Indian Defense Industry General News and Updates

Ajay Kumar, Defence secretary (production)
Technology Key in Defence Production
By Varsha Singh, Posted On : June_2019

Ajay-Kumar.jpg

Ajay Kumar, Defence secretary (Production)
Defence secretary (Production) Ajay Kumar, speaks to Biz@India about the initiatives of the government to promote the defence industry and why there is a need to focus more on technology development and innovation.

What are the major initiatives taken by the Indian government to promote defence production ecosystem in India?

Four-dimensional initiatives have been taken by the Ministry of Defence to promote defence production ecosystem in India. These are:

I. Under the Make in India in defence, we are actively promoting private defence industry while continuing to support the defence public sector. In this direction, we are enabling a level playing field, greater ease of doing business and greater exchange of information.

II. We are allowing defence export to friendly countries.

III. We are actively promoting indigenisation of platforms and components which are being imported.

IV. We are also promoting to bring startups closer to the defence and aerospace industry in the country.

Several initiatives have been taken under each of the above. During 2018-19 itself, over 50 reforms were approved to promote the defence industry.

The Defence Production Policy (DPrP) 2018, has set a target of domestic arms industry revenues to INR 1,700 billion (USD 24 billion) and robust growth in exports by 2025. Do you think it can be achieved?

I think this can be easily achieved and may be surpassed. Let me illustrate with an example, the defence export authorisations in 2016-17 were around INR 15 billion (USD 210 million). This increased to INR 46 billion (USD 658 million) during 2017-18 and exceeded INR 107.5 billion (USD 1.5 billion) in 2018-19. Our target for 2019-2020 is INR 200 billion (USD 2.9 billion).

We are additionally exporting defence and aerospace-related software/design services amounting to between INR 150 to INR 200 billion (USD 2.16 billion to USD 2.9 billion) which are not included in the above figures.

We have been able to mobilise a 600-strong start up ecosystem in defence and aerospace sectors since the launch of iDEX scheme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2018. This is phenomenal growth. Not only the Indian Armed Forces, but many foreign countries have also shown interest to work with our startups. As IT/ software and related technologies like IoT/AI/blockchain become increasingly relevant to defence and aerospace, we have no doubt that India will become a big player in defence innovation and technology development.

The Indian interim budget for 2019-20 for Defence has crossed INR 3 trillion (USD 43 billion) mark. However, if we look at the defence budget on R&D, India spends a lower percentage of its defence budget on it as compared to other major powers. What are your views on that?

There is growing recognition to spend more on technology development and innovation. However, the expenditure in this regard is now coming from industry and startups, in addition to the public sector. Several Indian industries are developing technologies or functionalities even when they are taking technologies from foreign OEMs. This contribution of the private sector is often not fully accounted in our defence R&D.

Meanwhile, defence PSUs and the Ordnance Factories Board have also recognised the need to focus on R&D. The OFB has developed the Dhanush Artillery gun, which is best in class, and has been inducted by India Army recently. Several new ammunitions have been developed by the OFB. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is focussing in R&D of rotary platforms in a big way while the Aeronautics Development Agency is developing fixed-wing fighter jets. Shipyards have developed a great capability for detailed ship design of all types. These organisations are increasing their spend on R&D and creating special structures focused only towards R&D. I am happy to say that they filed for 730 patents during 2018-19. This is significant also because for some of these organisations these were the first patents they ever filed, in their decades of existence.

How has been the progress on the government’s recent initiative to indigenise many different categories of armaments via the domestic private sector?

There is some progress in this regard. However, more needs to be done. Department of Defence Production has come out with an Indigenisation Policy in March 2019 which enables significant policy measures like the placement of long term orders on a vendor, use of Make-2 by Defence PSUs and OFB, acceptance of suo-moto proposals, setting up of the Indigenisation Fund and third-party testing to accelerate the indigenisation process.

According to a rough estimate, the defence PSUs and OFB typically produce components and parts in the magnitude of INR 200 to INR 250 billion (USD 2.9 billion-3.6 billion) every year. This is the scale of indigenisation market. We welcome Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in indigenisation of components, for sale to India as well as for exports for most components 100 pc FDI through automatic route is allowed. Therefore, it is a huge business opportunity for foreign OEMs.

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According to a rough estimate, the defence PSUs and OFB typically produce components and parts in the magnitude of USD 2.9 billion-3.6 billion every year

In giving a push to Make in India, what does the government prefer the most- foreign companies to come and set up their unit in India, or the transfer of technology with the Indian companies?

We encourage both. For each platform/item the categorisation specifies the nature of participation which is desired/expected. However, during the CEO’s Round Table with global CEOs in Aero sector, one suggestion was made by a CEO was to allow 100 pc FDI for 100 pc export. We are in the process of examining this issue.

