'My mother will be happy' | Sharan Palan is Tarmak007 Follower of The Year 2014 on FB

Sharan Palan, a 23-year-old network engineer working in Mumbai, has been chosen as the Tarmak007 Follower of The Year 2014 on FB.

Hello Everyone!
Greetings!

Sharan Palan, a 23-year-old young man, passionately chasing his dreams, is the Tarmak007 Follower of The Year (#TFOTY). 

Sharan’s father is a retired hotel waiter and mother is a housewife. Sharan is currently working as a Network Engineer (L1) in Mumbai. He is a 12th pass and couldn’t complete is graduation owing to financial worries on the home front. In the meantime, he managed to complete a course in hardware networking.

Hailing from Kaup, a small-time village in Mangalore, Sharan has been a hardcore follower of Tarmak007 right from the moment the blog made its presence on FB, back in January 2013. “I remember when I liked this page, the number was 104. That was on the first day of the blog on FB,” says Sharan.

Surprised at being a winner: The humble kid was absolutely surprised when Tarmak007 chased him down asking for his number. “I wanted to always join the armed forces, but couldn’t, may be because I was very thin. But, I enjoyed my 2-year stint in NCC,” says Sharan.

Once the telephonic interview was over, Tarmak007 received a message on FB, which was moving. “Thank You Sir.. First time winning anything in my life… My mother will be really happy.” Sharan’s mother is currently bed-ridden after an unfortunate accident at home.

“Only last one month I couldn’t visit Tarmak007 regularly as I was taking care of my mother. There’s no proper network in my village,” says Sahran 

In love with Mumbai: Sharan loves Mumbai and he just returned after being with his mother. “I love this city. It gives lots of hopes and if you can really work hard, you can achieve your goals. Sir, Mumbai is full of energy, and always crowded. Getting a job is not a problem here,” says Sharan.

Mamma’s boy: Sharan gets around Rs 12,000 and after his monthly expenses are taken out, he still saves some money to be sent to his mother. His elder sister is married and now settled in Mumbai. When asked about his dreams, Sharan said: “My dream is to support my mother. She supported me so much. And, it’s my turn to make her happy. Always…”

When, the interview was done, Sharan had a request. “It’s okay, if you want to give this award to someone else. Speaking with you itself is a big award for me. I have always appreciated the amount of time and energy that goes behind updating the blog. I see many blogs sharing from Tarmak007,” says Sharan.

Why Sharan? For the last 2 years, Sharan has been an avid follower of the blog. He always appreciated the achievements of Indian defence and most of his comments were short. Every time, the blog crossed a milestone, Sharan was the first to respond. While the blog had some passionate followers of late, who could probably overtake Sharan with their GK levels, I stuck to loyalty and simplicity – 2 key factors I saw in the follower.

Hence, Sharan Palan becomes the Tarmak007 Follower of The Year 2014.

The first special awardee: Anish Puri has been chosen as the first special awardee. Anish has been a devoted follower of the blog and has probably not missed a single post in the last couple of months. He has followed Tarmak007 like a shadow and even has been very active on the Twitter as well. Anish seems to be having good knowledge levels on world defence as well.

Second and third special awardees: Shubham Sahai and Ashok Nayak have been chosen as the second and third special awardees. Both have been active on the blog. Their comments are always decent and to the point.

The awards: Sharan Palan will get to spend one day with the Tarmak007 during Aero India 2015. His stay in Bengaluru and entry to the air show will be sponsored by the blogger. He will also be presented a table-top model of Tejas, courtesy ADA. In addition, he will also receive a one-year free subscription of Hamari Fauj Hindi defence magazine.

The first special awardee will get a 2014YONEX Pro Series Backpack, sponsored by Uttsav Mishra, former international badminton player and currently coach of Senior Indian Badminton Team (Core Group). He is also the Chief Coach of Air India Badminton Team. Uttsav is an avid follower of Tarmak007.

The second and third special awardees will get a 2015 Diary/Organiser.

Finally...: There are others as well who have been following the blog vigorously. Pratik Das, Kedar Karmarkar, Arnav Pai, Basani Satheesh Kumar, Goboor Vivek, Onam Mukherjee, Sreekuttan Kadakkal, Meenakshi Lekhi, Neeraj Mishra, Anshul Anand, Rahul Devnath, Saurav Jain and Bhuvanesh to name a few. I might have definitely missed out many names and it’s no easy task to remember all!

