Aviation AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION · Issue 6 • 2010 SP’S AVIATION 1 FIRST 8 F ast Flight M Y AR ILIT 14 Industry US Aerospace M ajors 18 Industry Flawless First Flight CIVIL 26

AviationNews Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India.

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ANEWINDIA

JUNE • 2010

US Aerospace Majors

Maiden Official Flight of LCH Regional

Aviation Gets a Boost

French Naval Air Show

AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION

FACE OF

Issue 6 • 2010 SP’S AVIATION 1

FIRST

8 Fast Flight

MILITARY

14 Industry US Aerospace Majors

18 Industry Flawless First Flight

CIVIL

26 Regional Aviation Off the Beaten Track

TECH WATCH

9 – Gearing up for Flight Tests

– Miniature Gyro

EXPERTSPEAK

22 Much Ado About Table Tops

VIEWPOINT

24 – When positive landings are hard, negative landings soft...

– ... a good landing is neither, but one that’s correct

FLAWLESS FIRST FLIGHTIndia’s aerospace industry

crossed a significant milestone in its march towards self-

reliance when the first prototype of the five tonne class LCH, designed and developed by

HAL, was unveiled

Cover Photo: The finishing work and trials in progress at

Terminal-3 which was inaugurated on July 3 by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Photo Credit: Express Photo

•

INDUSTRY

29 OEM

‘MBDA is Seeing India as the Fifth Pillar of its Structure after the Four Domestic Countries (UK, France, Italy and Germany)’

34 US’ JCA PROGRAMME

Perfect for Diverse Missions

SHOW REPORT

32 French Naval Aviation

Journey of Hundred Years

HALL OF FAME

35 Raymonde De Laroche

REGULAR DEPARTMENTS

5 A Word from Editor

6 NewsWithViews

- Agni-II Successfully Test Fired

- Dealing With Maoist/Naxal

Menace

10 InFocus

Is more FDI the Solution?

11 Forum

A Win-Win Situation

36 NewsDigest

40 LastWord

Managing Indian Skies

TABLE of CONTENTSISSUE 6 • 2010

AviationSP’s

News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India.

AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION

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Financing

Special Report

The state-of-the-art integrated terminal, called T3, of IGIA in New Delhi is the world’s third-largest, after Dubai and Beijing, in terms of size. Read SP’s Aviation’s July 2010 issue for a detailed coverage

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2 SP’S AVIATION Issue 6 • 2010 www.spsaviation.net

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jayant Baranwal

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Subir Ghosh

SENIOR VISITING EDITOR

Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

SENIOR TECHNICAL GROUP EDITORS

Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand

COPY EDITOR

Sucheta Das Mohapatra

ASSISTANT CORRESPONDENT

Abhay Singh Thapa

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Abhishek Singh

SUB-EDITOR

Bipasha Roy

CONTRIBUTORS

INDIA

Air Marshal (Retd) N. Menon

Group Captain (Retd) A.K. Sachdev

Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha

EUROPE

Alan Peaford, Phil Nasskau,

Rob Coppinger

USA & CANADA

Sushant Deb, LeRoy Cook, Lon Nordeen,

Anil R. Pustam (West Indies)

CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR

Jayant Baranwal

ADMIN & COORDINATION

Bharti Sharma

Survi Massey

Owned, published and printed by Jayant Baranwal, printed at

Kala Jyothi Process Pvt Ltd and published at A-133, Arjun Nagar

(Opposite Defence Colony), New Delhi 110 003, India. All rights

reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,

photocopying, recording, electronic, or otherwise without prior written permission

of the Publishers.

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18 Flawless First Flight of LCH

34C-27J JCA fleet logs 1,000 flight hours

14 US Aerospace Majors

Towards a safer world.

TRULY TACTICALThe C-27J is the true, modern and effective tactical airlifter available anywhere in the world. Whether in operationalareas or in disaster relief, the Spartan offers unique qualities not found in aircraft derived from commercial turboprops.Excellent handling, advanced systems and superior safety levels further enhance the C-27J capabilities.

Making Ideas Fly

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ALE C27J 210x267 ING_2010:ALE C27J 210x267 ING_2010 15-04-2010 13:23 Pagina 2

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DOES THE OPENING OF T3 TERMINAL SHOW THE PROGRESS INDIA IS MAKING? Yes No Don’t Know

Join the poll and comment

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A Word from Editor


Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said

at the inauguration: “An airport is often the first

introduction to a country. A good airport will signal a new India, committed to

joining the ranks of modern industrialised nations.”

Jayant Baranwal

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

India’s biggest public building, the Rs 12,700 crore terminal at Indira Gandhi international airport in Delhi, opened on July 3. The steel and glass ter-minal, being called Terminal 3 (T3), is expected to handle 34 million passengers a year. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at the inauguration: “An air-

port is often the first introduction to a country. A good air-port will signal a new India, committed to joining the ranks of modern industrialised nations.” The airport terminal “highlights our country’s resolve to bridge the infrastructure deficiencies in our country,” Singh said.

Everyone, and not just people in the aviation industry, has been taken in by the T3 phenomenon. We would also lik to congratulate the GMR group over this tehnical marvel. Just saying “kudos” probably is not enough. We will take you on a tour of the swanky T3 in our next issue. But there’s enough for you to read between the covers this time.

If your mindspace is still occupied by the T3, you would feel proud of another achievement for the Indian aero-space industry. The special report ‘Flawless First Flight’ is about the industry crossing a significant milestone with the unveiling of the first prototype of the five tonne class light combat helicopter (LCH). If the flight-testing which would involve more than 500 flights, progresses without major glitches, the initial operational clearance can be achieved by 2013 and an in-service induction the following year.

While there have been much to cheer over indigenous efforts, there is an urgent need to have a vibrant defence industry within India to produce state-of-the-art defence equipment. ‘Is more FDI the solution?’ rues the fact that the Indian defence industry still contributes only 30 per cent in meeting the requirements of defence equipment, while nearly 70 per cent continues to be imported. The Forum article ‘A win-win situation’ joins the issue, and goes on the concur that establishing a sound defence manufacturing sector with the help of foreign investors could also lead the country to finally get into the global export market as well.

With India being an attractive market, MBDA, world lead-er in missiles and missiles systems, has been eyeing India as its fifth pillar after its current partnet countries France, UK, Italy and Germany. Included in this issue is an in-depth interview with Loic Piedevache, the MBDA Group’s country head, on the company’s plans to build a reliable, strategic and long-term partnership in India.

‘US Aerospace Majors’ traces the history of the two American aerospace majors who dominate the international market for military aircraft, Boeing Defence, Space & Secu-rity, and Lockheed Martin. And don’t miss out our photofea-ture on..... (French Naval Aviation Centenary Air Show).

Happy reading.

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The 21-metre tall, 1.3-metre in diameter Agni-II sur-face-to-surface intermediate range ballistic missile whose operational variant was tested for the first time in April 1999, is a two-stage, solid fuel missile with a

launch weight of 17 tonnes and can deliver a 1,000 kg conven-tional or nuclear warhead over a distance of 2,000 km and a CEP of 30 metres. With a reduced payload, the range would be correspondingly higher. The missile is equipped with a naviga-tion system that provides high degree of accuracy and has anti-ballistic missile defence counter-measures. High manoeuvrability of the missile in flight is achieved through a flex nozzle, a system employed so far only in the third stage motor of the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV). With the help of an on-board closed loop guidance and control system, the flex nozzle provides the capability for minute changes in the thrust vector. This is a feature unique to the Agni-II system as it is not available to other missiles of this class the world over.

After the launch, the missile ascends to an altitude of 230 km and is designed to withstand temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Celsius during re-entry when it has a rate of descent of 3.5 km per second. Immunity to high re-entry temperatures has been made possible through the extensive use of carbon-carbon composites in the construction of the airframe. The missile is equipped with C and S band ra-dars for terminal guidance. Dur-ing the terminal phase, while homing on to the target, the re-entry vehicle manoeuvres with the help of fins to evade anti-ballistic missile defences.

The Agni-II is part of a triad of ballistic missile systems developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme which includes the already operational 700 km range Agni-I, and the 3,000 km range Agni-III which has successfully completed all trials and is currently under in-duction. The three systems together would form the back-bone of India’s missile-based nuclear deterrence capability.

The most recent test on the Agni-II was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Armed Forces with logistic support from the various establishments of the DRDO. However, SFC personnel were responsible for making the Agni-II system operational, define mission objectives, con-duct the launch, and monitor the flight trajectory. The Agni-II has been test-fired by the SFC three times in the last 12 months. While the third test on May 17 that lasted for 11 minutes has been described as successful, the first on May 19, 2009, and

the second a night launch on November 23, the same year, failed to achieve the mission ob-jectives as the missile deviated from the designated flight path and crashed into the sea. The two disasters are believed to be on account of failure of separa-tion of the second stage. With the success of the launch on May 17, the SFC has carried out launch of all three versions. Apart from validating the operational readi-ness of the Agni- II system, the test served a confidence building exercise particularly after two successive failures that were at-tributed to production and not any design deficiency.

The Agni-II which can be readied for launch in 15 minutes from the word ‘go’, is a rail and/or road-based missile system, which provides enhanced op-erational flexibility and reduced vulnerability. With the available rail network in the Northeastern regions of the country, the system can be deployed with relative ease in locations to strike targets

deep inside China. Comment by General V.K. Singh on assum-ing charge as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on April 1, 2010 that the Indian Army was well prepared to face any challenge especially any threat from China, was therefore most appropri-ate and well timed. The COAS would definitely be more com-fortable with higher level of deterrence the 5,000 km range Agni-V would provide. The Agni-V should be available for test-ing, hopefully, before his tenure runs out. SP

—Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

AGNI-II SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIREDNuclear-capable Agni-II missile, with a range of 2,000 km, was successfully test fired by the Indian Army on May 17, 2010, from the Wheelers Island off the coast of Orissa. A part of user trials, the launch was conducted from a rail mobile system in Launch Complex-4 of the integrated test range (ITR) at 9.15 a.m., said defence sources soon after the versatile surface-to-surface missile blasted off. Data relating to various parameters of the mission objectives was being analysed. The entire trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optical instruments and two ships of the Indian Navy located near the impact point in the Bay of Bengal.

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It was yet another case of showing two fingers to the state and Central government with a barbaric act of violence by the Maoist high command while the former were oscillating between militarist and reconciliatory strate-

gies for adoption against the Naxals. The often changing and conflicting statements emanating from the highest quarters of the government have, if anything, boosted further the Maoist resolve of propagating an alternative system of governance through revolutionary opposition. In September 2009, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said, “Dealing with left-wing extremism requires a nuanced strategy—a holistic approach. It cannot be treated simply as a law and order problem.” How-ever, this perception received a jolt when less than a month later, in a brazen ambush on October 8, in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, close to the border with Chhattisgarh, left-wing extrem-ists not only killed 17 policemen, but also raised the bar of brutal-ity a notch higher by beheading a man in a Taliban-style execu-tion before launching the attack on the police.

Responding to the mindless Maoist violence, the Home Min-istry under P. Chidambaram laid out an offensive plan named Op-eration Green Hunt, with the em-ployment of paramilitary forces comprising the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Po-lice Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and so on. However, even though a stagger-ing 100,000 security personnel were involved in the operation, earlier doubts on its effective-ness, because of poor training, lack of command and control, directionless and indifferent leadership, poor tactics and low morale were proved right in more ways than one. The year 2010 has so far belonged to the Maoists alone who launched their counter-offensive, diabolically named—Operation Peace Hunt—in February, by slaying 24 paramilitary men of the Eastern Frontier Rifles in the Silda camp attack. The most brutal attack took place on April 6, when Naxal rebels gunned

down 76 CRPF personnel in cold blood. The May 17 incident was not only another Maoists’ blow for the police forces, it also involved mindless killing of innocent civilians. And now, while the political buck is being thrown around with a blurring haste, the Maoist carnage continues.

The consistent inability of the state and Central Police Forc-es to deal with the Naxal menace has once again thrown up the debate on whether—or not—to use the armed forces in an offensive role against the Maoists. For now, the Centre’s earlier

decision not to offensively involve the armed forces still stands. It is felt that this decision should continue to be upheld as long as the nation and its public opin-ion remains split on the status and nature of the Naxal threat. A large section of the Indian civil society is still engaged in roman-ticising the Maoist movement. Till the nation’s public opinion turns around to unanimously declare the Maoists’ as a terrorist outfit, the armed forces should continue to be used only in support roles, as it is being done now.

It would however be pru-dent for the armed forces to start preparing themselves by creating additional capabilities, where required, as continuing atrocities may soon change the nation’s mood against the Mao-ist perpetrators. Creation of a viable intelligence grid in sync with the civilian counterparts by the Army, and acquiring sen-sors which can see through the foliage and buildings, precision-guided weapons and non-kinetic

debilitating systems by the IAF, are some of the areas where work could start immediately. A cohesive command and con-trol system needs also to be put in place to plan and conduct joint operations.

While the Centre would be keeping its fingers crossed for a successful outcome of the paramilitary offensive, the armed forces should be ready to take charge and be capable to elimi-nate the Naxal terror threat expeditiously, once and for all. SP

—Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

DEALING WITH MAOIST/NAXAL MENACEIn a contemptuous challenge to the Indian government’s reconciliatory strategy and four days after Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that an integrated development-oriented approach was needed to tackle the Maoist problem, Naxals blew up a bus in Sukma in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on May 17, killing 31 people on board including 18 civilians and 13 special police officers (SPOs). Government sources said that this was the first big Maoist attack on civilians and that they were shocked at its scale and precision considering that it was within a week of the Congress having sent conciliatory messages of peace and development.

VIEWS


FFirst

E-mail your comments to:[email protected]

The Boeing X-51A WaveRider has successfully completed the longest supersonic combustion ramjet-powered flight—nearly three and a half minutes at a top speed of Mach 5.

The unmanned aerial vehicle was released from a US Air Force B-52H bomber off the

southern California coast on May 27. It flew autonomously for more than 200 seconds, powered by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) motor, as it transmitted telemetry data to ground stations.

The X-51A was carried aloft under the left wing of an Air Force Flight Test Centre B-52H Stratofortress that took off from Edwards Air Force Base. It was released while fly-ing at approximately 50,000 ft over the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Centre Sea Range. Four seconds later, a solid rocket booster from a US Army tactical missile accelerated the X-51A to about Mach 4.5 before it and a connecting interstage were jettisoned. The X-51A’s engine ignited on a mix of ethylene and JP-7 jet fuel. After a short period, the X-51A ran exclusively on JP-7 jet fuel. The flight reached an altitude of about 70,000 ft and an approximate speed of Mach 5.

