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Australia’s Qantas grounds 747 after windscreen cracks

April 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

SYDNEY, April 5 (Reuters) – Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) said on Monday one of its aircraft had been grounded after developing cracks in its windscreen while flying from the United States.

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The Boeing (BA.N) 747 landed safely in Melbourne on Monday morning after a flight from Los Angeles but was immediately grounded. The first officer noticed the cracks during the flight, a spokesman said.

The windscreen was to be replaced and the plane was expected to leave for the United States again early on Tuesday.

It is the latest of a series of recent technical mishaps involving Qantas. Last week one of the airline’s Airbus (EAD.PA) A380 aircraft was grounded after two tyres exploded on landing in Sydney. [ID:nSGE6300AT] (Editing by Lincoln Feast)

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China to buy air defence systems from Russia-Ifax

April 3, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

MOSCOW, April 2 (Reuters) – China has agreed to buy a large number of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia, Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing the director of the Russian plant that makes the weapons.

The truck-mounted S-300, known in the West as the SA-20, can shoot down cruise missiles and aircraft. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov, writing by Guy Faulconbridge)

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India Air Force activates Nyoma airfield close to China border

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 18 (ANI): The Indian Air Force in a significant move today activated its Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) to support the Army in carrying out operations in the inhospitable terrain.

An IAF AN-32 aircraft landed at Nyoma ALG, which is located at an altitude of 13,300 feet in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir, at 6:25 a.m. today. It is located 23 kms from the Line of Actual Control. (LAC).

The successful landing of a fixed wing aircraft at Nyoma marks the culmination of joint effort by the IAF and Indian Army to enable the IAF to operate in the inhospitable terrain of Leh-Ladakh region in support of the Army.

The landing comes just fifteen months after an AN-32 landed at Daulat-Beg-Oldie (DBO), the highest airfield in the world situated at an altitude of 16,200 feet.

Group Captain SC Chafekar touched down on the Nyoma airstrip. Air Marshal NAK Browne, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command and Lieutenant General PC Bharadwaj, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command on board.

Though helicopters have been landing at this ALG, this is for the first time that a fixed wing aircraft has landed at the compact airstrip of Nyoma.

After deliberating on all aspects and carrying out aerial and ground inspection, it was concluded that Nyoma could be developed for fixed wing operations as well.

The Engineer Regiments of 14 Corps undertook the herculean task of developing the ALG to the standards required for fixed wing operations.

Joint development of Nyoma braving the extremely difficult working conditions and hostile weather is yet another step towards enhanced joint partnership between the two services.

Nyoma has been developed with an aim to connect the remote areas of Ladakh region to the mainland. This would also ensure movements in the area when the road traffic gets affected, during the harsh winters besides enabling improved communication network in the region. (ANI)

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New air filter system can destroy up to 99.9 per cent of bugs on aircraft

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 16 (ANI): British researchers have developed an air filter system that destroys up to 99.9 per cent of infectious viruses and bacteria as well as pollutants that can circulate in the confines of an aircraft, especially on long-haul flights.

According to a report in The Times, the machine has been developed by aerospace giant BAE Systems, in collaboration with Quest International, a small company based in Cheadle, South Manchester, UK.

The device, called AirManager, uses a controlled electric field to filter out and destroy any airborne particles or germs as they pass through an aircraft’s air conditioning system, emitting only clean, sterilized air.

After four years of development and tests, BAE says it has received its first orders from a major European airline and announced the technology is also being considered for use in NHS hospitals as a way to stop the spread of “superbugs” such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.

The air on board a passenger jet must be pressurized in order for passengers to be able to breathe, but scientists and lobby groups have previously claimed that passengers can be exposed to toxins as a result of the “bleed air” system that is used to redirect air from the engines to the cabin and cockpit.

Air inside the cabin is then circulated and re-circulated up to 30 times an hour, far more than in conventional air conditioning systems, meaning that infectious viruses and bacteria can quickly spread.

Unlike conventional filters, which are designed to sieve out particles from the air as it passes through perforated barriers at high speed, David Hallam, an engineer and founder of Quest International, said that the AirManager used an “avalanche of electrons” emitted in a closed electric field to break down and destroy the atomic structure of any pollutants or germs.

