ROTOR INDIA - FEBRUARY 2015

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IAI - for superior helicopter upgrades and support

• Modular integrated upgrade packages tailored to day/night missions • Optimized integration of advanced mission equipment and sensors • Mission-driven displays and controls for enhanced air crew performance • Comprehensive helicopter support

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AERO INDIA 2015SEE US AT

Israel PavilionHall A, Booth A1.1

ROTOR INDIA - QE 31 December - 2014 1

1641186

Editorial..........................................................2Letters to the Editor ...................................... 3

About RWSITraining & other activities ......................44-45

Focus on Civil IssuesSeminar on Make in India Civil & Military Helicopters .....................................................4 New DGCA Regulation to Affect Ground Training.............................................6MOCA reviews AAI tariffs forHelicopter Operations ....................................7

Heli NewsPawan Hans Ltd .............................................8India to Buy 22 Attack, 15 Heavy-Lift Copters ...........................................................9 Indian Civil Helicopter Scene.................14-16

MilitaryAngels from the Sky Receive Presidential Awards.................................17-18IAF (116HU AF) ..........................................19 MI-26 Helicopter lands atKedarnath Shrine (11660’AMSL)................20Army Aviation.........................................21-22Naval Aviation..............................................23

Special ReportSpecial Report on Make in India Helicopters ..............................................25-41

Flight SafetyTrend in Worldwide Helicopter Accidents ....................................42

Product UpdateAgustaWestland ...........................................46Bell Helicopter ............................................47Boeing Aircraft.............................................48Eurocopter ....................................................50Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ...................51Sikorsky Aircraft ..........................................52New Products & Up gradation ....................53Turbomeca (Safran) .....................................54Virtual Office ...............................................56

MAKE IN INDIA HELICOPTERS

2 ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015

Our Deep Gratitude toCORPORATE MEMBERS

Aerotech Aviation India (P) Ltd.AgustaWestland India

Alliance Insurance Brokers (P) Ltd.Aman Aviation & Aerospace Solutions Pvt Ltd

Andhra Pradesh Aviation CorporationAir Works India Engg. (P) Ltd.

Arki Aviation (P) Ltd.AON Global Insurance Brokers (P) Ltd.

AVI-Oil India Ltd.Aviators (India) (P) Ltd.Bell Helicopter India Inc.

BG Shirke Construction Technology (P) Ltd.Bharat Forge Limited

Bharat Stars Services (Delhi) (P) Ltd

Boeing International CorporationCairn India Ltd

Chipsan AviationCobham India (P) Ltd.Deccan Charters Ltd.

DG Civil Aviation Govt of U.P.Dhillon Aviation (P) Ltd.

Directorate of Civil Avn Govt of Maharashtra

Directorate of Aviation Govt of GujaratDirectorate of Aviation Govt of Chhattisgarh

Donaldson Filters IndiaDynamic Technologies Ltd.

Elbit Systems

EON Aviation (P) Ltd.Escorts Corporate Aviation Ltd.

Essar Power Ltd.Eurocopter India

Executive Airways (P) Ltd.Fishtail Air (P) Ltd. (Nepal)Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd.

Garware-Wall Ropes Ltd.Ghodawat Industries (P) Ltd.

Govt of Arunachal PradeshGrandslam Developers (P) Ltd

HATSOFFHeligo Charters (P) Ltd.

Himalayan Heli Services (P) Ltd.Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd.Hiranandani Aviation (P) Ltd.Honeywell International Inc.

Indocopters (P) Ltd.India Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd.

India Flysafe Aviation Ltd.Indra Air (P) Ltd.

Aero India 2015 is being organized by the Department of DefenceProduction & Supplies, Ministry of Defence, Government of Indiaduring 18-22 Feb’15 at Yelahanka, Bangalore. It is a wonderfulopportunity to participate in the exhibition especially in the field of

Aeronautics that has made such rapid strides over the Century.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the five-day Aero India 2015, there will befor the first time the largest foreign presence at India's premier air exhibition. Of course, Russia issending no military aircraft to Bengaluru this year.

In a sign of changing times, seven of the eleven foreign military aircraft on display will beAmerican - two F-15C Eagles, two F-16C Fighting Falcons, one Boeing KC-135 tanker, one C-17Globemaster III and a P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft. The IAF flies the C-17, whilethe Navy operates an Indian version of the P-8A, called the P-8I.

Besides these American aircraft, three French Rafale fighters - shortlisted for acquisition bythe IAF - will put up aerobatics displays. In addition, there will be one Brazilian Embraer EMB-145jet. Of 328 defence companies from 33 countries participating in Aero India 2015, America willhave the largest representation with 64 companies, followed by France with 58 companies, the UK(48), Russia (41) and Israel (25).

The number of foreign companies participating has risen sharply from 212 in Aero India2013 to 328 this year. Similarly, Indian participation has risen from 156 companies in the lastair show to 266 this year. For the first time there will be participation from three States that wish topromote defence industry - Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

Run biennially on odd years in Bengaluru, Aero India is the country's premier air exhibition.On even years, the DEO runs the Defexpo exhibition in New Delhi, which focuses on land and navalsystems.

The Show will have for display the capabilities of Indian and foreign companies in design,development and production of aircraft and ground systems both for the Defence and Civil sectors.The five day long exhibition will conclude on February 22, 2015. Amongst the leading helicoptermanufacturers Agusta Westland, Bell Helicopter Textron, Eurocopter, Sikorsky, Kazan Helicoptersand Kamov Company are participating in the show. Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) which is joininghands with HAL in marketing Dhruv globally is also displaying their systems for enhancing combatcapabilities of helicopter. Major attraction at the show is likely to be the flying display. Members ofRWSI offer their best wishes to the organisers for all success.

Around the same period (2-5 Mar’15) Helicopter Association International (HAI) is holdingHeli Expo 2015 at Orlando, USA. We are indeed thankful to HAI for inviting the RWSI Members topresent the “Indian Helicopter Scenario” at the Rotorcraft Forum.

On behalf of members of the Rotary Wing Society of India, we wish the organizers ofAero India 2015 a Grand success.

Yours Sincerely,

Air Vice Marshal Krishnaswamy Sridharan (Retd)VM (G)Editor-in-Chief

<<EditorialEditorialEditorialEditorialEditorial>>

Major HelicopterManufacturers-Participatein Aero India-2015

ROTOR INDIA - Special Edition - 2015 3

ITC The Royal Gardenia, BengaluruJaiprakash Group

JK Risk Managers and Insurance Brokers Ltd.JMD Consultant (P) Ltd.Jubilant Enpro India Ltd.Jupiter Aviations (P) Ltd.

KAir-Travian Flight Services (P) Ltd.Kestrel Aviation (P) Ltd

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd

Merlinhawk Associates (P) Ltd.Mesco Airlines.

Navayuga Engineering Co Ltd.Navnit Aviation (P) Ltd

Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.OSS Aviation (P) Ltd.

OSS Air Management (P) Ltd.Orient Flight School

Orbit Aviation (P) Ltd.Oxford Enterprises (P) Ltd.

Pawan Hans Ltd.Prem Air (P) Ltd.

Prabhatam Aviation (P) Ltd.Ramco Systems Ltd.

Raymond Aviation Ltd.Reliance Commercial Dealers Ltd.Reliance Transport & Travels Ltd.

Ligare Aviation Ltd.RITES Ltd.

Rolls-Royce India Ltd.Russian Helicopters, Joint Stock Company

SAR Aviation Services (P) Ltd.Sandriver Technologies (P) Ltd.Shree Airlines (P) Ltd. (Nepal)

Sikorsky-United Technologies Ltd.Simm Samm Airways (P) Ltd.

Span Air (P) Ltd.SRK Aviacom (I) (P) Ltd.

Survival Systems India (P) Ltd.Silver Jubilee Traveller Ltd.

Skyone Airways (P) Ltd.Tata Power Company Ltd.

Trans Bharat Aviation (P) Ltd.Turbomeca India Engines (P) Ltd.

Thakur Institure of Aviation TechnologyUnited Helicharters (P) Ltd.UT Project Services (P) Ltd.

UTC Aerospace Systems (P) Ltd.Varman Aviation (P) Ltd.

VELTech Dr.RR & Dr.SR Technical UniversityWoodstock Helicopters (P) Ltd.

Our Deep Gratitude toCORPORATE MEMBERS

<<Letters to the Editor>>

Rentals for hangars at Juhu AirportDear Sir,

Commercial helicopter operators are getting caught due to increase in fiscal tariffs for variousservices provided by AAI at regular intervals. A classic example is recent guidelines issued by the AAI,Juhu vide their letter Ref No. AAI/LM/JJ/Cir/Genl/018 dated 29-10-2014, which has grossly hikedfees/rates (500%) for allotment of land for placement of porta cabin to nonscheduled operators atJuhu Airport. Notwithstanding the new Government’s intent to alleviate the industry’s fiscal problemsto assist growth, AAI continues to hike its fees/rentals for basic infrastructure facilities. As the JuhuAirport provides little infrastructure support, helicopter operators have to fend for themselves inorganizing basic infrastructure facilities such as porta cabin, which would be considered standardelsewhere. The prevalent rates for allotment of land for placement of porta cabin are already veryhigh. The recent increase in rate (500%) for allotment of land for placement of porta cabin iscertainly detrimental for the operators in Juhu Airport.

By a Juhu based helicopter operatorDear Sir,

I am glad to inform you that RWSI has taken up the matter with MOCA.Editor

ATF at Juhu is 31% more than the ATF priceat Mumbai Airport

Dear Sir,

Reference is made to the price chart dated 31-12-2014, indicating the ATF pricerevision effective 1st January 2015. From the rates given for the ATF we find that the price of ATFsupplied at Juhu is 31% more than the price of ATF being supplied at Mumbai Airport. We find nologic in such vast price difference between the fuel supplied at Mumbai Airport and at Juhu Airport,which are approximately 5 km away from each other. You are requested to kindly take up the matterwith the concerned agency.

By a Juhu based helicopter operatorDear Sir,

I am glad to inform you that RWSI (WR) has taken up the matter already with Finance AviationSBU.

Editor

Index of Advertisers

Advertiser Page

IAI C2

Elbit Systems 13

OSS Air Management 24

Global Vectra Helicorp 49

SAFRAN (Turbomeca) 55

Heligo Charters 56

Bell Helicopter C4


<<Focus on Make in India HelicoptersFocus on Make in India HelicoptersFocus on Make in India HelicoptersFocus on Make in India HelicoptersFocus on Make in India Helicopters>>

RWSI Conducts National Seminar on ‘Make in India’Civil & Military Helicopters at Bengaluru

A National Seminar on ‘Make in India’ Civil & Military Helicopters:Emerging Opportunities & Challenges, was organized by the Rotary WingSociety of India (RWSI), which is a not-for-profit professional Societyestablished for the growth of Civil and Military helicopters in India. Theevent, which was held on 27th December 2014 at Bengaluru was attendedby Dr. R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL; T Suvarna Raju Chairman designate HAL;Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy PVSM AVSMVM & Bar; Mr. Amber Dubey, Partner & Head, Aerospace & Defense,KPMG India and Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, Chief Test Pilot (RotaryWing), HAL. Representatives from Original Equipment Manufacturers includedWg Cdr BS Singh Deo VM, MD, Bell Helicopter India, Amitabh Mukherjee,Customer Support Manager, Turbomeca India; Air Cmde Ravish MalhotraChief Mentor & Co-Founder, Dynamatics Technologies and Shri RobinCherian, Director, K-Air. In addition, around 250 delegates including officialsfrom HAL, Govt. agencies such as CEMILAC, users (Civil & military), MROsand Aerospace Training Institutions participated in the event.

In his welcome address, RWSI President, AVM K Sridharan VM (G)emphasized that the focus of the Seminar is to provide a platform for HAL,global helicopter OEMs and Indian companies interested in manufacturinghelicopters, engines and systems, to share and exchange the latestinformation and views on all aspects of emerging opportunities andchallenges related to manufacturing Medium & Heavy lift class of helicoptersin India. As around 1200 helicopters are to be inducted in the armedforces by 2020, the sector offers phenomenal scope for meeting thebenefits envisaged in Make in India concept.

Speaking at the event, Dr Tyagi, Chairman HAL stated - “We needconcerted efforts to intensify indigenous production of helicopters”.Developing global partnerships and collaboration in rotary wing

technologies will provide a solid foundation in the global aeronauticsspace. He added that development of risk sharing partners, vendor baseof Tier-I and -II cities and outsourcing of MRO activities offers hugebusiness opportunities to the private industry. Dr Tyagi further highlightedHAL’s success in developing helicopters that has played a key role inoperations for the Indian defence forces and thus paved the way forachieving self-reliance. “With the Government’s thrust on ‘Make in India’,we now look forward to a well-defined strategy on helicopters,modernisation of production facilities, collaboration with Indian researchlabs and aggressively pursue technology to increase production,” heexplained.

Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, Chief Test Pilot, HAL, spoke about thevarious challenges faced in the design and development of medium andheavy lift helicopters in India. He said that with the expertise gained in

Col KR Sasikumar SM (G) (R), Secy RWSI (SR); Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, Chief Test Pilot (Rotary Wing), HAL and President RWSI (SR); Shri V Sadagopan, ED Helicopter Div HAL;AVM K Sridharan VM (G) (R), President RWSI; Former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy PVSM, AVSM, VM & Bar, ; Dr. R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL, Shri T Suvarna RajuChairman designate HAL and Mr. Amber Dubey, Partner & Head, Aerospace & Defense, KPMG India.

Lighting the lamp at the Inaugural Session


The civil aviation Secretary has pointed out to ONGC, its bias againstits own subsidiary, Pawan Hans Ltd (PHL), in the E&P major’s tender forhiring of helicopter services floated to support the company’s offshorerigs and platforms in the Mumbai High and other installations all over thecountry. In a letter to the petroleum secretary Saurabh Chandra, he haspointed out that initially ONGC used to award helicopter support servicescontract to its subsidiary, Pawan Hans, where it holds a 49% equity, on anomination basis but after the announcement of the open sky policy, theE&P major has started floating global tenders.

ONGC has recently floated a global tender for 12 “crew change”helicopters where it has allowed small operators with one helicopter intheir fleet to be eligible to bid for the tender. Earlier, the minimumrequirement was three helicopters.

If this is allowed, he argued that a small helicopter operator withone helicopter in its fleet might quote a lower price and win the tender forone helicopter. Subsequently, ONGC will ask the L-2 and L-3 bidders tomatch the L-1 rate to meet its requirement of the balance 11 helicoptersleading to a situation where tender will be uneconomical for majoroperators like PHL. Then again, the vintage clause in earlier tenders ofONGC which was five years has now been increased to seven years. Thecivil aviation secretary wants this to be increased to 10 years.

It is learnt that the civil aviation secretary has requested his counterpartin the petroleum ministry to intervene in the matter and advise ONGC toaward the contract to Pawan Hans on a nomination basis at mutually

Changes in Bid Parameters for Helicopter Services toSupport the ONGC’s Offshore Rigs / Platforms

in the Mumbai High

earlier projects, Rotary Wing Research and Design Centre (RWR&DC) isnow confident and well poised to develop medium lift helicopters.

In his address, Amber Dubey, Partner and Head-Aerospace andDefence, KPMG in India said that a nation that stuns the world by puttinga satellite in Mars orbit in its very first attempt is dependent entirely on thewestern world for its military helicopters. Helicopters that are assembledin India under license are also dependent on imported sub-assembliesand critical components. It’s a disgrace that needs to be reversed as anational priority. The key reason behind the sorry state is the completesidelining of the Indian private sector by DRDO and DPSUs in helicopterdesign, production and maintenance. Monopoly breeds complacency,arrogance and incompetence. Decision making in defence procurementis bureaucratic as against space and nuclear sectors where the respectiveCommissions report straight to the Prime Minister. MoD needs to interactmore with industry and academia, and heed contrarian opinions. The FDIlimit of 49% is a non-starter. Global OEMs have developed sensitivehelicopter engines, navigation, surveillance, avionics and weapon technologiesover several decades, investing billions of dollars. It is a fallacy to assume thatthese can be handed over to India without majority control.

The range of emerging technologies is so complex that even USA has100 percent subsidiaries of foreign defence OEMs like Airbus, BAE, Saab,Rolls Royce etc. Competing with them improves the standard of US defencecompanies too and prevents complacency. What India needs is a singleFDI slab of 74% in defence with clear norms and a level-playing field.49% is of no use and 100% may be too one-sided. The Indian obsessionwith ‘ownership and control’ needs to be curtailed. Higher FDI limit willalso expose certain global OEMs that are not keen to invest in India, andare using 49% FDI as a ‘convenient’ excuse to stay out.

The Indian private sector needs to be co-opted as partners and notvendors by DPSUs. Certain nonperforming labs and plants of DRDO andDPSUs respectively need to be privatized. R&D funds for defencehelicopters need to be allocated to the best Indian organizations anduniversities. The multiplicity of helicopter orders from Army, Navy, AirForce, Coast Guard and para-military forces need to be synergized so as tomake the winning global bidder set up its full-fledged eco-system inIndia.

The seminar also addressed the impact of helicopters in India andbrought clarity on investment in tech partnership, supply chainmanagement and infrastructure requirements in manufacturinghelicopters.•

...Seminar on ‘Make in India’ Civil & Military Helicopters

agreed rates, terms and conditions, as had been the practice so far.

However, private helicopter operators are against any bias towardsPSUs. They opined that private sector companies have invested heavily inacquiring helicopters for ONGC task and they just cannot wish away thesecompanies only to support PHL. Though Govt of India is a share holder inAir India, they have now done away with the rule that all Govt employeeshave to travel by AI on official trips. If private sector helicopter operatorsare to survive, level playing field is a must.•

<<Focus on Civil IssuesFocus on Civil IssuesFocus on Civil IssuesFocus on Civil IssuesFocus on Civil Issues>>


New DGCA Regulation to Affect alreadyAiling Civil Helicopter Industry

At a time when the world is moving towards specialisation andstandardization of training, the recent notification by the DirectorateGeneral of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has come as a dampener for thecivil helicopter industry in India. The DGCA notification says thatground training of all pilots including helicopter pilots should onlybe handled in-house by those holding Air Operator Permit citingICAO guidelines on the subject. This is to ensure that responsibilityand onus of training oversight on the operator.

Till recently, the Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI) alongwith a few other agencies were authorised by the DGCA to conductrefresher training courses for helicopter line pilots. However nowciting ICAO guidelines & under pressure from FAA, the DGCA hasdecided to renew the approval of such institutions only by anotherthree months up to 30th April, 2015. Thereafter the oversight for allrefresher training shall be on operators. For small helicopteroperators to create in house ground training facilities for line pilotswhich they can ill afford at this juncture.

It may be noted that the helicopter industry is different fromthe aircraft sector in India. The FAA has mandated in-house trainingof pilots for scheduled airlines operators and failure to adhere tothat regulation would mean FAA would deny permission for theIndian flights to enter the US. So, the DGCA is forced to follow thatrule. FAA is mainly concerned with International airlines – enteringUS air space and therefore in the case of helicopter industry, nocopter is going to fly to the US from India and so, the DGCA need notimpose the same rule to this sector. In USA all ground training isout sourced to professional private agencies. Further, even countrieslike the UK and France have outsourced flying and ground trainingof helicopter pilots to professional institutions, in India, DGCA hasliterally curtailed the growth of the helicopter industry that is alreadystruggling with shortage of trained manpower, by failing to recogniseprofessional training institutions and instead forcing operators toconduct in-house training.

This move by the DGCA is likely to have serious implicationsfor civil helicopter pilots in the ground training front. Stopping theground training done by the professional training institutions inanother three months is likely to create a huge backlog of helicopterpilots wanting to complete their ground training as none of thehelicopter operator is ready to handle the task even if it is assignedto them now.

In India, among the 102 helicopter operators (NSOP-66,


Private-19 and Govt/PSUs-17), there are only 17 helicopter operators,who have three or more helicopters and may be able to createsuitable infrastructure for ground training of flight crew and toappoint a fully operations captain for instructional duties. If 85 percent of the helicopter operators do not have the capacity to conductground training, why force them to do it, especially when specializedtraining facilities with standardized syllabus are available in India.

Standardization of training is necessary to ensure safety in allaspects and it will be a mammoth task for DGCA to ensure the samewith all 102 helicopter operators located at various locations acrossthe country. Many companies may find it difficult to take theadditional burden of ground training along with the existing routineaffairs to run the company.

Some of the operators may also find it difficult to get qualifiedpersonnel to handle their training. Sparing pilots for ground trainingvis-a-vis using them for commercial flying may also create conflictof interest, if the training is done at other operators training facility.

Moreover, the rules for aircraft operators wouldn’t suit thehelicopter industry, as except for a handful of operators, others haveonly single-digit helicopters in their fleet and only one set of crewper copter. And it will be difficult for small-time operators to createresources for additional establishment for training as it will onlyreduce their already shrinking profitability.

The DGCA policy till recently was to ask suitable professionalinstitutions to create a pool of instructors duly approved by them toconduct ground training classes. Now, all the efforts taken by anumber of professional institutions in building their training capacitywill turn waste, if the operators are asked to handle ground training.

The ground training of aircrew of all operators should only behandled in house by those holding Air Operators Permit. This is orshould be applicable to those engaged in scheduled flight operations,to ensure AOM are responsible for safety oversight. The same isbeing made applicable to small operators both General Aviation &helicopters. Citing ICAO annexure on the subject & the requirement to obviate the lack of oversight by FAA. There are only two helicopteroperators engaged in offshore operations PHHL & Global Vectrawith around 40 & 20 helicopters respectively. Rest are engaged incharter operations with low utilisation of 30 hrs per month &minimal set of aircrew. With no spare capacity to detail pilots toconduct courses. A review is therefore required in consultation withthe Stakeholders.•



Scope for Improving Helicopter Ops in Mumbai CTZ

MOCA Reviews Tariffs levied by AAI

Over the last few years, a lot of innovative improvements have takenplace in the aviation sector in Mumbai CTZ, with respect to Helicopteroperations. It has improved safety, modified procedures for ease ofoperations for all. However a few aspects, listed below require immediateattention. The matter is under consideration, yet no decision has beenarrived at in respect of the following issues; K Routing. DedicatedHelicopter routing was introduced in Mumbai CTZ in 2010.This hasproved to be of much benefits to all pilots, controllers and helicopteroperators. Helicopter traffic has increased in the last few years. This hasnecessitated more improvements in procedures. Some of these aspectsare (a) Increase in route height, (from 500/700 feet) to 1000 and1200 feet. This is in view of the tall buildings of height 400 to 700 feetalong/in vicinity of the route. (b) Re-defining certain routes, tomake them economical and less cumbersome to operate. (New routeshave been tried out and can be implemented).Revised and improvedroute and procedures have been discussed, accepted in principle, but are

awaiting final approval for implementation, (c)VHF Communication.A detailed readability report has been made and sent to all concerned forfrequencies 124.35MHZ (Juhu ATC) and 127.9 MHZ (Mumbai App).The same report is attached for reference. Communication on thesefrequencies has not been satisfactory. (d) Online Flight Planning. Anexcellent feature introduced has benefited one and all. Most important ithas reduced effort, simplified procedures for flight planning and obtainingclearances. Being a trial version, a detailed system is eagerly awaited. A lotof feedback has been given to the authorities, managing online flightplanning. They have implemented most of them. However the system isnot fully operational. It appears that further progress in this regard isstalled due to policy paralysis. Detailed lists of suggestions have been givento AAI. It is sincerely represented to further refine the procedures/shortcomings mentioned above in the interest of flight safety, and effectiveuse evolving technology for every one's convenience. By Capt DS RanadeSecy RWSI Pune Chapter.