While I thank each and every one for keeping the philosophy of the Tarmak007 intact – Clean Blogging – I have one request to all the knowledgeable visitors to Tarmak007. “Educate every visitor, in case they are ignorant of the facts and figures. Do not make fun and deflate their passion. Simplify the facts so that everyone understands the complexities of aerospace and defence.”

Tarmak007 is a blog that aims at educating the common man on India’s aerospace and defence might. With your help, I am sure we can inspire more souls every day.

Congratulations to Sharan! You have truly inspired me. He can be reached at: sonupalan578@gmail.com 

Remember, it’s your blog! Happy New Year to all!

Regards

Tarmak007

India's very own Chuck Yeager | Tributes to Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava

By AVM Rajeev Hora 

Commandant ASTE

Evening of 18 December, while trying to reach his son Kishore, I rang up Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava’s mobile number by mistake and I heard an all too familiar voice telling me that the subscriber was out of reach! Well, he sure was this time and probably reaching for the stars on a second WW biplane! We had just come back home after performing the last rites for Retd Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava VM who left for his heavenly abode on the 17th of December 2014.

But somehow, as we traced our feet back to our homes a few utterings overheard during the funeral still hung in the air- We have lost an icon! End of an era! The Grand old man of Flight Testing! We probably don’t realize what we have lost today! So loving, so humble! And all of it was so very true as every Tester (as Test pilots and Flight Test Engineers are fondly known as), in town wanted to be there at that moment which actually never felt like mourning but a final celebration of an extraordinary life!

The same day obituary in the Times of India read ‘A brief period of illness ended a remarkable life, lived to the fullest, centred on others and the Indian Air Force’! What a way to capture the lifetime of probably the greatest aviation enthusiast and Tester the country has ever produced! A flyer-writer who was our link to the past, a man who regaled us with the adventures of yore and had always an amazing story to tell! The Devons, the Liberators, the Spitfires and so many other ac of that vintage used to suddenly come to life in his presence!

Although 1994 was the first time I came across Gp Capt Bhargava, I learnt from the old timers that he was a permanent feature as a Guest Lecturer in the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, the flight test establishment of the IAF, despite his retirement from the Air Force in 1976. No training course was considered really complete without his talk on flight-testing which had all the elements of a Chuck Yeager autobiography! Well he sure was our very own Chuck Yeager! I still remember going back home rather despondent after attending his talk as to why I was subjecting myself to the horrors of the ‘stability and control’ précis whereas this old man could so easily ‘guestimate’ the same by having one distant look at the inadequate size of the fin of the Ajeet trainer prototype taxiing out!

Well, he was indeed good at guessing! We all were aware of his frail health this season as he refused many a social invitation. But this time when he gave me a call from the hospital, he made a specific mention that he had passed my phone number to his family members, just in case they required any sort of help. His premonition or guess was spot-on and the he really did not recover from the high-risk surgery that the doctors had advised!

Gp Capt Bhargava’s father was an ICS officer in the British Raj days and he spent his childhood in Bulandshahar and Gorakhpur. The aviation bug bit him rather early in life and he was commissioned in Oct 1950 in the 53rd Pilots Course. He flew Spitfires and Vampires before attending the Empire Test Pilots School in UK to graduate as one of India’s pioneer test pilots.

In his test flying career with the IAF, besides production test flying, he flew the first flights of the HAL Pushpak, the HS-748 ‘Avro’ and the Messerschmitt HA 300 Fighter designed by Egypt. The first flight of the HS-748 earned him one of the first Vayusena Medals awarded to the IAF – in 1962. He was also the first commandant of ASTE (then A&ATU) and served as the Station Commander of Jodhpur. After his career in the Air Force, he was with the Flight Safety Directorate of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore before retirement.

Gp Capt Bhargava’s long spell in Egypt were full of interesting challenges as he worked with the Egyptian Air Force to build and test fly their own aircraft. His family still remembers how he would fly aerobatics over the Nile river. But the most exciting was the day when he got airborne in the Messerschmitt prototype for the first time. His colleagues took over the ATC and Cairo television broadcast the flight live. It was an intensely emotional for the Egyptians who thanked him repeatedly and in tears!

