We will continue to tap HCL and its talent base to help manage the ebb and flow of projects and programmes we have to help manage high volumes of work. During Aero India earlier this year, we announced a partnership with Tata for the IAF SDR programme.

We also formed partnership with Air Works in India. Air Works is Rockwell Collins’ first Indian authorised reseller and maintenance, repair and overhaul service provider for Rockwell Collins products.

SP’s: Are you expanding your service network to reduce turnaround times, particularly in Asia-Pacific?

Mahoney: We have been expanding our service solutions network in Asia-Pacific through partnerships, joint ventures (JVs) and global asset management processes, systems and facilities. For example, we have added some service JVs and a global asset management facility in China. We are forming partnerships with organisations such as AAR and SR Technik (Mubadala) for performance based support programmes on existing and next-generation commercial aircraft. We also formed partnership with Air Works in India to be an authorised reseller and provide maintenance, repair and overhaul service for Rockwell Collins, products India.

SP’s: Is Rockwell Collins working on any technological breakthroughs that could benefit Indian forces?

Mahoney: About 20 per cent of our revenue goes into research and development (R&D). We just launched a new product line called HeliSure primarily for helicopters. HeliSure is the only completely unique portfolio of products that combines 3D visualisation, displays, sensors and databases together to provide unprecedented situational awareness for helicopters. SP For complete interview log on to: www.spsaviation.net

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Industry OEM A350 XWB: airbus’ commercial jets will continue to lead the group’s global activites

EADS to Rebrand as Airbus ‘The reorganisation is designed to support the Group’s existing goal of improving its return on sales’- EADS

Photographs: Airbus

By Sucheta Das Mohapatra

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Months after the collapse of the EADS-BAE proposed merger, EADS has announced its decision to make significant changes in its corporate structure and bring its defence and aerospace operations under the Airbus brand. An EADS spokesperson said to SP’s, “The change will provide optimised market access, cost and market synergies and improved overall competitiveness.”

Indeed Airbus is the EADS’ top brand and the company states that pooling the space and defence entities Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian is the Group’s response to the changing market environment with flat or even shrinking defence and space budgets in the Western hemisphere. “The Airbus brand and our com-

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mercial aviation business are the Group’s key growth driver and our undisputed international flagship. The rebranding is just a natural step towards the target of being a more integrated Group.

The “new” Airbus Group will remain a leader in commercial aerospace and strengthen our position through innovation, services and a more global approach. The reorganisation enables us to focus on our core areas of aeronautics and space, which represent more than 95 per cent of our activities. Airbus alone accounts for almost 70 per cent of our revenues. Pooling our space and defence businesses will help us greatly enhance our competitiveness and lead the way to future growth,” said EADS.

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Industry OEM group rechristened: The rebranding will provide optimised market access, cost and market synergies and improved overall competitiveness

The Airbus Group will comprise three divisions: Airbus, which will be responsible for all commercial aircraft activities; Airbus Defense & Space, which will be home to the Group’s defence and space activities including military transport aircraft and Airbus Helicopters, which will comprise all commercial and military helicopter activities.

But with this will the company’s successful ventures like the civil and military helicopter market leader, Eurocopter, lose its brand name? ‘No’ says the company, “Eurocopter has historically been a successful division and will continue to lead the commercial and public helicopter market with its innovative products. We are convinced the new branding will facilitate its international business.”

However, Airbus Helicopters, with its civil and military products, will remain unchanged. “The rotorcraft technology is very particular and it’s necessary to maintain the strong synergies between civil and military products,” stated the company.

Formed in July 2000 by the merger of Aérospatiale-Matra, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA), the structural changes are going to be implemented step by step from January 1, 2014, and completed in the second half of 2014. The new design will support the Group’s Flightpath 2015 for improved shareholder returns. Explaining further to SP’s, the EADS spokesperson stated, “The reorganisation is designed to support the Group’s existing goal of improving its return on sales.”

The Airbus Defense & Space division will have about 45,000 employees and an annual turnover of about €14 billion and will be headquartered in Munich, Germany. The Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defense & Space will be Bernhard

Gerwert and it will have four business segments – Military Aircraft, headed by Domingo Ureña-Raso; Space Systems, headed

by François Auque; Communication, Intelligence and Security Systems, headed by Evert Dudok; and Equipment, headed by Thomas Müller. Julian Whitehead will be the division’s Chief Financial Officer Revealing the company’s decision while updating on the company’s reported increased revenues and profitability in the first half of 2013, EADS Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders said: “What we are unveiling today is an evolution, not a revolution. It’s the next logical step in the development of our company. We affirm the predominance of commercial aeronautics in our Group and we restructure and focus our defence and space activities to take costs out, increase profitability and improve our market position. The renaming simply gathers the entire company under the best brand we have, one that stands for internationalisation, innovation and integration and also for some two-thirds of our revenues. It reinforces the message that ‘we make things fly’.”

EADS states that with a more efficient, integrated and competitive organisation, it is confident that international activities will be better positioned and facilitates business on a global scale, including India. “It is our mission to strengthen the longterm competitiveness of our business. Our target is to be best positioned to meet the challenges of the future and we believe our new strategy guides the way towards achieving that.”

The company says developing the most innovative products will remain a key priority for the reorganised Group. However, it is to be seen how the restructuring will affect technological innovations in EADS/Airbus in the years to come. SP

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Industry Interview

Our main focus in Asia is India: Lockheed Martin SP’s Aviation Team caught up with Susan A. Maraghy, Vice President, South Asia, Corporate International Business Development, Lockheed Martin, who was in India recently to attend the “Invest North—A Conclave to Showcase Investment Opportunities in Northern States”. The conclave organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and supported by US-India Business Council (USIBC) was to showcase investment and sectorspecific opportunities in the northern states of India. In a candid conversation, Maraghy gave out details of the company’s focus in Asia-Pacific and beyond.