Onboard sensors transmitted data to both an airborne US Navy P-3 Orion and to ground systems at Point Mugu,

Edwards, and Vandenberg Air Force Base before the X-51A flight was terminated. The team will review the data from the test before scheduling additional flights with the three remaining test vehicles.

According to a company official, it is a new world record and sets the foundation for several hypersonic applications, including access to space, reconnaissance, strike, global reach and commercial transportation.

Boeing Phantom Works, a division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, performed the overall air vehicle design, assembly and testing for the X-51A’s various components. The X-51A programme is a collaborative effort of the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defence Advanced Re-search Projects Agency, with industry partners Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.

The vehicle’s fuel-cooled engine design serves both to heat the JP-7 to an optimum combustion temperature and to help the engine itself endure extremely high operating temperatures.

According to the company, while development of the vehicle’s engine and the test programme are complex, con-trolling costs has been a key objective. The team has adapt-ed existing proven technologies and elected not to build recovery systems into the flight test vehicles. SP

—SP’s Aviation News Desk

Boeing X-51A WaveRider breaks record in first flight

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Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected to develop a miniature navigation grade gyro for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

that will provide precision navigation for size and power con-strained applications.

The company will develop the final configuration for a stand-alone micro-nuclear magnetic resonance gyro (micro-NMRG) for DARPA’s micro-technology for positioning, navi-gation and timing (micro-PNT) programme.

Northrop Grumman began the first phase of this effort in October 2005 and was awarded the latest development con-tract based on past performance, including the successful completion of design, fabrication, and testing of the device, which has exceeded the performance goals of each phase.

Northrop Grumman’s micro-NMRG technology uses the spins of atomic nuclei to detect the rotation of the gyro and will provide comparable performance to a navigation grade

fibre-optic gyro in a small size, low power package. The technology could be used in any application requiring small size and low power preci-sion navigation, including personal and unmanned vehicle navigation in GPS-denied or GPS-challenged locations.

According to the company, a miniature gyro that pro-vides precision navigation is an important development for protecting war fighters by ensuring that they have the accu-rate positioning information, even if GPS is unavailable. SP


Engineering apprentices at BAE Systems are giving fi-nal touches to an experimental aircraft that will test radical new methods of controlling it in flight.

The demonstrator has been built under a project to ex-plore technologies destined for use on future unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Named Demon, the aircraft is the outcome of a project called flapless air vehicle integrated industrial research (FLAVIIR). It is a five-year programme jointly funded by BAE Systems and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

FLAVIIR brings together 10 universities, led by Cranfield University and BAE Systems. Its major focus is to develop the technologies needed to build a low-cost, low-mainte-nance UAS with no conventional control surfaces, such as wing flaps and without losing any performance compared to conventional aircraft.

According to company sources, the aircraft is an 80 kg, jet-powered UAS with a wing span of 2.7 metres. It was de-signed at Cranfield University, with the support of the other

partner institutions. Cranfield’s Composite Manufacturing Centre and BAE Systems apprentices are jointly manufac-turing and assembling the aircraft.

The company claims that the apprentices working on Demon as the “engineers of the future, working on the prod-ucts of the future.” The engineers have taken the air frame, fitted it out, and added all the wiring and electrical systems needed to create a working, functioning aircraft. The Demon will make its first test flight later this year. The project has developed a number of ways of doing away with flaps and the flight tests will evaluate which of these is the best. SP


Gearing up for Flight TestsBAE Systems is exploring technologies destined for use on future unmanned aircraft systems

Miniature GyroNorthrop Grumman has been awarded a contract to continue development of new micro-gyro for DARPA programme



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InFocus INDUSTRY


Pursuing an unprec-edented and innova-tive approach, the De-partment of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Com-

merce Ministry of the Indian gov-ernment while releasing a series of discussion papers on various aspects related to foreign direct in-vestment (FDI), has also prepared one on FDI in the defence sector. While clarifying that the views of the DIPP should not be constructed as the views of the government, the department has come out with recommendations which can have far-reaching effects on the way the defence sector operates in India.

India is one of the largest im-porters of conventional defence equipment and is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of military expenditure. Growing at an average of 13 per cent since financial year 2006-07, India’s cumulative defence bud-get in 2010-11 has been pegged at Rs 1,47,344 crore ($32 bil-lion), of which 40 per cent is reserved for capital expenditure. Contrary to the government’s long-stated aim of reversing the trend, the Indian defence industry contributes only 30 per cent in meeting the requirements of defence equipment, while nearly 70 per cent continues to be imported. The bulk of the domestic production is met either through the ordnance fac-tories (OFs) or the defence public sector units (DPSUs). Even where the defence products are manufactured domestically, there are large components of imported sub-systems. As a result, 15 per cent of equipment can be described as state-of-the-art and nearly 50 per cent is suffering from obsolescence.

Indigenous research and development has not kept pace with the requirements of present-day warfare. Manufacture through the route of transfer of technology (ToT) to DPSUs/OFs, has proved to be a slow and ineffective/incomplete process due to the reluctance on the part of the suppliers and indifference on the part of the recipient indigenous manufacturing units. The result is that Indian DPSUs and OFs are getting more and more marginalised/irrelevant as far as the goal of supplying modern defence equipment is concerned; causing a catch-22 like situation with more and more dependence on imports.

There is an urgent need for India to have a defence industry within the country, which can produce state-of-the-art defence equipment to meet the varied requirements of modern-day warfare. The defence industry is highly technology driven and capital intensive. The DIPP paper argues that since it may take considerable time for domestic companies to ac-quire the technical edge on their own, the time may have come to con-sider the vital question of accessing the technology through the modality of allowing foreign companies to set up bases within the country. Manu-facturing within the country, through foreign capital, with full ToT will in the long run be a better option.

But the policy for FDI in the de-fence sector first notified in 2001 is still stuck, wherein in a bold move, the defence industry sector was

opened up to 100 per cent for Indian private sector participa-tion, the FDI content was restricted to only 26 per cent in both public as well as private defence sectors. And even though a decade has passed since the first notification and relaxations in many areas have been accorded to give a boost to the Indian defence industry, the FDI has remained at the meagre figure of 26 per cent. While the foreign companies do not air their views openly, there is the general perception that the present FDI cap of 26 per cent discourages the original equipment manu-facturers (OEMs) from bringing in proprietary technologies, as OEMs are reluctant to license their proprietary technology to a company in which their equity is restricted to a minority of 26 per cent. This has de facto resulted in India not being able to access the latest high-end technologies.

As the present cap of 26 per cent has failed to attract the foreign OEMs, the Commerce Ministry is of the view that to encourage the established players in the defence industry to set up facilities with ToT, the FDI cap should be raised to at least 74 per cent as has been done in the telecom sector. The reaction from the Defence Ministry though prompt and swift, however, has been totally in the negative. What are its concerns and fears and what would be the pros and cons of such a move? Turn to Forum for an analytical review. SP


Is more FDI the Solution?There is an urgent need to have a vibrant defence industry within

India to produce state-of-the-art defence equipment

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Forum

A WIN-WIN SituationEstablishing a sound defence manufacturing sector with

the help of foreign investors could also lead the country to finally get into the global export market as well

There is no immediate need to raise the upper limit on foreign direct investment (FDI) in military hardware production. These words came from none other than the Defence Minister A.K. Antony himself. Expressing his views on the Commerce

Ministry’s paper to the journalists, on the sidelines of the recently held Naval Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi, Antony emphasised, “At the moment, it is 26 per cent. Our defence production policy is evolving over the years, but at the moment we feel the Indian defence sector is not mature enough to absorb more FDI. We feel the time is not right to fur-ther expand it.”

The archaic defence sensi-tiveness is still rooted deeply in the minds of the country’s defence planners, who since more than half-a-century have continued to follow the Nehru-vian policies on India’s defence production, being solely in the government-controlled public sector domain. Antony might have been echoing the collective thoughts of his Ministry’s pun-dits who may have found the very idea of increasing the FDI in defence production not only repugnant but most preposter-ous at this stage. It is a fact that in the name of somewhat mis-placed national security con-cerns, for over 50 years since independence, India strictly adhered to an industrial policy that facilitated only the public sector in defence production.

However, the policy of keep-ing private players out of meaningful defence production proved highly detrimental to the development of a viable and vibrant defence industrial base within the country. The role of private players was restricted to serve only as sup-pliers of raw materials and semi-finished products to pub-lic sector defence production units, ordnance factories and base repair depots of the armed forces. The inevitable result of this skewed policy was over dependence on foreign coun-tries for supply of critical military requirements.

Though India created a vast defence industrial network, which included 51 defence R&D labs, eight defence pub-lic sector underatkings (DPSUs) and 39 ordnance factories (OFs), it was plagued by all the ills of the public sector such as poor work ethos, lack of competition, zero innovativeness, no accountability, over-staffing and unhealthy unionism, etc resulting in its contribution never rising more than 30 per cent to India’s armed forces’ total hardware requirements.

While direct import of ready-made defence equipment is the easiest way to meet the military’s requirements, no self-respecting country and espe-cially a large country like India, with aspirations to play the role of a regional power would like to remain perennially depen-dent on foreign supplies for all its military requirements. The import of capital-intensive de-fence equipment not only takes a heavy toll of the hard-earned foreign exchange reserves of a country, but also keeps its mili-tary tied down to foreign manu-facturers for spares/mainte-nance support, etc.

The supplier nations can also resort to bullying tactics/sanctions at the time of their choosing, like it happened fol-lowing the 1998 nuclear tests by India or more recently, in the case of Admiral Gorshkov (INS Vikramaditya) aircraft carrier deal. Becoming increasingly aware of the fact that there was no substitute to self-reliance, the Indian government understood the need to indigenise defence

production as the key to a long-term solution. Here, because of an inconsistent and largely incompetent and indifferent defence industry in the public sector nurtured over 50 years by protectionist policies, it became abundantly clear that it would be necessary to bring in the private sector to play a much greater role for achieving self-sufficiency in defence production. It was with this view that India opened up its defence industry for the first time in 2001. However, while the government showed boldness by allowing up to 100 IL

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per cent Indian private sector participation, it limited the foreign companies’ participation to only 26 per cent through FDI.

Although opening of the Indian defence industry in 2001 was considered a revolutionary step, it did not re-sult in any significant capability enhancement. In other words, FDI at 26 per cent meant very little encourage-ment for foreign investors. The result was that no FDI worth any significance has been witnessed so far in the crucial defence sector. This amounts to a paltry sum of just a few hundred crores in defence till now, although, between 2004 and 2009, India reportedly spent Rs 1,37,496 crore ($30 billion) on capital acquisitions, ma-jority of them from abroad.

So what are the concerns related to further liberalis-ing the private sector participation and the FDI regime in the defence sector? The major reason for political/bureaucratic reluctance in encouraging the private sec-tor into defence production and welcoming FDI in the sector is on account of the concern for the survivabil-ity of the large number of DPSUs and OFs, which it is feared would succumb in the face of competition from the private sector—domestic/foreign through the FDI route. That is the reason why major Indian corporate houses like the Tata Group, the Mahindra Group, Larsen & Toubro, Kirloskar Brothers and many others which have shown keen interest in being seriously involved in defence production continue to be kept on the periphery by the politically-inspired bureaucratic exploitation of various loopholes in the otherwise liberalised policies.

On the FDI front, the establishment’s fears are that further enhancements could lead to ownership and control of firms operating in a critical and highly sensitive industry being passed on to foreign hands. And even if ownership or control does not pass on fully to foreign investors, apprehen-sions are that raising the cap could lead to their enhanced influence and say in affairs of the company’s management. In extreme circumstances, it could lead to a situation of fi-nancial/technological dependency with regard to investment drawn from specific countries/blocs, which may ultimately infringe on India’s sovereignty.

Then there are other concerns relating to availability or reliability of supplies, maintenance and spares support and the vital question of whether the foreign investor would con-tinue to serve India’s defence needs during war. The other issues relate to the foreign investor exporting defence equip-ment produced in India and/or connected sub-systems/source codes, etc, to countries inimical to India’s interests.

It is argued that while the concerns of the Indian estab-lishment would have been of serious nature in the world of yesterday, these can be easily managed in today’s world of globalisation and interdependence. Unlike in the past, where the manufacture of defence equipment was concentrated among a few select nations, this capability is much more dispersed today. Therefore, the fear of getting sucked into a relationship of exclusive dependence, with regard to a par-ticular foreign country, for capital and technology, may be ill-founded in the present-day context. In addition, with ap-propriate laws, and terms and conditions for manufacturing defence equipment by foreign investors, the Indian govern-ment can exercise a meaningful and more effective control

on the production and sale mechanisms of a company located in India when com-pared to a company located overseas.

A large number of manufacturers of defence and dual-use products are finding it difficult to manage their pro-duction in the west-ern hemisphere due to increasing costs of labour and other related issues. With India well poised on the threshold of mod-ernising its armed forces, this may be the most appropri-ate time for India to also project itself as a new hub for man-ufacturing defence equipment by setting up JVs with foreign partners the way it was done, not too long ago, in the auto-

mobile sector. A number of global defence majors are wait-ing to set up alternative/additional manufacturing bases in India. But they would only do so provided they are allowed to bring in meaningful FDI for their manufacturing units.

Raising the FDI limits to levels that satisfies foreign in-vestors should not be seen as mortgaging India’s security or sovereignty. Since independence, India has been buying off-the-shelf military hardware from foreign countries. With foreign companies having their physical presence in India and subject to Indian laws, the country’s interests will be served much better, especially in view of sustained supply and maintenance of critical defence equipment, even at the worst of times.

In the final analysis, there is certainly a case for raising the FDI in the defence sector from the meagre 26 per cent to much higher levels. The new level need not be restrict-ed to only 49 per cent as advocated by some quarters. The government could exercise its judgement, on a case-by-case basis to 74 per cent or even up to 100 per cent to best serve the needs and interests of the country. Establishing a sound defence manufacturing sector with the help of foreign inves-tors could also lead the country to finally get into the global export market as well. This would also give a boost to the establishment of a defence ancillary sector in the country. In other words, it would not only help in saving the valuable foreign exchange, which would have otherwise been spent on outright import of defence equipment, but may also help in earning extra foreign exchange through export of surplus capacity. Truly, a win-win situation. SP


Raising the FDI limits to levels that satisfies foreign investors should not be seen as mortgaging India’s security or sovereignty. With foreign companies in India, the country’s interests will be served much better.

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MILITARY INDUSTRY

During the Second World War the US aircraft manufacturing industry registered huge growth and significantly contributed to the Allied victory. With modest beginnings, pro-pelled by wartime demand, the industry grew rapidly and flourished primarily in the mili-

tary aircraft segment. The unique feature of this segment of the American industry during this period was that there was an uninterrupted and plentiful supply of raw materials and that the production facilities were largely immune to any military threat from the enemy both from the air and on the ground.

