IAF Chief Raha to review HAL's Sukhoi, Tejas, Hawk projects

In Nasik, Raha will visit the Sukhoi manufacturing and overhaul facilities. 

Raha is expected to visit state-of-the-art Tejas facilities in Bangalore.

                                                               By Anantha Krishnan M
                                                                 Express News Service

ACM Arup Raha

Bangalore: The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha will review the ongoing projects of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) during a two-day visit to its facilities in Nasik and Bangalore. Accompanied by Secretary (Defence Production) Gokul Chandra Pati and other senior officials from HAL and IAF, Raha is expected to take stock of all major manufacture, overhaul and upgrade programmes. Sources confirm to Express that it is Raha's first visit to HAL after taking over as the Chief of Air Staff in January this year.
Raha's visit starts with HAL's MiG Complex in Nasik on June 7, where India's frontline fighter Sukhois (Su-30 MKI) are manufactured and overhauled. Sources said that the air chief will visit the flight hangars, ROH (repair and overhaul) facilities, assembly line, machine shop, functional test labs and system test units.
The Air chief is also visiting the enhanced Kopyo (the radar used on MiG fighters) test lab in Nasik. The visit to the Kopyo lab is seen as significant move considering the IAF concerns on the radar in the past. Sources said that the Sukhoi cost escalation issues are unlikely to come up during Raha's visit, since the matter is being taken up at the ministry level.
The chief will also be updated on the technology advancements of Nasik Division, which is the nodal agency for integrating supersonic BrahMos missiles on Sukhoi. Currently one Sukhoi is undergoing system integration tests ahead of the flight trials with the air-launched version of BrahMos. The flight tests are set begin in October and the missile is expected to enter the IAF rolls officially next year.
Raha will arrive in Bangalore on Sunday and review various IAF projects being undertaken at HAL's Bangalore Complex, Helicopter Complex and Design Complex. The state-of-the-art Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Series Production facility, which is currently abuzz with activities ahead of the expected roll out of the first aircraft (SP-1) in August, will be an important stop for Raha. Though the IAF has already placed confirmed orders of 40 Tejas, HAL is pushing for 200 aircraft as an immediate replacement of the MiGs.
Sources said that the Hawk manufacturing facility, Mirage and Jaguar overhaul/upgrade installations will be on the chief's radar. He will also be shown around the Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF), a JV project between HAL and CAE (Canada).
Visit to strengthen ties: Raha's comprehensive visit to HAL is significant considering the strained relationship IAF had with India's leading Defence Public Sector Undertaking in the recent past. While HAL is keen to take risks and invest its own funds in select projects, IAF feels HAL should focus on its strengths and not venture into projects that might attract delay.
"There are issues and there were issues in the past as well. Today, HAL has improved its record on delivery and serviceability front. We will have more insights from the chief during the visit, which will help us serve the IAF better," said an HAL official at the company headquarters in Bangalore.

Copyright@The New Indian Express

Navy gets first desi-built Hawk

HAL handed over the first home-made Hawk Mk -132 aircraft to Indian Navy at a function here today. Speaking on the occasion, Vice Admiral Chatterjee said Navy has long standing unique partnership with HAL. “We will continue to work shoulder to shoulder for all our current and future programs. Hawk delivered today will have a pride of place in Navy’s fleet. Given the fruitful association with HAL, we will even think of reviving past projects”, he said.
“We built this aircraft in time and this is the first of the five aircraft to be delivered to the Indian Navy. The remaining four will be delivered soon”, said R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL. He handed over the related documents to Vice Admiral Pradeep K Chatterjee, AVSM, NM, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff. Tyagi said it is matter of pride that all the training aircraft of the Indian Navy have been supplied by HAL. 

Against the contract for supplying 17 Hawk aircraft, HAL plans to deliver five aircraft in the current fiscal and balance in next three years to Indian Navy. (Edited Release)

Sing is King! Baldy crowned HAL’s marketing boss

The fixed wing clan of HAL is sure to miss the soft-spoken Sqn Ldr (Retd) Baldev Singh (Baldy) in flying overalls, after he was formally crowned as the Company’s new marketing head. Baldy too will miss his undying tryst with the throttle. An HAL release says that he took over as the new Director Corporate Planning & Marketing on August 16 – to be seated at its HQ on Bangalore’s famous Cubbon Road – now defaced by the metro rail work. Baldy was Executive Director Flight Operations and the Chief Test Pilot (Fixed Wing), prior to the new assignment.

While the IJT-related incidents might have dented the spirit of Baldy and his team, insiders say that he has often kept himself out of the race from director-level opportunities in the past. “He was very much involved with the flying activities be it the IJT or Hawk. And, there could be other reasons, only he would know as to why he chose to stay away from holding top posts. Now, with him being appointed as the Director, he is sure to miss flying,” sources said. Baldy’s first task would be to chart a new flight-path for HAL’s marketing and corporate planning wings. With HAL sitting on a pile of projects, corporate planning becomes a vital cog in the wheel. He will also have to deal with an extremely mediocre head in Nayak, whose term will finally end on October 31 this year – a keenly awaited day by many in the Company. With defence minister Antony making a statement in the floor of the Parliament that the IAF is not trying to take control of HAL, it is now certain that a civilian is sure to take charge, try and save the sinking fortunes of the Company. By the time, hopefully Baldy would have got a grip on his men and machines!

THE MAN: Sqn Ldr Baldev Singh did early schooling in Bangalore at St. Joseph European High School and later joined St. Joseph College. He joined the National Defence Academy in 1970 and graduated from the academy in December 1972 and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in June 1973 as a fighter pilot. After doing operational flying on Hunter, Mig-21 and Mig-23 aircraft, he qualified as a Flight Instructor in July 1983, and was posted to Air Force Academy at Hyderabad for Instructional Flying Duties on the Kiran Aircraft. In 1984 he did his experimental test pilots course and was deputed to HAL in 1986. He retired from the Indian Air Force in 1989 and joined HAL. He was involved with the LCA Programme from 1990 onwards and was deputed to the Aeronautical Development Agency for this purpose. On the LCA programme he worked extensively on the development and flight testing of the flight control laws of the Light Combat aircraft. He carried out the flight evaluation of these flight control laws at the Real Time simulator at BAE Wharton in UK followed by the flight evaluation of these control laws on the F-16, Lear Jet and NT-33 aircraft in USA. He holds a diploma in Aviation Flight Safety from the Naval Post Graduate College, Monterey Bay, California, USA. He has extensive test flying experience on five prototype programmes and carried out the first flights of the HANSA aircraft and the Intermediate Jet Trainer. He has a Total Flight Test Experience of over 6000 hrs on over 55 different types of aircraft. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and holds a diploma in Aviation Flight Safety from the Naval Post Graduate College, Monterey Bay, California, USA.

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