Aero India - 2011

[sancho]

Great pics Spark. I have aquestion, are you benny?

Yes he is.

Thanks! It is indeed a beautiful thread.

This is my favourite picture, what's yours?

So far this one:

http://www.defence.pk/forums/india-defence/79898-aero-india-2011-a-15.html#post1472022


Just a beautiful snap!

 

[Trisonics]

I think overall the Aero India 2011 has seen some amazing action this year. The pictures have all been superb!! The facilities at Bangalore look nice. This event for sure has made heaps of them jealous and made jaws drop for a few others

This is my pick !!!!

 

[GORKHALI]

It so seems that the Indian member, SpArK , has been gloating on the capabilities of Pakistan's JF-17 Thunder aircraft, you may well be on your way to the corporate ladder, but here are couple of videos showing you what's the Thunder made of, why don't you name your poison buster and let's go loop the loop. !!!

YouTube -

YouTube - PAF jf17 in zhuhai airshow 2010

offtopic - oh!yes!! I see what CHINESE JF 17 MADE OFF !! So whats your point ?? There is no loop to loop comparision ,when it comes to STR i heard tejas completed in 17sec ,even it was certify for 6g in IOC ..... Its all matter of time before LSP 6 do maiden flight in march and slowly open up tejas AOA from 22 degree to IAF ASR 24 degree ,but looks like HAL surely going to acieve more than 28 degree AOA to infuse more confidence.........

 

[kish]

offtopic - oh!yes!! I see what CHINESE JF 17 MADE OFF !! So whats your point ?? There is no loop to loop comparision ,when it comes to STR i heard tejas completed in 17sec ,even it was certify for 6g in IOC ..... Its all matter of time before LSP 6 do maiden flight in march and slowly open up tejas AOA from 22 degree to IAF ASR 24 degree ,but looks like HAL surely going to acieve more than 28 degree AOA to infuse solid confidence...

28 degree will really good
but how long it will take to achieve this. i love to see any source.

 

[SpArK]

Aero India 2011: Vintage aircraft Pushpak is still making heads turn​

Old metal birds never die, they continue to turn heads forever. This is the case of the Indian Army Aviation Corps Pushpak aircraft.
Tucked between the latest fighters and the sleek business jets, this vintage aircraft which played an active role during the 1971 Indo-Pak War continues to draw attention at the ongoing Aero-India show.

As part of the Army Aviation Corps’ Silver Jubilee celebrations, this green bird will embark on an all-India expedition and touch down at bases and forward locations from where the flyboys (army aviators) of yesteryear operated.

Thelittle bird piloted by Brig NS Sidhu will take off from Air Force Station Yelahanka after the Aero India to revive the history of the Army Aviation Corps. The aircraft, which flew with the Air OP during the 1965 and 1971 wars, has been reconstructed and restored to flying standards.

It has been mustered from the Patiala Flying Club and reconstructed with the assistance of Punjab Government and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for this historic expedition, Brig Sidhu said.

This is the one and onlyPushpak which is still flying in the country and the all-India expedition will be its longest mission.

Starting from Bangalore, the aircraft will cover over 10,000km flying to the erstwhile Air Op and the present Army Aviation bases within India and finally land at CATS, Nasik, the Alma Mater of Army Aviation. En route, it will recount old battles, gather folklore from old timers across the country, revisit its old bases and record it all for future generations.

Aero India 2011: Vintage aircraft Pushpak is still making heads turn - Bangalore - DNA

Great pics Spark. I have aquestion, are you benny?

Oh yes i am... Thanks.. more is to come ...

Been busy collecting them and taking on the occasional overly nationalistic fanboys who are overly insecure about the quality of their equipment and lurk to pass on comments to venture their frustrations.

 

[SpArK]

Aero India 2011: Tejas fleet to be raised in Bangalore​

The first squadron of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will be raised in Bangalore.

The Aircraft and System Testing Establishment (ASTE) will conduct a series of tests before the aircraft is inducted into the Indian Air Force.

Commandant of the ASTE, Air Commodore BR Krishna said that two pilots have been identified by the Bangalore-based flight testing establishment for carrying out extensive tests.