Ranked as the largest single industry in the world in the period from 1939 to 1945, with a workforce of over two million and value of production peaking at $16 billion (Rs 72,000 crore) in 1944, the industry manufactured more than 300,000 military aircraft to meet with the wartime require-ments of the US armed forces and the Allies. In 1940, Presi-dent Franklin D. Roosevelt had set a target for the industry

By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey, Bengaluru

In the American aerospace industry, the two major

military aircraft manufacturers who dominate the domestic and international scene are

Boeing and Lockheed. Browse through the fi rst instalment of the article.

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to produce 50,000 military aircraft per year. However, the industry was afflicted by shortage of skilled human resourc-es and infrastructure. To improve the situation, women were employed in large numbers to release men for specialised jobs, production lines were run 24x7, and efficiency levels in production were enhanced. Several light aircraft manufac-turers switched over to war-related production and many of the automobile manufacturing facilities were remodelled for manufacturing of aircraft. Policy regarding sale of aircraft to friendly nations was also liberalised. Towards the end of the War, supply of military aircraft exceeded demand ultimately forcing cut back in the rate of production.

The industry matured considerably during the War as apart from the huge numbers produced, it developed the capability to design and manufacture new combat aircraft.

The Second World War, therefore, laid the foundation of the US aerospace industry whose wartime accomplishments are regarded as the most outstanding and laudable.

POST-SECOND WORLD WAR In the period immediately following the Second World War, demand for military aircraft dwindled on account of which there was considerable turmoil in the industry. The focus of the American aerospace industry quickly shifted to the man-ufacture of passenger aircraft for civilian use. However, the military aircraft sector continued to be spurred by a new de-velopment—the arms race triggered by the Cold War and the perception of threat to national security. Military confronta-tion and rivalry with the USSR provided the impetus to aero-space companies for research and development for newer and more potent weapon systems. The industry was faced with new demands that led to the development of aircraft for both military and civilian use e.g. Boeing 707/KC135 as also combat aircraft separately such as F-15 Eagle and the F-14 Tomcat for their primary customers, the US Air Force (USAF) and the US Navy (USN), respectively.

In an attempt to control costs, the government tasked the industry to develop a common fighter aircraft to meet the re-quirements of different agencies. One such programme called the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) programme under-taken jointly by Grumman and General Dynamics, ran into dif-ficulty on account of the problem of integrating into a single machine the widely varying requirements projected by the USAF and the USN. The end result was that the F-111B which was to be a fighter in fact evolved into a bomber aircraft. The other aerospace companies that were awarded major long-term contracts for military aircraft were Lockheed Martin for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, McDonnell Douglas for the F-15E Strike Eagle, Grumman for the F-14 Tomcat and Boeing for the Longbow helicopter for the US Army. Rising unit cost of aircraft meant smaller orders and companies often needed govern-ment support by way of fresh contracts or bailout package to remain viable. Lockheed Corporation was one such entity that received massive government support in 1974.

Apart from manufacturing of aircraft, aerospace com-panies diversified into the field of missile systems, avionics and space technology. The Martin Company for example was awarded the contract in 1956 to design, develop and manu-facture the Polaris and Poseidon missiles for the ballistic mis-sile submarine fleet of the US Navy. More recently, Lockheed Martin supplied the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence system to the USN and is currently upgrading the system through a $78 million contract.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War, demand for weapon systems continued to drop through the 1990s further aggravating problems of the US aerospace industry. Mergers and acquisitions followed leav-ing only a few major players on the global scene. Currently,

the two aerospace majors who are leading manufactur-ers of military aircraft and dominate the domestic and international scene are Boe-ing Defense, Space & Security, and Lockheed Martin.

The major aerospace com-

BOEING SHOWSROPPERS: (OPPOSITE PAGE) F-15 EAGLE; (LEFT TOP TO BOTTOM) F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET; C-17 GLOBEMASTER III; AH-64D APACHE LONGBOW

MILITARY INDUSTRY


panies that support the US aerospace industry are Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Honeywell, GE Avi-ation, Textron Corporation and Rockwell Collins.

BOEING DEFENSE, SPACE & SECURITYFormerly known as Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) is a unit of Boeing Company responsible for defence and aerospace products and services. A $32 billion (Rs 144,000 crore) business, BDS has its headquarters at Berkeley, Missouri, near the city of St Louis. With over 70,000 employees worldwide, BDS is the world’s largest manufacturer of military aircraft both combat and transport, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, satellites and space-based communications. It is the primary systems integrator for US missile defence systems. BDS is a group consisting of companies reputed in aerospace such as Boeing Military Airplane Company, Hughes Satellite Systems, Hughes Military Helicopters, Piasecki Helicopter, the St Louis-based McDonnell division of the former McDonnell Douglas Com-pany and the former North Ameri-can Aviation division of Rockwell International.

Activities in the regime of aero-space are handled by the following divisions of BDS:

• Boeing Military Aircraft: With its headquarters in Northern Virginia, this division is re-sponsible for the design de-velopment and manufacture of combat aircraft, transport aircraft, aerial refuelling tank-ers, helicopters and airborne warfare systems.

• Network & Space Systems: With its headquarters in Vir-ginia, this division is responsible for Boeing’s Future Combat Systems programme, rocket launch systems, missile defence, satellites and other networking services. It is also responsible for the space shuttle and space station programmes.

• Phantom Works: This division is responsible for ad-vanced research and development.

BOEING MILITARY AIRCRAFTThe ongoing programmes related to military aircraft include combat aircraft, military transport aircraft and helicopters and maritime surveillance systems are as under:

Fighter aircraft• EA18G Growler: This airborne electronic warfare

platform, a derivative of the combat-proven F/A-18F Super Hornet, has been inducted recently into opera-tional service with the USN.

• F/A18E/F Super Hornet: The F/A-18E/F Super Hor-net is a fourth generation multi-role strike fighter and is the mainstay of the USN. The Super Hornet Block II has enhanced multi-mission capability with the newest technology. Boeing has delivered more than 380 Super Hornets to the USN. The Super Hornet is one of the con-

tenders for the Indian Air Force (IAF) contract for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft. The market outlook up to 2018 for military aircraft for India as assessed by BDS is around $20 billion (Rs 90,000 crore).

• F-15E Strike Eagle: This is one of the most versatile multi-role fighter aircraft and the backbone of the combat fleet of the US Air Force. Other than the US, this aircraft is operated by Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the Republic of Korea.

• T-45 Goshawk trainer aircraft: The first fully inte-grated jet trainer aircraft for fighter pilots of the USN and US Marine Corps.

• F-22 Raptor: BDS provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and all air and ground crew train-ing systems. High cost compelled the US government

to discontinue with the programme.

Military transport aircraft • C-17 Globemaster III: With a payload capacity of 77

tonnes, the C-17 is the most modern and versatile stra-tegic airlift aircraft with global reach. Boeing has de-livered 190 aircraft to the USAF as also to the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Qatar and the NATO al-beit in much smaller numbers. India is in the process of acquiring 10 of these.

• KC-767 Aerial Refuelling Aircraft: The KC-767 Tank-er programme is focussed on requirements projected by the USAF and possible international demand. BDS has orders for four aircraft from Japan.

Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) airborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW) systems

• 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircraft: Capable of tracking airborne and maritime targets simultaneously, this is a state-of-the-art system with powerful airborne surveillance, communications and battle management capability.

for Boeing’s Future Combat Systems programme,

MILITARY INDUSTRY


• Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS): The E-3 707 AWACS has been the standard system that combines airborne early warning with command and control facility for air defence forces. The E-3 is oper-ated by the US, NATO, the UK, France and Saudi Arabia. Japan operates a fleet of four E-767 AWACS aircraft.

• P-8A Poseidon: The P-8A Poseidon, an aircraft for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare as also ISR role, is a military derivative of the Boeing 737-800 NG devel-oped to replace the fleet of P-3C Orion operated by the

US Navy. Under development since 2004, the P-8A is cur-rently undergoing flight tests and is expected to be inducted into the USN in the near fu-ture. The Indian government has placed an order for eight of the customised version of

this aircraft designated as the P-8I for the Indian Navy. BDS has signed agreements with Indian defence public sector companies namely Bharat Electronics Limited, Electronic Corporation of India Limited and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the manufacture of selected components for the P-8I to meet its offset obligations.

Helicopters/Tilt Rotor• AH-64D Apache Longbow: In service with the US Army

and international defence forces around the world, the Apache Longbow is a state-of-the-art multi-role com-bat helicopter. Boeing will begin deliveries of the AH-64D Apache Block III with enhanced performance to the US Army by mid-2011. The Apache is a contender for the Indian contract for 22 attack helicopters which is in progress.

• CH/MH-47 Chinook: A heavy-lift helicopter for intra-the-atre troop and cargo movement, the Chinook is capable of a wide variety of roles both in peace and war and is in service with the armed forces worldwide. India is ac-tively considering acquiring a few of these machines to replace its ageing fleet of Mi-26 heavy lift helicopters.

• V-22 Osprey: The Osprey is a tilt rotor aircraft capable of vertical taking off and landing. Once airborne, it cruises like a conventional fixed wing aircraft. Boeing was awarded contract in 2008 to deliver 167 aircraft to the US Marine Corps by 2013.

NETWORK & SPACE SYSTEMS• Future combat systems (FCS): Sponsored by the US

Army, FCS includes a new family of manned and un-manned ground and air vehicles and sensors that will dramatically increase their survivability and lethality in hostile environment.

• Missile defence systems: These include weapon sys-tems for defence against long-range ballistic missiles such as ground-based mid-course defence, airborne laser weapon system and the arrow system developed jointly with Israeli aerospace industries.

• Space exploration: BDS is involved with satellite launch systems, international space station and the space shuttle programmes.

• Launch systems: Boeing works with commercial cus-tomers to match their mission requirements with the Delta family of launch vehicles. Delta is a highly reli-able and accurate family of launch systems, with a full range of capability.

PHANTOM WORKSPhantom Works is Boeing’s advanced research and develop-ment unit and works in close collaboration with Boeing Re-search & Technology to push the frontiers of technology. SP

(To be continued)

MORE WARHORSES: (TOP TO BOTTOM) CH/MH-47 CHINOOK HELICOPTER; T-45 GOSHAWK TRAINER AIRCRAFT AND P-8A POSEIDON (OPPOSITE PAGE) F-15E STRIKE EAGLE ON LANDING ROLL


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t is a red-letter day for not only the Hindustan Aero-nautics Limited (HAL), but the whole nation. I am quite positive that the aircraft will meet all the In-dian Air Force (IAF) requirements in this class of helicopters. The first flight has been superb,” said an enthused Air Marshal P.K. Barbora, the IAF’s Vice

Chief of Air Staff after witnessing the maiden official flight of the indigenous light combat helicopter (LCH) on May 23, at HAL’s Bengaluru airport.

It seemed a good effort by HAL to indigenously design, develop and test fly the LCH since the project began in full earnest in 2006 at a projected cost of Rs 376 crore ($80 million). The idea of a light combat helicopter was concep-tualised way back in 1989 by HAL based on an IAF require-ment. However, it was just as well that the government clearance came only in 2006 by when HAL’s advanced light helicopter (ALH) Dhruv had not only reached full maturity, but had also been inducted for operational service. The ear-lier design which had debuted in 2001 at the Paris Air Show as the light attack helicopter (LAH) was heavily restyled into what came to be known as the LCH. A derivative of Dhruv, the original slimmed-down “gunship” fuselage was discard-ed and basic Dhruv airframe was retained except for for-ward fuselage which was modified to tandem crew seating. The LCH incorporates several features of the HAL built ALH Dhruv, which includes the hinge-less rotor, transmission sys-tem, Shakti engines, hydraulics, full glass cockpit, integrated defensive aids suite (IDAS) and weapons systems.

Developed for dedicated combat role, the unique fea-tures that provide agility, survivability and lethality to the LCH are its narrow fuselage for low drag profile, armour protection of critical areas, crashworthy landing gear with a tail wheel, crashworthy and self-sealing fuel tanks, aero-foil shaped stub wings for weapons, electronic warfare suite, self-protection suite (SPS) consisting of radar/laser missile warning systems and counter-measures dispensing system (CMDS), armour and NBC protection as also stealth features. It is also planned to integrate IR/laser missile jammer on the helicopter. The gear box has the capability of running for 30 minutes even after total loss of oil in case of a ballistic dam-age to the transmission system. Dual redundant systems also enhance survivability in a battlefield environment.

When fully developed, the armament suite of the LCH

will comprise a 20 mm turret gun in the nose slaved to the helmet mounted sights of the pilot and the flight gunner. The LCH will also carry rocket pods, air defence missiles and air-to-surface missiles on the weapon stations under the stub wings. It will be equipped with “target acquisition and designation system” providing day/night targeting ca-pability through electro-optical pod consisting of CCD cam-era, FLIR, laser range finder and laser designator. A digital video recorder would enable recording of the entire mis-

India’s aerospace industry crossed a significant milestone in its march towards self-reliance when the first prototype of the five tonne class LCH, designed

and developed by HAL, was unveiled

LIGHT COMBAT HELICOPTER

General/Performance Characteristics*

General characteristics• Crew: 2• Length: 15.8 m (51 ft 8 in)• Rotor diameter: 13.3 m (43 ft 6 in)• Height: 4.7 m (15 ft 4 in)• Disc area: 138.9 m2 (14,72 ft2)• Empty weight: 2,550 kg (5,621 lb)• Loaded weight: 4,000 kg (8,818 lb)• Useful load: 2,950 kg (6,503 lb)• Max takeoff weight: 5,700 kg (12,125 lb)• Power Plant: 2× Turbomeca/HAL TM333-2C2/Shakti turbo-

shafts with FADEC, 871 kW (1200 hp) eachPerformance

• Never exceed speed: 330 km/h (178 knots, 207 mph)• Maximum speed: 275 km/h (148 knots, 171 mph)• Cruise speed: 260 km/h (140 knots, 161 mph)• Range: 700 km (297 nm, 342 mi)• Service ceiling: 6,500 m (21,300 ft)• Rate of climb: 12 m/s (2,362 ft/min)• Disc loading: 39.59 kg/m2 (8.23 lb/ft2)• Power/mass: 327 w/kg (0.198 hp/lb)

Armament• Guns: M621 20mm cannon on Nexter THL-20 turret• Rockets: Unguided rockets• Missiles: MBDA air-to-air missiles air-to-surface missiles anti-radiation missiles

ATGM • Bombs: Iron bombs cluster bomb units grenade launcher

*From Open Sources

Flawless First Flight

By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia, Delhi&

Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey, Bengaluru

I“

MILITARY INDUSTRY


sion for post-mission debrief. Equipped with data link that would facilitate transfer of the mission data to the other air-borne platforms and ground station, the helicopter would be capable of operating in a network-centric environment (see box for general/perfor-mance characteristics).

