Aviation Week India Thought Leaders (ITL) Series-4: HAL Chairman Ashok Nayak sets firm agenda for aggressive export sales; order book Rs 80,000 crore; says ALH Mk-IV variant on track

HAL Chairman Mr Ashok Nayak (top); and (bottom) company's prime revenue-generating products Dhruv & Su-30MKI. Photos: A.R. Jose for AVIATION WEEK/tarmak007

(AVIATION WEEK'S INDIA THOUGHT LEADERS Q&A SERIES)

By Anantha Krishnan M. | Aviation Week

Bangalore, India | May 28, 2010

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) sits on a robust order book close to Rs 80,000 crore, showing the company’s resounding health. As the backbone of the armed services, especially the Indian Air Force (IAF), HAL has firmed up a flight path to stay on top as South Asia’s market leader. Brightening its outlook are a series of fixed-wing and rotary platform projects. The offset policy has also been a huge blessing, with a number of global leaders working closely with HAL. Provisional sales for 2009-10 stood at Rs 11,415 crore, up about 10% over the previous year, while the profit before tax for the year stood at Rs 2,617 crore, with growth of 12% over the previous year. The order book has also swelled by more than Rs 12,000 crore during the year. At the company’s controls is a man who has ushered in a new shop-floor-driven, intense working philosophy. AVIATION WEEK met HAL Chairman Ashok Nayak as part of its India Thought Leaders (ITL) series.

AW: How far has HAL been able to penetrate the global market? Where do you position HAL by 2012?

 A.N.: HAL is emerging as a globally competitive aerospace company, winning the confidence of customers through the supply of high-precision structural work packages to leading global aerospace companies such as Airbus and RUAG in Europe, Boeing in North America and Embraer in South America. We will gradually focus on export of indigenously developed helicopters and trainer aircraft in the future. We will strive to harness the opportunities that emerge through offset. These should take the HAL export sales to substantially higher values in the years to come.

For the complete interview, please visit:

http://www.aviationweek.com/india

Hypersonic BrahMos missile will be ready by 2015 for testing, says Dr Sivathanu Pillai

BrahMos CEO Dr A. Sivathanu Pillai (top); and (bottom) a launch of the successful missile. Photos: BrahMos Aerospace

(AVIATION WEEK'S INDIA THOUGHT LEADERS Q&A SERIES)

By Anantha Krishnan M. | Aviation Week

Bangalore, India | May 27, 2010

The Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic missile program has made its mark in the international arena with a series of successful launches and subsequent rapid induction by the Indian Army and Navy. Now an air version of the missile is currently under development and will be fitted onto the Su-30MKI platform when ready. AVIATION WEEK caught up with BrahMos Aerospace CEO and Managing Director A. Sivathanu Pillai to learn more.

AW: What do you think has led to the success of BrahMos missile so far?

A.S.P.: Joint venture BrahMos is built upon the technological synergy of strengths of the two nations – India and Russia. Moreover, the superiority of the product such as Speed, Precision and Power has ensured the realization of this high-tech product and attracted the users to go for induction of the system in the shortest possible time. It can be proudly said that the Indian Army is the only land force in the entire globe to have a supersonic maneuverable land-attack cruise missile regiment.

For the complete interview, please visit:

http://www.aviationweek.com/india

Services to Saraswat: Stop playing to the gallery & deliver on time; emotions don't win war, but quality platforms will

By Anantha Krishnan M. | Aviation Week

Bangalore, India | May 26, 2010

Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Chief Dr. VK Saraswat said May 26 that “self-reliance in critical defense technologies cannot be achieved by DRDO alone unless the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) overcome the temptation to induct [the] latest weaponry from abroad.”

Speaking anonymously, a cross section of senior service officials told AVIATION WEEK that the DRDO chief was running away from responsibility. “The DRDO chief is taking the easy route out by saying that [the] services must stop looking elsewhere for weapons and different operational platforms. What will you do if the well at your house drains up completely? You buy water from outside, because it’s important for your survival. You can’t be waiting and waiting for ages. The situation is [the] same here. DRDO scientists are very emotional with various programs and they don’t have any cost and time sense. There’s no place for emotions when you are out facing the enemy. To win, you need quality products,” a source said.

 For complete report, please visit:

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Su-30MKIs will fly with BrahMos missile in 2012

Artist's impression of BrahMos on Su-30 MKI: Photo: BrahMos Aerospace

By Anantha Krishnan M. | Aviation Week

Bangalore, India | May 26, 2010

Initial trials for the air-launch version of the BrahMos supersonic missile will be carried out in the first half of 2011, and flight trials will take place in India in 2012, the missile maker says. The development of the air-launch version is expected to be completed in 2012, and its maker hopes to begin production and induction the same year. This version is for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and will be fitted with special launchers onto Su-30 MKI aircraft. 