Why, according to you, has the private sector not yet entered defence production in a big way? Why does the country still import 70 pc of its critical defence equipment despite several defence public sector undertakings, ordnance factories and defence research laboratories?

I do think it is correct to say that we import 70 pc of our defence equipment. We are increasingly procuring defence equipment from within the country. For example, we have now a robust artillery gun production system in the country. All tanks are being manufactured in the country. All armoured vehicles are manufactured in the country. Bulletproof jackets, helmets and other personal safety equipment are made in the country. In the aero sector, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is being procured, as are the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Light Commercial Helicopter (LCH), the Dornier 228s. All of these are indigenously designed and made; practically all our ships are now made in India, all our missiles are made in India. Combat Management System for naval ships is being produced by multiple players. Similarly, several industry players are today developing Software Defined Radio capabilities.

However, we remain dependent on technologies on foreign OEMS. Therefore, as mentioned above, we need to focus more on technology development going forward.

I may also add, like we are doing our defence exports, we may continue to do necessary defence imports to ensure that our forces have the best equipment at their disposal.

With India all set to export its first batch of missiles this year to South East Asia and the Gulf countries, what kind of other exports can we expect in the future? Who is the biggest market for India?

I would not like to comment on specific defence export deals. However, apart from platforms and equipment, India also sees itself as a major exporter of defence components and sub-systems, software and design services.

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In aero sector, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is being procured, as are the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Light Commercial Helicopter (LCH), the Dornier 228s

Recently there have been complaints about the poor quality ammunition coming out of the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) that has caused a flutter in the Indian Army. Do you think there is an urgency to modernise all of OFBs 412 factories?

Government has approved over 25 proposals amounting to nearly INR 8.5 billion (USD 120 million) during 2018-19 to modernise/ upgrade capital machinery in OFBs.

As regards to quality, we are closely monitoring the issue. Several steps have been taken including replacing manual processes with automated machines, traceability, process improvements. Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata is working with OFB to help them address some of these issues. Regular customer feedback and interaction at the level of MGO as well as lower down is being ensured. My own information is that there is significant improvement in quality with the quality measures taken.

OFB is also recognising that several ammunition have been thrown open to private industry. This competition has also helped in improving the quality performance within OFB.

How is the India-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) progressing?

DTTI has started making very good progress now. We have been able to make several breakthroughs including finalising the industry security annexure, which would enable sensitive information to be shared with the Indian industry, allowing industry to industry collaboration between the two countries and also identifying projects that can be taken up for development.

The Defence India Startup Challenge was launched last year. How helpful has it been for the startup community in defence and aerospace?

Defence India Start Up Challenge (DISC) has been able to galvanise the startup ecosystem around defence and aerospace. Both DISC-1 and DISC2 had fantastic response. The winners are working closely with the Indian forces on respective challenges. While being excited about the tremendous response from startups in this regard, I must also appreciate the excellent collaboration provided by all the three Services — Army, Navy and Airforce — which has resulted in this huge positivity around DISCs. We are looking to expand this even further, going forward.

India has an edge in software technology like the Internet of Battle Things (IoBTs). How do you think it can be capitalised? How is the Transfer of Technology (TOT) model coming up in the defence production ecosystem?

I totally agree. We are already seeing this edge getting converted into products and systems. I mentioned about Combat Management Systems and SDR earlier. Many companies are developing unmanned platforms based on software/IoT capabilities. India’s growing missile programme is benefitting from our software capabilities. We see this as a big strength in developing our future defence industry ecosystem.

What are the challenges in front of the defence industry in India at present? Who is our major competition?

We need to focus more on technology development at the cutting edge. We need to involve different stakeholders including industry, academia, startups in this effort if we want to be able to develop technologies which are best in class. And I think this change is increasingly visible.


Ajay Kumar, Defence secretary (production)
 
Indian scientists develop more potent Anthrax vaccine

Aditi Jain, New Delhi | Updated on June 17, 2019 Published on June 17, 2019
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Anthrax is a deadly human disease caused by bacterium Bacillus anthracis that also infects animals like horses, sheep, cattle and goats.

A group of Indian scientists have developed a new vaccine against anthrax. It is claimed to be superior over existing vaccines as it can generate immune response to anthrax toxin as well as its spores rather than the toxin alone.

Anthrax is a deadly human disease caused by bacterium Bacillus anthracis that also infects animals like horses, sheep, cattle and goats. Humans, pigs and dogs are comparatively less susceptible and only get infected if exposed to copious amount of spores. In 2001, these spores were used as agents of bio-terrorism when letters containing anthrax spores were sent to some people in America, leading to widespread panic.

