Aero India News

Drone Olympics Held at Aero India

Drone Olympics Held at Aero India

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) made a spectacular entry at the Aero-India 2019 with the first ever ‘Drone Olympics’ competition for UAVs held on February 21 at Air Force Station, Yelahanka, Bengaluru. The Aero India exhibition, on the theme ‘The Runway to a Billion Opportunities’ designed to bolster business in the international aviation sector and provide a platform to showcase India’s aeronautical advancements, garnered a huge number of registrations from both India and abroad. Under its banner, the ‘Drone Olympics’ organised by ministry of defence, was aimed to encourage the UAV industry to connect with potential buyers and business partners in the country and also provide an opportunity to the armed forces to assess the capabilities of UAVs, the role of which is ever-increasing in the defence sectors, making them the ideal platform for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, electronic warfare and strike missions.

An overwhelming response was received for participation in the competition, both from companies and individuals. More than 120 applications were received, out of which 57 applicants who were found suitable were invited to participate.




The preliminary rounds of the competition were organised at Jakkur Aerodrome, Bengaluru from February 18-19. During the competition, drones designed by teams from different companies and individuals were seen in action during various challenges which included the surveillance competition, supply drop and formation flying challenges to assess the military capabilities of the drones and their reconnaissance and camouflage abilities under various conditions. The competition finals were held on February 21 at Air Force Station, Yelahanka Bengaluru where all the finalists competed under various categories. The competition saw many innovative solutions and use of the latest technological advancements by the participants. The winners of each competition were honoured with medals and cash prizes.

During the award ceremony, Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog launched ‘ATL Drone Module – Get Set Fly!’ created in collaboration with the blooming drone industry in India. The goal of the ATL Drone module is to introduce young minds of India about the technology and help them to identify and solve community issues using drones as a tool.

The winners of the competition will be invited to demonstrate the best of human machine interaction during Lockheed Martin’s Alpha Pilot Race in the United States later this year.

 

BEL and Hughes India Signs Agreement for Helicopter SATCOM Solutions

BEL and Hughes India Signs Agreement for Helicopter SATCOM SolutionsBharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Hughes India have entered into a teaming agreement for design, development, supply, installation, integration and commissioning of satellite communication solutions for helicopters under the ministry of defence, government of India during Aero India 2019.

Director (marketing), BEL, Anandi Ramalingam and president, Hughes India, Partho Banerjee signed the MoU in the presence of director (other units), BEL, Nataraj Krishnappa, on February 20.

The agreement will enable MoD’s strategic users to get enabled with helicopter-based satellite communication links for real-time and assured communications using Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Ku band satellites. Through this agreement, BEL and Hughes India are collaborating using their respective state-of-the-art technologies and capabilities in developing these integrated and sophisticated helicopter solutions.

 

BEL and Elettronica SpA (ELT) Signs MoU

At Aero India Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Elettronica SpA (ELT), Italy, entered into a MoU for joint development, commercialisation and production of new generation EW surveillance systems.

Director (marketing), BEL, Anandi Ramalingam, chief operating officer, ELT, Domitilla Benigni and vice president, Elisra, Israel, Irmin Menscher signed the MoU documents in the presence of CMD, BEL, M V Gowtama and other senior officers of BEL.

The MoU will enable BEL and ELT to jointly develop new generation EW surveillance systems to meet global requirements.

BEL has expertise in the design, development, engineering and manufacture of electronic warfare and avionics, radar and weapon systems, NCS and communications systems, naval systems, electro-optics products, tank electronics and gun systems, satcom systems, homeland security and smart city solutions, strategic components and select non-defence products.

ELETTRONICA is a world leader in Electronic Warfare with a complete portfolio of state-of-the-art solutions to satisfy the most challenging requirements of modern operational scenarios. The solutions designed and manufactured by ELETTRONICA cover a wide range of applications and missions

 

BEL Receives Export Order for USD 33 Million from ELOP

Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) received export orders valued about USD 33 million from Elbit Systems Electro-Optics Elop Ltd (ELOP), a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd, Israel, on February 21, at Aero India, for the manufacture and supply of state-of-the-art next generation EOIR payloads (CoMPASS Rev III, Trade Mark of ELOP) and another variant of EOIR payload (CoMPASS III, Trade Mark of ELOP) for Airborne applications.