“This works with swine flu, avian flu, norovirus, MRSA, even a modified form of anthrax,” Hallam said.

Hallam said that he originally designed the “close coupled field” in the late 1990s to rid nursing homes of biological odours caused by bacteria.

But, the filter was later found to have an effect in reducing the airborne transmission of bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Clostridium difficile.

BAE Systems expressed interest in the technology four years ago for use on aircraft and the system was recently tested on the flight deck and cabin air systems of Boeing 757 and Avro RJ passenger jets by five European airlines, with successful results. (ANI)

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Airborne laser to shoot ballistic missile as part of flight test

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 12 (ANI): Soon, the Airborne Laser (ABL), built into a customized Boeing 747, is ready for flight tests, in which it will try to shoot a ballistic missile.

According to a report in New Scientist, the US Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has developed the ABL.

The ABL aims to focus a beam of laser energy in the megawatt range for several seconds onto a missile at a “militarily significant distance” – more than 100 kilometres.

So far, the laser has only operated at near full power on the ground. On August 18, it was fired successfully from the air, but at reduced power.

That, however, was no mean feat, as aircraft vibrations play havoc with the precisely aligned optical components needed to generate a laser beam.

Firing at full power poses other challenges as well.

At powers high enough to destroy missiles, any surface contamination or tiny flaw in the laser optics can absorb so much heat that they crack or shatter.

High-power laser beams also heat the air they pass through, creating perturbations that can disperse or divert the beam.

To counteract those effects, the ABL uses an adaptive system that senses atmospheric changes along its path and makes optical adjustments to compensate.

To test that system, the MDA plans a series of increasingly powerful shots at modified ballistic missiles loaded with sensors to measure the distribution of laser power on the target.

Engineers will assess each shot’s performance and use the results to fine-tune the adaptive optics.

Once this is done, the MDA will test the laser again in varying conditions, and attempt to destroy actual missiles.

The first of these tests is planned to take place late this year, with two more to follow in early 2010, according to an MDA spokeswoman. (ANI)

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India, Nepal agree to review Air Service Agreement

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 11 (ANI): India and Nepal signed here a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for review of Air Service Agreement (ASA) and a technical accord.

As per the understanding reached between the delegation from the two countries, the weekly seat capacity has been increased to 30,000 from the existing 6,000. This step can safely be expected to give a whole new boost to tourism as well as trade between the two countries.

Three new points have been granted to Nepal, namely Dehra Dun, Gorakhpur and Bagdogra and for India, Pokhara, Lumbini, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj, Janakpur, Dhangadi and Bhairahawa.

However, within their overall capacity entitlements, the designated airlines of Nepal shall be entitled to operate not exceeding 10,000 seats per week to/from Mumbai and Bangalore each and not exceeding 15,000 seats per week to/from Delhi. This restriction will become null and void from January 1, 2011.

Regarding the revised route schedule, the Nepali delegation stated that barring Kathmandu, there is no other airport in Nepal which is suitable for operation of international flights.

The designated airlines of each party shall be entitled to operate any number of all-cargo services between each other’s territory with any type of aircraft with full 3rd, 4th and 5th freedom traffic rights. Such all-cargo services may also be operated under co-operative marketing arrangements such as code sharing blocked space.

The delegations took note of the Technical Co-operation Agreement signed between the Airports Authority of India and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Both sides agreed to take further action for implementation of this Agreement.

The Indian side reiterated its request that permission for the deployment of sky marshals on the flights operated by the designated airlines of India to/from Nepal may be expedited.

The Nepal side took note of the request and informed that the matter had already been referred to the appropriate authority of the Government of Nepal. The Nepal side will pursue the matter. This Memorandum of Understanding shall super cede all previous arrangements to the extent applicable and shall come into force with immediate effect.

The Indian delegation was led by M. Madhavan Nambiar, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Nepal side was led by Nagendra Prasad Ghimire, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. (ANI)

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US Navy ship sunk in World War II battle located

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 11 (ANI): A research mission has located and identified the final resting place of the YP-389, a US Navy patrol boat sunk approximately 20 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, by a German submarine during World War II.

Six sailors died in the attack on June 19, 1942. There were 18 survivors.