The performance of the LCH i.e. rate of climb, cruise speed, service ceiling, etc, are on a par and on some scores even better than other helicopters in its class like AW129 Mangusta or the Eurocopter Tiger, the helicopters it has great resemblance with. It may be recalled that for the even-tual and inevitable phasing out of its ageing fleet of Mi-25/Mi-35 attack helicopters, the IAF had issued a RFP for the acquisition of 22 attack helicopters worth over $500 million (Rs 2,315 crore) in May 2008 to leading global manufactur-ers which included US Bell (AH-1Z Cobra) and Boeing (AH-64 Apache), British-Italian AgustaWestland (AW129 Man-gusta), EADS Eurocopter (Tiger), Russian Mil (Mi-28) and Kamov (Ka-50/52). The RFP had later fallen through for a multitude of reasons with the responsibility for the same on the shoulders of many players. The RFP has since been reis-sued hoping for full participation from everyone. However, the above is a short-term project for the replacement of the existing fleets in the IAF. The LCH programme would cater to the long-term, larger needs of both the IAF and the Indian Army. A table to compare major attributes of the competing helicopters in the above mentioned RFP and that of the LCH has been given in the article.

If the flight-testing which would involve more than 500 flights, progresses without any major glitches, the initial oper-ational clearance (IOC) could be achieved by 2013 with an in-service induction by 2014. When operationalised, the LCH will give air-warriors the capability to engage targets at high alti-tudes, up to and even above 5,000 m, lack of which was sorely felt during the 1999 Kargil operations. During the unveiling ceremony on May 23, Ashok Nayak, Chairman, HAL, had re-vealed that the defence PSU already had a firm order from the IAF for 65 LCHs. The Indian Army has also evinced interest and in the long run could go in for 100-plus machines.

LCH UnveiledIndia’s aerospace industry crossed a significant milestone in

its march towards self-reliance when the first prototype of the five tonne class LCH, designed and developed by the Hindu-

stan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), was unveiled at Bengaluru on May 23, 2010. Wing Commander Unni Pillai, the Chief Test Pilot of HAL, duly assisted by the co-pilot Group Captain Hari Nair, staged an impressive 20 minute aerial demonstration of this new highly ma-noeuverable and versatile machine. The profile included the re-verse slide which perhaps is one of the most difficult and tricky manoeuvres to perform.

The event was witnessed by Air Marshal P.K. Barbora, Vice Chief of Air Staff who was the Chief Guest, R.K. Singh, Secretary, Defence Production, several senior functionaries from the armed forces and the defence industries and research establishments. On account of the gruesome air tragedy at Mangalore the previous day which resulted in heavy loss of life, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju, and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik were unable to attend the ceremony.

Dedicating the LCH to the nation, Air Marshal Barbora complimented the HAL for the successful design and develop-ment of the machine which he described as “no mean achieve-ment”. He stated that the LCH is “badly needed” by the Indian Air Force and hoped that the machine would be ready to enter service in two-three years. He hoped that the overweight prob-lem which is commonly encountered in the development of new aircraft would be corrected in due course before its operational induction into the IAF.

Addressing the gathering, R.K. Singh said that the LCH was a “truly fine” machine and that the indigenous development of the helicopter was important for both strategic and economic considerations. He was hopeful that the LCH would receive ini-tial operational clearance (IOC) by the end of 2010 and final op-erational clearance (FOC) soon after. He stressed the vital need for India to achieve high levels of self-reliance in the regime of defence production as also in respect of research and develop-ment capabilities. •

Air Chief Marshal (Retd) S.P. Tyagi

India had attack helicopters but they were heavy ones. We needed helicopters that can operate in hilly areas. We had two choices either look for one in the global market or weaponise the ALH. Besides the Kargil War, internal disturbances also kept

mounting and so the need to develop a light combat helicop-ter became all the more necessary. It is being reported that the helicopter is slightly heavy, but I believe technology will make it lighter in days to come. All in all, it is a positive and highly welcome step towards self-reliance. •

VIEW POINT

VIPS AT THE LAUNCH: (LEFT TO RIGHT) ASHOK NAYAK,

CHAIRMAN, HAL, R.K. SINGH, SECRETARY, DEFENCE

PRODUCTION AND CHIEF TEST PILOT OF HAL, WING COMMANDER UNNI PILLAI

POSE FOR A PHOTOGRAPH AFTER THE FLIGHT

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Finally, while it may be true that most of the helicopter’s sub-systems such as avionics packages and weapons may be imported, the indigenous design and systems integration

could still peg the LCH as one of the most competitive and cost-effective products in its class worldwide. Another much needed success story for the Indian aerospace industry. SP

COMPARATIVE TABLE ATTACK HELICOPTERS MAJOR ATTRIBUTES*

Manufacturer & Model

Eurocopter EC665 Tiger

AgustaWestland AW-129 Mangusta

BELL AH-1Z Super Cobra

Boeing AH-64 Apache

KamovKa-50/52

Mil Mi-28N HAL Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)**

Crew 2 (Pilot, WSO) 2 (Pilot, WSO) 2 (Pilot, WSO) 2 (Pilot, and co-pilot/gunner)

1 (For Ka-52:tow) 2 (Pilot WSO) 2

Rotor Diameter(m)

13.00 11.90 14.6 14.63 2X14.50 17.20 13.3

Weights (kg) Empty/Max T/O

3,060/6,000 2,530/4,600 5,580/8,390 5,165/10,433 7,800/10,800 7,890/12,100 2,250/5,700

Power Plant 2 X Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca/MTU MTR 390 Turboshafts 873 kW (1,170 shp) each

2 X Rolls-Royce Gem 2-1004D, Turboshafts 664 kW (890 shp) each

2 X General Electric T700-GE-401C Turboshafts, 1,340 kW (1,800 shp) each

Latest 2 X General Electric T700-701D 1,490 kW (2,086 shp) each

2X Kilmov TV3-117VK turboshafts 1,660 kW-(2,226 shp each)

2X Kilmov TV3-117VM turboshafts 1,640 kW (2,200 shp each)

2X Turbomeca/HAL TM3332C2/Shakti turboshafts with FADEC, 871 kW (1,200 hp) each

Max Speed (km/hr)

290 With mast, 315 Without mast

278 411 365 390 377 275

Service Ceiling (m)

4,000 4,725 6,100 6,400 5,500 5,750 6,500

Range (km) 800 510 685 476 1,160 460 700

Armament 1X30mm cannon in chin turret plus podded guns SNEB rockets AGM-114 Hellfire Missiles Mistral AAMs

1X20mm cannon, 4X rocket pods AGM-114 Hellfire or BGM-71N TOW anti-tank missiles AIM -92 Stinger or Mistral AAMs

1X3-barreled 20mm M197 Gatling In tur-ret, 2.75 in rockets, AGM-114 Hellfire, AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs

1 X30 X 113mmM230 Chain Gun,Hydra 70 FFAR rockets,AGM-114 Hellfire, AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-92 Stinger

1X30mm Shipunov 2A42 Cannon, gun pods, APU-6 9K121 Vikhr anti-tank missiles, high- calibre rockets, bombs, Vympel R-73 or Igla AAMs

1 X Chin Mounted 30mm Shipunov 2A42 cannon

M621 20mm Cannon THL-20 turret, Unguided Rockets, MBDA AAMs ATGM Iron Bombs

Note: *From open sources **Major attributes of the LCH reproduced for easy reference.

Air Chief Marshal (Retd) F.H. Major

I was present for the LCH dedication cer-emony at Bengaluru on May 23, 2010 and the flying display by this versatile attack helicopter was simply outstanding. I think the LCH has great potential—the agility, a potent weapons mix, state-of-the-art target

designation/weapons-aiming suite & a crash-worthy design of the LCH are path-breaking features. Having said this, I must

emphasise the point that the LCH still has many milestones to achieve before the FOC (full operational clearance) stage. The most important ones being the integration of onboard weapons/sensors followed by weapon-release/firing trials, certification/integration of the Shakti engine and a series of trials in different terrain/weather conditions. Notwithstanding the fact that the LCH is a derivative of the Dhruv (ALH), the sleek tandem-seat design gives it a distinctive lean, mean and venomous look – that’s how an attack helicopter should look like, when seen by an adversary. •

VIEW POINT


As it usually happens, there is widespread specu-lation about the cause of the disastrous end to Air India Flight IX 812 on May 22, 2010 while landing at dawn at the Mangalore International Airport. The precise cause, however, will only be known with a reasonable degree of certainty

only after data from the cockpit voice recorder and the digital flight data recorder also referred to as the Black Box, is studied and analysed by the investigating agency. Meanwhile, there is speculation that the accident occurred because the ‘table top’ runway at Mangalore International Airport is not long enough for safe commercial operations. This view which appears to be a legacy of the past when the old 5,330 feet runway was in use seems to have been reinforced by statements emanat-ing from two sources in the political leadership. The first was by Praful Patel, the Union Civil Aviation Minister, about plans to extend the runway by 1,000 feet and the second by S.M. Krishna, the Union Minister for External Affairs, who after the accident said, “It was known that the Mangalore airport has a very tricky runway and the skills of the pilot would be put to

the maximum test while landing there. Our worst fears have now come true.”

While it is a fact that the new runway 24/06 at Mangalore airport is only 8,038 feet in length, somewhat less than the standard length of 9,000 feet, it is much longer than the old runway 27/09 which was only 5,330 feet. The new runway was built in 2006 and is quite adequate for a medium size commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 737-800 NG or the Airbus 320 and as such the airport is no longer in the Special Category. As per the operating manual of Boeing 737-800 NG, the type involved in the crash in question, when landing at the upper permissible limit of the landing weight in calm wind conditions prevailing at sea level under International Stan-dard Atmospheric (ISA) conditions and maximum braking available, the stopping distance would be just under 4,500 feet. This distance is measured from the threshold of the runway and is conditional to the fact that the aircraft while approach-ing to land, crosses the threshold of the runway at a height of 50 feet or less. With the application of full reverse thrust on both engines, the stopping distance would be considerably

Much Ado About

TABLE TOPS No runway length would be adequate if the crew of the

aircraft fails to land the aircraft at the correct speed in the prescribed touchdown zone

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lower than 4500 feet. However, in case the touchdown speed of the aircraft is higher than that prescribed for a given landing weight, the stopping distance would be cor-respondingly higher.

The conditions prevailing at the Man-galore airport on the fateful morning of May 22, would have been only marginally dif-ferent from ISA condi-tions. The airfield el-evation is around 300 feet above mean sea level and the prevail-ing temperature would have been around 25 degrees Celsius, just 10 degrees higher than the ISA. Altogether, the deviation from ideal conditions of tempera-

ture and air density would in the worst case, increase the stopping distance only marginally. In the case of Air In-dia Express Flight IX 812, while on approach for a land-ing, if the aircraft had crossed the threshold at a height of 50 feet or less, even without reverse thrust, the aircraft could have been stopped without difficulty in less than 5,000 feet. This would have left the pilot with another 3,000 feet of runway as also 275 feet of overrun avail-able to cater for error of judgment or skill. While there is undoubtedly an imperative need to strengthen avia-tion infrastructure in the country, in this particular case, length of the runway does not appear to be a convincing reason for the accident. It would be pertinent to mention that the length of the runway at Patna is less than 6,500 feet of which a length of only about 5,100 feet is available for landing on account of high obstructions on approach. Yet the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 class of aircraft op-erate regularly out of this airport. In the final analysis, no runway length would be adequate if the crew of the aircraft fails to land the aircraft at the correct speed and in the prescribed touchdown zone. The old adage that, “Runway behind and height above is of little use to the pilot,” continues to be relevant. SP

—Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

While there is undoubtedly

a need to strengthen

aviation infrastructure in the country,

in this particular case,

length of the runway does

not appear to be a convincing

reason for the accident

For more information and video, visit: www.spsaviation.net

TABLE TOP RUNWAY: A FILE PHOTO OF AIR INDIA EXPRESS

BOEING 737 AT MANGALORE AIRPORT

EXPERTSPEAK


VIEWPoint

It is rather ironical but the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) sent a letter on May 31 to Chief Exec-utive Officers of all airlines and aircraft charter com-panies in India, instructing them not to haul up pilots for doing hard landings that are within the aircraft manufacturers’ permissible limits. The letter was is-

sued in the wake of the disastrous end of Air India Express Flight IX 812 while landing at Mangalore on May 22, wherein late touchdown to avoid a hard landing was being quoted as one of the contributory factors which led to the aircraft over-shooting the runway into a fiery and fatal heap. It had been earlier brought out by one of the national dailies that Air India had hauled up its pilots for hard landings that were technical-ly within the manufacturers’ limits. It is being stated that Cap-tain Zlatco Glusica, the commander of the Boeing 737 which crashed at Mangalore was hauled up in March by the airline’s flight safety department for doing a hard landing amounting to 1.7g (vertical acceleration due to gravity on touchdown, but within the maximum permissible limit of 2.1g) at Thiruvananthapuram.

The DGCA letter states, “Pilots need to be made aware that achieving a particular ‘g’ value on touchdown is no measure of a good landing. Landings should be judged not by how soft the landing has been, but if it has been made at the correct speed and touchdown zone.” It further states, “The airplane manufacturers lay down limits of ‘g’ values for landing and operators need to guard against imposing lower values.”

The DGCA’s advice cannot be questioned both in terms of its soundness and correct-ness, except that it also falls within the realm of ‘basic airmanship’ taught to the ‘greenhorn’ student pilots in flying clubs and not to the highly experienced airlines commanders with thousands of flying hours in their respective logbooks, to whom this should come as second nature. Ac-tually, when an airplane comes back to earth after a flight, its return to the terra firma can be described in a number of ways ranging from a ‘hellish arrival’ to a ‘smooth touchdown’ or a ‘hard thud’ to a ‘kisser’. A pilot always aims for a smooth touchdown, without compromising on the first two ingredi-ents, the correct speed and the correct touchdown zone.

On final straight-in approach to landing, a pilot generally controls the airplane speed with throttle(s) and aims for the correct touchdown zone by staying on the correct glide slope either visually (assisted by VASI/PAPI, etc) or by electronic means (following GCA controller’s instructions/ILS, etc). Hav-ing arrived correctly on the runway, the flare is commenced, i.e. the nose of the aircraft is raised by gently pulling back on the control column in a progressive fashion in order to arrest

the vertical speed of the airplane for a smooth touchdown. A kisser landing results when the airplane is controlled in such a manner so as to achieve zero vertical speed precisely at the time when the wheels come in contact with the runway sur-face. A landing of this type would be perfect, provided the air-plane touches down at the correct speed and within the touch-down zone.