BrahMos CEO and Managing Director A. Sivathanu Pillai told AVIATION WEEK that a special fire control system (FCS) and missile fabrication are being developed. “The prototype of the launcher has been already manufactured at BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (BATL). Work related to platform modification is to be taken up by Sukhoi Design Bureau. Two aircraft will be prepared for carrying out the trials,” Sivathanu Pillai said.

For complete report, please visit:

http://www.aviationweek.com/india

MISSILE ATTACK! DRDO Chief Saraswat says Services must overcome temptations to buy arms from abroad; no foreign systems can be customized fully for our needs

DRDO Chief Dr VK Saraswat's (in photo) remarks will set-off some debate, as for once, a DRDO Chief came out so openly asking the Services to limit their 'addiction' for shopping abroad. All these years, as journalists, we have only heard strong comments from the Services ripping apart DRDO for delays attached to various programs. On that count, this is a welcome change. Also, after many years, we have a DRDO boss who can speak well, to the point. They say, missile men are different! But, offficials in Services say Saraswat is playing to the gallery.

                                                          (Press Release)

The DRDO chief Dr VK Saraswat has said that self-reliance in critical defence technologies cannot be achieved by the premier defence R&D organization alone. In a terse statement at an award ceremony here today, he called upon the three Services to overcome their temptation to induct the latest weaponry from abroad.
“The Services … must understand that while the temptation may be overwhelming, to field proven, state-of-art imported systems, they too have a role to play in the economic and industrial growth of the country. No foreign system can be customized to completely address our long term requirement,” said Dr Saraswat, addressing the DRDO Technology Day Awards function.
Dr Saraswat pointed out that the DRDO cannot force the Armed Forces to opt for the indigenously harnessed advanced weaponry.
“DRDO has long been held responsible for the level of self-reliance in defence systems, but it must be understood that the responsibility for self-reliance should be shared by all stakeholders of the Ministry of Defence and cannot be placed on DRDO alone, which neither has the power to impose its products on its customer nor the mandate or capacity to produce the developed systems all by  themselves,” said Dr Saraswat. “At the same time Indian Industry has not yet reached the maturity level to take up this responsibility on itself,” he added.
Welcoming the Defence Ministry’s initiative to restructure the DRDO following the Rama Rao Committee proposals and the Offset Policy to spur private sector participation in the defence industry, Dr Saraswat allayed the pitfalls of wanton import of weapons and defence hardware.
“We … look to the recently instituted Offset Policy of MoD, which should be utilized to bring in high-end technology and quality manufacturing processes into the country and must guard against the pressures of high volume low end build-to-print modules,” he said.
Pointing out that the DRDO was always open to partner actively with the Armed Forces, Industry and the Academia, Dr Saraswat, however, sought more freedom for the DRDO to pursue its “primary aim of developing world class weapon systems”. “It is reiterated that DRDO must be given the freedom to choose a production agency based on their ability to absorb technology and carry out value addition after following a transparent procedure,” Dr Saraswat said, adding, “Commercial Pricing cannot always be the overriding factor”.
The DRDO chief said that the successful missile development programme and the development of the Light Combat Aircraft ‘LCA Tejas’ has given the country a strong base in the aerospace industry, so much so that most of the international aerospace majors have decided to set up R&D/production facilities in India in the last few years.
Dr Saraswat said the DRDO is also actively engaged in combating emerging internal security threats. “In view of the emerging threat scenario in sub-conventional warfare, DRDO has proactively undertaken the task of familiarizing India’s paramilitary forces with the products and technologies available for their use and plan to launch new initiatives in surveillance, early detection and warning systems to tackle the growing menace,” he said.
Dr Saraswat said the DRDO expects to conduct a test flight of the indigenously developed ‘Agni-5’, the entirely solid fuel Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of 5,000 kms, by next year. “With this, DRDO would have given India a comprehensive indigenous strategic capability, available with only a few nations of the world,” he said.
Quoting a study by the reputed independent evaluation agency ‘National Council of Applied Economic Research’, Dr Saraswat, who is also the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, refuted criticism that the huge sums of money being pumped into the DRDO during the last five decades has not been productive.
“The total production value of the major systems inducted into the Services has reached a (whopping) figure of Rs. 68,000/- crores during the last decade, with the modest R&D investment of about Rs. 3,000/- crores per year,” Dr Saraswat said, adding, “self-reliance index will certainly be enhanced with new major systems like MBT, LCA, Radars and Electronic Warfare Systems being inducted into Services.”
Presenting a roadmap, Dr Saraswat said the DRDO’s goals would focus on Space and Cyber Security, Hypersonic Vehicles, Directed Energy Weapons and Smart Materials, Composites and MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) -based Sensors. “A major R&D Programme on NBC (Nuclear-Biological-Chemical) Defence has been recently sanctioned by the Cabinet Committee on Security,” he said.