BIOGRAPHY Susan Maraghy is the Regional Vice President for South Asia, Corporate International Business Development for Lockheed Martin Corporation. This position has responsibility for the corporate business development in the region that covers Australia, ASEAN nations, India and New Zealand. Maraghy is also the government affairs spokesman for all Lockheed Martin initiatives in South Asia ensuring priorities and advocacy.

Prior to joining Corporate International Business Development in December 2007, Maraghy served as the Vice President in Corporate Strategic Development, focused on international markets. For five years prior to joining the Corporate Strategic Development Team, she was the Vice President, Homeland Security, Information Technology and Civil Programs for Lockheed Martin Washington Operations.

She has over 29 years of business development, business operations, and government relations expertise in the Federal, Commercial, International, and State markets for defence, civil and security services and solutions.

Maraghy has attended the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School and is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, Connecticut, where she received a Bachelor of Science in International Business.

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SP’s Aviation (SP’s): Which are the countries you are focusing in South Asia? Where do you see yourself in the next 20 years in India?

Susan A. Maraghy (Maraghy): Our focus is on addressing the complex challenges of the region rather than on individual countries. Earlier this year, we created Lockheed Martin International, a new business organisation designed to simplify customers’ access to the broad range of products and solutions, literally from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of space.

We are closely partnered with the US Department of Defense and are intent on properly balancing our efforts and presence with global challenges and business opportunities. As the US and its allies take an increased interest in the Asia-Pacific region, Lockheed Martin is available to assist with its maritime products, energy and cyber security solutions, and a full range of aeronautics and citizens’ services.

We highly value our partnership with India and have been in the country for more than 20 years. We recently named a new Chief Executive for India, Phil Shaw, and are thrilled that he will be the steward of our strategy here. He will provide our customers with quick access to Lockheed Martin and its products.

SP’s: Is the US economy recovering sufficiently? There were cost cuts, but are things opening up?

Maraghy: The US economy is recovering and is on a growth trajectory in many sectors. Like most countries, the US has faced some significant economic challenges and there are still some very difficult decisions to be made by our government leaders. We believe the current sequestration is not the right solution and are offering other ideas to help approach the budget problems. We also are very aware of the need to be good stewards of our customers’ investments and we put great effort into cost reduction for our products. We want our customers to find Lockheed Martin products to be innovative but also affordable and I’m confident we’re succeeding on that front.

SP’s: The unmanned aerial systems (UAS) market is growing and the US has an edge along with Israel. How is the money to be shared between the F-35 and UAS? Maraghy: One of our unique strengths is our ability to share best practices across our business areas and integrate them to benefit multiple products. The F-35 is an unrivalled machine that demands the world’s best design, engineering and production expertise.

We’ve pushed the envelope in a number of areas with the F-35 programme and that’s benefiting our other products with the advances we’ve made.

The F-35 will be the world’s dominant fighter aircraft for decades to come; we expect it to be in operation for more

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Industry Interview than 40 years. We also are continuing with the research and development of unmanned vehicles, whether they are for air, land or subsea. We recognise the future includes a mixture of manned, unmanned and optionally manned vehicles and carefully balance the costs of research and development for the various types of vehicles.

join in that effort. We routinely seek partnerships with companies that have specialised research, unique business models, or manufacturing expertise. The future technologies are varied across the areas of our company, but in every case, their development rests on creating solutions to difficult challenges.

SP’s What is your next stake for the Indian Air Force?

Maraghy: Our C-130J aircraft is highly versatile and is a reliable workhorse for countries around the world. The IAF placed an order for six C-130J transports for special operations in January 2008. The first of these aircraft was delivered ahead of schedule on December 16, 2010, and was inducted into IAF service with the 77 Squadron at Air Force Station Hindon on February 5, 2011. Lockheed Martin also provided turnkey infrastructure for these aircraft at Air Force Station Hindon, in less than 24 months, to meet the aircraft induction requirement ahead of schedule. The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering its option to procure an additional six aircraft. We believe the aircraft also is a perfect fit to meet the needs of the Indian Navy and, potentially, the Indian Coast Guard.

SP’s: Does the depreciation of rupee affect business in India?

Maraghy: We don’t look at it from the economic perspective. We look at the mission first and see whether our solutions align with our customer’s mission or the government’s budget. This approach is not dependent on the value of the dollar or the rupee.

SP’s: Are you talking to anyone in India, other than the defence PSUs regarding development of precision weapons, subsystems, avionics, etc?

Maraghy: We are aggressively exploring opportunities to develop joint ventures (JV) with small and medium enterprises in India. Our approach internationally is one of persistent presence, partnership and investment in the countries and communities where our employees live and work. We highly value our network of partner companies and are pleased to already have a joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to manufacture parts for C-130s worldwide.

We also are partnered with Fly Wings Aviation, Mumbai. We were very pleased by the DGCA’s recent approval of partner Flight Simulation Technique Centre Pvt Ltd (FSTC) as a Type Rating Training Organisation (TRTO) for the Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 NG family of airplanes. FSTC is a joint venture company with Fly Wings Aviation and SIM Industries BV, Netherlands, which is a Lockheed Martin company.

SP’s: What is the percentage of overall business you have outside the US? Maraghy: International business accounted for about 17 per cent, or roughly $8 billion, of our total revenue in 2012. Our strategy for international growth has us growing the international portion of our overall revenue to 20 per cent or greater in the next two to three years.

SP’s: Which are the sectors you are looking at in the South Asian region other than defence?

Maraghy: Our offering of products to customers begins with an in-depth understanding of their challenges and requirements.

Our portfolio of products is incredibly broad and diverse and includes solutions that are not strictly defence related. For example, our cyber security solutions help to bolster countries’ cyber defence and protect their critical data and systems. Another area that is very important is governmental operational efficiency—IT outsourcing and business management.

SP’s What are the future technologies and the partnerships you are looking at?

