SP's Aviation March 2008

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

SP’s

ISSUE 3 • 2008

AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION

UNMANNED A.T.V. Docks

Maintenance & Repair Services for Corporate Aviation Pg 14 • Indian Air Force Fighter Upgrades Pg 19 • ICAO Safety Management System and Indian Civil Aviation Pg 22

PAGE 9

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Table of Contents

Issue 3 • 2008 SP’S AVIATION 1

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jayant Baranwal

ASSISTANT EDITORArundhati Das

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT & COPY EDITORSanjay Kumar

SENIOR VISITING EDITORAir Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

SENIOR TECHNICAL GROUP EDITORLt General (Retd) Naresh Chand

SUB-EDITORBipasha Roy

CONTRIBUTORSIndia Air Marshal (Retd) P.K. Mehra, Air Marshal (Retd) Raghu Rajan, Air Marshal (Retd) N. Menon, Air Marshal (Retd) V. Patney, Group Captain A.K. SachdevEurope Alan Peaford, Phil Nasskau, Justin Wastnage, Rob Coppinger, Andrew Brookes, Paul Beaver, Gunter Endres (UK)USA & Canada Sushant Deb, Lon Nordeen, Anil R. Pustam (West Indies)

CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR Jayant Baranwal

Owned, published and printed by Jayant Baranwal, printed at Rave India and published at A-133, Arjun Nagar (Opposite Defence Colony), New Delhi 110 003, India. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, photocopying, recording, electronic, or otherwise without prior written permission of the Publishers.

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Military12 OPERATIONS DEFENDING HOME TURF

19 UPGRADES

SURGING AHEAD

24 REGION

A GATHERING FORCE

Civil15 BUSINESS AVIATION

HEALING AT HOME

22 FLIGHT SAFETY

ICAO BECKONS

26 BUSINESS AVIATION

NETJETS FLIES INTO INDIA

Cover Story9 SPACE

JULES VERNE’S UNMANNED VOYAGE

Special Report21 CELEBRATION

THE TIGERS TURN 75

Hall of Fame27 J.R.D. TATA

Jules Verne’s Unmanned VoyageFrom a ‘Space Truck’ to a ‘Space Garbage Disposal System’, from an ISS ‘supplier’ to an ISS ‘sustainer’—remarkable in size and technology, Jules Verne could usher in the so-called Revolution in Space Affairs.

NEXT ISSUE: Joint Strike Fighter—An Update

19

21

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Cover Photo: April 3, 1445 hours GMT.

Jules Verne docks with the International Space

Station—unmanned, on automated mode and

dot on schedule.Photo credit: ESA

Regular Departments2 A Word from Editor3 NewsWithViews- Air China vs Air India- Brussels to Sydney on hypersonic wings- FAA cracks safety whip

6 InFocus- Till the next fog

7 Forum- Airlines in a daze

28 NewsDigest32 LastWord- Air India head in place

9

ISSUE 3 • 2008

AviationSP’s

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

AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION

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A Word from Editor

2 SP’S AVIATION Issue 3 • 2008

Groundbreaking endeavours inevitably carry el-ements of dogged uncertainty. There’s no say-ing until the last minute whether the effort will fructify or backfire as merely foolish ambition. Presumptuous it would perhaps be to assume

that a sense of utter relief engulfed and ousted the exuber-ance of achievement, but certainly the minders of the un-manned Jules Verne heaved a collective sigh of deliverance when it docked with the ISS as scheduled on April 3. His-tory was created but not without some anxious moments when a day after the launch, with the ATV coursing in the low earth orbit, the mission came close to being a cropper when an electronic fault sent the entire propulsion system crashing. An overnight recovery operation saved the day.

If small steps help gain the momentum for a giant leap, the MRO industry for corporate aviation in India is going through precisely that phase. A service centre for Hawkers inaugurated recently at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport gave an indication of things to come even as con-cerns are raised about whether the boom in the country’s corporate aviation centre is matched by a corresponding establishment of MRO services. Perhaps not yet. But there’s no denying the government seems to have taken some steps to encourage the setting up of MROs in India. While maintaining the 49 per cent FDI limit in domestic airlines, and up to 74 per cent stake in non-scheduled, chartered and cargo airlines that do not have any participation by foreign airlines, it has permitted a 100 per cent FDI for MRO service providers.

Yet another India debut, this time in private jet travel, was crafted by NetJets. The world’s leading private jet op-erator declared a strategic partnership with Ashish Chor-dia, CEO of Shreyans, on March 19. The company is now poised to offer business jet services to Indian corporates and business bigwigs. We bring you the details of the wings on offer, and the costs involved.

Cost considerations are never far when it comes to air-lines functioning on tight budgets, so much so that it is one of the major deterrents for operators to train pilots on the latest Instrument Landing System. Consequently, chaos in flight operations posed by fog during the winter season and other weather phenomenon, such as dust-in-suspension or heavy rain, has assumed seemingly perennial proportions.

In Focus and Forum zeroes in on this menace before the clear summer skies drive away the harrowing memories of air travel on fogged out winter mornings.

Fumbling for a solution to its myriad problems, Air In-dia is now looking to write a new chapter under the stew-ardship of its new CMD Raghu Menon. Striking an optimis-tic note in the Last Word, it finely balances out the critique in the News With Views on the airline’s rather bleak affairs vis-à-vis the flourishing Air China which posted a whop-ping net profit of CNY4.23 billion ($600 million or Rs 2,406 crore) in 2007. Quite by coincidence, Hall of Fame show-cases the vision and vigour of the beleaguered airline’s founder, J.R.D. Tata.

An engrossing account of the growth and acquisition programmes of China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force, together with an attractive pictorial layout of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the IAF’s No. 1 Squadron on April 1 at Gwalior, round up the edition.

Exciting times in the aviation industry call for serious introspection

of operations and infrastructure. Amid the debuts and distinctions, appraisal of prevalent policies is

essential for a smooth flight. Are we ready? Yes. Are we prepared? May be.

Jayant Baranwal

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

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AIR CHINA VS AIR INDIADriven by a growing domestic economy and the appreciation of Yuan, Air China and Air Macau parent Air China Ltd posted a net profit of CNY4.23 billion ($600 million or Rs 2,406 crore) in 2007, up 57.3 per cent over the CNY2.69 billion reported in 2006, on a 14.2 per cent lift in operating revenue to CNY51.33 billion ($7 billion or Rs 29,195 crore). In addition to a “handsome investment return”, the company credited “improved operat-ing efficiency” and growing number of passengers for the result. The Beijing-based carrier added five new international routes during the year as well as a handful of domestic services. It expanded its fleet from 191 aircraft to 220, excluding Air Macau.

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People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) state-owned com-mercial airline, Air China Ltd is the flag carrier of the PRC and the only Chinese airline to fly the national flag on its entire fleet. Its logo consists of a phoenix in the

form of the acronym VIP. It operates 5,090 flights each week worldwide. On June 20, 2007, Air China was ranked 461 out of the world’s ‘Top 500 Brands’, an accolade in which Air China is the only airline known to be on the top 500. The ranking reflected the passengers’ enthusiasm for its service, its glob-al network to and from China, and the stability of the airline which has earned a consistent profit over the past six years. In real terms, Air China Ltd is currently the world’s largest carrier by market capitalisation. Splendid, but how did all this happen?

Air China was established and started operations on July 1, 1988. Formerly the Beijing-based interna-tional carrier division of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), it was renamed in 1988 when the Chi-nese government decided to split the operating divisions of CAAC into two distinct airlines, each with its own no-menclature. Air China was based in Beijing and given the chief responsibil-ity for international flights. It was also granted complete autonomy to run as a corporate house. It is little wonder that the airline posted an impressive profit of $106 million on revenues of $383 million within a year of starting operations. At its launch in 1988, Air China operated 32 international routes to 31 destinations, and also connected 30 cities within China. (The carrier had only 6,000 employees at the time). In less than 10 years after its inception, Air China’s fleet of aircraft had grown to 65 aircraft and it was flying 144 routes overall, posting sales of $1.38 billion in 1997. When it faced a downturn caused by the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and to demonstrate the airline’s faith in its ‘Y2K’ preparations, Air China’s chief Wang Li’an and other top officers personally piloted several flights at the turn of the millennium. This boosted the airline’s image considerably in the eyes of the public. Through a se-ries of mergers and sound business practices, the airline has risen to its present position with an impressive fleet totaling close to 220 aircraft. Looking into 2008, Air China is well posi-

tioned to capture the tremendous opportunities presented by the coming Olympic Games and the continued rapid economic growth. Some financial quarters have forecast that the airline will boost its net earnings to CNY5.89 billion ($833 million or Rs 3,340 crore) in 2008 and to CNY6.91 billion ($972 million or Rs 3,898 crore) in 2009.

In contrast, how has Air India fared after it was converted into a public sector unit (PSU)? Conceived and operated so bril-liantly by the Tatas under the legendry Bharat Ratna awardee J.R.D. Tata, Air India, considered one of the world’s best in-ternational airlines in the 1960s, slowly got overtaken by the

public sector work culture and flawed manpower policies and unionism. It had almost hit a nadir but for the recent progressive policies of the government in the field of civil aviation and the re-sulting competition which stirred it to pull up its socks for sheer survival and retrace its path from the point of no re-turn. The two state-owned airlines also stand merged as a single entity for bet-ter productivity and efficiency. But Air India has to cover many miles before it can realise Civil Aviation Minister Pra-ful Patel’s dream of a mega carrier with the precision, reliability and in-flight service of the bygone era. Air China has consistently posted rising percent-ages in profits while Air India is beset with negative growth. In 2005-06, Air India posted operating losses of Rs 400 crore ($100 million) which reportedly rose to Rs 450 crore ($112.5 million) in 2006-07. While 2007-08 figures have yet to be revealed, it is known that Air India has asked the government for ad-ditional Rs 1,000 crore ($250 million) to facilitate merger consolidation.

But is there a silver lining on the horizon? Air India is well on its way for a major expansion and modernisation with the induction of brand new aircraft, 67 from the Boeing Company and 43 from the Airbus fam-ily. Air India can certainly regain its lost glory. But for that, it would have to be managed and run professionally either through the privatisation route as suggested earlier or, by granting it full autonomy as is being done in the case of Air China; sans irrational unionism, political dominance or bu-reaucratic interference. SP

— Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

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BRUSSELS TO SYDNEY ON HYPERSONIC WINGSA British team has designed a hypersonic passenger aeroplane that could one day fly passengers between Europe and Australia in less than five hours. The A2 aero-plane designed by Oxfordshire-based Reaction Engines would carry 300 passengers at a top speed of almost 4.000 mph. The company claims the aircraft could be operating within 25 years and ticket prices would be comparable with existing business class tickets, currently around $5,000 (Rs 2 lakh). Further, the A2 is capable of sustained travel at Mach 5, or 3,800 mph. Reaction Engines Managing Director Alan Bond said, “The A2 is designed to leave Brussels international airport, fly quietly and subsonically out into the North Atlantic at Mach 0.9 before reaching Mach 5.0 across the North Pole and heading over the Pacific to Australia.”

VIEWS

Does the Concorde—perhaps the only commercially and profitably exploited supersonic transport (SST) in the world till now—finally have a successor? If statements emanating from Reaction Engines, de-

velopers of the Scimitar, are to be believed, it may become a reality not too far in the future.

The Concorde was designed in the 1960s, combining the efforts of British and French aviation companies. With its delta-wing, cigar-shaped fuselage, four under-belly en-gines with massive air intakes, and a long and narrow nose which drooped during take-offs and landings, the Concorde was indeed a majestic aircraft. The Americans were so envious of the aircraft that initially its op-eration out of New York was for-bidden, annulling the very route (London/Paris-New York and back) for which it was designed. Subsequently, shunned by the US airlines on grounds of envi-ronmental and noise pollution concerns, both Washington DC and New York were served by British Airways and Air France from London and Paris, respec-tively. The aircraft served for more than three decades and, contrary to general belief, prof-itably before it was retired from service in the wake of an only accident on type in France, the effects of 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US and other political and economic factors.

Although the Concorde has retired, human desire to fly faster and yet faster cannot be curbed for ever. The quest for supersonic travel has continued unabated. US, Russia, France and Japan are all involved in the field of futuristic SST designs. Apart from supersonic airliners another area that has seen intense research inter-est is the supersonic business jet (SSBJ). Sukhoi and Gulf-stream co-investigated such aircraft in the mid 1990s, as did Dassault Aviation in the early 2000s. Aerion Corpora-tion’s Aerion SBJ and Tupolev’s Tu-444 are the main two current SSBJ projects.

But all these projects are limited to less than Mach 2 de-

signs whereas; the A2 design concept directly leapfrogs into hypersonic travel. Under a project called the LAPCAT (Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies) be-ing funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), companies such as the ‘Reaction Engines’ are encouraged to push the boundaries of commercial air travel using technologies nor-mally associated with space travel.

At the core of the A2 programme is the Scimitar vari-able or combined cycle engine (VCE) to meet the contradic-tory requirements in the different flight regimes of a hyper-

sonic cruise airliner. Of the two possible concepts, turbine and rocket, the Scimitar uses the Turbine Based Combined Cycle (TBCC) engine, or a double by-pass turbofan ramjet with liquid hydrogen as fuel. These engines can accelerate a vehicle from runway up to its cruise speed of Mach 5 or so. During a nomi-nal take-off, the by passes are closed, but are to be opened in subsonic cruise and also during some augmented acceleration/climb phases. Above M 2.5 the engine starts transition to first fan windmilling. At M 3, the first fan is in full windmilling with unthrottled core engine. Above M 3 turbofan throttles down with transition to RAM mode. At M 3.5, turbofan shuts down and full ramjet mode becomes avail-able for cruise speed of M 5.

