Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has signed a tripartite General Contract with United Aircraft Corporation -Transport Aircraft (UAC-TA), their Russian partner and their JV, Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd (MTAL) for the Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) project.
HAL will carry out the design & development of its workshare of MTA at Aircraft R&D (ARDC) Centre atBangalorewhile its Transport Aircraft Division (TAD) atKanpurwill manufacture the prototypes. Serial production will take place atKanpurwhere dedicated facilities are being set up. HAL’s other R&D Centres and manufacturing divisions will share development of systems & LRUs and manufacture of components, sub assemblies and composite structure. HAL will showcase its expertise in design of aircraft as well as systems, manufacturing & flight testing while jointly working with the Russian team inMoscowas well as inIndia.
The Indian and Russian governments had earlier signed an Inter Governmental Agreement for joint design, development & production of MTA on 50:50 sharing basis and had decided to form a JV between HAL, UAC-TA & Rosoboronexport to execute the project. The primary objective is to achieve self-reliance in design & development and production of aircraft of this size and also to manage the programme with international collaboration and a large number of global suppliers.
The aircraft will be designed for the roles of cargo/troop transportation; para-drop /air drop of supplies including Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System (LAPES). The joint effort seeks to meet a requirement of 100 aircraft for the Russian Air Force, 45 aircraft to the IAF and 60 for export. Total requirement for the present is 205.
The MTA project preliminary design will start immediately after signing the follow-up contract on preliminary design on which tripartite discussions have been concluded.
HAL IN PACT FOR MULTIROLE TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT
CHENNAI/BANGALORE: The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the aerospace major, has signed a tripartite general contract with the United Aircraft Corporation — Transport Aircraft (UAC-TA), the Russian partner and their JV-Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd (MTAL) for the Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) project.
HAL and UAC-TA have proposed to design, develop and produce the multi-role transport aircraft in the 15-20 tonne class, jointly by the Indian and Russian agencies to meet the requirements of 100 aircraft for the Russian Air Force, 45 aircraft for the IAF and 60 for other countries. The total requirement for the present is 205.
According to a release from HAL, “The MTA project’s preliminary design will start immediately on signing the follow up contract on preliminary design on which tripartite discussions have been concluded.”
The primary objective of the project is to achieve self-reliance in design and development and production of aircraft of this size and also to manage the programme with international collaboration and large number of global suppliers.
The aircraft will be designed for cargo / troop transportation; paradrop/air drop of supplies including ‘low altitude parachute extraction system’ and is to be co-developed by HAL and UAC, and Rosoboronexport of Russia, through a Joint Venture company.
Indian and Russian governments had earlier signed an Inter Governmental Agreement for joint design, development and production of MTA on a 50:50 sharing basis and had decided to form a JV between HAL UAC-TA and Rosoboronexport for the project.
HAL will carry out the design and development of its workshare of the MTA at the Aircraft R&D (ARDC) Centre atBangalorewhile its Transport Aircraft Division (TAD) atKanpurwill manufacture the prototypes and subsequently the serial production will be done atKanpurwhere dedicated facilities are being set up. HAL’s other R&D Centres and manufacturing divisions will share development of systems and LRUs and manufacture of components, sub-assemblies and composite structure. HAL will showcase its expertise in design of aircraft as well as systems, manufacturing and flight testing while jointly working with the Russian team inMoscowas well as inIndia.
HAL has been manufacturing transport aircraft at TAD,Kanpur, namely the Avros HS-748 and Dornier Do-228.
The HAL has manufactured 89 Avros with the first delivery in April 1964 and the 89th aircraft delivery being in September 1984.
HAL has also carried out a number of upgrades and customisation of these aircraft even as it maintains the fleet.
HAL has manufactured 116 Dorniers till date with first delivery in 1984 and the 116th in March 2012 and the same are being maintained by theKanpurdivision. Two Do-228 maritime aircraft have been exported toMauritius. HAL has also taken up manufacturing of structural assemblies of Do-228 forRuag Aerospace,Germanyand has supplied eight sets so far. Export of one Do-228 toSeychellesis under progress.
DISCOVERY CHANNEL JOINS HANDS WITH INDIAN ARMY
DiscoveryChannel,India’s leading non-fiction entertainment network announced that it will produce a programme on Indian Army’s Women Expedition toMount Everest.
Discovery Channel’s production team will follow the expedition to capture this grueling summit, attempted by a group of seven Indian Army Women officers. The cameras will follow the contingent as they endeavour to reach the summit and achieve the ultimate mountaineering goal. For the first time, an Army Women Contingent is scaling the summit from the South ridge route. This route was used by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
Announcing the programme, Rahul Johri, senior vice president and general manager –South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “Discovery Channel is delighted to cover this unique and distinguished expedition by Indian Army’s Women Officers. We are committed to present stories of success and achievement fromIndiato audiences around the world.”
Lt Gen SP Tanwar, AVSM, Director General of Military Training, Indian Army said, “Indian Army has appreciated the efforts of Discovery Channel to undertake the coverage of such an expedition for the first time. Such coverage besides projecting the unique and glorious feat of the Indian Army, will be a boon to the large international audience that watches this esteemed channel and will provide a platform for future joint ventures with the Discovery Channel on issues related to sports and adventure in the Indian Army.”