Maraghy: Innovation propels our company. We create innovative solutions to meet the world’s most complex challenges so the types of partnerships we seek are with companies that can

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SP’s: There has been a belief that the technology India is getting from the US is old and not first-hand. What is your view?

Maraghy: India is getting first-hand technology with the C-130.

The USG/GoI Defence Trade Initiative is a significant positive step to help ensure it is understood that India does get top-level technology. It’s important to note that the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), like Lockheed Martin, do not control the export control mechanisms. Ultimately, the Government of India (GoI), the IAF, and others who seek imported products must identify the technology they want so it can be processed for export. If India is interested in a certain technology, we can help by working with the US Government as it evaluates the technology for export.

SP’s: What are the businesses you are looking at in ASEAN countries?

Maraghy: We approach ASEAN as we do India and other international markets: we base opportunities on the country’s interests. Some current areas of interest in the region are cyber security, maritime domain awareness, air surveillance, maritime patrol and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C).

Some countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and others, also seek to modernise their air defence radars and systems. It’s important to note that we partner closely with the US Government and explore opportunities with its cooperation and through its defence strategic framework.

SP’s: How do you view India’s decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) above 26 per cent in defence production on a case-to-case basis?

Maraghy: We are encouraged by the GoI’s decision on FDI. We believe the decision will help to aid growth of the industrial base and create more opportunities for our partners and us.

SP’s: Lockheed Martin has made its presence felt in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Is this your global practice of ‘winning friends’?

Maraghy: CSR is very important to us. For the last six years, we have been involved in the Department of Science and Technology (DST)-Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Programme, wherein our core engineering and development team has developed a relationship with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the University of Texas and Stanford University. We think that the model serves the community and gives access to interesting technologies.

SP’s: As the leading global defence and aerospace manufacturer, what would be your suggestions to the Indian private sector?

Maraghy: Be focused, have a vision, invest in people and provide the best technology. In every partnership, communicate well and stay focused on moving forward towards the shared goals. SP

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Seminar

Report

India to develop 50 new low-cost airports At the Sixth ASSOCHAM International Conference on Civil Aviation and Tourism held in New Delhi on August 30, K.N. Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation disclosed that the government will set up 50 new lowcost airports this year and 50 next year

Photograph: Assocham

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With the aim to boost the civil aviation sector in India and air travel, the government has taken significant steps to liberalise increase air connectivity to Tier-II and Tier-III cities, the govern- and grant traffic rights to Indian carriers to fly to several new desment has decided to set up 50 new low-cost airports this year tinations across the globe. There are 71 foreign passenger airlines and 50 next year. This was disclosed by K.N. Srivastava, Secre- operating in India at 25 airports with 1,655 flights per week. In tary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) at the Sixth Associated addition, in the year 2012, there were 703 tourist charted flights Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) that carried 1,30,000 passengers.”

Srivastava informed that the government was planning to International Conference on Civil Aviation and Tourism held in New Delhi on August 30. He further added that the 50 low-cost invest more than $120 billion in the development of airport inairports will come up in cities of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, frastructure including low-cost airports across the country. “The Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mad- government has adopted measures for providing affordable airhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The MoCA has called connectivity to remote and interior areas of the country namely for a meeting of the Ministers and Secretaries of these states to the North Eastern Region as well as Tier-II and Tier-III cities of India.” The first session presided by S. Machendranathan, Special finalise the policy on regional connectivity.

The conference “Civil Aviation and Tourism: A Force Multipli- Secretary and Financial Adviser, MoCA, deliberated on the “Reguer for India’s Trade and Economy” saw the industry and experts latory Challenges including Taxes and Duties”. H.S. Khola, former come together to deliberate on the current and future scenario Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), spoke on the limitations of civil aviation and tourism in India and discussed measures to of the organisation and the need for change.

Amber Dubey, Partner and Head, Aerospace and Defence, be taken to overcome the slowdown in the sector.

The Yes Bank knowledge report on civil aviation and tourism, KPMG, India, delved into the need to attract more foreign tourtitled “Civil Aviation Flying into Next Growth Orbit” was released ists keeping in view the state the Indian economy is in. S. Chockon the occasion. Chandresh Kumari Katoch, Minister for Culture alingam, Chief Financial Officer, Shell MRPL Aviation Fuels and said that tourism, civil aviation, trade and commerce are inter- Services Limited, expressed dissatisfaction at the current tax rerelated. “Cultures serve as the foundation on which the building of gime which is not uniform. J.K. Mittal, Co-Chairman, J.K. Mittal tourism can be built. But without good communication and con- and Co said that there is the need for accountability, uniform nectivity, we will not be able to reach global audiences. Once we taxes and early resolution of pending cases.

Session II on “Need for Regional and Remote Connectivity” have the inflow of international tourists, there will automatically be an increase in trade and commerce.” In his keynote address, was chaired by Arvind Jadhav, Additional Chief Secretary, TourT.K.A. Nair, Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, also empha- ism Department, Government of Karnataka. Avik Bhattacharya, Director, Business Development, Boeing India, said that the sised the need of all the three sectors to work together.

Best performance awards were given away to Ligare Voyages market has to go beyond the metros. Luigi Celmi, President, the most versatile company in aviation; SafeExpress the best air ATR India, said that there is the need to increase movement cargo logistics; Boeing the best global aviation company; IndiGo from Tier-II and III cities to Tier-IV cities. Maghim Tamilarasan, the best domestic airline; British Airways the best international Director, Rolls-Royce India Private limited, said that India has great prospects with growth in the number of people flying or airline and Frankfinn the best aviation training institute.

In his address, the guest of honour K.N. Srivastava stated aspiring to fly.