The United States Air Force actually has a system of draw-ing a line on the runway (approximately 1,000 ft from the threshold) and a smooth touchdown on the line could earn the pilot a perfect ‘A-Spot’ grading. Even the IAF has a similar system of grading the landings. A landing of this type would have a 1’g vertical force or even less with the weight of the air-craft slowly descending on the tyres due to gradual reduction in lift—as the speed of the aircraft drops after touchdown. The passengers may not even feel that the aircraft has landed till they become aware of the ground roll. It may be history now but Air India was known for its ‘A-Spot’ landings.

Notwithstanding the above, there are occasions when the aircraft are deliberately landed with certain amount of vertical speed—termed sometimes as ‘positive landing’. These would generally be resorted to when the runway is wet (to prevent hydroplaning) or when there is a need to go in for ‘short’ land-ing (runway length smaller than desirable, sluggish brakes, etc). This is where ‘g’ limits for landing come into play. For example, when Boeing clears B-737 to a landing limit of 2.1g, it means that the undercarriage is strong enough to withstand vertical loads of 2.1g without any damage. All this must have been known to the aircrew of the ill-fated IX 812, who when faced with a ‘high & hot’ (greater height and more speed than desir-able) being brought out by the media as initial findings, would have opted for a deliberate ‘positive’ (read hard) landing or bet-ter still, for a go around to make another, safe approach. SP

When positive landings are hard, negative landings soft...

There are occasions when the aircraft are

deliberately landed with

certain amount of vertical

speed, termed as ‘positive landing’

Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

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VIEWPoint

The impact force experienced by an aircraft when it makes the first contact with the runway surface in the process of landing is measured and expressed in terms of ‘g’ value. For every aircraft type, there is an upper limit for impact force on touchdown at the maximum landing

weight defined by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). In case this limit is exceeded while landing, the air-craft would have to be taken off the line and would have to be subjected to detailed and thorough airframe inspection and repair of any damage that might have been sustained. Withdrawal of the aircraft from service and the added ex-peditiure on out of phase inspection would obviously lead to loss of revenue for the airline.

Normal technique of landing requires the pilot to make a steady approach and cross the runway threshold at not more than 50 feet above the ground at the prescribed speed, flare out i.e. establish a flight path parallel to the runway

surface with the main wheels just four to five feet above the ground and while maintaining the landing attitude, al-low the aircraft to sink under control to make firm contact with the ground on the main wheels. In the process, the aircraft will float over the runway surface for some distance, but in all probability, will land in the touchdown zone. How-ever, if the pilot is unduly focussed on making a ‘soft land-ing’ as against a firm contact with the runway surface, he would attempt to minimise the sink rate after flare out and in the process unnecessarily extend the float thereby delay-ing touchdown. In an effort to execute a ‘soft landing’ under pressure of the airline management or the regulatory au-thorities, even after a normal stabilised approach, a pilot could end up using up more runway length than required for touchdown thus compromising on the stopping distance

available with possible disastrous consequences.Depending on the type of aircraft on its inventory, the

airline lays down impact force or ‘g’ limits for normal op-erations as also the checks to be carried out on the aircraft and requirements of documentation if the laid down limits are exceeded. The ‘g’ limits beyond which pilots are to be counselled or subjected to corrective training are also speci-fied. The ‘g’ value defining the dividing line between a ‘soft landing’ and a ‘hard landing’ is also specified and pilots are constantly under pressure by the airline management to achieve a ‘soft landing’.

The landing ‘g’ limits are defined by the Original Equip-ment Manufacturer (OEM) with the long term objective of limiting cumulative stress. However, from the point of view of enhanceed passenger comfort, the DGCA had issued a circular in the recent past directing the airlines to report all cases of landing where the ‘g’ value recorded was greater than 1.8g. It is understood that some airlines have lowered

the maximum impact force limit even further aggravat-ing psychological pressure on the pilots in command. It is ru-moured that Captain Glusica, the Commander of the ill-fated Air India flight IX 812, had been hauled up by the airline in the recent past for having made a hard landing and hence would have been under pressure to achieve a soft landing despite the speed on approach being higher than normal.

In the aftermath of the Man-galore tragedy, it appears that the horrendous implications of the practice of enforcing unre-

alistic limits to landing ‘g’ values well below those prescribed by the OEM, have finally been understood by the regulators. Without any dithering, the DGCA has now issued fresh direc-tives on the subject to all airlines. The new circular places the situation in the correct perspective by qualifying a good land-ing as “not one that the passengers perceive as a soft landing, but one that is made at the correct point on the runway with the correct flight parameters.” The circular adds “an attempt to cushion descent to make a soft landing, could result in a delayed touchdown that would need harsh deceleration to maintain the aircraft on the runway or even worse, a runway ‘overshoot’ with possible catastrophic results.”

The ground realities have finally dawned on the regulator even though a little late. But it is better late than never. SP

Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

It appears that the horrendous implications of the practice of enforcing unrealistic limits to landing ‘g’ values below those prescribed by the OEM, have finally been understood by the regulators

... a good landing is neither, but one that’s correct

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CIVIL REGIONAL AVIATION

The story of India’s airline industry over the past decade has many bright spots, and a few blurs too. Take, for instance, the National Civil Avia-

tion Policy on the anvil since 2001. In 2007, a 12-member Group of Ministers was formed to take a view on the proposed policy. Three years on, Pra-ful Patel, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, informed the Lok Sabha on April 29 that most initiatives outlined in the document had already been implemented. The subtext was that it was no longer necessary for the new policy to see the light of day.

The government has certainly taken steps to liberalise the airline industry and improve the country’s aviation in-frastructure. And these efforts continue. But isn’t a com-prehensive policy essential to let stakeholders know the government’s philosophy before they make their plans and

sink their money in risky ventures? Wouldn’t a situation where a set of disparate guidelines released every few months becomes de facto policy be seen as an ad hoc and piecemeal ap-proach? It is not likely to inspire busi-ness confidence.

OFF-TRACKThe regional airline policy introduced by the Ministry in Au-gust 2007 fits the same pattern. In almost three years, only Jagson Airlines and MDLR Airlines ventured to launch re-gional services. Both have since ceased regional operations, although for different reasons. Others —Star Aviation, ZAV Airways, Luan Airways and King Air—too applied for region-al permits. Their plans are yet to fructify. As a result, not a single regional airline is in operation today. Even Paramount Airways, often mistaken for a regional carrier, has just one aircraft left and its licence was suspended last month.

The first half of 2010 has seen a sharp upswing in the number of passengers taking to the skies. Traffic levels are back to where they were before the economic crisis began. Policy gaps notwithstanding, there’s probably no time like the present for aspiring entrepreneurs

to enter the regional aviation space.

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Off the Beaten Track

By Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha,

Goa



The regional airline policy had the splendid intention of helping small enterprises connect tier-2 and tier-3 cities to the nearest metro. Regional airlines were required to oper-ate scheduled services within one of the five regions—North, South, East, West and Northeast. The government realised that entrepreneurs might be wary about operating off the tried-and-tested inter-city routes to touch remote airports. So it included enabling measures. For instance, a regional airline could start with just one aircraft, but would have to operate with three within a year, and five by the end of two years. The policy stipulated that for an aircraft of take-off weight up to 40,000 kg, the paid-up capital needed to be just Rs 12 crore for three aircraft. Two additional planes would require a capital of Rs 20 crore. Higher capital norms were naturally prescribed for larger and heavier aircraft.

Several concessions were introduced for small aircraft. Airlines operating aircraft like the Alenia ATR 42 and ATR 72, Bombardier CRJ-200 and CRJ-700, with a certified capacity of less than 80 seats, are excused landing and parking charges at airports, and billed route navigation facility charges (RNFC) at reduced rates. Similarly, aircraft of take-off weight up to 40,000 kg are supplied aviation turbine fuel (ATF) at sales tax of just

4 per cent throughout the country. With fuel constituting perhaps 40 per cent of an air-line’s operating cost, and otherwise slapped with sales tax as high as 30 per cent, can there be anything more mouth-watering?

However, since these concessions were part of the piece-meal approach, they were aircraft specific, not airline related. Hence, there’s the strange spectacle of the country’s largest airlines—Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Air India—de-ploying small aircraft. While Jet Airways has 14 ATR 72-500s, its low-cost arm JetLite has seven Bombardier CRJ-200ERs. Kingfisher has 25 ATR 72-500s and two ATR 42-500s. Air In-dia Regional (regional only by name) has seven ATR 42-320s, four Bombardier CRJ-700ERs and one Beechcraft 1900D. All these airlines claim concessions though they could do without them. So, while regional airlines were operating, they often found themselves in direct competition with major airlines on the same routes. Can small regional start-ups, survive in such an environment?

Running extra trips using small aircraft makes economic sense only because of the concessions. However, this also prevents small airports from becoming economically viable, besides needlessly increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is creating air-port infrastructure at considerable cost, finds itself deprived of a major source of revenue. It recently requested a review of the policy of rebate for smaller aircraft. It contends that only genuine regional carriers that enhance connectivity to remote areas should be benefitted.

STATECRAFTThe Union Government’s preoccupation with Air India’s tra-vails perhaps prevents it from losing too much sleep over small regional airlines. However, a few progressive state governments seem convinced of the need to be proactive if the enormous potential of regional aviation is to be realised. The Gujarat government, for instance, recently unveiled its new civil aviation policy that focusses on improving intra-state air connectivity. It aims to make its airports match in-ternational standards. Small airlines will be encouraged by providing incentives such as reduction in taxes on ATF, ease

in operations and traffic guarantees. This is just what the doctor ordered. Surat now has a state-of-the-art airport equipped with facilities to cater to domestic as well as international traffic, yet there’s just one

flight between Surat and Delhi. But with official encourage-ment, Luan Airways (a Guwahati-based carrier) is in the fi-nal stage of starting regional services from Surat.

The Andhra Pradesh government suffered a setback in 2008 when its attempt to develop greenfield airports in small towns and cities failed to attract private developers. It has revived the process, offering additional incentives that include waiver of lease rentals for the first seven years of operation and exemption of value-added taxes. Four new airports are planned, and the incentives would amount to a fiscal benefit of Rs 25 crore per airport.

The Karnataka government, meanwhile, plans to develop airports in each district of the state and has sought private participation. Five airports are coming up at Bellary, Bijapur,

CONCESSION GAINERS: PARAMOUNT’S EMBRAER

170 AND ATR IN KINGFISHER COLOURS



Hassan, Shimoga and Gulbarga, all under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Yet, the story of the remodelled My-sore airport, inaugurated on May 15, still awaits a happy end-ing. The major airlines were reportedly reluctant to fly to it, citing poor traffic prospects. The real reason, perhaps, could be to pressure the state government to reduce sales tax on ATF to less than 20 per cent. The government has already an-nounced a subsidy of Rs 25 crore to make flight services from the airport commercially viable. However, in the wake of the horrific Mangalore air crash, it is expected that safety aspects of some smaller airports like Mysore may be reviewed.

But are concerns about inadequate traffic well-founded? Consider the Delhi-Shimla route, where Kingfisher Airlines is the lone operator. An air ticket which cost just Rs 4,500 dur-ing winter was allegedly going for Rs 12,700 in May with all flights booked. And how can Mysore, which attracted nearly 27 lakh tourists during 2009-10, be short of air travellers? As Infosys Mysore points out, about 800 of its employees travel to other destinations weekly and in the absence of air con-nectivity, are forced to use other means. At least to begin with, state governments could provide incentives and persuade dif-fident carriers to operate from their airports. In the course of time, these measures could be reviewed.

GO FOR ITThough India is now the world’s ninth big-gest aviation market, it’s also one of the least penetrated. A 300-million-strong middle class (and growing), yet just two per cent of Indians travel by air. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) forecasts a growth rate of 15 per cent or more in domestic air traffic in 2010-11. This figure is expected to be sustained as the industry returns to its long-term growth trajectory.

The potential is enormous. But much of the tale of the airline industry in India is “it might have been.” And region-al aviation could become another chapter of the same sad story. Air travellers in the major cities have certainly gained from increased capacity and choice. but the vast majority of India’s people remain relatively underserved. Three years is enough to conclude that the regional airline policy has failed. It is unlikely that waiting longer will produce any spectacular results. Both government and industry share

the responsibility. Though bits and pieces of aviation policy have been released, they need to be formulated into a com-prehensive whole. The contradictions would then become obvious and regional aviation would be seen as a different creature that needs different treatment.

New policies are often introduced with little or no indus-try consultation. The much-reviled route dispersal guidelines are a prime example. Domestic carriers that operate on trunk routes between metros must deploy the equivalent of 10 per cent of such capacity on designated routes to remote areas. The major airlines consequently find themselves operating uneconomical services just to comply with this requirement. In the process they also crowd out small, regional operators.

More than anything else, perhaps, regional airlines need airports. If the Ministry of Civil Aviation is to be believed, the current 127 or so airports (of which only 82 are active) will surge to perhaps 500 operational airports, just a decade from now. Among them will be more than 40 new ones. The main users of small, far-flung airports are likely to be small region-al airlines and business aircraft, rather than major carriers. Small, low-cost regional airlines operating efficiently from small, no-frills airports seem to be the recipe to take aviation to India’s masses. But a caveat needs to be entered. Economis-

ing on small airports should never be at the cost of safety. It all comes back to policy. As Kapil Kaul, CEO, CAPA recently stated that the government needs to develop a robust regional airline policy for small airports to

succeed. “Unless we have a robust regional airline policy, you can’t achieve the objective of growth at these (regional) air-ports,” he said.

Some blame the recent economic downturn for the abys-mal track record of regional aviation. But that’s now history. The first half of 2010 has seen a sharp upswing in the num-ber of passengers taking to the skies—22 per cent growth between January and April, with airlines carrying over 1.62 crore domestic travellers. Traffic levels are back to where they were before the economic crisis began. Policy gaps not-withstanding, there’s probably no time like the present for aspiring entrepreneurs to enter the regional aviation space. What’s holding them back then? SP

CONCESSION GAINERS: JETLITE’S BOMBARDIER

CRJ-200 AND AVRO 146-RJ70 ACQUIRED BY MDLR


INDUSTRY OEM

MBDA is Seeing India as the Fifth Pillar of its Structure after the Four Domestic Countries (UK, France, Italy and Germany)

SP Guide Publications (SP’s): MBDA was formed with the merger of key missile producers in France, Italy and Great Brit-ain, and subsequent acquisition in Germany. Has this made you a world leader or was it a fait accompli?Loic Piedevache (Loic): In the past few decades, there have been many mergers and reorganisations in the defence sector worldwide. The merger of several companies has inadvertently resulted in huge turn-over as the best of resources and expertise on a wide range of prod-ucts came together.

