by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News
Kochi : Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra had an on-board briefing on the progress of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) – one of the first aircraft carriers to be designed and built in India, an official statement said.
Indian Navy’s Vice Chief, Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar, Controller, Warship Production and Acquisition,Vice Admiral D.M. Deshpande, Joint Secretary, Shipping, Satinder Pal Singh and other senior officers from the Indian Navy were also present.
During his visit to the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Mitra was given a first-hand briefing on the progress of the IAC by Commodore Cyril Thomas, the Warship Production Superintendent.
CSL’s Chairman and Managing Director Madhu S Nair highlighted the shipyard’s focus on outfitting and trial activities as the project entered its final phase, and reiterated its commitment to meet the deadlines for delivery of the ship.
The 860 feet Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) features STOBAR (Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery) which will give it a ski jump for take off just like the INS Vikramaditya.
The ship was launched in August 2013 and presently, the main propulsion plant, power generation equipment, deck machinery and auxiliary equipment have been installed and integrated on board.
“Outfitting of various aviation equipment, navigation and communication equipment, weapons and sensors are progressing. In-house trials of ship’s systems by the carrier acceptance and trials team have already commenced and the sea trials are expected to commence by early 2020,” said the statement.
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
By Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd),
In its pursuit of global maritime dominance, China has decided to create a force of three aircraft-carriers — one for each of its fleets.
Like India, China first acquired an old Soviet-era aircraft-carrier, but (unlike us) refurbished it at home and commissioned it as the ski-jump equipped Liaoning in 2012. A bigger, indigenously-designed and- built ship, designated “Type 001A”, followed in April 2017. An even larger successor, designated “Type 002”, shunning the ski-jump and emulating US design philosophies, is on the way.
In order to maintain three operational carriers, the PLA Navy (PLAN) will need to build at least five or six such ships. While the Chinese economy does have the strength to fund such an ambitious programme, India needs to note two aspects of this strategy.
For years, China remained dogmatically opposed to aircraft-carriers, deriding them as “sitting ducks” for missiles and submarines, and evolving an “anti-access, area denial” (A2/AD) doctrine, to keep US carriers at bay. Six years’ experience of operating the Liaoning has obviously convinced Beijing that the availability of tactical air-power at sea on a 24×7 basis is vital for PLAN operations in distant waters. The reconciliation of China’s faith in A2/AD with a hugely expensive carrier-building programme signifies that this doctrinal shift has been debated and approved by the Party Politburo.
The second point of note is the intense Chinese focus on autarchy in weapon-systems; huge resources and effort have been devoted to develop a home-built fighter for their new carriers. Disregarding Moscow’s protests over IPR violation, China acquired a prototype Russian Sukhoi-33, in 2000, and within a decade, reverse-engineered it to deliver the Shenyang J-15 (Flying Shark) carrier-borne fighter.
Against this background, India’s endeavours to produce a carrier-borne fighter deserve attention. The Indian Navy (IN), having tasted success in indigenous warship design and building, decided to turn to the aeronautics field in the 1990s. Finding the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme in the doldrums, the navy saw an opportunity for India to join the select list of countries producing carrier-borne aircraft. The decision to initiate a LCA-Navy programme acknowledged the talent and ingenuity of our aircraft designers and engineers, and aimed to energise our stagnant defence-technology base.
A closer examination of the embryo-LCA revealed some major challenges in adapting a shore-based aircraft to fly from a ship. They included lack of engine thrust, a weak undercarriage, requirement of an arrester hook and need for fuselage strengthening. Undaunted, the navy affirmed its faith in the programme by initiating a development programme and contributing over Rs 400 crore as well as engineers and test pilots to this DRDO project. The LCA-Navy prototype rolled out in July 2010 and its first flight took place in April 2012.
Very early in the programme, the IN acknowledged the possibility that this project may (a) either not succeed or (b) fail to meet the timelines required for India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1). A conscious decision was thus taken that in parallel with the LCA, the navy would identify an alternative aircraft for its new carriers. As the LCA-Navy programme kept slipping, this alternative turned out to be the MiG-29K, which was purchased along with INS Vikramaditya.