Spores of the bacterium that causes anthrax are present in soil and can stay in latent form for years. However, under favourable environmental conditions, they become active and start to infect. Often, animals pick up spores while grazing, following which spores germinate in their body and produce toxins.

The anti-anthrax vaccines available in market generate immune response against a Bacillus protein-protective antigen – a protein that helps in transport of bacillus toxins inside the cells. This means that immune response is triggered only when spores germinate in body and start producing bacterial proteins. Anyone vaccinated with such a vaccine would show no immune response to bacillus spores and only perform once spores germinate and release toxins.

Studies have, however, shown that when inactivated spores are injected in addition to vaccine, the protection towards bacillus is enhanced. Researchers from the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Mysore and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) decided to develop a single vaccine which is effective against both the toxin and its spores so as to provide complete protection.

For this, they stitched together portions of two genes: protective antigen protein and protein present in outer layer of spore. The protein thus produced was fusion of the two proteins and was injected into mice. After few days, scientists found that injected mice had high concentration of antibodies against fused proteins in its blood, showing immune response against the injected protein. It was found that these antibodies were also able to individually bind both protective antigen and spore protein demonstrating that the vaccine can produce immune response against both spores and the toxin.

“The ability of fused protein to generate protective immune responses against both spores and toxin suggests it as an efficient vaccine candidate against B. anthracis infection,” explained Joseph Kingston, a scientist at DRDL, while speaking to India Science Wire.

While antibiotics are also available, vaccines for anthrax are necessary as the infection can cause death within 2-3 days leaving no scope for diagnosis and treatment.

While discussing the future directions, Rakesh Bhatnagar, co-author of the study and a professor at JNU, said, “We intend to study protective efficacy of this vaccine against Bacillus spores and toxins in higher animal models.”

The research team also included Saugata Majumder, Shreya Das, Shivakiran S. Makam from DRDL and Vikas Kumar Somani from JNU. The research results have been published in journal Frontiers in Immunology.


Indian scientists develop more potent Anthrax vaccine
 
Government considering putting PSUs out of Defence Ministry range

Both the Niti Aayog, and NSAB have recommended a restructuring of the defence ministry to promote Make in India.

By Manu Pubby, ET Bureau, Published June 25, 2019
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The government is examining recommendations by top two advisory bodies to move public sector units out of the supervision of the defence ministry, pointing out that there is an inherent conflict of interest that prevents full unlocking of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

While defence PSUs are fairly autonomous, they come under the authority of the Department of Defence Production and there have been frequent complaints that they are given undue preference by the ministry for large orders.

Both the Niti Aayog, which advises the government on economic policy, and the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), which is tasked with special projects by the top echelons of the government, have recommended a restructuring of the defence ministry to promote Make in India.

One of the proposals being considered is to bring all defence PSUs — nine of which are under the administrative control of the ministry — under a single body that can be governed by a different ministry, like the ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises.

An expert, who contributed to the Niti Aayog recommendations, told ET that the defence ministry faced a dilemma while dealing with the private industry as its competitors in the public sector were also under its control. “PSUs are dealt with a different hand as they are part of the ministry and get a lot of leeway when it comes to payment terms, delays and nomination for big projects,” the expert said.
(Finally, finally !! At least they identified the problem.:cautious:)
NSAB, which was tasked with recommendations to promote Make in India, also came to a similar conclusion, pointing to the conflict of interest where one department of the ministry is the customer and the other department is the vendor that supplies the same.

In a recent talk on national security structures, NSAB chairman P Raghavan also touched on the subject. “If you say that defence PSUs are part of the ministry of defence, there is an obvious conflict of interest there. There have been many reports on this as well and what I hope now is that we are looking to cut through this,” he said.

Explaining the depth of the issue, an official pointed to the ongoing strategic partnership programme that was originally designed to promote the private industry by earmarking identified big military contracts to be reserved for them.

In the pioneering project — a Rs 21,000 crore plan to make 111 naval utility helicopters in India — the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd insisted on putting in a bid for its under development helicopter and even wrote to the defence ministry that it had invested Rs 400 crore in the programme.

Last year, India’s top shipbuilder Larsen and Toubro had written to the Niti Aayog for an intervention over concerns that the government is considering a proposal to move the Rs 60,000 crore project to build submarines to the public sector on a nomination basis, unlike original plans to reserve it for the private industry. The project has now been kept on a competitive basis, in which both PSUs and private industry are participating.

Government considering putting PSUs out of Defence Ministry range
 
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'Make in India' air-to-air missiles: Bengaluru-based manufacturer celebrates milestone

ASRAAM and MICA are air-to-air missiles that meet the most demanding operational requirements and have been selected by the Indian Air Force.

By : IBT News Desk, Jun 26, 2019 17:00 IST
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The Indian company first started work with MBDA on MICA in 2013 and since then has delivered on time 2,000 wiring harnesses.