There was a meeting convened by Economic Advisor MOCA in theMinistry of Civil aviation on 14th Jan, 2015 to review the decisions takenin the earlier meetings related to Tariffs levied by AAI. The meeting waschaired by Dr & Ms Renu Singh Parmar, Financial Advisor, Ministry of CivilAviation and attended by Mr. G. Asok Kumar, Jt. Secretary, MOCA , Sr.Representatives from AAI incl GM (finance) AAI , Wg Cdr Ramesh Mallik,Secy Gen RWSI, Gp. Capt. RK Bali, BAOA and Mr. RP Sahi, Consultant,MOCA.

Tariifs /rentals charged by AAI for various services related to Heli Opswas discussed in detail in the meeting. Since more comprehensive datawas required to take a final decision, the helicopter operators wererequested to collect latest Tariifs /rentals charged by AAI for various servicesprovided for Heli Ops at various airports, for review at the next meeting.Status Report on various issues are;

(1) Parking areas for Helicopters at various Airports. TariffsRequired from Operators related to Parking Charges for Helicopters atvarious Airports? RWSI Proposal: As parking of Helicopters does not causeany wear & tear of the tarmac, there should not be any parking charges forHelicopters at any airports (Pvt or AAIs),

(2) RNFC Charges. The industry would welcome the waiver ofRNFC charges for a period of 3-5 years, as these services are not used byhelicopters. If charges are mandatory, it should be levied in routes wherehelicopters can avail the radio & navigation facilities. Charges should notbe levied where the services are not provided for helicopters, like while

flying in offshore, mountains & remote areas. A reasonable lump-sumannual charge may be considered for all helicopters and all fixed wingaircraft falling under the definition of small/light aircraft, i.e., withmaximum weight up to 5,700 kg instead of per landing costs. This willalso help to reduce the collection cost.

(3) Ground Handling charges. Data Required from Operatorsabout various ground handling charges levied by various Airports forhelicopters.

Of the total 260 helicopters, around 200 are in commercial useowned by 66 commercial operators. It is also a fact that 90 per cent of theoperators have a small fleet of six or less than six machines. Frequent hikein Tariffs /rentals charged by AAI for various services provided for Heli Opsat various airports raise barriers to entry. Using fixed wing tariffs onhelicopter charter services have pushed operating costs up consequentlyleading to high fares and limited markets.

RWSI estimates that even if the MOCA waives off tariffs on negligibleservices provided by AAI for Heli Ops, the financial impact is likely to benegligible. It is unfortunate that some of these issues have been taken upwith AAI on numerous occasions over the last 10years at meeting held atMOCA but of no avail. Knowing the Industry has had negative growth inthe last two FYs, it is time to act. In respect of Helicopter Op, MOCA shouldwaive off Parking & Ground handling charges at all airports and RNFCCharges where the services cannot be availed in routes over remote areasand offshore.•


Pawan Hans Seeks AW139 Pilots and Engineers

It is learnt that Indian helicopter operator Pawan Hans has recently fileda job notice for pilots and maintenance engineers with an endorsementon the AgustaWestland AW139, even though the helicopter type is not partof its existing fleet. The operator has a fleet of 46 helicopters, mainlyconsisting of Airbus Helicopters AS365N and N3 Dauphins, along withAirbus Helicopters AS350 B3, Bell 206L4 and 407, Hindustan Aeronautics


Pawan Hans Posts Highest Ever Turnover ofRs.530 crore for the year 2013-14

At a time when most of the airliners in India - both state-owned andprivate - are bleeding losses despite the free fall in global crude oilprices, Pawan Hans has added another feather to its glorious wing byposting the highest ever turnover of Rs. 530 crore for the year 2013-14.This growth is around 15 percent more than the previous year’s figures ofRs. 465 crore, the company said in a statement. The profit fromoperations has increased to Rs. 73 crore from Rs. 39 crore in 2012-13recording an increase of 87 percent and profit net of tax depreciationand all other liabilities has also been more than doubled to Rs. 38.57crore during 2013-14.

After incurring a loss of Rs. 10.35 crore during 2011-12, PawanHans started paying dividend after a gap of four years and for 2013-14 ithas declared Rs. 7.71 crore keeping in view the improved financialresults. It is a success story for the helicopter company that may proveuseful for others to emulate. The company has also recruited 10 freshpilots under its new recruitment policy that has reduced the cockpit costand it is expected to save Rs. 7.30 crore in two years time.

“This turnaround has been achieved due to various strategic stepstaken to make an aviation company efficient and minimize theoverheads,” said Anil Srivastava, CMD, Pawan Hans in a statement. Further,he added that the safety aspect has not been compromised and there hasbeen no incident involving Pawan Hans in the last three years.

Fleet serviceability of its fleet of 53 helicopters has also been at it’shighest ever level and was around 83 percent.

With deployment of 11 helicopters in the North East, Pawan Hanshas started a new region to cater to the demands from that region with itsheadquarters at Guwahati.

Overall performance and its turnaround have also been recognizedby various external agencies and the airliner has been bestowed with fiveawards during last one year including the prestigious “Golden Peacock”recognition at London for overall business sustainability. This is noteworthythat Pawan Hans gets most of its business through an open competitivebidding and does not take any assistance from govt budget. Pawan HansLtd, the national helicopter company was incorporated in 1985. Presently,the government of India has 51 percent stake in the company and Oil andNatural Gas Corporation (ONGC) 49 percent. Pawan Hans was incorporatedwith the primary objective of providing helicopter support services to theoil sector for its off-shore exploration operations, services in remote andhilly areas and charter services for promotion of tourism.

Pawan Hans has grown into one of the Asia’s largest helicoptercompanies. Thanks to its growing wings, the aviation ministry in Novemberlast year said it would list Pawan Hans Ltd. along with the Airports Authorityof India (AAI) in the stock exchanges to improve efficiency andtransparency.•

Limited (HAL’s) Dhruv and Russian Helicopters Mi-172.

According to the job notice, filed on 7th Jan 2015, the AW139 pilotsare being sought for “fluctuating contracts” involving helicopter servicesand to “fulfill the short-term and long-term business commitments” ofPawan Hans. The minimum number of hours for captains/commanders isan ATPL (H) license and three instrument rating renewals, with 3,000total hours. The listing also mentions 2,000 hours in command, 1,200hours in a turbine helicopter, and 500 hours demonstrated experienceoperating on fixed and mobile offshore platforms, including landingduring normal and emergency conditions.

The minimum hours required for co-pilots applying for the positioninclude 1,000 total hours, 500 hours in command, 100 hours in turbinehelicopters, and at least 50 hours flying in offshore environments.

Recent Pawan Hans contracts concluded from April to October 2014focussed on spares for the Dauphin series and the Turbomeca enginesthat support the helicopters.

As is known in aviation circles, Pawan Hans supplies helicopterservices to Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), as well as a number of stategovernments in India, along with pipeline surveillance, rescue operations,charter services, VIP transport and aerial photography.•


India to Buy 22 Attack, 15 Heavy - Lift CoptersAs part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to bolster the nation’smilitary posture, India is to acquire 22 Boeing AH-64E Apache attackhelicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters for the IndianAir Force (IAF), valued at $2.5 billion.

The deal to acquire the attack helicopter (Apache) and the heavy lifthelicopter (Chinook) are currently in the Government approval stage.

Sources pointed out that India’s defence acquisition process mandatesthat all contracts that are in excess of $50 million require 30% offsets.Way back in 2013, Boeing had signed a memorandum of understandingwith Dynamatic Technologies of Bangalore, to manufacture the aft pylonand cargo ramp assemblies for the Chinook. Sources indicated that Boeinghad done this in anticipation of the IAF order.

“Defence spending eligible for offsets through 2017 are huge. Basedon the current order pipeline, big procurement programmes ensure thatoffset obligations could become an opportunity worth $10-$20 billionfor the domestic industry,” said sources.

Another official pointed out that offsets are expected to spur growth,as well as aid the basic intent of the offset policy, which is to build adomestic defence manufacturing base.

India has been offered the AH-64E, the newest member of the combatproven Apache family, and is to get the latest upgraded version of thehelicopter, which has been delivered only to the US Army. In the case ofBoeing’s Chinook helicopter, the tandem rotor H-47 Chinook is the mostcapable, advanced heavy lift helicopter, providing maximum value at thelowest risk.•

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Co-Production of Kamov-226T Helicopter in IndiaDiscussed

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held his first meeting withnew Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 21 Jan 15, whichincluded discussions on the co-production of the Kamov 226 light utilityhelicopter and resolving disagreements over the Fifth Generation FighterAircraft [FGFA].

The initial batch of Kamov-226T helicopters will cater to the demandsof the Indian armed forces, with exports to follow later on, say Russianembassy officials. The deal first made its appearance as a global tender,before being cancelled and was replaced with a ‘Buy and Make’ clause,under the Defence Procurement Procedure. The deal was finally taken upby Russia during Russian President Vladmir Putin‘s visit to India when hewas accompanied by a large delegation, including arms manufacturers.Both the countries agreed to assemble 400 advanced Kamov-226Thelicopters per year, built using Russian technology in India.

The Kamov-226T is a proven twin-turbine utility helicopter, with aninterchangeable mission pod, in place of a conventional cabin, allowingthe use of various accommodations or equipment configurations.•

Boeing AH-64E Apache

CH-47F Chinook

Kamov-226T

Shri Manohar GopalkrishnaPrabhu ParrikarDefence Minister


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Emerging Military Requirements forHelicopters in India

As the defence services are poised to induct well over a thousandrotary wing aircraft in the coming decade, the majority of them will bedeveloped and built in the country. Already on the anvil for the army, IAF,navy and coast guard are the following:

The IAF is inducting 139 Russian Mi-17 V-5 medium lift helicopters,for an estimated $2.4 billion. The new-model MI17 V-5 is a vastly superiormachine, with new engines, rotor blades and avionics. An IAF order for80 Mi-17s is already being delivered, which is likely to be followed by anorder for 59 more. Fifteen American CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopterswill be bought to replace the IAF’s Russian Mi-26 helicopters, of whichjust 3-4 remain serviceable.

The IAF has also completed trials for the purchase of 22 mediumattack helicopters, and homed onto Boeing’s AH-64 Apache.

The IAF and army have also placed Rs 7000 crore order for 159Dhruv Mark III utility helicopters. These have been designed and built byHindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which builds 36 Dhruvs each year.There is an estimated need for more than 350 Dhruvs for the army, IAF,coast guard and paramilitary forces. The army and the air force wouldalso buy 76 Rudras.

HAL is also developing the Light Combat Helicopter, of which179 are on order (IAF 65; army 114). This 5.5 tonne light armed helicopterfeatures the Shakti engine, the Dhruv’s dynamic components (main rotor,tail rotor, and the gearbox), and the weapons suite that is being developedon the Rudra.

The military’s other bulk requirement is for 384 light utility helicopters,

or LUH’s, to replace the army and IAF’s obsolescent Cheetahs andChetaks. This has been divided into two streams: 197 LuHs are beingbought off- the-shelf through a global tender; and 187 LuHs are beingdeveloped and built in India by HAL.

In pursuance of the Govt programme, HAL is keen to have a realisticindigenisation plan for manufacturing medium and heavy class ofhelicopters to meet the country’s growing demand for such class ofhelicopters (civil and military) by 2020.

In building its capacity, HAL is keen to dialogue with global helicopterOEM’s interested in manufacturing helicopters, engines and systems, toshare and exchange the latest information and views on all aspects ofemerging opportunities and challenges related to manufacturing mediumand heavy lift class of helicopters in India.•

Emerging Requirements for Military Helicopters in India

1. Mi-17 V-5 - 139 Russia - Heavy lift likely2. 15-CH-47 Chinook likely3. Medium attack helicopters - 22 AH-64 Apache likely4. Utility twin-engine helicopters -159- Dhruv MK III5. Naval twin-engine helicopters- 50- Global market6. Naval medium, multi-role- 91 - Global market7. Weaponised utility helicopter -76-Rudra (HAL)8. Light Combat Helicopter- 179 -LCH (HAL)9. Light Utility Helicopters- 197 - Global market10. Light Utility Helicopters - 187 - HAL

Defence Manufacturing to Get a Major Thrustin Line with Make in India Policy

While speaking at a seminar, “Gujarat: Preferred Hub for DefenceProduction”, held on the sidelines of Vibrant Gujarat, in Gandhinagar on11th Jan 15, the Union Minister for Defence, Shri Manohar Parrikar saidthat a 20 billion dollar import bill for defence was not affordable. Such ahuge import bill has undesirable consequences on the economy,development and unemployment in the country. He added that for strategicreasons too, the country should not be dependent on defence imports.With this background the Minister said that his government hopes tocome up with a document in two to three months time on a suitablemodel for defence manufacturing and procurement. Shri Parrikar alsostated that his ministry should soon be in a position to decide, which

items should be manufactured in India and over a period of time, graduallythat list would be increased.

The minister also said that high-end technology should be used indefence. However, after spending crores of rupees in certain projects thegoal post suddenly shifts. Therefore, there is a need for total overhaul inconceptualizing and thinking with regard to defence manufacturing andprocurement.

Once the concepts are clear, we can then engage the Gujarat govt andinvolve them in the process of defence production, the minister said. Hehoped that good suggestions would come out of the seminar.•

Govt may hike foreign direct investment in defence units to 74%The next big sector for foreign investments is defence. To attract serious players, the government has to ease the policy. Once the political climatecools down we will move a cabinet note to increase the cap to 74%, as a senior Govt of India official said during the recent Gujarat Summit inanonymity. This may take up to two years.


China to gift 3 Z-10 AttackHelicopters to Pakistan

China is likely to gift three Z-10 Attack helicopters (latest anti-tankattack helicopter that was designed by the Russian design bureau, Kamov).The primary missions for the Z-10 are anti-tank missions with air-to-airsecondary mission capability. These helicopters will join Army Aviation ofPakistani Army.

This helicopter will be able to attack targets on ground or in air. It hasa range of 3-4 kilometres without appearing on the radar. The maximumspeed of Z-10 is 300+ km/h with a range of 800+. It also has 23 mm or 30mm auto cannon mounted, 57 mm, 90 mm multi-barrel unguided rocketpods and four hard points for missiles.

It is believed that this aircraft will be used by Pakistan against theongoing terrorist operations. Pakistan will also be adding a batch of MilMi-35 ‘Hind E’ heavy attack helicopters from Russia.

Moscow and Beijing toDevelop Helicopter with 38

Tons MaximumTake-Off Weight

Russia and China are going to develop a heavy transport helicopterspecially designed for high-altitude regions, according to sources fromthe Russian aviation industry cited in the Moscow-based Military-IndustrialCourier.

China is aiming for a model lighter than the Mi-26 of the Mil MoscowHelicopter Plan because it is going to be operated in mountainous regions.The helicopter will use the Russian-built D-136 engine, said the sources.Since China required Russia to reduce the weight of the helicopter, it hasbeen designed with a better thrust load than the Mi-26.

Dmitriy Rogozin, Russia’s deputy premier said Moscow and Beijingreached an agreement to develop the helicopter with a maximum take-offweight of 38 tons in late 2014. It will be built in China with materials andtechnologies provided by Russia, according to Rogozin. This helicopter isrequired particularly for China’s disaster relief operations.

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Bell Boeing carried out forward-firing missile tests with an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor in November, using the US Army ProvingGround in Yuma, Arizona for the trial .Since its operationaldeployment in 2007, the V-22 has demonstrated outstandingmission success under various scenarios in Afghanistan, Iraq,Africa and elsewhere, supporting covert raids and rescues, casualtyevacuation, theatre security cooperation, and the tactical recoveryof aircraft and personnel. Integrating a forward-firing capabilitywill provide added suppression and defensive options during anapproach to hot spots, but also reduce reliance on short rangeattack helicopters to support V-22 operations and their need forforward arming and refuelling points (FARPS). Without this need,V-22s could be launched more frequently and at shorter notice.

Forward Firing tests on MV-22B


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A Drone, Too Small for Radar to Detect,Rattles the White House

WASHINGTON - A White House radar system designed to detect flyingobjects like planes, missiles and large drones failed to pick up a smalldrone that crashed into a tree on the South Lawn on 26 Jan 15 early in themorning, according to law enforcement officials. The crash raised questionsabout whether the Secret Service could bring down a similar object if itendangered President Obama.

The drone, which was about two feet in diameter and weighed abouttwo pounds, was operated by a government employee whom the SecretService did not identify. The agency said the employee was flying the objectnear the White House around 3 a.m. for recreational purposes when helost control of it. Officials did not explain why the man, who does notwork at the White House and who has not been charged with a crime, wasflying the drone at that hour.

The crash was the latest security breach showing the difficulties theSecret Service has had protecting the White House in recent years. InSeptember, a man with a knife climbed over the White House fence andmade it deep inside the building before officers tackled him. In 2011, agunman fired shots that hit the White House, when one of the Obamadaughters was home.

Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said that a smallelectronic device which was found on the White House lawn overnight isnot thought to pose a threat to anyone within the building.

On 26 Jan 15, a Secret Service officer who was posted on the southgrounds of the White House “heard and observed” the drone, the agencysaid, but the officer and others stationed at the residence were unable tobring it down before it passed over the White House fence and struck atree. The drone was too small and flying too low to be detected by radar,officials said, adding that because of its size, it could easily have been

Another Dhruv HelicopterCrash in Ecuador

On 27 January, Ecuadorian Air Force Dhruv Helicopter crashednear the town of Tena in the remote interior of the country. Two peoplewere reportedly injured in the accident. It is reported that the Dhruvhelicopter caught fire after taking off at a military base in Tena, aprovincial capital, on a flight to Guayaquil. It was the fourth Dhruv tosuffer an accident since 2009, of seven that Ecuador bought fromHindustan Aeronautics Limited. “Three aircraft have had their operationsrestricted because they are undergoing a complete check,” Navas toldthe newspaper El Universo.

On the basis of an agreement signed between Ecuador with HALin 2008, seven Dhruv helicopters at a cost of USD45 million weredelivered in a phased manner. During the last five years, EcuadorianAir Force lost three Dhruv Helicopters (the first aircraft was lost on 28October 2009, the second on 22 February 2014, the third on13 January 2015, and the fourth on 27 January 2015).Sequel to theDhruv accident on 27 Jan, Ecuadorian Air Force has restrictedoperations of the remaining of three Indian-made Dhruv militaryhelicopters.

confused for a large bird.

The incident comes just days after the Department of HomelandSecurity held a conference in Arlington, Va., on the dangers that suchdrones pose to the nation’s critical infrastructure and government facilities.On display at the meeting was a DJI Phantom drone — the same type ofdrone that crashed at the White House on 26 Jan 15. But the drone ondisplay had three pounds of fake explosives attached to the payload aspart of an effort to show how easily it could be used to launch an attack,according to a participant at the conference.

A counterterrorism official at the meeting warned that small dronescould also be used to launch chemical and biological attacks, accordingto Daniel Herbert, who attended the conference.•

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Angels from the SkyReceive Presidential Awards

Shaurya ChakraThe Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decorationawarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action withthe enemy. It may be awarded to civilians as well asmilitary personnel, sometimes posthumously. It isthe peacetime equivalent of the Vir Chakra.

Commander Gosavi KaustubhVijaykumar, NM. During the month ofJuly 2014, the officer was involved in fourseparate gallant and courageous acts viz.on 03 July, 18 July and 19 July 2014wherein he was successful in saving lives of15 personnel in a short span of 16 days.

On 03 Jul 2014, 842 Squadron wastasked to undertake a medical evacuationof a patient who was suffering from acute

abdominal pain onboard MV Star Eagle. The officer whilst navigatingthrough adverse weather/ low visibility/ rains and strong winds, winchedup the patient after ascertaining his medical condition from doctor andsuccessfully evacuated the Philippine national to base. The patient wassubsequently transferred to hospital for immediate surgery thereby savinghis life. On 14 Jul 14, a distress message was received from MV Priyankathat the ship was grounded off Revdanda close to Mumbai and was listingdangerously thereby endangering the lives of crew onboard. The officerflew through the rainy weather along with heavy swell and strong seas inthe area and rescued all eleven crew members of MV Priyanka. On 18 Jul14 at about 1400h an alert message for rescue stranded personnel inLotus building at Andheri which was on fire was received. On reaching thebuilding he realised that survivors had gathered in a corner one floorbelow the top floor of the building about 450 feet high and were unableto reach the top due to the towering flames. These menacing flames,strong winds and intense heat made even the approach of the helicopterto area difficult. Notwithstanding the difficult flying environment, hesuccessfully winched up Mr Manik Ogale, fire fighter from Andheri FireBrigade. On 19 Jul 14, 842 Squadron was directed to execute MedicalEvacuation of two Chinese patients ex MT Ocean Crown, The operationwas required to be executed at fringes of Chetak operating ranges ofabout 20nm into the sea. There was no possibility of landing helicopteron the ship and the rescue had to be undertaken by winching up thepatients, an arduous task as the patients had multiple fractures.Commander Gosavi employed all his experience and outstanding flyingskills to bring the helicopter to a low hover height on deck of MT OceanCrown. In a challenging and daring operation, he saved the lives of 15personnel and has been awarded Shaurya Chakra.•

Major Abhijai (Posthumous),Shaurya Chakra

Major Abhijai was nominated as Captain ofthe Aircraft for Operational readinessconsolidation sortie for OPERATIONIRON FIST for induction into OperationalArea and Battle Inoculation of aviatorson 01 October 2014. The aircraftsuffered a catastrophic failure of tailrotor while flying over the heavily

populated area of village Bhartol and unit lines of 54 EngineerRegiment where a Sainik Sammelan was in progress at Bareilly districtof Uttar Pradesh. The aircraft had logged approximately sixty minutesof flying time till then. The aviator, having promptly identified theemergency, exhibited indomitable valor, extreme courage and utterdisregard for personal safety by maneuvering the crippled aircraftaway from the inhabited area and 54 Engineer Regiment. In thelimited time available, the aviator transmitted a distress call to theair traffic control tower and also cut off the fuel supply to the enginein order to minimise the collateral damage. The aviator successfullydiverted the aircraft despite the tremendous damage suffered inorder to save the lives of his brethren in uniform and populace ofvillage Bhartol. Major Abhijai put the lives of these men ahead ofhis own and sacrificed himself in the process.