The IAF version of LCA was delivered for squadron service in 2016. The IAF has placed an order for 123 aircraft; thus securing the short-term future of the LCA, regardless of other fighter acquisitions. The LCA-Navy, on the other hand, received a setback when, in December 2016, the IN was said to have “rejected” this aircraft for its future aircraft-carriers. This ostensible volte face by the IN appears to have come as a blow to DRDO and the LCA-Navy prototype, having completed simulated carrier take-offs from a specially created ski-jump ashore, is parked in a hangar, awaiting resumption of trials.
The navy had good reasons for its actions, and dejection over the LCA-Navy is misplaced. There was an urgent need to formulate the specifications of the navy’s second indigenous aircraft-carrier (IAC-2), which could only happen once it was known what type of aircraft will operate from it; and the LCA-Navy was clearly far from ready. Moreover, DRDO deserves this rebuke for tardy progress of LCA-Navy, and for projecting unrealistic targets and timelines. While the LCA-Navy may have “missed the bus” for IAC-2, it can certainly remain a candidate for the ski-jump equipped Vikramaditya (in-service) and IAC-1 (nearing completion).
The IAC-2 will enter service at a juncture where a maritime balance-of-power struggle may be under way between China and India. PLAN ships and submarines are already frequenting the Indian Ocean, and its carrier task-forces will soon arrive to establish dominance along China’s maritime “silk road”. India’s response to attempted intimidation at sea will need to be robust, and decisions relating to the design and capabilities of IAC-2 assume strategic importance.
The design, production and flight-testing of the LCA and LCA-Navy prototypes have generated invaluable experience, knowledge and data which must not be allowed to go waste. Its development must be pursued, and on successful completion of its ship-trials programme, the LCA-Navy can be assigned a carrier-borne operational (or even training) role commensurate with the limitations imposed by its performance.
In a wider perspective, much of what has been said, so far, is equally true of India’s vital but languishing Kaveri turbo-jet engine programme. One cannot emphasise strongly enough that the LCA and the Kaveri turbojet constitute the heart and soul of India’s aeronautical future, and temporary setbacks must not be allowed to derail these projects. MoD needs to enunciate a 50-year vision to carefully nurture these vital programmes by (a) ensuring a long production-run for the LCA as well as its “evolved” successors and (b) by acquiring foreign expertise for “de-bugging” and operationalising the Kaveri, whatever the time and cost.
India abandoned its first indigenous fighter, the HF-24 Marut, prematurely on the flawed assumption that we would never find the right engine to power it; ignoring the reality that technology does not remain static. This was a blunder we must never repeat. Having come so far down the developmental path, the LCA production must not stop at 123 aircraft. Along with the enhanced Kaveri turbojet, the LCA programme must form the launch-pad for all future fighter projects for the IAF and the Indian Navy.
(Admiral Arun Prakash is a former chief of the Indian Navy. This article is in special arrangement with South Asia Monitor)
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Business, Corporate, Corporate Buzz, Large Enterprise, News, Politics
Hyderabad : India will require 1,750 new passenger and cargo aircraft over the next 20 years to meet an exponential rise in both passenger and freight traffic, according to Airbus latest India Market Forecast.
To help meet this growth, India will need 1,320 new single-aisle aircraft and 430 wide-body aircraft valued at $255 billion, a statement said here on Friday.
“Make in India is at the heart of our strategy. Airbus has the largest footprint in India of any International aircraft manufacturer, nationwide across all aircraft programmes. Our sourcing volume has grown 16 times over the past 10 years and it is currently at more than $550 million annually,” said Srinivasan Dwarakanath, President Airbus Commercial Aircraft in India.
India is set to become the world’s third largest aviation market by 2019-20 and Airbus is well positioned to partner its growth with backlog orders of over 530 aircraft to date, the statement said.
It said while much of the air traffic growth was expected to be driven by the fast expanding economy, rising wealth and urbanization, ambitious government-backed regional connectivity programmes were also set to enhance demand for air travel.
Domestic Indian traffic was expected to grow five-and-a-half times over the next 20 years (2017-36), reaching the same level as the US domestic traffic now, making it one of the world’s fastest growing markets, according to Airbus’ India Market Forecast.
