Amritsar-bound Vistara flight rerouted to Delhi airport due to technical issue

Radhika Bansal

18 Feb 2022

A Vistara Airbus 320 with 152 people onboard returned safely to Delhi on Thursday, February 17 shortly after taking off for Amritsar due to a technical snag in the aircraft. The A320neo (VT-TNI) was operating as UK-697 when pilots got an alert for a hydraulic snag (yellow low-level indication).

Airline sources said the glitch was detected within half an hour of the flight taking off and the pilot immediately requested that the flight be granted priority landing at the Delhi airport.

Amritsar-bound Vistara flight rerouted to Delhi airport due to technical issue

A call was also received by the Delhi Police at 10:15 AM about the flight being turned around for an emergency landing, and the fire brigade was also put on standby as a precautionary measure.

As a precautionary measure, they decided to return to Delhi — the airline’s engineering base where rectification will be swifter — than to continue operating to nearby Amritsar. The plane landed safely at IGI Airport.

There were 146 passengers and six crew members onboard the aircraft.

“A technical snag was detected on Vistara flight UK 697 operating Delhi to Amritsar on February 17, 2022. As a precautionary step, the pilots decided to turn back and landed safely at IGI Airport. Another aircraft was immediately arranged to fly the passengers to Amritsar which took off at 1:30 PM post a technical inspection. Inconvenience to passengers is deeply regretted. Safety of our customers and staff is our top priority.” Spokesperson, Vistara

There were 146 passengers and six crew members onboard the aircraft.

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From the vault | Boeing's legendary "Bird of Prey"- the YF-118G

Prashant-prabhakar

18 Feb 2022

Developed by McDonnell Douglas and Boeing in the 1990s, the "Boeing Bird of Prey" was a "Black Project" aircraft. Characterized as a demonstrator aircraft for stealth technology, it was never really intended for mass production.

Wikipedia

The aircraft's name is a reference to the Klingon Bird of Prey warship from the Star Trek television series.

Klingon Bird of Prey | Representative | Memory Alpha-Fandom

A low-cost program compared to many other programs of a similar scale, the demonstrator was not given an "X-plane" designation since it was majorly an internal project.

Although the YF-118 was never made into a fighter craft for the US Air Force, it did have a profound impact in the course of aviation history in more ways than one.

Developed by a team of engineers from McDonnell Douglas’ Phantom Works, the "Bird of prey" took off from a paper design to the skies for less than the cost of an F-35 today.

F 35 Lightning II | Airforce Technology

YF-118G: A Secret Pioneer of Stealth Aviation

A brief history

Based on the Have Blue technology demonstrator, the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk secretly entered service in October of 1983, thereby proclaiming the arrival of the world's first stealth aircraft. Although designated with the prefix "F' normally assigned for fighters and widely known as a "stealth fighter", this aircraft was no fighter really. The F-117 was essentially a ground-attack aircraft disguised as a fighter-an attack aircraft, unlike anything the world had ever seen.

F-117 Nighthawk | Wikipedia

Although slow and cumbersome compared to the F-15s and F-16s, the Nighthawk was instrumental in the future development of aviation technology and air warfare doctrine among the world’s most powerful nations. For an aircraft that carried a radar cross-section of only slightly more than a tenth of an inch (0.11 inches), the F-117 was practically invisible to enemy radars.

The Northrop YF-23 would go on to compete with Lockheed's YF-22 and would eventually result in, what is now known as the "YF-118G"- the world’s first true stealth fighter.

Design and development

The Boeing Bird of Prey development commenced in 1992 at McDonnell Douglas's Phantom Works in the secrecy of Area 51, spearheaded by Alan Wiechman. Now Wiechman's name doesn't pop as often as you'd expect in the annals of aviation history when compared to other legendary engineers of the day. Nevertheless, his contributions to aviation stealth technology cannot be understated and he also received the Technical Achievement Award from the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) for his work in Low Observable aircraft design before the Bird of Prey was even declassified.

Alan Wiechman | Aviation Week

Tech and Specs

Because it was a demonstration aircraft, Wiechman and his team weren’t set on building the entire aircraft from scratch. Various parts and components came from here and there, for instance, the ejection seat came from an AV-8B Harrier, the control stick and throttle from a F/A-18 Hornet, and the rudder pedals came from an A-4 Skyhawk. The landing gear was adapted from Beech King Air and Queen Air aircraft.

It featured a commercial off-the-shelf Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5C turbofan engine, which produced just 3,190 pounds of thrust.

Pratt and Whitney JT15D-5C turbofan | Representative | Frontiers of Flight Museum

The clock was from Wal-Mart and the environmental control system was essentially a hairdryerAir Force Test pilot Colonel Doug Benjamin joked at the time

Colonel Doug Benjamin | The Society of Experimental Test Pilots

Crew1Length46 ft 8 in (14.22 m)Height9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)Wing-area (estimated)220 sq ft (20.4 m2) Maximum Take-off weight7,400 lb (3,356 kg)Service Ceiling20,000 ft Wikipedia

The aircraft was aerodynamically sound enough to fly entirely on manual hydraulics without the implementation of Fly-By-Wire.

With a cruising speed of only around 300 miles per hour, the stealthy aircraft was slower than a C-130 Hercules and its maximum operational ceiling of 20,000 feet meant it could fly less than half as high as a P-51 Mustang from World War II.

