Bangalore: Tata Group chairman, Ratan Tata, who is a keen aviation enthusiast, is not a man to miss Aero India and will fly in Boeing’s fighter jet F/A-18 Super Hornet on Thursday at the biennial event.
Asia’s biggest air show, Aero India 2011, started on February 9 and will continue till February 13 at Air Force Station, Yelahanka.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet is in the race for supplying 126 Medium-Multirole Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA) to the Indian Air Force under a 10.8 billion dollars deal expected to be signed in the next financial year.
Tata was among the guests during the inauguration ceremony of Aero India 2011. He was quite impressed by India’s own light combat aircraft’s fly-past and manouveres.
Previously, Ratan Tata has flown the fighter plane at the Aero India Air Show in 2009.
10/02/11 ANI/Economic Times
Archive for February, 2011
Ratan Tata to fly F/A-18 Super Hornet at Aero India
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Super Hornet, Tata, US
APAC a huge market, says Gulfstream
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Business Jets, Gulfstream, US
Chennai/ Bangalore: Luxury business jet manufacturers Gulfstream, today said the demand for business jets in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is witnessing a huge growth. The company also believes that the economic growth of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries in the global business arena will act as a catalyst for its revenue growth.
“We are seeing a huge demand for business jets in APAC region and our share in this region has also grown,†said Roger Sperry, senior vice-president, international sales, Gulfstream.
According to the US-based company, the share of APAC region to its sales at the end of the year 2009 was around 12 per cent while it was around 7 per cent in 2007.
The number of Gulfstream aircraft in India region also grew significantly from five in 2001 to 20 in 2010. The company has sold around 139 aircraft in the APAC region till the end of 2010.
“During the financial crisis there was a drop in our sales and revenue. We are witnessing a recovery and the demand has gone up especially in the large-cabin aircraft segment,†Sperry said.
Gulfstream has seen a surge in orders in the previous year and has bagged 200 orders for the new $64.5 million worth G650 aeroplane. Gulfstream also expects to produce 90 large-cabin jets and 15-20 mid-cabin jets in the current year.
10/02/11 Business Standard
Bell Helicopter delivers first 429 into India
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Bell, Bell 429, Span Air, US
Bell Helicopter has announced the first delivery of a Bell 429 helicopter to a customer in India. The announcement took place at the biennial Aero India air show where the company has the aircraft on display.
The customer, Span Air, is headquartered in New Delhi and is one of the region’s most prominent air charter operators, offering a mix of jets and Bell helicopters.
The addition of the new Bell 429 to Span Air’s fleet will allow the operator to offer customers superior speed and range, the ability to land in remote areas, along with an expansive and impeccably-appointed cabin.
“In every way, the acquisition of the Bell 429 for operations in India makes excellent business sense,†said Capt. Sudhir Malik, COO, Span Air. “The aircraft’s performance capabilities make it ideal for the challenging operating environment presented by India’s weather and geography.
The 429 is also equipped with all the latest safety features and offers the legendary reliability of Bell helicopters, something we have already experienced with our other Bell aircraft.â€
The Bell 429, the world’s newest and most advanced light twin-engine helicopter, has been designed, built and certified to the most stringent airworthiness standards.
09/02/11 Shephard
Russia introduces new helicopters to Indian aviation market
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Ka-32A11BC, Russia
Russian Helicopters, the subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation Oboronprom, presented its lineup at the 8th International Exhibition on Aerospace, Defence & Civil Aviation Aero India 2011 – the premier air show in the region.
The exposition at Stand A 26 showcased the light multi-role Ka-226T, medium civil Mi-17 helicopters, the all-weather Ka-32A11BC, heavy Mi-26T2, and the Mi-28NE – the export variation of the cutting-edge Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter that is in service with the Russian Army.
Several contracts were signed with Indian civil helicopter operators in 2010, for the delivery of 4 Mi-172 and 2 Ka-32A11BC helicopters. They will be delivered in 2011-2012. The Mi-172 is already certificated in India. The Ka-32A11BC also recently received certification in December 2010. It was certificated by EASA in 2009.