The wreck is located in about 300 feet of water in a region off North Carolina known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” home to US and British naval vessels, merchant ships, and German U-boats sunk during the Battle of the Atlantic.

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and its expedition partners mapped and shot video of the wreck using high-resolution camera equipment, multibeam sonar and an advanced remotely operated vehicle deployed from the NOAA ship Nancy Foster.

Researchers were able to locate and positively identify the YP-389 by reexamining data from the Duke Marine Laboratory expedition that discovered the USS Monitor in 1973.

Today, the relatively intact remains of the YP-389 rest upright on the ship’s keel.

The wreck site is home to a variety of marine life. Much of the outer-hull plating has fallen away, leaving only the intact frames exposed.

“She rests now like a literal skeleton, a reminder of a time long ago when the nation was at war,” said Joseph Hoyt, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary archaeologist and principal investigator for the project.

Built originally as a fishing trawler, the YP-389 was converted into a coastal patrol craft and pressed into service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The ship was equipped with one 3-inch deck gun to protect the ship from enemy aircraft and surfaced submarines and two .30-caliber machine guns.

However, on the day of the attack by the German submarine U-701, the ship’s deck gun was inoperative, and the YP-389 could return fire only with its machine guns.

Weeks after the attack on the YP-389, the U-701 was sunk by Army aircraft in the same vicinity as the YP-389.

According to Rear Admiral Jay A. DeLoach, USN (Ret), director, Naval History and Heritage Command, “The US Navy considers the YP-389 discovery a grave site and, by law, it is to be left undisturbed.” (ANI)

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MiG 21 crashes in Punjab, pilot killed

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Bhaliana, Sep 10 (ANI): A MiG 21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Bhaliana village in Muktasar District of Punjab, killing a pilot Lt. Manu Akhotri on the spot on Thursday.

This is a seventh crash of a MiG aircraft this year.

Bhaliana is about 20 kilometers from Muktasar.

The aircraft was on a routine training exercise and had taken off from Bhatinda Air force station this morning.

Senior IAF officials have rushed to the spot to conduct investigations. (ANI)

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Pak Qaeda hand in 2006 trans-Atlantic bomb plot revealed

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep.8 (ANI): New evidence put before a British jury during a retrial of three Brit Muslim convicts suggests that the men used code words to discuss their plans with an al-Qaeda fixer based in Pakistan.

The e-mails and conversations suggest that the plot was in its final stages, possibly days away from execution in 2006.

The seven daily flights highlighted by the three plotters were: 14.15 United Airlines Flight 931 to San Francisco; 15.00 Air Canada Flight 849 to Toronto; 15.15 Air Canada Flight 865 to Montreal; 15.40 United Airlines Flight 959 to Chicago; 16.20 United Airlines Flight 925 to Washington; 16.35 American Airlines Flight 131 to New York; 16.50 American Airlines Flight 91 to Chicago.

According to The Telegraph and the Daily Express, the batteries the gang planned to use as part of their detonators were bought in Pakistan.

An ingredient in the bomb mix was the orange soft drink Tang – sold in Pakistan – which had a high sugar content to aid the explosion.

A British intelligence source said: “The use of drink bottles sold in Pakistan and batteries sold in Pakistan underline the plot’s ties to that country. The foot soldiers were from Britain – but the organisers were in Pakistan.”

A security source said of the conspiracy: “It was very clever and the airport scanners would not have picked up the devices at all.”

Prosecutor Peter Wright told the Woolwich Crown Court in South East London how the would-be bombers were “a cell of home-grown terrorists activated and directed by a designated leader in Pakistan.”

That was confirmed by a government source in Pakistan, who said the plot was believed to have originated “with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.”

Seized e-mails showed the chain of terror stretched from there, across the lawless border to Pakistan, to London and to the woods of High Wycombe where explosives were buried.

The aim was to mirror the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, which killed 259 passengers and 11 in the Scottish town.

Aliases exposed during the trial revealed the terror kingpin in Pakistan was dubbed “Paps” or “Papa”.

Ali called himself Imran and Chacha and also set up email accounts in the bogus names Tippu Khan and Jameel Masood.

His co-conspirators used aliases such as Fatty, Arro and Nigga.

Hydrogen peroxide was known as “aftershave”, police surveillance as “skin problems” and martyrdom videos were referred to as “wedding tapes”.