Apart from that, the greatest number of his entertaining and spellbinding stories were about the No 7 Squadron. Those were probably the years he enjoyed the most, though it’s difficult to choose. His family, friends and acquaintances always thought of him as being synonymous with the Air force. Every waking moment centered on the Air force, long after he left it formally. In truth, he never did leave! His articles kept gracing the pages of publications like Air Forces Monthly, Air Enthusiast, Flypast, Air International and Indian Aviation for many years. His talks in various seminars were pure gold and were so eagerly awaited. His wonderful wife Mohini would often jokingly accuse him of bigamy as aviation was indeed his first love! He also led his daughters Mala and Meena to become so intensely involved in the whole thrilling world of flying at a young age that they would often listen in to flying exercises being executed through a VHF radio!

A keen blogger, he kept himself abreast with the latest technologies till his very last and would often invite youngsters to help him with his IT stuff. Some people also don’t probably know that he was a wonderful statistician and could conduct a two hours extempore class on statistics any time. But more than any other attribute, his will to help out people in need really stood out. One of my last conversations with him was from his hospital bed just three days before his final goodbye when he was desperately struggling with his own deteriorating health wherein he requested me to help sort out the pension papers for the kin of a long departed colleague!

The Indian aviation world is indeed a lesser place in his absence. We at ASTE are so happy that we were able to confer the first ‘Life Time Achievement in Flight Testing’ award to him just a few months before his demise. No one deserved it more to be the first recipient! ! He was indeed a very happy man, a learned man, a very kind man and a truly great man!

They don’t make aviators and gentlemen like him anymore! It is said that a man stops feeling immortal when he loses his parents!

Suddenly the world of flight-testing seems mortal and we know why!

(Blogger's Note: This a brilliant tribute to late Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava (Retd) [21 Aug 28 to 17 Dec 14  written by ASTE Commandant AVM Rajeev Hora, which went live on kbhargava.com. It is evident that this piece is straight from the heart and hence flawless and moving. Probably among the best tributes I have read in a long time. Good one, AVM! A rare coincidence though, from now on we shall remember December 17 every year on two counts. The first flight of Wright Brothers and the final flight of Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava. R.I.P. Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava. We shall continue to spread the aroma of your life. Tarmak007)

Panchi packs a punch during first flight

Read OneIndia report, here: http://bit.ly/1B5uJfM

Breaking on Tarmak007 | Panchi's maiden flight successful

Panchi, wheeled version of Nishant UAV, had its maiden flight successfully. It flew for 20 minutes. Take off and landing perfect. ADE gave birth to Panchi in the last 8 months. Stand-by for more later.

My way of saying Thank You...

Don't miss the announcement on: Tarmak007@FB soon.

When I refused to fly Pt Nehru

Photo Courtesy: Bharat Rakshak

By Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava 

Indian Air Force (Retd)

The date of refusal was November 26, 1961 and the passenger involved was Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru, the Prime Minister, with an entourage of other VIPs. It was on the first transport aircraft to be built in India, the Avro 748 which was put together from imported major sub-assemblies by the Indian Air Force.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) manufacturing an aircraft for its own use was in itself a unique event, perhaps first in the world. Despite, the lack of experience our technicians and engineers did a very good job. I flew the aircraft on its maiden flight on November 1, 1961, with the Defence Minister, VK Krishna Menon and AVM Harjindar Singh, the father of the project and host, watching from the control tower. With hardly any testing done, the flight was uneventful. 

Since elections were due soon, Krishna Menon decided to blow his trumpet. The Prime Minister was asked to inaugurate the aircraft and 'dedicate it to the nation' on November 26 at Palam. By then, not all systems had been installed and production tests had not been completed. But as is our wont, there were many cynical and adverse comments rife about the aircraft within IAF and Indian Airlines (IAC). In view of this, I decided to show off a really major safety feature of the aircraft: coping with one engine failure during take off. 

For the Inauguration and to watch the flight, Prime Minster, Pt 

Jawahar Lal Nehru and guests were seated near the Blue Hangar by the side of Runway 27, about three hundred yards away from it and also down to the right from the dumb-bell. Others present were Krishna Menon (naturally), Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Aspy M Engineer, several other ministers, secretaries and some senior IAF officers. A special invitee was Sir Roy Dobson, Chairman Hawker Siddeley Group which had by then acquired AV Roe & Co. Most pilots, not otherwise engaged, from Air Hq Communication (Comm) Squadron were seated in the rearmost row. Sqn Ldr CV (Chandu) Gole was to provide the commentary 

After being sent off ceremoniously to fly the aircraft, my copilot Sqn Ldr RD Sahni and I boarded the aircraft, started both engines and lined up for take-off at the 27 dumb-bell. During the take off run, as we reached decision speed, I feathered the critical right engine which was on the side of the spectators. Pilots of Comm Squadron all stood up in alarm perhaps thinking that the aircraft was about to crash. We took off. climbed to 500 feet, turned around and right in front of the guests re-started the engine. Only then it became clear to the spectators that stopping the right engine was a deliberate act for display. The rest of the show was good but perhaps over-praised by Chandu. My hope was that both IAF and IAC would recognise that extreme safety was built into the turbo-prop aircraft, the certification requirements for which had evolved from the dangerous failures of engines on piston engine transports. 