The third session was on “Air that Navi Mumbai, Pune, Goa and Cargo Industry Scenario,” which Patna airports were facing capacwas presided by Captain Kapil ity constraints. Although, Chennai Chaudhary, Secretary, Airports airport did not suffer from capacEconomic Regulatory Authority constraints today, but in the ity. Deepak Dadlani, Advisor, Air next six-seven years, it could face Cargo Agents Association of India, similar problems. The government spoke about the constraints and is therefore considering locating roadblocks for the air cargo industhe second airport for Chennai in try. Pradeep Panicker, Chief ComSriperumbudur. “In order to stimumercial Officer, Delhi International late air connectivity, airlines are Airport Private Ltd, presented expected to add around 370 airthe cargo operators point of view. craft worth $27.5 billion to their Sandeep M. Bhatnagar, Joint Secfleet by the year 2017,” said Srivasretary (Customs), Central Board of tava. “It is estimated that by 2020, Excise and Customs, also spoke on commercial fleet size would reach Chandresh Kumari Katoch, Minister of Culture, the occasion. SP 1,000 aircraft from the 400 today.

T.K.A. Nair, Advisor to the Prime Minister, and other dignitaries releasing the Yes Bank Report To spur the growth of international —By Sucheta Das Mohapatra

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hall of fame Ruth Bancroft Law, a daring American pioneer aviator and record setter, was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, on May 21, 1887. Her elder brother Rodman was one of the original stuntmen of the silent movies and an experienced parachutist. Ruth perhaps naturally developed a similar adventurous streak. When she bought her first plane from Orville Wright in 1912, only a few hundred men and a handful of women had tasted flight. Yet Ruth took just over a month from the day she first flew to go solo.

Fiercely competitive, she began exploring audacious aerobatic manoeuvres, such as the loop and demonstrated them before rapt crowds. She also became the first woman to fly at night and broke the women’s altitude record by climbing to 11,200 feet. At one point she was earning as much as $9,000 a week for her daredevil stunts.

But Ruth Law’s greatest triumph came in 1916. For much of her flying career, she had been pitted against men, because very few women were flying. On more than one occasion she was narrowly beaten by male pilots. So she deliberately set out to do what no aviator, male or female, had ever done before—fly from Chicago to New York City in a day. Recall that the Wright brothers’ historic first powered flight at Kitty Hawk in December 1903 traversed 852 feet. So this proposed journey over a distance of 1,416 kilometres was an amazing feat and would call for great endurance. Although the expedition had official sanction, many doubted that a woman could possess the necessary stamina and mental strength. Would she get lost?

Would she panic? Would she be able to withstand the numbing cold of such a long flight?

Ruth ignored such apprehensions and concentrated on more practical matters, purchasing a larger plane with greater fuel capacity. However, the manufacturer citing preoccupation with the US war effort, refused to oblige, also voicing the opinion that a large plane might be “too much for a girl to handle”. Finally, she had to make do with a Curtiss pusher biplane, a small obsolete machine made of stick and wire. Hundreds of lengths of piano wire crisscrossed the plane in every direction to hold it together. It had an ancient eight-cylinder 100-hp engine with a huge 12-foot diameter wooden

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propeller at the back of the plane. The hapless pilot sat right in front on “a little contraption, which was just a cushion with a backrest”. There was no cockpit, indeed not a shred of protection from the icy blast on any side, except a small crude shield to protect the feet. Ruth’s main worry was the fuel capacity of just 16 gallons which wouldn’t take her far.

So she designed a supplementary sys-

Ruth Law (1887-1970) Fiercely competitive, she began exploring audacious aerobatic manoeuvres, such as the loop and demonstrated them before rapt crowds. She also became the first woman to fly at night and broke the women’s altitude record by climbing to 11,200 feet. At one point she was earning as much as $9,000 a week for her daredevil stunts.

tem increasing the capacity to 53 gallons with auxiliary tanks. She also made a scroll device that helped her to read maps without taking both hands off the controls. She began sleeping in an open tent on a rooftop to acclimatise to the extreme cold that she would encounter at high altitude in winter. Finally, the moment of truth came at 8:25 a.m. on November 19, 1916. On that fateful day, one of the mechanics of her small support team couldn’t restrain his tears,

convinced that she was hastening to certain death.

As Ruth got off the ground, the cold hit her. Despite the initial scepticism of the public, news had spread, and hundreds of people flocked to the route to try and catch a glimpse of the flimsy plane. At 2:10 p.m., she landed at Hornell, New York State, after every drop of fuel was gone. She had to glide the last bit to the ground where her cheering supporters were assembled. She was so frozen that she had to be helped out of the plane and into the waiting automobile.

But her non-stop distance of 945 kilometres, averaging about 168 kmph, had smashed the existing American cross-country record of 723 kilometres. And she wasn’t done yet. An hour later she took off again; made a night halt en route and the next day reached New York City. Once again her fuel ran out on the home stretch as she was overflying Manhattan, but she glided down to a confident and safe landing. She was the toast of the city. Even President Woodrow Wilson attended a dinner held in her honour. Her total flight time was eight hours fifty-five minutes and thirty-five seconds. A reporter asked, “You have made the longest flight a woman ever made, haven’t you?” She answered, “I have made the longest flight an American ever made.” She had set three new records: the US non-stop cross-country record, the world non-stop cross-country record for women and the second best world non-stop cross-country record.

Once, while describing what makes women good aviators, Ruth Law said, “They are courageous, self-possessed, clear-visioned and quick to decide in an emergency and usually make wise decisions.”

It was perhaps a fair description of her remarkable qualities. Many young girls who took to aviation cited her as their inspiration. She died on December 1, 1970, at the age of 83.

In an era when aviation was decidedly a dangerous enterprise and death was often one flight away, her husband also deserves credit for her longevity. He persuaded her to give up aviation at an early age because his nerves couldn’t bear the strain of watching her fly any longer. SP

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— Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha, Goa

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focus india / SP’S SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT One year of Akash SAM in service

tial voices from the veteran communities of the IAF and aerospace industry, HAL sought to project the HTT-40 trainer effort as a possible light attack platform.

would not tolerate any further slippages in delivery dates for squadron service, slated for 2015.