President & CEO, Elbit Systems Ltd, B. Machilis handed over documents of the export order for BEL from ELOP to CMD, BEL, M. V. Gowtama in the presence of director (marketing), BEL, Anandi Ramalingam and other senior officers of BEL and ELOP.

As part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government of India, BEL had already entered into Technical Collaboration Agreement (TCA) with ELOP for the Transfer of Technology for the manufacture of these EOIR payloads and for providing lifetime maintenance support at its manufacturing facility in Chennai.

BEL has already established the necessary infrastructure and is supplying the EOIR payloads manufactured at its facilities to domestic and foreign customers. BEL is augmenting these facilities for meeting the upcoming requirements of variants of EOIR payloads for the domestic and export markets.

The CoMPASS Rev III is a day-and-night surveillance system that includes a colour TV daylight camera, 3rd Generation Medium Wave IR (MWIR) sensor, Laser Target Designator and Range Finder (LTDRF), Short Wave IR (SWIR), internal GPS and automatic tracking capabilities, as well as command and control capabilities. It is distinguished by a wide variety of interfaces, enabling integration with various aircraft/ helicopter systems, such as the mission computer, fire control, radar, GPS, data downlink and helmet-mounted tracking systems. Its small dimensions, low weight, high level of stabilisation and coverage angles make it an optimal choice for long-range, day-and-night surveillance, target tracking, fire control applications and search and rescue.

CoMPASS Rev III is the most advanced version of its payload family, featuring reduced weight, high degree of modularity and flexibility, space-saving packaging and advanced operational and video processing features whereas CoMPASS III is an earlier version of EOIR payload.

With this, BEL can manufacture and supply the complete range of EOIR payloads meeting the varied requirements of our armed forces and provide lifetime maintenance support to the users. In addition, BEL has also become a global supply chain partner of ELOP, Israel.

 

Rosoboronexport Holds Meaningful Talks with India

Within the Aero India 2019 international aerospace exhibition, the delegation of Rosoboronexport (part of the Rostec Corporation) conducted a series of productive negotiations and consultations with the Indian partners on military and technical cooperation, which resulted in signing many contractual documents.

On the very first day of the show the Russian national exhibit was visited by minister of industry and trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, which contributed to the collective success of the Russian delegation’s work at Aero India 2019 as well as underscored a special high profile of the Russian-Indian mil-tech cooperation.

“Russia is ready to offer to India not only the state-of-the-art military equipment, but also the technologies of production, i.e. the expertise, which we can share with each other in the framework of a wide industrial partnership in line with the ‘Make in India’ policy. The potential for the development of cooperation in this area is huge, and we are focused on its full achievement,” said director general, Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev.

The main themes of the meetings with the leadership of the MoD, air force and navy, were the promising projects on the supplies and production in India of various types of the Russian military equipment, primarily within the implementation of the ‘Make in India’ state programme, and on the after-sale services, maintenance and modernisation. In particular, the parties went on with pro-active consultations on the project, which implies production of Ka-226T helicopters at the Russian-Indian joint venture Indo-Russian Helicopters Limited, for which purpose the Russian Helicopters Holding signed a number of appropriate memoranda with the Indian partners.

 

BEL Signs MoU with Bharat Forge

At the Aero India Show Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Forge Limited (BFL) entered into an MoU for strategic co-operation in the field of defence and aerospace products/ systems to jointly capitalise on the emerging opportunities in the domestic market, leveraging the policy initiatives of the Indian government such as ‘Make in India’.

The MoU will also enable BEL and Bharat Forge to make joint efforts to seize the opportunities available in the global markets for export of defence products/ systems produced by the individual companies or jointly developed and produced by the two companies, leveraging on the export promotion policy of the ministry of defence, government of India.