After landing and switching off close to the spectators area, we were met at the bottom of the steps by the PM. I was introduced to him by Krishna Menon. Pt Nehru gave me a tight welcoming hug with a huge smile on his face and said, "Yes, I know this chap" (Like hell he did! It was just a political comment). In the next few minutes all senior people climbed into the aircraft and all seats got occupied with Pt Nehru in the front row. He whispered to Krishna Menon who came up to the front door where I was standing and asked if the PM could be given a ride. 

I was horrified at the idea of carrying the PM and others in an unproven aircraft which had not even finished the essential production tests. I told Krishna Menon that no flight for the PM or any other passengers was possible. I suggested that he look at the people seated in the aircraft, the safety of which was yet to be ensured. I said half the Government of India, many Governors, Ministers, Secretaries, etc were present. There was no way I would risk flying them in the aircraft which was not yet ready to carry passengers. I explained that the IAF took extreme care to ensure safety of its passengers. I did not mention that I was not even qualified to carry any of them anyway.

His only comment was that I had been flying it and showing it off. I explained that I was a test pilot and it was my job. It was limited to testing the aircraft till it got ready to be used in service. 

Krishna Menon turned away and spoke a few words to the PM. The conversation was so short that I knew he never mentioned even the smallest part of my explanation. All he could have said in those few seconds would have been, "The pilot refuses to fly us". Anyway, Pt Nehru immediately got up from his seat and in a visibly angry huff without once glancing at me walked down and out of the aircraft.

The CAS followed him and Krishna Menon. As the CAS passed me, he said in a soft undertone, "Well done, Bhargava". I then knew that I was not about to be tried by a Court Martial. 

My display had an interesting fallout. I heard from some kind people that Sir Roy Dobson, immediately after our touchdown, said to Pt Nehru that it was the finest display of a transport aircraft he had ever seen, surely an exaggeration meant for currying favour and promoting his own business. The result was that two months later on Republic Day 1962, I was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (VM) for courage and professional skill. The medal had been instituted only a year and eleven months earlier. Mine was among the first 12 or 15 VMs for IAF. This had its own tale. 

All early decorations were awarded in the Rashtrapati Bhawan by the President himself. My wife and I attended the investiture in April 1962. As is the custom, after the ceremony, we were ushered in for a cup of tea with the President. Soon after the two of us sat down in front of a small table, two cups of tea appeared. We were facing President Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. Seated on his right was Pt Nehru. Almost before I took the first sip of my tea, the President asked me, "Since when have the Bhargavas been a martial race". My reply was 

instant, "Since Parashuram, Sir". Pt Nehru bursts out laughing but the President went quiet and never said another word to me. Fortunately for me Pt Nehru was gracious enough to ask how the Avro 748 was doing. 

Obviously he had not forgotten the refusal. I explained that we had completed tests on it and the aircraft was fit for passengers. But we did lose the main passenger door the first time we pressurised the aircraft. By then the involved design fault had occurred on five aircraft around the world with an air hostess being sucked out as the aircraft was heading for Lima airport of Peru. I hoped that he realised the significance of IAF not risking its passengers. 

It was time to leave, though we were kept back for a few minutes extra for two other awardees to join us. As we came out, the Naval officer escorting us told me, "Sir, you have upset the President". I was horrified and asked him how. He said that my reply was that the Bhargavas were martial people since Parashuram. I said that I did not think that it was a rude or offensive reply. It was very much a part of our mythology. He explained that all that was well but the President was also a Bhargava. He never thought that he was from a martial race. I knew of him as a very gentle person.. He was a teacher, a philosopher and was devoutly religious. I had read most of his exposition of The Bhagwad Gita. But it was a realisation too late. 

Unfortunately, I never got a chance to make amends! 

(The above article is being reproduced from web written by late Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava. I found it from a Google group and hence couldn't give the credit properly.) 

R.I.P. Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava

R.I.P. Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava.

