Archive For August, 2014

IAF inches closer to the mega fighter jet deal

In a move that is being viewed with much anticipation, starting tomorrow, officials from French firm Dassault Aviation, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Indian Air Force (IAF) will engage in 48 hours of negotiations in Bangalore over the deal to acquire 126 Rafale fighter jets under the long-standing Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract. […]

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Private sector set to enter Indian aerospace market

The Modi government is all set to kick-start private sector entry into domestic aerospace arena by giving the green signal to the Rs 13,000 crore project to supply 56 transport aircraft to IAF. The project was put on hold by the previous UPA regime last year after the then heavy industries & public enterprises minister […]

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Boeing to replace AI Dreamliner windshields

After a series of incidents of cracks in windshields in Air India’s Dreamliners, manufacturer Boeing has said that it is developing a new design with improved features. Boeing has also promised to replace the old windshields, Civil Aviation Minister Mr Ashok Gajapati Raju informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Four cases were reported […]

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ISRO Units in Dist have Reason to be Happy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With big missions lined up for the immediate future, units of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Thiruvananthapuram have received ample attention in the Union Budget presented on Thursday. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba, the lead centre of the space agency for the development of launch vehicles and sounding rockets, […]

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Young Scientists Must Take Lead: Aatre

BANGALORE: India must have a long-term commitment to excelling in smart material technologies, said senior aerospace scientist and former head of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Dr V K Aatre. Addressing the smart materials community at the J N Tata Auditorium at the Indian Institute of Science, Dr Aatre said the country cannot aim […]

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Paperless cockpits to lighten pilots’ load

DGCA gives permission to access navigation charts, other data with hand-held devices. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given the go-ahead for pilots to have a lighter load on flight decks and in cabins. Bulky navigation charts, flying manuals and other data can now be accessed on personal electronic devices, like tablets, instead […]

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DRDO Chief calls for indigenous defence production

Establishing a military industrial complex in India would enhance domestic defence production, DRDO chief Mr Avinash Chander said Monday. “A military industrial complex is needed in India with a transparent time bound approach and an in built methodology for embracing new projects,” Mr Chander said in a lecture at the Institute for Defence Studies and […]

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India’s soaring space programme headed for the final frontier

India launched five satellites: one each for Germany, and Singapore and two for Canada, which were co-passengers with the main load of SPOT-7, a French optical Earth Observation Satellite. After the high-profile launch of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission in November 2013, the launch of these satellites by the Indian Space Research Institute (ISRO) could have […]

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HAL seeks assistance in reducing HJT-36 weight

India has sought foreign technical assistance to help reduce the weight of its military training aircraft being developed by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Development of the HJT-36 Sitara intermediate jet trainer aircraft has struggled with technical issues and three incidents, delaying adoption by the Indian Air Force (IAF), its sole customer. Mint has reviewed […]

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Rafale aircraft: France calls for expediting deal and hopes for a positive outcome from India

In his first visit to reach out to the Narendra Modi government, French Foreign Minister Mr Laurent Fabius Monday pressed for sealing the multi-billion dollar Rafale combat aircraft deal during his meetings with Defence Minister Mr Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Mrs Sushma Swaraj. France hopes that with the new government, whose focus was on […]

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