At 142 metres long, the A2 Mach-5 vehicle will be roughly twice the length of Airbus A380. It will have a wing span of 41 m. At a MTOW of 400 tonnes, cruis-ing at 25-28 km altitudes it will

be able to carry 300 passengers to a distance of 18,700 km (Brussels-Sydney) in four hours and 40 minutes, includ-ing the time spent under ATC control/subsonic portion of the flight. Sounds incredible by today’s standards but Alan Bond, who sees no reason why future generations cannot make day trips to Australia from Europe, has this to say, “Our work shows that it is possible technically; now it’s up to the world to decide if it wants it.” Coming aboard? SP


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FAA CRACKS SAFETY WHIP The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has directed federal aviation inspectors to ensure all commercial airlines operating in the US are in compliance with its safety standards, regulations and other directives. Calling the inspection order “unprecedented”, Reuters reports that “the FAA wants a snapshot of compliance with an array of safety directives issued over the years that required inspections of other maintenance work”, especially on older Boeing 737 jets. The order comes close on the heels of the FAA levying a $10.2 million (Rs 41 crore) fine on Southwest Airlines for safety inspection lapses. Southwest Airlines later grounded more than 40 of its aircraft until it could guarantee compliance with federal safety guidelines.

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It may appear somewhat strange that Southwest Airlines, America’s sixth largest carrier based in Dallas, should have failed to carry out mandatory structural safety inspections on some of its aircraft used for scheduled

passenger flights. The airline had skipped mandatory checks for structural cracks caused by metal fatigue. On inspection, several airplanes were found with this serious flaw in the fu-selage, conjuring horrors of the Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 ac-cident in 1988 in which a portion of the fuselage ripped off in flight, leading to tragic loss of life.

Apart from penalising the er-rant airline, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered audit of all other airlines to verify the degree of legally enforceable regulatory compliance across the airline industry in the US. The process is scheduled to be completed by end-June. By all accounts, the FAA mandate pres-ents a Herculean task as in the next three months the inspectors would be required to verify com-pliance of 10 FAA directives in a fleet of nearly 7,000 aircraft fly-ing with over 100 airliners. In all probability, the FAA inspectors may not go beyond percentage check, with special attention to the ageing Boeing 737 fleet.

Barely had the Southwest Airline episode died down that another procedural violation was detected by FAA inspectors. A Korean firm contracted by United Airlines for maintenance of aircraft was believed to have calibrated the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) by spe-cialised test equipment whose accuracy had not been checked as per the laid down sched-ule. TCAS is critical to air safety and the United Airlines opted to ground seven Boeing 747 aircraft for fresh inspection.

To survive the debilitating aftermath on the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, the recession plagued US airline indus-try adopted a wide range of cost reduction measures, including outsourcing of maintenance. Consequently, nearly 70 per cent of maintenance tasks are outsourced to low cost MRO agen-cies across the globe, many of whom may not be FAA certified.

United Airlines alone outsourced 45 per cent of maintenance task in 2006, a three-fold increase since 1998. With around 100 inspectors available to cover nearly 700 MROs outside the US, the FAA is clearly not in a position to effectively monitor, conduct surprise inspections or ensure foolproof oversight. Under the circumstances, dilution in quality is inevitable.

Other problems plague the system. Given the magnitude of the task before the FAA and the available manpower, more often than not, scrutiny is limited to mere inspection of doc-uments. So long as an airline’s documentation is complete,

inspectors are satisfied and may not pry further. Besides, over a period of time, the FAA inspectors begin to function on the basis of trust, accepting data provided by airlines on face value. Some in-spectors may also develop undue cordiality with airlines and ignore deviation of violations which in their opinion appear minor. Also, large airlines have formidable political and financial clout. An inspector may find his position or responsibility in the organisation shifting frequently.

Statistically, flying still con-tinues to be the safest form of mass transportation. The In-ternational Air Transport As-sociation has declared 2006 as the safest year for the airline industry. Despite phenomenal increase in traffic density, there has been no major disaster in recent times, thanks to better technology not only in the man-ufacture of aircraft but in radio-navigation systems, landing aids and air traffic management. But the revelation by Southwest Air-

lines has been regarded by the US Government as “the most serious air safety lapse in the last two decades”. Pressure on the FAA to tighten controls is bound to increase.

Against this backdrop, one can’t help wondering about the roles and functions of the Indian civil aviation authorities. Not only is the Indian system less transparent, it is unlikely that those entrusted with key regulatory responsibilities could be totally immune to human limitations or frailty. SP

— Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

InFo

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Come winter and the prospect of catch-ing an early morning flight to a business meet can send shivers down the spine, literally. As a thick blanket of inscrutable

fog wraps runways, setting aside a 24-hour trav-el time remains the only viable solution.

Decade old reforms in civil aviation policies and a sustained high rate of India’s economic growth may have spurred the formation of a number of airlines but practically all of them bear the brunt of winter woes, especially in the north. Fogged out and fumbling with disrupted flight schedules, airports—especially Delhi’s buzzing Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA)—turn into veritable battlegrounds, with irate passen-gers cursing the airlines, who in turn point to the impenetrable miasma shrouding the airstrip to explain flight delays and cancellations. But isn’t there a solution to the seemingly perennial prob-lems posed by fog and weather phenomenon, such as dust in suspension or heavy rain, that adversely affect visibility?

Initially, the problem lay with the Airport Authority of India (AAI). Responsible for ensuring modernisation of in-frastructure and operational systems at India’s airports, the AAI’s efforts have over the years been repeatedly derailed by lack of funds and even sheer apathy. Take the case of Delhi. Apparently, as early as 1997, the AAI had tried to up-grade the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the IGIA from the then existing ILS Category II to ILS Category III (B) by acquiring new equipment. Cat III (B) landing follows a preci-sion approach using the ILS system with:

• a decision height down to 50 ft and,• a runway visual range (RVR) of 50 to 200 mFor various mostly inexplicable reasons, the system was

not commissioned till 2004. When installed, the Cat III (B) ILS system should have been able to largely beat the annual fog and other weather conditions which lower runway vis-ibility, especially considering that it is extremely rare for the RVR at the IGIA to go below 50 m. But that didn’t happen. The CAT III (B) ILS has been operational for three years now at the Delhi airport, yet it has not been put to full use be-cause only a small number of pilots are trained on the sys-tem. The prohibitive costs incurred towards imparting such a training, that too to acquire a capability that comes handy

for barely a month in the entire year under Indian weather conditions, largely discourages airlines to finance the exer-cise. Till last year, only about 90 Indian pilots were trained to use the Cat III (B) instrument landing system as per the Civil Aviation Ministry records. Practically, all of them were employed with Indian (previously Indian Airlines) or Air In-dia. This year, Kingfisher Airlines proudly advertised that fog did not delay its flight schedules as the pilots had the necessary training to use Cat III ILS. But this appeared to be more of an advertising ploy than ‘across the board’ reality.

Mushrooming low-cost airlines are worst hit by the fog. If, on an average, 20 flights were either delayed or cancelled at Delhi airport during the 2005-06 winter months, the figure climbed further during the last two years mostly because of exponential increase in the number of flights being operated by a large number of new airlines joining the fray. Operating on tight schedules and wafer-thin margins, the cancellation of even a single flight hits these budget airlines hard because their aircraft fly longer hours than others and hardly ever have spare aircraft on standby. In addition, budget airlines often use a single aircraft to connect several destinations and long delays can easily destroy the day’s entire schedule.

Fact of the matter is, almost all airlines, and certainly the budget airlines, find themselves in a ‘Catch 22’ situa-tion—hemmed in, on one hand, by the daunting proposition of absorbing the high costs of training pilots and, on the oth-er, forced to swallow financial losses caused by fog related disruptions in flight schedules. With winter well behind us, our worries on the score could seem misplaced—till the next onset of the cold months, when the harassed air traveller starts to feel the chill again. SP


Even as clear summer skies drive away the harrowing memories of air

travel on fogged out winter mornings, here’s a look at the burgeoning

aviation industry’s challenges and shortcomings that effectively clip its

wings during the cold season

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DETAILS OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF ILS:

Category I II III (A) III (B) III (C)RVR (m) 550+ 300-500 200-300 50-200 0-50Decision 200 100 50 to No Decision Height (ft) height


AIRLINES in a DazeEarlier, lack of

proper landing aids grounded aircraft under

foggy meteorological conditions. Today, lack of adequately trained pilots causes airlines’ operations to go haywire.

Galvanised by the mushrooming airlines industry and spurred by the public outcry over avoidable delays, the Air-port Authority of India (AAI) finally took some concrete steps to install appropriate categories of instrument landing sys-tems (ILS) at some of the metro airports. Delhi, for one, boasts of a Cat III (B) ILS while Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata are known to have Cat II systems. The Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi is the worst affected due to fog during winter months and, therefore, has a better category ILS to match the reduced Runway Visual Ranges (RVRs). A Cat III (B) instrument landing system permits a pilot to land off a precision approach with a runway visual range as low as 50 m and practically no limit to decision height. With this kind of capability, it would only be on the rarest of rare occasions when meteorological conditions would not permit an incoming flight to land or an outgoing flight to take-off at Delhi airport.

Appropriate training and type endorsement for Cat III (B) instrument rating for the pilots in command before they are permitted to operate in such weather minima are, however, the prerequisites, and therein lies the catch. A pilot has to not only meet a set of stringent eligibility requirements but also clear a set of relevant ground subjects and flying tests

conducted by qualified examiners before be-ing conferred the ap-propriate rating and endorsement. Needless to say, it is not easy.

First, the eligibility/experience requirements. As per Fed-eral Aviation regulations, a person who applies for a Category III pilot authorisation must have at least:

• 50 hours of night flight time as pilot in command• 75 hours of instrument flight time during actual or simulated

instrument conditions that may include not more than: (i) a combination of 25 hours of simulated instrument flight time in a flight simulator or flight training device; or (ii) 40 hours of simulated instrument flight time if accomplished in an approved course conducted by an appropriately rated and certified training centre

• 250 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command.(Note: The DGCA eligibility requirements may be even

more stringent than the ones laid down by the Federal Avia-tion Agency.)

Next is the practical test, consisting of an oral increment and a flight increment. In the oral increment, the applicant must demonstrate knowledge of the following (the more im-portant ones are):

• Required landing distance• Determination and recognition of the alert height or decision

height, as applicable, including use of a radar altimeter• Recognition of and proper reaction to significant fail-

ures encountered prior to and after reaching the alert or

All airlines will have to take necessary steps to train their pilots in judicious

numbers in CAT III ILS operations to prevent flight delays occurring due to

low-visibility weather phenomena such as fog, smog and dust-in-suspension

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decision height• Missed approach procedures• Use and limitations of RVR, and so on• Use, availability or limitations of visual cues• Effects of vertical and horizontal wind shear• Characteristics and limitations of the ILS and runway light-

ing system• Characteristics and limitations of the concerned flight-deck

instruments and other Cat III equipment• Recognition of, and reaction to, airborne or ground system

faults or abnormalities, and so onThe flight increment is the actual flying test conducted

on the aircraft on which the endorsement has been applied for and must consist of at least two ILS approaches to deci-sion height, including one landing and one missed approach initiated from a very low altitude that may result in a touch-down during the go-around manoeuvre. So far as emergency handling is concerned, if a multi-engine aircraft with the per-formance capability to execute a missed approach with one engine inoperative is used for the test, the flight increment must include the performance of one missed approach with the most critical engine being simulated as inoperative (set at idle or zero thrust, as applicable).

Quite evidently and as is appar-ent from the eligibility requirements and test procedures, only senior commanders in an airline are likely to have the requisite experience that would allow them to train for CAT

III ILS operations. This poses sev-eral hurdles. Considering the seri-ous shortage in this class of pilots, practically all the airlines would find it difficult to spare experienced commanders, who are in great demand for the operation of scheduled flights, to undergo the time-consuming CAT III ILS training. “Cost of such training is yet another dampener,” points out Air Marshal (Retd) N. Menon former Air Officer Per-sonnel at Air Headquarters. “Estimates vary but it is believed that training a single pilot on the Category III instrument land-ing system could cost between Rs 12 and 20 lakh.” Therefore, while public sector carriers Air India and Indian (Air India, post-merger), unhindered by concerns about operational and training costs, flaunt a reasonable crop of suitably trained pi-lots for CAT III ILS operations, private airlines governed by the bottom line find it taxing to fork out money for extra training.

Rather than a lack of technology or gadgets, the Civil Avia-tion Ministry attributes the chaos during the winter months to the reluctance of private airlines to train their pilots on the Category III instrument landing system. In 2006, then Civil Aviation Secretary Ajay Prasad had at a meeting exhorted representatives of private domestic airlines to train their pi-lots to fly under conditions of fog, warning: “...if you are not

equipped to fly during fog, we may have to restrict the flight schedules next year.” Two years on, the situation has shown little or no improvement.

The general consensus among private airlines is that government rules make it tough for pilots to qualify for ILS training in India. Also, already operating under wafer thin margins, it is felt a waste of time and money to cater for a problem which is considered to be a short-lived annual weather phenomenon. A senior official of one of the low-cost carriers recently stated, “We are not ready to invest such huge amounts for a two-week fog problem at this juncture.” Last year, when operating alone, Air Deccan had gone to the extent of rewriting its winter schedule to ensure that its flights operated with minimal disruption due to the fog in north India but it didn’t help much because the delays have a cascading effect on subsequent flights operating from an airport on the same day. “Yet another major problem faced by low-cost carriers is that their better trained pilots invari-ably get poached by full-service airlines with the lure of bet-ter pay packets,” says Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey, for-mer Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Training Command.

So, what is the lasting solution to this vexing problem? Ultimately, all airlines will have to take necessary steps to train their pilots in judicious numbers in CAT III ILS operations to prevent flight delays occurring due to low-visibility weather phenomena such as fog, smog and dust-in-

suspension. Meanwhile, the civil aviation industry which has spawned so many airlines in the recent years, triggering relentless and unsustainable cut-throat

competition, would have to be consolidated. Good news is the process has already been kicked off with the recent mergers between Jet and Air Sahara, Air India and Indian, and Kingfisher and Air Deccan.

Next, efforts will have to be made to further unfetter the civil aviation sector from bureaucratic rules and regulations, an essential criterion to bring it at par with world standards. Pricing of aviation fuel is another area where the government should consider adopting international norms. These mea-sures would help in bringing the airlines out of the red where cumulative losses are rising by the day. Economic viability will also foster a better sense of responsibility towards pas-senger comfort and on time operations and spur airlines to train pilots to be able to tackle the vagaries of weather.