Director (marketing), BEL, Anandi Ramalingam and president & CEO (defence & aerospace), Bharat Forge, Rajinder Singh Bhatia signed the MoU documents in the presence of chairman and managing director, Bharat Forge, Baba Kalyani and other senior officers of BEL and Bharat Forge.

 

Kalyani Group Explores Investing in Aeron Systems

Kalyani Group and Aeron Systems, a Pune based Smart Technology Company, developing indigenous Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) & Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, have come to an understanding to explore investment options into Aeron Systems, with the former coming on board as a strategic investor. The potential investment from Kalyani Group will provide impetus to the development efforts of Aeron for indigenous tactical and navigation class inertial sensors and INS systems thereof.

Ten years young technology company, Aeron is supplying its indigenously developed INS products for aircrafts, armoured vehicles, drones in the defence sector and safety sensors for heavy vehicles in automotive sector. Under its IoT product portfolio, Aeron offers high quality wireless data loggers & gateways along with environment monitoring solutions for smart agriculture, solar power plants, smart cities and industries.

Backed by domain knowledge and proprietary technology, Aeron has been supplying globally competitive products with premium features to the Indian industry. Having made a mark in the domestic market, the Aeron is now expanding to markets in the Europe, Middle East and other countries in Asia.

Kalyani Group and Aeron Systems will explore joint development of precision motion systems for Defence, Aerospace & Automotive industries.

 

HAL Delivers Three ALHs to the Army Ahead of Schedule

HAL Delivers Three ALHs to the Army Ahead of ScheduleHAL handed over first three ALHs as part of the 22 ALH MK III contract to the Indian Army on February 22.

HAL had entered into a contract with the Indian Army for 40 ALH (22 ALH Mk III and 18 Mk IV Rudra) in August 2017. Of the 22 helicopters, 19 helicopters have already been produced and will be progressively delivered.

The documents were handed over to Director General Army Aviation Lt Gen. Kanwal Kumar by chief executive officer, helicopter division, HAL, GVS Bhaskar in the presence of CMD, HAL, R. Madhavan. Officials from the army, HAL, DGAQA and RCMA were present during the occasion.

The Advanced Light Helicopter (Dhruv) is a multi-role, new generation helicopter in the 5.5-ton weight class, indigenously designed and developed by HAL. Powered by two Shakti engines, it provides superlative performance throughout its flight envelope. It is suited for a high-speed cruise for rapid deployment and to maximise the area of operations. The basic helicopter is produced in skid version and wheeled version. In the wheeled version, options for fixed and retractable undercarriages are available.

 

Poeir Jets Develops India’s First Heavy-Lift Hybrid Drones

Poeir Jets Develops India’s First Heavy-Lift Hybrid DronesFollowing the successful launch of the country’s first Microjet Engine series, Poeir has moved on to develop India’s first Heavy lift Hybrid drones, which was launched at Aero India 2019. With this launch, the company aims to establish itself as industry leaders in providing propulsion solutions to UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems).

Hybrid Drone DRE 4 is a Hexacopter powered with 4 kW APU and took its first flight in 2019. It has the capacity to lift up to 5kg in a flight time of 60 minutes.

Turbo Shaft MTS 30 is under-testing for Hybrid Drone DJE 30 and Urban Firefighting. It is suitable for multirotor craft weighing up to 200kg.

Hybrid Drone DJE 30 is again a Hexacopter powered with 30 kW APU, currently under flight testing. It can take a payload of 75 kg with a mission duration of 120 minutes.

Urban Firefighting Hopper is specially designed to restrain fire in high-rises. The hopper is jointly developed by Poeir Jets and Drone Hopper, a company in Spain. It can take a load of 180 kg with a mission duration of 60 minutes.

Director, Poeir Jets, Devathathan Mookiaha said, “The company is currently also developing an Air Tractor that has wide applications. As per our study and understanding, we have realised that there’s a good demand for such specialised equipment in the future. Our team is constantly innovating and working on building the information bank. We are also leveraging futuristic technologies like 3D printing technology so that there is a quicker turnaround time in developing these systems. This will help us achieve the most innovative design objectives while effectively addressing market expectations.”

