Higher, faster, stealthier. From the earliest simple designs, with thrust rating of 4 to 5-kN, to the present day 150-kN+, modern military engines sport multi-stage compressors and turbines, afterburners, vectored thrust, and are capable of super-cruise in dry power. The cover story traces this fascinating journey of military engines which indeed has been highly challenging and exciting. Significantly, this issue also highlights the attributes of a military pilot. Sheer bravado alone does not spur the military flier to achieve the assigned task, instead a lot of planning and training goes into preparing for a mission subsequently executed in the most professional manner.

Rumblings of unethical behaviour by the Russians are threatening to sour the decades-old relationship between Moscow and Delhi, a topic debated threadbare in InFocus and Forum. Interestingly, even as views diverge on the correctness of harbouring a grudge against the Russians for the ills plaguing the projects progressing under their aegis, the bottomline that emerges is that the Russians appear to be still grappling with the nuances of a free market economy, the opportunities it affords and the attendant responsibilities.

Talking of procedures, quite au fait with the tardy decisionmaking process in the Indian government system, the French have sprung a rather pleasant surprise, offering to supply—on fast track—40 of the new generation omni-role combat aircraft, the Rafale, as an interim solution to arrest the rapid erosion in combat potential. Echoing somewhat similar concerns in an exclusive interview, the Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal P.V. Naik, said: As a growing regional power, India’s area of interest is large. In order to meet the security challenges and fulfill our responsibilities in the region, we need to be effective anywhere within the strategic area of interest.

India has the potential for strategic reach but some components are not in place and some others are missing. Strategic reach missions would require forces that have trained together for considerable lengths of time to iron out differences that arise due to different backgrounds. Elsewhere, at Nellis US Air Force Base in Nevada, the Royal Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, the Typhoon, proved its air-to-surface capability.

Away from home, Phil Nasskau captured all the action in Berlin Air Show, ILA2008. Showcasing a large influence from official partner country India, the six-day event beginning from May 27 saw the skies above Berlin criss-crossed by a variety of different aerial versions—old and new. Coming as a dampener to the bustling aviation sector is the hike in fuel prices, whys and wherefores of which are discussed in LastWord.

On June 27, India lost a bold and upright son with the demise of Field Marshal S.H.F.J. Manekshaw. Ever since its inception, SP’s enjoyed a long and illustrious relationship with Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. SP’s founder, the late Shri S.P. Baranwal, during his frequent interactions with the Field Marshal, was always greeted with unstinted and warm support. We, at SP’s, will always remember Sam Bahadur as an officer and a gentleman.