In the final analysis, it may not perhaps be necessary for every single pilot to be CAT III ILS trained; adopting imagi-native and flexible roster systems could cater to weather af-fected airports in real time, on as required basis. SP

Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

“IF YOU (PRIVATE DOMESTIC AIRLINES) ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO FLY DURING FOG, WE MAY HAVE TO RESTRICT THE

FLIGHT SCHEDULES NEXT YEAR (2007).”—AJAY PRASAD,

FORMER CIVIL AVIATION SECRETARY

“COST OF SUCH TRAINING IS YET ANOTHER DAMPENER. ESTIMATES VARY BUT IT IS BELIEVED THAT TRAINING A SINGLE PILOT ON THE CATEGORY III INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEM

COULD COST BETWEEN RS 12 AND 20 LAKH.” —AIR MARSHAL N. MENON,

FORMER AIR OFFICER PERSONNEL AT AIR HEADQUARTERS

“YET ANOTHER MAJOR PROBLEM FACED BY LOW-COST CARRIERS IS THAT THEIR BETTER TRAINED PILOTS INVARIABLY GET POACHED BY FULL-SERVICE AIRLINES WITH THE LURE OF BETTER PAY PACKETS.” —AIR MARSHAL B.K. PANDEY, FORMER AIR OFFICER COMMANDING IN CHIEF, TRAINING COMMAND

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From a ‘Space Truck’ to a ‘Space

Garbage Disposal System’,

from an ISS ‘supplier’ to

an ISS ‘sustainer’—the robustness,

size and cutting-edge technologies of the ATV

are so remarkable that Jules Verne could easily usher in what may be termed Revolution in Space Affairs

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By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

Jules Verne’sUNMANNED Voyage

SPACE OPERATIONS

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April 3, 1445 hours GMT. Jules Verne docks with the International Space Station (ISS)—unmanned, on automated mode and dot on schedule, creating history as the first of the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV). On March 9, riding on the mighty shoulders of a special version

of Europe’s workhorse launcher, the Ariane 5ES rocket, it was successfully launched into space. Spewing a fiery trail in the night sky, the lift-off occurred at 0103 hours (local time) from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Specially adapted to the task of loft-ing the nearly 20-tonne vehicle—more than twice as heavy as the previous largest Ariane 5 payload—the rocket put the ATV in a preplanned low circular orbit 260 km above the earth, inclined at 51.6 degrees relative to the Equator.

Named after the celebrated 19th century French visionary and author, the Jules Verne ATV is the largest and most so-phisticated spacecraft ever developed in Europe. But that was not the reason it created space history. Jules Verne is the very first spacecraft in the world designed to combine the functions of an autonomous free-flying platform, a manoeuvrable space vehicle and a space station module. It is also equipped with the capability to conduct automated docking in full compli-ance with the very tight safety constraints imposed by human spaceflight operations. About 10 m high with a diameter of 4.5 m and weighing 19,357 kg at launch, the ATV incorporates a 45 cubic metre module, derived from the Columbus pressure shell, and a Russian-built docking system, similar to those used on Soyuz manned ferries and on the Progress resupply

ship. About three times larger than its Russian counterpart, it can also deliver about three times more cargo.

A day after the launch, with the ATV coursing in the low earth orbit (LEO), the mission came close to being a cropper when an electronic fault sent the entire propulsion system crashing. An overnight recovery operation later, scientists and engineers at the ATV Control Centre in Toulouse, France managed to restore the vehicle’s propulsion system to full robustness, enabling, once again, full failure tolerance.

DUAL MISSIONAs part of its contribution to the operational costs of the ISS, ESA took a decision to develop the ATV as an Euro-pean effort. “The ATV is how we contribute to the opera-tions costs of the space station—by taking up several tonnes of logistics,” said Alan Thirkettle, the ESA’s ISS Programme Manager. The ATV had been under development since 1998 by an industrial team led by Astrium Space Transportation and comprising more than 30 companies from 10 European countries. The dual mission of the ATV comprises re-supply to and re-boost of the ISS. The maiden voyage of the ATV proves that Europe can deliver new technical competen-cies to rival the best in the space exploration business. As stated earlier, the most notable competency is the ATV’s au-tomatic rendezvous and docking technology: the spacecraft found its own way to the station and attached itself without any human intervention. In its maiden ATV mission, Jules Verne delivered 4.6 tonnes of payload to the ISS, including

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: LAUNCH PAD OF THE ATV;(INSET) THE ATV DOCKED AS SCHEDULED ON APRIL 3

SPACE OPERATIONS


1,150 kg of dry cargo, 856 kg of propellant for the Russian Zvezda module, 270 kg of drinking water and 21 kg of oxygen.

On future ATV missions, the payload capac-ity will be increased to 7.4 tonnes. About half the payload onboard Jules Verne ATV is re-boost propellant, which will be used by its own propul-sion system for periodic manoeuvres to increase the altitude of the ISS in order to compensate its natural decay caused by atmospheric drag. In ad-dition, on its way back to Earth after about four to six months spent docked with the ISS, Jules Verne will carry away the waste from the station. It will then be de-orbited over the Southern Pacif-ic Ocean and burn up in the atmosphere in a fully controlled manner.

AUTOMATED APPROACHWaiting in the wings for Endeavour to complete its mission, Jules Verne had been parked in space for close to a month before it progressed towards the ISS once the space shuttle had returned to Earth on March 27. Then, the ATV’s own computers took charge, imbibing the characteristics of an advanced form of GPS to guide Jules Verne to the space sta-tion and bring it to within 300 m of the ISS. Optical sensors were then used for the final approach. These involved flash-ing laser light off reflectors already positioned around the docking port on the ISS’s Zvezda module. The ATV was pro-grammed to move in stages towards the station. At each hold point, ground staff in Toulouse approved the next phase of the automated approach. An astronaut on the ISS also moni-tored and oversaw the docking with overriding controls to stop the ATV in its tracks or, in case of an emergency, send it away from the station to a safe parking location.

Although it did not carry any people, the ATV is highly peo-ple friendly. During the time it is docked, astronauts dressed in normal clothing will be able to access its cargo and systems. The ATV’s cavernous interior has room for up to eight racks loaded with modular storage cargo elements. Its structure also incorporates several storage tanks for drinking water, refueling propellant for the space station’s own propulsion system and air (oxygen and nitrogen) for the crew. Thirkettle describes the ATV “like a combination of a telecom satellite, navigation vessel and a human spacecraft all rolled into one—a true marriage of human spacecraft and satellites”. As a logistics re-supply vehi-cle for the ISS, the ATV will continue to gain in importance from 2008. By 2011, however, Jules Verne will play a key role once the space shuttle retires, rendering it the only heavy lift vehicle for the ISS.

FUTURE POSSIBILITIESESA’s ATV has been so designed that it can be the basis in the future for developing a wide variety of new space ve-hicles. Several possibilities exist. One of these relate to the replacement of the pressurised cabin with a large cargo re-turn aircraft with a reentry shield which would be able to bring back cargo and valuable experiments. Such a project could use the flight proven concept of ESA’s Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator which flew successfully in 1998. An-other interesting scenario includes converting the ATV into a Crew Transport Vehicle which, however, would require

more complex modifications whereby the pressurised cabin could be transformed into a manned reentry capsule for crew transportation. This could be used, in a first phase, as a crew rescue vehicle for the space station, and later as a full to and fro crew transport spacecraft launched by Ariane-5. Another concept could be an unpressurised logistics carrier version for transporting several tones of equipment not re-quiring a pressurised environment. Yet another possibility relates to equipping the core of an ATV with a small eject-able capsule able to return about 150 kg of cargo to Earth at the end of a mission.

The ATV could also be evolved into an unmanned free-fly-ing laboratory able to dock periodically with the ISS for ma-jor servicing support. Such a free-flying pressurised space-ship could also be used as a safe haven for an entire crew in case of an onboard ISS emergency. Later, there might be the possibility of constructing a mini space station by equipping the ATV with two docking mechanisms, one in front and one in the back. And, much further in the future, ATV could also be developed into a transfer vehicle for carrying tonnes of supplies and equipment, including space telescopes and planetary spacecraft, to lunar and Martian orbits.

From a ‘Space Truck’ to a ‘Space Garbage Disposal Sys-tem’, from an ISS ‘supplier’ to an ISS ‘sustainer’—the ro-bustness, size and cutting-edge technologies of the ATV are so remarkable that true to its name, Jules Verne could easily usher in what may be termed Revolution in Space Affairs (RSA). Further, should the concerned players also decide to push weaponisation of space, the so-called RSA would then transmute to an RMA, or Revolution in Military Affairs, as a natural embodiment. SP

“The ATV is like a combination of a telecom satellite, navigation vessel and a human spacecraft

all rolled into one—a true marriage of human spacecraft and satellites.”

—Alan Thirkettle, ESA’s ISS Programme Manager

SPACE TRUCK: IN ITS MAIDEN ATV MISSION, JULES VERNE DELIVERED 4.6 TONNES OF PAYLOAD TO THE ISS

MILITARY OPERATIONS


Defence, according to the Ox-ford English Dictionary, de-notes “military measures or resources for protecting a country”. This has traditionally translated into pro-

tecting national borders from external aggression and the con-notation now includes pre-emptive attack against a would-be aggressor. Defence of homeland is the primary responsibility of the armed forces. However, the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in the US has infused a new dimension to ‘home-land defence’—or, more appropriately, ‘homeland security’. The attack against the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001 and Delhi’s willingness to go to war against the perpe-trating country reinforced the convergence between ‘defence’ and ‘security’ when it comes to protecting national interests.

A large country with an area of 3.3 million sq km, India’s coastline stretches for over 7,600 km and a land border of 14,000 km, the alignment of some of which is under dispute. India has common borders with Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. The pre-1947 state of Jammu and Kashmir had a 110-km border with Afghanistan also. The island territories of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep are also integral to the Indian Union. This vast entity has to be defended against attack which, for ease of understanding, can be classified as conventional, non-conventional and unconven-tional. Conventional attacks are those that are launched across land borders, coastlines or through the medium of air into the home territory, territorial waters or sovereign airspace. Non-conventional attacks include nuclear, biological and chemi-cal attacks, as also attack from space. Considering the lack of experience in this particular type of attack, India’s defence strategy would have to be based on options derived from war-gaming or scenario painting. Unconventional attacks are those mounted by non-state actors, like terrorists, from outside or within the country, with the intention of spreading terror. This category could also include cyber warfare, where technology is employed to target infrastructure like power grids, trans-portation systems or communication networks. Any treatise on homeland security warrants an in-depth analysis of each of these three types of attacks.

UNCONVENTIONAL ATTACKSIndia is surrounded by instability. Pakistan has become the epicentre of terrorism and is highly unstable. Whenever this instability reaches a critical point, the powers that be, take re-course to an anti-Indian posture and indulge in cross-border terrorism. Afghanistan is a fragile state, propped up by foreign troops on its soil, fighting what appears to be a losing battle against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Nepal has its Maoists, cur-rently unlikely partners in a ruling coalition, but uncomfortable in the fetters of governance. Bangladesh is under martial rule, faced with the problems of poverty, corruption and irreconcil-able internal dissensions. Sri Lanka is caught up in a civil war, impeding national growth. China’s high economic benefits are confined to the eastern belt and there is restlessness in the interior. The military junta in Myanmar has a track record of oppression and maybe heading towards strife with its monks taking up cudgels on behalf of a suffering population.

Hemmed in by a volatile neighbourhood, with the hostil-ity spilling over its borders, India is vulnerable to unconven-tional forms of attack. Terrorists originating from Pakistan, the Maoists spreading their tentacles across a wide swathe of un-der-developed regions, the narcotics trade from Myanmar, the Sri Lankan crisis affecting Tamil Nadu and the demographic time-bomb out of Bangladesh altogether have serious implica-tions for the country’s security. The multiplicity of race, religion and languages in India makes it relatively easy for potential perpetrators to melt into the country’s billion-plus population. Locals are brain-washed or lured with money to aid perpetra-tors, who are themselves controlled by masterminds in foreign lands. Despite a huge network of security personnel, India’s borders are porous, permitting men and materials to be ille-gally brought into the country. The developing nexus among the terrorists, Maoists, Naxalites and LTTE sympathisers make this challenge all the more formidable. The carnage in Mumbai is testimony to the fact that some stretches of the Indian coast-line can be breached for nefarious purposes. The infamous Pu-rulia incident, where arms were air-dropped, highlighted the

Defence of homeland is the primary responsibility of the armed forces. However, the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in the US has infused a new dimension to ‘homeland defence’—

or, more appropriately, ‘homeland security’

Defending Home Turf

Air Marshal (Retd) Narayan Menon, Bangalore

MILITARY OPERATIONS


gaps in India’s airspace management system.Defence against such unconventional attacks has to be

based on eternal vigilance and to deny the enemy recruit-able elements in the country by ensuring development and economic upliftment, especially in India’s border areas. A beginning has been made but progress will be slow given the corruption and sloth in the administrative system. Many ministries, including Home and Defence, are involved in this gigantic endeavour. Overlapping responsibilities, centre and state jurisdictional aspects and a ponderous decision chain add to the difficulties. In the past few years coordination has improved, especially in the area of intelligence and India is on the way to getting its act together.

Recent reports of the Pentagon computer network being compromised by hackers pointed the needle of suspicion to the Chinese or the Russians. Many of India’s websites are de-faced and its networks broken into by hackers from across the border. This new system of unconventional warfare has omi-nous portents. One can visualise the chaos if hackers penetrate critical networks. Hackers could immobilise the railway sys-tem bringing to a halt movement of equipment, supplies and troops. Many such systems can be interfered with resulting in catastrophic situations. Increasing dependence on technology has the flip side of increased vulnerability. Comprehensive se-curity systems for computer networks and adequate backups need to be established to meet such contingencies. Equally im-portantly, India, which has strengths in information technology, must develop capabilities to identify and neutralise such attack sources and have retaliatory plans against the hacker coun-try. While the armed forces are reported to have embarked on such a venture, there is no information available in the public domain about a national effort in the realm of cyber warfare.