Co-founder and director, Poeir Jets, Sridhar Balaram added, “We are happy to announce the launch of the four variants of these commercially viable Drone variants for global markets and India. Our expertise in 3D printing has come to the fore in developing these unique designs to address specific requirements. In line with our success in indigenously developed Microjet Engines, we see drones as presenting the next big opportunity in modern day aviation.”

The company’s earlier development on Microjet engines MJE 20 and MJE 40 has successfully undergone testing and will be ready for the market in the next 12 months.

 

COAS General Bipin Rawat Inaugurates BEL Atmospheric Water Generator

COAS General Bipin Rawat Inaugurates BEL Atmospheric Water GeneratorBEL unveiled its new product, the Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG), an innovative solution to meet the ever-increasing need for drinking water worldwide, at Aero India 2019.

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat inaugurated the AWG in the presence of CMD, BEL, M V Gowtama and other directors and senior officers of BEL.

BEL’s Atmospheric Water Generator can be used to generate water straight from the humidity present in the atmosphere.

The day is not far when drinking water becomes the most precious commodity on the planet. Groundwater, currently the main source of drinking water, is being depleted at alarming and unsustainable rates even as the search for alternate water sources continues.

BEL’s AWG employs a novel technology to extract water from the humidity present in the atmosphere and purify it. It uses heat exchange for condensing the atmospheric moisture to produce pure, safe and clean potable water. The AWG comes with a mineralisation unit, which is used to add minerals which are required to make the water potable. The AWG is configurable in static and mobile (vehicular) versions and is available in 30 litres/ day, 100 litres/ day, 500 litres/ day and 1,000 litres/ day capacities.

The AWG can be used to provide drinking water in community centres and public places like health care centres, schools, colleges, offices, railway stations, bus stands, airports, sea ports, off-shore oil rigs, military establishments, remote field areas and remote establishments and residential complexes.

The AWG is being manufactured by BEL in collaboration with CSIR-IICT and MAITHRI, a start-up company based in Hyderabad. It was on display at the BEL stall at Hall-E at Aero India 2019. BEL has, as part of the government of India’s Start-up India Initiative, extending its support to start-up companies.

 

AXISCADES to Expand its Digital Offerings for Defence and Aviation

AXISCADES, a leading product engineering and high-technology solutions company, announced expansion of its current aerospace and defence solutions and services by adding cutting-edge Industry 4.0 offerings to its portfolio. The company having successfully implemented value-added engineering solutions to large, global OEM customers, now plans to make digitisation and Industry 4.0 services like automation, IOT, additive manufacturing, simulation, and augmented reality offerings a part of its mainstream offering and help customers realise further business value by embracing newer technology.

“Our tech advances in the aerospace and defence businesses are driven by our commitment to improve productivity and efficiencies to our customers and the industry. Driven by cost optimisation and scalability needs, the industry is in dire need of partners who can show tangible results in a short span of time. We have been successfully integrating cutting edge digitisation solutions to our existing customers for a while now and our investments in scaling Industry 4.0 offerings coupled with our domain expertise is proving to be a strong differentiator in the market,” said CEO, AXISCADES, Sharadhi Babu.

Advanced digital technology is already used in aerospace and defence sectors, but with Industry 4.0, it will transform production. It will lead to greater efficiencies and change traditional production relationships among suppliers, producers, and customers — as well as between human and machine. There are primarily nine technology trends form the building blocks of Industry 4.0 namely big data and analytics, autonomous robots, simulation, system integration, IIOT, cyber-security, cloud, additive manufacturing, and augmented reality.

“There is a definite need for transformation in the sector and the need is being felt in multiple dimensions. With our deep domain knowledge in the aerospace and defence industry and the strong capabilities that we have acquired through our strategic investments and expansive ecosystem, AXISCADES will be in a strong position to deliver highly customised, scalable digital solutions and services to its customers,” added Sharadhi Babu.

