Experts Speak - SP's Aviation

News Releases

Women breaking barriers!
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey
The commissioning of female pilots into the fighter stream of the IAF will indeed be inspiring as well as challenging for the future generations of women.
Coping with Drone Terror
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
With two Interpol red corner notices ticked under his belt and well protected in Pakistan despite being the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks, JuD chief Hafiz Saeed recently threatened, "If any drone attack takes place against Pakistan from Indian bases, we have enough drones for whole India"...
DPP 2016 uploaded – what is new
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
On 8 June 2016, MoD uploaded on its website the DPP 2016 Chapters I to VI including Appendices and Annexures. The covering letter reads "A separate Chapter on Strategic Partners and Partnership will be notified separately.
Defence Procurement – foreign firms allowed agents
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
Under the Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) 2016, issued on 8th June 2016,foreign entities have been allowed to engage agents for defence deals under a strict set of conditions, which includes giving defence ministry access to company accounts.
Take-off for National Civil Aviation Policy
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey
As the Indian civil aviation industry is expected to become the third largest by 2022, it would be necessary for the government to have the right vision, planning and execution.
MTCR Gateway to Nuclear Suppliers Group
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
Established in April 1987 by G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain and the USA), the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is an informal...
Kickstarting space shuttle Major milestone
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
Even as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was poised to launch 22 satellites from a single mission in June 2016, on May 23, 2016, ISRO successfully launched its prototype space shuttle that splashed down as planned in the Bay of Bengal, some 450 km from Sriharkota.
Fast Track Defence Reforms where is the horse?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
In a series of interviews with the media, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that he has now set the stage for far-reaching defence reforms from a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)...
Defence Exports looking ahead
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
According to Ministry of Defence's (MoD) annual report, the defence public sector untertakings (DPSUs)...
DRDO In news for wrong reasons again
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is again in the news because of wrong reasons. It is actually ironic that Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and DRDO, both government organisations, are in the news periodically...
BrahMos to Vietnam: Why is China bellyaching?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd)
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's recent visit to Singapore, including attending the Shangri-La Dialogues further enhanced the revised Defence Cooperation Agreement 2015 and India-Singapore Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Singapore...
Dilemma of Defence Spending
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)
A report of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence stated that the enhancement in the Defence Budget for the year 2016-17 over the previous year, was meagre and insufficient.
Are Our Politicians Losing Interest in India’s Defence?
By General V.P. Malik (Retd)
The Standing Committee on Defence, headed by BJP member Major General BC Khanduri, has recently conveyed to the Parliament that the ‘growth in the budgetary allocation for defence is not sufficient and woefully inadequate for modernisation.’
FDI in Defence Remains elusive
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
In a written reply given to the Parliament in response to a question about FDI in defence, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said, “The actual flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) takes time to mature.
Draft Map Policy What about defence and security?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
The MHA has released the draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016, which open to public for comments till June 03. Under this bill, government Centre will set up Security Vetting Authority (SVA) whose permission will be needed for acquiring maps, geospatial data though space or aerial platforms...
Shangri-La Dialogue Sending Defence Minister is good
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
As per media reports, Defence Minister Mohan Parrikar will address the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) scheduled in Singapore in first week June.
Defence Spending Faux pas in MoD
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
AK Anthony during his decade long tenure as defence minister maintained that budget allocations were more than adequate and more money could always be made available.
Indigenous GPS what it means
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with many awed Indians, watched the successful launch of ISRO’s PSLV-C33 Satellite Launch Vehicle lift of successfully from Sriharkota at 12.50 pm on April 28, placing the satellite IRNSS-1G in orbit some 20 minutes...
Japanese Stealth Fighter
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd)
The Japanese defence industry has been unshackled from the national policy of pacifism and has received the much needed impetus to develop weapon systems and military aircraft.
A Gust of Wind!
By Air Chief Marshal Fali H Major
The gust of wind (Rafale) is going to kick start the exercise to augment the depleting Squadron strength of the Indian Air Force soon.
A welcome breakthrough!
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey
With the breakthrough in the deal of the 36 Rafale jets, finally, there is the proverbial ‘light at the end of the tunnel’!
Super Hornet or the Fighting Falcon
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey
The requirement of the IAF is not for a light-weight fighter but for a medium to heavy weight combat aircraft capable of operating over long range without in-flight refuelling, preferably...
DPP 2016 the long and short of it
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
DPP 2016 was released by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 28 March 2016 coinciding with the inauguration of DefExpo 2016 in Goa...
Internet of Things: will LiFi replace WiFi?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
Some 40% of the world population has an internet connection presently. In 1995, this figure was less than 1% but the dramatic increase commenced from 1999 with tenfold increase between 1999 and 2013.
Mini Air Vehicles will army get them soon?
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
In August last year the Army had issued a request for information (RFI) for 600 mini aerial vehicles (MAVs).
Nuclear Security Summit and the ground realities
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
While President Obama talked of “one of the greatest threats to global security — terrorists getting their hands on a weapon of mass destruction” at the two-day Nuclear Security Summit (NSS)...
Protecting Masood Azhar China bares fangs
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
By blocking the move by the United Nations to act against Masood Azhar, JeM chief, for his terrorist activities and masterminding the terrorist attack on the IAF base at Patahnkot on January 2, China has unambiguously declared that it sides with Pakistan in latter’s anti-India terrorist activities.
Modi’s Saudi Arabia Visit countering terrorism and more
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
What perhaps went unnoticed was that as a prelude to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the US treasury department announced it had joined hands with Saudi Arabia...
Indo-US Defence Ties
By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey
India and the US share strategic objectives and one area in which in there is positive convergence between the two nations is the rising threat from China.
Indo-US Military Ties Deepening but so are US-Pakistan
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
Writing in the Washington Post on March 3, Dan Lamothe in an article titled ‘The US And India Are Deepening Military Ties - And China Is Watching’ has referred to Admiral Harry B Harris Jr...
Defence Budget 2016-2017
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
Defence Minister Mohan Parrikar chaired a Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting on February 22, holding that arms acquisition proposals worth 1.5 lakh crore were cleared by the NDA...
Big Ticket Make in India - in defence
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
Make in India is in the air including in the defence sector, with big ticket projects on the anvil. Senior defence officials of foreign countries are making a beeline for India, with US Defence Secretary too slated to visit India this April.
Special Operations Command needed urgently
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
Amidst numerous recommendation of the Naresh Chandra Committee, one was establishment of a Special Operations Command. India has been combating proxy wars for over past three decades.
Pathankot, Pampore and Indo-Pak talks
By Lt. General P.C. Katoch
Just as Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar accused Pakistan of “pretending to sleep” and not being serious about the probe into the Pathankot airbase terror attack, came the terrorist attack in Pampore where this time four heavily armed terrorists holed up in a multi-storey government building that led to an encounter lasting...