Bengaluru-based SASMOS HET Technologies Limited is celebrating two major milestones - delivery of the 2,000th wiring harness assembly for the MICA programme, and delivery of the first wiring harness assembly for the ASRAAM programme - with European defence company MBDA.

ASRAAM and MICA are air-to-air missiles that meet the most demanding operational requirements and have been selected by the Indian Air Force.

SASMOS, a leading manufacturer of wiring harness, electro-mechanical assemblies and unit integration products, first started working with MBDA on MICA in 2013 and has delivered 2,000 wiring harnesses on time.

Over the last decade, SASMOS has progressed from being a start-up organisation to becoming a preferred partner by Original equipment manufacturers. It has also created the benchmark for aerospace and defence harness manufacturing in India for mission-critical applications.

These two milestones are significant in the 'Make in India' initiative and underscore the importance of Indian manufacturers in building the future of aerospace and defence globally. SASMOS has worked continuously with MBDA to bring new technologies to India, and create a talented work force through collaboration in manufacturing.

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According to Loïc Piedevache, MBDA country head, India, "This delivery is not just an important milestone for SASMOS, but also for MBDA and the Indian aerospace and defence manufacturing industry."

"This is a good example of MBDA's industrial partnership in India. For many years MBDA has been working closely with Indian Industrial partners on high-end technologies with significant quantities and business values over the years. SASMOS deliveries and relationship are perfectly aligned with MBDA's long term strategy on Make In India," he added.

Chandra Shekar, the founder and Managing Director of SASMOS, said that the company is proud of their association with MBDA.

"Our collaboration with MBDA has enabled us to create new competencies in India to deliver quality products to mission-critical aerospace and defence applications. We are confident to grow with MBDA's India initiative further and we have crafted a robust plan to take forward this initiative," he said.

Missile systems for Indian Air Force

MICA is being delivered for the Indian Air Force's Mirage 2000 upgrade and for Rafale. MICA is the only air-to-air missile in the world featuring two interoperable seekers (active radar and imaging infrared) to cover the spectrum from close-in dogfight to long beyond visual range.

ASRAAM is a high-performance within visual range air combat missile that is being delivered to the Indian Air Force for its New Generation Close Combat Missile programme for the Jaguar fleet. With its large rocket motor, and clean aerodynamic design, ASRAAM has unrivalled speed and resultant aerodynamic manoeuvrability and range.

MBDA has been working with suppliers in India for decades in manufacturing and engineering services. Today more and more Indian suppliers are providing advanced, complex components and sub-assemblies for MBDA missile programmes, for the Indian Armed Forces and as part of an integrated global supply chain.


'Make in India' air-to-air missiles: Bengaluru-based manufacturer celebrates milestone
 
Airbus-PHL Sign MoU: Any Rainbow of Hope for Indian Helicopter Industry?

June 25, 2019

Airbus Helicopters and Indian helicopter major Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 19th Jun 2019 to “collaborate on the future introduction of two new categories of rotorcraft in the PHL fleet as well as for the repair, maintenance and overhaul of its existing AS365N Dauphin helicopters”. H145 and H225 have been named as potential platforms for this collaboration.

Airbus-PHL-MoU.jpeg

Picture from Airbus Helicopters Press Release. In picture, from L to R: Anand Stanley, President & MD, Airbus India & South Asia, Ashish Saraf, Head of Airbus helicopters for India & South Asia, Vandana Aggarwal, Addnl Secretary & Economic Advisor to MoCA, Air Cmde Dayasagar, ED PHL and Philippe Monteux, Head of Airbus Helicopters, South East Asia Pacific

The MoU was inked by Air Cmde Dayasagar (Retd), Executive Director of PHL and Mr. Ashish Saraf, Head of Airbus Helicopters for India and South Asia, during the ongoing 53rd edition of Paris Air Show. The beaming smile from a Ministry of Civil Aviation official speaks a thousand words in this photo released by Airbus Helicopters.

Indian helicopter industry woke up to this news with mixed feelings. Some welcomed the initiative while cynics recalled repeated failed attempts by PHL to modernise their fleet after a series of accidents. Few felt this was Airbus’ way of ‘investing’ in PHL without directly getting their hands dirty in a company the Indian government is keen to disinvest. Only, there aren’t any buyers.

AS365-Dauphin-N3.jpg

An Airbus AS365 Dauphin N3 from a private operator prepares to take flight

As of 2019, the first Airbus H145 helicopters have just entered India, all in onshore applications. A few more are under delivery in 2020. The 8-seater H145 is about 500 kgs lighter than the 4.3-ton MTOW Dauphin N3. All offshore operations in India are undertaken under Performance Class 1 where a lighter machine will have to offset odds of lesser number of pax, more shuttles or lower range with some other USP.