The multi-role ??-32?11?? will make its debut in the region. The machines on display at the Air Show are being acquired by Global Vectra Helicorp. The company is planning to use them for cargo transportation and construction work in the civil segment. The first Ka-32A11BC is scheduled for delivery to India in 2011, and the second in 2012.
As of today, Russian Helicopters is the only official supplier of Russian civil helicopters to India; military helicopters are supplied by FSUE Rosoboronexport.
09/02/11 Shephard
After high-end cars, take a look at little luxury jets
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Luxury Jets
If you have personal financial holdings of over Rs4.56 crore or $1 million — a high net worth individual (HNWI) — then Brazil’s leading commercial jet exporter, Embraer, is interested in you as a potential customer to buy its light executive jets, Phenom-100s and Phenom-300s.
Of course, there are no names given, nor have the company officials even revealed whether any of India’s HNWIs have approached them for enquiries at the five-day Aero India 2011 on its opening day on Wednesday. But the timing of this company to push sales of these two light executive jets to India’s ultra rich could not have been better.
Several states in India are looking at developing smaller airports that could cater to people hopping between destinations just 200 km apart. Karnataka government has plans to develop airports every 150km apart. Land acquisition has already begun in Bijapur, Bellary, Shimoga and Belgaum among others to develop such airports.
Moreover, according to a global wealth report released by Merril Lynch Wealth Management and Capgemini, Indian high net worth individual population has grown 50.9% year-on-year to 1,26,700 in 2009 (globally, it’s just 17.1%), and it has not declined.
This means there are more individuals with the purchasing power to pick up executive jets in the luxury category (collectively or individually) in India than ever before.
Embraer is eyeing this segment to make the most now.
10/02/11 Nirad Mudur/Daily News & Analysis
BAE Displays Model of Navalized Typhoon for India
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: BAE, Typhoon, UK
Bangalore: BAE Systems responded to an Indian Navy request for information on a new naval fighter last year with an offer based on the Typhoon combat jet.
BAE Systems responded to an Indian Navy request for information on a new naval fighter with an offer based on the Typhoon combat jet.
At the Aero India 2011 show, which opened here Feb. 9, the company took the wraps off what it thinks an Indian naval Typhoon might look like. The design may be aimed squarely at the Indians, but with questions still being asked by some sections of the U.K. government over the price of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), which is destined to equip a new Royal Navy aircraft carrier, the re-emergence of the naval Typhoon was a reminder options do exist.
Asked about the naval Typhoon at the show, Peter Luff, the British defense minister visiting Aero India in support of London’s increasing export drive, ruled out interest in any platform other than the Joint Strike Fighter.
Paul Hopkins, BAE’s vice president of air business development, said the work done on the naval Typhoon was solely geared toward the Indian Navy.
That said, the previous Labour administration eyed a navalized Typhoon as a possible plan B during negotiations with the U.S. over JSF technology transfer, and some of the work supporting the Indian request for information stems from that period.
Pictures displayed by BAE showed an aircraft model with a number of modifications compared to the land-based Typhoon being offered to the Indian Air Force in a contest to provide a medium, multirole combat aircraft. Most obvious is the conformal tanks and thrust vectoring nozzles, but other more subtle changes included a beefed-up undercarriage, some strengthening of the airframe and other requirements needed to take Typhoon to sea.
09/02/11 Andrew Chuter/Defense News
Light Combat Aircraft’s naval variant to be ready by May
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence, LCA, LCA NPT1
Bangalore: The first flight of the naval version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is expected to take place by May this year.
The Naval Prototype-1 (NPT1), which was rolled out last year, is undergoing integration tests in Bangalore.
Cmde (Retd) CD Balaji, project director LCA Navy, said integration tests are on and the aircraft is currently suspended on bungee cords for undergoing a series of tests.
Following this, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the nodal agency for the design and development of the LCA programme, is expected to start the aircraft engine for testing.
A series of ground tests followed by taxi trails will precede the first flight which is expected in May.