It is also thought that the bomb makers received training at an al-Qaeda camp in Pakistan.

A mystery Pakistani, thought to be a top al-Qaeda envoy, made contact with the three would-be suicide bombers during a flying visit to Britain in June 2006.

Experts who tested the explosive mix on the aircraft were horrified.

A witness said: “It was absolutely devastating.” (ANI)

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Pilots of AI flight 829 de-rostered

September 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Sep 5(ANI): The pilots of the Riyadh bound Air India flight (AI-829) whose engine caught fire in the Mumbai International Airport have been de-rostered on Saturday.

According to reports, Director General of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Nazeem Zaldi, has confirmed that the pilots have been de-rostered.

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that preliminary reports of the four-member in-house committee, which has been set up to probe the incident, suggest that there have been lapses on part of the pilots.

Nearly 200 passengers were onboard the flight, when the aircraft’s left engine caught fire while taking off.

Many passengers who had suffered bruises and cuts while sliding down from the chutes, who were immediately taken to the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) casualty centre and given first aid. (ANI)

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Four-member team set up to probe Air India fire incident

September 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Sep 5 (ANI): A four-member in-house committee has been set up to probe the Air India fire incident that took place at Mumbai International Airport on Friday.

Nearly 200 passengers were onboard on Riyadh bound Air India flight (AI-829) while the aircraft’s left engine caught fire while taking off.

Many passengers suffered bruises and cuts while sliding down from the chutes but were taken to the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) casualty centre and given first aid.

Ruling out the possibility of a technical snag leading to the grounding of the aircraft at Mumbai Airport, aviation experts said the fuel leaked onto the heated engines of the aircraft and that had caused the fire.

They said that timely information provided by a passenger led the crew to stop the flight from taxing off the runway for Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

Flight 829 was immediately grounded when sparks were detected flying out of one of the engines.

The 213 passengers onboard were evacuated by slides to safety. Four fire engines were rushed to the spot, as also other equipment and personnel. (ANI)

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Nuke Sub, Aircraft Carrier in Kalam’s vision 2020 for Andamans

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Sep 4 (ANI): Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on Friday unveiled a vision document for the strategic development of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the year 2020.

Inaugurating a national seminar on ‘Security and Development of the Andaman and Nicobar islands’ here, Dr Kalam said that a 250 mw nuclear power station on one of the islands would form the core of the development programme.

Dr Kalam said the islands being a vital part of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) would have “enhanced significance” in the next decade.

He further said that the ANC should have bases for static aircraft carrier and a nuclear,

Dr Kalam also called upon the Armed Forces to evolve an effective security plan for underneath the sea, at sea level and in air.

“The security plan which you evolve should ensure that there is no unauthorised occupation of the vacant islands,”said Dr Kalam.

Meanwhile, Commander-in-Chief of the ANC, Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar, said that the location of these islands confers a geostrategic advantage.

“Its economic and forest potential dictates a sound security presence,” he added.

Top defence and security experts, including Deputy National Security Advisor Shekhar Dutt, former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India R Chidambaram, are attending the two-day seminar. (ANI)

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DGCA recommends derostering of Air India maintenance engineer for fuel leak

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Sep.4 (ANI): The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered the derostering of the maintenance engineer who was working on Air India flight 829 after it developed a fuel leak.

The DGCA has ordered a detailed probe into the fuel leak from the wings of an Air India flight that caused one of the engines to catch fire.

Ruling out the possibility of a technical snag leading to the grounding of the aircraft at Mumbai Airport on Friday morning, aviation experts said the fuel leaked onto the heated engines of the aircraft and that had caused the fire.

Had it not been detected, they said it could have led to a major catastrophe in the air.

They said that timely information provided by a passenger led the crew to stop the flight from taxing off the runway for Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

Flight 829 was immediately grounded when sparks were detected flying out of one of the engines.

The 213 passengers onboard were evacuated by slides to safety.

Four fire engines were rushed to the spot, as also other equipment and personnel. (ANI)

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Fuel leak behind Air India flight fire: Experts

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Sep.4 (ANI): Aviation experts on Friday said that a fuel leak from the wings of an Air India flight caused one of the engines to catch fire.