Boeing crash and a black box ballet in Mangalore!

TRIUMPH: An official holding the black box of the crashed Boeing 737-800 Air India Express flight, after it was salvaged from the debris in Mangalore on May 25, 2010. Photo: t-arch-2010

TARMAK007 EDITORIAL

IT only happens in India. And as they say, IT doesn’t get bigger than this. Sadly, IT happened at a spot that snuffed the lives of 158 and dented many more. The IT in question is the event that emerged out of Mangalore on Tuesday morning. The breaking news of the moment was: FDR found intact.

People were congratulating each other. Smiles all over. A sense of great achievement. News channels reported non-stop about the ‘major find of the day.’ Shoving and pushing at will to get a glimpse of the secret box. Adding to the drama was a light drizzle, as if summoned to douse the heat.

Emerging out was a man lifting the ‘precious metal piece’ that could throw light into the reasons of the crash. He lifted the black box in one hand and waved in all direction. Left to right. Then right to left. Amidst security officials, media personnel and the search and rescue team, the man of the moment stood like a sports star holding the black-box like a coveted trophy during a presentation ceremony. Triumph Time!

These were possibly the first (as media would put it live and exclusive) visuals mankind could ever see that of a black box getting so much of attention. If you still feel what’s wrong in doing so, then read on.

Minutes later a group of search teams were seen flashing victory symbols to the battery of media men. There were also mad scramble for splitting the owner of spotting the FDR. Media debates ranged over the exact spot from it was located; who found it; exact time; amount of debris on it; angle at which it lay and so on. Every TV channel tried their very best to educate the viewer of the significance of black-box. Its use, after every crash. What it can do and what it can’t. And as a result, the whole of India now know that color of black box is: Orange!

"What will all those who lost their loved ones think after seeing these scenes of ‘celebrations’? How much of significance is a recovery of a black-box to those who are still shell-shocked and mourning?," an airport official asked tarmak007, fafter witnessing the 'black-box ballet' in Mangalore.

If it is vital to investigation, which in this case it is, then the DGCA and Air India officials should have ensured some method in madness. Media has a job to do and are well within their rights to go to any accepted levels to get the first byte and exclusive visuals and it's but natural that at times things might go out of hands as seen on TV channels. A DGCA official said that the unusual exhibition of black-box was due to immense media pressure, who were shouting repeatedly to get a glimpse of the equipment.
A Mangalore Airport official told tarmak007 that the incident has left a bad taste and even one of the experts, who came from abroad to assist DGCA officials, is said to complained about the 'fanfare' associated with a sensitive operation.

Thank God, the official holding the black box didn’t plant a kiss on to it followed by a victory lap.

And, that could have been worse than the crash!

NCC sailing expedition flagged in

Photos 1 &2: Dr Shreekumar Mukherjee, Civil Defense Minister, West Bengal, congratulates NCC Cadets on successful completion of sailing expedition from Farakka to Kolkatta at Man of War Jetty on May 25. Photo 3: The Naval Unit NCC cadets of West bengal and Sikkim Directorate after completing the expedition. Photos: MoD

(Press Release)

A sailing expedition from Farakka to Kolkata undertaken by the Naval Unit NCC was flagged in today at the Man-of-War Jetty in Kolkata by Dr. Shreekumar Mukherjee, Civil Defence Minister, West Bengal.

It is an annual adventure activity of the Naval Unit NCC West Bengal and Sikkim Directorate. The expedition from Farakka(Murshidabad) to Kolkata, a distance of about 430 kms by river route was conducted for 80 ( 54 boys and 26 girls) Naval Unit NCC Cadets in four Whaler class boats under the command of Commander Madhukar Kulshrestha, Commanding Officer, No.1 (Bengal) Naval Unit NCC. The expedition was flagged off by the AGM, NTPC, Farakka on May 11. There were seven halts along the river Hooghly namely Raghunathganj, Berhampur, Katwa, Mayapur, Kalna, Chinsurah and Dakshineswar.

The aim of this sailing expedition is to inculcate a spirit of adventure and healthy competition amongst the cadets besides building up mental and physical toughness, camaraderie, stamina, alertness and ability to interact as a team of disciplined cohesive body for facing tough situations.

The cadets were imparted Navy oriented training viz. pulling, sailing, boat handling, river navigation, towing, visual and R/T communication. Opportunity was also utilized to introduce the cadets to the rich cultural heritage by conducting visits to the places of historical importance.