As part of the Aircraft Carrier Capability Testing (CCT), ADA will also have to carry trails at the Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) which is currently being built at the Naval Air Station in Goa. The SBTF replicates an aircraft carrier having Restraining gear and Ski-jump for take-off.
10/02/11 Hemanth CS/Daily News & Analysis
Italian airplanes at “Aero India 2011” with Piaggio Aero
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Italy, P-180 Avanti II
Bangalore: Piaggio Aero Industries, the Italian manufacturer based in Genoa, unveils that it will attend the eighth edition of “Aero India 2011”, the international exhibition organized by the local Ministry of Defence and the Confederation of Indian Industry, CII, which opens today in Bangalore, India
There will also be present, together with Piaggio, also Taj Air, a company of Tata Group, which has a shares in Piaggio Aero Industries SpA, which works closely with the industry of Liguria, being since 2008 its first service center in India, distributing the P-180 Avanti II aircraft in several Countries, including India and Nepal.
The P-180 Avanti II has a three bearing surface configuration, allowing a total wing area 34% lower than a traditional design and is the only aircraft in its segment, between the turboprop and business jets, to be equipped with a stand-up cabin with a height of 1.75 meters.
10/02/11 Avionews
Decision on $10.4 bn combat jet order likely by September
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence, MMRCA
Bangalore: India would take a decision on a $10.4 billion order for 126 combat jets by mid-2011 or latest by September, a top commander said Wednesday.
Releasing the AeroIndia special edition of India Strategic defence magazine (www.indiastrategic.in) on the opening day of the international air show here, the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, said that the evaluation process of the six aircraft in contention was proceeding satisfactorily and that he expected the decision by the middle of this year, or latest by August or September.
The IAF had completed the technical trials and submitted the report on time, and the process of evaluating the Transfer of Technology, Offsets and pricing aspects was moving forward in the defence ministry appropriately, and he expected commercial negotiations also to begin very soon.
09/02/11 IANS/Sify
Breathtaking manoeuvres are missing this year, rue visitors
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Aerobatics
There were heart-stopping moments. These were interspersed with heart-dropping moments as well. The eighth edition of Bangalore’s flagship event, Aero India 2011, opened to mixed reactions. The first-timers sat with their hearts in their mouths. But those who had seen Aero India before and enjoyed all that, said that the manoeuvres were not enough.
But everyone sat with their eyes glued to the skies as Surya Kirans, Tejas and Grippens soared in the skies and matched the sweltering sun rays with their aerobatics.
The inaugural show had the VVIPs from the armed forces, those holding high posts in the aviation industry and the aviation enthusiasts in full attendance. Ratan Tata was spotted among the guests and so was minister Shobha Karandlaje.
Metrolife interacted with the people at the show and asked them what impressed them the most. Many spoke about the variety of aircraft while others picked out the manoeuvres that they particularly liked and wished they could see them all over again.
The many press releases being passed around were proof that several business deals had been struck on the opening day and the exhibition stalls too seemed to have visitors trooping in through the day.
09/02/11 Nina C George/Deccan Herald
Parajumpers make a 7,500-ft landing
Published February 10, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Parajumping
“Chhatri maata ki jai!” That was their last cry as they jumped out of the MI-8 helicopter flying at 7,500 feet above the ground. The 14-member Akash Ganga parajumping troop of the Indian Air Force (IAF) made a spectacular landing at Aero India 2011 here on Wednesday.
Wing Commander A Marwah, 49, was the first to land on the ground after manoeuvring a three-minute ride through the clear sky. The first 30 seconds was complete free fall, a fling down at 120 miles/hour. “We enjoyed it completely. It was my best jump so far,” Marwah told The Times of India.
This avid parachutist, presently serving DRDO, has been into aero stunts for the past 21 years now.
He was up there, gliding through the few birds and clear sky. But what caught his attention during the entire stunt was the view of the roads and vehicles below. “I could see the traffic piled up on the road. Coming down, it felt like I was landing into a chaotic zone, and I must admit that at one point, I even wondered if my stunt would be visible to all at the venue.