The aviator diverted the aircraft away from the habitationdisplaying split second reactions despite knowing fully well that itwould lead to loss of his own life.•

Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry)

The Vayusena Medal is an Indian Militarydecoration, usually awarded in peacetimefor a job well done. However it has beengranted during times of conflict for acts ofgallantry in the face of enemy, though notin the same numbers as the Vir Chakra.Posthumous awards may be made and abar is authorized for subsequent awards ofthe Vayu Sena Medal.The Awards over thepast decade or more have been classifiedinto two categories. One is Vayu Sena Medal(Gallantry) and the other Vayu Sena Medal(Devotion to Duty).


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Wing Commander Pankaj Sharmaflying (Pilot) is on the posted strength ofMI-17 V5 Helicopter unit at Air Force StationSrinagar. He is a Cat A Qualified FlyingInstructor and is presently the FlightCommander of the unit.

Jammu and Kashmir faced a naturalcatastrophe in the beginning of September2014 in the form of ravaging floods. Hisunit was the first to be tasked to commence

rescue operations in Op Megh Rahat.Not to be daunted by the overwhelmingmagnitude of relief operations, he took on the responsibility of the teamleader, for conducting all the rescue missions. An officer with tremendouscourage and initiative, he flew extensively in the most exigent circumstancesfor helicopters, which included winching up of around 200 people, massevacuation of flood affected people and dropping of relief material.On 07Sep 2014, he volunteered for the first rescue operation involving winchingoperations. Running against time, he rescued 25 people stranded onprecarious rooftops of collapsing house in the heart of Srinagar town,who would have other otherwise perished in the rising waters. On anotheroccasion he evacuated critically ailing CRPF personnel from the Secretariatbuilding amidst heavy stone pelting at the helicopter from hostile elementson ground.

As the flight commander of the unit, his dedicated involvement, crewmanagement, conduct of briefings and intricate planning of sorties resultedin smooth conduct of rescue operations against heavy odds. For his actsof exceptional courage and selfless commitment in saving lives during OpMegh Rahat, Wing Commander Pankaj Sharma has been awarded theVayu Sena Medal (Gallantry).•

Wing Commander Anup Sharma,Flying (Pilot) is on the posted strengthof a Mi-17 1V unit. He is a Qualified FlyingInstructor and the Flight Commander ofthe unit. On September 4, 2014 due toincessant rains, Jammu and adjoiningareas were severely affected by floods, withwater level rising above danger level in Tawiand Chenab rivers. In this grave situation,he dared the marginal weather and got

airborne for the first rescue mission of Operation Megh Rahat fromChenab River.

His valiant efforts resulted in the rescue of a total of 244 maroonedpeople from the clutches of death in similar operations and marginalweather including 158 people with the help of rope ladder from theraging rivers.

In another instance, Wing Commander Sharma was involved in arescue effort at Katwari border post of BSF wherein any delay in the rescuewould have resulted in 23 BSF personnel being washed away across theInternational Border. The approach itself was restricted from one directionat this post as it was surrounded by the IB on three sides. He maintainedsteady hover at a height of 55 feet amid tall trees for an hour and a half tosave all of them. The entire mission required courage, perseverance andan undaunting spirit against heavy odds. For acts of exceptional courage,he has been awarded with Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry).•

Wing Commander Amit Jain, flying(pilot) is posted as Flight Commander ofa Cheetal/ Cheetah Helicopter Unitoperating in the Siachen Glacier. He is aqualified flying instructor and an examiner,and has more than 3,500 hours ofaccident/incident free flying. For his act ofexceptional courage, exemplary leadership,resolute determination and highest level ofprofessionalism, Wing Commander Amit

Jain has been awarded with Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry).

Squadron Leader Mantej Singh Somalflying (pilot) is held on the postedstrength of a MI-17 V5 helicopter unit.While undertaking anti-Naxal operationsin Jagdalpur, he received information thatthere was an attack by Naxalites on the CRPFcamp in Chintalgufa. In the fierce gunfightwith Naxalites, three CRPF personnel werecritically injured and required airevacuation as life saving measure.

He took on the onerous task of evacuating the injured amidst theongoing fierce gun fight. Displaying an undaunting spirit, he evacuatedthe injured from the battle scene, which not only resulted in saving thelives of the injured but also served as a morale booster to the troops onground. For this act of exceptional courage, he has been awarded withVayu Sena Medal (gallantry).•

RWSI’s mission and reason for existence is toserve the helicopter community’s needs and topromote the Industry. Professional and Safety

related programmes are essential requirementsin today’s complex and competitive environment.

If you are a Life Member, Volunteer your servicesto strengthen RWSI Team effort.

For more information call RWSI at0120-4352040/ email us [email protected]


President’s Standard Presentation to116 Helicopter Unit Air Force

On the historic day of 04 Mar 15 at Air ForceStation Jodhpur, the Honorable President Of

India, the Supreme Commander of the ArmedForces will be presenting the coveted

Presidential Standard to 116 HelicopterUnit. The Presidential Standard is thehighest and most prestigious honourbestowed upon any unit of the ArmedForces in recognition of their invaluablecontribution to the security of ournation both during hostilities andpeace. 116 Helicopter Unit, also knownas ‘Tankbusters’, was raised at Sarsawa

on 01 Aug 67. During this gloriousjourney of five decades, the unit evolved

with modernizations and changing roles, starting off with Russian Mi-4helicopters, followed by French Aloutte III (Chetaks) and is currentlyoperating the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (Dhruv).

Being equipped with light utility helicopters, the unit had the privilegeof flying many dignitaries, both Indian and foreign from varied spheres oflife. It was also a favourite for Republic Day parade fly- past at New Delhi.However, with the induction of Anti Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) onChetak helicopters, the unit was brought under the Operational Commandand Control of Army and was affiliated to HQ, 12 Corps at Jodhpur. Theunit took part in many joint exercises with Army, noteworthy being ‘OpPawan’ in Sri Lanka in 88-89.

In spite of the primary offensive tasking of the unit, time and again itwas called upon to provide aid to civil power. On all such occasions theunit lived up to the motto of “Apatsu Mitram” meaning “Friends in Distress”and continued to be the harbinger of hope and happiness to ravagedsouls. The unit was declared the Best Helicopter Unit of SWAC many timesand has a remarkable distinction of completing 30,000 hours of ‘AccidentFree Flying’.

From a modest beginning to being at the cusp of heralding an era ofmodern military helicopters, 116 HU has had a glorious history, everliving up to the Tankbusters war-cry “Avinashi Anant Vijayam” meaning“The Indestructible Shall Ever Be Victorious”.

• Established on 01 Aug 67• Operated Mi 4 helicopters from 1967 to 1973• Operated Chetak helicopters from 1973 to 2014• Operating ALH Mk I since Oct 2014• Slated to induct the ALH Mk IV Rudra in near future• First unit to operate Chetaks in anti tank role• Participated in numerous exercises with the army, including Op

Pawan in Srilanka in 1988 and Op Rakshak in 1999• Won the Air Race India 2003 organised by the aeronautical

society of India in its category• Played saviours during many a calamity, including the recent Op

Rahat in Uttarakhand• Completed 30,000 hrs of accident free flying since 1995

Join RWSI as a Life MemberRWSI is a force multiplier for anyone interested in the advancement of helicopters and vertical flight initiatives. TeamRWSI thanks the members for their support. If you are not a member, please take the time to review some of the activitieswhich we have highlighted in this brochure and give serious consideration to joining the team.

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IAF’s Heaviest Chopper Lands in Kedarnath Shrine areaRecent press reports confirm that it was aHimalayan task getting the heaviest and biggesthelicopter of the Indian Air Force to a newly builthelipad 11,660 feet above sea level. At 9.45 am on6 Jan 2015, with temperatures hovering around -4 degrees Celsius, the Mi-26 helicopter landed onthe special helipad near Kedarnath shrine in theHimalayas, enthusing officials and workers engagedin reconstruction works in the area ravaged in the2013 floods.

The Uttarakhand government has signed anagreement with the IAF to fly heavy machines andvehicles weighing a total of 125 tonnes from thebase station at Gauchar in Chamoli to Kedarnath.The MI-26 helicopter had landed successfully atGaucher helipad near Guptkashi on 5 Jan 2015. It will be stationed there till the task is over.

The Russian-made Mi-26, the country’s only rotorcraft of its tonnage, will help agencies engaged in reconstruction work by hauling heavy machinesand trucks to the mountainous region, speeding up the work. Machines listed to be flown to one of the most geographically fragile locations in thecountry include five trucks, two earth-movers, one Hydralift crane and two snow blowers.

Officials of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), the agency taking care of more than 90% of the reconstruction works in the area,said their task would become easy once the Mi-26 starts delivering the machinery and vehicles. Presently the work is being done manually. Asthe Mi-26 can carry a maximum of 8 to 10 tonnes in one sortie, it will have to make on an average two sorties a day, depending on the weatherin the region.•

Mi-26T Heavy-lift Helicopter Celebrates 30 yearsIn January 2015 “Rostvertol” marked the 30th anniversary of the serialproduction launch of the world’s largest cargo helicopter, the Mi-26T.The machine is capable of carrying up to 20 tons of cargo. It is said to stillhold the record for total carrying capacity.

Mi-26T is based on the Mi-26 military transport helicopter, thedevelopment of which began in the 70s The Mi-26 showed itself to be anexclusively reliable and high-performance helicopter. So plans were madeto develop a civilian version. Today’s Mi-26T has become an importantvehicle for transporting heavy cargo in Russia and abroad. The Mi-26Thelicopter is capable of carrying up to 20 tons of equipment and massivecargo on its external suspension or in the cargo hold.

The Mi-26T is different from its prototype with the inclusion ofadditional radio communication, navigation, and flight equipment,precision hovering system, color thermal imaging, and its lack of armorplating and amphibious or other military equipment. It has significantlyexpanded the equipment, which leads to a more efficient use of thehelicopter when working with an external load. Since January 1985, theMi-26T is being produced commercially at Rostvertol. Later, a newmodification of the Mi-26T was developed to increase its commercialuse.Thus came the refueling version. In September 1997, the Mi-26Thelicopter first flew in its fire-fighting modified version equipped with anMAT-15 drain device. This version has been used in the fire fighting rolein many countries. However regardless of its use, the main function of the

Mi-26T is to transport cargo. Its unique load capacity is in demand notonly for daily tasks but also in extraordinary situations such as thetransportation in 1999 of a 20-ton block of ice enclosing the carcass ofa dead 20 thousand year-old mammoth. In November 2001, the helicotpertransported crashed US Air Force Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicoptersweighing 11 tons each. In 2009, the Mi-26T helicopter has also beenused in performing complex installation works like installingtransmission towers built along the new highways, and for theconstruction of cable cars.

The Mi-26T is constantly being upgraded. The upgraded Mi-26T2 iscurrently undergoing flight tests with a reduced number of crew members,a “glass” cockpit, advanced avionics, and night-flight operation capability.•

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The latest Cheetah accident in Nagaland on2nd Feb this year has once again put the spotlight on safe operations capability of the nowageing and obsolete Cheetah/Chetak fleet. Thishas followed in close proximity of the fatalCheetah helicopter accident that occurred late

last year at the Bareilly Army Aviation Base, killing three officers. In theaccident of 2nd Feb the helicopter crashed immediately after takeoff withthe possible cause being engine failure. It is to the credit of the two pilotsin handling this critical emergency, that the Corps Commander and threeother officers (including the two pilots) survived the crash with minorinjuries. The fatal accident of an Army Avn Corps ALH on 11 Feb is thefinal nail in the coffin. These frequent mishaps have an uncannyresemblance to what is happening with the ageing MIG-21’s in the IndianAir Force. The cancellation of the most important and critical project foracquisition of 197 Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopters (RSH),to replace the existing obsolete Chetak/Cheetah fleet by the Ministry ofDefence (MoD) in August last year has left the Services bereft of a suitablehelicopter. This will no doubt affect the overall operational capability ofthe army, especially in high altitude areas where the Cheetah helicopter isthe lifeline of troops deployed on those icy heights. This unnecessarycautious approach to cancel the Project was taken despite the fact that anoversight committee appointed by the MoD during the previousGovernment, had cleared the trial process of any irregularity. It is alsopertinent to note that the trials for replacement helicopters were conductedby a joint team of specialists and professionals from both army and airforce and hence no single entity could have influenced the outcome.

After cancelling the RSH procurement process during the final laplast year a fresh RFI has been issued (published on 31st October last year),which is a ‘Buy and Make India’ procurement, with a certain number ofhelicopters built and supplied by the winning OEM in a flyaway condition,with the remaining number being built at a production line in India by anIndian partner through licensed transfer of technology. Basically this RFIenvisages identifying probable Indian Vendors (private & public), includingthose forming Joint Ventures (JVs)/establishing production arrangementwith an OEM, who can provide the helicopters, followed by licensedproduction in the country – the response date for the RFI has beenextended to 17 Feb 2015 from 17 Dec 2014 earlier. This is likely togenerate a lot of interest during the Aero-India Show being held at Bangalorefrom Feb 18-22. While this is a welcome step, the entire process itself islikely to take a minimum of three to four years, provided everything movessmoothly with no hitches or glitches. With the current dismal state of theChetak/Cheetah fleet and serious maintenance and safety concerns, thewriting is clearly on the wall. As per reports appearing in some printmedia, there is an uncomfortable disquiet on this issue within the aviationfraternity, which was appropriately highlighted in an article in a recentissue of ‘India Today’. This indeed is a very sad development and needs tobe taken serious note of, for it will impinge gravely on operations in thehigh altitude areas.

Cheetah /Chetak Non ReplacementSafety & Op Implications

P. K. Bharali Appointed asDG Army Aviation Corp

Lt Gen Pranab Kumar Bharali, VishistSeva Medal, has been appointed as theDirector General of Army Aviation Corpsat the Army Headquarters, Delhi. Armypromoted an officer from army aviationcorps for the first time to this post.Lt Gen PK Bharali has therefore becomethe first officer from army aviation to bepromoted to this post. He is also the first

Army officer from Assam to rise to the rank of Lt General. He assumedthe office on 2 Feb2015.

He commanded a helicopter unit of the Army in Misamari nearTezpur in 2000-2001. He held the appointment of General Staff Officer(Operations) of a Counter Insurgency Force Headquarter, ColonelAdministration of a Division Headquarter and Brigadier Aviation in acommand Headquarter in Jammu and Kashmir before assuming theappointment of Head of Army Aviation Corps in the capacity as theAdditional Director General in Army Headquarters as a Major General inJuly 2009 being the senior most officer of Army Aviation Corps. Till nowthe Army Aviation Corps officers could hold rank only up to MajorGeneral. Pranab Kumar Bharali has earned the distinction of becomingthe first officer of the Army Aviation Corps to be promoted to the rankof Lt General.

<<Indian Indian Indian Indian Indian ArArArArArmmmmmyyyyy>>

Lt Gen BS Pawar PVSM AVSMEx ADG, Army Avn Corps

The existing Cheetah/Chetak helicopters today are difficult to serviceand maintain with the spares situation critical - the maintenance of thisfleet itself is becoming a nightmare. HAL is finding it difficult to keep thisfleet airborne while the armed forces have already expressed their concernson the dismal situation. The ‘Cheetal Helicopter’ fielded by the HAL bothfor the army and airforce as a stop gap measure is not a satisfactorysolution as it basically remains a Cheetah with a more powerful engine,with the core technology remaining the same. The main concern remainsthe interim period of 3-4 years where the forces will have to perforceoperate these outdated, obsolete and unsafe machines. The two recentCheetah accidents have raised grave safety concerns about this machine.Aviation experts have cautioned against the safe operations of thesemachines especially in high altitudes, where these helicopters are operatingat their extreme envelop – some have even going to the extent of givingthem the mantle of flying coffins. There have been suggestions in somequarters both Government and Military that we could induct more ALH’sand use them in the reconnaissance and surveillance role. This should berejected outright - as both professionally and operationally this is not aviable alternative or option, though it may help some vested interests inthe short term.•


<<Indian Indian Indian Indian Indian ArArArArArmmmmmyyyyy>>

The recent case of a Chinese national flying aDrone/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV),apparently for fun at Chennai’s popular Marinabeach has raised serious and grave securityand safety issues on the uncontrolled andunrestricted use of these machines. About ayear back, a little known pizza chain in Mumbaisucceeded in making a test delivery less than3 km from its Lower Parel outlet in centralMumbai using a remote controlled GPSenabled drone. In a number of high end

society weddings today one see’s these small drones taking photographs –so what stops a terrorist organisation from using them recce high securityarea’s for terror strikes. This is happening, despite the fact that currentregulations in India do not allow commercial use of drones. What ismore worrisome is that such drones can be bought online – the Chinesenational had bought the drone via online realtor Amazon. While thepolice had apprehended the Chinese national and seized the drone, thereis an urgent need to lay down a comprehensive policy and regulationsforthe use of these small drones, as the scope for their misuse is tremendousand safety a major concern - the agencies required to act are the DGCAand Home Ministry.

Integration of drones into the national airspace of a country requiresreview of current policies, regulations, environmental impact, privacyconsiderations and certification issues. It also involves identification ofgaps in current drone technologies vis a vis regulations and policies anddevelopment of new technologies with revised regulations, standards,policies and procedures.

The civil aviation regulatory authority is responsible for developingplans and policy for the safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace.This responsibility includes coordinating efforts with national securityand privacy policies so that the integration of drones into the nationalairspace is done in a manner that supports and maintains the respectiveGovernment’s ability to secure the airspace and address privacy concerns.In the US the FAA has already embarked on this exercise keeping in mindthe International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) laid down policyguide lines for safe and orderlydevelopment of international civilaviation. In India it is understoodthat the Indian Regulator the DGCA,is also in the process of drawing upregulations for certification andoperations of UAV’s/drones.

Integrating public and civilUAVs into the national airspacecarries certain national securityimplications, including securityvetting for certification and

Civil Operations of Drones / UAV’s - Security Concerns

Lt Gen BS Pawar PVSM AVSMEx ADG, Army Avn Corps

training of UAV-related personnel, addressing cyber andcommunications vulnerabilities, and maintaining/enhancing airdefence and air domain awareness capabilities in an increasinglycomplex and crowded airspace. The aviation regulatory authoritieswill have to work with relevant Government departments and agenciesand stakeholders through coordinating bodies,to proactively addressthese areas of concern.•


Landing Craft Utility Ship for Indian NavyLaunched at GRSE

Calcutta-The third ship of the Landing Craft Utility(LCU) Mk IV project,Yard 2094, for the Indian Navy was launched at an impressive ceremonyat Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata hereon 13 Jan 15 , in the presence of Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Vice Chief ofthe Naval Staff and Smt. Reena Lanba.

Launching of Yard 2094, designed in-house and built by GRSEfor the Indian Navy is yet another milestone in India’s quest forself-reliance in sophisticated shipbuilding. Invocations from AtharvaVeda were recited in Sanskrit and English at the start of the launch.Smt. Lanba named the ship as ‘LCU L53’ and wished the ship goodluck before launch.

LCU L53 is the third vessel in the series of eight Landing CraftUtility Ships being built by GRSE for the Indian Navy. The first LCUwas launched on March 12, and the second on September 23, lastyear. These ships will play significant role in transportation of MainBattle Tanks, Armoured Vehicles and Troops of the Indian Armyduring amphibious operations.

The ship will be fitted with an advanced Integrated PlatformManagement System for remote control of propulsion, auxiliary andpower generating equipment. Two CRN-91 indigenous 30 MM gunsto provide fire support during operations will also be fitted onboard.The ship can be deployed for maritime roles like maritime security,beaching/un-beaching, humanitarian relief operations andevacuation from distant islands, search and rescue operations andpeace-keeping missions.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice Admiral Lanba commended the

contributions made by GRSE towards meeting the Navy’s growingrequirements of state-of-art warships. He also lauded GRSE and itsteam of designers, engineers, technicians, quality controllers andthe members of Warship Overseeing Team for their untiring effortsin successfully achieving this significant milestone of launching ofYard 2094.

He appreciated the efforts put in by GRSE and other privatesector industries for their valuable contributions towards achievingIndian Navy’s dream of transformation from a “Buyers Navy” to a“Builders Navy”.•

NEW DELHI: It is learnt that India wants to use state-of-the-artUS technology to boost the range and potency of a planned aircraftcarrier to counter China’s military influence in the region. Although,our indigenously manufactured aircraft carrier would not be readyfor at least another decade, such cooperation could act as a balanceagainst China’s expanding presence in the Indian Ocean.

Indian Navy inducted an old aircraft carrier from Russia in2014 to add to its ageing British vessel likely to be decommissionedin 2018. Last year, MOD cleared funds to ensure another carrierbeing built domestically was ready for service in 2018.It is learntthat the PM Modi has endorsed navy plans for a further carrierwhich would be its biggest, and it is this one that may be built withUS technology. The joint statement by Obama and Modi spoke of a“working group to explore aircraft carrier technology sharing anddesign” as part of the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative. It isbelieved that this could lead to direct US participation in buildingthe 65,000-tonne INS Vishal carrier.•

India Eyes US Aircraft Carrier Technology asArms Ties Deepen

<<Indian NavyIndian NavyIndian NavyIndian NavyIndian Navy>>


<<Special RSpecial RSpecial RSpecial RSpecial Reeeeeporporporporport on Nat on Nat on Nat on Nat on National Seminartional Seminartional Seminartional Seminartional Seminar>>

Special Report onthe National Seminar on

‘Make in India’ - Civil & Military Helicopters :Emerging Opportunities & Challenges

conducted by Rotary Wing Society of India at Bengaluru

In continuation of our

report about the event in pages four

and five of this issue, the special report

provides a brief coverage of the speeches made

by HAL Chairman Dr. R K Tyagi, Former Chief of

Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy PVSM AVSM

VM & Bar; KPMG India Aerospace & Defense partner &

Head Amber Dubey, and HAL Chief Test Pilot (Rotary Wing)

Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai at the inaugural session. The report

subsequently covers the gist of presentations made

by representatives from Original Equipment Manufacturers that

includes Wg Cdr BS Singh Deo VM, MD, Bell Helicopter India;

Amitabh Mukherjee, Customer Support Manager, Turbomeca India;

Air Cmde Ravish Malhotra Chief Mentor & Co-Founder,

Dynamatics Technologies and Mr. Robin Cherian, Director, K-Air.