NON-CONVENTIONAL ATTACKSTo date, though many countries possess nuclear weapons and delivery systems, only the US has offensively employed atomic weapons. China and Pakistan are nuclear weapon states and both have territorial dispute with India. While the fear of a nuclear holocaust has receded with the end of the Cold War, the country’s threat analysis must factor in a nuclear attack. Pakistan has long been tottering on the edge of failure as a nation state and a fundamentalist regime in that country could play brinkmanship with its nuclear arse-nal with India being a likely target. Today, it would be within the realms of possibility that non-state actors get possession of a crude nuclear device and threaten India.

So, while it may not occur, India has to be prepared for a nuclear attack. The National Disaster Management Authority is charged with this responsibility, though the grim reality is that, medically no one can ever be fully ready for a nuclear war. The Hiroshima bomb wiped out nearly all the doctors and nurses in the city, destroyed most of the hospitals and rendered the remaining unfit for any meaningful activity. Doctrines of nuclear weapon states lay down procedures in the event of an unexpected and successful nuclear attack against a nation’s capital. A mechanism for default political leadership is laid down as also for military command struc-tures. It can be assumed that India has such plans drawn up. The National Security Advisor, the Strategic Forces and the scientific community would have been involved in this exer-cise. Nuclear weapons, in all probability, would be delivered

using ballistic missiles launched from the enemy country. One component of a nation’s defence against missile at-

tacks is the creation of an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system. India has an active ABM development programme known as the advanced air defence (AAD) missile system. In November 2006, an exo-atmosphere (outside the atmosphere) intercep-tor AAD intercepted a Prithvi II missile at an altitude of 50 km. The AAD can reach a maximum altitude of 80 km. India is the fourth nation to acquire this capability and the third to develop it indigenously. In December 2007, an endo-at-mospheric variant of the AAD was successfully tested with interception taking place at a height of 30 km. The ABMs are fired in a salvo of two to achieve a ‘kill probability’ of 99.8 per cent. Induction of the system is expected by 2011-2012. Two new missiles, the AD-1 and the AD-2, are being developed to intercept intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). These high speed ABMs will undergo trials in 2010. Very long range radars, ca-pable of distinguishing aircraft, ballistic missiles and meteors are also being concurrently developed.

A contest for control of space is being played out among the world’s powers. Russia, China and the US have demonstrated their capability to destroy objects far above the earth. Despite all the pontificating about non-militarisation of space, major powers are developing the required capabilities. India, which has a vibrant and robust space programme, needs to shed all inhibitions in this regard and acquire the necessary expertise.

CONVENTIONAL ATTACKSIn the field of conventional warfare, India’s potential adver-saries are Pakistan and China, the two countries it has fought wars with post-Independence. The two countries have colluded with each other in an anti-Indian posture and strong military links exist between them. China has covered a lot of distance on its path of military modernisation. Beijing’s current focus is towards Taiwan and South China seas, but it has the where-withal to pose a threat to any of its neighbours. Flaunting a strong military-industrial base and having procured state-of-the-art weapon systems from Russia, China has benchmarked Washington’s battlefield prowess for its own military and while it may not get there, the attempt would make it a dangerous adversary for India. Pakistan has received military aid from the US and China. Pakistan has an identity crisis and the only constant since 1947 is its belligerence towards India. Despite its current pre-occupation with unrest and turbulence along the western border with Afghanistan, Pakistan’s military, now having been ordered to go back to barracks by the newly elect-ed civilian rulers, still remains a reckonable force in the politi-cal and power equations in Pakistan.

Weapon acquisition for the Indian military, low key during 1985-2000, has accelerated again. The Indian Army is raising two new mountain divisions to be deployed in the north east. The navy is acquiring an aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarine in its build-up towards a blue-water force. The air force will bolster its fire power with induction of Fourth and Fifth Generation combat aircraft and force multipliers, like Flight Refuelling and AWACS aircraft. India is reasonably well protected against conventional attack but there is no room for complacency. There is an urgent need to strengthen the coun-try’s military industrial complex and increase the indigenous content in the military establishment’s hardware inventory. SP

Check out for next launch by SP’s. . . .

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SP's Adverts .indd 1 4/5/08 5:45:53 PM



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SP's Adverts .indd 1 4/5/08 5:45:53 PM

Corporate aviation is fast expanding in India in response

to the imperatives thrown up by economic growth. But is the growth

sustained by a corresponding quality in MRO services?

By Group Captain A.K. Sachdev, Bangalore

H e a l i n g atHOME

CIVIL BUSINESS AVIATION

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SLOWLY BUT INEXORABLY, the centre of grav-ity of the civil aviation industry is shifting to the Asia Pacific region even as Europe and America remain home to the largest aircraft manufacturers in the industry. Spiralling de-mand for commercial and corporate aviation, emerging (and brilliantly so) markets, mush-rooming economies and increasing number

of high net-worth individuals (HNI), have all meant that aviation activity is on an ascendant. India’s aviation indus-try is perhaps the fastest growing in the world in terms of passenger and cargo traffic. A consolidation phase is in progress in the commercial arena and corporate aviation is fast expanding in response to the imperatives thrown up by economic growth. It is not just enhanced buying power that is bringing in growth in corporate flying but also the expedi-ent, nay necessity, of saving busy cor-porate heads and CEOs the hassles of travelling by commercial flights (albe-it first class) with the attendant woes of delays and security checks and so on. The aviation ministry forecasts the number of just the jets in use for corporate and private aviation to go up to 500 in five years—a three-fold increase from present day. So, is the

growth in aviation activity matched by a corresponding es-tablishment of MRO services?

At present, the potential worth of the MRO segment in India is estimated to be around $875 million (Rs 3,514 crore). This is the most optimistic figure; a less cheerful one pegs it at $400 million (Rs 1,607 crore), while the pro-jected growth is an estimated $1.57 billion (Rs 6,306 crore) over the next five years. The projected 10 to 12 per cent Cumulated Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is expected to be manifest for the next 10 years. The government seems to have taken some steps to encourage the setting up of MROs in India. While maintaining the 49 per cent FDI limit in do-mestic airlines, and up to 74 per cent stake in non-sched-

uled, chartered and cargo airlines that do not have any participation by foreign airlines, it has permitted a 100 per cent FDI for MRO service providers. The significance of such a measure is immense for the future of corporate aviation in as much as its impact on the maintenance costs for their aircraft would be huge.

While there are 300 independent MROs across the globe, including 65 in the Asia Pacific region, there is as of today really no serious MRO in India. Varman Aviation located at Whitefield Bangalore is perhaps the

Citation Emerging Markets ad for SP’STrim: 40.6 cm x 12.5 cm • Bleed: 41.6 cm x 13.5 cm • Live: 38 cm x 11.5 cmFile: CD-ROM, HR PDF with 1 digital proof

Some Citation business jets are so perfectly suited to doing business in India,

it’s as if they were created specifically for that purpose. Here’s why: Every

Citation is based on what customers tell us they need. Those customers

come from all over the world, but they all have three things in common:

They are poised on the brink of a major breakthrough in the growth of their

business. They are seeing opportunities like never before. And they are

looking for the undeniably best way to seize them. Their answer can be your

answer – the best-selling business jets and propeller aircraft in the world. For

a free, no-obligation analysis of what a Citation business jet can do for your

company call Mike McGreevy at 971.4.295.4822 or visit Citation.Cessna.com.

It’s as if we read the minds ofIndia’s business leaders. In many ways, we did.

C e s s n a A i r c r a f t

S u r e T h i n g ®

gs-EmMark_SPs.indd 1 11/13/07 3:26:24 PM

Another city besides Bangalore that is fast emerging as an international

MRO hub is Nagpur where US-based Duke

Aviation plans to set up an MRO facility



Citation Emerging Markets ad for SP’STrim: 40.6 cm x 12.5 cm • Bleed: 41.6 cm x 13.5 cm • Live: 38 cm x 11.5 cmFile: CD-ROM, HR PDF with 1 digital proof

Some Citation business jets are so perfectly suited to doing business in India,

it’s as if they were created specifically for that purpose. Here’s why: Every

Citation is based on what customers tell us they need. Those customers

come from all over the world, but they all have three things in common:

They are poised on the brink of a major breakthrough in the growth of their

business. They are seeing opportunities like never before. And they are

looking for the undeniably best way to seize them. Their answer can be your

answer – the best-selling business jets and propeller aircraft in the world. For

a free, no-obligation analysis of what a Citation business jet can do for your

company call Mike McGreevy at 971.4.295.4822 or visit Citation.Cessna.com.

It’s as if we read the minds ofIndia’s business leaders. In many ways, we did.

C e s s n a A i r c r a f t

S u r e T h i n g ®

gs-EmMark_SPs.indd 1 11/13/07 3:26:24 PM

only MRO approved by the Directorate General Civil Avia-tion in India. Engaged in the overhaul of piston and tur-boprop engines, the company is making efforts to obtain EASA and FAA certification. Taneja Aerospace and Avia-tion Limited (TAAL) and Air Works India could perhaps be seen as masquerading MROs but are not doing very well. Realising the po-tential for MRO growth in the coming years, there are several serious play-ers in the initial stages of setting up facilities.

Three of the four MRO facilities to be set up by National Aviation Com-pany of India Limited (NACIL), are expected to begin limited operations by the end of the next financial year. Consulting firm Accenture, hired by NACIL to advise the public-owned airline, suggested that the airline start four MROs—two for airframes (with Boeing and EADS), one for air-craft engines and another for aircraft components. After the NACIL board approved this plan, the airline has signed MoUs with aircraft manufac-turers EADS and Boeing. While the EADS and Boeing MROs would not be of much help to corporate aviation

(being primarily directed for commercial aircraft), the other two would probably cater to the needs of smaller corporate aircraft. Boeing is planning to set up a $100 million (Rs 402 crore) facility at Nagpur, which could be expected to cater only to Boeing needs of the larger commercial aircraft.

Lufthansa Technik, among the world’s largest MRO service provid-ers, has announced a tie up with GMR group for an MRO facility at Hyderabad and also with Jet Airways for a Rs 200-crore MRO facility. King-fisher is talking to GAMCO of Abu Dhabi, UAE, for setting up an MRO in Bangalore or Chennai. ATR is set-ting up a facility for technical support in Bangalore. Indeed, the closure of Bangalore’s HAL airport has come as a boon as plans are afoot to convert it into an MRO centre.

HAL is reportedly in an advanced stage of negotiations with a global MRO company on a 50:50 joint ven-ture to undertake extensive repairs and overhaul of both airframes and engines, besides supplying spare parts for all aircraft types. Although the HAL joint venture would serve both commercial and defence needs

No surprise, therefore, that Hawker Beechcraft Corporation announced

plans to open a new Hawker Beechcraft

Authorised Service Centre for Hawker aircraft

at the Indira Gandhi International Airport

in Delhi with InterGlobe General Aviation Ltd,

a subsidiary of InterGlobe Enterprises (which operates Indigo

Airlines in India)



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and primarily look at servicing wide-bodied aircraft, its spare parts section is expected to be of great use (in terms of cost and time saving) to the corporate sector. Names doing the rounds as potential partners with HAL are SIA Engineering (the MRO division of Singapore Airlines) and Lufthansa Technik. The HAL-owned airport is already equipped with infrastructure needed to set up a world-class MRO facility.

Once the new Bangalore international airport at Deva-nahalli opens for operations, HAL will shut down com-mercial airline operations business and the scene will be set for the establishment of the MRO which, it is estimated, will more than make up for the revenue lost by way of charges levied for commercial aviation while the airport was in use.

Another city besides Bangalore that is fast emerging as an international MRO hub is Nagpur where US-based Duke Aviation plans to set up an MRO facility, the fourth such centre to come up in the city’s SEZ. Maharashtra Air-port Development Company (MADC) announced recently that Duke Aviation would be allotted around 30 acres of land on which they will invest around Rs 150 crore in an MRO project. Duke would initially begin with non-engine work, which mainly includes works such as that on inte-riors of an aircraft. Subsequently, the project would also undertake engine maintenance work. Boeing was the first to propose such a set up in Nagpur, and other companies that have proposed MROs are Mumbai-based Max Aero-space, which would have its set up on 15 acres of area, and US-based Bravia, which has been allotted 35 acres for its MRO.

During 2007, the healthy trends in Indian corporate aviation rendered India the third largest market worldwide for Hawker Beechcraft products. In addition to the growing corporate demand for business jets, Hawker Beechcraft has

recently announced a large order of 20 Hawker 850XP and Hawker 900XP air-craft from a new op-erator, BJETS, which is expected to start fractional ownership and air charter ser-vices in India soon. No surprise, there-fore, that Hawker Beechcraft Corpora-tion announced plans to open a new Hawk-er Beechcraft Autho-rised Service Centre for Hawker aircraft at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi with Inter-Globe General Avia-tion Ltd, a subsidiary of InterGlobe Enter-prises (which oper-ates Indigo Airlines in India). This is the first authorised ser-vice centre for Hawk-er jets in India. The BJETS aircraft will be

maintained by InterGlobe General Aviation which will oc-cupy an area of 1,700 sq m and offer world class amenities, including a VIP lounge, crew lounges, maintenance support offices and a large hangar that can undertake maintenance on up to six aircraft at a time. Hawker owners not only in India, but also in the surrounding region, will now get maintenance and support from this facility.

Quite evidently, a large number of MRO facilities are in the offing with the potential to service the corporate sector. The key to their success is the sheer arithmetic of making a facility viable to commence and be sustainable in the long run. Thus, even the facilities being set up by airlines (in conjunction with established MRO expertise) would require third party business to sustain operations, thereby throw-ing up spin-offs for the corporate sector. Supply chains set up by the MROs to cater to specific types of aircraft would then perhaps look for business from smaller aircraft in use in the corporate sector.

