Inspiring ADA | LCA Mk-II CDRs by end of this year: Dr Girish | Part-IA

 

Tarmak007 Talking with Dr Kota Harinarayana

Hello folks!

Welcome to #Tarmak007Talking -- a news series aiming to get you an up-close with all heroes from India's inspiring aerospace and defence sector. This is the first edition of #Tarmak007Talking and we begin with Dr Kota Harinarayana, the man widely revered as the father of India's modern fighter jet programme.

In the days ahead, we shall bring you more heroes, including unsung as well, who have toiled hard to make India a vibrant aerospace and defence power. If your organisation or CEO or a team wants to be featured in #Tarmak007Talking, do write to anantha.ak@gmail.com or ak@billionbeats.in. This interview series will be a collaborative effort and currently, it is being supported by Inspired Indian Foundation®. (www.inspiredindianfoudation.org)

The production team consists of award-winning video editors, a young research group and a professional camera crew among others. Sit back and enjoy #Tarmak007Talking!

Jai Hind!

Anantha Krishnan M

Soon on YouTube: #Tarmak007Talking

An interview series with a difference.

More on the known and unknown!

#Tarmak007Talking

I-Day Special | With INAS-322, Guardians @SNC, Kochi

#YourTake | Wishlist for DRDO Chief | Win books written by Dr Kalam

Dr S Christopher

DRDO recently got a head finally after months of uncertainty. The government appointed Dr S Christopher, Distinguished Scientist as Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development and DG DRDO. He assumed charge on May 29, 2015.

He was the Programme Director for the Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) programme and Director of Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), Bangalore.

It's been over 2 weeks and we haven't yet heard anything from him officially. Sources tell Tarmak007 that he is taking time to settle down and has a long pile of files to be cleared, including manpower additions to various labs.

While he gets a grip of things, I am keen to hear from you all as to what needs to be done to revive the fortunes of DRDO. You may list a maximum of 10 points (number them) or a minimum of 5 points - as your wishlist to take DRDO forward.

Top five suggestions will each get a limited edition copy of guru Dr A P J Abdul Kalam's latest book 'Reignited.' The topmost suggestion out of the 5 will also get a copy of 'Inspiring Thoughts,' again penned by Dr Kalam.

A panel consisting of current, former scientists and senior journalists will pick the Top-5 winners.

Anyone making out of context comments will attract an automatic ban from the FB page. Comments that are not numbered, and lesser than the minimum 5 or maximum 10, won't be considered during evaluation process.

The best comments would be emailed to Dr Christopher in the first week of July. This exercise will conclude on June 30, 2015. You can leave your comments on Tarmak007's FB page. Link here: http://on.fb.me/1L9tEZA

I am sure DRDO will benefit from your suggestions.

All the best.

Write Now!
‪#‎JournalismOfPurpose‬ ‪#‎BloggingForACause‬ ‪#‎NationFirstAlways‬

Tarmak007 turns 5. Thank You!

Tarmak007 officially turned 5 years yesterday (April 5, 2015). Five years on blogspot (http://tarmak007.blogspot.in) and 2-plus years on FB. (https://www.facebook.com/Tarmak007). Combined reach: 5 million-plus! A quick Google search would tell YOU it's standing among other Indian defence blogs in India! 

So many wishes poured in. So many e-greetings, videos and creatives, including an angry query why not a single post on celebrating the blog's birthday. 

The reason was simple. It was a really newsy day. 

So, five years of journey in YOUR company has been great. Satsifying. My knowledge levels have improved, thanks to YOUR suggestions. As I always share, Tarmak007 is a blog propelled by YOUR passion.

The numbers have grown substantially. Numbers means more people are now reading Tarmak007. Stats point towards more youngsters hitting the blog on a daily basis. That’s inspiring and hence it’s more important that we keep the blogspace clean. To be honest, crystal clean comments only.

Clean blogging: Over the years I have blocked many followers for their abusive comments which lacked sense and substance. The other day one regular blog follower said if I ban people for posting their opinion the way they want, then many people would leave the blog.