The first squadron of LCA will be named Squadron 45. The squadron comprising 20 aircraft will be known as Flying Daggers and will later be moved to the Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore.


Aero India 2011: Tejas fleet to be raised in Bangalore - India - DNA

 

[SpArK]

Aero India 2011: Surya Kiran to fly Hawks​

The famed Surya Kiran aerobatic team of Indian Air Force will fly Hawk advanced jet trainers, not Kirans, at next Aero India. Its Kiran aircraft will be sent to the Bidar air force station in Karnataka for training rookie pilots.

Commanding officer of the team wing commander Prajual Singh said on Friday with the air force in a transition mode, several new aircraft were entering its stables. Surya Kiran would also get modern planes, he said.

Hawks, however, would be a temporary replacement as the team will ultimately fly the indigenous intermediate jet trainers which are set to get initial operational clearance in June.

Prajual Singh said with the new aircraft, Surya Kiran will not only perform existing maneuvers but also add a few new ones.


Aero India 2011: Surya Kiran to fly Hawks - India - DNA

 

[SpArK]

Aero India 2011: Eurocopter vying for deals worth €10-15 billion​

Eurocopter, a division of aerospace and defence company EADS, is looking at projects worth €10-15 billion (around Rs60,000-90,000 crore) over the next five years, with India being the largest market for military helicopters in Asia.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to replace its entire fleet of over 600 Cheetah-Chetak helicopters, which Eurocopter had jointly produced with HAL.

The helicopter major is bidding for the order of 197 reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters that Indian government plans to procure. For this, Eurocopter showcased the best in its breed of helicopter — the AS550 Fennec. The military-certified and combat-proven AS550 C3 Fennec has exceptional performance at high altitude and in hot weather conditions.

“The field trials with full mission equipment were completed flawlessly.It is a fully certified and a reference helicopter across the world that has been sold in many countries, underlining its capabilities. It is a huge order and we are sparing no resources in this campaign (reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters),” said Norbert Ducrot, senior VP, Eurocopter.

Eurocopter is also eyeing other major projects in India, including cooperation with HAL on co-developing and co-producing a 10-12 tonne helicopter specially designed to address the needs of all the armed forces.

Eurocopter will offer the AS365 naval Panther for the tender to the Navy and Coast Guard. Panther is the military version of the civilian Dauphin, which has been very well received in the Indian market.
Ducrot expects huge potential in newer segments such as helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), disaster management and pilgrimages. Eurocopter, which has turned its attention to these emerging segments, has set up an Indian subsidiary in New Delhi to improve its training and support systems and expand its footprint in India.

It also plans to introduce the EC135 suited for HEMS segment. Eurocopter has a target of selling 100-150 helicopters in Asia this year with 10% of it coming from India.

The helicopter-makers have a long-standing relationship with HAL, in addition to which they are looking at partnering with private sector companies for outsourcing component and parts manufacturing, and including them in their global-supply chain.

Despite its bullishness, the helicopter company still feels there were many hurdles in the Indian market. “Infrastructure in India is still a big challenge. We need better facilities such as helipads and others for the market to unfold its potential,” he said.

Speaking on the challenges Eurocopter has encountered with defence deals in India, Ducrot said the amendments incorporated in the Defence Procurement Policy 2011 are a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to attract investment in this sector.

“One of the key steps is to increase the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in defence sector which is currently limited to 26%. FDI generates value in India and creates local employment. But given the low ceiling, OEMs may hesitate to take major industrial and commercial risks for offset obligations alone” he said.


Aero India 2011: Eurocopter vying for deals worth €10-15 billion - India - DNA

 

[SpArK]

Aero India 2011: The men who orchestrate Yelahanka aerial symphony​

The Bangalore-based Aircraft and System Testing Establishment (ASTE) may not be as popular as the fighter jets or for that matter the men behind them. However, this team is the one, which orchestrates the numerous aerobatic stunts and scintillating manoeuvres that the audiences get to see at the Aero India show.

The ASTE team, apart from overseeing the flight display is also entrusted with the job of ensuring flight safety when the fighter jets perform their dog fights and other maneouvers in front of hundreds of spectators.