It also covers the presentations made by officials from HAL and

CEMILAC in the Plenary Session II. The author of the report

has collated all the suggestions made by the participants

and has placed it as recommendations at the end of the

report for consideration of the agencies

concerned.



With Make in India concept, defencemanufacturing in India can increasefrom 30% to 70% : AVM K SridharanVM (G), President RWSI

The defence sector in India is expectedto grow exponentially, following the“Make in India” concept created by thegovernment. “Make in India” concept,has the potential to raise defencemanufacturing in the country from thepresent 30 per cent to 70 per cent in thenext few years, said Rotary Wing Societyof India (RWSI) president AVM K.Sridharan (Retd).

Speaking at the inaugural sessionof a National Seminar on “Make in India

- Civil and Military Helicopters: Emerging opportunities and Challenges,”AVM Sridharan said that the country could be developed into a hub for theMRO business. “By investing in R&D technology processes and by focusingon development of skills in 70 plus trades related to the aerospace industry,we can accelerate the growth process,” he added.

Further, if around 1,200 helicopters are to be inducted in the ArmedForces by 2020, then the sector offers phenomenal scope for meeting thebenefits envisaged in the “Make in India” concept. The slogan “Make inIndia” was coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 25,2014 to attract business from across the world to invest and manufacturein India, which will lead to job creation, among other benefits. Thegovernment has included the aviation sector in the campaign.

According to AVM Sridharan, India has emerged as one of the mostattractive defence markets since 2012 and an even more lucrative aerospacemarket in the world, especially with the steady increase in defence budgetfor modernization of the Armed Forces. With 30 per cent in the defencebudget allocated under the offset clause, the defence production policyespousing indigenization and self-reliance holds promise for the foreignoriginal equipment manufacturers (OEMs), he added.

“This step is likely to foster innovation, enhance skill developmentand help us build world-class infrastructure for manufacturing mediumand heavy lift class of helicopters,” AVM Sridharan said. While, the “Makein India” concept will certainly help the country to meet its growingdemand for such class of helicopters (civil and military) by 2020, itwould also help in opening up of huge investment opportunities in thesector.

AVM Sridharan stated that the objective of the seminar was to providea platform for HAL, global helicopter OEMs and Indian companiesinterested in manufacturing helicopters, engines and systems, to shareand exchange the latest information and their views on all aspects ofmanufacturing medium and heavy lift class of helicopters in India.

He added that the focus during the plenary sessions was to addressdesign and development requirements for making medium and heavy lifthelicopters in India by HAL. In addition, certification requirements of

both civil and military helicopters and infrastructure requirements relatedto manufacturing these classes of helicopters were also addressed inseparate sessions.He hoped that the wish list and recommendations thatemerged from the seminar would benefit the policy makers and theindustry.

****

Emerging Opportunities & Challengesrelated to making Civil & MilitaryHelicopters in India by Dr. R K Tyagi,Chairman, HAL

Today, India has 289 helicopters in thecivil stream. With a population of about17 per cent of the world, we hold lessthan one per cent of helicopterpopulation in the country. That too, whenwe know that India is a country thatcould be called a helicopter country, asthe demand for helicopters are more,especially during earthquakes, floods andso on. In the military segment, we havearound 800+ helicopters. Overall, in thehelicopter space we handle about 1000helicopters. This is what we have achieved in the last 50 years.

How are the things changing? In the next five years we will see moredemand for helicopters. The order book is around 1200 helicopters inthe military segment. It includes 197 RSS, 187 ALH, 123 MUH, 73 Dhruvs,61 Apaches, 139Mi 17s. We need 180 helicopters for disaster managementand surveillance, 20 for northeast connectivity and 50 for medicalambulances. Totally, we are talking of an investment of about Rs 40,000crore, which will come into the helicopter industry in the next 5-7 years.

The only difference will be that today we have 289 helicopters in thecivil segment and they are manufactured by foreign OEMs and not onIndian soil. These 2000 helicopters, which will be coming, will be “Madein India.” The government has already allowed 49 per cent of FDI. TheMinistry of Defence has created a Defence Innovation Fund to the tune ofRs 100 crore.

“Come and Make in India” is the message from the Prime Minister.It means not only a lot of opportunities would emerge but also a lot ofchallenges for the Indian industry. We will learn to know how to startfactories here. We will master how to create the task for some technologiesand how to specialise on those technologies.

Being the only helicopter manufacturer in India today, HAL’s boardhas recently approved a modernisation and capacity augmentation planof Rs 3600 crore. Government of Karnataka has given us 600 acres ofland near Tumkur. We are also creating aseparate helicopter vertical. Allmanufacturing will take place in the PPP mode, where we invite theindustry for joint ventures or for outsourcing. One of our corporatepriorities is to increase outsourcing to 50 per cent from the current 25per cent. Since, the future is in R&D, we have created a R&D corpus with



1/10 of the profit pumped into it. This corpus will be available to theprivate industry also to do any fundamental or applied research in thespecified areas.

In our roadmap for the defence forces, we have identified 111technologies, of which, 41 will be handled in the priority mode. We havereached out to IIT Roorkee for structures, IIT Kanpur for rotary systems,IIT Kharagpur for radars and IIT Mumbai for communication systems.Our idea is to associate with organisations like the Rotary Wing Society ofIndia and the private industry in India.

As far as the challenges to the helicopter industry are concerned, weneed a national helicopter policy. We need skill development. We needpilot licensing and national training academies. We have to give comfortto the helicopter industry by reducing sales tax on ATF. The next five yearswill be the time to do more than what we together did in the last 50 years.

****

Challenges & Lessons in IndigenousDesign & Development of helicopters byWg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, Chief TestPilot (Rotary Wing), HAL

The necessity to own a helicopter thatwas required to carry 200 kgs plus alarge fuel load at 20,000 ft, led to thedevelopment of Dhruv in India. And HALachieved it within the global benchmarkof 14-16 years. When compared to a fewother contemporary projects developedduring the same period, the Rs 1,155crore spent to develop Dhruv utility andDhruv WSI was lesser than the cost ofdevelopment of a Tata Indica car project(Rs 1,750 crore).

While the country inducted S-55 and Bell 47 helicopters in the1950s, they were procured in small numbers. Soon, a larger number ofMI - 8 helicopters were bought. But the country required helicopters tooperate at high altitudes and it resulted in Lama/ Cheetah helicopter,which is still a revolutionary machine. Later Dhruv was developedindigenously, as at that time, no helicopter in the world could meet therequirement of India. Today, Dhruv is a success story for India.

IAF roles included 20 mm cannon, anti-armour and air-to-airmissiles, EW suite, MAWS and advanced sighting and aiming systems. Thenaval roles included SAR, troop carriage, ASV and ASW. The weaponsincluded torpedoes, exocet-class missiles and depth charges. Sensorslike dipping sonar, surveillance radar, sonobuoys and MAD were needed.The naval requirements were too large for a 5.5 ton platform. In all, therequirements listed were clearly beyond the range of contemporarytechnology for a single platform.

According to HAL’s chief test pilot (rotary wing) Wg Cdr UnnikrishnaPillai, some of the requirements for Dhruv were contradictory from thetechnological point of view. For example, in blade design, high speed and

good hover were at either ends of the spectrum. “It was difficult to designa rotor that can cruise at 280 kmph and also hover at 20,000 ft with 500kg of useful payload,” he noted.

In July 1984, the government formed a negotiations committee andcontracted Germany’s MBB as a design consultant for a period of 10years. “As the requirements were not met by the proven technology, thenegotiations committee approved certain advanced design optionsrecommended by MBB. These options were cutting edge, yet buddingtechnological options in critical areas like rotor blades, gearboxes andvibration control,” he added.

The innovative but green design concepts selected by the negotiationscommittee included integrated dynamic system, a radical main gear boxdesign and a very light-weight yet powerful, bearing-less tail rotor. Each ofthe selected systems promised to meet the challenging air/navalrequirements in terms of manoeuvrability, high altitude performance,reduced basic weight and crashworthiness and ballistic tolerance.

However, implementing some of these concepts caused delays andproved extremely challenging. In 1994-95, the consultant exited, as MBB’scontract expired and was not extended by the Government of India due tosevere financial crunch. The project was in early stages, with four prototypesundergoing flight. Design related problems were showing up in the formof repeated and early failures of critical components like MGB and ARIS.Increase in basic weight had also clearly manifested during this period.

With the departure of MBB, the design issues of complicated systemshad to be tackled solely by the HAL designers and it turned out to be ablessing in disguise. “Since our designers did not have the requisiteexperience to fall back on, solutions were arrived at by experimentingwith numerous design changes that took many iterations to resolve theproblem and required repetitious flight testing. Today our designers arefar more confident of design than they may have been, had MBB continued.Finally, the flight testing towards IOC was completed in 2001,” Wg CdrPillai added.

The next stage was commencement of production. A large numberof changes in the first limited series production (LSP) helicopters vis-à-vis prototypes were made. These changes caused issues with vibrations,handling and reliability of production helicopters. However Dhruv todayhas evolved from 1 to 3. Wg Cdr Pillai noted that the success of a projectdepends on the resolve of the manufacturer and the users to iron out thedeficiencies noticed.

This resolve is apparent from the fact that, there is a sea change in

Participants at the National Seminar



the present day production of MK-3 compared to the first LSP Dhruv, 12years ago. There are changes in quality, reliability, maintainability, vibrations,aesthetics and any other issues pointed out by the users. “In Dhruvhelicopter, the cockpit has evolved from 1 to 3. While the first one wasanalog, the second and third were glass and today, we continue to polishup the software for the glass cockpit,” he added.

Further, today HAL has Shakti engine. “Shakti was installed to ensurethat we meet the high altitude requirements,” Wg Cdr Pillai said. MK IIIhas state of the art vibration cancellation systems, vibration monitoringsystem, EW suite and EO pod.

Talking about the evolution of Dhruv, Wg Cdr Pillai said requirementis the prerequisite for development of any product. According to himrequirements need to be arrived at by keeping in mind contemporarytechnology and made in consultation with local industry or design houses.The user requirements are more realistic now when compared to 30 yearsago, he added.

The lessons learnt by HAL included making the consultantaccountable till the designs are proved and the helicopter entersproduction. “Too many new concepts were tried out and there was apossibility that MBB had either over-estimated their capabilities orattempted to experiment the feasibility of some of these concepts,” WgCdr Pillai added. Another takeaway was the need to produce same standardof helicopters as the last prototype tested, he said.

He concluded that a machine, which has an average of 30 years oflife on a pIatform, will have to be upgraded and modified to suit thechanging requirements. “If the IPR of the design does not rest with India,adapting the machine to our changing requirements over its life becomesdifficult. Following the US, the EU and Russia, India has achieved selfsufficiency in design and development of helicopters. For design anddevelopment an ecosystem has to be evolved, which needs nurturing andgrowth through new design challenges. India has taken 30 years to establishsuch a system, and we need to preserve it,” he added.

****

Policy Initiatives to Promote ‘Make inIndia’ Medium & Heavy Lift Helicoptersby Mr. Amber Dubey, Partner & Head,Aerospace & Defense, KPMG India

There is a lot to be done on thepolicy front for civil helicopters. Thereis licensing - we have to create helicorridors like the ones in Delhi andBangalore, in all the major cities -congestion is there and it is only goingto increase. There is a huge demand onthe corporate side for medical evacuationand also for law and order enforcement.So we have to create heli corridors andagencies like the Rotary Wing Society haveto engage very closely with the powers

that be in Delhi and other states to create these corridors and then createinfrastructure that allows free flow of helicopters.

Today we don’t need to land at active runways and airports. We canhave 4-5 heliports all across the city, which speed up this moment andpeople, are willing to pay. We pay Rs 1,000-1,500 just to go from ouroffice or from our homes to the airport and I am sure it even escalates toRs 5,000 or even Rs 10,000 in certain cases, there are companies that arewilling to pay.

On the medical evacuation side, lakhs of people pass through tollplazas. Just add Rs 2 extra to toll fee and multiply by lakhs. You areearning something like Rs 10-20 lakhs per day, which can be used tocreate a common infrastructure for both civilian heli movement andmedical evacuation, because it is not that accidents are happening everyday. There may be 2-3 accidents on the entire expressway and for that twohelicopters can immediately move from the nearest centre as conversiontoday is very quick from a civilian to air ambulance.

You can even have dedicated ambulances that can pick people andtake them back and this would be across all social strata. Anybody whopays Rs 2 extra at the toll plaza could actually get medical evacuation byhelicopters and be saved in the golden hour. As years pass, time will bevalued more and so the need for civilian helicopters would only increase.

On the military front, huge orders are expected and at policy level,government may take a leaf out of China to improve its bargaining power.China has forced airbus to start a plant outside France. Airbus has set upA320 plant in China and talks are on to create infrastructure to buildA350s in China. It helped in improving scalability and it also providedthousands of jobs in an indirect way and helped China save billions ofdollars. They don’t have slogans like ‘Make in China,’ but they just goahead and do it.

I think collaboration is going to be the future. We don’t like it whenwe are dependent on import of Apaches, Super Hercules etc. We needrobust local manufacturing setup, but the fact is that no country in theworld is completely self sufficient. If you look at DARPA, which is the USequivalent of DRDO there are only 140 scientists and they are responsiblefor protection of American interests both on territory, in the air space andall across the world wherever there are American interests. These 140scientists depend on the rest of the American nation and society, privatecompanies, government labs, defence labs and universities. Similarly,collaboration is the way to go forward for us.

DARPA headed by Dr Arti Prabhakar is responsible for protection ofAmerican interest now and in the future. If the mighty US could trust anIndian born lady to lead their DRDO, surely we can now start burstingthese silos and look for the best. Let’s do that. By spreading knowledgewithin India, the country would gain, but by holding on to knowledge, weare only spelling on our doom.

At KPMG, we support FDI. We feel it should be an open field. Let thebest come here and compete. If you are so good, why should we worry?But if you are bad, then we should be worried anyways. There is a lot oftalk about ownership and control. When we get these fully built Apachesor Super Hercules or the Chinooks built on US territory, what kind ofownership and control do we have of all these equipments?

But if you talk to Boeing or the Airbus people, they say if the sameequipment is built in India, don’t we have better control? Of course we



will not have ownership because nobody is going to transfer them to us.Even India is not going to transfer sensitive military technologies developedover 2-3 decades to Cambodia or Nepal or Bangladesh. It is unfair toexpect someone out there, who has spent five decades to become whatthey have become, built over years of failures and funding and money,which went waste and acquisitions and mergers that never reached theirultimate objectives to share everything with us.

All the big OEM giants have become what they have over a period oftime. So we cannot expect them to hand over things to us on a platter.Now, the chances are that FDI will go beyond 51% and 74% and, whenthat happens flood gates are likely to open and we will have competition.We should make India a great place to do business. In “Ease of DoingBusiness” we were 140 last year and now we have become 142. Clearlythere is no “Make in India” unless we improve our EoDB ranking to top20-30. We should become a more welcoming country, much more openand allow the best of the world to come here.

We need independence of decision making for programmes to moveand collaboration to happen. This cannot be done by bureaucrats, whomay not have great knowledge about the sector. So, we need an aeronauticalcommission along the lines of the nuclear commission, space commission,where the head is a techie but has well rounded knowledge of the financeand other policy matters and strategic issues as well and he reports straightto the Prime Minister.

There is a lot of talk of aeroparks coming up in most of the leadingstates. We ourselves are involved with Gujarat and a couple of other states.In Vibrant Gujarat, we unveiled the Aerospace policy. FDI is not theanswer. It is just the first gate, but after that there are 20 other gates thatneed to be demolished. We need greater interaction between the rulersand the ruled. Rulers sitting in the north block and south block, I justappeal to them to talk to us.

HAL is the place, history of Indian aeronautics has happened. Ourdream is that by 2030, we should have at least 3-4 products, for which theworld should come begging to us. Today it sounds like a laughable dreambut nothing is impossible. We can talk about UAV technology, super alloysand stealth technology to private companies and youngsters, students inIITs and engineering colleges and encourage them to do research inmaterial science etc. It will excite a whole new generation.

****

Be Proud of “Made in India” products:Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy

Be proud of the nation and take pride inthings manufactured in India. Allowprivate sector to “Make in India.” Jointogether and grow together as Indians.This was the message former CAS, AirChief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy shared atthe National seminar on “Make in India- Civil and Military Helicopters: Emergingopportunities and Challenges.”

Calling all Indians to be innovative,imaginative and bold in their outlook,the former CAS said that the countrywould shine better when we combine our collective abilities to “Make inIndia” and also be proud in saying it is “Made in India.” He wanted us toappreciate our products at all places and especially at global forums.

“You feel proud when you see the ALH Sarang Aerobatic Teamperforming. It is not because the product came from HAL or PSU orprivate sector. We appreciate because it is ‘Made in India.’ So what weneed to do is enhance our potential and capability and stand confidentlyanywhere in the world and proclaim that ‘our helicopter is better’,” headded.

Noting that the private sector should enter and compete with othersto produce worldclass products,the former CAS also gave some advice tobureaucrats. “Give complete freedom to the private sector and allowthem to produce whatever they want, whosoever they want to do with.Don’t breathe down their neck. Let them develop on their own. You givethem priority treatment, be kind to them, encourage them,” he said.

Talking about various interpretations to the word privatisation, ACMKrishnaswamy said that people in the government or PSU would resist ifprivatisation hits them. “Why not be open and permit free exchange ofpeople from industry to government, government to military and viceversa. This inter-change of manpower will help decision makers learnnewer processes and leverage it as they grow,” he added.

He cited examples of how such free exchange of people from differentsectors have yielded positive results in Israel and America. “In Israel andAmerica, I see one person wearing uniform and the next day he is sitting asa manager, head of some design office in one of the industries. Why can’twe implement the same in India? Why do you need to be put in a silo andthat you will only fit there,” he added.

Noting that the country is probably 20 years behind when it come tocomplex aerospace programmes, ACM Krishnaswamy said that the Indianshave always been a master in ‘jugaad.’ While the focus of ‘Make in India’is perceived to be more FDI coming into India, more business, increasedproduction, more sales, industry development and so on, the former CASgave a different perspective.

According to him, “Make in India” is an emotional appeal from thePrime Minister of India. “It is not so much about bringing a workforce,giving the job and getting the money. It is about being proud as an Indian,being proud of our products and being proud of whatever we have

Participants at the National Seminar



achieved,” he said, adding that constructive criticism was acceptable aslong as we don’t lose our pride on what India is.

“At HAL, we have tried every kind of possibility in creating ‘Make inIndia’ products. We did license manufacturing and we did indigenousdesigning. ‘Marut,’ designed by Mr Kurt Tank is the most beautifulaeroplane to fly. There is no fighter that cruises from here to Delhi orHalwara or anywhere and you set the speed at point nine mach.Unfortunately we ran out of steam, mainly because we didn’t have technology,we didn’t have capital and we didn’t have encouragement,” he said.

“Every helicopter, whether it is made in America or Europe oranywhere else, they all have teething problems. The same can be said inthe automobile sector and so, why are we critical when it comes to theaerospace sector,” he added. Noting that an organisation can produceonly a certain number of products in a year, former CAS said that thecountry should encourage private sector into manufacturing such products.

“If someone comes and says, ‘I like your ALH helicopter and I want30 of these’ - do we have the capacity? No. Why don’t we give it to aprivate sector company and say we will buy all your products. You makefrom end-to-end and deliver. We will integrate, flight test and sell it. Thereis nobody in the country other than HAL, who can do integration, flighttesting, delivery and post delivery support. Let the industry also grow. Youare saying PSU. They have taken 40 years. You come as private sector. Youguys can do it in 20 years,” ACM Krishnaswamy said.

He urged the industry not to give vendors, parts to make. “Instead letus be liberal, positive and magnanimous to our own industry - privatesector. If somebody is making license manufacture of some parts as offsetprogramme or any other programme, why can’t we give thecomplete line of ALH? Set it up. I am sure we have financiers here. Theywill give brilliant ideas, how to raise funds and how to market. Also inindustry, auditors and financiers will carefully look at how much moneyyou make,” he added.

In the course of his speech, ACM Krishnaswamy also spokecritically about the Indian mentality in doing business and hoped thatthe country encourages private sector and utilizes “Make in India”campaign in a positive way.

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PLENARY SESSION-I : Make in India-Medium & Heavy Lift Helicopters

Design & Development Requirementsfor making Medium & Heavy LiftHelicopters in India by Shri. AbdulRashid Tajar, Manager (Design),Aerodynamics Group, RWR&DC, HAL

Medium and heavy lift helicopters play avery important role during conflicts andthey will continue to play pivotal roles infuture conflicts. So, they are more relevantto India. The category of mediumhelicopters is the most popularworldwide. USA has 12 types of mediumand heavy lift helicopters, followed byRussia (11) and Europe (10). In Asia,we have only three types of mediumhelicopters.

Our Armed Forces will haveformidable state-of-the-art machines with the inclusion of Indian multi-role helicopters. There are difficult parameters to comply with pertainingto Army, Navy and Airforce in India and hence there are a number ofmajor or minor improvements to be done on the basic helicopter.

Rotors may have to be modified, either main rotor or tail rotor orboth. Landing gear may have to be changed. Engine upgrade is requiredto comply with high altitude requirements. If there is any change in rotorand engine, the transmission has to be changed and to improve the highaltitude performance, transmission has to be upgraded and weaponisationneeds to be carried out. If we are able to do one of the changes orcombination of them on the basic helicopter, then we will get a multirolehelicopter, which will be good for Indian conditions as well as for theglobal market.

The design and development process will be divided into three parts.Phase I will be conceptual, where you will define the goals and then theconcept is evaluated. In the design phase, we will design the product,make a prototype, then if any improvements are possible, incorporatethese improvements and finally go for qualification stage, wherecomprehensive testing is done on that component and it is demonstrated.