But a lot of hard work was re-quired to effectively integrate the companies and ensure that their op-erating systems are coordinated properly. In order to create a suitable business model, resources had to be pooled in the most effective manner with the correct use of synergies.

MBDA has set a benchmark in terms of international integration within the defence sector and has become a global player.

SP’s: Can you tell us about the company’s current profile? How do you position yourself in the global market today?Loic: MBDA is a global player hav-ing business in defence markets across the globe. We are moving towards a situation where over 50 per cent of our turnover will come from export activities as opposed to domestic sales (UK, France, It-aly and Germany). Our latest pro-grammes include Storm Shadow, Scalp, to name a few.

SP’s: Can you briefly outline the company’s history? What are the factors that lead to the merger? In hind-sight, what have been its positive points?

MBDA, a world leader in missiles and missiles system, desires to be a major player in the Indian defence market and is viewing India as

the fifth pillar of its structure in addition to current partner countries – France, UK, Italy and Germany. Loic Piedevache, Country Head,

MBDA Group, in conversation with SP’s spoke about building a reliable, strategic and long-term partnership in India.

A Brief ProfileLoic Piedevache has been the Country Head, India, MBDA Group since 2007. Prior to this, he was with Sofema and served as the Direc-tor, South Asia, from 2003 to 2007, Director, Latin America and the Caribbean from 2000 to 2003, and Office Director, Rio de Janeiro of-fice, Brazil from 1994 to 2000. An alumnus of Collège Stanislas, Paris and Ecole des cadres Management School, Paris, Loic has served as Overseas Trade Advisor for France Vice-Presi-dent of India section from 2004 to 2008. He has a private pilot’s licence and is a recipient of the French National Defence medal.

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Loic: The consolidation of Europe’s missile companies be-gan in 1996, when parts of Matra Defence and BAe Dynam-ics merged to form Matra BAe Dynamics (MBD). In 1999, the Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles was formed. In 1998, GEC-Marconi Radar and Defence Systems and Alenia Difesa combined their missile and radar activities to form Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS). In December 2001, MBD (including AMM) and the Missile and Missile Systems activities of AMS were merged and thus came up MBDA. In June 2005, LFK, a unit of EADS Defence and Security Systems merged with MBDA. The merger was necessary for the survival of the fragmented European industry.

SP’s: What is the annual turnover of MBDA? Your web-site says you have as many as 45 products in service. What are your most sought-after products?Loic: The growth was rapid and by 2005 MBDA had doubled its turnover to 3 billion Euro (Rs 17,600 crore). The company’s current turnover (2009) stands at 2.6 billion Euro (Rs 15,200 crore). It will be difficult to say what are our most sought-after products. In terms of quantity (number not value) – large quantities of Eryx missiles and Exocet missiles have been sold. Mistral is in service with about 30 countries and will soon be in service on the In-dian Dhruv/WSI. But MILAN manu-factured under licence in India by BDL has been sold in even higher quantities around the world.

SP’s: MBDA is a multinational com-pany. What is the collective view of the nations involved (in MBDA) with regard to transfer of the latest and sensitive technologies to India? Are there any conflicts of interest?Loic: There are no conflicts of inter-est. MBDA’s identity is represented by advanced technology and not nation-ality. Transfer of technology (ToT) is the key feature that MBDA offers. Our customers do not wait for a product enhancement to be commonly avail-able. If the customer makes specific demand for a product, we make it available for them after discussions with them about the specific enhancements in line with national spe-cific requirements.

SP’s: MBDA offers a range of weapons for all the three forces–land, sea and air. What edge does your range of weapons offer compared to your competitors? Is cut-ting-edge technology the USP of your group or do you have other aces too up your sleeve?Loic: MBDA has many aces–we are a technology leader, we are the only company providing weapons to all three of the armed forces.

Weapons such as Storm Shadow/SCALP and Meteor are the world leaders and cannot be compared with other weapons. We combine the industrial and technological strengths of France, Italy, Germany and the UK together within one company.

Meteor, the beyond visual range air-to-air missile domi-nates the air battle giving air superiority against the threat, provides an unmatched no escape zone. It has been ordered by the UK Ministry of Defence and five other European na-tions, namely France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. The Storm Shadow/SCALP is a conventionally armed stand-off air-to-ground long-range missile which can be deployed day and night and in adverse weather.

SP’s: MBDA is one of the leading manufacturers of mis-siles in the world. In what ways are the 15 new products now being developed by MBDA different?Loic: The new developments include intelligent warheads, modular systems, and new propulsion technologies among others. They are all designed to meet new customer require-ments regarding new terms of engagement, new platforms, threats, etc.

SP’s: When something becomes seemingly obsolete, do

you phase out the product or upgrade it? Or is it a com-bination of both?Loic: Because of paucity of funds, some customers ask for upgradation, to extend the life of the existing products. In many cases we have provided life-extention service up to 5-10 years through our support team. As we respond to cus-tomer operational needs, it results in the long-term develop-ment of our product portfolio. Of course, we need to provide long-term support for in-service products and so we cannot just decide a product line as obsolete and ignore it.

SP’s: Can you elaborate on the ground-based air defence missile, air dominance missile and surface to surface missile systems manufactured by MBDA?Loic: MBDA is a leader in providing a range of defence sys-tems to create an effective layered defence system–from de-ployable short-range systems such as Mistral and VL Mica to

STORM SHADOW/SCALP: A CONVENTIONALLY ARMED STAND-OFF AIR-TO-GROUND LONG-RANGE MISSILE WHICH CAN BE DEPLOYED IN ADVERSE WEATHER

INDUSTRTY OEM


higher level systems such as Aster.Our air dominance range includes ASRAAM, Mica and

Meteor to ensure the air-to-air battle. Dual Mode Brimstone and Storm Shadow/SCALP are available to deliver devastat-ing precision in the air-to-ground attack missions.

In the battlefield warfare, MBDA is offering MILAN and Eryx missiles. Concerning the maritime threats, we can of-fer a wide choice of weapons: the latest generation of Exocet family (MM40 Block 3) and Otomat Mk2 Block IV for long range targets and Marte Mk2 for middle range targets.

SP’s: You lay a lot of emphasis on customer support. How do you ensure that every sale is followed by quality customer support?Loic: Customer support is crucial for us. We ensure that the cus-tomer gets the maximum benefit from the equipment “through life support through life performance”. Our support service ranges from training, spares management, repair work, assis-tance with live firings, stockpile management, etc.

Our customer service is highly personalized and does not come off the shelf or out of a catalogue. It is discussed, de-veloped, adapted, customised and implemented in line with each and every customer’s specific requirements. Our ap-proach is work in-country with the customer.

SP’s: Will you offer core technologies like the design of the active seeker head and the missile engine apart from the other sub-systems?Loic: Sensitive technologies will be transferred in the form of SRSAM, but at this stage, we cannot disclose more information.

SP’s: What about the missiles systems for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and missile upgradation for Jaguar and Mi-rage 2000? Is MBDA contemplating on participating in the mid-life upgradation programmes of these combat

aircraft of the IAF?Loic: Regarding the Mirage upgradation, MBDA has been requested to make an offer for the air-to-air weapon. We have proposed the MICA, the multi-mission air-to-air missile system which has outstanding manoeuverability, high re-sistance to counter-measures, two interoperable advanced technology seekers and can be used in multi-target from long BVR interceot to close-in dog fight.

Regarding the Jaguar, MBDA is currently responding to a Request for Proposal for a close combat missile. We are offer-ing Asraam Combat Missiles for Jaguars, which has already been fitted on Jaguars operational in other air forces.

SP’s: Is MBDA a part of the 126 medium multi-role com-bat aircraft (MMRCA) for the IAF?Loic: MBDA is providing missiles in weapon packages of the three European OEMs including Dassault (Rafale), EADS (Eurofighter), Saab (Gripen).

SP’s: Has MBDA established any joint venture or partnership with any Indian company in the private sector or do you propose to do so to meet the possible offset re-quirements?Loic: MBDA is looking for a strong, re-liable, strategic, long-term and fruitful partnership with India. In this regard, we are having advanced discussions with a major private Indian group. This partnership will be a structured and comprehensive one and will meet all the procurement requirements.

We are looking for a partner having complementary technologies and skills, a strategy consistent with MBDA’s glob-al strategy, in order to become/behave as a source or an equal partner, able to export from its home base, share MBDA views on collaboration with SME’s, DPSU’s, and be recognised by the Indian authorities as a strategic in-dustrial asset for the country.

SP’s: What are your long-term plans for India? How do you see the potential?Loic: Besides BDL, we have also been working with Maza-gon Docks Limited (MDL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Lim-ited (HAL). We welcome the developments with regard to foreign direct investment in India, which is at present 26 per cent. Emergence of private sector would be fruitful to compliment the public sector.

MBDA wants to be a major local player in India. All the clearances towards exports are well in place. We offer to co-develop Meteor and various other leading programmes in India. Meteor is claimed to be beyond competition. MBDA is seeing India as the fifth pillar of its structure after the four domestic countries (UK, France, Italy and Germany).

SP’s: How do you look at the future?Loic: We work 20 years ahead of time. SP

METEOR: MBDA’S BEYOND VISUAL RANGE AIR-TO-AIR MISSILE


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BREATHTAKING DISPLAY: (CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT)

DASSAULT ATLANTIQUE 2 ON STATIC DISPLAY;

FOUGA CM-175 ZEPHYR; ENTHUSISTIC CROWD

WATCHING THE DISPLAY; PATROUILLE DE FRANCE ALPHA JETS; WESTLAND

WG-13 LYNX HAS2 IN ACTION

The French Naval Aviation Centenary Air Show witnessed a

marvelous display of air power by more than 100 aircraft and helicopters. A glimpse of images by SP’s Photo Editor Abhishek

Singh from Hyères, South of France.

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JOURNEY OF HUNDRED YEARS

SHOW REPORT FRENCH NAVAL AVIATION


100SPECTACULAR DISPLAYS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT) A380 LOW LEVEL FLY PASS; F-18 HORNETS AT THE FLIGHT LINE; WORLD WAR II AIRCRAFT THE MORANE-SAULNIER D-3801 IN THE BACKDROP; DASSAULT RAFALE TAXING; VOUGHT F4U-7 CORSAIR ON STATIC DISPLAY; US NAVY’S F-18 HORNET LOW LEVEL FLY PASS AND SPANISH NAVY’S MCDONNELL DOUGLAS EAV-8B MATADOR II+

SHOW REPORT FRENCH NAVAL AVIATION


The C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) team, led by L-3 Communications and in participation with Alenia North America, a subsidiary of Alenia Aero-nautica, has announced that the United States’ C-27J JCA fleet has logged 1,000 flight hours. The fleet includes the recently delivered third

and fourth aircraft. The four delivered aircraft are supporting aircrew training and product qualification testing (PQT). The training, which is being conducted at the newly established schoolhouse, is scheduled to continue throughout this year and will be accelerated as operational demands increase.

Giovanni Bertolone, CEO, Alenia Aeronautica, said, “The achievement of 1,000 flight hours is very significant and at-test to the reliability of the aircraft and the effectiveness of the collaboration between the companies involved in the programme, the logistical support provided by Global Mili-tary Aircraft Systems (GMAS), L-3 Vertex maintainers and the technical support/logistics group of Alenia Aeronautica.”

The pilot and loadmaster training activities are being supported by the GMAS-owned test bed aircraft and con-ducted with the support of L-3 link simulation and train-ing. The full-motion operational flight trainer (OFT), built by Alenia Aeronautica and L-3, is scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of next year. The programme is mov-ing towards a multi-service operational test and evaluation (MOT&E) with two army and two air force crews. These

crews will fly a rigorous test schedule in proving out the C-27J JCA’s operational capabilities.

The JCA is central to the US Army’s aviation modernisa-tion programme thus restructuring and revitalising its avia-tion assets to reflect current and anticipated needs. As a key component in its fixed wing fleet, the US Army will procure the JCA to support the operations and to transport supply items and personnel to forward deployments in remote locations. The JCA will also augment the Air Force’s existing fleet of in-trat-heater airlifters. The JCA will play a key role in providing responsive aerial sustainment and critical resupply support for the manoeuver force to maintain operational momentum.

The C-27J has been purchased by NATO and coalition coun-tries–Italy, Greece and Bulgaria. It is the only aircraft in its class that is capable of carrying standard NATO 463L pallets (3.5). It can carry over 5,000 lbs more cargo than its competitors, and has significantly better landing and take-off characteristics in any environment, making it the most capable, low risk, aircraft available to support the warfighter.

Alenia Aeronautica is eyeing the Indian market for sale of C-27J to the military and paramilitary forces. A detailed coverage on the subject will appear in the next issue of SP’s Aviation. SP

The US C-27J JCA fleet including the recently delivered third and fourth aircraft has logged 1,000 flight hours

Perfect for Diverse Missions

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For more information and video, visit: www.spsaviation.net

INDUSTRY US’ JCA PROGRAMME

Hall of Fame


RAYMONDE DE LAROCHE WAS one of the first few women to pilot heavier-than-air powered aircraft. And she was the very first

to qualify for a pilot’s licence. After per-forming the required manoeuvres be-fore officials of the Aero Club of France, she was awarded brevet No. 36 by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale on March 8, 1910.

Born Elise Deroche in Paris on August 22, 1886, she later took the name Raymonde de Laroche—be-fitting the glamorous stage actress she was. Raymonde was a keen sportsperson and a bit of a dare-devil. She took to car racing with great enthusiasm. In fact she put her heart and soul into whatever she did. In 1908, the Wright broth-ers were conducting demonstra-tion flights near Le Mans, France, and Raymonde volunteered for a joyride. She was immediately at-tracted to this exciting and chal-lenging new sport. Later, when she was dining with Charles Voisin, a famous French aircraft builder of the time, he suggested that she take flying lessons. She was al-ready an experienced balloonist and the prospect of learning to fly a fixed-wing machine thrilled her.

The Voisin was a single-seat aircraft. The pupil had to sit in the cockpit and listen to the instructor shout orders from the ground. Ray-monde was a quick learner. On Oc-tober 22, 1909, she was instructed to take the plane down the open field. After her first taxi run, she knew she was ready for take-off. She opened the throttle, brought the engine to full speed and got airborne, attaining an altitude of about five metres and flying a dis-tance of almost 300 metres. A gen-tle touchdown later her first solo flight was safely accomplished. Reporting the feat, Flight magazine erroneously referred to her as “Baron-ess”—a title that stuck and served to enhance the mystique of a woman who could actually pilot a plane.