 

VRM and AXISCADES Join Hands for Flight Simulators

Virtual Reality Media (VRM) Slovakia, a premium technology company engaged in design, development and production of state-of-the-art flight simulators and training systems announced on February 21, that AXISCADES will perform a significant work share to design and produce its upcoming simulator, a Level D Full Flight Simulator (FFS). AXISCADES will now act as VRMs preferred partner to supply subsystems for both, its military and civil Simulator programmes.

“AXISCADES has delivered various major systems to the Indian ministry of defence systems including the electronic warfare simulator, aircraft recognition training & simulation system, rf signal simulator and various avionics systems. This partnership furthers the trust and support the Indian MoD and Indian defence forces have in our abilities as the industry’s premier provider of the high-fidelity simulation equipment,” said chief executive officer, AXISCADES, Sharadhi Babu.

“India is a key market for us, and we are inclined to support the ‘Make in India’ programme. AXISCADES, with its in depth domain knowledge was the most logical partner to work with and I look forward to using their expertise to produce state-of-the-art simulators,” said director sales, VRM, Eduardo Cristea. The partnership will include supply and integration of the six degree of freedom electric motion system, the collimated display system, modelling of designated buildings/airfields and will extend to Indian MoD projects like twin dome flight simulator for trainer aircrafts, full mission simulator for helicopters, other Indian/Russian platforms and Drone/UAV Simulators.

 

BEL and JSR Dynamics Signs MoU for Manufacturing Light Weight Cruise Missiles

BEL and JSR Dynamics Signs MoU for Manufacturing Light Weight Cruise MissilesBEL on February 20 signed an MoU with JSR Dynamics Pvt Ltd (JSR), a Nagpur-based start-up company.

The MoU aims at leveraging the individual design and manufacturing capabilities of BEL and JSR to develop weapons and light-weight cruise missiles, which have business potential in both the domestic and international markets. Director (mktg), BEL, Anandi Ramalingam and managing director, JSR Dynamics Pvt Ltd, Air Marshal S B Deo (retd) signed the MoU in the presence of CMD, BEL, M V Gowtama and other directors and senior officers of BEL.

BEL has, as part of the government of India’s Start-up India Initiative, been extending its support to start-up companies.

 

COAS General Bipin Rawat Tests AH-64E Apache Heavy Attack Demonstrator

The AH-64 Apache heavy attack demonstrator is a centrepiece of Boeing’s Apache training. The high-fidelity flight simulator is used by pilots and crews to practice aircraft procedures and rehearse missions. The demonstrator is containerised and deployable, allowing in-theatre training under a wide range of conditions. The heavy attack demonstrator is the only high-fidelity, full-flight simulator accredited for training of Apache attack helicopter aircrews.

Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat experienced the demonstrator at Aero India on February 21, in the presence of senior Boeing defence executives vice president, Vertical Lift, David Koopersmith, vice president, global sales and marketing, Jeff Shockey, vice president, international sales, Dennis Swanson, vice president, Boeing Defense, Space & Security in India, Michael Koch and vertical lift, global sales & marketing, Brad Rounding.

Boeing showcased a full flight and mission simulator of the AH-64 Apache, at the Aero India 2019, which provides customers with an insight into basic flight operations, target ID & tracking, weapons engagement, network centric operations, cognitive decision aiding, instrument flight (IMC/IFR) and manned-unmanned teaming.

Boeing provides ongoing maintenance and support of AH-64 training devices, including upgrades that keep the trainers concurrent with the software and technology of the real helicopter. Boeing offers a range of training for AH-64 Apache maintenance technicians and maintenance test pilots, including hardware-based training aids and interactive virtual trainers.

 

COAS Flies in LCA Tejas

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat was flown in trainer version of DRDO’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas on February 21 to demonstrate the operational capabilities of the aircraft during Aero India. Head of National Flight Test Centre (NFTC) Air Vice Marshal N Tiwari at Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Bengaluru piloted this aircraft.