At HAL we have a separate helicopter complex formed under rotarywing design centre (RWDC) and helicopter division. At RWDC we areengaged in design activities. In the helicopter division and compositemanufacturing division we are engaged in production activities and in theMRO and Barrackpore division, we are involved in maintenance repairand overhaul of Cheetah, Chetak and ALH.

We have availability of manpower and infrastructure. We have 500+designers with us who will be available for this project in a phased manner.We have facilities for CAT modelling and ground test and flight test facilities.We have experience of operations in Indian conditions. We have anestablished supply chain at HAL. We are familiar with our customers. Wehave some time and cost constraints. So we want to make a foray in thisparticular category (10-15 ton class of helicopters) with the support of apartner.

Air Cmde Ravish Malhotra Chief Mentor & Co-Founder, Dynamatics Technologies;Shri Abdul Rashid Tajar, Manager (Design), Aerodynamics Group, RWR&DC, HAL;Shri V Sadagopan, ED, Helicopter Complex, HAL; Wg Cdr BS Singh Deo VM, MD, BellHelicopter India and Vice President RWSI, Shri Robin Cherian, Director, K-Air and ShriAmitabh Mukherjee, Customer Support Manager, Turbomeca India.



The way ahead is to co-develop a product, integrate and weaponizeit and then go for flight testing and certification. We have to get operationalclearances like IOC and FOCs. Finally the product will go for production.In all, what we are looking for is a partner, who can provide a basichelicopter to us or at least the main rotor, tail rotor and transmissionsystems. We want to make IMRH, the Indian Multi Role Helicopter.

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A View from Bell Helicopter byWg Cdr BS Singh Deo VM, MD, BellHelicopter India

“Make in India” is not a path forward. Itis the end in itself. We have to followvarious paths to end up in a state, wherewe make as much as possible, nearly 100per cent “Make in India.” That is thegoal. It is not just a first step.

Today, no manufacturer makeseverything. If you take any of ourcommercial models, being made, say inCanada, the raw material comes fromEurope. It is very difficult to say okay 50per cent, we will make locally. This needs

to be looked at, if you want to make a start. Co-production, licenseproduction is not an end in itself. You have to do it to learn and thenlaunch into original design and production.

Transfer of Technology (ToT) is not a manufacturing activity ormanagement activity. ToT is strictly a training activity. Don’t think thatforeign experts will manufacture 100 helicopters here and we will learnand make the next one ourselves. We will have to keep training and in theprocess of training, if we make 10 helicopters and two of them are okay,we can say that we have gained two. If we don’t give training top priority,then after the license period is over, we are back to square one.

What does it takes to be a major aircraft manufacturer? Globalpresence - You can make in India, but think global. Aircraft do not seeany boundaries.

Aircraft certification is a very complex process. There are many stepsthat have to be processed. We have made this presentation to DGCA,stating that when you are talking of a new helicopter, a 90-seat aircraft,these are the processing steps. The DGCA was surprised to see that therewere too many steps to follow. Unfortunately, they do not have test pilotson their strength. FAA, YASA, Australian CA, everybody, has test pilots butin India we do not have any test pilot with the regulator. Certification timelines are too time consuming:

• Transport category, big helicopter - 5 years

• Non transport category - 3 years

• Engine and propeller - 3 years

• Appliance - 2 years

It is not short term to make a medium helicopter whether it is

military certification or civil certification. There are too many steps to gothrough. That is why; right from the design stage onwards the certificationagency has to be involved with you.

Cost is a big driver. When the IAF started with Wapitis, it cost somethingand years later the spitfire came to replace the Wapitis. The cost of onespitfire was nearly the same as a whole squadron of 20 Wapitis. Hunterreplaced spitfires. A squadron of spitfires was probably the cost of a singlehunter and same ratio continued from the Hunter to the MiG 21. I haven’tgone beyond Sukhoi 30, but I am sure similar ratios are continuing. Costsare shooting up. There is no escape, but what you can do is, insist onvalue for money. One spitfire could probably do what 20 Wapitis could doin terms of productivity - speed, range or weapon capacity and delivery.When it comes to civil helicopters, it could be seat/km cost, useful loadthings, time between overhauls and so on.

Commonality is one thing to keep the cost down. It cuts down yourlong occurring expenses, recurring savings and of course life cycle cost.What is this commonality? At the design stage we have to keep in mindthat certain items starting from airframe components, drive systems, powerplants and hydraulics can be common. When you have too many rolesspecified by the customer, you have to convince him that the same aircraftcannot do so many roles. You have to separate roles and have a littlevariation. For example in the AH-1Z and UH-1Y, where 84 per cent of theparts by part numbers are identical and the same pilot can fly both, samedisplay system, same rotor, same dynamics systems, same maintenancecan maintain both and spare parts holding also comes down. These areideal for cutting down cost.

When we talk of medium, I said the future is what the industry callssuper medium. These are larger, up to 19 seats helicopters and arefuturistic too. By the time (about five years), when it is introduced, itwould still maintain the state-of-the-art condition for even up to a coupleof decade. Bell is now developing the Bell 525 Relentless. For this, wehave spent two years inviting customers across the world at our cost, tohave a meeting once in three months and to tell us their requirements.Definition of the design is crucial. So corporate, VIP, fire fighting, oil andgas, helicopter emergency medical service, SAR, para public, all kind ofroles need to be executed, with minimal variations.

The 525 Relentless is a fly by wire triple redundant system with atouch screen glass cockpit, side arm control with inter-connectivity, whichis a step ahead of the Airbus. In the Airbus, the side arms do not haveinter-connectivity. That is a great advantage in this aircraft and they havecarried out simulator training. It was found that if for example, you aretaking off from an oil rig and at a critical moment, the engine fails, you donot know whether to take off for land back. A pilot may decide to landback and while landing he has to think of gusting winds. He has to thinkof temperature, weight, whatever other conditions may be including hisload and then use his skills to make a good landing.

Make him do that landing a100 times. Ninety nine times he may beperfect but one time he may not be perfect. We made the auto pilot do it.Our auto pilot decides whether to land or to go around and 100 times outof 100 it made absolutely no mistake in landing. So procedures for thisfuturistic aircraft are, when an emergency happens, just sit back. The autopilot takes immediate actions, gets to a safe condition, then you take overand decide whether you want to land or divert or whatever. This kind ofautomation, our generation of pilots find it very difficult to accept. All our



engineers and designers are about 30 years old. They are changing theentire paradigm of the future in the way we fly. So productivity implies thatproduction and operational costs have to be reduced.

With the 525, we established a fly by wire, five bladed rotor, cantedtail rotor and 20 seats. There is a cockpit with side arm control, touchscreen, your track is showing from A to B and say en route, a CB cellcomes up. You touch your track and drag it to the right; the helicopterwill now follow that. It is very different kind of aviation - Intuitive pilotvehicle interface. It senses what the pilot should be doing so when youmove your control, your errors are corrected and we will follow a flightpath that should be actually followed.

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A View from Turbomeca by ShriAmitabh Mukherjee, Customer SupportManager, Turbomeca India

Turbomeca is familiar with the changingscenario in the manufacturing sector inIndia. We know that “Make in India” isthe new thrust area. We are aware thatthis would involve building closerelationships between government andprivate manufacturing industries in thesphere of development, manufacturing,assembly and test and support ofhelicopter engines. We are also consciousof the fact that this will require certaindegree of hand-holding at various stagesof the activity and be more applicable

for the private industry, which we might partner with.

For this to happen, we need to have successful partnerships. As far asTurbomeca’s point of view is concerned, we feel that the prerequisites forsuch a partnership are to meet a political will, which incidentally ispresent now. Understand the cultures of the partners. Take advantage ofthe complementarities of technologies. Choose the model of collaborationand define a common coherence of strategy.

For such a partnership to be successful, we feel that the partnershipshould meet the requirements to comply with the market. Lean on aglobal partner and be recognized in the helicopter world. Bring in newtechnological skills and increase the experience of each partner. Createand secure a competitive product. Extend to new markets and in short,develop, produce and support locally.

Turbomeca has a very rich experience to fall back as far as ourpartnership is concerned. Be it the partnership with Rolls Royce for theRTM 322 engine or the Adour engine or the Chinese AVIC for the licenseof Arriel 1C with the German MTU for the MTR 390 co-development orcloser home for the co-development of Shakti engine with HAL. Ourpartnership with HAL spans over several projects for a long period of time.Association with HAL started in the 1960s with the license of R23B engine,which continue to perform even today. Then came the cooperation andco-development of the Shakti engine in 2003 and more recently, repairand overhaul licenses for the TM333 group of engines.

We have also associated with HAL on various helicopter platformsincluding the most recent light utility helicopter, which will be poweredby the Ardiden 1U. Turbomeca is also proud to be associated with theAdour engine that is powering the Hawk and Jaguar platforms.

In the near future, we will be operating in the range of almost about2200-3000 shaft horsepower or relevant to the RTM 322 platform for themedium lift category. We are open to having a partnership for co-development, co-production support of power plants, including transferof technologies.

Turbomeca has been privileged to be associated as a key player in theIndian helicopter industry for the past 50 years. We have immenselysuccessful partnerships with HAL in projects that continue to performeven today. Turbomeca is aware that development and manufacturing aregoing through a paradigm shift and are poised for greater heights of selfreliance. You will see a lot of new players coming up, and playing a moremeaningful role in complementing the capabilities of HAL. Turbomeca iscommitted to be a part of this process and is open to taking all the rightsteps to make it happen.

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A View from Dynamatics Technologiesby Air Cmde Ravish Malhotra ChiefMentor & Co-Founder, Dynamatic-Oldland Aerospace TM, India

We have acquired 30 acres of land at theaerospace park near the Internationalairport in Bangalore. Our facility is just500-600 metres from the control tower.This is our expansion plan. If we havesome kind of joint venture or transfer oftechnology or whatever is the form of the“Make in India” programme, we want tobe part of it.

We want to do complete helicoptermanufacturing in India. In order toachieve something like what HAL hasdone, we need to start somewhere. We can do in-house, all our sheetmetal machining and aero-structure assembly. We will buy compositepanels from outside. In order not to delay the programme, we will buy afew other parts from abroad till such processes are made available inIndia.

We also need to import rotor blades, avionics, transmission andengines. We will do the final assembly, flight test and delivery. We willrequire test pilots and flight test engineers, as we move forward on thisprogramme.

Whenever you tie up with any OEM, you need to ensure that coretechnology is transferred to you by the OEM. India should eventually lookat manufacture of the blades, main and tail rotor blades, transmissionsystems, avionics, hydraulics and fuel systems. The engine manufacturersmust set up a facility in the country.



The cost of raw material and the engine will take you beyond 50 percent with engine alone costing anywhere between 25-30 per cent. So thepossibility of bringing down cost to 50 per cent by “Make in India” is less.Therefore we need to revert to the government and ask them to reconsiderthis particular requirement.

Further, if you are building the helicopter in India you will needOEM support for approvals namely certification from CEMILAC, DGCA,FAA, EASA. Then for the flight test procedures, we need to make sure thatour test pilots are trained along with theirs. Also, after having built theaircraft and made the delivery, service as well as MRO activity needs to befollowed up.

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A View from Kaman K-MAX byShri Robin Cherian, Director, K-Air

K-Air is India’s leading aircraft sales andleasing company. It is the only Indiangeneral aviation company with a globalfootprint, having representative officesworldwide in Dubai (UAE), KualaLumpur (Malaysia), Texas (USA), Paris(France) and Manila (Philippines). As adealer for major business jets,helicopters and turboprop aircraftmanufacturers, we have different verticalsdealing with these three types of aircrafts.We have the largest pre-owned aircraft

Inventory in India and South Asia. We have sold more than 20 per cent ofBell helicopters in India. We are the leaders in the sales of pre-ownedHawker Beechcraft King Air products, with a collective wisdom of over 40years and 75 aircraft transacted since 2005.

The single engine helicopter K Max can be useful in the mountainousand hilly terrains of India for disaster relief, power line laying and pipelinelaying works. Rate of climb of this helicopter is 800 ft per minute. Another15-20 minutes for fixing up the operation and the entire operation canbe completed in 30 minutes. The same operation with road accessibilitymight take two days.

Joint manufacturing in India would require:• An ideal partner with infrastructure and skilled manpower.• K Max is already a developed product and so we are not looking fordeveloping it in India.• Manufacture is only possible for orders of more than 20 in number.• Joint collaboration for development of new systems on the K Max.• Can explore unmanned drones/K Max.

• Kaman is also a leader in composites, blades, blade erosion reductionpaint and other precision products. This paint particularly has beenpainted on all the black hawk helicopters of the US and they have seenthat in sandy conditions and snowy conditions,it has reduced thewear and tear of the rotors by almost about 60 per cent. They havealso acquired other precision products like a nozzle that has beendeveloped by K Max for refuelling and we are supplying them to theUS Army and Navy.

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PLENARY SESSION - II: Challenges inCertification Requirements

“Certification requirements for militaryhelicopters” by Mr. Anurag Shukla, DyDirector RCMA (Helicopter) CEMILAC

Certification applied to aviation is knownas airworthiness certification and the needfor airworthiness certification arose from:

• Social consideration• Safety of passengers• Safety of people on ground• Numerous agencies and work centres

In India, the DGCA Aircraft Act 1936is for civil certification and for the militarythe guiding document is DDPMAS-2002,which is design, development andproduction of military own stores. Centrefor Military Worthiness and Certification – CEMILAC is the regulatorybody for military worthiness certification in India. CEMILAC is headed bychief executive, who reports to SA to RM. We have Joint AirworthinessCommittee and CEMILAC Advisory Council with different areas of expertise.

The roles and responsibilities of CEMILAC – we are into airworthinesscertification of Ab-initio Designed and Developed Aircraft and Systemsand consumer development airworthiness and a whole lot of activities –manufacturing, modifications, airworthiness directives, defect andaccident investigation, upgrades and so on.

The important policy formulation by CEMILAC are:

• DDPMAS -2002• DDPMAS-Software• DDPUAV-2011 for certification of UAVs• Policy for clearance of bought out items• Joint Venture programmes• SOF test guidelines• Approval of design/test houses, TOT etc

DDPMAS is “Design, Development and Production of Military Aircraft

Mr. Stanly Chacko Sr. Manager (Design), RWR & DC, HAL; Mr. Anurag Shukla, Scientist‘D’, Deputy Director, RCMA (Helicopters) CEMILAC, Wg Cdr Unnikrishna Pillai, ChiefTest Pilot (Rotary Wing) HAL and Shri GN Satyanarayana Sharma, Integrated BusinessDevelopment, & Project Management Organization, HAL



and Airborne Stores”. It is a governing document for military airworthinessand certification in India. It is applicable for manned aircraft/helicoptersand their systems. The first version was released in 1975 and it was laterrevised in 2002. The detailed guidelines/procedures are as follows:

Airworthiness and certification of ab-initio designed and developedaircraft, helicopters and airborne stores

Airworthiness and certification of licensed manufactured and bought-out aircraft and helicopters

Indigenization of airborne stores/ items

It also lists roles and responsibilities of - main contractor, CEMILAC/RCMAs, DGAQA/ORDAQA, users

Second volume of DDPMAS -2002 was released in 2009 for softwaredevelopment and certification

DDPUAV-2011 – The governing document for airworthiness andcertification of military Unmanned Air vehicles (UAVs)

As you are aware military aviation’s prime importance is performanceand mission completion. Safety levels have to be mutually agreed amongstuser, designer and airworthiness authorities. Operational effectiveness inmeeting threats dictates usage of advance technologies yet to be proven.This makes the design as well as certification, a complex process.

The definition of airworthiness in the military parlance, in very simpleterms - Fitness for flight, demonstrated capability of an aircraft to performsafely within prescribed limits. The classical definition as per DDPMAS is“the continued capability of the aircraft to perform satisfactorily and fulfilthe mission requirements of the user throughout its specified life in theprevailing environments with acceptable levels of safety and reliability.”The philosophy is to be airworthy as well as useful. An aircraft or helicoptermust possess standards of performance and efficiency acceptable for thetask to which it has been designed throughout the specified life. Thereforecertification authorities must also guarantee the performance of the aircraft/ helicopter although their main task is to ensure safety.

The major considerations are:

• Flight safety• Performance assurance• Assured life• Redundancy management• Deterioration due to life cycle environment• Maintainability aspects

The constituents of airworthiness are design, manufacturing and theoperation and maintenance. Airworthiness evaluation starts at therequirements stage and continues till the retirement of the aircraft.Airworthiness has to be built into the design. It cannot be enhancedduring manufacture or operation. Proper manufacturing processes/practices are required to maintain design airworthiness level aftermanufacturing and it has to be ensured during operation through scheduledmaintenance activities.

A typical certification methodology that we follow for ab-initiodevelopment programmes and upgrades: We begin with the requirementsfinalisation, we involve in that stage. Next it will be finalisation of technicalspecification. Then evaluation of design and a whole lot of analysis,simulation, ground tests, software validation, verification and safetyevaluation are done. The flight testing data reduction and analysis,

assessment of the performance and documentation/ type record are donebefore the certification.

Some of the typicalities of ab initio design and development:

At CEMILAC we are following concurrent certification approach anddesign team and we move hand in hand.

Airworthiness function starts with finalization of requirements andtechnical specifications.

It progresses through design evaluation, analysis and testing forperformance assessment and culminates into certification finally.

A rigorous and systematic methodology required to be followed forensuring airworthiness.

Availability of all the design data is an advantage in case of certificationof ab-initio developed stores.

Continued airworthiness activities made much simpler due toavailability of all the design data.

Under the gamut of continued airworthiness we have a lot of issues– manufacturing, modifications, airworthiness directives, lifting ofcomponents, defect and accident investigation, in-service issues, upgrades,new system integration etc.

Airworthiness Implementation does not stop with design andprototypes but continues with manufacturing and operation.

Aircraft/helicopter/systems produced should have approved SOP.Adherence to defined manufacturing processes, production acceptancetests must be ensured.

Lifting policies, maintenance and servicing practices have to beevolved.

Users must operate the aircraft within the prescribed boundariesand maintain as per laid down schedules.

Life etc have to be reviewed based on service feedback/failures.

Modifications/checks have to be evolved to address failure.Airworthiness directives necessary to ensure airworthiness are issued fromtime to time by certification agencies.

Another important activity is the mid-life up gradation or lifeextension. Mid-life upgrades are necessary to take advantage of newtechnologies/ concepts, typically applicable to us in the present situation,improve mission capabilities and avoid obsolescence etc. During upgrades,original performance of the machine and safety levels should bemaintained as far as possible.

Extension of Total Technical Life (TTL) is another activity ofsignificance for both indigenously designed as well as bought platforms/systems to exploit full potential.

These two can be handled very easily in case of ab-initio designprogramme where we have design data. In case we do not have typicaltask and we need to generate a lot of data, which may call for extensiveground and flight test and analysis.

In case of life extension or defining the life, we start with initial life/TBO. We do sampling inspections, additional tests, if required, fieldperformance and finally culminates into life or time between overallextension.

In SOP changes arising out of modifications, upgrades, they areassessed technically. System design, reliability performance, safety and



required testing is done. Then finally it is put up to local modificationcommittee, approved and gets into SOP for compliance further. Fieldissues are addressed by analysis of data on PWR/ DI, accidents. In thisdata analysis there are two outcomes – modification proposal to addressthe issue, again it is assessed technically and goes to LMC or there couldbe in some cases airworthiness directives, service instructions, servicetechnical instructions, high alert notices that go to the users for compliance.

License manufacture projects - as per the guidelines given in theDDPMAS 2002. In majority of the cases re-certification by CEMILAC maynot be called for unless it is asked by the user and agreed in contract.Continued airworthiness is the major activity. The procedures to be followedare the same as those followed for in-house development projects.

The important thing is design data as deemed necessary by CEMILACfor ensuring continued airworthiness. This shall be obtained from thelicensor as part of Transfer of Technology (ToT).

Transfer of type record of the equipment and major componentsfrom the licensor to CEMILAC shall be negotiated along with the termsand conditions of the licence projects. It will be incumbent as far aspossible upon the licensee to arrange for transfer of type record or anytechnical information (including proprietary data).

Main focus is on data on reliability, fatigue life, various systems, basisof life, load spectrum, EMI/EMC map, vibration and environmental mapetc. This becomes typically applicable in the present context of “Make inIndia,” where there could be a lot of issues on this. This needs to befurther deliberated upon.

Next case is bought out aircraft. Re-certification may not be calledby CEMILAC. Continued airworthiness is the major activity. The proceduresto be followed are the same as those followed for license manufactureprojects.

Here also DDPMAs clearly brings out that CEMILAC and DGAQA haveto be associated in the negotiations during purchase of airborne stores toensure that certification requirements are met and certification documentsand type records (as in case of license manufacturing) are transferredwhenever possible. Approved design agency should also be involved. Insome of the cases, where civil certified products are offered to use byIndian military revalidation by CEMILAC is required, as operating envelopand conditions of operations may be different for service use. In this caseprocedure to be followed would be advised on specific reference toCEMILAC.

Another major activity is indigenisation of stores. Indigenization is amajor area of thrust at CEMILAC. Indigenization occasions could be:

• Indigenous substitution of stores/systems of license manufacturedor bought-out platforms.

• Development of stores by Indian establishments to meet specificuser requirements and in case of secret systems.

• Indigenous development of system to obviate obsolescence.

• Voluntary indigenous development by PSUs, govt. establishments.

• A well laid-down procedure for indigenization of military airbornestores defined in Sec IV of DDPMAS-2002.

• We are following concurrent certification approach

• Regular dissemination of knowledge on certification proceduresfor indigenous development by CEMILAC through seminars and workshops

etc to promote indigenization are also being done.

The material or system or item to be indigenised has to be identifiedfirst. It could be by HAL, BRDs, private industries, DRDO labs or anygovernment labs. Then it is classified for its criticality in local typecertification committee. Depending upon the criticality classification thecertification route further progresses, starts with finalisation of technicalspecification, then developmental activities, formation of test scheduleand qualification tests. If the results are found not okay then it again goesthrough modification and re cycle starts. If they are found alright thenthey go to type records. For critical components we issue provisionalclearance and for non critical components clearances through local typecertification committee clearance and finally it is given type approval.Tests have to be done in recognised test houses as per the DDPMASrequirement.

“A helicopter is an assembly of SEVERAL thousand loose pieces,flying more or less in formation”

Then, why helicopters?Father of helicopter Igor Sikorsky said, if youare in trouble anywhere in the world an airplane can fly over and dropflowers, but helicopter can land and save your life.