Talks about Bristow Helicopters wet-leasing S-76Ds to PHL turned a damp squib. So did attempted sale of two Bell 412s when the contract was cancelled after helicopters reached Indian shores. Such upsets must surely weigh on the mind of suppliers. Sources indicate the two sides have gone for arbitration.

With over 35 Dauphins, PHL is Airbus Helicopters’ biggest customer today. State-owned oil & gas major ONGC holds 49% stake in PHL. Over 5000 ONGC personnel spread over 300 helidecks in Bombay High are dependent daily on high-tempo helicopter services. A huge chunk of this flying presently rides on Bell Flight’s 412EPs and Airbus Helicopters’ AS365 Dauphin N3s operated by PHL and a 2-3 private helicopter operators. Wells are shifting farther into sea while regulations are being tightened. Margins are shrinking, both for man and machine. Old will have to make way for the new. Leonardo has made inroads into the ‘crew change’ segment with eight AW139s operating in Bombay High, none with PHL. You can read my pilot report on the AW139 here.

An-AW139-gets-ready-for-Bombay-High.jpg

An AW139 gets ready for an offshore mission from AAI’s Juhu aerodrome

As Bell 412s and Dauphins reach the end of useful life for Indian offshore clients, the industry is set to witness a churn. The next 2-4 years may well see a fleetwide replacement of light helicopters used for ‘production’ (shuttles to & fro between unmanned well heads).

Many offshore well heads have small helidecks with ‘D-Value’ and T-value’ matching that of helicopters like the Dhruv, H145 & AW169. Compact design with Cat A certification, safe clearance under the rotors, full glass cockpits that can provide high situational awareness, and greater safety through modern avionics are imperatives for the future.

The global offshore industry is still recovering from the Apr 2016 fatal H225 helicopter crash near Turoy, Norway. A fatigue failure in one of the eight second-stage planetary gears in the main gearbox caused the helicopter’s main rotor to separate in-flight, sending the helicopter with 13 occupants plunging to their death on a small island 2000 feet below. Another AS332 L2 crashed with 16 fatalities off the coast of Scotland in 2009 after its main rotor separated in-flight due to similar fatigue failure. The Accident Investigation Board of Norway called on Airbus to revise the type design of both helicopter models following detailed investigations (read report here).

With a heavy heart, I must submit that such detailed investigations are an exception, not the norm, in India. So in effect, we learn more from other nations’ accident investigations than our own.

Why PHL chose the legacy H225 over Leonardo’s AW139 or Sikorsky S-92s is not clear. Commonality of source and existing trained manpower on Airbus products may well have been a decider.

The indigenous, civil-certified 5.5-ton ALH ‘Dhruv’ is far from being a serious contender. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) tardy attempts to enter the civil market have come a cropper each time. In Feb 2018, for the first time, HAL issued a notice ‘to develop a reliable Indian Partner (IP) for the purpose of manufacture and supply of Dhruv (ALH) Civil Helicopter through Transfer of Technology (ToT) under License’ (read my report here).

Alas, as of 2019, HAL’s hot cakes dont seem to be selling in the civil market. Maybe the effort just isn’t there.

The field is thus laid open to the likes of H145 (Airbus), AW169 (Leonardo) and, who knows, even Airbus’s latest product – the H160, or Bell Flight’s fly-by-wire 8-ton Bell 525 ‘Relentless’.

PHL is not known for alacrity in decision making even in the best of times. Their history is written in blood. More recently, financial crisis and avoidable accidents have claimed 9 lives from ONGC (5 DGMs) & PHL (4 pilots) in 3 years (Nov 2015 & Jan 2018).

But the announcement at Salon du Bourget 2019 has struck a new tone. Competitors will now review their plans and take a serious look at replacements for the Bell 412s and Dauphins. Bidding for the next round of crew change and production contracts starts less than two years from now.

With HAL’s Dhruv out of the game years ago, all indications are Indian operators will go Otto Lilienthal’s way – “To invent an airplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything”. Who cares where these planes come from.

It is ironic that an indigenous light helicopter in the same category thrives on military orders while we import machines for lower-order civil applications. What we ‘make in India’, we don’t seem to ‘fly in India’, least of all in civil aviation. That raises another important question for India looking to make a dent in the international market: what is proof of product success? Military? Civil? or both?

So while we as a nation celebrate HAL’s successful delivery of the 150th ‘gun bay door‘ for Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, perhaps a ‘2-minute silence’ would be in order for civil aviation where end-to-end ‘make in india’ is a stillborn child in 2019.

A-rainbow-of-hope-or-clouds-of-despair-1.jpg

A rainbow of hope?