Ruling out the possibility of a technical snag leading to the grounding of the aircraft at Mumbai Airport on Friday morning, the experts said the fuel leaked onto the heated engines of the aircraft and that had caused the fire.

Had it not been detected, they said it could have led to a major catastrophe in the air.

They said that timely information provided by a passenger led the crew to stop the flight from taxing off the runway for Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

Flight 829 was immediately grounded when sparks were detected flying out of one of the engines.

The 213 passengers onboard were evacuated by slides to safety. Four fire engines were rushed to the spot, as also other equipment and personnel. (ANI)

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Intensified search operations for missing Andhra CM resume

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Hyderabad/New Delhi, Sep.3 (ANI): Search operations for missing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy resumed at first light on Thursday morning.

State Government sources said that they have narrowed down the search to a 20-square kilometer radius in the Nallamalla Forest Range where they believe the seven-seat Bell helicopter carrying the chief minister may have gone down on Wednesday at around 9.30 a.m.eddy’s chopper went missing while he was on his way from Kurnool to Chittoor.

He is accompanied by his Principal Secretary S Subramanyam and Chief Security Officer A S C Wesley. There were two pilots also on board the twin-engined Bell 430 helicopter that lost contact with Air Traffic Control at the Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad when it was headed for Chittoor district, about 600 kilometres from Hyderabad.

Indian Space Research Organisation chief G. Madhavan Nair and his team are monitoring a low flying remote sensing plane. Satellite images are being used to try and trace the place. So far, 41 images have been taken but none of them have revealed any information about the chief minister’s whereabouts.

As of now the Indian Government has said that it has not requested the United States for help in the matter, but has confirmed that the unmanned vehicle that is presently deployed in the north eastern part of the country is being kept on standby.

The Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, Andhra Police Greyhound commandos along with local police and district officials has entered the Nallamalla Forests to launch the massive search and rescue operation for Reddy.

About 250 Army personnel with night vision devices have joined the search operations.

“We have deployed two columns and one Ghatak (jungle warfare specialist) platoon in the area for searching the Chief Minister. Our troops are equipped with night vision devices such as goggles and hand held thermal imagers,” Army officials said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to arrive in Hyderabad shortly to be with Reddy’s anguished family members and to get a hands on assessment of the search operation.

She has already sent Union Law Minister and Congress general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs Veerappa Moily and Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Prithviraj Chauhan to the city to monitor developments. Chauhan told press persons that the State and Central Governments are sparing no efforts to search for the chief minister.

Meanwhile, National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan has said that while both the state and central governments are extremely concerned and worried about the missing chief minister, all available resources are being deployed for the search.

He said Army and Air Force helicopters have been conducting a search of the region. He also confirmed that two fixed-wing aircraft with synthetic aperture radar capabilities have been pressed into service.

Forces on the ground are also on the lookout for the missing helicopter and its individuals. arayanan said that the lack of communication is a major problem and also ruled out the probability of a Naxal strike.

“I don’t think the Naxals have the capability to bring down a helicopter,” he said.

“There is no question about calling off the search till we discover what happened there. We are hopeful we will find the Chief Minister, his chief secretary and PSO without serious injuries,” he added. (ANI)

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Andhra CM’s chopper not airworthy

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Hyderabad/New Delhi, Sep.2 (ANI): A controversial twist was introduced into the case of missing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajshekhar Reddy on Wednesday, when a private television channel revealed that the seven-seater Bell chopper that was carrying him to Chitoor, was not airworthy.

According to a Times Now report, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) certifcate shows that the chopper was last inspected two years ago. The certificate also describes the owner and operator of the chopper as being the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

The revelation comes as the Andhra Pradesh Government set up 14 teams, each consisting of eight members (112 personnel), to search for Reddy and the chopper in which he was traveling.

Local villagers have also been provided with torches and other equipment to help in the search of an area that is dominated by Naxals.

The State Government has also asked the Central Government to provide it with an unmanned aircraft and all-weather Fokker aircraft for the search operation in the Nanamalla and Seer Sailam forest ranges, where the chopper is believed to have made an emergency landing due to bad weather. At least seven choppers, including four from the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been pressed into the rescue operation.