“We are the nerve centre of the Aero India all flight operations are monitored by us. We observe closely how the aircraft take-off and land in order to ensure that they not defy safety rules,” said Group Captain N Tiwari, the flight display director of Aero India 2011.

He said that, on an average, about 40 aircraft take-off and land during the show and that the team has been put up at the Air Force Station Yelahanka (AFSY) since February 7, the day the aircraft starting arriving at the air base.

“In an air show, as soon as one aircraft lands, another takes-off in order to maintain the tempo and keep the onlookers engrossed. Monitoring the flight operations during an air show is a very difficult job as all kind of aircraft operate,” Tiwari said.

After take-off from Yelahanka, the fighters remain within the visual bubble of the crowd, so that they can be seen by the audience during the performance.

This apart, the flight display monitoring team also has another difficult task in communicating to the foreign air force pilots.

Aero India 2011: The men who orchestrate Yelahanka aerial symphony - Bangalore - DNA

 

[GORKHALI]

28 degree will really good
but how long it will take to achieve this. i love to see any source.

here's the link enjoy- Broadsword: Testing times ahead for HAL: ARDC prepares for dangerous Tejas and IJT flight tests

Even more dangerous are the flight tests ahead for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), to demonstrate its ability to handle higher angles of attack, or Alpha, as the designers call it. Simply put, a flying aircraft’s angle of attack is the angle it makes, nose to tail, with the horizontal. A high Alpha provides several benefits to a fighter, especially letting it fly slower to land on shorter runways.

The Tejas has currently tested an Alpha of just 22-24 degrees, and will go up gradually to 28 degrees. But flying a higher Alpha risks stalling the fighter; its engine could go off (or flame out, as pilots call it) leaving the Tejas --- without propulsion power, or electrical and hydraulic power for its fly-by-wire controls --- to fall out of the sky like a stone.

To guard against that, the ARDC is fitting a test Tejas with a fast-response power pack that US company, Honeywell, manufactures for such flight-testing. Within milliseconds of the Tejas main engine going off, the hydrogen-operated power pack starts up, providing power to the fighter’s hydraulic and electrical systems, and re-lighting the main engine.

“In flying a single-engine aircraft, there is no bigger emergency than a flame-out”, says a former Tejas test pilot. “But no fighter engine should flame out at just 28 degrees Alpha. However, the Tejas air intakes have not been well designed and, as the Alpha increases, the intakes constrict the airflow, and the engine dies for want of air.”

In contrast to the Tejas’ maximum Alpha of 28 degrees, India’s Sukhoi-30MKI can comfortably handle an Alpha of over 50 degrees. The US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet can manage an Alpha of 58 degrees.

 

[SpArK]

Mighty market, military orders​

BANGALORE: India's massive military aerospace modernization programme, it's new strategic relationship with the US, and the fact that this is one of the few markets around the world that is growing rapidly has made this year's edition of Aero India the best by far in terms of global participation.

Think of anybody in the global aerospace business, and they are there. Over 670 companies are participating this year, up from 592 in the last edition in 2009. Most are aggressively marketing their offerings, and finding many willing listeners.

"This is the third time I'm attending Aero India, and I can tell you this year's is a generational step above the previous ones," says Walter Doran, president-Asia of the $25-billion defence technology company Raytheon. "The number of serious enquiries from visitors to our booth has seen a great increase from the past," he says.

Dinesh Keskar, president of Boeing India, attributes it to the market and the strategic India-US relationship following the nuclear deal. Boeing estimates it has a $31 billion addressable market (areas in which it has a competitive product) in India.

The Indian Air Force's contract to acquire 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) will be the biggest defence contract at about $11 billion. Six aircraft are in the race for it -- Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, Saab Gripen C, Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Lockheed Martin F-16 and Mikoyan MiG-35. A $1.4-billion contract to acquire attack helicopters, a $600-million contract to acquire heavy-duty helicopters and a $2.5-billion contract to re-engine the Jaguar's ageing engines are also in process.

Some contracts like for the Boeing C-17 heavy-duty helicopters are almost done. Some companies like AgustaWestland, part of Italy's Finmeccanica, and Brazil's Embraer have won big deals in the past couple of years. As did Boeing for the P-8I, a maritime reconnaissance aircraft for the navy, a deal worth $2.13 billion.