Raytheon continues Patriot push in India

The indigenous Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) has completed a year in deployed service with the Indian Air Force. With two active squadrons now in Gwalior and Lohegaon and two more coming up in forward areas of the North-east, the system is acquitting itself satisfactorily in terms of preparedness parameters. The Indian Air Force ordered eight squadrons (two in December 2008 and six more in December 2010), receiving its first battery in March last year. The first squadron was raised in Gwalior, the second in Pune and the next two are coming up in the Northeast.

The manufacture of the systems is being split between the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the IAF and Army (the latter has on order two regiments, ordered in March 2011). Sources indicate the IAF has received 32 launchers so far for four squadrons. The Army has received four launchers so far for part of its first regiment. The Army is incidentally, considering placing orders for additional regiments.

LCA Tejas requires a new radome As the Tejas speeds towards IOC-II, it appears that a crucial hurdle may slow it down, the platform needs a new radome.

The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has sent out an expression of interest to vendors to “design, develop and manufacture radome for LCA”.

The EoI stipulates that the new radome is “to replace the existing radome with improved electromagnetic performance (EM) and with no change in existing geometry and pitot attachments.”

Also, the new radome needs to have identical geometry, though surface smoothness needs to be “equivalent or better”.

HAL pushes HTT-40 as light attack platform While the Defence Ministry ponders over the IAF’s recommendation that the HTT40 basic trainer project be foreclosed, HAL is fighting back. At a recent annual general meeting of the Aeronautical Society of India, which includes influen-

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More captive flight tests of ASTRA BVRAAM on Su-30MKI The indigenous Astra beyond visualrange air-to-air missile has been captive flight tested again on the Su-30MKI, following successful tests in April this year as earlier reported by SP’s. The IAF is watching keenly as the ambitious weapon system proves itself on the air dominance platform, and is hoping for a test firing from the Su-30MKI this year.

As first reported by SP’s, while the base version Astra Mk.I will have an intercept range of 44-km, it will be the Astra Mk.2 that will be a true force multiplier weapon, with an intercept range in excess of 100 km.

First LCA Tejas Mk.II prototype next year?

The first prototype of the LCA Tejas Mk.II could be rolled out in 2014, it has been revealed. In an exercise to locate and certify line-replaceable units for the evolved Mk.II jet, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has revealed to prospective development partners and suppliers of a hydraulic pump, among other components and systems.

The timelines appear optimistic, especially since 2014 is when the LCA Mk.I will only be attaining final operational clearance towards squadron service.

Tejas weapon trials at Jamnagar Towards achieving initial operational clearance (IOC-II) by the end of this year, the LCA Tejas was deployed last month to Jamnagar Air Force Station for weapons trials, which included missile firing and release of bombs. The trials were successfully completed. More rounds of weapons release trials will be conducted both at Jamnagar and Goa shortly.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony recently informed Parliament that the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) had been told to strictly follow timelines, giving a clear indication that the MoD and IAF

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A decade after Raytheon first began its big push of the Patriot PAC-3 integrated air and missile defence system to India, the company remains committed to India as a potential customer. Raytheon CEO William Swanson recently described the PAC-3 as a “never-ending opportunity” and listed India as one of the countries that remained interested in the system and technology.

HAL for modernisation of IAF Avro fleet While an request for proposal (RFP) on the replacement of 59 HS748 Avro transports is currently under evaluation by potential vendors, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has announced that it is looking to propose a life-extension of the current IAF fleet with an engine replacement, among other systems.

HAL has stipulated that it requires a response by September 30 this year, though it is likely that this deadline will be extended. In March this year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) released an RFP for the replacement of 56 Avros: 16 aircraft in flyaway condition by the selected global vendor, and the remaining 40 built in India under a partnership with an Indian company.

IAF for combat videogame to attract youth In a first for the armed forces, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to create a realistic high-end air combat videogame with an overt IAF theme, with the intention to attract youth to flying operations in the Air Force.

According to the IAF’s RFI to software and game developers across the country, the IAF aims to “develop a high end air combat game based on the Indian Air Force to reach out to millions of youth, to appeal to them and attract them to the real league: the IAF.” • For complete versions log on to: www.spsaviation.net & www.spsmai.com

www.spsaviation.net

News Digest MILITARY Asia Pacific Dependence on foreign countries for Engines for LCA

Defense and Space Company (EADS)’s Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon came within the given budget of the F-X programme of South Korea. Boeing and the EADS met the procurement price of 8.3 trillion won ($7.5 billion) on the final day of an extra three-day auction for purchase of 60 “next-generation” fighter jets. The other combat plane, which was up against the F-15 and the Eurofighter, is Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II in the Air Force programme to buy 60 combat planes to replace its obsolete fleet of F-4s and F-5s.

Europe Defence Minister A.K. Antony in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha stated that Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had initiated a project for design and development of an aeroengine in 1989 for requirement of combat aircraft however full objectives like desired thrust has not been achieved so far.

Since LCA Mk-II requires a higher thrust class engine, GE-F414 engine has been chosen as a power plant for LCA Mk-II. Both engines are imported from General Electric, US. LCA Programme (Mk-I & MkII) has already gone ahead with GE-F404 and GE-F414 of the US. Kaveri engine development programme is continuing and a dry variant of it will power Indian unmanned strike air vehicle.

Second ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) (Plus)

The second ADMM Plus meeting was held in Brunei on August 29. The Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh led the Indian delegation at the meeting. The Ministers issued a joint declaration at the end of the meeting in which it has been decided that the ADMM Plus countries will establish practical measures that reduce vulnerability to miscalculation and avoid misunderstanding and undesirable incidents at sea. It was also decided to establish an additional (sixth) Expert Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Action which will be co-chaired by India with Vietnam. Singh addressed the meeting in which he gave out the Indian perspective of security issues affecting the region and world at large. In the end, he thanked the Chairman and Excellencies, for giving him the opportunity to share his views.