The cadets undertook social service activities en route like tree plantation, cleaning of roads, “save the girl child”, “Save the Tiger”, and “Save the Earth”, campaigns. Street plays and road shows were conducted at the places of scheduled halts. The Cadets interacted with the tribal’s and distributed fruits. The cadets were very keen to adopt a village and accordingly Authpur village near Bhatpura in North 24 Parganas has been adopted by the unit. One solar lamp and some soft toys were gifted to the village. Survey of the children was undertaken and cadets of this unit have taken a resolve to support these children physically and financially for a period of one year.

In his address the Chief Guest Dr. Shreekumar Mukherjee highly appreciated the role of NCC in motivating the youths to build up a healthy and strong India.

BREAKING NOW! 

MANGALORE CRASH: BOEING 737-800 BLACKBOX FOUND.

Debris cleared from Boeing crash site

By Anantha Krishnan M. | Aviation Week

Bangalore, India | May 24, 2010

Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials completed their preliminary investigation late May 24 into the Boeing 737-800 Air India Express crash near Mangalore on May 22 that killed 158 people. A senior Mangalore airport official told AVIATION WEEK that Air India security officials will continue their search for the aircraft’s flight data recorder (FDR). Two Kenyan crash experts have joined the search and probe team to look at all possible angles and speed up the investigation.

For complete report, please visit:

http://www.aviationweek.com/india

MoD wants LCH induction within 2 years; Wg Cdr Unni Pillai terms it as the best machine he ever flew; IAF says 'we want her desparately', HAL says we shall deliver on time

LCH official maiden flight in Bangalore on May 23. Photo: A.R. Jose

By Anantha Krishnan M. | Aviation Week

Bangalore, India | May 24, 2010

The official first flight of India’s Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) went ahead as planned at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport in Bengaluru on May 23. Though the event was a low-key affair - as a mark of respect to those killed in the Air India Express crash at Mangalore - and India’s Defense Minister, A.K. Antony, his deputy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief all skipped the event owing to the airliner tragedy.

HAL’s Chief Test Pilot Unni Pillai, who flew the chopper, told AVIATION WEEK soon after the touchdown that it was the best rotor platform he had ever flown. “The platform is stable and extremely comfortable. Its handling qualities can be a delight to any pilot. This machine is going to be the best in its class for high-altitude operations,” he said. LCH had close to 20 informal flights prior to Sunday’s flight.

For complete report, please visit:

http://www.aviationweek.com/india

Snapshots from Super Sunday Show -- LCH Maiden Flight

LCA Tejas PV-2 was the first to fly. (Top & below)

Then came the Hawk. (Top & below)

Dornier followed next. (Top & below)

 Dhruv checked in next. (Top)

Finally, she came. Fast and furious -- the LCH (top and all photos below)

The blogger with Secretary Defence Production R.K. Singh.(Below) LCH amidst the crowd.

 All photos above: A.R. JOSE for tarmak007

HAL Test pilots Wcg Cdr (Retd) Unni Pillai and Gp Cpt (Rtd) Hari Nair after the flight. Photo: Shiv Aroor.  (Below) LCH flypast photo sent by Anup Kulkarni, a tarmak007 reader. 

A Helicopter Complex handout on LCH.(Top & below)

The LUH mock-up (top and below) displayed by HAL during the event.
Photos: Sanjay Simha

Antony mourns Mangalore crash; will skip LCH event along with Pallam Raju, HAL now plans a low-key LCH official flight

Defense Minister AK Antony has expressed profound shock and grief at the loss of over 150 people  in the air crash at Mangalore airport on May 22.  In a condolence message, Antony said: “I am deeply grieved and shocked to learn of loss hundreds of precious lives in the Air India plane crash today. I express my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved families.   I also wish a speedy recovery to those injured in the crash.”  

MoD sources confirmed that Antony and his deputy Pallam Raju won't be attending the Bangalore LCH event owing to magnitude of the Mangalore tragedy. HAL officials said that event will go on as planned but on a low-key. "We are shocked and it is very unfortunate something of this magnitude happened. The LCH event will now be a low-key affair," an executive director with HAL, said.
A moment for the dead at Mangalore.

LCH UPDATE: Just above my house, just above my head, just now, just for you!

The LCH, followed by 2 Sarang Dhruvs, flew some 5-6 times over this blogger's house in Bangalore between 10.40 and 11.15 am today. These are photos shot from an amateur camera and I regret the poor quality. However, these could be first visuals of LCH being escorted by the proven platform Dhruv and the same exercise will be performed tomorrow in front of the august gathering. Moral of the story: Stay close to an airport, if you are an aviation journalist! Photos: tarmak007