My reply: Tarmak007 is blog that painstakingly follows Journalism of Purpose. The blog’s primary goal is not to attract more Likes, Comments and Shares. But to be a balanced institution that would ensure that the next-generation of readers (especially youngsters) get on to a disciplined way of learning.

I have a young follower Athira Venu, a 12th Standard student, writing to me saying that it’s the clean content that’s driving more youngsters to Tarmak007. There could be more Athiras out there whom we should cater to. Care for.

All bloggers are facing this new-age phenomenon of abuse and absurd and the only way to keep these elements at bay is to block and ban. And, not to take on with counter-comment.

Being critical can’t be abusive. And, being abusive can’t be critical either. So, YOU are welcome to join my mission of chasing a dream of spreading good content, sans the muck!

Policy change: At this juncture I would like to share another important policy change on the blog from now on. In addition to aerospace and defence, you will soon find my reports on Indian politics and badminton – two new areas, now on my radar. I cannot keep opening new pages for different areas I write. So, Tarmak007 will be a home for all that I write, of which 85 per cent of the content will be on aerospace and defence. The rest politics, badminton and probably everything under the Sun, Moon and Mars!

Even tweets (https://twitter.com/writetake) will reflect this change.

It’s a great pleasure to wake up every day to survive. And, I need to write to survive, a challenge that I’ve been loving for the last 23 years as a journalist. Post birth of Tarmak007, this journey has been truly satisfying in YOUR company.

Thank You for believing in Tarmak007. It’s not a blog. It’s my life. Your life. Our life.

Cheers!

Tarmak007

Tarmak007 breaches the 40-lakh mark!

Tarmak007 on blogspot (http://tarmak007.blogspot.com) crossed the 40-lakh page-view mark. This has been achieved in a span of just around five years. The post-reach on Tarmak007 on FB (https://www.facebook.com/Tarmak00) hovers around the 5-lakh mark every day, with 77K-plus 'Likes' as on today. Both put together (blogspot & FB), the reach of posts is around 4.5 million, which is truly inspiring.
It's growing, growing, grown!
Thank You!

IAF seeks report on air version of Nirbhay by April

By Dr Anantha Krishnan M

https://twitter.com/writetake

India has begun the work on developing an air launch version of its nuclear-capable subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Director-General (Aero) Dr K Tamilmani confirmed to OneIndia that the confidence and technology know-how mastered by developing the air version of BrahMos missile, to be test-fired from Sukhoi soon, has propelled the team for launching the Nirbhay variant.

He did not specify what stage the project has reached or when will the project get into a definite stage.

* Third launch of Nirbhay within 60 days

* IAF awaiting final study report

Read the full report on OneIndia, here: http://bit.ly/1E9Br5O

#PlaneCarnival | AeroIndia2015 Exclusive | Nirbhay 2nd launch video

Video of India's nuclear-capable, subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay's successful 2nd launch (17 October 2014) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur. Total duration is 2 minutes 14 seconds. The missile is from DRDO lab ADE lab in Bangalore. 

In the video, from 0:48 seconds onwards the missile's flight has been captured from a Jaguar deep-penetrating strike aircraft of IAF, which did the chase duties. The video is sourced from publicity materials being prepared by Indian government to showcase its missile development capabilities during Aero India 2015. It's a cleared video for public consumption. 

You can watch the video of Nirbhay's first launch here: http://bit.ly/198x16b

You can read my comprehensive report on 2nd launch of Nirbhay here: http://bit.ly/1DEgTVi

'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

Techies capture blogger's story for a cause!

This might sound as a shameless, self-promotion to some. Yet, I am happy to share this piece online, considering there's a very special cause attached to it. A group of techie bloggers working in a leading firm in Bangalore recently interviewed Tarmak007 ahead of an international event -- the India Inclusion Summit. Click on the below link, if you are keen to know.

http://bit.ly/17lk7tV

When Tarmak007 received the shoot@sight orders!