Stephen Estill, VP for strategic partnerships in helicopter maker Sikorsky, says cumulative military helicopter purchases by India is expected to touch $14.4 billion between 2011-31. "There is also a requirement to refit existing helicopters with modern equipment," he says. The 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack created an urgent need for stepping up coastal patrol.

A survey by Honeywell predicts a 26% decline in five-year helicopter purchase plan in North America and a 40% decline in Europe, a result apparently of the slow growth in those economies. On the contrary, the Indian helicopter market is seen to be growing at 20% annually.

The big orders are encouraging many supporting companies to set up operations in India or to expand their activities. Esterline, which manufactures a variety of aerospace products, is opening a sales office in Bangalore next week. German companies like Stahlwille, which provides avionics tooling products, and SACS, which makes aerospace connecting systems and parts, said they were very encouraged by what they were seeing at Aero India.

Royston Lobo of SS White Aerospace, a US-based company that has a manufacturing facility in Gujarat that makes high-precision aerospace parts, says he has attended many trade shows, "but I mostly see marketing folk; this is one event where the top brass of every company seems to be around."

Read more: Mighty market, military orders - The Times of India Mighty market, military orders - The Times of India

 

[GORKHALI]

Reporting straight from LCA Tejas cockpit

Ritu S was the first journalist to sit at the controls of the compound delta-winged, homegrown beauty. She gives us a first-person account

Ritu S

Posted On Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 12:04:24 AM

After receiving the nod from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials, I just wanted to run to plane and get in as fast as I could. After all, this is the country’s most ambitious project on the defence front and much awaited. This was my chance to check out its technology and avionics and to see what it was all about. Although I had seen and sat in cockpits of several fighter aircraft, getting a chance to sit in the cockpit of this yet-to-be inducted fighter jet evoked an altogether different feeling. It was a mix of joy, exhilaration and immense pride.




The Tejas LCA cockpit is not only spacious, but its systems are also easy to use. Instead of mechanical controls, this fighter has digital systems, which de-stresses the pilot and helps keep him or her focused on the fighting. The controls of the aircraft are somewhat similar to the controls of a car, inclusive of foot pedals. When this supersonic fighter jet is on the runway, the brakes are applied through these pedals. Just like a car.

The Tejas is a single-seater aircraft, but it has a twin-seater version for training purposes. The lead pilot directs and instructs the one seated in the rear. I got the chance to sit in the trainer version. I thought it exuded a feeling of safety. The LCA’s 1500 hours of incident-free flying is certainly testimony to this.

With better handling capabilities and advanced avionics, the LCA is MiG-21 ++, and is set to replace the old warhorse of the Indian Air Force — the Soviet MiG-21 fighter jets.

The twin-seater version has a night vision compatible glass cockpit with zero-zero ejection seats. This facilitates safe ejection of the pilot at zero speed and zero altitude. The pilot also has a helmet-mounted display, which helps him lock on to a target by merely looking at it.


Made of composite material
LCA test engineer-commander J Raturi provided more details. He said: “The aircraft wings are made of composite material, which helps reduce the weight of the aircraft. This makes the Tejas the smallest light weight, multi-role, single-engine tactical fighter aircraft. Of course it has been designed and developed in the country. The aircraft’s controls has the capability for digital automatic flight control or fly-by-wire technology. The aircraft is very stable and that gives it the requisite agility and manoeuvring capability.”

Ever since the start of the Aero 2011 show, the Tejas has been the cynosure. When five Tejas LCAs flew in formation for the first time at the show, it set hearts aflutter and sent spirits soaring. The more than two decades of work and the Rs 17,000 crore which has been pumped into making these metal birds battle ready, was worth it. That was the unanimous verdict. With the Tejas, India joined a small, but elite group of countries capable of making a fighter plane from scratch.


Final clearance in June
The aircraft will get its final operational clearance by June this year, which means a weapon-loaded aircraft would be ready for induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF).

“By June, most of the test points will be done. It will then be ready for its final operational clearance,” Raturi said. On its lethal prowess, Bangalore Mirror was told that it is the only aircraft which has fired a missile from an altitude as low as 15 km and achieved precision. Defence minister, A K Antony, had described the LCA as a “state-of-the-art, indigenous combat aircraft that will go a long way in enhancing national security”.