Design criteria - we need high reliability of the systems, damagetolerant/ fail safe structures, high TBO Life, safe life components, goodhandling qualities, crashworthy features and less vibration/ noise.

Some of the latest technologies to meet all these requirements in thefield of helicopters are:

Extensive use of composites

Integrated dynamic system

Fly-by-wire/ Fly-by-light controls

Latest weapons/ sensors

Active vibration control devices and HUMS

FADEC controlled engines

Glass cockpit/ advanced avionics

Hingeless/ bearingless rotors/ ducted fans

After finalisation of requirements and technical specification thefirst step in certification process is design evaluation. This is to ensure thatselection of appropriate standard/ specification. Selection of structuraldesign criteria like safety, casting factor and so on. A lot of analysis likewind tunnel tests, aerodynamic analysis and structural design– stressanalysis are performed. Electrical load analysis, EMI/EMC studies are alsodone. A lot of activities are required as part of design evaluation before wetake the next step forward.

Next step is a Mock-up evaluation, which could be placedsomewhere in parallel to design evaluation and ground testing etc.Mock-up is a representative of the helicopter structure. Mock-upevaluation gives inputs on:

• Cockpit lay out and management• Vision assessment• Aircrew accommodation• Crew interface with structure• Ingress, egress, escape path clearance• Reach of various controls, switches• Readability of various parameters



Inputs obtained from these are incorporated in the detail design bymeans of suitable design/configuration changes.

Next step is ground testing/ evaluation of systems. The requirementis different for different type of systems. Extensive ground testing is requiredbefore any system gets into the helicopter. To list a few:

• Coupon testing to establish the design allowables• Static and fatigue testing of dynamic components• Testing of structural modules like transmission deck, engine deck,

empennage etc• Ballistic damage tests on rotor blades• Environmental tests• Lightning test• Bird hit tests• Number of tests for mechanical systems.

For electrical and avionic system, we have:

• Functional tests of the unit

• Safety of flight tests

• EMI/EMC testing

•Power supply

• Acceleration, shock and vibration tests

• Environmental tests

• Bench/rig checks – System integration rigs, looming rigs etc.

At the helicopter level:

• Shake tests • EMI/EMC tests — qualitative and quantitative

• Integration of all systems on iron bird/ ground test vehicle

• Endurance testing of GTV

• Ground resonance testing of the helicopter

• Software Certification as per DDPMAS-2002, Vol-II softwaredevelopment and certification

• Independent validation and verification of software (IV&V) isrequired

• Applicable standards - RTCA DO 178B, DOD STD 2167A, MIL STD498 etc.

Just to give you a glimpse of what it takes to complete ground testing,these are some of the test set ups, which we have used for testing ALHcomponents: Test set up for main rotor blades, root end test, resonancetest and tension torsion test. This is main rotor hub getting tested, controlsystem endurance test, world tower test for main and tail rotors, test onthe main gear box, load test, intermediate and tail gear box, Landing geardrop test, harpoon test, breakaway fuselage test, helicopter shake test tofind different moods of vibrations, natural frequencies etc.

Finally the ground test vehicle.

Ground Test Vehicle GTV is a full helicopter anchored to the groundwith all systems.

Purpose of GTV is to demonstrate the functional and integrationaspects of all systems under defined power spectrum.

Endurance run of GTV is required to determine the TBO. The wholeidea is to say that a whole lot of testing is done on ground and CEMILACis involved, we go through all the tests, we finalise the test requirements,

go through all the test reports before we take the system to the next step,which is flight testing.

Proof of pudding is in eating, so finally the helicopter and systemshave to fly and produce goods they have to perform. Theory and analysishave to be supplemented and confirmed in flight tests. Things likenavigational inaccuracies, helicopter performance after engine failure isdifficult to predict in the absence of flight trials

Flight testing become necessary to establish- performance boundaries,operational margins, air resonance stability, handling qualities, manoeuvrelimitation, dynamic stability, controllability, noise and vibration andemergency procedures.

We follow rigorous methodology for according the first flight clearanceafter detailed analysis and ground testing. Only then we get the clearancefor the first flight and flight envelope progressively increased during trials.We monitor the flights on day to day basis, clearance of data and thenfinally accord clearance for the next flight.

Details of flight testings, which are required for helicopter certification,helicopter performance:

Hover performance, Climb performance, Level flight performance,Range and endurance, Stability and control, Handling characteristics,Establishment of V-N (Speed vs. g) diagram, Establishment of H-V (Heightvs. Speed) diagram, Auto rotation, Air resonance tests, Night flying, Weaponcarriage, firing and jettison flights, Performance of various systems

The details of flight testing:

Different configuration for flight testing, ranging from minimum tomaximum all up weight, different C-G conditions, different altitudes,different cross wind directions, landing conditions, flight testing at sealevel and at different altitudes up to the service ceiling. Hot weather andhigh altitude/ hot weather, cold weather high altitude, flight testing oversea, ship deck landing to establish the ship helicopter operating limitations.

This is glimpse of rigorous of flight testing.

For integration of external stores, we look at:

Effect on A/C weight & C.G

Local reinforcement and wing strength

Suspension system strength

Store separation characteristics

EMI/EMC

Harmonization

Controllability

Maneuverability

Effect of firing on other a/c system

Carriage, firing, release/jettison envelope

Aircraft performance

Finally, overriding consideration is safety of aircraft

We say, we have absolute trust in god but from all others we needevidences before we say YES. •

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Presentation on Overview of Civil TypeCertification Procedures and itsChallenges by Mr. Stanly Chacko, Sr.Manager (Design), RWR & DC, HAL

The Indian civil aviation authority isDGCA. Aircraft Engineering Directorateand Airworthiness Directorate are the twoimportant department directorates inDGCA that handles the Type certificationand we need to interact with them. TheAircraft Engineering Directorate isbackbone of the type certificationprocess. It gives type approval for theaircraft parts, and appliances.Airworthiness Directorate gives theindividual clearance. After DGCA

certification, we go to international authorities like EASA, FAA forevaluation.

The most important regulation that we will be dealing in certificationis the CAR and the advisory circulars and Ads. This is the national frameworkand in this national framework DGCA tries to meet its internationalobligation. We are signatory of ICAO Chicago convention in which Indiais signatory country and we are called contracting state and so all the ICAOregulations find their way on to the Indian aircraft rules and to the CAR.That is how India shows compliance to the ICAO.

Type certification – in civil we call the products as aircraft, engineand propeller and the terminology product is associated with it andregulatory basis is the Indian aircraft rule 1937 the CAR 21. This is themain rule that we need to follow in type certification. And Sub Part Bcaters to type certification and E caters to supplemental type certificationin case of major modifications carried out by non TC holders.

The other regulations - EASA Part-21 is from where CAR 21 has beenderived. We have been closely involved with DGCA in involving this CAR21 and we keep updating the CAR 21 so that we come at par withinternational regulations.

You can fly only if you have a COFA. Prerequisite for COFA is typecertificate and that is why Aircraft Rule 49 is required. This is the regulatorybasis why one should go for type certificate and type certificate is applicablefor all the three categories – aircraft, engine and propeller.

STC is a recent rule, which was published. At the moment STC islimited to aircrafts that are manufactured within India. You can also getan STC from outside India and get it revalidated here but today STC islimited to equipments, which are certified within India.

This is the generic certification process. It involves many steps but ithas four big processes. We make an application and that sets the entireproject rolling and everything is determined as per that application date.Then, we determine the type certification basis and the rules that willapply for this product. Later, we enter into planning phase. We go para bypara, word by word trying to tell DGCA and work with DGCA to evolve acertification plan. This certification plan will say how we are going to

comply. After certification plan, we directly go to the demonstration ofcompliance stage. It is your ground test analysis, flight test. It is highlyiterative process.

For the first application in the 1990s, the project got steamed by1998 and in 2003 only we finished validation. It is an iterative process.You finish all the means of compliance, which was initially agreed andyou end up with final TC. There are four processes- application, planning,demonstration of compliance and issue of TC. Parallel to that it youshould make sure that your organization is a design organization approvalholder. You start the process of DOA approval plus production organizationapproval for your prototype. These two branches go parallel. The constraintis that before the DGCA signs the TC, you need to have DOA legally andbefore you start flying you need to have DOA agreed upon.

We in DGCA, except for a few exemptions in certain paragraphs,follow everything that is internationally prescribed. The Part 29 as far asmedium helicopters - this is a standard. All the other standards arederived from FAR and CS European certification specification. It isinternationally laid down and the point to note is your date of applicationthat will determine the amendment levels for these standards. It willremain so for five years.

Other important aspect of civil certification is environment. Theexternal noise, the emissions, all these are governed by ICAO and ST. Wehave different chapters. Chapter 8 is for FAR 29 category aircraft. Noiselimits are based upon your weight and you’ve got to meet them. Details ofcompliance can be seen in the ICAO Environmental Technical ManualNo. 9501, which is also the international standard in both EASA and FSA.

Few essentials for type certification -

• The organization should have Design Organization Approval

• For STC you could modify subers. You want to modify a Bellhelicopter you could do that provided you have a No Technical Objectionfrom Bell or you convince the authority that yes the organization has itsown resources to do the modification. That is the eligibility for STCapplication. Applicable fees in India are very less. FAA is also cheaperthan EASA. You need to have Production Organization Approval to buildyour prototype.

That is the full aircraft certification process. We step into the Partsand Appliances certification process. The basis is the Aircraft Rules, 1937,Rule. 53, which clearly says, all that is put on board should be approvedby the Director General. To make things very simple we have three majortypes of parts in the whole helicopter –

• Indian Technical Standard Order (ITSO) parts

• Platform dependent parts

• Standard parts

We borrowed ITSO rules from EASA and FAA. EASA and FAA fromtheir own wisdom have identified that there are certain parts that can becertified irrespective of the platform. The certification effort for theseparts gets bifurcated at the part level and then when you go on to certifyingthe platform we get to do only the insulation test. The ITSO really reducesthe burden of certification. Then there are platform dependent parts forwhich the TC holder has to show compliance and there is standard part.

The definition of parts and appliances as laid down in CAR 21 is veryimportant. It has all these equipments in. Most important is, it should be



used in or intended to be used in operating or controlling an aircraft inflight and is installed in or attached to the aircraft. It precludes all theGSE, GHE from this definition.

Indian Technical Standard Order (ITSO) is a great instrument forreducing the certification burden. Today DGCA has a bilateral agreementwith FAA. If DGCA certifies a TSO item, it will be validated by an FAA letterof design approval. There is a great opportunity for Indian industry topitch in. These are TSO items that are platform independent. At presentthere are 200 of them in the whole list. These TSOs are common for bothFAA and EASA and DGCA derives its own ITSO from either of them. It is asimilar process and a well harmonised one.

Standard part is another interesting part in civil, where there is a lotof liberty given to the manufacturer. Standard part is defined as a partmade in total compliance with official standards, available in publicdomain. It means standard part should be made by XYZ but to the samestandard. If you are having a standard part, the responsibility of qualitycontrol of the standard part is placed on the production organizationtoday. As a consequence the standard part is elevated from the requirementto have a production organization approval by itself. But the platformproduction organization approval holder will bear the responsibility ofstandard part.

There is an ITSO, which can go straight up to the aircraft and thereis a standard part which doesn’t require a POA and there are otherprocesses through which, a part can end up in the aircraft. It is veryimportant in the “Make in India” context to visualise this. There is a newrule issued in CR 21.1.33d which allows license manufacturing or thearrangement is quite similar to the FAA PME.

Key requirement for TSO approval is

• Application• Manual of procedures (I.A.W SUB PART O)• Certification plan• Data package

• Production Organization Approval, which the TSO organizationshould have because it is basically going to make the part.

The key requirements for standard part are that you need have officialrecognised standards. These standards should be available on the publicdomain. Anyone should be able to make a standard part and it should notbe of proprietary nature. The quality control of the standards part lieswith the production organization of the platform.

Design organizations approvals - there are two type of designorganizations approvals - JA and JB. JA is for the platform and JB is forparts and appliance holders.

The good benefit of a DOA is that you get these privileges. Theseprivileges are akin to the military. Once you are a DOA, you are entitled tomake minor changes and minor repairs of your own because you have anassessed capability. The whole process becomes fully in-house processesexcept for major modes and major repairs.

The importance of DOA is that it is a sort of approval of theorganization, where in the certification authority gets to appreciate or getsconfidence on the organization and that it has a framework. It has rulesand procedures and it can show compliance and certify a part by itself.That is the main use of DOA for the authority. It lets the authority rely on

the organization for findings of compliance.

The key requirement of DOA is design assurance system. The designassurance system is that the organizations in itself has an ability to showcompliance, which means study the standard and wherewithal to showthe compliance and there is an independent group within the organizationthat will be able to verify the compliance and say that he has complied tothe certification authority.

Production Organization Approval POA - there are two parts. Regularproduction organization approval and other is for the start ups. Youcould have production organizations with very limited scope.

When we went round to find environmental testing facilities, most ofthe facilities available in India are fine tuned to the defence. You haveeverybody complying with 8-10 and very few with DO160 compliance,capable of showing DO160 compliance. That is one of the challenges.

One of the other areas, where we should be looking at is the highintensity radiated fields. This test set up and understanding of the regulationis in a nascent stage. I think it is totally devoid in the country. When we aretalking about medium helicopters S92 recently is fully icing envelopcertified. We should be thinking about icing. Noise is a challenge.

There are some short comings with respect to lack of regulationpertaining to test pilots and joint certification is one another area, wherewe are working at the ministry level to see how military and civil certificationauthorities can collaborate and save a lot of resources.

The most important thing is project management. Most of the civilprojects including Dhruv civil variant is not customer driven. Instead, it iscompany’s own initiative. It is very different. It would be a good idea, if theforum thinks about custom of funding of civil projects. This has nothappened in India and I believe if the customer drives the civil programmesin this country, it will grow faster.

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TECHNICAL SESSION-IIIInfrastructure Requirements related toManufacturing Medium & Heavy Lifthelicopters by GN SatyanarayanaSharma, Integrated BusinessDevelopment & Project Management

Organization, HAL

HAL has produced more than 750helicopters so far. This shows magnitudeof experience that we posses in designand manufacture of rotary wing productsand under development is newgeneration – 3 ton helicopter LUH, whichis upcoming and we are alsocontemplating medium/ heavy lifthelicopter in the form of IMRH.



Manufacturing perspective on the medium and heavy lift helicopters: Make in Indiaconcept seeks to make India manufacturing hub and it gives very smooth sailingwindow opening for OEM investors, imbibes manufacturing competitiveness andfacilitates small and medium-sized industries to play a big role. It also encouragesavailability of cutting edge technologies, facilitates critical in-house research anddevelopment (R&D) to make sure ‘Make in India’ gets competitive edge in themarket. This will be the long run vision because if we just end up making ToTproducts, we stay there only. So there should be enhancement and up gradations.Manufacturing strategic option for MLH and HLH is that we will identify coremanufacturing competencies that are available with us and thereby identify thescope for indigenous manufacture of heavy helicopters. Identify domains wheretechnical support is necessitated. Tie up with potential OEM for assimilation ofmanufacturing technologies. To create for large eco system we go for participationwith private companies and this will enhance the local capabilities and base fordefence production.Core competencies in airframe manufacture – we manufacture all detail part,sheet metal, machine, composites, piping, tubes and weldings. We have alsoembarked on huge outsourcing of non critical sheet metal and machine andcurrently we handle the critical ones in house. We have the structure assemblycapabilities, sub assembly, modules and complete air frame assemblies to exactstandards.Final assembly (equipping) – we have final assembly lines capabilities and we areperforming all these operations on successful Dhruv platforms. We have specifictooling capabilities in design and manufacture of aircraft assembly jigs and this weare doing in 3D CAD to latest standards of being set with laser trackers and buildingthem to that accuracy. They are high precision assembly jigs. Most of them aregaugeless jigs that automatically guarantee inter-changeability for us in the builds.For augmentation of manufacturing capability, support is contemplated inmanufacture of rotors and rotors assemblies, transmission assemblies, engine andtypically in tooling, we feel the need for INVAR tooling for composites.Infrastructure requirement – we need plant and machinery for product manufacture.Support infrastructure in the form of heli runway, telemetry, control towers. Serviceinfrastructure for MRO, upgrades and life cycle support as well as with the base isat customers.Social infrastructure to support the whole eco system of Greenfield plant concept.In addition to the physical infrastructure, skill sets and capabilities are add-onresources to physical infrastructure, crucial for successful functioning of the plant.HAL has embarked on expansion programme of our helicopter manufacturinginfrastructure. We are contemplating a Greenfield plant. The state government hasgranted 610 acres of industrial land near Tumkur. Land has been taken over by HALand initial civil work planning activities are under progress.Infrastructure development will be in-line with project phases. As the projectevolves, infrastructure will come up in phases and it will be of world class state-of-the-art.A typical Greenfield helicopter plant will have dedicated helicopter division, whichwill be the mother plant for assembly, structure assembly equipping and flight testand all current aircrafts have sizeable composites in them so that we will havecomposite manufacturing division. We contemplate an exclusive transmissiondivision, which manufacture critical gear box and transmission assemblies withMRO capabilities. Engines for engine manufacture. Serrate MRO division fortaking care of MRO activities. We will have a dedicated heli-pad and runway aswell.Among these divisions a lot of commonalities shall be worked out in terms of havingcommon facilities among the divisions. This leads to synergies like what all thecommon machineries, shops etc required among the divisions, can be madecommon and synergies can be created. This will give an optimize plant andmachinery requirement. Better capacity utilization will bring down the capitalexpenditure and manpower requirement. Plant efficiency goes up by optimising.Additional facilities shall include training and related learning facilities to makesure ToT doesn’t end up as ToT but as part of training. To support the ecosystemhospital, medical, residential townships and things like that should be in place.As a lead integrator, HAL has supporting divisions and they can be upgraded suitablyand scaled up and deployed for manufacture of medium and heavy lift helicopters.

As far as our suppliers are concerned, currently we are outsourcing componentsfrom tier-II suppliers. Structural sub-assemblies and assemblies will be out-sourcedfrom tier-I suppliers for upcoming production programmes. Now, we are embarkingon development of tier-I suppliers and are doing all the necessary handholding. Thisexisting infrastructure can be scaled up and suitably upgraded for MLH.HAL perspective - New business models being explored with Indian and foreigncompanies for the growing Indian helicopter business. We have capabilities tomanufacture and support medium and heavy lift helicopters and offer many advantagesin terms of location attractiveness, quality and costs. That is due to the legacyexperience and capabilities.Make in India advantage with HAL:• Qualified and experienced manpower• Established infrastructure, scalable and upgradable• Design ToT absorption capability for core systems• Production ToT absorption capability for core systems• Can customize requirements with Indian systems and certification• Established ROH facilities for all major systems• Expertise in mid life upgrade• Capabilities required to manufacture and maintain helicopters• Intends to join hands with public and private players• India can get capability in terms of development and production of MLH / HLH,leading towards future self reliance.•

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MAKE IN INDIA – THE WAY AHEAD

The excitement and upbeat sentiments in industry,especially in sectors that hitherto fore were fighting a losingbattle, rose to a fresh high in 2014, riding on the wave of the‘MAKE IN INDIA’ sentiment that is sweeping across theNation, infusing enthusiasm, generating revolutionarythought and setting the tone for the future. The Rotary WingSociety of India, a not for profit body for the upliftment ofaviation, especially the helicopter industry, conducted aseminar, with the theme – “MAKE IN INDIA”, withemphasis on the helicopter industry. The seminar providedan insight into the challenges that exist. It also provided aplatform for industry giants to meet on a common platform.The seminar highlighted existing capabilities and also voids.We are sanguine that the voids will be addressed by theindustry as time goes by so as to achieve ‘Make in India’.

MAKE IN INDIA – GOI PAVES THE WAY

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the apexdecision-making body of the Ministry, triggered a scorchingpace of acquisition by clearing proposals worth over Rs 1.50lakh Crores for the Services in 2014. Most of the equipmentand platforms, cleared by the DAC, will be manufactured inthe country, either by the public or private sector entities,through collaborations and tie-ups with foreignmanufacturing companies. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)in the Defence Sector has been encouraged by liberalisingpolicies.

MAXIMISING INDIGENISATION & MODERNISATION

For speedy indigenization, the Government has increasedthe Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit from 26% to 49%.Above 49%, the proposal will go to Cabinet Committee onSecurity on a case-to-case basis. The three-year lock-in periodfor foreign investment in Defence sector has been done awaywith.

The defence products list for the purpose of industriallicensing has been revised. In the revised list most of thecomponents / parts / raw materials, castings, forgings,production machinery, testing equipment etc. have been takenout of purview of industrial licensing. This will reduce thelicense requirement for many items, which earlier requiredindustrial license for manufacturing.

Recommendations - Make in India

LIGHT HELICOPTERS TO BE MADE IN INDIA

The DAC has also decided that all the 384 light-utilityhelicopters needed by the Army and Air Force to replace theexisting Cheetah / Chetak fleets will be made in India withforeign collaboration. This is definitely a step towards –MAKE IN INDIA. Thus, in addition to other projects, thevalue of investment for such projects is likely to be to thetune of Rs. 65,000 crores.

ACQUISITIONS

DAC approvals for Apache and Chinook helicopters willalso generate interest in the industry. The Navy too is acquiringhelicopters. Several other acquisitions have been fast tracked.All in all, the MAKE IN INDIA drive is well on its way.

CAPACITY BUILDING

Capacity building has progressed by way of the LCAprogram and the Tejas initiative. There is a dire need to expandcivil markets for existing products like the Advanced Lighthelicopter (ALH). This will ensure that we reach out andcompete in the open market, thereby up scaling our productsto world class standards.

MAKE IN INDIA –SEMINAR HIGHLIGHTS

There is no doubt that reforms for the ‘Make in India’campaign need to be initiated at the top. The GOI has sownthe seeds towards providing a favourable environment. It isup to the industry to rise up to the challenge. Industry mustdrive reforms by performance. We need to move away froma protected regime to an age of open qualitative competition.May the best product win –needs to become the buzzword.Today, even China, which was, till recently, nowhere in termsof aviation production, has successfully produced a mediumlift helicopter that set a world altitude record. Apart from thetriumph of design and manufacture, this innovation hasalso affected the geo – military status in the sub continent.Even Brazil, geographically and possibly technologicallyrelatively smaller than India, has produced world-class aviationproducts that are playing a major role in the market. Some ofthe efforts / endeavours / proposals that may catalyze andgalvanize the ‘Make in India’ campaign are:

Encourage Innovation: The ‘Make In India’ campaignmust fund innovation. Innovation must be encouraged,



recognized, publicized and regularized. Companies likeDynamatics, who have made giant strides in not onlypartnering with world leaders, but have also met or surpassedglobal standards, must be recognized at the National level.Efforts must be made to capitalize on such revolutionaryentrepreneurship and achieve the ‘Make in India’ goal.