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Buzz, Corporate Governance
Bengaluru : Global aerospace major Boeing would make aircraft components and subsystems at a new facility it would soon set up on the city’s outskirts, a senior official said on Tuesday.
“The state government on Monday approved Boeing’s proposal to set up an engineering and technology facility with electronics and avionics manufacturing and assembly at an investment of Rs 1,152 crore,” Karnataka Udyog Mitra Managing Director B.K. Shivakumar told IANS here.
The facility will be built in 41.7 acres of land the American firm has been allotted in the Aerospace Park at Devanahalli, about 40km from the city, and adjacent to the Bengaluru international airport.
“When commissioned, the Boeing facility will provide 2,300 direct jobs and many more indirect or associative jobs,” said Shivakumar.
The aerospace behemoth, which makes various types of aircraft for civil and military operations worldwide, has a global research and development centre in the city since a decade.
The high-level high committee of the state Industry Department also approved the proposal of CDC Development India Ltd to set up a Technology Innovation International Park in the hi-tech, defence and aerospace Park at a cost of Rs 740 crore, with an initial job potential for 25 high-skilled techies.
“CDC has been allotted 100 acres of land in the Aerospace Park to build its tech park,” said Shivakumar.
Universal Builders has been allotted 21.3 acres of land in the hardware park area of the aerospace park at a cost of Rs 525 crore for a housing project.
The committee has also cleared the Indian Coast Guard’s proposal to set up a training centre at Mangaluru, about 350km from here, at an investment of Rs 1,010 crore.
“The training centre will be built in 160 acres of land in the New Mangaluru Port Trust at Panambur and will create 250 direct jobs,” added Shivakumar.
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance
By Anand Singh,
New Delhi : Stinking and non-functioning toilets on Indian Railways — one of the world’s largest rail networks — may soon become a thing of the past. The national transporter is upgrading its bio-toilets to imported bio-vacuum toilets — the kind found in aircraft — an official said. The first 100 coaches with the new toilets will be attached to important trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi and would be rolled out from January 2018.
“These bio-vacuum toilets will be odour-free and cut down water usage by over one-20th,” he said.
The official also said that the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) will roll out the first 100 coaches fitted with bio-vacuum toilets and that these will be attached to premium trains like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi expresses.
He also said there would be lesser chances of such toilets getting blocked.
The railways’ initiative to upgrade the existing bio-toilets came after pesistent complaints from passengers that these were getting blocked due to dumping of waste such as plastic bottles, paper and the like in the toilet pot.
Explaining the need of shifting to bio-vacuum toilets, the official said: “Saving water is a priority for the railways.”
“In bio-toilets, the water requirement per flushing is up to 15 litres. And the water doesn’t generate enough pressure to discharge the waste from the pots, resulting in a foul smell and blockage of the pot.
“The bio-vacuum toilet only requires about half a litre of water and all the waste is cleared through suction,” the official said, adding these had been tried out on a pilot basis in some trains.
The official said that the manufacturers of the bio-vacuum toilets have assured railways that the fabrication units would be set up in India.
Before the introduction of bio-toilets, lack of cleanliness on Indian trains, particularly in the toilets, was always a big issue. Until then, trains had no system to treat human waste, which was emptied on to the rail tracks.
In bio-toilets, human waste wasn’t supposed to be emptied on to the tracks but digested by anaerobic bacteria, which convert it into water and bio-gases that are released after disinfection. However, it was found that this hardly worked in practice.
The bio-toilets have been deployed in Indian trains over four years to 2017, at a cost of Rs 1,305 crore, but these are no better than septic tanks, IndiaSpend reported last week quoting a two-year-long study by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M).
A staggering 93,537 “bio-digesters” — as the toilets are called –have been installed in mainline express and mail trains. However, sanitation experts and various studies — including those commissioned by the railways — have pointed out that most of the bio-toilets are ineffective or ill-maintained and the water discharged is no better than raw sewage.
Over 900 trains currently have bio-toilets either in some or all of their coaches.
(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)
—IANS