In January 1910, Raymonde hit a tree and crash-landed, suffering concussion and a broken collarbone. Determined to be the first licensed woman pilot, she refused to let this mishap discourage her. She knew that

other women in Europe and the United States were not far behind. As soon as she had sufficiently recovered she par-ticipated in an air show in Egypt. On her return, she demonstrated her fly-ing skill before the examining officials and was awarded the world’s first fe-male pilot’s licence.

Raymonde de Laroche went on to take part in air displays at Heliopolis,

Budapest, Rouen, and St Petersburg, where the Tsar himself praised her bravery and audacity. In July 1910, at the Rheims Air Meet, she experienced wake turbulence and her aircraft crashed. This time, she suffered such severe injuries that they nearly proved fatal. After a slow and painful recovery that lasted for two years, she was again fit enough to fly. But injury continued to dog her, this time on the ground.

In September 1912, she was griev-ously hurt in an automobile accident in which Charles Voisin, her close friend and companion (who was driving) was killed. Yet, on November 25, 1913, she won the Aero Club of France’s Femina Cup for a non-stop long-distance flight of over four hours’ duration.

When the First World War began, women were grounded because flying

was considered too dangerous for them. Raymonde served as a military driver—chauffeuring of-ficers from the rear zones to the front, often under enemy fire. But as soon as the War was over, she returned to active flying. In June 1919, she set a new women’s al-titude record of 4,800 m and also the women’s distance record of 323 km. However, she was not fated to savour these sweet tri-umphs for long.

Early aviators lived adventur-ously and were in constant peril of injury or death. But danger did not deter Raymonde. Passionate about flying, she insisted that she knew no fear when she flew. “In any case what is to happen will happen,” she declared philosophically. On July 18, 1919, Raymonde, who was also a competent engineer, was co-piloting an experimental aircraft at the airfield at Le Crotoy. It was part of her preparation to become the first professional woman test pilot. However, on its landing approach, the aeroplane went into a dive and crashed, killing both the occupants. She died at the age of 33.

It was a strange but sig-nificant coincidence that Ray-monde de Laroche was awarded her pilot’s licence on March 8, 1910—the date that has been cel-ebrated as International Women’s Day the following year onwards. Aviation was indeed a spectacu-lar means for women to emerge

from centuries of living in the shadows and take their place in the sun. With enthusiasm, confidence and courage they grasped the excitement, freedom and money that flying offered. Every licensed woman pilot after Baroness Raymonde de Laroche surely owes a small debt to the fearless French wom-an who started it all. SP

—Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha, Goa

RAYMONDE DE LAROCHE

(1886 - 1919)

Every licensed woman pilot after Baroness

Raymonde de Laroche surely owes a small debt to the fearless French woman

who started it all

NEWSDigest


MILITARYAsia-Pacific

Lockheed Martin C-130J for India getting ready

Lockheed Martin is gearing up for the delivery of the first C-130J Super Hercules to the Indian Air Force later this year. In 2008, the Indian Air Force ordered six C-130Js for special services, with an option for six more. The order includes six aircraft, three years of initial sup-port, training of aircrew and maintenance technicians, spares, ground support and test equipment, servic-ing carts, forklifts, loading vehicles, cargo pallets, and a team of technical specialists who will be based in India during the three-year initial support period. Also included is India-unique operational equipment designed to increase special operations capabilities. The C-130J Su-per Hercules will provide the Indian Air Force with modern and effective airlift to sup-port a wide range of national requirements. Due to the aircraft’s mission flexibility, several other departments in India have shown interest in the C-130J. These include the Border Security Force, Coast Guard and Weather Depart-ment, hence increasing the potential for additional sales in India.

Boeing receives first P-8I indigenous equipment Boeing has received a key communications technology for the Indian Navy’s P-8I long-range maritime recon-naissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), one month ahead of schedule. BEL delivered the Indian-de-signed Data Link II, a commu-nications system that will en-able exchange of tactical data and messages between Indian Navy aircraft, ships and shore establishments. Boeing will

install the system during P-8I final assembly at its facility in Renton, Washington. Data Link II is the first Indian-manufactured item delivered to Boeing as part of the P-8I programme. The P-8I is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing designed and is building for the US Navy.

Indian Air Force (IAF) team for Garuda flagged offAn IAF contingent of 230 Air Warriors was flagged off from Air Force Station Bareilly by Air Marshal S. Varthaman, Senior Air Staff Officer, Central Air Command at a formal ceremony. The IAF contin-gent would be taking part in Exercise Garuda scheduled for mid-June at Istres Air Base, France. The IAF assets taking part in exercise include six Sukhoi Su-30 MKIs Air Dominance fighter aircraft, three IL-78 Flight Refueller Aircraft & one IL-76 Heavy Lift Transport Aircraft. The Su-30 MKIs would be taking part in an exercise in France for the first time. Earlier Su-30 Ks had participated. Also a team of Garud Special Forces would be taking part in Exercise Garuda for the first time. French Air Force would be participating with their Mirage 2000s & Rafael Aircraft. It should also be noted that the Republic of Singapore Air Force would also be participating with their F-16 Block 52 Aircraft.

Gripen NG Demonstrator flies for MMRCA programme

In the last week of May, the Gripen NG demo was seen making its international debut by taking part in the last phase of the Indian evaluation trials for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) tender in India. The aircraft has flown some 135 test flights in Sweden and is now testing its wings abroad; showing the international arena that next generation Gripen fighter development is on track. The harsh environment of the

Leh airbase, 3,300 m high up in the Himalayas, proved to be no match for the Swed-ish fighter where it cleared the high altitude trials. The Gripen NG demo is the flying platform which is being used to train and develop the new technologies and features incorporated into the Gripen NG. The Gripen NG has been specifically developed to meet the operational requirements of countries such as India and Brazil, which requires a next generation fighter with significantly increased combat range and endurance, increased payload and super cruise capability.

Americas

Northrop Grumman’s Viper Strike in KC-130J arsenalThe US Marine Corps Harvest Hawk aircraft will soon be equipped with Northrop Grumman Corporation-built Viper Strike stand-off preci-sion guided munition as part of an effort under way to bring greater utility to the marines’ KC-130J refueling and cargo aircraft. Under the terms of the contract, Northrop Grumman will deliver 65 Viper Strike muni-tions beginning this year for eventual integration onto the KC-130J platform. Viper Strike is a gliding munition capable of precision attack from extended stand-off ranges using GPS-aided navi-gation and a semi-active laser seeker. Its small size, preci-sion and high agility provide a very low collateral damage weapon that can be used in difficult operational environ-ments where US troops may be deployed.

Europe

Airbus Military A330 MRTT refuels second A330 MRTT

Airbus Military has for the first time demonstrated in flight “buddy” refuelling between two A330 MRTT

AGUSTAWESTLAND

• AgustaWestland has announced that Saudi Aramco has taken delivery of three more AW139 medium twin helicopters during an official ceremony held at AgustaWestland’s Vergiate plant in Italy. These aircraft will be used to support oil and gas operations in Saudi Arabia. The AW139 has quickly become the heli-copter of choice in the world medium twin market.

AIRBUS

• The 30th A380 was handed over to Emirates Airline, one of the launch customers of the Airbus double-decker aircraft. This is the tenth A380 Emirates has received out of its total firm order for 58 aircraft. Airbus has already delivered seven A380s so far in 2010, three to Emirates Airline, two to Air France, one to Lufthansa and one to Qantas.

AIRBUS MILITARY

• The Mexican Air Force has taken delivery of the first of five C295s it has ordered from Airbus Military. The aircraft is equipped with a pallet-ized loading system and a medical evacuation kit. The second of the five airlifters will be delivered in the com-ing weeks, with all five handed over to the customer by year end.

BOEING

• State Corporation “Rostechnologii” has selected the Boeing Next-Gen-eration 737 for its aviation business development. Rostechnologii’s selec-tion of Boeing airplanes demonstrates its commitment for deploying the optimal solution for its market needs. The economic benefits and operating efficiencies consistently demonstrated by the Next-Generation 737 directly support Rostechnologii’s plan to pro-vide Russian airlines with efficient and reliable airplanes that will help them to consolidate and grow their domes-tic and international operations.

BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE

• The first flight test of the first EC725 helicopter intended for the 1st Squadron of the Brazilian Air Force’s 8th Aviation Group has been carried out in France. The aircraft is part of Project H-XBR, which provides for the acquisition by the

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NEWSDigest


aircraft. Till date, three such flights have been performed, the latest one being part of the certification flight trials. This type of operation further illustrates the capability of the new generation A330 MRTT tanker to refuel any kind of large receiver, even wide-body aircraft like

another A330 MRTT or re-ceiver aircraft with complex aerodynamics such as the E-3 AWACS tested in Febru-ary. It also demonstrates the capability of the aircraft as a receiver and means that the A330 MRTT is now both the largest aircraft to have refu-elled an A330 MRTT and the

largest to have received fuel from it. The two aircraft used for these flight trials were the first two A330 MRTTs built for the Royal Australian Air Force. They are both now be-ing used in the final stages of the certification programme due for completion in the next few months. During the flights performed over the Gulf of Cadiz in south-ern Spain, fuel was passed from the refuelling aircraft’s aerial refuelling boom system (ARBS) to the receiving aircraft’s universal aerial refuelling receptacle slipway installation (UARRSI).

Eurofighter debuts in Slovakia

Two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft landed in the Central European country of Slovakia for the first time to partici-pate in the Piestany Air Show. Alongside the Italian Typhoon aircraft which carried out a six-minute aerobatic display, showing the full capabilities of the European plane was an Austrian Air Force Eurofight-er. In Slovakia, the Eurofight-er is acknowledged as being the ideal solution for the replacement of the Slovak Air Force’s MiG-29 fleet which in the medium term has to be replaced with a more modern defence system. Eurofighter Typhoon is the world’s most advanced new generation real multi-role/swing-role combat aircraft available on the market and has been ordered by six nations (Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Austria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia).

CIVIL AVIATIONAsia-Pacific

Airflite and Piaggio Aero sign agreement for maintenancePiaggio Aero Industries and AirFlite Pty Ltd. have signed an agreement to qualify and approve AirFlite Asia as an

BOEINGBob Gower has been appointed Vice President, Boeing Military Aircraft (BMA), India. In this new position, Gower will expand and manage the BMA product line in India, including P-8I, F/A-18IN, C-17, Apache and Chinook. Gower will be based out of St. Louis, Missouri. Vivek Lall, Vice Presi-dent and India Country Head, will continue to be responsible for all BDS activities in country and

will work closely with Bob Gower in support of BMA activities.

GENERAL DYNAMICSThe board of directors of General Dynamics has unanimously elected Jay L. Johnson as its chairman. Johnson will serve as chairman and chief executive officer of the corporation. Johnson succeeds Nicholas D. Chabraja, who has served as chairman since 1997.

ATR The ATR Assembly of Members has appointed Filippo Bagnato (62) as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ATR. He succeeds Stéphane Mayer, whose three-year mandate according to ATR’s statutes has expired. Bagnato previously served successfully as CEO of ATR between 2004 and 2007. During the last three years, while he was Finmeccanica Executive Vice President Techni-

cal, Industrial and Commercial Development, he assured the chairmanship of the ATR’s Board. His reappointment re-sponds to the aim of ATR’s shareholders, Alenia Aeronautica (a Finmeccanica company) and EADS, to ensure the continu-ity of the ATR programme management and its growth.

NORTHROP GRUMMANNorthrop Grumman Corporation’s board of directors has elected Thomas E. Vice, corporate vice president and presi-dent of its Technical Services sector. In his new role, Vice will lead a premier provider of life cycle solutions and long-term technical services for customers globally.

BAE SYSTEMSBAE Systems has named John Gannon as president of its Information Solutions business, which provides information technology, intelligence analysis and other homeland security solutions to US government agencies.

HONEYWELL AEROSPACEHoneywell has appointed Pritam Bhavnani as President, Honeywell Aerospace, India. He was the Vice President, Customer and Product Sup-port, Honeywell Aerospace, Phoenix, Ariz, USA. Pritam will work closely with Paolo Carmassi, Regional President for Europe Middle East, Af-rica and India at Honeywell Aerospace and Anil P. Gupta, President & Country Manager, Honey-

well India to provide direction to the various operations and driving Honeywell initiatives and strategies for aerospace and defence.

APPOINTMENTS

Brazilian Armed Forces of a mid-size multipurpose helicopter, tactical training devices and initial logistical support. The contract between the Brazilian Federal Government and the consortium composed by Brazilian and French helicopter manufacturers Helibras and Eurocopter, calls for the acquisition of 50 aircraft.

ELTA SYSTEMS LTD.

• Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) ELTA Systems Ltd. (IAI/ELTA), an IAI group subsidiary, has been awarded several contracts worth $33 million from foreign customers for the development and production of the EL/M-2022A Maritime Surveillance Radar for Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

EUROCOPTER

• Eurocopter has displayed an NH90 in the Forward Air MedEvac (Medical Evacuation) configuration for the first time at ILA 2010 in Berlin. Designed to meet the future needs of the German Armed Forces, this configuration of the world’s most advanced multirole military he-licopter is the company’s response to an initiative by the German Fed-eral Ministry of Defence to increase availability of protected NH90 transport capability for wounded personnel. The total requirement is 12 helicopters.

F-35 LIGHTNING II

• The first generation of F-35 Light-ning II pilots and maintainers will train for the next half century with the help of a simulator which replicates the cockpit of an F-35 and uses the same software and training systems used for the flight. It is a containerised, forward-deployable version of the full mission simulator slated to arrive later this year.

IAF RESPONSE

• A bus carrying about 35 pas-sengers fell off the road in the Reasi Area of Jammu & Kashmir sector resulting in few of the passengers getting killed and some seriously in-jured. The Indian Air Force was quick to respond to the requisitioned air support and promptly launched two Chetak and one Mi-17 helicopters for the timely casualty evacuation operation flying out the injured and dead to Jammu.

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OEM appointed maintenance provider for Piaggio Aero P.180 Avanti II aircraft in the Asia Pacific Region. AirFlite Asia, based in Singapore, also home to Piaggio Aero’s SE Asian sales centre, Kirkwall Pte Ltd, will provide complete maintenance, repairs and overhaul services as well as spare parts for the range of P.180 Avanti II aircraft. This appointment adds to Piaggio Aero’s continued expansion and commitment to the South East Asia region by adding another new service centre to their expanding worldwide

customer support and service network. Feedback from industry, aircraft operators and owners in the region suggested that a maintenance organisation with customer focus and renowned high quality workmanship would be a welcome addition to the Piaggio Aero expansion in Asia. From its base in Singapore, Airflite Asia is in an ideal geographic loca-tion for supporting owners and operators in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Vietnam.