The team is led by Col Ajay Kothiyal, KC, SC, VSM, and includes seven Indian Army Women officers: Capt. DeepikaRathore (Rajasthan), Capt. NamrataRathore (Uttarakhand), Capt. Prachi R. Gole (Maharastra), Maj. N. Linyu (Nagaland), Maj. NehaBhatnagar (Rajasthan), Capt. PoonamSangwan (Haryana), and Capt. Smitha (Karnataka).
AKASH MISSILE TEST-FIRED FOR THIRD TIME IN 5 DAYS
BALASORE:Indiaon Monday test-fired two indigenously developed “Akash” missiles in quick succession from a test range in Odisha.
The test-fire of the surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence missiles was the third in five days.
Last week,Indiahad twice successfully test-fired the indigenously developed missile from the test range at Chandipur near Balasore.
The tests were conducted on May 24 and 26.
The missile has a strike range of 25 kilometres with warhead of 60 kilograms.
Akash, an anti-aircraft defence system, can simultaneously engage several targets with ‘Rajendra’ radar developed by Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), a DRDO laboratory situated atBangalore. Rajendra does the surveillance, tracks the target, acquires it and guides the missile towards it.
The development of Akash missile took place during 1990s under country’s integrated guided missile development programme (IGMDP). After many trials, was inducted into armed forces in 2008. An air-force version of ‘Akash’ missile has also been developed by DRDO.
Rajendra is a multifunction radar, capable of tracking as many as 64 targets and controlling up to 12 missiles simultaneously.
Defence experts have compared Akash missile system with the American MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system.
They claim that like the MIM-104, the Akash is capable of neutralising aerial targets such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles.
THE GIGANTIC C-130J LANDS AT AIR FORCE STATION, CAR NICOBAR
A C-130J Super Hercules aircraft touched down at the Air Force Station on Car Nicobar today on its maiden flight to the island, marking a big leap for the Indian Force in projecting its strategic reach to the remote and far-flung air base.
After almost 6 hours of flight from Air Force Station Hindan, nearDelhi, Group Captain Tejbir Singh, Commanding Officer of the Hercules Squadron, accomplished the task of landing at Car Nicobar Air base.
The crew was received by the Chief Operations Officer Wing Commander Sanjay M Nijai. The staff from HQ Andaman & Nicobar Command and Air Commodore T K Sinha were also present on the occasion.
The C – 130 J is one of the latest warbirds with state-of-the-art avionics and defensive suites. It has the ability to execute special operations involving not only the Air Force elements but also Army and Naval forces to achieve the assigned task by displaying a great synergy between them.
This also show cases our ability and operational infrastructure to induct variety of forces & technology. This endorses the vision of our planners to induct this magnificent machine into the tech savvy Indian Air Force. It is indeed a proud and historic moment which will go down the annals of Indian Air Force’s only island base rightfully known as ‘Commendable Carnic’.
‘ETHICAL CONDUCT CRITICAL FOR NATIONAL DEFENCE’
PUNE: Vice-chancellor of Himachal Pradesh University A D N Bajpai has said that there is a pressing necessity for all those involved in issues related to national defence – from-policy makers to armaments manufacturers to the members of the armed forces – to conduct themselves ethically.
“The ethical dimensions of decision-making and taking action in the military arena have lately become the subject of intense public interest as well as scrutiny. It is vitally important that the best possible instruction should be made available in this regard to all concerned,” he said.
Bajpai, who is also the secretary-general of the Association of Indian Universities, was addressing the convocation ceremony of the 122nd course at the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla near here on Tuesday. Commandant of NDA Lt Gen Jatinder Singh presided over the ceremony and administered the oath of graduation to the cadets.
“In the present times when the world has awakened to the importance of spiritual growth, ethics assume great importance both on and off the battlefield,” said Bajpai. “As one grows spiritually, one’s ethical footing is reinforced – leading to a reshaping of one’s character.
In all institutions – military or non-military, a lot of emphasis falls on professional knowledge and training. All training is ultimately aimed at imparting skills to a person, to make him well-equipped for whatever branch of service he chooses. All professional expertise and skills, however, carry no meaning if ethics are ignored,” he said.
Bajpai emphasised the significance of building a strong character. “To be triumphant in the battlefield, one has to first conquer oneself – become a man of character. It is a challenge that young people are faced with but, it is also a rewarding venture that allows one to become the master of one’s destiny,” he said.
Earlier, 344 cadets were awarded graduation degrees from the prestigiousJawaharlalNehruUniversity. This included one cadet fromAfghanistan. In all, 116 cadets were awarded B.A. degrees, 119 B.Sc computer science and 109 B.Sc degrees.
Four trophies and three medals were awarded to the cadets, who have excelled in the three streams of the graduation programme. Cadet Gajjala Dayakar Reddy bagged the admiral’s trophy for standing first in the overall order of merit.
The commandant’s silver medal and the chief of the army staff trophy for the cadet standing first in science stream was awarded to Sahil Kerni. The commandant’s silver medal and chief of the air staff trophy for the cadet standing first in social science stream was given to Amodh Serrao.
The commandant’s silver medal and chief of naval staff trophy for the cadet standing first in the computer science stream was awarded to Gajjala Dayakar Reddy. Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor of NDA Rear Admiral Anand Iyer delivered the vote of thanks.
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