 He died in Bengaluru last week (Dec 17). Sadly, none of the newspapers/TV channels bothered to even have a small obit on one of the finest jewels of IAF. That shows the plight and focus of my 'great' profession, journalism!
I haven't interacted much with him, though was aware of his activities through friends. I have read some of his pieces and knew that he was a rare treasure trove of information on IAF. He was a voracious writer and never missed an opportunity to pen his thoughts.

Photo Courtesy: Bharat Rakshak
Read an obit by Marut fans here: http://bit.ly/1B48FC4

From #NLCA #NP1 recent SBTF trial | Pix: ADA

Parrikar effect? Tejas in an IAF advt, finally!

LCA Navy creates history in Goa; India joins an elite club

By Anantha Krishnan M

https://twitter.com/writetake

Bengaluru, Dec 20: India on Saturday created a slice of naval history when the first home-grown naval jet Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Naval Protytype-1 (NP-1), a trainer, took off from the Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) at INS Hans in Goa for the first time. As reported by OneIndia recently, the NP-1 was piloted by Cmde Jaideep Maolankar, Chief Test Pilot of National Flight Test Centre (NFTC) situated in Bengaluru. 

The SBTF replicates a static model of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) being built at the Cochin Shipyard in Kerala. The aircraft undertook the ski-jump (take-off) 300 meters away from the ramp – having a curved upward shape at one end. The telemetry feed of the crucial trial was also available at NFTC, which was closely monitored by an expert team.

Sources who witnessed the NP-1 event at SBTF told OneIndia that the aircraft accelerated more than expected. “We were hoping for a 150 knot safe fly away at a climb rate of 6.4 degrees. But, the aircraft had a higher acceleration with a climb rate of around 11 degrees, which showcased the confidence of the pilot on the platform,” an official said.

Naval history created, says DRDO D-G: Dr K Tamilmani, one of the visible faces of DRDO and its Director-General (Aero) told OneIndia that NP1 smooth take-off during the first attempt itself will give a huge boost to the programme. “There have been delays which are justifiable if you have tracked the programme from close quarters. We were dating complex technologies and NP-1 scripted naval history at INS Hansa,” Dr Tamilmani said.

He said as part of the current campaign, NP-1 will have five more tests at SBTF (only ski-jumps) to meet all mission parameters. “Based on the test points achieved, we will schedule the next leg of trials. The aircraft will undertake ski-jumps 90 meters from the ramp, with all weapon stores in place,” Dr Tamilmani added.

To a specific query, the top scientist said that the arrester-hook landing trials of NP-1 will be conducted within 6-8 months. He confirmed that the second prototype of naval LCA (NP-2) will undertake its first flight in Bengaluru soon. The NP-1 had its maiden flight on April 27, 2012.

The DRDO quoted its Chief Dr Avinash Chander in an official release saying that it hopes to see home-grown combat aircraft soon flying from the decks of Indian aircraft carriers. 

Validation of the efforts by design teams, says Navy: The Indian Navy is yet to officially name the aircraft and the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan had recently expressed concerns over the delay in the programme. The Admiral had also reviewed the project ahead of the SBTF trails. 

Reacting to the NP-1’s achievement on Saturday, Rear Admiral D M Sudan, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air) told OneIndia from New Delhi that the NP-1 ski-jump is a validation of the effort of the design team.

“The launch of NP-1 from the SBTF is a historic event. It also shows the faith the Navy has reposed in this indigenous development programme. This event would provide an impetus towards timely achievement of future milestones,” Rear Admiral Sudan said.

We predicted the behavior of the aircraft, says ADA Chief: P S Subramanyam, Director, Aeronautical Development Agency, told OneIndia from Goa that it was a ‘text-book style’ launch of NP-1 at SBTF.

“India has become only the third country in the world (after US and Ukraine) to have carried out such a launch. This technology is only available to a few nations. We were able to predict the behaviour of the aircraft during the entry on the ramp, while on the ramp and after its exit,” he said.

He said Saturday’s mission was a well-orchestrated one with many agencies involved. He said the NP-1 did not have an arrester hook fitted on it. “The arrester-hook landing is not a critical test as ski-jump. Today what we have achieved will be remembered for a long time to come,” Subramanyam said.

Our Take | OneIndia

* All the stake-holders need to be patted on their back for this stupendous achievement. 

* The successful completion of the critical nature of the mission at first attempt itself should further boost the confidence of the user on the programme.

* The Navy has been backing this programme to the hilt, which gave the ADA-HAL-NFTC combine to undertake ski-jump more confidently. User support sans any conditions important for desi programmes to flourish.