For now, the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow lies on foreign shores.


Airbus-PHL Sign MoU: Any Rainbow of Hope for Indian Helicopter Industry?
 
Gautam said:
Airbus-PHL Sign MoU: Any Rainbow of Hope for Indian Helicopter Industry?

June 25, 2019

Airbus Helicopters and Indian helicopter major Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 19th Jun 2019 to “collaborate on the future introduction of two new categories of rotorcraft in the PHL fleet as well as for the repair, maintenance and overhaul of its existing AS365N Dauphin helicopters”. H145 and H225 have been named as potential platforms for this collaboration.

Airbus-PHL-MoU.jpeg

Picture from Airbus Helicopters Press Release. In picture, from L to R: Anand Stanley, President & MD, Airbus India & South Asia, Ashish Saraf, Head of Airbus helicopters for India & South Asia, Vandana Aggarwal, Addnl Secretary & Economic Advisor to MoCA, Air Cmde Dayasagar, ED PHL and Philippe Monteux, Head of Airbus Helicopters, South East Asia Pacific

The MoU was inked by Air Cmde Dayasagar (Retd), Executive Director of PHL and Mr. Ashish Saraf, Head of Airbus Helicopters for India and South Asia, during the ongoing 53rd edition of Paris Air Show. The beaming smile from a Ministry of Civil Aviation official speaks a thousand words in this photo released by Airbus Helicopters.

Indian helicopter industry woke up to this news with mixed feelings. Some welcomed the initiative while cynics recalled repeated failed attempts by PHL to modernise their fleet after a series of accidents. Few felt this was Airbus’ way of ‘investing’ in PHL without directly getting their hands dirty in a company the Indian government is keen to disinvest. Only, there aren’t any buyers.

AS365-Dauphin-N3.jpg

An Airbus AS365 Dauphin N3 from a private operator prepares to take flight

As of 2019, the first Airbus H145 helicopters have just entered India, all in onshore applications. A few more are under delivery in 2020. The 8-seater H145 is about 500 kgs lighter than the 4.3-ton MTOW Dauphin N3. All offshore operations in India are undertaken under Performance Class 1 where a lighter machine will have to offset odds of lesser number of pax, more shuttles or lower range with some other USP.

Talks about Bristow Helicopters wet-leasing S-76Ds to PHL turned a damp squib. So did attempted sale of two Bell 412s when the contract was cancelled after helicopters reached Indian shores. Such upsets must surely weigh on the mind of suppliers. Sources indicate the two sides have gone for arbitration.

With over 35 Dauphins, PHL is Airbus Helicopters’ biggest customer today. State-owned oil & gas major ONGC holds 49% stake in PHL. Over 5000 ONGC personnel spread over 300 helidecks in Bombay High are dependent daily on high-tempo helicopter services. A huge chunk of this flying presently rides on Bell Flight’s 412EPs and Airbus Helicopters’ AS365 Dauphin N3s operated by PHL and a 2-3 private helicopter operators. Wells are shifting farther into sea while regulations are being tightened. Margins are shrinking, both for man and machine. Old will have to make way for the new. Leonardo has made inroads into the ‘crew change’ segment with eight AW139s operating in Bombay High, none with PHL. You can read my pilot report on the AW139 here.

An-AW139-gets-ready-for-Bombay-High.jpg

An AW139 gets ready for an offshore mission from AAI’s Juhu aerodrome

As Bell 412s and Dauphins reach the end of useful life for Indian offshore clients, the industry is set to witness a churn. The next 2-4 years may well see a fleetwide replacement of light helicopters used for ‘production’ (shuttles to & fro between unmanned well heads).

Many offshore well heads have small helidecks with ‘D-Value’ and T-value’ matching that of helicopters like the Dhruv, H145 & AW169. Compact design with Cat A certification, safe clearance under the rotors, full glass cockpits that can provide high situational awareness, and greater safety through modern avionics are imperatives for the future.

The global offshore industry is still recovering from the Apr 2016 fatal H225 helicopter crash near Turoy, Norway. A fatigue failure in one of the eight second-stage planetary gears in the main gearbox caused the helicopter’s main rotor to separate in-flight, sending the helicopter with 13 occupants plunging to their death on a small island 2000 feet below. Another AS332 L2 crashed with 16 fatalities off the coast of Scotland in 2009 after its main rotor separated in-flight due to similar fatigue failure. The Accident Investigation Board of Norway called on Airbus to revise the type design of both helicopter models following detailed investigations (read report here).

With a heavy heart, I must submit that such detailed investigations are an exception, not the norm, in India. So in effect, we learn more from other nations’ accident investigations than our own.

Why PHL chose the legacy H225 over Leonardo’s AW139 or Sikorsky S-92s is not clear. Commonality of source and existing trained manpower on Airbus products may well have been a decider.

