MMRCA holds in its wake tremendous opportunities not only for the OEMs, but more importantly for the indigenous aerospace industry in the private sector in India. With offset obligation pitched at 50 per cent of the contract value, there is about $10 billion ( Rs. 55,000 crore) worth of business waiting to be exploited.

There is good news for the Indian aerospace industry as negotiations in the deal for the 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), after having encountered minor turbulence, is once again on track. There is a good chance that the negotiations, though somewhat behind schedule, would be completed before the end of the calendar year and the contract with Dassault for the MMRCA would be inked by the time the current financial year ends. There is revival of hope that the Indian Air Force (IAF) may well begin to induct the aircraft by 2017.

The MMRCA contract holds in its wake tremendous opportunities not only for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), but also more importantly for the indigenous aerospace industry in the private sector in India. With offset obligation pitched at 50 per cent of the contract value, there is about $10 billion ( Rs. 55,000 crore) worth of business waiting to be exploited. And with transfer of technology built into the contract, the Indian aerospace industry would have an opportunity to leapfrog into the next generation. In this issue, there is an in-depth analysis by Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra of the opportunities and challenges for the Indian aerospace industry that the MMRCA deal will usher in.

Plagued by allegations of misdemeanour in procurement of military hardware from foreign sources, the government is finally making concerted efforts at indigenisation which it rightly perceives as the solution to end this malaise. To this end, the Minister of Defence A.K. Antony has delivered a clear message to the industry and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on the intent of the government in this regard. This issue of indigenisation of the Indian aerospace industry has been examined in detail by Air Marshal Chopra in the ‘In Focus’ and ‘Forum’.

In the civil aviation segment, in an exclusive interview with R. Chandrakanth, Naveen Jindal, the youngest scion of the O.P. Jindal Group and Member of Parliament from Haryana, shares his views and thoughts on the aviation scene in the country and plans of the Jindal Group to contribute to its growth. Particularly noteworthy is his impression of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation reflected in his observation: “We are yet to see the DGCA transform into a world-class policy-making body”.

Writing from Bengaluru, A.K. Sachdev describes how the potential of regional aviation which has enormous growth prospects, remains largely untapped in India. R. Chandrakanth focuses on the innovations that manufacturers of business jets are going in for to provide a fully equipped and networked office in the sky for corporate executives on the move for whom time is the most valuable commodity. But perhaps the most exciting development in the regime of civil aviation has been the collaborative effort between Jet Airways, the second largest Indian carrier by way of market share; and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. While the Jet-Etihad deal will be a boon for the air traveller, it will pose new challenges for the other Indian carriers who will need to review their strategy and business models. This development may spur more such deals that may follow soon.

In an exhaustive article on the ongoing F-35 joint strike fighter (JSF) programme of Lockheed Martin, Air Marshal Chopra provides a realistic update on what he describes as “mother of all programmes”. The important lesson is that even the best managed programmes would have impediments to overcome.

All these apart from the regular features. Welcome aboard and happy landings!