Quality Control: Quality control is a hallmark of ourstandards. We need to ensure that our standards resonatewith international standards. To this end, we must facilitateindustry, provide incentives and propel the ‘Make in India’campaign along parallel lines, as we will need to ensure thatour products meet or surpass global standards, thus enablingmarketability around the world.

Cost Effectiveness: Meeting global standards are justone side of the coin. Any product that is churned out fromour stables must also be cost effective. The entire product lifecycle must be so attractive that global manufacturers not onlymove to ‘Make in India’, but also agree to transfer oftechnology as this would be mutually beneficial, in both thelong term as well as short term.

Transfer of Technology: The seminar on ‘Make inIndia’, did establish that there may be reluctance on the partof developers to share technology that they have developedat tremendous cost of time, effort and money. This reluctancemust be appreciated, alternatives generated and the ‘Make inIndia’ program must move on. Our Nation cannot bestonewalled, merely because of one critical component thatcannot be made in India at this time.

Barriers to Trade: To encourage the ‘Make in India’campaign, the reduction or complete removal of tradebarriers, dual taxations, custom barriers, multiple clearances,etc must be systematically and surgically eliminated. The ‘Makein India’ program must be made so user friendly and investorfriendly, that every manufacturer, has a vested interest in ‘Makein India’, an interest so unavoidable that he goes out of theway to ‘Make in India’.

Regulatory Processes: Yes, we manage to garnerinvestors, manufacturers, designers, etc. However, when itcomes to actually approving the project by our regulatoryauthorities, our processes become time consuming andcumbersome. The regulatory processes for approval formanufacture must be along the lines of the FAA and EASA.In fact, commonality must ensure parallel approvals. TheGovt of India must fast track reforms with the DGCA so asto ensure that approvals are time based, realistic and at par

with international regulators. This will provide a fillip tomanufacturers as well as to the program.

Spares and Customer Services: As a Nation, we mustdevelop a focus towards achieving not just customersatisfaction, but customer delight. If Bell Helicopters canestablish a network that provides spares within 24 hours, weneed to emulate the model or if possible, surpass it. Weneed to ensure that our products are supported globally andwithin time frames that do not adversely affect customerperformance or profitability. This must become our ethosand focus.

Make in India: There is a need to establish a NationalAuthority that is in a position to coordinate the efforts of allagencies. For example, HAL is the leading agency in terms ofHelicopter manufacture. Dynamatics has achieved globalstandards in some fields. Turbomeca is interested inproviding transfer of technology for engines. Similarly thereare many players who would be willing to come together onmutually beneficial terms and conditions. An umbrellaorganisation must be established to coordinate and facilitatethe progress of such a conglomerate. The Govt must providea tax holiday on all activities that are focused towards theachievement of the ‘Make in India’ mission. After all, afinished product that will be globally viable would providemore revenue in terms of foreign exchange, than mere taxes.

National Pride: The ‘Make in India’ campaign must beelevated to a NATIONAL MISSION. One recalls theNational sentiment that was created, encouraged andcapitalized on when the USA was going about its MoonMission. The collective will, sentiments and thoughts of theentire Nation were focused towards the ultimate objectivethat finally culminated with Neil Armstrong’s immortalwords – “One small step for me – but a giant leap formankind”. Such a sentiment must be encouraged, nurturedand built up painstakingly, even to the extent of hysteria, sothat we as a Nation are inspired, encouraged, facilitated andenabled to develop world-class products that are innovative,revolutionary and cost effective world wide.

“Arise – awake and stop not till the goal is reached” –goes a famous proverb. Our Nation, has achieved severalmilestones. The Mars Orbiter Mission is one such milestonethat has made us the envy of many a developed Nation. Wemust transfer the zeal, focus, enthusiasm and dedicationtowards the ‘Make in India’ dream. With a dedicated timeline, we can make this dream a reality.•

The International Helicopter SafetyTeam (IHST) has gathered civilhelicopter accident information fromworldwide sources and is seeing ahopeful trend of improved safety. TheIHST, which promotes safety and worksto reduce accidents, was formed in2005 to lead a government and industrycooperative effort to address factors thatwere affecting an unacceptablehelicopter accident rate.

The data collected by the IHSTshows that from 1997 thru 2005, theaverage number of annual civilhelicopter accidents worldwide was 570.In addition, this average was trendingupward at an annual rate of 2.5 percent.

Since 2006, when the IHSTcooperative effort was formed, theaverage number of annual civilhelicopter accidents worldwide has been515 and the average is trendingdownward at an annual rate of about 2percent.

While there is no solid data on worldwide flying hour increases ordecreases during the period since the IHST’s creation, the number ofhelicopters in the world is growing and the flying hours in many helicopterindustries have been increasing. As a result, the IHST is fairly confidentthat the accident rate is declining by least as much as the accident countis declining. (down 2 percent)

Better access to safety methods and improved safety awareness arehelping helicopter operators reduce the number of accidents and enhancesafety programs, but more work needs to be done to eliminate preventableaccidents.

IHST Sees Gradual Downward Trend in WorldwideHelicopter Accidents

Third Party Safety AuditWhat is your company goal ? Achieving highest safety levels for your Customers, Passengers, Employees &MachinesHave you achieved it? If not, why not?Safety audit helps timely rectification of deviations.

Please Contact Sr. Admin Officer, RWSI

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More information about the IHST, its reports, safety tools, and safetybulletins can be obtained at its web site at www.IHST.org and on the IHSTFacebook page.

The above chart displays worldwide civil helicopter accident totalsfor an 18-year period, with the blue line reflecting the total annual numberof accidents. The red dashed line shows the expected total annual accidentsif the pre-2006 trend had continued. The yellow dashed line shows thenew expected accident totals using 2006 through 2012 data.•

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10 Feb, 15, Source: IHST. Using data from more than 500 accidents, safety experts from the InternationalHelicopter Safety Team (www.IHST.org) developed seven safety initiatives for operators and pilots that wouldhave the strongest impact on reducing helicopter accidents. They focus in general on pilot training, safety andrisk management concepts, and maintenance practices.

Install and use cockpit recording devices – Install and incorporate flight data monitoring equipment torecord the actions of the flight crew. Data can be used for immediate feedback to trainers, operators and flightcrews. The data could also aid during accident investigation to support a more complete analysis and futuresafety recommendations.

Improve Auto rotation Training – Enhance auto rotation training in both primary and advanced flighttraining and develop simulator programs to improve auto rotation skills.

Add Advanced Maneuvers to Simulator Training – Incorporate a simulator training program that includesdynamic rollover, emergency procedures training, ground resonance, quick stop maneuvers, targeting approachprocedures, and practice with pinnacle approaches, unimproved landing areas, and elevated platforms.

Enhance training about awareness, performance and emergencies – Establish training programs thatevaluate the proficiency of critical issues such as systems failures, impending weather concerns, effects ofdensity altitude, and wind and surface conditions. Continually evaluate pilots on aircraft performance, theeffects of density altitude, gross weight and flight manual limitations.Also emphasize loss of system, recognitionand recovery training.

Implement a personal risk management program – Encourage the use of a personal risk managementprogram such as the IMSAFE checklist and other simple safety tools.

Establish a Safety Management System – A formal Safety Management System (SMS) requires training forspecific missions, the establishment and enforcement of standard operating procedures, provisions and trainingof personnel to use risk assessment tools, and most importantly, a focus on changing the safety culture toensure that all personnel put safety first during every mission.

Adhere to maintenance compliance and quality assurance – Strictly follow the manufacturer’s maintenancemanuals and practices. Implement a robust quality assurance program that ensures the use of manufacturersmaintenance manuals, service bulletins, and procedures.•

7 Initiatives that Every Helicopter Operator andPilot Need to Tackle

RWSI gets approval forProcedures Training

Course by DGCARWSI and its members have taken many safety initiatives which hadcontributed to 2014 as Accident Free year. In pursuing with RWSI’sobjective of achieving safer skies through education, its Training Facultycarried out 9 Ground Training courses for aviation professionals in January2015. Since Sept 2004, a total of 3286 candidates that includes pilots,engineers and other aviation professionals have benefited from variouscourses conducted by RWSI at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow,Jamshedpur and Ahmadabad. Some of the courses were attended byserving pilots from the three services. RWSI had also conducted SMStraining at Kathmandu and Singapore.

We are glad to inform RWSI is one of the first Institutions to beapproved by DGCA to conduct ‘Procedures Training Course’ for allhelicopter pilots. Five courses were held in January 2015. A total numberof 49 pilots attended procedures training at Delhi.

Alliance Insurance Brokerswant more RWSI Membersto Avail their LOL Policy

RWSI, in its continued efforts to enable the helicopter fraternity, in thepast had provided Loss of License (LOL) policies through a third partyvendor (TPA), namely Alliance Insurance Brokers, at Mumbai.

We understand that their reluctance to handle LOL cases sponsoredby RWSI is based on last year LOL claim of Pilots which far exceeded fixedwing pilots amounting to Appx 3 Crores. As against it, RWSI memberswho had taken LOL policy were only 80(Appx 40Lacs). This year, the TPAhas expressed its inability to provide services, unless a minimum strengthof at least 350-400 pilots are enrolled. Unfortunately, at this juncture, thismay not be possible. Hence, perforce, the entire helicopter communitywill need to obtain insurance from the sole vendor, i.e. Bajaj Allianz, thattoo through the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP). Obtaining LOL throughFIP, entails an additional expenditure of Rs.1700/-each year (or Rs.17000/- for Life Membership). It thus increases the strain on our existing members.RWSI has therefore decided to contact Bajaj Allianz directly, so that theyprovide insurance cover to our members, under their policy in ouractions.•

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RWSI Seeks Experienced Rotary WingPilots / AMEs as Consultants

Rotary Wing Pilots/AMEs who have held senior supervisory positionmay volunteer their services for empanelment with RWSI to handleconsultancy work. RWSI will take care of travel, boarding and lodgingof consultants during the period of work. Professionals willing tovolunteer their services may forward their bio-data including theirprofessional qualification and supervisory experience by 05 Mar 2015to Sr. Admin Officer RWSI, C/o B-61(Ground Floor), Sector-22, NOIDA(U.P.)-201 301 or by e-mail to:- [email protected]

Present RWSI Governing Council & Office Bearers

Schedule for Election of GC Members forManagement of RWSI (Jun 2015 to Jun 2018)

Dear Life Member,

The term for the present Governing Council of the Rotary WingSociety of India is scheduled to end on 31st May 2015. It is thereforeplanned to hold an election to the Governing Council on 25 May 15.ToManage the Society for the next three year period (01 Jun 15 to 01 Jun18), new Governing Council will be elected from amongst the LifeMembers who volunteer to stand for elections for the 15 MemberGoverning Council. RWSI has therefore planned to meet the electiondead line as follows:-

1. Last date for receipt of nomination papers from LifeMembers 23 Mar 15. Life Members who are desirous to contest forthe Elections are to forward their Nomination forms (a copy is attached)duly recommended by 10 Life Members by registered post so as to reachSr. Admin Officer, RWSI, B-61, Sector-22, Noida 201 301 by 1600hrson 23 Mar 2015. Member if so desire may also forward their nominationpapers by Email to RWSI [email protected].

2. Last date for finalizing the names of Life Membersnominated to stand for Elections-31Mar 15 (to be done 8 weeksbefore the Election date). The forms shall then be scrutinized by ElectionOfficer appointed by RWSI Governing Council. After scrutiny; eligiblenames will be included in the ballot papers to be circulated to all LifeMembers. The Election will be conducted by postal ballot.

3. The ballot papers to all Life Members of RWSI will be

The Chairman and President, AVM K Sridharan VM (G), welcomed allmembers and highlighted the programme of the meeting and upcomingevents including ‘Make in India Civil & Military Helicopters: Emergingopportunities and Challenges’, scheduled to be held at Bangalore thefollowing day and the Governing Council Elections scheduled in the firsthalf of the coming calendar year.

He also briefly informed the Council that the office accommodationat Sector 62 was nearing completion and was likely to be ready forhanding over by middle of March 2015. He was hopeful of finding asuitable tenant for the office space of the Society through the goodoffices of its members. The minutes of the 46th GC meeting held at JuhuAirport on 24th Sep 2014 were reviewed and, there being no commentsfrom any of the members, the same were confirmed.

In accordance with the approval in the last GC Meeting, Wg Cdr NSKrishna has been invited as nominated member to our Governing Council.The Chairman also informed that Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI)had nominated Mr. MS Bora, GM (Tech. Support), Pawan Hans Ltd. tothe Governing Council. The Council was informed about the statutorychanges in training. It was informed that Procedure Training was

dispatched by courier/post on or before 22 Apr 2015. Last datefor dispatching ballot papers by RWSI to Life Members - 22 Apr 2015.These ballot papers will be dispatched by courier/post to all Life Memberson or before 22 Apr 2015 by RWSI HQs. The members are requested tomark their choice of 15 members for the Council from amongst thenames listed in the ballot paper.

4. Last date for receipt of completed ballot papers at RWSIHQs from Life Members-22 May 15. The members are to return theBallot paper to RWSI in the attached addressed envelope so as to reachSr. Admin Officer, RWSI, B-61, Sector-22, Noida 201301 by 1600hrs on22 May 2015. Member if so desire can send his scanned ballot paper bye mail to [email protected] before 1600 hrs on 22 May 2015.

5. Counting of ballot papers and declaring the result -25May 15. The envelope containing the ballot paper will be opened in thepresence of a three member team of Life Members at RWSI Hqs on25 May 2015 at 1200hrs. In addition, any Members desirous of contestingfor elections are also invited to be present. Any ballot paper received atRWSI HQs after 1600hrs on 22 May 2015 will not be valid. The Ballotwill be counted at 1200hrs on 25 May 2015 and the team will declarethe result on the same day. After counting, the Ballot Papers will besealed and handed over to Secretary RWSI for retention. The list of newGoverning Council will be posted on RWSI website www.rwsi.org on25 May 2015.•

introduces in lieu of Special VFR course for which RWSI has got approvalupto 31st January 2015. The Chairman informed the members that aselections for GC Members are due in 2015, the process and preparationsfor it must start well in advance so as to ensure that the new GoverningCouncil is elected and takes over by 31 May 2015. The Secretary Generalinformed that notice concerning the Elections have already publishedin Rotor India Qtly and the schedule of election will be announced atthe appropriate time. The GC members were informed that those desirousof continuing may choose to contest the elections. There was also apresentation on Financial Health of RWSI was by Mr. Vinayak AccountsOfficer. It was intimated to the Members that the Society had for the firsttime since inception received refund intimation from the Income Taxdepartment for AY 2013-14 for Rs.4,80,860/-. He mentioned that RWSIwill need to gear up for drop in monthly revenue (#Rs.3.2 lacs) onceRWSI accommodation at I thum is handed over to RWSI in Apr 15.Rs.3.2 lacs per month is being paid by Grandslam Developters as penaltyfor delay in completing the project.

The chairman concluded the meeting outlining the need forinstitutionalizing the Society for sustaining its unstinted service to theHelicopter Industry at large.•

RWSI Holds GC Meeting at Bangalore on 26 Dec 2014

<<RWSI ActivitiesRWSI ActivitiesRWSI ActivitiesRWSI ActivitiesRWSI Activities>>

New Gen AW169 Full Scale Production UnderwayFinmeccanica - AgustaWestland announced 09 Jan 2015 that the newgeneration AW169 light intermediate 4.5-tonne class helicopter has enteredfull scale production, with the first aircraft now on the final assembly lineat its Vergiate facility in Italy. The event marks a major milestone ahead ofEASA certification, with deliveries to the first batch of customers set tostart in the 2nd quarter of 2015. The AW169 is the first all new aircraft inits weight category to enter the market in nearly forty years. The AW169flight test programme, utilizing four prototypes, has so far amassed over1200 flying hours during flight testing in Italy, the UK and USA. A secondAW169 final assembly line is planned at AgustaWestland’s Philadelphiaplant in the US, while AgustaWestland’s Yeovil plant in UK is alreadyplaying a key role in the production of rotor blades and tail rotortransmission system. In parallel to the start of full scale production,AW169 training systems are being established at AgustaWestland’s SestoCalende Training Academy in Italy, including a level-D full flight simulatorand maintenance trainer.

A versatile, new generation twin engine light intermediate categoryhelicopter, the AW169 has been designed in response to the growingmarket demand for an aircraft that delivers high performance, meets allthe latest safety standards and has multi-role capabilities. The AW169 isbeing certified in accordance with EASA CS-29 / FAR Part 29 latestAmendments. The type incorporates several new technology features inthe rotor system, engines, avionics, transmission and electric powergeneration and distribution systems, and is the first all new helicopter inits class in nearly 40 years. The AW169 can comfortably accommodate upto ten passengers in its large, unobstructed cabin, fitted with a range ofcustomized equipment and entertainment systems. The powerplant featuresan Auxiliary power unit (APU) mode ensuring the continued operation ofthe environmental control system, radios and medical equipment whenthe rotors are stopped. The AW169’s avionic suite introduces state-of-the-art technology including a full digital NVG compatible cockpit with touchscreen technology.

The AW169 is designed withinherent ease of maintenance, forreliable, intensive utilisation in themost demanding conditions with hightime between overhauls (TBO) andminimal life-limited parts. Timebetween successive inspections has beenoptimised to maximise aircraftavailability and reduce maintenance man hours per flight hour, adoptingMSG-3 approach for the maintenance process. Maintenance programmescan be tailored to meet operators’ specific requirements. The AW169helicopter is part of AgustaWestland’s family of new generation helicoptersthat also includes the AW139 and AW189. These helicopters all possessthe same high-performance flight characteristics and safety features whilstsharing the same common cockpit concept and design philosophy. Thisapproach facilitates synergies for operators of these models in areas suchas training, flight operations, maintenance and support. Over 120 AW169helicopters have been ordered by customers around the world to date,including framework contracts and options, for a wide range ofapplications including executive and private transport, air ambulance,law enforcement, offshore transport and utility roles.•

Russian Company to Receive AW189 Civil HelicoptersFinmeccanica - AgustaWestland, announced on 7 Jan 15 that it will provide160 AW189 civil helicopters to the oil company Rosneft by 2025. Thesupply will be provided mainly through HeliVert, a joint venture betweenFinmeccanica - AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters (a subsidiary ofthe corporation Rostec). HeliVert will be responsible for the final assembly(at its Tomilino plant near Moscow) of the helicopters. The agreementincludes the supply of integrated services (maintenance and training) forcustomers in Russia and CIS countries. With this supply of 160 AW189 civilhelicopters, Rosneft will become the primary customer for the AW189worldwide.

The 8.3 ton AW189, is a new generation helicopter in the supermedium category developed to meet the growing demand in the globalmarket for long range operations. The AW189 is optimized for offshore transport and search and rescue missions. Certified in early 2014, the AW189is already in service in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Over 130 units have already been ordered by customers worldwide so far.•

<<AgustaWestlandAgustaWestlandAgustaWestlandAgustaWestlandAgustaWestland>>

Bell 505 Jet Ranger X AwardedBest Light Single Engine Helicopter in China

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, (NYSE: TXT),announced the Bell 505 Jet Ranger Xwas awarded “bestlight single engine helicopter” according to the HurunReport’s survey of China’s luxury consumers.“We areincredibly excited the Bell 505 has been awarded thisdistinction in China,” said Chris Jaran, Vice President forBell Helicopter in China. “The Bell 505 was designed basedon extensive input provided by a Customer Advisory Council(CAC). Bell Helicopter unveiled the Jet Ranger X at HELI-Expo in 2014. On November 10, Bell Helicopter announcedthe successful first flight of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger Xhelicopter. The maiden flight took place at the Mirabel,Québec, manufacturing facility. Bell Helicopter has receivedmore than 300 letters of intent for the new model aroundthe world. While at Airshow China in November, BellHelicopter announced a letter of intent with ReignwoodInvestment, Ltd. for fifty Bell 505 aircraft alone.

The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X is a five-seat, single-engine, turbinehelicopter that is designed to be the safest and easiest aircraft to fly in itscategory while still remaining affordably priced. With a cruise speed of125+ knots, range of over 360 nautical miles and useful load of1,500 pounds, the Bell 505 offers best-in-class performance. The JetRanger X is a multi-mission helicopter, designed to meet a wide

Bell Helicopter, announced in Dec’14 the revolutionaryBell Boeing V-22 fleet of tilt rotor aircraft has recentlypassed the 250,000 flight hour milestone. The V-22 Ospreyhas been continuously deployed since entering service in2007 with the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and theAir Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Theaircraft has seen extensive action in Afghanistan as part ofOperation Enduring Freedom, in Iraq as part of OperationIraqi Freedom, and as part of a U.S. Central Command(USCENTCOM) Special Marine Air Ground Task Force (SP-MAGTF) supporting a long-range rapid reaction/crisisresponse force covering the Mediterranean and parts of theAfrican continent. Since entering service the V-22 tiltrotorhas been deployed in numerous missions around the world,including Casualty Evacuation, Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel, Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief, resupply, VIP transport, and theatersecurity cooperation. It is one of the safest rotorcraft aircraft operated by the United States Marine Corps.

“This 250,000 flight hour landmark is an incredible testament to the V-22’s revolutionary design and is a tribute to the men and women of BellHelicopter who build and support tiltrotor aircraft,” said Mitch Snyder, executive vice president of Military Programs at Bell Helicopter. “The Osprey isdesigned to allow operators to engage this revolutionary technology on a wide range of different missions. It comes in fast, executes resupply or support,and then takes off and exits quickly. The unique flight envelope helps the Marines and AFSOC do things which are not be possible with any other aircraft.”The recently-announced Marine Aviation Plan 2015 says, “The Osprey will remain the nation’s crisis response platform of choice in support of the ‘newnormal.’ The V-22 has without question proven its worth by transforming rotorcraft operations around the globe. The operational reach and versatilityof this remarkable platform has created tactical and strategic options.”•

Osprey Fleet Reaches 250,000 Flight Hour Milestone

<<Bell HelicopterBell HelicopterBell HelicopterBell HelicopterBell Helicopter>>

variety of missions with its fully flat floor, increased cabin volume andclam shell doors that will provide customers the configuration flexibilityneeded in today’s market. It can support a wide variety of operationscategories, including the utility segment, corporate and private owners,and training schools. The combination of capabilities, performancecharacteristics and value will be backed by Bell Helicopter’s industry-leading customer service and support.•

Boeing recently delivered a maintenance training system to the RoyalCanadian Air Force (RCAF) that will help prepare technicians to keep theRCAF’s CH-147F Chinook helicopters mission ready.