On this occasion, Tejas was flown at medium altitude to showcase the Pin-point attack capabilities using a Laser Designation Pod (LDP).

The COAS was shown the manoeuvring and radar capabilities of the aircraft. After the sortie, he expressed immense satisfaction and said that Tejas is a wonderful aircraft and if it gets added to the IAF inventory, it will be a great asset.

A familiarisation sortie in LCA Trainer was also conducted for the Principal Scientific Adviser to government of India, Prof K Vijay Raghavan, which was flown by Group Captain S. Gunasekaran, the test pilot from NFTC. This was a handling sortie of 30 minutes duration during which Prof. Vijay Raghavan experienced the controls of the aircraft and manoeuvered it for some time.

Final Operational Clearance (FOC) of LCA Tejas MK-I certificate was handed over on February 20 by secretary department of defence R&D, chairman DRDO & director general ADA, G Satheesh Reddy to the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa in presence of defence secretary Sanjay Mitra and chairman & managing director, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited R. Madhavan.

 

HAL’s Light Combat Helicopter is a Machine for Army, Said COAS Gen. Bipin Rawat

The COAS General Bipin Rawat, flew the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) on February 21. The helicopter was piloted by Wg Cdr S John, HAL’s Test Pilot.

Terming the sortie in LCH as an experience of life time, he said it is suitable for the army to take on adversaries in any terrain and different altitudes. CMD, HAL, R. Madhavan, CEO (helicopter complex), G.V.S Bhaskar, chief test pilot (rotary wing), HAL, Wg Cdr, Unni Pillai and other senior officials from Army had a briefing session before the sortie.

LCH is a 5.5-ton class, combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL. It is powered by two Shakti engines and inherits many technical features of the Advanced Light Helicopter. The features that are unique to LCH are sleek and narrow fuselage, tri-cycle crashworthy landing gear, crashworthy and self-sealing fuel tanks, armour protection and low visibility features which makes it agile and survivable.

The helicopter would have day/night targeting systems for the crew including the Helmet pointed sight and Electro-optical pod consisting of CCD camera/FLIR/Laser Range Finder (LRF)/ Laser Designator (LD). The LCH is fitted with self-protection suite consisting of radar/laser missile warning systems and countermeasures dispensing system. LCH received Initial Operation Clearance (IOC) on 26 August 2017, in the presence of the defence minister.

LCH has the distinction of being the first attack helicopter to land in forward bases at Siachen, 4700 metres above sea level. RFQ for 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) was received on 22 December 2017, and quotation has been submitted on 15 March 2018.

 

Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet to be Made in India

Boeing on February 21 held discussions with its partners, Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), on the proposed F/A-18 Super Hornet ‘Make in India’ plan at Aero India 2019.

The partners are developing comprehensive plans to set-up a new ‘factory of the future’ to manufacture Super Hornet locally. The programme is expected to work with several Indian suppliers to grow a thriving defence aerospace base which could accelerate other programmes. The facility will create a world-class, highly trained aerospace workforce.

This unique public-private partnership is intended to bring Boeing, HAL and MDS’ global scale and supply chain, its best-in-industry precision manufacturing processes, as well as the unrivalled experience in designing and optimising aerospace production facilities to expand India’s aerospace ecosystem and help realise the ‘Make in India’ vision.

Boeing’s Super Hornet is a proven platform that offers the fighter of the future for India – networked, survivable and reliable. Introduced in 2007, the F/A-18 Super Hornet is the world’s preeminent carrier capable aircraft and best suited for India’s naval fighter requirements – designed from day one for carrier operations. The Super Hornet is highly capable across the full mission spectrum for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and is a true multi-role aircraft, able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defences, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions. This, coupled with designed-in stealth and the right payload capacity, makes the Super Hornet the ideal fit for India.

 

MRO to be the Growth Drivers of Indian Military Aerospace Industry

MRO to be the Growth Drivers of Indian Military Aerospace IndustryDuring the show, FICCI organised a technical session on MRO Opportunities and Simulators, bringing together stakeholders from armed forces, MRO and simulator industries to deliberate upon the opportunities and strategies.

Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command, Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria in his special remarks, mentioned that IAF has moved a long way from the time when historically parts of all aircrafts were imported. He said that today the system and processes are more flexible than earlier. Earlier, IAF were forced to import all components for the aircrafts as OEMs never gave clearance, while today CEMILAC which is the single window for quality certification has the capability of certifying and issuing clearance for any component for Aircraft.

He said that with the changing scenario in the procurement policy where strategic partnership route will be the major route for manufacturing and procurement of aircraft by India, production of parts will be done with emphasis on technology development. The strategy for setting up aircraft production will decide the MRO strategies and opportunities. He also mentioned that simulators have a huge market and are essential part of training where the private sector can play a huge role. He encouraged the simulator players to build capability after appropriate tie-up with OEMs.

Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Maintenance Command, Air Marshal RKS Shera said that while IAF has challenges to maintain vintage aircraft, Indian industry needs to build capability on reverse engineering. He added that military aviation overhaul is very different from civil aviation and the depth of overhaul in the military is much higher than civil aviation. He mentioned that about 700 vendors are engaged with IAF Base Repair Depots (BRDs) and industry has much more opportunity before them. He emphasised that industry, R&D and academia need to come under one roof to find path-breaking solutions in MRO. Upgradation of Mi-17 helicopters will offer huge opportunities to Indian industry. Air Marshal Shera emphasised that life enhancement programme should be a continuous effort of IAF and will be critical to stimulate the MRO industry.

Chairman, FICCI defence committee and whole-time director and member of the board, Larsen & Toubro Limited, J.D. Patil in his welcome remarks highlighted that policy reforms by ministry of defence (MoD) such as delicensing of many items gives a level-playing field for the private sector vis-à-vis DPSs and global OEMs and has improved ease of doing business. Announcement of defence corridors and access of private sector to test ranges and government labs to pursue their R&D efforts will greatly help upcoming start-ups and established MSMEs.

 

Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile Successfully Tested

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test fired indigenously developed Quick Reach Surface-to-Air missiles (QRSAM) from ITR Chandipur, off the Odisha Coast on February 26. The two missiles were tested for different altitude and conditions. The test flights successfully demonstrated the robust control, aerodynamics, propulsion, structural performance and high manoeuvring capabilities thus proving the design configuration.

Radars, Electro Optical Systems, telemetry and other stations have tracked the missiles and monitored through the entire flights. All the mission objectives have been met.

Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated DRDO on the successful test flights and said the indigenously developed state-of-the-art QRSAM will significantly boost the defence capabilities of our armed forces.

 

Indo-Russian Technical Cooperation Meeting Held at Kochi

The 25th meeting of the Indo-Russian Intergovernmental Committee on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) commenced at Kochi from February 18-21. The meeting was inaugurated by the Chief of Materiel, Vice Admiral GS Pabby and Chief of Engineering, Russian Navy, Rear Admiral IM Zvarich. The Russian delegation comprises of more than 120 delegates representing the Russian Navy, Russian Government department – the Federal Service for Military technical Cooperation and JSC Rosoborn export.

The Sides focused on product support aspects of Russian origin equipment with special emphasis on ‘Make in India’, through involvement of the Indian industry towards manufacture of spares as well as repairs. Notably, on the opening day the Sides deliberated mechanisms for speedy support of aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, Refits of EKM class submarines and enhancing product support mechanisms for Aircraft and Missile systems onboard Ships and Submarines.

Further, the two sides also discussed a number of aspects related to enhancing operational availability and life cycle support of the naval acquisitions from Russia.

The IRIGC-MTC Sub-group (navy) is a forum to discuss various aspects related to acquisition and product support of military equipment onboard Indian naval ships, submarines and aircrafts acquired from Russia. This year, a large number of Russian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) participated in this meeting for the first time facilitating the addressing of technical issues.

 

Call us