10/02/11 Aarthi R/Times of India
Boeing to showcase its advanced Super Hornet fighter at Aero India
Published February 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Boeing, Defence, Super Hornet, US
Bangalore: US Defence major Boeing will unveil an advanced version of its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft here at the biennial Aero India show starting Thursday.
“We are going to display a mock up of the Super Hornet international roadmap aircraft at the air show,” Boeing Defence, Space and Security India head Vivek Lall said here.
The International Super Hornet Roadmap features futuristic enhancements made in the aircraft for international customers and would also allow them to specify their requirements to be equipped in their fighters.
The Super Hornet is in the race for supplying 126 Medium-Multirole Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA) to the Indian Air Force under a USD 11 billion deal expected to be signed by the end of this year.
The unveiling of the International Super Hornet Roadmap aircraft at the Aero India also signifies the importance attached to India by Boeing, Lall said.
The company has been developing the advanced aircraft for the last two years and has plans to provide a next-generation cockpit, a more powerful engine, missile laser warning systems, conformal fuel tanks and enclosed weapons pods.
09/02/11 PTI/Times of India
Air India to get Boeing 787 by fourth quarter of 2011
Published February 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Air India, B787, Defence, US
Aircraft major Boeing today announced Air India would receive the delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the firm’s most fuel efficient carrier, in the fourth quarter of 2011.
The Air India delivery would follow the first delivery to Japanese airline Air Nippon Airways, slated for the third quarter of this year, Boeing India President Dinesh Keskar said here. The project to deliver the commercial jets is almost three years behind schedule.
The company would deliver a total of 27 Boeing 787s, a midsized aircraft, to Air India and 10 to Jet Airways.
However, he refused to specify the time frame for the remaining deliveries.
He said Jet Airways will have to wait for the delivery as the airline had placed its orders much after Air India.
“The 787 is a game changer and will give our customers an advantage,†he said on the sidelines of the Aero India 2011.
09/02/11 PTI/The Hindu
Boeing to Deliver Dreamliner to Air India by December
Published February 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: B787, Boeing, US
Bangalore: Boeing Co. said Wednesday it will deliver the first of the 27 Dreamliner aircraft ordered by national carrier Air India in the October-December quarter, a delay of nearly two years from the original schedule of late 2009.
Air India ordered the Dreamliners as part of a $15 billion 111-aircraft order to Boeing and its rival Airbus in 2005. According to the initial delivery schedule, Air India should have received 20 Dreamliners by now and is estimated to have lost 60 billion rupees ($1.32 billion) in revenue due to the delays, an executive at the airline said recently.
Dinesh Keskar, Boeing India’s president, declined to comment on the compensation the U.S. company may have to pay to Air India due to the delay in deliveries.
Boeing had on Jan. 18 said it now plans to deliver its first Dreamliner sometime in the third quarter of this year to Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co. The Dreamliner program is already three years behind schedule, after being pushed back several times due to various technical issues.
09/02/11 Santanu Choudhury/Wall Street Journal
HAL, CAE open helicopter simulator centre
Published February 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: CAE, HAL, Simulator
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and Canadian flight simulator producer CAE have formed a joint venture helicopter simulation facility in Bangalore.
The two companies are equal shareholders in the $64 million Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF), says joint venture CEO CD Upadhyay. Of the start-up funding 30% came from the two partners, and 70% from debt.
The main training facility of HATSOFF is a roll on-roll off full motion level D simulator, certified to EASA standards. Different cockpit modules to be interchanged in the simulator.
The only module now present is for the Bell 412EP. A module for the HAL Dhruv advanced light helicopter has been developed, and will be ready for training both civilian and military pilots from 1 May. A module for the Eurocopter Dauphin 365N3 will ready by July 2011, and a module for the weaponised Drhuv by March 2012, says HATSOFF.
09/02/11 Greg Waldron/Flight Global
Tejas to be inducted into IAF by next year
Published February 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence, Tejas
Bangalore: The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ will be inducted into the Indian Air Force by 2012 and its advanced version will be ready for operational service by the end of 2015.