Americas F-15, Eurofighter vie for F-X Project

As per an industry source, Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle and European Aeronautic

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Long-Range Radar Programme

Three-dimensional expeditionary longrange radar (3DELRR) is being developed to detect, identify and track fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and will replace the decades-old TPS-75 radar as the principal US Air Force long-range, ground-based sensor. 3DELRR, Programme Office has recently evaluated three prototype capability demonstrations during the pre-engineering and manufacturing development phase of the programme. During the demonstrations, each of the current technology demonstration phase contractors held a day-long event to showcase a functioning full-scale, operational, long-range air surveillance system prototype. These demonstrations gave the programme office the opportunity to evaluate each contractor’s initial design and validate compliance with 3DELRR requirements.

From here, the programme office will move into a limited sources competition.

A request for proposal for EMD with an option for low-rate initial production is anticipated to be released prior to the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013.

Royal Navy, RAF and US Air Force carry out joint exercise

QuickRoundUp

AgustaWestland

AgustaWestland has announced that it has appointed Sino-US of China as an official non-exclusive distributor for AgustaWestland civil helicopters in China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau.

Airbus

International Airlines Group (IAG) has secured firm orders and options for up to 220 Airbus A320 family short haul aircraft, up to 120 of these for its subsidiary Vueling. The Vueling agreement comprises 62 firm orders—30 A320ceo and 32 A320neo—plus 58 options which will be delivered between 2015 and 2020. In addition, IAG has secured 100 A320neo options which could be used for any of the airlines in the Group—British Airways, Iberia or Vueling—for aircraft replacement requirements.

Antonov

On September 3, 2013 at Antonov Company Ramon Martinez Echevarria, President of Corporation of Cuban Aviation C.A., Dmytro Kiva, President-General Designer of Antonov Company and Vyacheslav Boguslayev, President of Motor Sich SC, signed the agreement about cooperation on modernization of the AN-2 airplanes with MS-14 engines.

Beechcraft

Beechcraft Corporation has announced the completion of the inaugural flight of its first production Beechcraft AT-6 light attack aircraft. With more than 1,600 hours already logged in AT-6 test aircraft, Beechcraft is offering the AT-6 to the US partner nations in need of light attack air support.

Boeing

Boeing has provided the Canadian Government with cost and capability data for an advanced version of its F-18 Super Hornet fighter jet which Boeing suggests would cost $1.7 billion less for a fleet of 65 jets than the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter project that the federal government has temporarily put on hold.

Embraer

A Royal Navy warship and RAF Typhoons have put their skills and technology to test during a joint exercise. RAF Typhoons aircraft joined HMS Dragon and US fighter jets in a training exercise to detect, classify and monitor contacts on the sea’s surface in the challenging condi-

Embraer Defense & Security held the delivery ceremony for the first modernised A-1 (A-1M) fighter jet to the Brazilian Air Force at its industrial plant in Gavião Peixoto. The A-1M programme provides for refurbishing and modernising 43 subsonic AMX jets, 16 of which are already at the company’s facilities.

GE Aviation

GE Aviation has begun testing on its new composite fan blades for the GE9X, the next-generation GE90 engine that will power Boeing’s 777X aircraft. This validation test is the first of several testing programmes GE has planned this year for the GE9X fan module.

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News Digest QuickRoundUp

General Atomics

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has been awarded a cost-plus-incentive fee, option eligible, multi-year contract with a cumulative maximum value of $3,04,81,905 for one MQ-1C Gray Eagle composite maintenance system trainer (CMST) suite of equipment with an option for Interim Contractor Support for one CMST suite of equipment.

Honeywell

Russian airlines Aeroflot and UTair and aircraft leasing firm Aviation Capital Services have ordered a total of 126 avionics suites from Honeywell Aerospace for installation on their latest fleets. Honeywell’s avionics suites feature the latest systems to maximise safety, increase passenger comfort and reduce pilot workload.

Israel Aerospace Industries

AMOS-4 communication satellites built by Israel Aerospace Industries for Spacecom, has been successfully launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, aboard a ZENIT 3SLB launcher. During the coming three weeks, AMOS-4 will continue its transfer orbit until arriving at 67.250 East, where In Orbit Test will be conducted before continuing to its designated permanent service location at 650 East.

tions of the Gulf. The Type 45 destroyer provides a complementary service to the highly manoeuvrable and effective Typhoon fast jet combat aircraft. The US Air Force joint surveillance target attack radar system (JSTARS) was used to cue the fighters onto their targets. The US surveillance jet fed information directly into Dragon’s operations room, allowing the destroyer to cue fighter jets—US Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets, US Air Force F-15 Strike Eagles and the Typhoons of Dragon’s affiliated RAF unit.

State support crucial for Russian aircraft industry – Medvedev

“State support is crucial for Russia’s modern aircraft industry,” Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on August 27 at a congress held as part of the MAKS-2013 Air Show. “I think the main thing today is to ensure stable consumer demand for aircraft makers and help them reach the needed production volumes and profitability on already started projects as soon as possible and create the necessary safety margin for developing and launching new high-tech products.”

AgustaWestland AW609 TiltRotor Aerodynamic improvements

L-3 Communications

L-3 Communications has announced that its MAS division has been awarded a contract from the Government of Canada to provide complete in-service support services for the country’s fleet of CC-150 aircraft. The five-year contract with two five-year option periods, has a total potential value of $669 million.

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has been awarded a not-to-exceed $85,22,98,021 undefinitised modification to the previously awarded contract for the procurement of special tooling and special test equipment for the US Navy, the US Air Force and the international partners, which is critical to preserving the current F-35 delivery schedules and meeting future production rates. Work is expected to be completed in December 2016.

