INDIAN ARMED FORCES CHIEFS ON
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SP's Aviation - ISSUE No 10-12

Issue Features

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  ‘The re-engining programme on the Jaguar aircraft is not stalled; it is being actively pursued’
  

  Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force

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  Vision Personified
  By Air Chief Marshal (Retd) P.V. Naik

  ‘I visualise a strong, modern, balanced aerospace force, fully-networked, with a mix of third, fourth and fifth generation aircraft and weapon systems, manned by motivated and trained air warriors, capable of projecting ‘national power’, and enabled to fully meet its mission and the country’s aspirations’

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  ‘HAL has drawn a long-term perspective plan to become a significant global player in the aerospace industry’
  

  R.K. Tyagi took over as the Chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in March 2012. In an interview with SP’s Aviation, Tyagi spoke very optimistically about hal’s future plans

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  Transport - On the Move
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

  The transport fleet of the IAF is in for a complete transformation over the next decade or so.

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  Viewpoint - The Way Forward
  By Dr Vivek Lall

  One hopes that the private industry will have a bigger role to play in aircraft projects in the years to come.

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  Helicopters - Development sans Indigenisation
  By Group Captain (Retd) A.K. Sachdev

  What will a huge IAF, with the responsibility of guarding extensive borders, and with providing support to the Army in the battlefield do with just 22 Apaches? Surely, the number appears to be too small.

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  Fighters Upgrades - Getting Ahead
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  The IAF has really understood the importance of upgrades which would not only help it to modernise its ageing fighter fleets...

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  Fighters Fleet - Status Per Se
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  In the coming years, the biggest worry for the IAF would be how to hold on to at least the now achieved figure of 34 combat squadrons.

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  UAVs - Getting Lethal
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.N. Gokhale

  While the UAV and UCAV are becoming more ubiquitous with advances in technology, it will be quite some time before these can replace a manned aircraft.

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  Force Multipliers - Enhancing Combat Potential
  By Air Commodore (Retd) Ramesh Phadke

  AWACS, MARS , PGMs, ECMs, UAVs and soon UAS, surveillance, communication and reconnaissance satellites, ODL, and AFNET...

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  Training - Strengthening the Foundation
  By Air Marshal (Retd) N. Menon

  Basic flying training in the IAF has been well-structured and the induction of the Hawk AJT has strengthened the process.

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  Industry - Range of Offers
  By Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand

  Raytheon is offering varied helicopter-based weapon suites for India’s armed forces

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  Space - Expanding Roles
  By Air Marshal (Retd) Raghu Rajan

  With space having emerged as the fourth medium for military operations, the IAF had brought out its blueprint titled ‘Defence Space Vision 2020' in 2007. The IAF had also laid claim to the Aerospace Command as a natural progression for them.

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  Flanker Turns 10
  By SP’s Special Correspondent

  The Su-30MKI has proven as a reliable and supremely nimble platform in Indian service

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  Mid-Size, the Right Size
  By R. Chandrakanth

  Labelled as the future of business travel, the mid-size jets are easilythe most sought after private jets for business jet charters by the contemporary corporate leaders

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  Mood Upbeat
  By Sucheta Das Mohapatra

  Thanking ASSOCHAM for the perfect timing of the conference, the Minister said that with 49 per cent FDI in aviation sector, the focus will now be on encouraging the use of smaller aircraft to connect tier-I, tier-II and tier-III cities with the metros

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  Need Planes Aplenty
  By Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha

  The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) believes that Indian aviation could see transformational growth over the next decade

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  Karun Krishna Majumdar (1913-1945)
  By Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha, Goa

  The first Indian officer of the Indian Air Force to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), and the only one to be awarded a Bar to the DFC, Jumbo Majumdar proved that bravery does not depend on the country of one’s origin.

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  A Word From Editor
  By Jayant Baranwal, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

  A key aspect of the IAF’s force build-up programme is to not only regain its erstwhile combat jet fighters’ strength of 39½ squadrons but also to augment it further to 42 squadrons by 2022

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  Cautious Moves
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

  For FDI in the aviation sector to be a reality as also meaningful, the government would have not only to take speedy steps to improve the investment climate...