The State Government has also said that it will be giving a fresh update on the situation at 7 p.m. (ANI)

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Air Marshal KJ Mathews appointed as new AOP of IAF

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep. 1 (ANI): Air Marshal KJ Mathews on Tuesday took over as the new Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel (AOP), the Head of Human Resources of the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Air Headquarters.

Commissioned in the year 1973, the Air Marshal has over 3,500 hours of flying to his credit on various aircraft that include HF-24 (Marut), Hunter, MiG-21M and MiG-29.

He was also a team member of “Thunderbolts” – IAF’s erstwhile Aerobatic Team.

His appointments include-Station Commander of an operational base during Kargil operations, Air Officer Commanding of Air Force Station Adampur, Principal Director of Concept Studies, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) at Air HQ and Commandant, Air Force Academy before his current appointment.

Air Marshal Mathews is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Air War College, USA. (ANI)

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Modalities of BrahMos-II project to be finalized soon

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Tiruchirapalli, Sep. 1 (ANI): The modalities for developing hypersonic missile BrahMos-II by the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace are in the final phase of finalization.

BrahMos Aerospace CEO and managing director A Sivathanu Pillai told reporters here on Tuesday that a final shape of the project, aimed at developing the aerial version of BrahMos missile that could traverse at speeds between Mach 5 to Mach 7, would emerge shortly.

The design team had already been lined up and discussions would be held shortly between the joint venture partners on investments, sharing of technical responsibilities, administration and sharing of manufacturing facility infrastructure, he added.

Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, which has a capability of carrying 300 kilograms conventional warheads at a speed of around 2.8 Mach, has already been inducted by the Army and the Navy.

Work related to the design and development of this version had been fruitful and the advanced missile, which weighs 0.5 tonne less than that of the three-tonne land version BrahMos, was ready and the company awaited the modified SUKOI-30 MKI aircraft that would carry the weapon.

Pillai said he was hopeful that the target for induction of the air version set for 2012 would be achieved.

After being fitted on an aircraft, BrahMos will be the only cruise missile with the capability of being launched from land, sea and air, he said.

To a query on export potential of BrahMos missile, Pillai said a number countries evinced keen interest in it, but the priority was to meet the high domestic requirement.

For meeting the demand, the company was in the process of upgrading the production infrastructure at multiple locations besides enhancing component suppliers by including new large and medium sized industries.

On BrahMos Aeropsace’s Thiruvananthapuram facility, Pillai said seven acres of land in possession of Indian Air force adjacent to the main campus was expected to be handed over to BrahMos Aerospace shortly. (ANI)

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New Commanders for Southern Command of Indian Navya and Air force

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kochi (Kerala), Aug 31(ANI): The southern commands of the Indian Navy and Air Force based in Kerala were assigned new commanding heads on Monday.

Vice Admiral KN Sushil took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command (SNC) from Vice Admiral SK Damle at a ceremonial parade held at the naval base in Kochi.

Commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1973, Admiral KN Sushil joined the submarine arm in 1976 and has served on both the Vela class and the Shishumar class submarines.

Air Marshal Sumit Mukerjee will be the new Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command and will assume charge on September 1, 2009.

Prior to this, Air Marshal Mukerjee was the Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel at Air Headquarters in New Delhi.

He is the only pilot in the history of IAF to have commanded units with the Mig-21, Mig-23U, Mig-25, Mig-27 and Mig-29 aircraft.

Air Marshal Sumit Mukerjee was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF on January 22, 1972. By Juhan Samuel (ANI)

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Bangalore and Kozhikode blast suspect detained in Kerala

August 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Trivandrum (Kerala), Aug 30(ANI): A 35-year-old man allegedly linked with people suspectedly involved in bomb blasts in Bangalore and Kozhikode, was detained at the Trivandrum international airport on Sunday.

According to reports, Kabeer, hailing from Kerala’s Wayanad district, was about to board Kuwait Airways aircraft minutes before take-off from the Trivandrum international airport to Kuwait, when the police following a tip off nabbed him.

The police said that the Intelligence Bureau had issued a look out notice against Kabeer alleging that he had links with people involved in last year’s bomb blasts in Bangalore and in Kozhikode blasts in 2006.

Kabeer was questioned by the intelligence and security agencies at the airport terminal, while the flight left for Kuwait after a delay of 30 minutes. (ANI)

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