Tejas has been manufactured by Bangalore-based HAL in association with DRDO.

 

[SpArK]

Aero India 2011: India will fear no one from next year
​

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief VK Saraswat said on Friday all sub-systems of the country’s first indigenous subsonic medium-range cruise missile Nirbhay (fearless) were almost in place and it would be ready by early next year.

Speaking at Aero India-2011, he said: “Integration of the engine is under way.”

The missile with a range of 1,000 km can take to the skies from multiple launchers and will arm all the three services. Nirbhay is expected to supplement the 300-km-range supersonic BrahMos.


Saraswat said an advanced version of BrahMos would be ready by 2012. The technology of the hypersonic missile call-ed BrahMos Mark-2 or BrahMos-2 was successfully lab-tested in May 2008 at a speed of 6.5 mach. The hypersonic demonstrator vehicle will attain a level flight for a ground-to-ground test at a height of 30 km before it hits the target with a speed between seven and eight mach.

The mach-8 Brahmos-2, an advanced version of the present air-launched missile, will be the country’s first hypersonic cruise missile. DRDO and Russian NPO-Mash are working on a sustained flight scramjet, which will be the core element of the Mark-2 version.About a ballistic missile defence shield, Saraswat said the next AAD (advanced air defence) test will take place this month. The defence shield test had failed on March 15, 2010, but was successful later.

Exo-atmospheric interceptor missile PAD (Prithvi Air Defence) will now be called PDV (Prithvi Defence Vehicle) and will intercept at an altitude of 150 km, compared to the earlier 50 km.

Saraswat said, “All elements of aerospace are within our grip and India will soon be an aerospace power.”

Aero India 2011: India will fear no one from next year - India - DNA

 

[Ghoster]

It does, when after 23 years, all you get to see is a loop.

still better than all u do is peeking over somebodies shoulder and calling it Joint Developement

 

[SpArK]

Eurocopter sells five choppers in India​

BANGALORE: European helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter on Friday announced it has sold five AS350 B3 passenger transport helicopters to three Indian customers .

Three were ordered by Global Vectra, whose fleet will grow to seven AS350 B3s, while Summit Aviation and SS Aviation purchased one each.

"All five are scheduled to be delivered during 2011," said Eurocopter president and CEO Lutz Bertling here on the sidelines of Aero India-2011.

"Seeing this trend, we are confident the AS350 B3 will be instrumental in developing such segments as heli-tourism, passenger transportation, rescue, aerial work and law enforcement throughout the country," Bertling said.

Capable of performing at extremely high altitudes, the AS350 B3 single-engine helicopter can carry more passengers in hot and high conditions than any other rotary-wing aircraft in its class.

The AS350 B3 has experienced major success in heli-skiing applications at such locations as the Alps in Europe, North America's Rocky Mountains and Alaska, and the Andes in South America - with operations now extended to the Himalayas in India.

"Heli-skiing is a sport that requires high level of aircraft safety, robustness and capability to function immaculately in extremely high altitude conditions," Summit Aviation managing director Neeraj Bhatia said.

"The AS350 B3 was our choice for such duties at Gulmarg, Kashmir, where it is taking on the most challenging tasks with ease, and demonstrating incredible performance," he added.

The AS350 B3 also aided pilgrim tourism in India and is flying tourists to places like Vaishno Devi, Kedarnath, Badrinath and Amarnath.

It is used by numerous operators for corporate transportation, and has become the backbone of India's geophysical surveys.

Five AS350 B3s are in operation to support the country's geophysical survey activity, with four of them flown by Global Vectra - the first operator using this helicopter type in India for such missions.

Most recently, Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited equipped an AS350 B3 with cameras and relay equipment for TV broadcasts during the recent Commonwealth Games, an Indian first.

SS Aviation is a new customer for Eurocopter, with the AS350 B3 becoming the first helicopter in its fleet.

"There is an increasing demand in the rural areas of Karnataka for air transport services, so the purchase of a helicopter makes sense to cater to this growing demand," SS Aviation CEO Mahesh Iyer said.

Eurocopter sells five choppers in India - The Economic Times