The Indo-Russian Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) will be a high-wing, twin-turboprop design. (Image: HAL)
Bangalore | Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the aerospace major, signed the Preliminary Design Phase (PDP) Contract today in New Delhi 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 as a follow on contract of the General Contract signed between the three parties in May 2012.With this HAL and UAC-TA will start the preliminary design work immediately at Moscow. HAL design team consisting of 30 designers will be positioned at UAC-TA”, says Mr. R.K.Tyagi, Chairman, HAL who was present on the occasion. The primary objective of the project 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 large number of global suppliers, he adds. The contract was signed by Mr. T. Suvarnaraju, HAL’s Director (Design and Development) and Mr. S.Velmozhkin, General Director, UAC-TA. An Inter Governmental Agreement was signed on November 12, 2007 to design, develop and produce the multi-role transport aircraft in the 15-20 tonne class, jointly by the Indian and Russian agencies (HAL and UAC-TAS) 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.On completion of the agreed work share of the PDP Contract in 10 months, Detail Design Phase (DDP) Contract will be signed to complete the design and development of MTA. 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, UAC, and Rosoboronexport of Russia, through MTAL.HAL will carry out the design and development of its workshare of the MTA at the Aircraft R&D Centre (ARDC) at Bangalore while its Transport Aircraft Division (TAD) at Kanpur will manufacture the prototypes and subsequently the serial production will be undertaken at Kanpur where 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 in Moscow as well as in India.HAL has a dedicated Division for manufacture and support of transport aircraft at Kanpur which is the only proven facility in the country for transport aircrafts. This Division has a co-located R&D centre for transport aircraftThe production of 44 seater HS-748 (Avro) passenger/transport Aircraft commenced at this Division in early 1960s. Eighty nine Avro aircrafts were produced at this Division out of which 22 aircrafts were supplied to civilian customers. The Division is still supporting these aircrafts even after five decades inspite of obsolescence and non-availability of OEMs support thanks to R&D efforts in maintaining fleet serviceability. HAL has undertaken a number of upgrades and modifications to overcome obsolescence and performance enhancement. Subsequently, production of 19 seater Dornier 228 passenger/utility aircraft started in early 1984. So far 116 aircrafts have been produced for various roles out of which 14 aircrafts were supplied to domestic civilian customers besides export of another two aircrafts. HAL is also exporting complete Dornier 228 aircraft structure to Ruag, Germany with EASA certification. Currently, the Division is supplying aircraft to various defence customers. One aircraft will be exported to Seychelles during this financial year. The Division is also expecting a number of bulk orders from domestic/foreign customers in near future.
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Virtually the entire responsibility for AEA rests with EA-6Bs, EA-18s.
The once relatively robust fleet of AEA platforms is shrinking
For decades, the U.S. military has been the world’s leader in airborne electronic attack (AEA). A branch of electronic warfare, AEA involves the use of aircraft and airborne systems to neutralize, destroy, or suppress enemy air defenses, communications networks, command and control capabilities and selective ISR assets. During the Cold War, AEA was considered absolutely essential to defeating the Soviet Union’s vast integrated air defense system. Today, AEA is increasingly critical to the survivability of air assets seeking to enter denied air space. An AEA capability is absolutely essential to any offensive air operation. Even the B-2 does not go forth to strike targets half a world away without AEA support. In addition, as the experience of the past decade has demonstrated, AEA platforms are extremely valuable in countering low-end electronic devices such as many of the triggers used to detonate improvised explosive devices. Prospective adversaries are working hard on ways of denying U.S. forces access to their air space. Older surveillance radars are being upgraded with advanced signal processing computers. New generations of sensors are being deployed, some on aerial platforms. Advanced air defense capabilities such as the Russian S-400 and S-500 are being fielded. In the near future, U.S. joint forces will require a combination of stealth, new weapons and advanced AEA in order to have assurance of successfully penetrating advanced air defenses. Unfortunately, the U.S. asymmetric advantage in AEA is in danger of eroding. The once relatively robust fleet of AEA platforms is shrinking. The Air Force’s EF-111 Ravens have long since been retired and efforts to develop a new, dedicated Air Force AEA capability have floundered. The Air Force does maintain some 14 EC-130 Compass Call airborne jammers. The Air Force’s F-22 and the tri-service F-35 fighters could take on some of the AEA mission, assuming that all of them are not busy performing more important tasks such as air superiority or ground attack. Alternative AEA platforms such as the Miniature Air-Launched Decoy or jammer-equipped unmanned aerial systems are in development. In reality, today, virtually the entire responsibility for offensive AEA rests with the Navy and Marine Corps’ fleet of some 100 aging EA-6B Prowlers and its replacement, the new EA-18 Growler. As the size of the AEA fleet shrinks, the demand for its services grows. Already the requirements from the Combatant Commands for AEA exceed current aircraft availability. Moreover, the current plan is to retire the four Marine Corps AEA squadrons rather than replacing their Prowlers with Growlers, further shrinking the size of the fleet. This isn’t the end of the problem. Without additional orders, the F-18 production line is scheduled to shut down in 2013. Should this happen, the Department of Defense will be left with no options for reconstituting lost capabilities or simply increasing the number of AEA platforms to meet demand. The U.S. Navy has a program to develop the Next Generation Jammer, a system intended to counter the growing electronic warfare and air defense threats. It would be ironic if having spent billions to produce a state-of-the-art jammer, DoD found itself without sufficient airborne platforms to deploy the new capability. ----Daniel Goure, Ph.D.Early Warning Blog, Lexington Institute
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A AW139 of the Qatar Armed Forces. (Photo: AgustaWestland)
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Royal Thai Army has signed a contract for two AW139 twin-engine helicopters. These aircraft will be delivered in 2014 to perform transport and utility missions across the nation. The contract, which also includes a comprehensive maintenance and training package, marks the entrance of the AW139 into Thailand’s military helicopter market and further expands the success of the type in the country. Vincenzo Alaimo, Head of Region, AgustaWestland, said “It gives us great pleasure to sign this contract with the Royal Thai Army to support their transport requirements. We are confident this model, thanks to its unmatched performance, comfort and safety, has significant potential in Thailand in the future.” The Royal Thai Army adds to a growing number of military customers that have ordered or are already operating the AW139 for a wide range of roles including VVIP and government transport, utility, search and rescue, emergency medical service and homeland security. The armed forces of Ireland, Qatar, UAE, Italy and Egypt are just some of those operating the AW139 today. The AW139 delivers best-in-class performance with a cruise speed of 165 knots (306 kph), a range in excess of 500 nm (927 km), endurance of 5 hours and superior hover performance. It also has the largest cabin in its class which can accommodate up to 15 passengers. The unobstructed cabin design allows maximum flexibility for different seating configurations and the transport of equipment. The baggage compartment, provides a massive 3.4 cubic metres (120 cubic feet) of storage which is easily accessible from both the cabin and outside the helicopter. The AW139 is the world’s best selling helicopter in its class and the only new generation aircraft in its class in service today. Over 500 AW139s are now in service worldwide. Almost 170 customers from more than 50 countries have ordered nearly 650 AW139 helicopters so far.
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