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation has announced a revamped schedule of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) programme. First flight is slated for 2Q CY2015, with first delivery in 2Q CY2017 against the original programme in which the first flight was scheduled for 4Q CY2013, and first delivery between summer CY2015 and 1Q CY2016; a delay of about two years.

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AgustaWestland is flight testing a number of aerodynamic improvements that will boost the performance of the AW609 TiltRotor. Recently, AgustaWestland undertook the first flight of a modified vertical tail fin on AW609 TiltRotor prototype #2 at its Cascina Costa flight test facility in Italy. The modified vertical fin is one part of an extensive package of product improvements which also include a new more aerodynamic design for the engine exhaust nozzles and changes to the prop-rotor spinner cones.

Together, these modifications reduce the drag factor of the AW609 TiltRotor by approximately 10 per cent, as well as delivering a significant weight reduction, with a resulting performance increase.

An upgraded version of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engine is being used on the AW609 TiltRotor, Rockwell Collins is supplying a fully integrated cockpit, BAE

ISSUE 9 • 2013

Show Calendar 1–3 October AIRCRAFT INTERIORS EXPO-AMERICAS Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA, USA www.aircraftinteriorsexpo-us.com 6–10 October ICASM 2013 (International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine) Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem, Israel www.icasm2013.org 9–11 October Military Helicopter India The Oberoi, New Delhi, India www.militaryhelicopterindia.com

Systems is providing an upgraded flight control computer.

Forecast International projections of military aircraft 2013-22

According to FI’s Platinum 2.0 Forecast System, about 11,940 military aircraft, worth an estimated $480 billion, will roll off production lines during the 2013-22 period. Yearly production will peak at 1,367 units in 2014, drop to a low of 1,095 in 2018, and then rise slightly to 1,122 by 2020 before tapering off for the remainder of the period. Rotorcraft will account for 52 per cent of all units produced during the 2013-22 time frame, with fixed-wing aircraft accounting for the remaining 48 per cent. However, in terms of value of production, the more expensive fixed-wing group will outpace the rotorcraft segment by a wide margin over the 10-year timeframe: 72 per cent to 28 per cent.

INDUSTRY Asia-Pacific Russia and China to develop new airliner

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has stated that Russia and China plan to collaborate on developing a wide-body long-haul passenger airliner. The project is only financially viable as collaboration, as Airbus and Boeing already account for 80 per cent of Russia’s long-range passenger aircraft market, Rogozin said. He offered no indication of the project’s current status, only saying that Russian aircraft design bureau chiefs were due to meet soon to discuss it. The future airliner must not be a “blind copy of Airbus and Boeing,” Rogozin said. Russia

www.spsaviation.net

News Digest appointments

DRDO

DRDO has appointed seven Directors General for seven different clusters of DRDO. While Dr K. Tamil Mani has been appointed as Director General - Aeronautical Systems (Aero), S.S. Sundaram has been appointed as Director General-Electronics & Communication Systems (ECS). Both the Director Generals are based in Bengaluru. The other DGs are: S. Sundaresh, Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller R&D (PC & SI), Director General - Armament & Combat Engineering Systems (ACE); Dr V.G. Sekaran, Distinguished Scientist, Director General - Missiles and Strategic Systems (MSS); Dr V. Bhujanga Rao, Distinguished Scientist, Director General - Naval Systems and Materials (NS & M); Dr K.D. Nayak, Distinguished Scientist, Director General - Micro Electronic Devices & Computational Systems (MED & CoS) and Dr Manas K. Mandal, Outstanding Scientist, Director General-Life Sciences (LS).

Northrop Grumman

Brian E. Chappel has been appointed Vice President and Program Manager for the Northrop Grumman Corporation F-35 Lightning II programme.

Northrop Grumman has appointed Robert Hosozawa as Vice President Business Management for Integrated Logistics and Modernisation Division of the company’s Technical Services sector.

Harvey Nathan has been appointed Assistant General Counsel, Government Contracts and Government Relations.

UTC

United Technologies Corporation has announced Paul R. Adams as Chief Operating Officer of Pratt & Whitney.

Rockwell Collins

Rockwell Collins’ board of directors has elected company President Kelly Ortberg, to the additional role of CEO.

and China could also start developing and manufacturing a new heavy-lift helicopter with capacity double that of the Mi-26, the

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QuickRoundUp

He succeeds Clay Jones.

Harris

Harris Corporation has announced that Vyomesh I. Joshi has been elected to its Board of Directors.

Northrop Grumman

The Northrop Grumman Corporation-built MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter has surpassed 5,000 flight hours while providing critical surveillance capabilities to field commanders in Afghanistan.

Gulfstream

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation has named William Brown III as Director of Global Security.

The company has appointed William Gibson as Director, Product Support Global Distribution.

Pratt & Whitney

The US Department of Defense and Pratt & Whitney have reached an agreement in principle for a production contract for the sixth lot of F135 propulsion systems to power the F-35 Lightning II, which continues a reduction in costs associated with engine production.

General Dynamics

Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland

The Board of Directors of General Dynamics has elected James N. Mattis as the Director of the corporation.

Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland have announced that they have signed a Heads of Agreement at the MAKS 2013 air show defining the joint design and development programme for a new 2.5-tonne class single-engine helicopter. The programme, first announced by the partners in summer 2012, is intended to be shared on a 50/50 basis, with the new helicopter being designed for the worldwide market and a wide range of applications.

Cessna

Cessna Aircraft Company has appointed Lannie O’Bannion as Regional Vice President of Sales for the Midwestern US and Canada.

The company has announced new leadership appointments positively impacting the company’s Citation business jets. Bob King has been named business leader for the Mustang, M2, CJ2+, CJ3 and CJ4 aircraft and Brian Rohloff has been named Vice President of Quality.

Sukhoi

During the MAKS 2013 Air Show, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company and Ilyushin Finance Co have signed two firm contracts for the delivery of 20 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft.