 Photos by Tarmak007

Blogging for a Cause: Tarmak007 teams up with Zee Group to make the wishes of special children come true; IAF veteran AVM Lamba gifts priceless flying moments even at 75

Video Courtesy: Dr Gautham Machaiah, Head, Southern Regional Channels, Zee Group. Stills: Tarmak007 (Please note that the commentary is in Kannada. However, these are visuals which doesn't need any commentary.)   

 The write guy (blogger on left) & the bright guy (AVM Lamba on right.). Incidentally, AVM Lamba is turning 75 today and the birthday boy is spending a very quiet day with his family in Bangalore.

There are moments in life when you go speechless. Moments that make you think how lucky you are. Moments that will stay in your minds for ever. All these emotional packages were available in abundance at  HAL Airport, when Indian Air Force veteran and seasoned pilot AVM (Retd.) Ajit Lamba took off on his 2-seater microlite with special guest(s) on board. 
A background: It was in 2003 that the blogger along with journalist friends S. Seetalakshmi (now Metro Editor, The Times of India, Bangalore) and B.S. Arun Kumar (now Editor, Bangalore Beat) launched a unique program called i2eye -- with a mission to give the experience of flying to special children. We were all with The Times of India then. i2eye had the support of AVM Lamba and gave individual flights to a dozen children with various health issues. We launched i2eye in 2003, which was the 100th year of Wright Brothers' first flight. The program (i2eye) is not very active now, but all social activities are now under the umbrella Inspired Indian Foundation.
Recently, when Zee Group wanted to fly some special children (visually-impaired), the blogger was contacted to arrange an aircraft. This was for the Zee Kananda channel's Make-a-Wish program. AVM Lamba was ever ready, fighting fit even@75, when we approached him.
There were many extraordinary and emotional scenes in front of CABS hangar inside the old airport, especially when the children started to feel the aircraft parts one after the other, before the flight. The X-Air microlite named Pegasus (a birthday gift to AVM Lamba by his wife) was sitting pretty on the tarmac. DRDO, HAL and Zee Group   officials ensured that everything went ahead as planned.
A very special day to remember for a long time to come. Happy B'day AVM Lamba!
(Tarmak007 thanks the special efforts of the following in gifting the priceless flying moments for the children: CABS Director Dr Christopher and his team, HAL Bangalore Complex Head D. Balasunder and his team, DRDO Southern PRO K. Jayaprakash Rao and HAL security staff.)

Thank You! Tarmak007 crosses the 50,000-hit-mark in 3 months; Bangalore defence journalists to form forum soon

Finally, tarmak007 -- a blog from South India -- has crossed the 50,000 hits in 3 months. Though launched on November 12, 2009, the blog became active only from April 06, 2010. The blog remained inactive from November 2009 to April 2010 due to the blogger's pursuit with research. The hit-meter started running from April 6.