Inherent risks would, of course, be the uncertainties involved in the MRO market and the chances of it assum-ing an oligopolistic hue (a situation where there are so few sellers that none can influence price) given the small number of players entering it. The vagaries of government policies, fluctuating market demands, and the economics of comparison between an MRO facility in India and flying the aircraft for maintenance work elsewhere in the region may then dictate the sustainability of MROs set up for corporate aviation in India. Corporate aviation engineering heads would do well to seek professional advice on these trends and plan their maintenance budgets accordingly. SP

QUALITY MATTERS: INDIA NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR STRINGENT QUALITY STANDARDS STRICTLY ADHERED

TO BY OVERSEAS SERVICE PROVIDERS

MILITARY UPGRADES


The concluding chapter on the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fighter upgrade programmes elaborates on the following fighter fleets:• Jaguar upgrade• ELTA radar on Maritime Jaguar• MiG-29 upgrade• Mirage 2000 upgrade

JAGUAR UPGRADEDevelopment of DARIN I system for Jaguar was done by a team from the IAF, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the aegis of the Inertial Nav-Attack System Integration Organisation (IIO) nearly two decades back. The unfinished task of upgrading the balance fleet has now been undertak-en by HAL with an even improved version. The upgrade of NAVWASS Jaguars and SOP of the newly built Jaguars to the DARIN II standard has been undertaken by HAL.

There has been a great learning process in the aviation industry in India, thanks to the DARIN I, LCA and partici-pation in Su-30 development. The NAVWASS Jaguars have now been fitted with a MIL-STD-1553B digital bus and

bus compatible LRUs (Line Replacable Units) sourced from France, Israel and indigenous HAL/BEL manufacture. The major avionics components forming part of the DARIN II up-grade are indigenous Core Avionics Comput-ers, RLGINGPS, Wide angle 30 x 20 deg HUD with FLIR and raster Video imagery, Active Matrix LCD MFD, Video based HUD camera, multi-channel colour video recorder. The in-corporation of HOTAS concept and display of digital maps, health monitoring of the vari-ous systems has considerably improved the man-machine interface. The indigenous RWR and the imported ECM pod provide the essen-tial protection to this strike aircraft, which is still under powered for its future role. Non-inclusion of air-to-air missile to replace the original over wing Magic missile has left this platform undefended. With greater usage of PGMs it would be prudent to integrate an air-to-air CCM on one of the outboard pylons.

There has been a great learning process in the aviation industry in India, thanks to the DARIN I,

LCA and participation in Su-30 development

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Surging AHEAD

By Air Marshal (Retd) P.K. Mehra

LIFE EXTENSION: IAF JAGUAR

ROARING WINGS: IAF MIRAGES IN FLIGHT


Development of RAM for reducing the RCS will enhance survivability considerably. Growth potential, which was the bane of DARIN I has been adequately addressed with addi-tional hardware functions and software. The RLGINS has greatly improved the Navigation and Attack accuracies and the integration of Litening pod has provided the Day and Night capability for LGB attacks.

ELTA RADAR ON MARITIME JAGUARThe original maritime Jaguars were fitted with AGAVE ra-dar from Thales France. The AGAVE radar had become ob-solete and hence Elta EL-2032 L/M radar was selected out of the two short listed contenders. The installation and the integration with the DARIN II system were done by HAL on 10 Jaguar aircraft. The nose cone was also changed and that was to be developed and manufactured indigenously. The radar is capable of picking ships at distances of 150 km and with the SAR and ISAR capability it is very easy to identify the ships. This radar has very significant air-to-air capability and with a CCM can enhance the self-defence ca-pability considerably.

MIG-29 UPGRADEAfter considerable delay, India recently awarded Russia the contract to upgrade its multi-role MiG-29 warplanes. Ac-cording to an air force official, the two post-Cold War allies signed the deal to extend the life of India’s fleet of 70 MiG-29 jets another 15 years from their current 25 years. Upgrade of MiG-29 involves three versions and is complicated be-cause of the airframe modifications for conformal fuel tank and carriage of under wing tanks in a few versions. MiG-29 has excellent handling qualities and any airframe modifica-tion requires extensive data base, which is only available with the OEM. The avionics upgrade is also very complex since its present package is of older vintage and does not provide the desired multi-role capabilities.

The avionics upgrade will essentially require a Mil-Bus architecture with Mission computers, a phased array radar capable of engaging multiple targets and matching air-to-surface capability, changes in the display system through installation of modern HUD and MFDs, RLGINS with GPS/GLONASS for improved Navigation and Precision Attack, EW/ECM package, dorsal fuel tank and other air intake modifications for more fuel besides air-to-air refuelling, present generation fire and forget BVR and other weapon systems, HOTAS and other ergonomics improvements etc. The upgrade must also include extension of TTL to 4,000 hours/40 years for future exploitation for another 20 years. A RD-33 engine upgrade in terms of thrust, digital engine control, substantial increase in TBO/TTL and concept of on-condition maintenance would bring down the operating cost of the aircraft. A data link has become inescapable for any aircraft in future but this will have to be indigenous and will have to be implemented throughout the Air Force.

Design and development will reportedly be carried out by the Russians on two aircraft and the fleet would be modified by HAL at Ozar. There may not be any choice in this matter but IAF must factor in the fact that HAL has so far never worked on MiG-29 and this fleet was being overhauled by the BRD under the air force. More stringent guarantees from the OEM must be obtained for meeting

the MTBF and MTTR of each and every system so that we do not repeat the mistakes committed during MiG-21 up-grade. The OEM must ensure that the integration and per-

formance of the weapon systems meets the specifications and the Indian team must be provided adequate data and knowledge so as to be capable of integrating new weapon systems unilaterally.

MIRAGE 2000 UPGRADEThe upgrade of Mirage 2000 has also been mired in delays but the reasons are somewhat different. At one time, the Mi-rage 2000-5 was the front runner for the 126 aircraft MMRCA deal and hence the upgrade SOP was linked with the SOP of the MMRCA aircraft. Since the Mirage 2000 does not require a life extension and only minimal upgrade of the engine, the focus of the upgrade will be on replacing the obsolescent avi-onics like the INS, Mission Computer, AI radar, HUD and Ac-tive Matrix SMFDs, substantial improvements in the EW/ECM package along with secured communication and data link. New weapon systems will have to be integrated to keep the aircraft as a formidable platform in future. Improved HOTAS and installation of sensor platform along with helmet mount-ed sighting system will ensure the effectiveness of the fleet.

Presumably, Dassault along with Thales will upgrade a few aircraft in France and they will assist in upgrading the rest of the fleet at HAL Bangalore. This upgrade is likely to be very costly since the French Avionics equipment is com-paratively more expensive than others and also IAF will have to go in for new weapons. It would be prudent that the upgrade of all fighter fleets include integration of weapons from both eastern and western origin. SP

MILITARY UPGRADES

FINALLY: MIG-29 UPGRADES HAVE RECENTLY BEEN CONTRACTED TO RUSSIA


SPECIAL REPORT CELEBRATION

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No. 1 Squadron—the first ever squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF)—celebrated its Platinum Jubilee on April 1 at Air Force Station Gwalior. Raised on April 1, 1933, the No. 1 Squadron, aka ‘The Tigers’, was formed with Wapiti aircraft and is at present operating state-of-the-art

Mirage 2000s. The squadron has the distinction of taking part in 11 operations pre- and post-Independence, including the 1937 operations in hostilities in North West Frontier Province, 1961 Operation Vijay–Liberation of Goa, and the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak conflicts. In 1968, the squadron was conferred the prestigious Presidential Colour. On its 75th anniversary, the squadron put up a ceremonial pa-rade and fly-past. Present on the occasion were the Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, besides a host of other dignitaries. SP’s brings you the highlights of the event. SP

SPECIAL REPORT CELEBRATION

The Tigers turn7575IAF’S PRIDE: THE IAF’S IL-78 WITH MIRAGE 2000S IN A FLY PAST; (LEFT) MARSHAL OF THE INDIAN AIR FORCE ARJAN SINGH RELEASES A SPECIAL DAY COVER ON THE OCCASION; (TOP) AIR WARRIORS DRILL TEAM PERFORMS AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF NO. 1 SQUADRON’S MIRAGE 2000


India is one of 52 original signatories to the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, the charter of ICAO. Through its fledgling years, Indian aviation has endeavoured to generally conform with ICAO requirements and, as it consolidates and grows impressively, the annexes to the con-vention remain important to the Indian aviation

establishment. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has committed itself to adopt ICAO’s Safety Management Sys-tem (SMS) for all stakeholders in Indian aviation by January 2009. Considering the implementation of the SMS is expect-ed to be an expensive and laborious exercise, the deadline of January 2009 already appears to be a bit ambitious.

ICAO is pushing for the implementation of safety manage-

ment systems by all aviation activities across the world as part of its strategic focus on global civil aviation safety. It is aware that many of its member states and some other organisations have been involved in implementing safety management sys-tems in various forms over the years. However, there was a general lack of standardisation and some discrepancies with regard to the key terms and concepts in use by them. ICAO first introduced the requirement for safety management in Annex 11 (Air Traffic Services) and Annex 14 (Aerodromes, Volume I—Aerodrome Design and Operations).

Subsequently, it felt the need for expanding the concept and including matching provisions with other annexes of the Chicago Convention. Starting 2005, ICAO initiated efforts to harmonise these endeavours and to combine all its safety

Are Indian airlines ready to implement the diktats laid down by the new safety management system?

By Group Captain A.K. Sachdev, Bangalore

CIVIL FLIGHT SAFETY

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CIVIL FLIGHT SAFETY


management guidance into a single, comprehensive docu-ment called the Safety Management Manual (more familiar to aviation professionals by its numeric identifier ICAO Doc 9859). The manual is a comprehensive, single source docu-menting how aviation ought to be managed, and sets the stage for the introduction of safety management. In order to reinforce the notion of safety management being a mana-gerial process, the ICAO safety management requirements include provisions for an organisation to establish lines of safety accountability throughout the organisation, as well as at the senior management level.

KEY CONCEPTSThe ICAO requirements in relation to safety management in-volve two related but distinct and differentiated key concepts. The first one imposes upon member states (of the ICAO) the responsibility for establishing a safety programme. The sec-ond, as part of such a safety programme, require that air operators, maintenance organisations, air traffic services providers and certified aerodrome operators implement an SMS. To reiterate, an SMS is seen by the manual as a concept drawing its inspiration from the state’s safety programme. In other words, it is imperative on the state to first lay out its policies and processes in a transparent and unequivo-cal manner. Thereafter, the other stakeholders named above could be expected to perceive and pursue a systematic ap-proach to managing safety, including the necessary organi-sational structure, accountabilities, policies and processes.

The ICAO Safety Management Manual is exhaustive and even lays down (in its Chapter 12) the steps that needed to be taken to establish an SMS. While admitting that no single model could fit all stakeholders of the same variety (say all operators), the chapter outlines the need for basic manage-ment functions of planning, organising, communicating and providing direction in the safety management process. It lists (and elaborates upon) 10 steps for establishing an SMS—planning, obtaining senior managements’ commit-ment to safety, setting up an organisation for the SMS, haz-ard identification, defining risk management, establishing investigation capability, getting safety analysis capability, safety promotion and training, safety management docu-mentation and information management, and last but not least, safety oversight and safety performance monitoring. Thus, the steps outlined in the manual take a systems ap-proach to the SMS, starting out with a plan and ending with a loop closure, in a continual manner to set up and sustain high standards of safety in the organisation.

ICAO IN INDIAICAO trainers have already visited India and held ‘train-the-trainer’ programmes to elucidate the contents of the ICAO manual. Under these programmes, organised by the DGCA, officials have assimilated the basics of the safety programme it is expected to have in place. Also the other stakeholders have grasped the rudiments of the SMS they are to establish by January 2009. However, comprehending the concept of SMS and putting one in place are different things. The major impediment would be the cost of setting up a structure that supports the ICAO SMS philosophy.

As an illustration, the system envisages the placement of Working Groups for all activity levels in the field. For

example, in the case of an airline, an Engineering Safety Group would be required to oversee line engineering activ-ity. The question is will an airline be able to afford to pay additional engineering staff members who do not carry out a line function but just ensure safety? Multiply this require-ment by the number of bases/stations that an airline may be operating from and the financial implication takes on fearsome proportions.

Similar illustrations could be cited from all areas of activity for all stakeholders. As a result, while the Indian aviation industry is favourably disposed towards the SMS concept because it holds the promise of safer operations, the incremental cost of the additional safety is unlikely to be painless for the stakeholders. Whilst COOs are likely to sit on the fence over the issue of setting up full blown, for-mal SMS structures—groaning at the cumbersome organi-sation for SMS, and cooing at the perceived enhancement of safety levels—the concept is sure to find opposition from CFOs. “What is wrong with out present set up?” “Haven’t we been safe all this while?” “What is the guarantee that risk will reduce?” The end result could well be a lip (or should it be pen?) service to the SMS concept through incorporation in company manuals, without much consummation on the ground in terms of additional assets and personnel.

ADOPTING A DUAL TRACK POLICYDGCA, already stretched to its limits in terms of personnel available for overseeing burgeoning aviation activity, will find it difficult to ensure that all stakeholders put SMS into place by the deadline. It could follow a dual track policy in pursuit of the SMS objective. Firstly, it could—with all the right noises being made—set up the safety programme it is required to set up as a prelude to compliance by the stake-holders. This will not only set the stage and the framework for the others to locate their SMS’ in, but also send the right message about DGCA’s resolve to stick to the deadline of January 2009. Secondly, it could launch an indoctrination campaign to persuade stakeholders that although there may be moderately high initial costs of establishment of an SMS and some recurring ones too, the additional margin of safety would bring rewarding dividends in the long run by way of increased customer satisfaction and confidence levels, lower accident rates, and reduced costs of operation due to the incorporation of safer practices.

Lure of higher revenues on all these counts may well be the speculative carrot the DGCA could hold out to the stake-holders, whilst letting the stick of possible regulatory mea-sures show itself in the backdrop. This would bring about the desired result of making aviation companies recognise that effective management of safety would make good busi-ness sense in the long run. This optimistic hope is encour-aged by the fact that, despite cut throat competition and loss making market conditions, our aviation companies have not shown any dereliction of safety requirements (of the kind which have brought Southwest Airlines such distasteful publicity recently).

That said, whether all stakeholders have an SMS in place by January 2009 or not really depends on how DGCA plays its own cards. There are still nine months to go for the dead-line, and if these nine months are to be used for creation, it is time to start conceiving now. SP

MILITARY REGION


Genesis of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) can be traced back to the Nanyuan Flying Group formed in the summer of 1949. As the People’s Liberation Ar-my’s (PLA) air arm, PLAAF, equipped with 40 aircraft, was responsible for the defence of the then proposed capital of China, Beijing.

