The Indian Air Force once again rose to the occasion to meet the challenge, deploying its transport and helicopter fleets to provide relief and rescue in flood affected areas of Utarakhand. Men and women of the IAF toiled relentlessly in the face of persistent adverse weather and limitations of inadequate infrastructure.

The major event on the global aviation scene in the recent past was the golden jubilee of the international air show at Paris held in June this year. Although there was an increase in the number of participants, as compared to the previous edition of the air show, there was a marginal drop in the number of trade and public visitors, perhaps attributable to some extent to the rainy weather prevailing. The inclement weather, however, did not subdue the optimism in the industry that appeared quite determined to battle the adversities it has been facing in the last few years. A particularly notable feature of the air show was the presence at Le Bourget of new players in the global aviation industry such as the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Limited and Irkut from Russia. This issue of SP’s Aviation carries an in-depth and comprehensive report by R. Chandrakanth.

Closer home, excessive rain in June this year culminated in one of the most devastating natural calamities in the country wherein the state of Uttarakhand lay devastated with thousands of pilgrims and local residents stranded in inaccessible mountainous terrain. The Indian Air Force (IAF) once again rose to the occasion to meet the challenge, deploying its transport and helicopter fleets to provide relief and rescue. Men and women of the IAF toiled relentlessly in the face of persistent adverse weather and limitations of inadequate infrastructure. Tragically, a brand new Mi-17 V5, with five crew and 15 members of the rescue team onboard, was lost apparently on account of bad weather. Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne set a fine example leading from the front in the best traditions of the glorious Indian Air Force. Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra has covered in this issue the endeavour of the Indian Air Force named as ‘Operation Rahat’. We at SP’s convey our sincere salutations to IAF.

A new battle zone that the Indian armed forces will have to contend with in the future is cyberspace as cyber warfare will perhaps be the biggest threat to national security in the years to come. Given the gravity of this emerging threat, the establishment of a tri-service Cyber Command is under active consideration by the government. The various aspects of this new threat dimension and its implications have been examined in the regular columns of In Focus and Forum.

The civil aviation industry in the country is bracing up for the entry of AirAsia. In a press conference held in Delhi recently, AirAsia Chief Tony Fernandes stated that “the aviation market in the country was favourable and that it was the perfect time to enter”. He hoped to commence operations of AirAsia India by October this year and appeared all set to capture the Indian market. The newly appointed CEO Mittu Chandilya appeared determined to “revolutionise the industry in India and create a completely new market”. The press conference has been covered in a report in this issue.

The government seems to have finally settled the issue of enhancing the limit of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the defence industry from 26 per cent to 49 per cent. However, the new provisions related to FDI beyond 26 per cent do not appear to be investor-friendly and hence foreign investors may not be overtly anxious to invest in India. While indigenisation of the Indian defence industry is the ultimate goal, the private sector will need substantial infusion of FDI to grow and acquire the capability to meet the requirements of the armed forces. More on this issue in Last Word by Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey.

All these apart from regular features in this issue. Welcome aboard and happy landings!