* The NP-2 should join the flight-line at the earliest which should help catch-up with some of the lost time.

Copyright @OneIndia

More photos from SBTF @INS Hansa | NP-1 ski-jump

Pix: DRDO

Official DRDO video of NP1 ski-jump from SBTF

NLCA NP1 completes first successful take-off from SBTF

Stand-by for a detailed story.

One year after IOC-2, Parrikar says IAF will finally get Tejas by March 2015

By Anantha Krishnan M

https://twitter.com/writetake

Bengaluru, Dec 19: The Indian Air Force (IAF) will ‘officially’ get to fly the first series production (SP-1) variant of India’s Light Combat Aircraft Tejas by March 2015. Having skipped many deadlines in the past, the fresh dates announced by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Lok Sabha today, will again put the spotlight on Tejas, which is currently meeting the mandatory Final Operational Clearance (FOC) test-points.

Interestingly, Parrikar’s statement comes on the eve of Tejas completing one year after being given the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) on December 20, 2013. “The first of the IOC standard Tejas (SP-1) has been built and successfully completed its maiden flight on September 30, 2014. This aircraft will be handed over to IAF by March 2015 after some upgrades,” Parrikar informed Lok Sabha in a written reply.

The SP-1 was rolled out from the brand new Tejas facility of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in Bengaluru. The minister said that the second aircraft (SP-2) will also be ready by March 2015 for its maiden flight and the first 20 aircraft will be built by 2017-18. The first 20 Tejas will be in the IOC configuration and the remaining 20 in the FOC configuration.

FOC dates further pushed to Dec 2015: The minister also announced that the crucial FOC (meeting all parameters set by the IAF, which is called Air Staff Requirement) is “likely to be only achieved by end of 2015.” This programme was expected to get FOC by mid-2015 and sources tell OneIndia that the minister might have announced the fresh likely dates after getting a briefing from the IAF. 

DRDO Chief Dr Avinash Chander told OneIndia on Friday that all planned events of Tejas FOC are on track. “The programme is heading in the right direction and the trials mandated under FOC are being done,” Dr Avninash said.

On another query, the DRDO chief said that the third trial of Agni-5 missile will not happen this month. “The fresh dates are being worked out. It will be only sometime in January next year,” Dr Avinash said.

He also complemented the DRDO for successfully testing a 1000 kg glide bomb today (in Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast). “India has now the capability to design, develop and launch heavy bombs for delivery up to 100 km away with high precision,” Dr Avinash was quoted by DRDO in a release.

DRDO says all major critical challenges achieved: DRDO Director-General (Aero) Dr K Tamilmani told OneIndia that the project has achieved all major challenges so far. “So far there are no critical challenges to overcome. A number of Tejas variants are undertaking trials and that’s a positive sign for the project,” Dr Tamilmani said.

When specifically asked about the FOC dates getting postponed, the top DRDO brain said: “We are awaiting for some more components (nose cone quartz radome and the air-to-air refueling probe) to arrive. There is a delay from the part of getting them.”

He said Tejas has proven multiple test-points related to its weapon release. “Functional aspects of the radar have been proved. Issues related to range will be fixed with the new radome,” he added.

We will ramp up production, says HAL: HAL Chairman Dr R K Tyagi said that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will ramp up the Tejas series production soon. “We are confident of increasing it from eight to 16 aircraft and we are in talks with the government. We hope the IAF order for Tejas goes up significantly from the current numbers,” Dr Tyagi said.

He also demanded a level playing field for HAL when the Ministry of Defence invites competitive bids. “Everyone should be given an equal chance. The HTT-40 programme is a challenge to our prestige and pride,” Dr Tyagi said, while releasing a new book on Tejas, IJT and Jaguar upgrade written by former LCA (Director) in HAL Yogesh Kumar. The book is titled: “Lead and Execute: The Art of Managing Large Scale Projects.”

Our Take | OneIndia

• It is a matter of concern that Tejas deadlines are getting shifted again.
• MoD must bring in more synergy between HAL-ADA.
• Lessons learnt from Tejas Mk-1 must act as pointers for future projects like Tejas Mk-II (if IAF needs it), AMCA, UCAV etc.
• Emotions have no place when your fighter plane needs to gain combat-readiness as desired by the user.

Copyright@OneIndia

Dhruv, a savior for thousands of families in Sunabeda

By Anantha Krishnan M

https://twitter.com/writetake

Sonabeda, Dec 16: The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) top management has touched the hearts of thousands of employees and their families of its Engine Division in Koraput by dedicating a civil helicopter to meet any medical emergencies.