Some historical perspective is necessary for a clearer understand-ing of the PLAAF. China has a strong sense of history and its strategic culture has evolved over a long period of dynastic cycles, where stable dynasties preceded internal fragmentation and disorder. From such disorder rose a leader who unified the country under a strong central authority. Mao Tse Tung’s rise followed one such period of disorder. Guided by the Marxist-Leninist philosophy, Mao consolidated political and military power, and, more importantly, moulded the People’s Army into an organ of the political party. Like in the Soviet Union, the party’s writ was paramount in the PLA and its air arm. Loss of influence in the 19th century, with Britain taking control of Hong Kong and five other ports, the invasion by Japan in the 20th century followed by conflicts with its neighbours, including Russia, India and Vietnam, and wars against the forces of the US and South Korea, compelled the PLA and the PLAAF to give primacy to defending the country, thereby evolving into regional defence forces. Border security became the primary mis-sion and as a historical corollary, this has long-term implications for India; China’s territorial claims became non-negotiable.

The Soviet Union extended assistance to the fledgling PLAAF in the early 1950s and helped the People’s Republic set up aircraft production facilities. PLAAF pilots were trained in Soviet tactics and some took part in the Korean War against the USAF. By the late 1950s, Chinese factories were licence-producing aircraft in large numbers. These were MiG-15 (J-2), MiG-15Bis (J-4), MiG-17 (J-5) and the MiG-19 (J-6). The break in relations with the Soviet Union dealt a double blow to China. The aircraft industry nearly collapsed and a new and powerful enemy appeared on the northern flank, though the PLAAF was not involved in any border skirmishes with the Soviets. The indus-try began to recover by 1965 and China produced its first indigenous fighter, the J-8, a mix and match of various Soviet designs.

Being an offshoot of the PLA, the PLAAF, too, was organised on army lines. There were four branches, air defence, ground attack,

bombing and independent air regiments. PLAAF was well integrated into the PLA with the army headquarters controlling all functions of the PLAAF through an Air Force Directorate. The largest air force organi-

Many lessons are to be learnt from PLAAF’s implementation of acquisition programme and China’s capability-enhancement to produce its own aircraft

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PROUD POSSESSIONS:1. CHENGDU J-7 2. CHENGDU J-10 3. CHENGDU JL-9 4. CHENGDU J-8

5. NANCHANG J-12

A FORCE Gathering

Air Marshal (Retd) N. Menon, Bangalore

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MILITARY REGION


sational unit was the Division comprising 17,000 personnel divided into 3 regiments. Each regiment was further sub-divided into 3 squad-rons of 3 flights, each holding three to four aircraft. The predominantly air defence-oriented force had 200,000 personnel controlling about 100 surface-to-air missile units and more than 15,000 anti-aircraft gun batteries. Nearly 20 regiments also possessed early warning and ground control interception radars.

The Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s severely affected the PLAAF with technical and maintenance schools remaining shut for long periods. Intervention by the notorious Red Guards led to dis-ruptions in aircraft production and pilot training. An inflexible regi-men was imposed and pilot training, already hampered by outdated aircraft and basic simulators, lagged, with air exercises and manoeu-vres being strictly controlled by ground control operators under the watchful eyes of party cadres. In the 1980s, the primary mission of the PLAAF continued to be air defence of the mainland and a majority of the 5,600 aircraft was assigned this role. Few aircraft were designated for interdiction and ground attack with some bombers reserved for nuclear missions. The PLAAF had very limited capability in roles such as deep strike or military airlift.

In the late 1980s, the PLAAF made serious efforts to improve the quality of its human resources. The bar was raised for fresh intake and pilot training was given a sharper focus. The period of training to pro-duce a combat ready pilot was brought down from four to two years. Technical and tactical skills along with flight safety were accorded greater emphasis. The western nations, exploiting the rift between the Soviet Union and China, extended considerable aid to the PLAAF in the late 1980s. Western avionics were incorporated into the J-7 (MiG-21 copy), the J-8 and the A-5 ground attack fighter. Western technol-ogy also helped in the development of the B-6D Bomber, the HQ-2J high alti-tude SAM and the C-601 air-launched anti-ship missile. Support from the west ended abruptly in 1989 with the Chinese crackdown on protestors in the infamous Tiananmen Square incident.

Collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 proved to be a boon to China and the PLAAF. Apart from a formidable en-emy being neutralised, many displaced scientists, engineers and technicians from the erstwhile Soviet Union found employment in the Chinese military in-dustrial complex. In an effort to survive, the Russian aircraft industry was more than willing to sell modern aeroplanes and technology to China. The booming Chinese economy could afford to import the best that was on offer. Analysis of the Gulf war led the Chinese to conclude that the defeated side was primarily lagging behind in mod-ernisation and weak in fighting capacity. The effective and hitherto unprecedented employment of air power by western nations made the Chinese realise the need for rapid modernisation of the PLAAF.

To comprehend better the trajectory of PLAAF modernisation, Chi-na’s assessment of its potential conflict zones should be understood. Territorial disputes with Russia, India and Vietnam remain largely un-resolved but a combination of diplomacy and trade has pushed these to the background. A border agreement has been signed with Russia and talks are on with India. But what India needs to remember is that China never forgets. Two high priority conflict scenarios remain—the Spratley Islands and Taiwan. The Spratley Islands are in the South Chi-

na Sea between the Philippines and Vietnam. Considered to be oil-rich, these have been the subject of a six-nation territorial dispute. China, Taiwan and Vietnam have laid claim to all the 90-plus islands, while the other three claim some of the islands. To be effective in a military situation in the Spratleys, the PLAAF needs to possess extended range strike with in-flight refuelling capability, precision maritime ‘kill’ ca-pability to support its navy, reconnaissance aircraft and effective com-mand and control platforms. The other potential flash point, Taiwan, is central to Chinese military modernisation. Should Taiwan make a bid for independence, China would view it as a direct challenge to its in-tegrity, resulting in a conflict that might involve the US. Modernisation needs of the PLAAF to meet this challenge closely match the require-ments for Spratleys. The difference would be that both Taiwan and the US have forces that are better equipped and trained.

The modernisation process began by acquiring Su-27 and Su-35 aircraft in early 1990s and the development of fourth generation com-bat aircraft, including the indigenous J-10 and, the JF-17 in collabora-tion with Pakistan. Obsolete aircraft were retired and efforts made to further improve pilot training. A reduction in the overall number of aircraft resulted, with concurrent qualitative benefits for the PLAAF.

China’s astounding economic growth has accelerated the moderni-sation momentum and the 21st century has witnessed the acquisition of 105 Su-30MKK during the period 2000 to 2003 and 100 upgraded Su-30MKK2 in 2004. China has produced more than 200 J-11s since 2002. The PLAAF also bought a total of 126 Su-27SK/UBK in three batches. The production of J-10 fighter began in 2002 and 1,200 are on order. The H-6 bombers (Tu-16 Badger) were converted into Flight Refuelling Aircraft. In 2005 the PLAAF unveiled plans to acquire 70 Il-76 transport aircraft and 30 Il-78 tankers to significantly upgrade

strategic airlift capability and offer ex-tended range to the fighter force. The US Department of Defence has reported that Su-27SKs are being upgraded to the multi-role Su-27SMK status. The PLAAF is also organising a combat air wing for a future aircraft carrier group, possibly based on the Su-33, which is a carrier capable variant of the Su-27. Many ex-isting fighters are being upgraded, some to night maritime strike role, permitting carriage of Russian weapons, includ-ing Kh-31A anti-radiation cruise mis-sile and KAB-500 laser-guided muni-tion. China is also developing special mission aircraft including the KJ-2000 AWACS based on Il-76 platform. The Y-8 transport planes are being modified to undertake a variety of roles of Airborne

Battlefield Command, AEW and intelligence gathering.Comprising seven ‘military regions’ at Beijing, Chengdu, Guang-

zhou, Jinan, Lanzhou, Nanjing and Shenyang, the PLAAF is heavily biased towards China’s eastern coast, with some forces in the heart-land and very little in the western region. China’s airborne corps and divisions operate directly under the PLA. To shed its dowdy image, the force has rid itself of obsolete aircraft and equipment and now plans to develop its own fifth generation fighter, the J-XXX. There are many lessons to be learnt from PLAAF’s implementation of its acquisition programme and China’s capability-enhancement to develop and pro-duce its own aircraft. India and the IAF would derive benefit by creat-ing a core group of professionals mandated to focus on and analyse this remarkable transformation process. SP

Collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 proved to be a boon to China and the PLAAF as many displaced scientists,

engineers and technicians joined the Chinese

military industrial centre.



Drawn to the growing demand for private jet travel in India, coupled with a 400 per cent increase in the number of NetJets business jet flights to and from the country, the Berkshire Hathaway company and

world’s leading private jet operator has forayed into the In-dian market. Declaring its strategic partnership with Ashish Chordia, CEO of Shreyans, on March 19, NetJets is poised to offer business jet services to Indian corporates and business bigwigs looking to travel abroad. The company is also consid-ering its options in the domestic market, including working with additional local partners. Chordia has previously repre-sented luxury brands, including Porsche, Fendi, and Van Cleef and Arpels, in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Director of Marketing for Net-Jets Europe Robert Dranitzke said: “India’s economy is boom-ing and in today’s global marketplace, more and more Indian companies are investing and doing business abroad. We look forward to working with Ashish Chordia to service the Indian community.” In response, Chordia said: “NetJets’ global lead-ership position and their unparalleled commitment to safety make their service offering attractive for many Indian busi-nessmen and women.” A pioneer and world leader in fraction-al aircraft ownership, NetJets currently has operations in the US, Europe and the Middle East. Fractional aircraft ownership allows individuals and companies to enjoy all the benefits and more of owning their own jet at a fraction of the cost. SP

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World’s leading private jet operator forays into Indian market

NetJets flies into INDIA

INDIA DEBUT: (LEFT TO RIGHT) NETJETS DIRECTOR OF SALES (EUROPE) ROBERT DRANITZKE, DIRECTOR OF SALES (NORTH AMERICA) GRAEME

WESTON, INDIAN PARTNER ASHISH CHORDIA AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT JOHN COLOCCI AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE THE

COMPANY’S FIRST FORAY INTO THE INDIAN MARKET

NetJets Inc. is the pioneer and worldwide leader in fractional aircraft ownership. NetJets began in 1964 as the first aircraft charter company. Today, NetJets offers not only fractional aircraft ownership but also jet cards through an exclusive alliance with Marquis Jet Partners, and aircraft management and on-demand charter services through its subsidiary, Ex-ecutive Jet Management. NetJets flies to over 173 countries each year and offers 15 models of the best light, midsize and large cabin business jets.

AT WHAT COST?

Acquisition Cost: The one-time purchase of the asset.

Monthly Management Fee: Covers indirect operating costs, including pilot salaries, training, hangaring, insurance and owner services support.

Occupied Hourly Fee: Covers flight specific direct operating costs, including standard fuel, maintenance, catering (for small and midsize aircraft) and landing fees.

Miscellaneous: Includes variable fuel surcharge and international fees for travel outside the US, as applicable, plus 7.5 per cent applicable excise tax.

FLY IN STYLE

LIGHT CABIN MIDSIZE CABIN LARGE CABIN

Citation Bravo 18 Hawker 800XP 89 Falcon 2000/2000EX 53

Citation V Ultra 60 Hawker 900XP 6 Gulfstream 400/IV-SP 41

Hawker 400XP 50 Citation Sovereign

32 Gulfstream 450 14

Citation Encore 19 Citation X 69 Gulfstream V 8

Citation Excel/XLS 135 Gulfstream 200 33 Gulfstream 550 12

Boeing Business Jet 2

Aircraft under management*

110

*Includes EJM and NetJets Europe Aircraft

Hall of Fame


THE EARLY DECADES OF the last century witnessed a veritable flurry of avia-tion activity. A new mode of transportation was–

–literally––getting off the ground. India, however, was largely unaf-fected. If, a century later, Indian aviation is flourishing, the credit should go largely to J.R.D. Tata.

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was born on July 29, 1904. Many found his name quite a mouthful, so his friends called him Jeh while the world knew him simply as J.R.D.. It is not likely he had many enemies. J.R.D. was the son of Ratanji Dada-bhoy Tata and Suzanne Briere. His mother was French and he later married a Frenchwoman, Thelma Vi-caji. He adored France. India is rath-er fortunate that the lure of France never overcame J.R.D.’s sense of duty to this country––a cause to which he devoted more than half a century.

Jeh’s childhood in France was the crucible of his lifelong love for avia-tion. Louis Bleriot, the first person to fly across the English Channel, was a neighbour. Jeh often played with Bleriot’s son and they witnessed many of the early flights. Jeh was 15 when he went up for his first joyride. J.R.D. commenced flying training in 1929 and went solo after just three and half hours of dual flying. Subse-quently, he obtained a commercial pilot’s licence––perhaps the first In-dian to do so within India—bearing the No. 1. A year later, when the Aga Khan offered a prize of £500 to the first Indian to fly solo from India to England, Jeh took off from Karachi in a Gypsy Moth intending to reach England and claim the prize. How-ever, at Aboukir in the Egyptian des-ert, he encountered Aspy Engineer, a competitor, who was attempting the trip in the reciprocal direction. Aspy’s spark plug had quit and Jeh very generously gave him his spare plug enabling Aspy to complete the race and win the prize. Aspy later became the second Indian Chief of the Royal In-dian Air Force.

Indian commercial aviation formally began on October 15, 1932, at Drigh Road near Karachi, from where J.R.D. got airborne in a Puss Moth; his destina-tion the Juhu mud flats. The de Havil-land DH 80A Puss Moth had a crew of

one and carried one to two passengers. Its top speed was almost 200 km/hour, one of the fastest at the time. This is J.R.D.’s ecstatic account: “On an exciting

October dawn in 1932, a Puss Moth and I soared joyfully from Karachi with our first precious load of mail, on an inau-gural flight to Bombay. As we hummed towards our destination at a ‘dazzling’ hundred miles an hour, I breathed a si-lent prayer for the success of our venture and for the safety of those who worked for it. We were a small team in those days. We shared successes and failures,

the joys and headaches, as together we built up the enterprise which later was to blossom into Air-India and Air-India International.”