Europe

Airbus delivers the first A380 to Lufthansa

Lufthansa has taken delivery of the first of 15 Airbus A380s ordered, with three more to join the fleet in 2010. Lufthan-sa will deploy its new flagship aircraft on routes to Tokyo, Beijing and Johannesburg. Lufthansa becomes the fifth airline to introduce the A380 into service. Lufthansa’s de-livery marks the 28th Airbus A380 to be operating with the global route network of leading airlines. The current A380 fleet already connects 21 important international routes on five continents. 17 major international airports are already regular A380 destinations. All in all, the A380 fleet has achieved a total of more than 1,30,000 flight hours on over 14,000 commercial flights.

INDUSTRYAmericas

Cessna delivers two Skycatchers to EAACessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. company has an-nounced that it has delivered two Skycatcher light sport aircraft to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). The delivery took place at Yingling Aviation in Wichita,

Kansas, Cessna’s authorised regional Skycatcher delivery centre. EAA plans to use the Skycatchers as part of its Air Academy, which is designed to introduce young people to the world of aviation. Both Skycatchers will be on display during AirVenture 2010 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July.The Model 162 Skycatcher is a two-place, single-engine piston, high-wing aircraft in the light sport aircraft (LSA) category, defined in the US as an aircraft with a gross weight under 1,320 pounds and with a top speed of no more than 120 knots.

Boeing receives FAA engineering contract Boeing has won a major research & development support contract worth up to $1.7 billion for the Next-Gen-eration Air Transportation System (NextGen) from the US Federal Aviation Admin-istration. The prime focus ar-eas of the contract include air traffic management modeling and simulation as well as the full integration of ground and airborne technologies and operations across all vehicle types, including com-mercial and military aircraft, general aviation, unmanned aerial systems, and rotor-craft. Boeing will perform work that will demonstrate NextGen procedures in real time on a large scale within the current air traffic system. The comprehensive industry team Boeing has assembled for SE2020 includes airfram-ers Airbus and Cessna, and the strongest ground infra-structure provider, Lock-heed Martin, to provide the effective systems engineering support needed to ensure that aviation stakeholders see the benefits of NextGen as quickly as possible.

Brazilian alliance for aviation biofuelsAt a meeting held on May 6 in São Paulo, Brazil, the Brazilian Alliance for Aviation Biofu-els (Aliança Brasileira para Biocombustíveis de Aviação – ABRABA) was formed. To start with, the group has the participation of ten organisa-tions: Algae Biotechnology, Amyris Brazil, the Brazilian

INSITU

• Insitu Inc.’s ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system has recently logged more than 17,000 combat flight hours and 1,700 sorties with the Canadian Forces, delivering the most advanced intelligence, reconnais-sance and surveillance to meet the mission-critical needs of Canadian defence customers. ScanEagle has been deployed with the Canadian Forces since 2008 and has recently completed a successful maritime flight demonstration aboard Cana-dian naval vessel HMCS Glace Bay.

KOREAN AIR AEROSPACE

• Korean Air Aerospace Division, the aerospace manufacturing division of the Korean Air Group, has been selected by Airbus as sole supplier of the new Airbus-designed ‘Sharklet’ wingtip devices for the best-selling A320 Family of Single Aisle aircraft. Under the terms of the agreement Ko-rean Air Aerospace will manufacture the new composite wingtip devices and supply them to the A320 Family final assembly lines in Toulouse, Ham-burg and Tianjin. The first A320 fitted with Sharklets will be delivered from the end of 2012.

LOCKHEED MARTIN

• Canada has formally accepted the first of 17 Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at a ceremony held at the Canadian Forces Base Trenton. Canada finalised its CC-130J contract with Lockheed Martin in December 2007, with a subsequent agreement from the US Air Force to ensure an early delivery of the first two Canadian aircraft. The balance will be delivered by the end of 2012.

ORBITAL SCIENCES CORPORATION

• Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) has announced that it has signed a contract with the Republic of Azerbai-jan to design, build and deliver the Azerspace/Africasat-1a commercial communications satellite. The satellite will be based on Orbital’s flight-proven STAR-2 platform and will generate ap-proximately five kilowatts of payload power for 36 active transponders. The Azerspace/Africasat-1a satellite car-ries hybrid Ku and C-band payloads to provide services to Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Europe and Africa.

QuickRoundUp SHOW CALENDAR7–8 July AVIATION OUTLOOK CHINA 2010Shangri-La’s Kerry Centre Hotel, Beijing, Chinawww.terrapinn.com/2010/avchina

7–8 July CBAA 2010 Sheraton Cavalier Calgary Hotel, Canadawww.cbaa-acaa.ca

19–25 July FARNBOROUGH INTERNA-TIONAL AIR SHOW (FIA)Farnborough, Hampshire, UKwww.farnborough.com

25–28 July 46TH AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE JOINT PROPULSION CONFERENCE & EXHIBITNashville Convention Center & Renaissance Hotel, Nashville, TNwww.aiaa.org

27–30 JulyAVIATION OUTLOOK AUSTRALIA 2010Four Seasons Hotel, Sydneyhttp://www.terrapinn.com/2010/aviation

12–14 AugustLATIN AMERICAN BUSI-NESS AVIATION CONFER-ENCE & EXHIBITION (LABACE)Congonhas Airport, São Paulo, Brazilwww.abag.org.br

18 AugustBUSINESS AVIATION RE-GIONAL FORUMSDB Aviation, Waukegan Air-port, Chicago, ILwww.nbaa.org

NEWSDigest


Association of Jatropha Pro-ducers (Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Pinhão Manso – ABPPM), the Brazilian Aerospace Industry Associa-tion (Associação das Indús-trias Aeroespaciais do Brasil – AIAB), Azul Brazilian Air-lines, Embraer, GOL Airlines, TAM Airlines, TRIP Airlines, and the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (União da Indústria da Cana-de-Açúcar – UNICA). ABRABA expects that other organisations will join the group in order to contribute to the project. The objective of the alliance is to promote public and private initiatives that seek to develop and certify sustainable biofuels for aviation.

Boeing unveils unmanned Phantom Ray Demonstrator

On May 10, the Boeing Company unveiled the fighter-sized Phantom Ray unmanned airborne sys-tem, a test bed for advanced technologies. Phantom Ray is scheduled to begin taxi tests this summer. The first flight in December will be followed by up to nine additional flights over approximately six months. Phantom Ray is designed to support potential missions that may include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; suppres-sion of enemy air defenses; electronic attack; strike; and autonomous aerial refueling.Phantom Ray, which evolved from the X-45C programme, is one of the several pro-grammes in the Phantom Works division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Phantom Works uses rapid prototyping initiatives to design, develop and build ad-vanced aircraft and then dem-onstrate their capabilities. Key Phantom Ray suppliers include General Electric-Avia-tion (propulsion and power distribution), Honeywell (brake system), Woodward-HRT (flight control actuation system), Crane Hydro-Aire (brake

controls) and Heroux-Devtek (landing gear).

Europe

Eurocopter at the 2010 ILA Berlin Air Show The contribution of Eurocop-ter helicopters in improving the homeland security and emergency medical services capabilities of many new Central and Eastern Euro-pean member countries in the European Union was highlighted at the ILA Berlin Air Show 2010.

Rolls-Royce success in two-shaft engine programme

Rolls-Royce has celebrated the successful running of the latest core engine build in its efficiency, environment, economy (E3E) two-shaft research programme. E3E is developing leading-edge tech-nologies which increase engine temperature, pressure ratio and component efficiencies, to-gether with a 25 per cent-plus increase in thrust to weight ratios. These technologies are designed to reduce fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions by 15 per cent, compared to similar engines currently in service. E3E lean-burn will also reduce NOx emissions as part of the company’s drive to meet the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Eu-rope (ACARE) targets of a 60 per cent reduction by 2020.

Joint Civil AW139 Final Assembly Line Plant

Russian Helicopters (subsid-iary of JSC UIC Oboronprom, part of Russian Technolo-gies State Corporation) and AgustaWestland set up a joint civil AW139 medium twin

helicopter final assembly plant started with a ground-breaking ceremony, solemnly laying a time capsule in the base of the foundation at Tomilino, near Moscow, during an official ceremony held today and attended by representatives and dignitar-ies from the partners. The final assembly line is being built on a total area of 40,000 m2. The projected capacity is in excess of 20 helicopters per year, with production expected to progressively increase, from 5 units in 2011 to steady state regime in 2015. The plant, aimed at satisfying the require-ments of the civil markets in Russia and CIS countries primarily and through the AgustaWestland network for the rest of the world, will be run by HeliVert, a Russian He-licopters and AgustaWestland joint venture.

SPACEAmericas

Boeing-led missile defence team completes booster test

The Boeing Company, industry teammates and the US Mis-sile Defense Agency (MDA) completed a successful flight test of the two-stage ground-based interceptor (GBI) of the ground-based midcourse de-fense (GMD) system, the United States’ only long-range ballistic missile defence system. The test began when the two-stage GBI lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The GBI–car-rying an operational Exo-at-mospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) payload–measured perfor-mance data for the new two-stage design as well as how an operationally configured EKV operates under stress-ful boundary conditions. The two-stage GBI has more than 95 per cent commonality with the three-stage GBIs currently deployed in underground silos at Vandenberg and at Fort Greely, Alaska. •

QuickRoundUp

PRATT & WHITNEY

• Pratt & Whitney has completed more than 100 hours of testing on its full-scale PurePower engine core, successfully validating performance goals of its new generation of com-mercial jet engines and demonstrat-ing excellent starting and operability characteristics.

RAAF

• The Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner has announced the graduation of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) first locally trained pilots for the C-17A Globemaster III at RAAF Base Amberley. Until now, all Australian C-17A pilots have been initially trained on the aircraft in the US.

RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS

• Russian Helicopters is increasing the presence of its products in CIS countries and broadening its service centre network. After sale service and support for the existing fleet and newly delivered rotorcraft in Central Asia is one of the top priorities for Russian Helicopters. The company is ensuring easy and timely access to maintenance and modernisation of existing helicopters while offering the regional market new modifications.

SAAB

• Saab has received an order from the Swedish Defence Material Administration, FMV, for the continu-ous support of Gripen’s operational capability. Amongst other things the order covers product maintenance, technical support, basic operations such as test flying, rigs and simula-tors in order to ensure the Gripen system’s operational ability and airworthiness.

SIKORSKY

Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) has announced that the US State Department has accepted the first two modernised S-61 aircraft that will support missions for the US Embassy in Afghanistan.

The first S-70i Black Hawk helicopter, built at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.’s company in Poland, PZL Mielec, has entered the flight test programme at Sikorsky’s Develop-ment Flight Center in Florida.


The crash of Air India Express flight IX 812 at Man-galore on May 22, 2010, has once again triggered debate on the various issues related to civil aviation safety in India. Despite repeated assurance to the

nation through the media by Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel that the Indian skies are quite safe, the sector continues to be buffeted frequently by turbulence with a number of serious concerns continuing to agitate the public mind. One of the issues under public debate is the structure and quality of higher management of Indian civil aviation.

Usually, the responsibility for higher management of civil aviation is functionally segregated into operations, regulato-ry, air safety, etc, vested in different departments that enjoy some degree of autonomy but report to the head of the civil aviation organisation. Ideally, the function of accident inves-tigation ought to be entrusted to a specialised body outside the civil aviation authority so that it is totally independent and not answerable to the head of the civil aviation organi-sation. The investigators determine as to what went wrong, identify deficiencies in the system, pinpoint lapses, fix or-ganisational/individual responsibility and recommend cor-rective or punitive action. Investigators can only be effective if they are independent of the organisation being probed.

In advanced nations, the responsibility for investigating accidents involving civil aircraft has deliberately been placed outside their respective civil aviation authorities. A few ex-amples are the US National Transportation Safety Board, the UK Air Accidents Investigations Board, the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. These agencies are completely independent of the civil aviation authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration of the US or the Civil Aviation Authority of the UK. These accident investi-gation boards are appropriately qualified, experienced and well-equipped to investigate aircraft accidents as also make relevant information pertaining to their findings and recom-mendations available in the public domain. In a democratic system of governance, people have the right to know.

In India, the situation is quite different. Here the respon-sibility for investigation into accidents involving civil aircraft is vested with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which is the regulatory authority and is also responsible for air safety. This apex body, which is the equivalent of FAA or the CAA, is the final authority on all matters connected with civil aviation including accident investigation. However, this arrangement is somewhat incongruous. That the DGCA, re-sponsible for air safety and regulatory functions should be vested with the authority to investigate aircraft accidents that could have been caused by their own shortcomings or flawed policy directives, is blatantly illogical.

There must be a clear separation of the two functions of

regulation and aircraft accident investigation to obviate the possi-bility of the investiga-tion degenerating into an in-house cover-up exercise or the dust being swept under the carpet. If the inves-tigator is placed un-der or alongside the regulator to function under a common de-partmental head, he may find it awkward and inconvenient to be forthright and criti-cal about the regula-tor. The investigating agency is unlikely to enjoy the discretion to pass judgement on the capability and performance of its own organisation.

As per Aircraft Rules, 1937, the government can set up an independent body to investigate accidents involving civil air-craft. Despite a long-standing demand from the civil aviation community for an independent body for accident investiga-tion, action by the government has been cosmetic. There is already a functional model available with the Indian Railways wherein the Commission of Railway Safety, which is respon-sible for investigating rail accidents, is not placed under the Ministry of Railways. The National Air Safety Board estab-lished by the government in January 2008 has senior func-tionaries of DGCA as members and hence cannot be regarded as independent. A Safety Advisory Council, constituted after the Mangalore tragedy, is merely a body meant to render ad-vice and is not adequately empowered.

From signals emanating from DGCA, there is little doubt it is in favour of an independent investigating agency. But for some inexplicable reason, the issue fades quickly away from public memory, lying interred in bureaucratic quagmire only to be resurrected after the next accident. Despatch of the cockpit voice recorder and the digital flight data recorder aboard for an independent analysis and the appointment of Air Marshal B.N. Gokhale to head the probe into the Mangalore tragedy, may help impart the investigation a semblance of impartiality. However, substantial qualitative change in the higher manage-ment of civil aviation in India and in its standards of air safety will only be possible through the establishment of a perma-nent agency outside the Ministry of Civil Aviation responsible for investigating accidents involving civil aircraft. SP

— Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

LASTWord

Managing Indian Skies

The function of accident

investigation ought to be entrusted to a specialised body outside the civil

aviation authority

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Aviation AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION · Issue 6 • 2010 SP’S AVIATION 1 FIRST 8 F ast Flight M Y AR ILIT 14 Industry US Aerospace M ajors 18 Industry Flawless First Flight CIVIL 26