Textron

CAE USA

CAE has named Raymond Duquette as President and General Manager of CAE USA.

Textron Defense Systems, has been awarded a $64,07,86,442 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for 1,300 cluster bomb units for Saudi Arabia under FMS. Work is expected to be completed by December 31, 2015.

BAE

UAC

BAE Systems, Inc. has appointed Joanna Cangianelli as Vice president of I&S Business Development and Manish Parikh as Vice President of I&S Strategy and Emerging Markets.

The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the Russian Defense Ministry have signed a 80 billion ruble ($2.5 billion) contract for the servicing of aircraft, avionics and related equipment. The contract, the largest so far, was signed in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the MAKS 2013-Airshow. UAC President Mikhail Pogosyan said that the corporation’s current portfolio of orders for the Defense Ministry was for over 300 planes while the total volume of orders as part of the state arms procurement program would be about 600 aircraft.

Boeing

Boeing has appointed Dennis Swanson to the expanded role of Vice President for Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) in India. Swanson will be based in New Delhi.

USAF

Deputy Prime Minister said. The Mi-26 is the world’s largest and most powerful helicopter, with a payload of up to 20 tonnes. •

An F-35 Lightning II carrier variant refuelled from a US Air Force KC-135 for the first time. With the completion of this test, the F-35C joins the A and B models in proving that all three variants of the F-35 can be refuelled from a common tanker platform, despite different methods.

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Last word

Illustration: Anoop Kamath

a Rising Star The announcement on September 19, 2013, that Tata foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 49 per cent by airlines Sons, a renowned business house in India, has signed a memo- abroad into Indian carriers, opening the way for the former randum of understanding (MoU) with Singapore Airlines (SIA) to penetrate into the Indian market. It has indeed been a to set up a full-service carrier in India as a joint venture, sur- game-changing decision as it will inspire foreign carriers to prised the nation in different ways. As for the air traveller who explore opportunities in India which is perceived to be stratehas been somewhat dismayed by the painful demise of King- gically positioned in a region that has the potential for healthy fisher Airlines, it is certainly something to cheer about. How- growth in the civil aviation industry. Operating both a low-cost ever, this move would have driven a chill down the collective and a full service carrier together, both with formidable partspine of not only the Indian legacy and low-cost carriers but nership arrangements and with international reach, the two even of the foreign carriers who virtually dominate the Indian airlines set up as joint ventures by the Tata Group, should be skies and command a sizeable market here. Perhaps the only at an advantage and ought to be able to capture a respectable airline in India that will remain complacent and indifferent market share in a short span of time. However, it is not yet to this development is the national flag carrier Air India that the time to open the champagne bottle as the MoU is only the remains fully secured through a government-sponsored life- first baby step. One ought not to be surprised if the stakeholdsupport system. While Tata’s joint venture with AirAsia to set up ers in AirAsia are not comfortable with their major partner Tata Sons joining hands a low-cost carrier has been with another high profile in the public domain since international carrier such February this year and its as SIA and emerging on formal launch is awaited the scene as their stroneagerly at least by the travgest competitor. Tata Sons elling public, plans of the would have to take into Tata Group for a full-service consideration such apprecarrier was such a closely hensions and sentiments guarded secret that even of all the stakeholders and the Minster of Civil Aviaevolve a business model tion Ajit Singh, as admitwherein the two joint vented by him publicly, learnt tures synergise their stratabout it through a courtesy egies and complement call from Ratan Tata on the rather than compete with day the announcement was each other. made. Nothing unusual, The Tata-SIA joint venas the top echelons in any ture which is yet to be organisation are generally ascribed a formal identity, the last to know! will have to negotiate a Planned to be New Delhi labyrinthine maze of probased and with an investWhile entry of Tata-SIA would have the potential cedural and bureaucratic ment of $100 million, Tata of creating a major upheaval in the Indian airline impediments before the Sons would hold controlfirst commercial flight ling stake of 51 per cent in industry, this development which has undoubtedly takes to the sky. AirAsia the new joint venture. It is come as a pleasant surprise, will only be to the benefit India has been in the news evident that Ratan Tata has of the travelling public in India for nearly eight months got over his apprehension now and yet there is lack about the Indian civil aviaof certainty about the time tion market being vitiated frame for the commenceby “unhealthy competition”.

The House of the Tatas is not new to civil aviation. The first ment of operations. As per reports in the media, AirAsia is attempt in 1995 by the Tata Group to enter the Indian airline unlikely to meet the December 2013 target for launch. While industry jointly with SIA, was stubbornly opposed by the newly Tata Sons would be quite familiar with the insensitive and established domestic private carriers in India that were strug- unresponsive government machinery in India and may take gling to survive in a hostile and crippling business environment. the agonising delay in their stride, SIA may find the experience The second similar attempt in 2001 was once again success- unbearably frustrating. Hopefully, SIA will not disappoint the fully thwarted by vested interests that apparently prevailed travelling public in India.

While entry of Tata-SIA would have the potential of creating upon the government to change the policy prohibiting foreign airlines from investing in Indian carriers. Ironically, the spear- a major upheaval in the Indian airline industry, this develophead of opposition at that time was an Indian carrier that had ment which has undoubtedly come as a pleasant surprise, will itself been established through funding by airlines based in the only be to the benefit of the travelling public in India. SP Middle East!

Exactly a year ago, the Government of India permitted —By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

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ISSUE 9 • 2013

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EmbraerCommercialAviation.com

Continuous improvement.

Continued.

The newly enhanced E175. It’s the result of our commitment to continuous improvement of our E-Jets family. This ongoing optimization of an already successful platform is our way of ensuring best-in-class performance gets even better. Lower fuel burn, longer service intervals, lower noise levels, upgraded avionics, and an even more refined cabin combine to keep us well ahead of any competitor — which means the E175 history of success is a story to be continued.

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