Such was the humble birth of Tata Aviation Service. For some years it had only two single-engine planes, with a lone pilot on the pay-roll. There were no navigational aids or radio. Tata Aviation Service later became Tata Airlines, then Air-India International. Though J.R.D. Tata became the fourth Chairman of the entire Tata Group in 1939, the airline was his lifelong passion. He regularly travelled Air-India and took copious notes while flying. His keen eye captured every little detail. As soon as he landed, he began the process of ‘making things better’. It is doubtful if Air-India could have achieved the commanding heights it did without J.R.D.’s hands-on ap-proach. He transformed it from just another airline into one of the world’s best. This continued even after it was nationalised in 1953. In the fiercely competitive internation-al airline business his dedication made the difference. Not for nothing was he later christened the father of Indian civil aviation.

In 1992, J.R.D. was awarded the Bharat Ratna––India’s highest civilian honour––the only industri-alist and one of very few persons ever to be so recognised during their lifetime. His comment when he heard the news was typically modest: “Why me? I don’t deserve it. The Bharat Ratna is usually given to people who are dead or it is given to politicians. I am not prepared to oblige the government on the for-mer and I am not the latter.”

J.R.D. Tata was polite and cour-teous to a fault. He had a rare fe-licity with words and some of his quotations are the stuff of which legends are made. His letters to various personalities are a joy to

read––beautifully composed, elegantly expressed, they reveal him as a warm, considerate and endearing person with a keen sense of humour. He died on No-vember 29, 1993 in a Geneva hospital at the age of 89. SP

— Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha,

Goa

J.R.D. Tata(1904 – 1993)

“On an October dawn in 1932, a Puss Moth and I

soared from Karachi on an inaugural flight to Bombay. As we hummed towards our

destination, I breathed a silent prayer for the success

of our venture. We were a small team. We shared

successes and failures, joys and headaches, as we built

up the enterprise which blossomed into Air-India

and Air-India International.”

PHO

TOG

RAP

H:

WIK

IPED

IA

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MILITARYAsia-Pacific

Agni-1 test fired successfully The Agni-1 (A1) missile, a strategic surface-to-surface missile with a range capabil-ity of 700 km, was success-fully launched on March 23 from Island Launch Complex off Dhamra, Orissa by an army unit. The missile had a textbook performance in terms of range, accuracy and lethality. Following the boost phase, the missile successfully transitioned to its ramjet operation and ac-celerated to its operational speed. Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju congratulated the scientists and the operations team of Strategic Force Command for adding yet another milestone in the area of strategic defence.

Review of Defence Procurement PolicyIndia’s Defence Minister A.K. Antony, in a written statement in Rajya Sabha, intimated that the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2006 was promulgated with effect from September 1, 2006 to ensure expeditious procurement of the approved requirements of the armed forces in terms of capabilities sought and time frame prescribed. DPP 2006 provides for review of the procurement procedure after every two years.

India, China may hold joint air force exerciseAs a part of broadening defence cooperation, China and India are now consider-ing holding a joint military exercise between the air forces. The two countries held first-ever joint army exercise in a ground-breaking confi-dence building measure at Kunming in China’s Yunnan province in December 2007. “‘We favour scaling up the military-to-military ties with India and as part of the efforts, the two countries are holding talks for joint military exercise between the air forces,” said Chinese Defence Attache in Delhi Li Chao.

Europe

US weapons to Kosovo ille-gal: Russian Foreign MinisterRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has sharply criticised the US decision to authorise military assistance to Kosovo, saying such a move would break international law as a United Nations Security Council resolution prohibits any arms supplies to Kosovo, except to UN forces. US President George Bush has authorised military aid to Kosovo in another step to establish formal relations with the newly independent country. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica called the decision “another deeply wrong move” by the US that could lead to ter-rorism in the Balkans.

France to cut nuclear arsenal to less than 300 warheads French President Nicolas Sar-kozy has announced France would cut its nuclear arsenal to less than 300 warheads, about half of its Cold War number, even as he called for a strong French defence, and warned of threats to Europe’s security and of the specific threat posed by Iran. In a widely broadcast speech, Sarkozy suggested new powers, including Iran, were developing ballistic mate-rials and called on the US and China to ratify a nuclear test ban treaty signed by the two more than 40 years ago.

Gripen successfully fires Meteor in Sweden

Gripen has conducted another successful live firing with the MBDA’s beyond visual range Meteor air-to-air missile, prov-ing once again its reliability as a platform for the integration and testing of complex future missile systems for the world’s new generation combat aircraft. Gripen is the first and so far only new generation fighter aircraft to launch the Meteor. The firing was carried

out from against a MQM-107B ‘Streaker’ high-subsonic sub-scale aerial target. The missile was rail-launched from the Gripen flying at 0.9 Mach and at an altitude of 18,000 ft.

Elbit Systems to supply Skylark I UAV to FranceElbit Systems Ltd will sup-ply Skylark I UAV systems to France’s Special Forces as it won a tender involving 10 of the leading UAV manufactur-ers worldwide. This contract marks Elbit Systems’ first UAV contract with France. The Skylark advanced mini-UAV is a unique man-pack configura-tion designed for day and night observation and data collection ‘beyond the hill’ up to dis-tances of 10 km. The mini-UAV system is equipped with an exceptionally quiet electric mo-tor, totally autonomous flight and outstanding observation capabilities allowing for easy operation and orientation.

Americas

Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk sets endurance recordNorthrop Grumman Corpora-tion’s RQ-4 Global Hawk set an endurance record for a full-scale, operational unmanned aircraft on March 22 when it completed a flight of 33.1 hours at altitudes up to 60,000 ft over Edwards Air Force Base, California. Designated AF-8, the first Global Hawk Block 20, tail no. 04-2015, surpassed both the official and unofficial world un-refuelled endurance records previously held by the Block 10 variant.

‘As oil prices climb, Boeing 767 most cost efficient’Boeing reports that the US Air Force likely would pay up to $30 billion (Rs 1,19,926 crore) more in fuel bills over 40 years to operate a fleet of 179 Airbus A330-200 aerial refueling tankers, compared to a similar number of tankers based on the Boeing 767-200ER. The as-sessment is based on a Conklin & de Decker Aviation Informa-tion study funded by Boeing.

Lockheed Martin’s ICBM reentry system upgrade contract to continueLockheed Martin has received a $23.9 million (Rs 95 crore)

AGUSTAWESTLAND

• The first of three brand-new AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters, configured entirely for search and rescue, were welcomed at the MCA’s new state-of-the-art hangar at the Lee-On-The-Solent airfield UK.

• AgustaWestland has selected the Total Support Services alliance to provide avionics support to the Sea King Integrated Operational Support programme for a further five years.

AIRASIA

• AirAsia X, the new long-haul low cost-carrier within the AirAsia Group, has signed a firm contract for an additional 10 A330-300s, which brings the airline’s total order to 25 A330 aircraft. In June 2007, AirAsia X placed a first order of 15 A330s.

AIRBUS

• Airbus wishes to clarify that it is continuing with the negotiations for the divestments of sites in France, Germany and the UK. The sites con-cerned are Filton (wing component part) in the UK, St Nazaire-Ville and Meaulte in France, Varel, Nordenham and Laupheim as well as the Augs-burg site of EADS, in Germany.

• According to the latest Airbus Global Market Forecast over the next 20 years, Russia will require more than 900 aircraft to meet demand for aircraft replacement as well as fleet growth. The additional aircraft will include nearly 800 short haul-single aisle aircraft.

ALENIA AERONAUTICA

• Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica company, has successfully completed the ‘ultimate load testing’ of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner horizontal stabilizer. The test is a fundamental step as part of Boeing’s 787 certifica-tion efforts, and is vital to clearing the Dreamliner for first flight.

AVIANCA

• Avianca has announced that it has signed a 15-year OnPoint solution agreement with GE Aviation’s Services business for the maintenance and overhaul of the CFM56-5B engines that power the airline’s fleet of 50 Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft.

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contract modification from Northrop Grumman Corpo-ration to provide hardware components for the next phase of full-rate production for the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Safety Enhanced Reentry Vehicle (SERV) programme. The con-tract is for the third of four phases of full-rate production in which Lockheed Martin will deliver an additional 120 full-rate production SERV hard-ware kits by December 2010.

Greenland’s Upgraded Early Warning Radar completeRaytheon Company has completed the construction phase of the UEWR at Thule Air Base, Greenland, signify-ing the facility’s readiness to begin hardware installa-tion and integration. As the prime contractor, Raytheon will integrate new electronics, computer hardware and mis-sion software to upgrade the existing two-faced, phased-array antenna facility at the remote site. Raytheon will also support integrated tests of the Thule UEWR, perform-ing both missile defense and legacy missions. The UEWRs add missile defense capabili-ties to the Raytheon-developed PAVE PAWS and Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radars, while continuing their missile warning and space surveillance missions, which are performed by US Air Force Space Command.

US recovers missile parts; Gates orders investigation

The US military has regained control of four non-nuclear nose cone assemblies for a Minuteman missile mistakenly sent to Taiwan in 2006, Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne said during a news conference. Defense Secretary Robert M Gates learned of the situation on March 21 and im-mediately ordered that the US regain “positive control” of the systems, Wynne said. He also notified the president of the situation. The nose cone as-semblies and associated elec-trical parts are proximity fuses for the missiles. While not technically ‘triggers’, a nuclear warhead atop a Minuteman would not detonate without the signal from these devices. It was the second incident with a strategic weapon in the past year.

CIVILAsia-Pacific

Bombardier sells six CRJ900 NextGen airliners to IraqBombardier Aerospace have

announced that the Govern-ment of Iraq has placed a firm order for six CRJ900 NextGen airliners at an approximate cost of $239 million (Rs 955 crore) which will be used for civilian airline services. The

transaction includes options on an additional four CRJ900 NextGen aircraft. If all options are exercised, the contract val-ue could rise to approximately $400 million (Rs 1,600 crore). CRJ NextGen aircraft were launched in 2007 and have achieved improved economics compared to earlier CRJ series aircraft in terms of fuel use and maintenance costs.

Panel recommends Indian air navigation overhaulA committee tasked with rec-

BELL HELICOPTER

• Bell Helicopter Amarillo Military Aircraft Assembly Centre played host to the 100th V-22 Osprey Aircraft Ceremony. The Bell Boeing event recognized the achievements of the vendors, suppliers and workers who built the aircraft.

BOEING

• The Boeing Company has confirmed an order for three NextGen 737s by Turkmenistan Airlines. The order for two 737-900ERs and one 737-700 is worth approximately $221 million (Rs 884 crore) at list prices.

• The Boeing Company has been awarded a $130 million (Rs 520 crore) US Air Force contract to upgrade 16 Air Force and Air National Guard F-15C Eagles with the APG-63(v) 3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars.

• The Boeing Company has been awarded a US Air Force contract to integrate the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System into 145 F-15E air-craft. The contract includes hardware and installation services on the aircraft, as well as initial pilot equip-ment, such as helmets and visors.

BOMBARDIER

• Grupo SATA has signed a contract to acquire four Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft for its SATA Air Acores regional airline. Based on the list price of the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the value of the contract is around $113 million (Rs 452 crore).

DÉFENSE CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL AND PROTEUS HÉLICOPTÈRES

• France has recently finalised a 22-year contract with the Défense Conseil International and Proteus Hélicoptères group for purchasing and implementing a helicopter fleet intended to replace ageing Gazelle-type aircraft for the initial pilot training of its officers from the three Armed Forces and Gendarmerie.

DEFENSE SECURITY COOPERATION AGENCY

• The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress of a pos-sible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq of

QuickRoundUp APPOINTMENTSAIR MARSHAL S.C. MUKULWith effect from April 1, Air Marshal S.C. Mukul took over as Air Officer Command-ing-in-Chief of Southern Air Command on retirement of the previous incumbent, Air Marshal Y.R. Rane.

AIR MARSHAL N.V. TYAGIAir Marshal N.V. Tyagi, with effect from April 1, took over as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO), South-Western Air Command. The post was vacated by Air Marshal S.C. Mukul on his move to South-ern Air Command.

EXPO STRIKES A BUOYANT NOTE

Airport management, air space man-agement, general aviation in India, corporate jet and helicopters, avia-

tion training and manpower needs, and air cargo development challenges in In-dia were some of the key areas that drew the attention of delegates and dignitar-ies at the three-day India Civil Aviation Week Airport & Airline 2008.

Striking a buoyant note in his in-augural address on March 18, Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel said, “The conference comes at an important time in the Indian aviation industry that is ex-pected to enjoy a compounded growth of about 25 per cent per annum for the next 10 years.” Elaborating on the purpose of hosting the event, Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Group observed, “This exhibition provides a platform that en-

ables international as well as domestic brands to showcase latest products, services and technologies aimed at improving the quality and ease air travel in India.” In a similar vein, Dr K. Ramalingam, Chairman, Airports Authority of India added, “I am sure that Airport & Airline 2008 Expo will provide a good opportunity to all concerned with civil aviation to develop the way forwards for the Indian civil aviation industry.”

The inaugural day also saw the presentation of Air Passengers Association of India Excellence Award to recognise the leaders in the aviation industry across various fields. Billed as one of the biggest expos in the country, the event drew enthusiastic response and participation from the industry.

INDIA CIVIL AVIATION WEEK AIRPORT & AIRLINE 2008

THE 2ND CIVIL AVIATION WEEK AIRPORT & AIRLINE 2008 EXPO, CONCLUDED RECENTLY IN DELHI AND ATTENDED BY 146 EXHIBITORS FROM 18 COUNTRIES, HOSTED THE FIRST EVER ROUNDTABLE CONFERENCE OF CEOS FROM THE SECTOR

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel addresses the congregation

NEWSDigest


ommending improvements to air navigation services in India is calling for sweeping changes to reduce air traffic delays that would see more airspace opened up for civilian use and the number of flight informa-tion regions cut in half. The committee was established in March last year with a brief to formulate a master plan for the further development of India’s air navigation services, which have been under great strain in recent years as the domestic air transport market has been growing rapidly.

