“HAL has successfully developed the basic trainer aircraft (HTT-40) to address the training requirements of IAF. There is a potential requirement of 70 aircraft. The contract with IAF for the same is in an advanced stage of approval,” chairman R Madhavan said.

The central government has imposed a phased ban on the import of 310 different types of weapons and systems to boost self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector, and basic trainers feature on that list.

Rookie pilots in the IAF go through a three-stage training process involving the Pilatus PC-7 MkII basic trainers, Surya Kiran trainers and finally the British-origin Hawk advanced jet trainers before they can fly fighter jets.

In August 2020, the defence ministry gave a go-ahead for the purchase of indigenous basic trainer aircraft for IAF to provide a push to the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) vision.

The defence acquisition council (DAC) accorded its acceptance of necessity (AoN) to buy 106 HTT-40 aircraft from HAL. Under India’s defence procurement rules, an AoN by the council is the first step towards buying military hardware. The IAF plans to order the basic trainers in two batches – 70 and 36, the officials said.

The HTT-40 aircraft has undergone a string of elaborate tests at HAL to demonstrate that it is safe for rookie pilots and meets the IAF’s exacting standards for trainer planes.

The post HAL signs $100-mn contract with US firm for trainer aircraft engines appeared first on IMR.

“HAL has successfully developed the basic trainer aircraft (HTT-40) to address the training requirements of IAF. There is a potential requirement of 70 aircraft. The contract with IAF for the same is in an advanced stage of approval,” chairman R Madhavan said.

The central government has imposed a phased ban on the import of 310 different types of weapons and systems to boost self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector, and basic trainers feature on that list.

Rookie pilots in the IAF go through a three-stage training process involving the Pilatus PC-7 MkII basic trainers, Surya Kiran trainers and finally the British-origin Hawk advanced jet trainers before they can fly fighter jets.

In August 2020, the defence ministry gave a go-ahead for the purchase of indigenous basic trainer aircraft for IAF to provide a push to the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) vision.

The defence acquisition council (DAC) accorded its acceptance of necessity (AoN) to buy 106 HTT-40 aircraft from HAL. Under India’s defence procurement rules, an AoN by the council is the first step towards buying military hardware. The IAF plans to order the basic trainers in two batches – 70 and 36, the officials said.

The HTT-40 aircraft has undergone a string of elaborate tests at HAL to demonstrate that it is safe for rookie pilots and meets the IAF’s exacting standards for trainer planes.

The post HAL signs $100-mn contract with US firm for trainer aircraft engines appeared first on IMR.

In a statement 0n 6 June, the Ministry of Defence said the DAC, at a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, “accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for Capital Acquisition Proposals of the Armed Forces amounting to Rs 76,390 crore under ‘Buy (Indian)’, ‘Buy & Make (Indian)’ and ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ categories”. This, it said, follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “clarion call for ‘Aatmanirbharta’.”

The planned next generation corvettes will be the first time that the warships will be designed entirely by the Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and executed by an Indian shipyard through a competitive bid — this means that the private industry will also be allowed to bid, unlike earlier when a shipyard was nominated. The new warships will eventually replace the Khukri and Kora class corvettes.

“For the Indian Navy, the DAC accorded AoN for procurement of Next Generation Corvettes (NGC) at an estimated cost of approx. Rs 36,000 crore. These NGCs will be versatile platforms for a variety of roles viz. surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrence, Surface Action Group (SAG) operations, Search & Attack and Coastal Defence. These NGCs would be constructed based on the new in-house design of the Indian Navy using the latest technology of ship building and would contribute to further the Government’s initiative of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region),” the Ministry said.

“For the Indian Army, the DAC accorded fresh AoNs for procurement of Rough Terrain Fork Lift Trucks (RTFLTs), Bridge Laying Tanks (BLTs), Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicles (Wh AFVs) with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) and Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs) through domestic sources with emphasis on indigenous design and development,” it said.

“The DAC accorded AoNs for manufacture of Dornier aircraft and Su-30 MKI aero-engines by the Navratna CPSE M/s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited with focus on enhancing indigenisation, particularly in indigenising aero-engine material,” the Ministry said.

“In pursuance of the Government’s vision for digital transformation in Defence, ‘Digital Coast Guard’ project under ‘Buy (Indian)’ Category has been approved by the DAC. Under this project, a pan India secure network for digitising of various surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance and HR processes in Coast Guard will be established,” it said.

The post Corvettes, Su-30 engines—Rs 76,390-crore procurement boost to Indian industry appeared first on IMR.

The engine, which may come up within seven years of starting work, will be used for the future class of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the fifth generation fighter currently in development for the Indian Air Force.

During his annual press conference on 5 September, Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria indicated the possibility of a Joint Venture(JV) in developing fighter jet aero-engine in India that will potentially set forth a new era of aerospace in India. He put his trust on home grown LCA Tejas MK1A and 5th Gen AMCA for IAF over foreign fighter jets.

Complexity of Aeroengines

The difficulty is not in designing an aeroengine. It lies in maturing it for working for 6000-8000 hours. Most critical parts are the combustion chamber (where fuel is burnt) and turbine blades.

A fighter engine must be able to withstand temp up to 2700°C continuously. That is a challenge. At such high temperatures in the combustion chamber, turbine blades, nozzles, etc, must withstand them without getting fatigued or damaged permanently.

ALSO READ: What is the Status of Kaveri Aero Engine?

Some of the major obstacles are :

•             Single Crystal Turbine blades: They are in the turbine section behind the combustion chamber where temperatures exceed the melting point of steel. The material used is a titanium that is a single crystal from top to bottom. The metallurgical techniques to do this are closely guarded secrets.

•             Combustion Chamber lining: This section faces hellfire and does not even have a cooling system build into it. It needs a coating that can stand up to the heat and radiate it away from the bulk of the combustion chamber. The composition of this coating is a very well guarded military secret.

•             Precise and complex machining techniques: Any inconsistency in the stock metals or asymmetry in machining will cause devastating results.

•             Funding: Getting governments to invest money into a project that will almost definitely exceed time and budgetary constraints will take a lot of negotiation.

Recommendations

Cmde Sujeet Samaddar, Founder of SAMDeS has made the following recommendations to energise aerospace industry

•             Say No to offsets. Require 30% local content on imports.

•             Delete Quantity Vetting (QV) clause in Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP). No QV based batch production but pipeline production of budgeted annual targets of 24 LCAs, 36 Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), 12 HTT-40 trainder, 6-12 Light Transport Aircraft (LTA) and 36 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). This will create the vendor base and a long-term sustainable industry and promote exports. Replicate the Planning Commission model RFP for long-term procurement and maintenance contracts.

•             Make Aero Engines in India. Way forward is (1) One mega RFP to select one engine-maker who can provide the entire range of engines for the LCA/AMCA/DBA, LCH, Naval Utility Helicopter (NUH) and (2) another mega RFP for turbo-props for the entire transport fleet both commercial and military.

•             Foreign OEMs should look at the entire package that the Govt of India offers and not just the DAP. Includes, Lowest Tax Rates for new manufacturing entities, liberal FDI, ease of doing business, trans-border supply chains, National Electronic Policy, Industrial Corridors, relaxations for MRO, EXIM Banks schemes for credit and overseas investment and so many more.

•             The business of leasing is here. Entrepreneurs should get in touch and start the first lease project together for rapid force modernisation.

•             Aerospace materials – Graphene, CNT, Al-alloys (2. 7 series), Composites, Li, Co all possible through smart recycling.

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