The indigenous, civil-certified 5.5-ton ALH ‘Dhruv’ is far from being a serious contender. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) tardy attempts to enter the civil market have come a cropper each time. In Feb 2018, for the first time, HAL issued a notice ‘to develop a reliable Indian Partner (IP) for the purpose of manufacture and supply of Dhruv (ALH) Civil Helicopter through Transfer of Technology (ToT) under License’ (read my report here).

Alas, as of 2019, HAL’s hot cakes dont seem to be selling in the civil market. Maybe the effort just isn’t there.

The field is thus laid open to the likes of H145 (Airbus), AW169 (Leonardo) and, who knows, even Airbus’s latest product – the H160, or Bell Flight’s fly-by-wire 8-ton Bell 525 ‘Relentless’.

PHL is not known for alacrity in decision making even in the best of times. Their history is written in blood. More recently, financial crisis and avoidable accidents have claimed 9 lives from ONGC (5 DGMs) & PHL (4 pilots) in 3 years (Nov 2015 & Jan 2018).

But the announcement at Salon du Bourget 2019 has struck a new tone. Competitors will now review their plans and take a serious look at replacements for the Bell 412s and Dauphins. Bidding for the next round of crew change and production contracts starts less than two years from now.

With HAL’s Dhruv out of the game years ago, all indications are Indian operators will go Otto Lilienthal’s way – “To invent an airplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything”. Who cares where these planes come from.

It is ironic that an indigenous light helicopter in the same category thrives on military orders while we import machines for lower-order civil applications. What we ‘make in India’, we don’t seem to ‘fly in India’, least of all in civil aviation. That raises another important question for India looking to make a dent in the international market: what is proof of product success? Military? Civil? or both?

So while we as a nation celebrate HAL’s successful delivery of the 150th ‘gun bay door‘ for Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, perhaps a ‘2-minute silence’ would be in order for civil aviation where end-to-end ‘make in india’ is a stillborn child in 2019.

A-rainbow-of-hope-or-clouds-of-despair-1.jpg

A rainbow of hope?

For now, the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow lies on foreign shores.


Airbus-PHL Sign MoU: Any Rainbow of Hope for Indian Helicopter Industry?
Click to expand...
Meanwhile Govt is trying hard to sell PHL and there are no takers. :sick:

Pawan Hans sale: Govt to issue fresh bid document, to indemnify buyers of contingent liability
 
Tech Mahindra signs multi-year pact with Airbus

1 min read . Updated: 20 Jun 2019, 01:08 PM IST, IANS
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Tech Mahindra is betting big on next generation technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Internet of Things (IoT). (Reuters)

  • Tech Mahindra said it is aiming to grow its cabin engineering business over the next few years
  • This will strengthen our aerospace engineering portfolio, says Karthikeyan Natarajan, Global Head of Engineering and IoT, Tech Mahindra

New Delhi: Software and business re-engineering services firm Tech Mahindra on Thursday announced signing of a multi-year contract with Airbus for cabin and cargo design engineering.

"Airbus is a strategic customer and partner of Tech Mahindra and it has been our constant endeavour to develop innovative engineering and digital solutions for our customers," said Karthikeyan Natarajan, Global Head of Engineering and IoT, Tech Mahindra, in a statement.

"This will strengthen our aerospace engineering portfolio, especially in areas like cabin engineering and customer services," Natarajan said.

Tech Mahindra said it is aiming to grow its cabin engineering business over the next few years.

The company is betting big on next generation technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, robotics, automation, Blockchain and 5G, to solve real business problems of the customers by delivering innovative solutions and services.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.


Tech Mahindra signs multi-year pact with Airbus
 
JSR Dynamics to manufacture defence equipment in Mihan

TNN | Updated: Jul 12, 2019, 4:58 IST
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Nagpur: State government’s aim of making Mihan a defence and aerospace hub has got another shot in the arm with Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, allotting 27 acre land to a city-based startup in the special economic zone (SEZ).

JSR Dynamics, a company floated by air marshal (retd) SB Deo, plans to manufacture glide bombs, range extension kits, cruise missiles and loitering munitions. The company has promised to start construction immediately after allotment of land. It will generate 100 direct jobs in the beginning. Last month, JSR Dynamics had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Economic Explosives Ltd, a subsidiary of Nagpur-based Solar Group, for warheads, glide weapons and lightweight cruise missiles.

Deo told TOI that his company also plans to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and helicopters in association with Bengaluru-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). “India is too much dependent on foreign companies for meeting its defence requirements. There is need to indigenize defence equipment production. We plan to do this,” he said. JSR had signed an MoU with BEL in February this year. He however, refused to reveal as to how he would fund his mega-venture.