The road ahead: With a majority of defense top-brass based out of Dilli and with most of them having their own 'comfortable networks' and arrangement' with the media, life has been extremely tough for a defense journalist in Bangalore.
Most of the defense establishments are only willing to part with pure PR and outdated stuff and most of them  don't talk saying "we need clearances from Dilli." Hence, you can imagine how difficult it is for a chap chasing plane-stuff 24x7. The media wings attached to defence establishments constantly exhibit their 'helplessness' in parting with information. Neither they can, nor they make an attempt, barring a few! They neither facilitate a journalist to meet the top man or his team, nor want a journalist to probe too deep into any projects. "We will be pulled up," is their constant refrain. One man in Bangalore is infamous for making calls to scientists, engineers and designers asking how a story went to the media without HIS knowledge.
The blogger's repeated calls to a Dilli-based so-called 'top official' often goes unanswered. His office constantly says: "Saab meeting mein hain." His mobile, rings, rings and rings. And, he rarely returns the calls and if he does, it is at his will!
To put an end to this iron-curtain-policy of  most of the defence establishments in the country, especially in an era of RTI,  and to make things very clear that Bangalore defence journalists can also understand technology, a movement is now gathering momentum in Bangalore. By July a forum of journalists covering aerospace and defence will take birth. As a first step, the forum plans to get the attention of Defence Minister AK Antony and then decide upon the future course of action after seeing his 'response.' The forum is also planning to use the RTI tool extensively.
The forum will also launch a campaign against the increasing 'gift culture' by both Indian and foreign aerospace-defence companies. "Keep the gifts & give us stories," would be a possible motto of the forum. Two senior TV journalists are already working on the blueprint of the forum.
Most of the blogger's close journalist friends in Dilli get to see almost all defence establishments, interact with scientists and experience the sheer thrill of getting an upclose with many projects. 
In short, Bangalore journalists end up getting pappads and printouts. We are often shown the  photographs of Moon, while others go to the Moon!
The days ahead will be action-packed as the first meeting of the forum will decide  the flight-path of the  forum.
(A similar forum by sports journalists of Bangalore saw many journalists getting exposure and opportunities to cover various sporting activities. The info flow to journalists also have doubled after this forum. Today, it has become a formidable unit.)
Finally, tarmak007 thanks all those on the web sphere for patronizing with the blog.

India Thought Leaders: HATSOFF Will Revolutionize Helicopter Training In India, says Upadhyay

The Bell simulator (above) and (below) Capt Krishna, Chief of Training, during a sortie above Mumbai airport, sitting in Bangalore!

The flying fraternity in India will hopefully give a standing ovation to the man above -- Wg Cdr (Retd.) C.D. Upadhyay, CEO, HATSOFF -- for running from pillar to post to gift India, probably one of the most-sophisticated helicopter simulation facilities. Photos: t-arch-2010

By Anantha Krishnan M. | Aviation Week

Bangalore, India | June 18, 2010

The Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF) – a 50/50 joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and simulation technology company CAE, Canada, is finally ready to go live. Though the facility’s official inauguration may not be until September, the Rs 300 crore ($65.2 million) high-tech facility is set to informally go live next week. The first Bell 412EP cockpit is ready for training, and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has already granted its certification, with approval by another agency pending. AVIATION WEEK spoke to Wing Cmdr. (ret.) C.D. Upadhyay, the CEO of HATSOFF, as part of its India Thought Leaders (ITL) interview series.

AW: How significant will the contribution of HATSOFF be to the Indian helicopter industry?

C.D.U.: It has been recognized all over the world and at the highest levels in Indian aviation, including the Civil Aviation Ministry, that there is an urgent requirement for simulator(s) for helicopters flying in India due to a significantly higher rate of human error contributing to helicopter fatal accidents. Human error in helicopter accidents is higher by an order of magnitude when compared to fixed wing aircraft. We at HATSOFF are confident that the simulator training which we will be imparting to the helicopter pilots will soon reduce this factor in helicopter accidents. Besides the flight safety aspect, we are also very sure that the recurrent training and other forms of training which will be given at HATSOFF will maintain and improve the professional efficiency of helicopter pilots to meet the challenging tasks of the 21st century.

For the full interview, please visit:

http://www.aviationweek.com/india

Queen's baton turns sleek 'n' sexy as BEL brains put a tech-heart that beats smart

BEL's hi-tech baton that's going around the world prior to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October 2010. The baton will enter India on June 25.

BEL's Central Research Laboratory (CRL) team which gave birth to the baton.

 

BEL's R&D Director I.V. Sarma and tarmak007 blogger with the baton.

Noted-singer-cum-former-journalist-cum-current-BEL CorpCom Deputy Manager Naveen Namboodiri and tarmak007 blogger share a life-time moment by holding a CWG baton.(Below) BEL's CorpCom Queen Shirin Samuel, a former journalist and currently Manager CorpCom, with the baton.

All Photos: BCC-t-arch-2010

(Don't miss the comprehensive story going live on AVIATION WEEK tonite on BEL Boys & the Queen's Baton.)