The civil variant of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv (VT-HAQ) has become a huge relief for the Division’s 3700+plus workforce and their families.

The HAL Engine Division is situated at Sunabeda in Koraput district of Odhisa, which is a remote area with fluctuating climate, at times. During a recent visit to the facilities, OneIndia was taken around the helipad, which is on an upgradation mode in the last couple of years.

The employees credit HAL Chairman R K Tyagi for instantly agreeing for their request for a helicopter service so as to reach Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Visakhapatnam during emergencies. “The need for a helicopter was projected in May 2012 and our Chairman ensured that in September 2012 Dhruv started its operations. The availability of Dhruv is a huge morale-booster for the workforce here,” Maloy De, General Manager (Koraput), tells OneIndia.

Pawan Hans, HAL teams available 24x7: Today the Dhruv is operated by a team of pilots and ground engineering team from Pawan Hans Ltd (PHL). They are supported by HAL team headed by S Pandit, Additional General Manager (Helicopters and Services). HAL’s Helicopter Division in Bengaluru is in constant coordination with Sonabeda. In addition to medical evacuation, the Dhruv is also being used for VIP movement and aerial survey.

“The Dhruv has the capability to carry patients and other passengers in different approved configurations. The copter has come to the rescue of many families since 2012. Dhruv is a savior for all the employees of HAL Sonabeda. It’s a relief for the employees to have a chopper to fall back on,” says A B Pradhan, Additional General Manager, HR.

HAL upgrades helipad and infrastructure: The helicopter operations in the region began in 2005 with the Odhisa government setting up two temporary helipads at the HAL facility. “Presently, the helipad has been upgraded and it constitutes of four concrete helipads and a non-concrete one. We can operate five helicopters at a time from this facility,” says HAL Chairman Dr R K Tyagi.

Mandatory facilities like fire tender, ambulance, refueling, ground handling and ground-support equipment are available here. “In addition to Dhruv, bigger helicopters like MI-17, MI-8 and VIP helicopters like Dophin, Bell have operated in the last two years,” says Dr Tyagi.

Commercialisation of ALH helicopter operation: HAL is keen to convert the Dhruv’s operations into a profitable venture and have taken up the matter with the Odhisa government. “Koraput district has many tourist destinations and it’s also the land of NALCO, COBRA battalion of the CRPF, naval ammunition depot, Central University, paper mills among others. There is no helicopter or aviation service that connects this remote town to other communication centers. The scope is huge and we are hopeful of positive responses from various agencies,” says an HAL official, who wanted not to be named.

Tourism potential high if Jeypore airstrip is extended: HAL officials say that the runway at the nearby Jeypore airstrip (40 km from Koraput) needs to be extended for tourism and other commercial purposes. “It is currently of 998 m in length and if extended larger aircraft can land here. If the IL-76s can land, then it would help us ship engines directly to various Indian Air Force (IAF) bases,” says the official.

Currently the engines are being transported by road to various IAF bases, which is a risky and cumbersome process. “If the runway at Jeypore is extended to 3000 m, even the Boeings could land here. The Centre and state government should join hands for the benefit of this region. The Centre should include Jeypore too into the network of airports to be developed. Currently the airstrip is being used only during elections. The Vaydoots had operated from Jeypore in the 1990s,” adds the official.

Our Take | OneIndia

• With the IAF having no operational base in Odhisa, it could be a wise move to develop the Jeypore airstrip,
• The Ministry of Defence should also look into from a strategic point of view so that the facility can be made into a chopper training centre.
• In addition, the IAF can also use the HAL helipad for extending their training.
• From quality assurance point of view, it is better to develop the Jeypore airstrip, so that the engines manufactured and overhauled at HAL Sonabeda will have a snag-free journey to various bases.
• It will be a shot in the arm for all agencies involved in the anti-Naxal operations in the region.

Copyright@OneIndia

HAL propels fortunes of Koraput Engine Division with gen-next projects

By Anantha Krishnan M 

https://twitter.com/writetake

Sonabeda, Dec 12: The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has put the Engine Division in Koraput on spotlight with funds and new ideas being made available on priority basis. During a recent visit to the division situated at Sunabeda (Koraput district in Odhisa and 180 km from Visakhapatnam), OneIndia was given access to some of the state-of-the-art facilities. 