If JSR’s plans take off then it will become the second major unit in Mihan. Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) is already manufacturing cockpits of Dassault’s business jet Falcon 2000. It has plans to manufacture the entire aircraft at Mihan.

MADC is also holding talks with two aircraft manufacturing companies. So far, two to three rounds of talks have been held and the companies have showed a positive response. More rounds of talks would be held in the coming days. The final deal will, however, take some time to materialize.
The company is also expected to allot land to six players near the DRAL unit. These will be part of Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park (DAAP). DRAL is a part of DAAP, which has been given co-developer status in Mihan.


The decision to allot land to JSR was taken in MADC’s board meeting held on Wednesday. The progress on development of airports at Chandrapur, Amravati, Solapur, Purandar etc was also reviewed by Fadnavis, who is ex-officio chairman of the company.

Suresh Kakani, vice-chairman-cum-managing director of MADC, and principal secretaries of several departments and heads of various government agencies were present in the meeting.

JSR Dynamics to manufacture defence equipment in Mihan | Nagpur News - Times of India
 
Exide Industries working on new range of next-gen submarine batteries

After coming up with batteries and related accessories for naval submarines, including nuclear and Scorpene-class U-boats in the last fiscal year, Exide Industries is in the process of developing a new range of batteries for next-generation submarines which can compete globally and help the battery maker increase its global market reach.

In its 2019 Annual Report, the company stated, “We are developing a new range of batteries for next-gen submarines, competing with international peers, to widen our industry footprint. We continue to focus on catering to the indigenous class of submarines, along with German, Russian and French classes”.

It is also developing indigenous Type-IV class submarine batteries and inter-cell connectors, the first set of which has passed all harbour trials after installation on board. Currently, Exide has the capability to manufacture batteries for Class I, II and III submarines only.

The company is chasing a repeat order of batteries for nuclear submarines from the Indian Navy and is also working on furthering its export.

“A repeat order for two sets of Type-II submarine batteries for the Indian Navy along with an export order for a set of Type-I submarine batteries is also being pursued,” the company’s 2019 annual report stated.

Type-II (ATV) batteries are used in nuclear submarines, while Type-I are used in Kilo-class submarines.

Last fiscal year, Exide exported two sets of new-design submarine batteries along with all accessories and spares to the Vietnam Navy, after obtaining the necessary export permission from the Indian government, in a development that marked its entry into the global U-boat battery market.

Exide said the first set of such batteries has passed sea trials and the second set is due for commissioning soon.

Last year, it had also secured a maiden order to make and export one set of batteries for a mini-submarine, which is expected to be supplied during the current financial year.

Exide is among the very few specialised firms that can make high-end batteries for a wide range of submarines such as the Russian Kilo, 636, Romeo and Foxtrot class, German 209 class, French Scorpene class and indigenous nuclear submarines.

Some of these batteries have a 20,000 Ah capacity. Its batteries used in Russian-origin submarines are also certified by that country's design agency, Rubin Design Bureau, as being compliant with their norms.
 
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Two ordnance factories open firing ranges to private players

Published July 12, 2019 | By admin SOURCE: IANS
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Two government-run arms makers have thrown open their firing ranges for use by private companies to test their equipment in a first-of-its-kind initiative under the “Make in India” programme. The firing ranges at Ordnance Factory Trichy in Tamil Nadu and the Rifle Factory Ishapore in West Bengal have made the “We are open” move to power the government’s push to expand defence industrial production through private participation.

Making weapons for security services had been a strict prerogative of the government all these years but there has been a policy shift. There are over 60 firing ranges belonging to defence forces spread across the country. In addition, in 2018 the Defence Ministry approved 17 new firing ranges which are smaller in size and are under covered areas to prevent accidents due to stray bullets.

An official at the Ishapore Rifle Factory told IANS they were yet to receive any application from private players. The factory has three firing ranges for testing weapons, from weapons with a range of 50 to 550 meters.

“Various types of small arms, tear gas gun, pump-action gun, rifles and pistols are tested at our firing ranges. No private company has approached us for testing their weapons here,” said the official.

The Ordnance Factory in Trichy (OFT) has facilities for testing grenades and small weapons like assault rifles and air defence guns in its firing ranges.

“We also have the facility for testing medium-range weapons like the 30-mm gun. Weapons are tested in our ranges for accuracy and functionality. The maximum range available for the grenade is between 1 kilometre and 750 meters,” said an OFT official.

The Trichy unit is the largest small arms manufacturing company and produces the most varied range. It was started in 1966 and began production a year later. The Ishapore or Ichhapur factory dates back to 1787 and the modern unit was set up in 1904.

Two ordnance factories open firing ranges to private players – Indian Defence Research Wing .
 
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