“LCA Tejas Mk-I would be ready for induction by 2012. The LCA Mk-II would take another three years and would be inducted by 2015,” Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters here today.
Last month, the Tejas had moved a step closer to its induction after it was granted the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) by the Indian Air Force.
Asked about the possible induction date of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), Antony said, “All the difficulties related to the aircraft were over and the preliminary design Contract has also been signed. We hope it will be inducted by 2017.”
Dismissing reports about US offer to India for joining the American fifth generation fighter aircraft programme, the Defence Minister said a decision in this regard has already been taken and there was no question on going back on the deal with Russia in this regard.
09/02/11 PTI/Economic Times
US firms to explore tie-ups with DRDO, HAL
Published February 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence, HAL, US
Bangalore: A US business delegation, including firms keen on the defence, space and communication sectors, is here to explore opportunities for tie-ups with institutions like DRDO and ISRO during the AeroIndia international air show beginning Wednesday.
Led by US commerce secretary Gary Locke, the delegation’s efforts come after the US recently removed India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from the entity list that bans hi-tech exports.
In a clear shift in the economic ties between the two countries after US President Barack Obama’s visit to India last November, 24 companies are in Bangalore to hold discussions with DRDO’s laboratories and defence production unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on trade possibilities in defence, space and communication technologies.
Locke, who arrived here on Tuesday, told reporters that the American business delegation was here “to explore opportunities” with DRDO and HAL.
“The removal of these laboratories and institutions from the entity list, we believe, is a huge symbol of enhanced cooperation between the two countries,” he said while replying to a question in this regard.
09/02/11 IANS/Times of India
In Bangalore, Air Show is all about sell, sell, sell
Published February 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence
Bangalore:Â Even by big catch standards, this is a bit of a Godzilla. The Indian Air Force is looking for 126 fighter jets – a deal that could be worth 11.5 billion dollars. For the next four days, aviation companies from around the world will try their best to hit that jackpot.
But that isn’t the only deal worth lusting after at Aero India 2011, which began today at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bangalore.
The Indian Air Force is also looking to strike a deal to replace its aging Cheetah helicopters with up to 197 new choppers.
There’s pending business too. The Air Force is acquiring 22 advance attack helicopters, replacing its transport fleet, co-producing a stealth fighter with Russia and producing an indigenous medium combat aircraft with stealth features.
Countries like the US will try to leverage their strategic relationship with India to corner deals, but the government has made it clear that all major defence purchases will depend on the merits of the aircraft under consideration and the costs.
It’s not just military aviation that has drawn 70,000 business visitors. All major civil aviation players see India as a boom story.
09/02/11 NDTV
Eurofighter reveals offer to produce navalised Typhoon
Published February 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: Defence, Eurofighter, Europe, Typhoon
The Eurofighter consortium is offering India the opportunity to acquire a new version of its Typhoon for use from a future indigenous aircraft carrier, with the first firm details of the proposal having emerged at the show.
One of six contenders battling for the Indian air force’s 126-aircraft medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal, Eurofighter is here touting the potential of a navalised development which has already been studied in detail in the UK.
“If Typhoon wins MMRCA then India will have the indigenous skills to develop a navalised version,” says Paul Hopkins, BAE Systems’ vice-president business development (air) India. “This is a perfect opportunity for the nation to add aircraft with both land and sea capabilities.”
Being shown in model form for the first time this week, the European type would receive several new features to support its proposed life at sea. These include a new, stronger landing gear, a modified arrestor hook and thrust-vectoring control nozzles for its two Eurojet EJ200 turbofan engines. The latter would enable the fighter to approach the vessel at a reduced speed without restricting pilot vision by requiring an increased angle of attack.
Eurofighter says only localised strengthening would be required on some fuselage sections near the landing gear, and to the EJ200. Conformal fuel tanks could also be integrated with the airframe to extend the strike aircraft’s range.
09/02/11 Craig Hoyle/Flight Global