Set up in 1964, the division completed 50 years recently with the Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha wanting it to emerge as the ‘aero engine capital of India.’ Echoing his thoughts was G C Pati, Chief Secretary, Odhisa, who wanted the division to further enhance indigenous capabilities in aeronautical sector. 

A handout given by HAL says that the division has a total workforce of 3775 employees, comprising of 2945 workmen and 830 executives. 

Massive investments projected for the next 5 years: Speaking to OneIndia, Maloy De, General Manager (Koraput) said that the renewed thrust shown by the HAL top management in the recent years has rejuvenated the workforce. 

“In the last 50 years, we have manufactured 1574 engines and overhauled 7417 engines. We have achieved a turnover of around Rs 1579 core during the financial year 2013-14,” De said. The division plans an investment to the tune of over Rs 4500 crore in the next five years and the targeted growth plan by 2010 is Rs 3341 crore. 

Since inception, the division has manufactured and overhauled R-25, R-29B, RD-33 and AL-31FP engines to power the MiG-21 series, MiG-27M, MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI aircraft. 

The division has also set up a test bed for AL-55I engines for the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT). It has already established a facility for production of single crystal blades for Sukhois, which can further support India’s missile and unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) programmes. 

Ingenious efforts on for overhauling MiG 29 engines: The division has been on the threshold of successfully launching home-grown solutions while overhauling the RD-33 (Series-3) engines of MiG 29 fighters. “There was no ToT (transfer of technology) with Russians for six uncommon aggregators (accessories) of the RD-33 (Series-3) engines. The ToT was getting delayed as the Russians were demanding additional funds. The ToT would have come only by 2016, prompting us to initiate the indigenous programme,” says Arup Chatterjee, Officiating Chief of Project (Engines), while interacting with the media. 

He said the IAF had bought over 100 engines from the Russians in 2007. “With the engines started coming for overhaul, we developed technologies for three out of the six uncommon aggregators successfully. The remaining three are targeted to be developed within HAL by June 2015. This has given us self-confidence for meeting our indigenous missions,” Chatterjee added. 

Similarly, HAL also developed an overhaul technology for the KSA-2 accessory gearbox of RD-33 engines, which has been cleared by the certifying agencies now. 

Sukhoi facility on full throttle: The Sukhoi (Su-30 MKI) engine facility is a marvel by itself with some of the gen-next technologies already being used, including a robotic welding system. Speaking to OneIndia, Rajaram Mohanty, Officiating General Manager (Sukhoi Engine Divison), said that a total of 23 engines have been made from the raw material phase now. 

“The division has so far manufactured close to 280 engines (AL-31FP) for the Sukhois, while around 158 have been overhauled. The first engine from the raw material phase was rolled out during 2011-12. We are also fully equipped for the long testing (three months) of Sukhoi engines,” says Rajaram. 

The TBO (Time Between Overhaul) of a Sukhoi engine is 1000 hours, while the total lifespan of an engine is 2000 hours. HAL hopes that it will be able to generate more employment when the Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project takes a firm shape. 

High Altitude Test Bed in the pipeline: The division estimated over Rs 1500 crore towards setting up a High Altitude Test Bed facility. “Once the test bed goes live, India will be the 4th country in the world who can boast of such a state-of-the-art facility to test new engines,” says Ashish Kumar Roy, Chief of Projects (IJT & Services), while interacting with the media. 

The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) officials have already visited HAL for preliminary discussions. “Availability of many water bodies in Sunabeda is a huge plus for this project as the water consumption will be more. In addition, power supply is another factor which the state government will have to take a call,” says Roy. 

The facility will be able to simulate the actual condition of an engine when an aircraft will be in flight. HAL plans a business model to earn revenues from the facility by supporting other projects from India and abroad. 

Tyagi says the flight-path for next 50 years set: HAL Chairman R K Tyagi refused to take any credit for propelling the division ever since he took over the reins of the company in 2012. While the employees of Koraput Division credit Tyagi for reviving their fortunes, the soft-spoken man said: “It was part of my job.” 

Interestingly, till recently a posting to Koraput was not favoured by many due to its remoteness. “All I saw was an opportunity for Koraput Division to grow. While distance might be a problem for the people in general, in aerospace we can cut short the distances through innovations and inspiring decisions,” says Tyagi. 

He said the frequent visits to the division acted as a huge morale-booster to the employees of Koraput Division. “I did my job as the captain of HAL. The flight-path for the next 50 years for Koraput has been scripted and there’s no looking back,” says Tyagi. 

Copyright@OneIndia