In addition to recom-mending a further modernisa-tion of voice communication, datalink communication, navigation, surveillance and weather services systems, the committee is calling for more airspace that is currently set aside for defence use to be opened up for civilian use. “A high-level committee of the government should be constituted for common use of Indian airspace and for working out ways of flexible use of airspace. The commit-tee feels that the IAF (Indian Air Force) should review the restricted and danger areas expeditiously,” it says.

Europe

Dassault’s Falcon 2000DX enters service

The Falcon 2000DX en-tered service recently when Dassault delivered the first aircraft to a customer in the Western United States. The Falcon 2000DX replaces the Falcon 2000 in Dassault’s product line. The standard equipped Falcon 2000DX has exceptional airport performance. It has a low ap-proach speed of 112 kts and can land with the fuel tanks nearly full which allows it to make short hops from city to city to pick up passengers then continue on long mis-sions without refueling. The

2000DX comes standard with Dassault’s award winning EASy flight deck. A recently certificated Enhanced Flight Vision System is available as an option. The 2000DX is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308C engines, rated at 7,000 lbs thrust (ISA + 15°C).

Americas

Embraer enters contract with Brazilian Airline

Embraer has signed a contract with the newest Brazilian airline, command-ed by businessman David Neeleman, for the sale of 36 Embraer 195 jets. The agree-ment also includes options for another 20 aircraft and purchase rights for 20 more. The total value of the order, at list price, is $1.4 billion (Rs 5,599 crore), and could reach $3 billion (Rs 11,997 crore), if all of the options and rights of purchase are confirmed.

Airline orders six CRJ700 NextGen aircraft Bombardier Aerospace has received a signed firm order for six CRJ700 NextGen regional jets. The airline which placed the order has also taken options on an ad-ditional 10 aircraft, and has requested to remain uniden-tified at this time. Based on the list price for the CRJ700 NextGen aircraft, the value of the order is approxi-mately $207 million (Rs 827 crore). If all 10 options are exercised, the value of the order could rise to approxi-mately $562 million (Rs 2,247 crore).

SPACEAmericas

Lockheed Martin’s new missile warning satellite

in critical test phase Lockheed Martin announced that the first Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO-1) spacecraft is progressing through a series of key tests that will demonstrate the integrated satellite’s readiness to enter the critical environ-mental test phase in prepara-tion for launch in late 2009. SBIRS is designed to provide early warning of missile launches, and simultaneously support other missions includ-ing missile defence, technical intelligence and battle space characterisation. The test phase, known as Baseline Inte-grated System Test is designed to characterise the overall per-formance of the GEO-1 satellite and establish a performance baseline prior to entering envi-ronmental testing.

Sixth GPS satellite built by Lockheed Martin launched successfullyA US Air Force modernised GPS Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, was successfully launched from Cape Ca-naveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Al-liance (ULA) Delta II launch vehicle. Each IIR-M satel-lite includes a modernised antenna panel that provides increased signal power to receivers on the ground, two new military signals for im-proved accuracy, enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities for the military, and a second civil signal that will provide users with an open access signal on a dif-ferent frequency.

INDUSTRYEurope

EADS Military Transport Aircraft Division starts static testingThe static tests of a dedicat-ed A400M complete struc-ture has begun at the MTAD facilities in Madrid. The aim of this testing process is to demonstrate the reliability and integrity of the aircraft structure and includes the static testing of the complete aircraft structure built for

various vehicles, small arms and am-munition, communication equipment, medical equipment, and clothing and individual equipment as well as as-sociated equipment and services.

EMBRAER

• Embraer and Lebanese M1 Travel Ltd. confirmed options on three Embraer 190 jets. The deal completes the original order for five aircraft, announced in February 2007 and deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2009.

EUROFIGHTER

• An Austrian Air Force delegation led by Brig General Hubert Norbret visited Italian Air Force operational and sup-port units to obtain first-hand informa-tion in support of the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon into Austrian service. Austria is the fifth customer for the state-of-the-art Typhoon and received the first two aircraft of the 15 on order in late 2007.

HELLENIC AEROSPACE INDUSTRY

• The 1st F-16 aircraft that has undergone structural upgrade by Hel-lenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) based on the CCIP/STAR program has been delivered to the US Air Force during a ceremony that was held at the com-pany facilities in Tanagra.

ITT AVIONICS

• ITT Avionics of US has being awarded a modified firm fixed price contract under Foreign Military Sales for the procurement of ALQ-211(V)4 Advanced Integrated Defense Elec-tronics Warfare system for Pakistan. The system will be used on the F-16 aircraft being procured under separate acquisition by the F-16 programme office.

KOREA

• Korea has introduced a new UAV at a convention also attended by leading weapons manufacturers, including Israel’s Rafael and Germany’s Micro Drones. The convention is the first of six to be held this year to help introduce the latest defence items and technol-ogy to the country’s military. The UAV is mainly a reconnaissance plane, but it can also deliver and drop off any items weighing less than 800 gm.

QuickRoundUp

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testing and which will never fly, the complete testing of the horizontal tail plane and the structural testing already on the first aircraft assem-bled at the final assembly line in Seville.

Americas

GE Rolls-Royce fighter engine team completes F136 high-altitude testsThe GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team has successfully completed a high-altitude af-terburner testing programme at the US Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Centre including common ex-haust hardware for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The F136 engine is a 40,000+ lb. thrust, combat engine that will be available to power all variants of the F-35 for the US military and eight partner nations.

The engine configuration included a production-size fan and functional augmenter allowing several run periods to full afterburner operation. GE-Aviation is responsible for 60 per cent and Rolls-Royce for the remaining 40 per cent of the F136 programme.

Boeing flight tests imaging radar aboard ScanEagle UAV

The Boeing Company, in partnership with ImSAR and Insitu Inc., has success-fully flight-tested Nano-SAR, the world’s smallest Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), aboard the ScanEagle. During the 1.5-hour flight ScanEagle, with ImSAR’s NanoSAR payload installed, completed several passes over the target area at vari-ous altitudes and ranges. The targets included vehicles, structures and corner reflec-tors. Data collection onboard the ScanEagle worked as planned, and SAR imagery was later created on the ground. The next step in

flight testing will be to create imagery aboard the UAV in real time. ScanEagle carries inertially stabilised electro-optical and infrared cam-eras. The gimbaled cameras allow the operator to easily track both stationary and moving targets. Capable of flying above 16,000 feet and loitering over the battlefield for more than 24 hours, the platform provides persistent low-altitude reconnaissance.

Lockheed Martin F-35 succeeds in first aerial refueling test

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II successfully completed the first stage of its airborne refueling tests dur-ing the aircraft’s 34th flight. During the test it climbed to 20,000 ft and performed a series of manoeuvres to verify the F-35’s compatibility with the KC-135’s refueling boom and its aerodynamic wake. Aerial refuelling capability will expand the F-35 operat-ing envelope enabling longer duration flights. The F-35 carries a prodigious amount of internal fuel—more than 18,000 pounds—giving it exceptionally long range.

Lockheed Martin US101 wins US Presidential helicopter contract In June 2005, the US Navy selected the US101 for a new fleet of “Marine One” heli-copters for the US President which is an US variant of AgustaWestland’s successful EH101 multi-mission me-dium helicopter and it beat Sikorsky’s S-92 Superhawk already in use as a VIP state transport in many countries. Lockheed Martin, which leads Team US101 as prime contractor, has received a $1.7 billion (Rs 6,800 crore) contract from the US Navy for the Marine One program’s systems development and demonstration phase. •

LOCKHEED MARTIN

• In a new analysis, Forecast Interna-tional has projected that fighter air-craft manufacturers will deliver 3,345 new fighters over the next 10 years. According to the study, ‘The Market for Fighter Aircraft 2008-2017’, it is estimated that the total value of production for the fighter market during this timeframe will be worth $164.5 billion (Rs 6,57,843 crore). While annual fighter production is set to average around 300 aircraft per year through 2013, it will increase to 400 aircraft per year in 2014 as production of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II/Joint Strike Fighter ramps up later in the decade.

ORBITAL SCIENCE CORP

• Orbital Science Corp., Launch Sys-tems Group of Chandler, Space Vector Corp., L-3 Communications Corp., Coleman Aerospace of Orlando, and ATK Launch Systems of ATK Launch Systems have been awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract. This action will provide multiple awards with a seven-year ordering period.

RAYTHEON

• Raytheon Company has been awarded two task orders as part of a Missile Defense Agency contract to operate and sustain the agency’s X-Band radars. The first task order provides management services for the operation and sustainment of the Raytheon-developed X-Band radar (XBR) aboard the Sea-Based X-Band radar (SBX) vessel. The second task order covers day-to-day management.

ROLLS-ROYCE

• Rolls-Royce has announced that US Airways has chosen Trent 700 engines to power up to 30 Airbus A330-200 twinjets. The A330 order comprises engines for 15 firm and up to 15 additional aircraft.

RUSSIAN SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY

• The Russian Satellite Communica-tions Company has selected Khrunichev Space Centre and Astrium (owned by EADS) to build the Express AM4 com-munications satellite to be delivered by late 2010. It will use Astrium’s Eurostar E3000 satellite design.

QuickRoundUp SHOW CALENDAR14 April-17 AprilBATTLESPACE INFORMATION 2008, BRUSSELS, BELGIUMOrganisers: WBREmail: [email protected]: www.wbr.co.uk

22 April-24 AprilAEROSPACE 2008: THE WAY FORWARD4 HAMILTON PLACE, LONDONOrganisers: Royal Aeronautical SocietyEmail: [email protected]: www.aerosociety.com/conference

5 May-7 May6TH ANNUAL AEROSPACE & DEFENSE INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS CONFERENCE, THE JONATHAN CLUB, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USAOrganisers: SpeedNewsEmail: [email protected]: www.speednews.com/defenseconference

14 May-16 MayELECTRONIC WARFARE 2008, INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLANDOrganisers: Shephard Confer-ence and ExhibitionsEmail: [email protected]: www.shephard.co.uk/EW

27 May-29 MayHELI PACIFIC 2008QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIAOrganisers: Shephard Confer-ences & ExhibitionsEmail: [email protected]: www.shephard.co.uk/heli-pacific

4 June-5 JuneEXPANDING HORIZONS: TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES IN FLIGHT SIMULATION, LONDONOrganisers: RoyalAeronautical SocietyEmail: [email protected]: www.aerosociety.com/conference

17 June-18 JuneAIRPORTECH ASIA 2008, SHANGHAI MARRIOTT HOTEL HONGQIAO, CHINAOrganisers: GlobalLeaders InstituteEmail: [email protected]: www.airportechsummit.com

LASTWord


A demotion and an appointment served to elevate Raghu Menon to the post of Chairman & Manag-ing Director (CMD) of National Aviation Company India Limited—the new flagship entity formed in

August 2007 after the merger of the two government-owned national carriers and operating under the brand name Air India. The Special Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Civil Aviation Ministry took over from V. Thulasidas who retired on March 31.

A 1974 batch IAS officer from Nagaland cadre, Menon had withdrawn his name from the race as the post of Air India’s CMD is on a par with Additional Secretary in the central government and he had already been promoted to a higher rung. Consequently, the final list submitted to the Ap-pointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) did not feature his name. But Minister of Civil Aviation Praful Patel would not accept any other candidate for the post, whether insider or outsider. Menon accepted demotion in favour of the high-pro-file post, rendering fractious the elaborate process of vetting and shortlisting from the 51 applicants recommended by a committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

Eyebrows might be raised, but his appointment should not come as a surprise as Menon enjoys fairly decent and respectable credentials. Associated with the Ministry of Civil Aviation for some years, having served earlier as Joint Sec-retary and Additional Secretary, he has also been on the Board of Air India. This is in fact the second time he has been elevated to the post of CMD. On August 1, 2003, following superannuation of then Air India CMD J.N. Gogoi, Menon temporarily held charge for merely 14 hours, to be precise. Coincidentally, then too, it was the Minister of Civil Aviation in the NDA Government, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who nominated him for the post.

Selection and appointment of the new CMD has not been without its share of pulls and pressures. A number of heavy-weights from the bureaucracy, the public sector and even from within Air India had made it to the list. Each of the shortlisted candidates had political patronage from within the UPA Government. Joint CMD Air India V. Trivedi, believed to be eminently qualified and the most logical choice to be elevated to the post of CMD, had support from some quarters

within the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the endorsement of those who matter. Trivedi is likely to be moved out to another PSU and the post of Joint CMD, cre-ated specifically to accommodate him at the time of merger, is reportedly being done away with.

Judging from the initial pronouncements, the new in-cumbent appears to have a clear perspective of the state of affairs in Air India. The company has accumulated losses assessed to be in excess of Rs 800 crore and is still going through its birth pangs as the process of integration of the two airlines is being stoutly resisted by the powerful unions. To regain competitive edge in the international and domes-tic markets, Menon has identified key result areas and plans to achieve customer satisfaction through high levels of ef-ficiency, including on-time performance, ground handling and maintenance. He proposes to achieve all this not by shedding flab but by enhancing productivity. His pronounce-ments read like a standard script drafted for a new CEO tak-ing over any airline in India as practically all have the same broad objectives and possibly face similar problems, albeit in varying degrees. However, given his long association with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Air India, one would like to believe that the new CMD has in-depth understanding of the true state of affairs and realises that at this juncture, trans-lating vision into reality may be a more daunting challenge than his rhetoric indicates.

Passing through a critical phase, the airline is embarked on a major renewal programme with 111 new aircraft on order but delay in the delivery of the Dreamliner has adverse-ly affected plans to expand network, forcing it to consider leasing options temporarily. Menon must be well aware that in the evolving economic order, Air India cannot retain its relevance or compete as a public sector entity. Shedding its image as a lethargic department of the government, Air In-dia must transform itself into a vibrant private enterprise—a metamorphosis more easily envisioned than accomplished as it will demand profound change in work culture, ethos, value systems and mindsets. More importantly, the new CMD would also have to break free of the sterile framework of bureaucra-cy to adopt dynamic corporate management practices. SP

— Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

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Considering his long association with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Air India, the new CMD is perhaps aware that translating vision into reality may be a more daunting challenge than his rhetoric indicates

Air India

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SP's Aviation March 2008

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Transcript of SP's Aviation March 2008