The Chinook Maintenance Trainer includes a complete airframeand an interactive display system that allow the technicians to gainexperience addressing a number of scenarios. Boeing also delivered sixtraining aids focused on specific items including aircraft wiring and fueltank maintenance.

“Boeing’s training helps prepare our customer to meet a wide rangeof operational requirements,” said Tony Barnett, Boeing project managerfor Canadian Medium-to-Heavy Lift Helicopters (MHLH) Training Systems.“This training suite complements a very capable CH-147F aircraft and willpermit the RCAF to accomplish their near-term operational missions.”

This system is the most recent part of Boeing’s training for the RCAFand follows on the company having instructed more than 180 pilots andmaintenance technicians on the Chinook’s systems.

The RCAF will use the system at its MHLH Maintenance TrainingCenter, which is being constructed at Garrison Petawawa, Ontario.•

Boeing Delivers AdvancedChinook MaintenanceTraining Devices to Canada

Chinook, Apachepurchases to be

ExpidatedIndia's Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to fast-track

its long-delayed procurement of Boeing attack and heavy-lift helicopters for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in anticipationof a possible increase in their negotiated price of USD2.5billion after 31 March, official sources said.

They said the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)could approve the purchase of 22 AH-64E Apache and 15CH-47F Chinook helicopters by the end of March to avoidre-tendering in the event of a price increase.

India's Defence Procurement Procedure mandates re-tendering for all acquisitions following any change in theirnegotiated price.

Boeing has extended the price validity for bothhelicopters at least twice since cost negotiations concluded16-18 months ago, with the latest six-month extensiongranted in October 2014.•

Boeing likely to Set upManufacturing Base

in IndiaIn promoting ‘Make in India’ programme of the Govt , It

is reliably learnt that Boeing Aircraft company US is in talkswith the govt to set up an aircraft manufacturing base in thecountry which not only manufacture for India but export aswell. Senior Boeing executives have held a number of meetingswith commerce ministry officials in the last two months. Boeinghas not revealed their investment figure so far but they want toset up a manufacturing base in the country. Seattle-based Boeingis the world’s largest aerospace company and leadingmanufacturer of commercial jetliners and defence, space andsecurity systems.

“Boeing continues to work with suppliers in India in notonly manufacturing but the company has invested significantlyin equipment, training, tooling and quality systems with partnercompanies,” a Boeing spokesperson said. “They are nowintegrated into Boeing’s global supply chain. Partnerships willbe important to how we go forward, and selectively we may lookat equity partnerships.”Sources said Boeing is evaluating equitypartnership opportunities in India.•

<<Boeing AircraftBoeing AircraftBoeing AircraftBoeing AircraftBoeing Aircraft>>

TourismAerial Photography

Geophysical SurveyOil and Gas

Underslung OperationsCorporate & VVIP Flights

ith a modern and technologically Wadvanced fleet of helicopters, we provide

a range of essential and innovative

services to strategic sectors for various purposes,

contributing to the growth of the Indian economy.

We are the largest company serving the Oil & Gas

industry for all its exploration and operational

requirements and the only company with the

expertise to carry out geophysical surveys. Our state-

of-the-art equipment, personnel of high calibre and

the highest safety and security standards allow us to

conduct complex tasks like under-slung operations,

aerial photography and rescue operations with ease.

Our spotless track record also makes us the preferred

fliers for the top rung of the country for corporate,

religious and leisure travel. We have world class

maintenance facilities and highly skilled and

experienced pilots to ensure safe, secure and

uninterrupted services to the Nation. We thank our

customers for their continued support and trust in us.

Airbus Helicopters Fleet Surpasses 10,00,000 FlightHour in Service of Offshore Sector

Utilized worldwide in some of the most challenging conditions, thedeployed fleet of Airbus Helicopters rotorcraft in service for the oil andgas industry has accumulated more than 10 million flight hours as of theend of 2014.

The milestone marks a new achievement in the 50-plus year historyof heli-lift duties performed by Airbus Helicopters’ product line. Operationsbegan with the Alouette during the 1960s and continued with rotorcraftin the Super Puma, Dauphin and Ecureuil families. The reliable BO105and Puma contributed, as did representatives from Airbus Helicopters’EC135, EC145, and EC120 among others. Airbus Helicopters’ new-generation EC175 is also now a part of the oil and gas global fleet, as itbegan operations in the North Sea following the first delivery to NHV lastDecember.

“Airbus Helicopters is proud to be an important part of the oil andgas sector’s development around the globe, and we are committed tocontinuing this relationship with capable aircraft that are backed by ourcompany’s dedication to safety, reliability and efficiency,” said ChristopherGrainger, Airbus Helicopters’ Vice President - Oil and Gas.

Of the estimated 2,300 rotorcraft used in oil and gas missions today,approximately 25 percent are produced by Airbus Helicopters. The leadinggeographic region is in the Americas, where the company’s helicoptershave accumulated more than 4.12 million flight hours, followed by Europe

The AS365 Dauphin rotorcraft full-flight simulator at Airbus Helicopters’Singapore-based training center has been upgraded to provide highlyrealistic training in both day and night search and rescue (SAR) operations,offering pilots the unique capability to safely practice these demandinglife-saving missions.

The upgrade was made by Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia at itsSeletar Aerospace Park facility, incorporating a CMA9000 flightmanagement system into the AS365 motion-based flight simulator,and updating its APM 2010 4-axis autopilot with the SAR mode. It isthe interface between these two avionics units that enhances theSAR operations training.This will enable flight crews to experiencethe operational environment during SAR missions while using allcapabilities of the CMA9000 system and APM 2010 autopilot –including flying with precision navigation guidance, performingsearch patterns and hovering, as well as scenarios for deployingrescue dinghies, flares and smoke markers.

The CMA9000 is a highly capable flight management system used onhelicopters operated by many emergency services providers, lawenforcement organizations and government agencies. The APM 2010 is adigital dual-duplex autopilot that reduces pilot workload for increasedmission effectiveness and enhanced situational awareness – while providing

(3.27 million flight hours), Asia (over 1.82 million flight hours), Africa(more than 557,000 flight hours) and Oceania (216,000 flight hours).

In addition to such established oil and gas zones as the North Seaand Gulf of Mexico, Airbus Helicopters’ product line is increasingly utilizedby operators in the evolving energy sector regions that range from Chinaand Myanmar to Africa. Airbus Helicopters supports its internationaloperator base by strategically locating resources that include spare partscenters, training facilities with full-flight simulators, as well as technicaland safety representatives.•

Realistic Simulation Training to Enhance Safety andCapabilities of Helicopter Search & Rescue Missions

unique automatic hover stability with very high precision.

Search and rescue training with the newly enhanced full flight simulatorat Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia will begin in March, with the RoyalThai Police as the inaugural customer. This law enforcement agencycurrently operates one AS365 N3+ Dauphin configured for SAR missionswith the CMA9000 flight management system, as well as an electricalhoist, rappelling installation, cargo sling and search lights. A secondsimilarly-equipped AS365 N3+ will be delivered to the Royal Thai Policelater this year.

<<Airbus HelicoptersAirbus HelicoptersAirbus HelicoptersAirbus HelicoptersAirbus Helicopters>>

T. Suvarna Raju Takes Over as Chairman HALMr. T. Suvarna Raju who has a distinction ofbeing granted the first patent in HAL inJanuary 2002 has been entrusted AdditionalCharge as Chairman, HAL. He took over fromDr. R.K. Tyagi on 31 Jan 15. As an EngineeringGratudate he joined HAL in June 26, 1980as Management Trainee. Raju graduatedfrom IIT Madras. He is also a graduate ofNational Defence College and holds an MBAas well as Masters of Philosophy in Defence

and Strategic Studies.

The combination of professional responsibilities and academicexposures provided Raju an edge in leading a number of new initiativesand out of box solutions. Under the leadership of Raju, INDIA achievedself-reliance producing 25kN turbofan engines. Raju led drafting of HAL’s

LCH TD-3 Daring & Successful First FlightToday, after nearly three months, we are getting to knowthe details of the Team work and courage that wentinto the successful conduct of the maiden test flight ofthe third technology demonstrator (TD-3) of the LightCombat Helicopter (LCH) on November 12 atBengaluru. The LCH was Piloted by Wg Cdr Unni Pillai(Retd), HAL’s Chief Test Pilot (CTP), Rotary Wing (RW)and ably assisted by Gp Capt Hari Nair (Retd), DeputyCTP (RW) in the 20-minute flawless flight.

The success of flight is a huge morale-booster tothe entire Project Team Helicopter Div, HAL, as theproject is being funded (Rs 80 crore) completely byHAL, as part of their bold initiative to fast-track theprogramme. HAL has also set aside Rs.126 crore forLCH TD-4, which is expected to fly soon. Beforelaunching the flight, there was huge suspense owing tothe weather. However, not-withstanding a light drizzle, the pilots took offthe LCH TD3 from HAL’s Helicopter Division and headed towards theHoskote segment with a Dhruv chopper as the chase.

The flight was a great success as every test point was carried outexactly as it was planned with nothing unusual noticed during the flight.This would certainly help in getting the Initial Operational Clearance(IOC) in three months ahead of the deadline.

We understand from Wg Cdr Unnipillai, the new features of LCH TD-3 are that the chopper has a lifting wing now which makes it on par withthe Mi-25 and Mi-35. In addition, the HAL designers have shortened thelength of the chopper to improve the vibration characteristics.

The wings are now sitting slightly on a higher attachment point,compared to TD-1 and TD-2. “The cockpit was glassier earlier and nowwe have fixed armour plating on the sides, reducing the glass factor.Even the height of the cockpit has been reduced. The LCH TD-3 will

first R & D policy, HAL has now applied for an unprecedented 1000patents in the last two years. He also conceptualized, prepared andimplemented a number of automation and real-time systems.

Under his leadership Raju, HAL heralded a new era in research anddevelopment programmes that covered LCA, LUH, LCH, IJT, HTT-40, JaguarDARIN-III, Mirage Upgrade etc., Significant milestones have been achievedon R&D front with delivery of first series production LCA-Tejas aircraftand ground test vehicle run of LUH. He implemented the concurrentengineering to facilitate the development and production of new aircraft.He also developed the concept of performance based logistics for militaryaircraft. Mr. Raju has been instrumental in taking various path breakingmeasures to make R&D set up of HAL more competitive. He has also beenmember of various High Level Teams formed by Ministry of Defence(MoD) for assessing the Techno-economic viability of acquisitions.•

soon be integrated with weapons and it will have a busy scheduleahead carrying out trials. In fact it is an much improved versionincluding the Main Gear Box.

We understand that the successful flight vindicated Tyagi’s bold standin convincing the HAL Board to fund additional two technologydemonstrators for LCH. He provided great leadership in interacting withthe designers, engineers, Test Pilots, certifying agencies and shop-flooremployees at regular intervals. It is a matter of pride that the Indian Armyhas given a Letter of Intent for 114 LCHs and the IAF for 65 helicopters. Itis also encouraging to note that LCH TD-3 and TD-4 will have more‘Made in India’ systems and components including Integrated Avionicsand Display System and Automatic Flight Control System. It is learntthat LCH, once operational, can be a destructive platform at highaltitudes. The TD-1 and TD-2 together have completed around 390flights so far, logging 280 hours.•

<<Hindustan Aeronutics Ltd.Hindustan Aeronutics Ltd.Hindustan Aeronutics Ltd.Hindustan Aeronutics Ltd.Hindustan Aeronutics Ltd.>>

Stratford, Connecticut - India’s Navy has selectedSikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of UnitedTechnologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), to fulfill theservice’s Multi-Role Helicopter requirement foranti-submarine and anti-surface warfare (ASW/ASuW), among other maritime roles.Negotiations will now begin to procure 16 S-70B SEAHAWK® helicopters, with an optionfor eight additional aircraft, along with acomplete logistics support and trainingprogram.

“India’s selection of the S-70B helicopter represents a major strategicwin for Sikorsky in an important growth market, and positions us well forfuture opportunities,” said Mick Maurer, President of Sikorsky Aircraft.“We look forward to a long-term collaboration with the Indian Governmentand local industry as we work to bring the Indian Navy the highly advancedmulti-role S-70B aircraft.”

The proposed Indian Navy S-70B variant will include avionics andflexible open architecture Weapons Management Systems that integratean advanced sonar, 360 degree search radar, modern air-to-surfacemissiles, and torpedoes for the ASW role. A blade and tail fold capabilitywill facilitate shipboard storage.

The S-70B aircraft will also enhance the Indian Navy’s capabilities toperform non-combat maritime roles, including search and rescue, utilityand external cargo lift, surveillance and casualty evacuation.

Sikorsky has fielded increasingly more capable variants of the S-70Bhelicopter since 1984 for navies that prefer to acquire a modern, fullyintegrated ASW/ASuW platform direct from the manufacturer. Nowoperational in six countries (in Europe, Middle East, Asia and LatinAmerica), the S-70B platform has a solid reputation for highly reliableshipboard operations and maintenance while operating aboard frigatesand larger naval vessels.

The S-70B aircraft is part of Sikorsky’s SEAHAWK helicopter family(including the SH-60 and MH-60 models) that has accumulated almostfour million flight hours from more than 800 operational aircraft, and isconsidered one of the safest platforms available.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a worldleader in aircraft design, manufacture and service. United TechnologiesCorp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides high-technology productsand support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.•

Indian Navy Selects Sikorsky’s S-70B SEAHAWK® Aircraftfor Multi-role Helicopter Requirement

Sikorsky S-97 RAIDER™ Program Begins Ground TestsSikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) announced on 4 Feb 15 that the start of bladed ground testing, amajor milestone, for the S-97 RAIDER™ program. The RAIDER™ is anarmed reconnaissance rotorcraft designed to significantly outmatchconventional military helicopters in maneuverability, payload, speed, rangeand high/hot environmental conditions.

"Testing all of the aircraft's systems together, for the first time, markssignificant progress in the development of this next generation helicopterand moves the program closer to first flight," said S-97 RAIDER ProgramManager Mark Hammond.

During the ground runs phase, the S-97 RAIDER team is testing thefirst of two aircraft prototypes as a completed system for the first time. Theteam will perform initial ground tests with the aircraft tied down and willfocus on verifying correct operation of the propulsion system, drive train,rotor control system and pilot-vehicle interface.

Sikorsky launched the S-97 RAIDER program in October 2010 withthe objectives of maturing the X2™ rotorcraft design and offering ahelicopter to meet U.S. Army reconnaissance and special operationsneeds.Sikorsky rolled out the first prototype in October 2014.

In addition to ground runs for the first prototype, the program teamat Sikorsky's Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, isprepared to begin final assembly of the second prototype S-97 RAIDERhelicopter, following acceptance last month of the fuselage structurefrom Aurora Flight Sciences.

Based on Sikorsky's rigid X2 rotor coaxial design, the S-97 RAIDERhelicopter features next-generation technologies in a multi-missionconfiguration, capable of carrying six troops and external weapons. Thecoaxial counter-rotating main rotors and pusher propeller provide cruisespeeds up to 220 knots (253 mph).•

<<Sikorsky AircraftSikorsky AircraftSikorsky AircraftSikorsky AircraftSikorsky Aircraft>>

A China-made transport helicopter broke a record by attaining analtitude of 9,000 m during a test flight in Tibet, reports state broadcasterCCTV. In a clip aired on Jan. 31, a pilot flying a Changhe Z-18 transporthelicopter triggered a warning signal as he reached a height of 8,900 mabove sea level. The craft continued to gain altitude though, eventuallyreaching 9,000 m and flying above Mount Everest.

The Z-18's success means China now has the ability to produce largemilitary helicopters that can work in plateau areas and no longer needs torely on US Black Hawks. The Chinese aircraft, developed by ChangheAircraft Industries Corporation, became the second helicopter that theaviation branch of the People's Liberation Army could use in plateaus.The first one was the Sikorsky S-70 developed by Sikorsky Aircraft whichChina has been using since the mid-1980s. Changhe Aircraft Industriesbuilt the Z-18 by modifying the Avicopter AC313, a transport helicopterdeveloped by Aviation Industry Corporation of China.•

New Chinese helicopter breaksaltitude record above Everest

Germany grounds NH90 overdesign flaw

The German militaryannounced on 9 Feb 15 thatthey had informed AirbusHelicopters (a partner in NHIndustries) on Thursday 5thFebruary 2015 of a designissue with the NH90.Following their accidentinvestigation of the crash ofone of their NH90 helicopterson June 19, 2014 inUzbekistan, certain technical

improvements to the overhead Control Panel (OHCP) are required intheir view.

The issue focuses on a potential short-circuit in the triggering of thefire-fighting system of the engine. In the light of this newly discovered factfrom Germany’s military Air Safety Committee (Flugsicherheitsausschuss),the Chief of Army has recommended a provisional suspension of all

<<NeNeNeNeNew Prw Prw Prw Prw Products & Seroducts & Seroducts & Seroducts & Seroducts & Servicesvicesvicesvicesvices>>

routine flight operations with NH90 for security reasons. Thisrecommendation of the Inspector of the Army will follow.

The Germany Ministry of Defence says that it now expects theelimination of the problem by the manufacturer as soon as possible.•

Turns Night Into Day And SeeClearly Through Smoke, Haze,Light Fog

Turns Night Into Day And See Clearly Through Smoke, Haze, LightFog With thermal imaging, the EVS display enables pilots to see whenflying day or night in smoke, haze, and light fog. The EVS can work as analternative to, or in tandem with, light-based night-vision goggletechnologies. The Max-Vix EVS 1400 complements synthetic visiondisplays, allowing pilots to see transient obstructions, like wildlife andconstruction barriers not in synthetic vision databases. The system givesreal time confirmation of the operating environment, as well as supportingthe approach to landing transition from Instrument Flight Rules to VisualFlight Rules in marginal visual conditions. The Astronics Max-Viz EVS is aleading supplier to OEMs and the retrofit market with over 50 SupplementalType Certificates in fixed and rotor wing aircraft, providing pilots real-time display for increased visibility in adverse weather conditions, such asdarkness, precipitation, fog, dust and smoke. For more information, goto www.max-viz.com.•

HUMS and Flight Data MonitoringAvailable Now for SmallerHelicopters

There was a time when all the safety and operational benefits of Healthand Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) and Flight Data Monitoringtechnology were available only for heavy military and commercialhelicopters. That time has passed thanks to Honeywell. They have tailoreda proven HUMS/VXP and Flight Data Monitoring systems to create a highlycapable and flexible vibration monitoring system that is ideal for single-engine and light-twin helicopters weighing less than 10,000 pounds.•

RWSI’s mission and reason for existence is toserve the helicopter community’s needs and topromote the Industry. Professional and Safety

related programmes are essential requirementsin today’s complex and competitive environment.

If you are a Life Member, Volunteer your servicesto strengthen RWSI Team effort.

For more information call RWSI at0120-4352040/ email us [email protected]

Turbomeca is the leading helicopter engine manufacturer in India,

with1,500 engines in operation representing over 50 % marketshare. The company’s success is measured by its long-term cooperation with Hindustan Aeronautics

Limited (HAL) and its position in the growingcivil helicopter market.

The relationship between HALand Turbomeca goes back to 1962and an agreement to produce, inIndia, the Artouste IIIB turbineinstalled in Indian versions of theAlouette III (known as Chetak) andLama (Cheetah). Since then, thispartnership has grown from strengthto strength and, today, Turbomecapowersthe HAL Dhruv, a twin engine 5,5ton helicopter, with the Ardiden 1H1/Shakti1H1.

Ardiden 1H1 is the first member of the 1,400shp Ardiden 1 family of engines. Certified by EASAin 2009, the 1H1 variant is currently co-produced inIndia by HAL and fitted to the Dhruvas the Shakti 1H1.250 Shakti 1H1 engines are currently in service in theDhruv, flying predominantly with the Indian armed forces.

More Ardiden power on newIndian helicopters

This exclusive relationship between HAL and Turbomeca will befurther consolidated by the introduction of Turbomeca engines on HAL’stwo newest helicopters – Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Light UtilityHelicopter (LUH).

The LCH, a new twin-engine military aircraft, is powered by theArdiden 1H1 and, in February 2015, will be part of the flying display atAero India in Bangalore.

The LUH, a three-ton single-engine aircraft under development, willalso be fitted with the Ardiden 1U, the new variant dedicated to singleengine helicopters. Its first ground test took place in December 2014 atTurbomeca’s factory in Bordes (France) and the first development enginewas delivered to HAL at the end of that month. EASA certification of theArdiden 1U is scheduled for 2017.

These new helicopter projects will further strengthen Turbomeca’sposition in India.

Turbomeca (Safran): Over 50 years of SuccessfulPartnership with India

Strong presence in IndiaThe French engine manufacturer committeditself to India with the

establishment, in 2010, of Turbomeca India Engines Private Limited atBangalore.As well as military customers the facility now supports 200engines in operation with civil operators.

The Dhruv, powered by theTM333 and 300 of these, together withthe 250 Shakti currently in service, have accumulated a significant numberof flight hours.

Indian Armed Forces also rely on the Adour, co-produced withRolls-Royce, on their Jaguar and Hawk aircrafts.

The “Make in India” strategy of the new Indian government issupported by Turbomeca and Safran. Most of the 1,500 Turbomeca-designed engines in operation in India were locally produced by HAL.•

<<Turbomeca (Safran)Turbomeca (Safran)Turbomeca (Safran)Turbomeca (Safran)Turbomeca (Safran)>>

WE KEEP YOU FLYING

Our team of 6,000 specialists worldwide focus their energy and expertise on a common goal: providing your helicopter missions with the highest levels of safety and reliability. Through innovation, the design of new engines and the deployment of proximity services worldwide, Turbomeca strives to earn the satisfaction of every single customer.We keep you � ying. turbomeca.com Download the free

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Virtual Office AvailableWe are a not-for-profit Society catering to the aviation industry with a fantastic office, we’d love toshare with like-minded people. The environment is bright and spacious with lots of natural light,great frontage and great views. The accommodation is likely to be available with effect from01 April 2015. Please contact Sr. Admin Officer RWSI B-61, Sector-22, NOIDA-201301(Tele: 01204352010 /4352040, E-mail : [email protected])

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