P-51 Mustang | Representative | Auto Evolution

The design took a holistic approach to stealth, reducing radar, infrared, visual, and acoustic signatures through its shape, the use of flexible or movable covers to conceal gaps, and by burying its engine deep within the fuselage behind a curved inlet duct and in front of an infrared and acoustic defusing exhaust outlet.

The Bird of Prey was designed to prevent shadows and is believed to also have tested "camouflage"- a phenomenon that involved changing its surface colour to match with that of its surroundings.

The aircraft made its maiden flight in 1996 and 39 more flights were performed through the program's conclusion in 1999.

Early investments in technology demonstration projects such as Bird of Prey have positioned Boeing to help shape our industry’s transformation. We changed the rules on how to design and build an aircraftJim Albaugh, President and CEO, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, said in 2002

Although not frequently discussed in the present age, there are no platforms today which can be directly traced back to Boeing's Bird of Prey lineage.

That said, the only place where you'll get to see a live model is at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where Boeing donated the sole YF-118G Bird of Prey in 2003, where it is placed right above the museum's F-22 Raptor.

Air Data News

SOURCE(s)

COVER: The National Interest

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Metro routes proposed between Noida Airport and Delhi's IGI Airport by DMRC

Radhika Bansal

17 Feb 2022

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has proposed a 72km high-speed corridor between the upcoming Noida airport in Jewar and Delhi’s IGI airport. The metro connectivity will be built in two phases and will have 13 stations in total between Jewar and New Delhi railway stations.

The corridor will then connect with Delhi’s Airport Express line to reach IGI. In a presentation to officials of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) on Monday, February 14 a DMRC team said the first phase — 35km long — will have both underground and elevated portions and will connect Knowledge Park 2 on the Aqua Line with the Noida airport.

Metro routes proposed between Noida Airport and Delhi's IGI Airport by DMRC

This independent corridor will have an interchange at Knowledge Park 2 and there will be seven stations between them. DMRC is likely to submit the detailed project report by March 31 and follow it up with a feasibility study of the second phase of the metro link.

The second phase, sources said, was likely to be around 37km long and would span from Knowledge Park 2 to New Delhi railway station. The route is likely to run parallel to the Noida expressway and will have stations at New Ashok Nagar and Yamuna Bank.

“On Tuesday, February 15 DMRC gave a presentation of their proposal to connect Noida airport with Delhi’s IGI. The entire corridor will be 72km long. The first phase will be built from Jewar to Knowledge Park 2 and the second from Knowledge Park 2 to New Delhi railway station. The DPR for the first phase is likely to be ready by March 31.” Arun Vir Singh, CEO, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA)

According to the sources, the 35km first phase of the corridor will cost around INR 5,000 crore. “There will be seven stations in the first phase. The tentative ones could be Techzone, Salarpur Underpass, and sectors 18 and 20 of the Yamuna Expressway apart from Noida airport and Knowledge Park 2. The final numbers will be known only when the DPR is ready,” a source said.

Trains on this route will hurtle down faster than on the usual metro lines and it could take around an hour to cover the distance between the two airports, with the interchanges in between.

Noida International Airport in Jewar is under construction and would be the largest in India on completion. It will also be the first airport with net-zero emissions. The airport is planned across 1,334 hectares at Jewar.

Strategically, the airport will be located 72km from Delhi IGI airport, 52km from Noida, 90km from Multi-modal Logistics Hub at Dadri and 130km from Agra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the airport’s foundation stone in November 2021.

YEIDA is the implementation agency of the project in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh government. The project is progressing in four phases, and the first phase is expected to complete by September 2024.

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As the pandemic drags on, a third of airline pilots are still unable to fly

Radhika Bansal

17 Feb 2022

Despite an improvement from the situation a year earlier when the majority of airline pilots were grounded, a new survey shows that more than a third of airline pilots are staying grounded as the pandemic continues to affect aviation globally.

FlightGlobal and UK-based GOOSE Recruitment surveyed more than 1700 pilots, which found that 62% were employed and currently flying, up from 43% a year earlier. With air traffic beginning to rebound after 2020's lows, the number of unemployed pilots decreased from 30% to 20%, while 6% of pilots were on furlough, compared with 17% previously.

As the pandemic drags on, a third of airline pilots are still unable to fly

As a result of tough border restrictions, international travel has dropped most in the Asia-Pacific region, and the unemployment rate has risen from 23% to 25%. 53% of workers in the region were employed as pilots.

"We have ... seen some expatriates return home from the region due to concerns over quarantine or being stuck for long periods away from friends and family," the report on the survey said. In the aftermath of the pandemic, Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways has lost hundreds of pilots, including the closure of Cathay Dragon, a regional airline owned by the airline.

Among the pilots still flying internationally, 61% expressed concern about their job security.

There has also been a rise in pilot attrition at Cathay Pacific, thanks to strict layover rules that keep crews in hotels when they are not flying. Among the pilots still flying internationally, 61% expressed concern about their job security.

"It appears only Northern America is back to post-Covid passenger numbers," said an unnamed captain flying in the Middle East and Africa. "The rest of the world, especially developing nations, are still struggling to get vaccines, and are still not travelling."

(With Inputs from Reuters)

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Regular international flights are expected to resume by March-April

Radhika Bansal

17 Feb 2022

Aviation Ministry is in talks with home and health ministries on resuming regular international flights, said a news report on Wednesday, February 16.

The current ban on scheduled international flights, imposed due to Covid, is valid until February 28. The government is considering resuming international flights by March-April, reported CNBC TV-18. The report said the final decision on the resumption of regular international flights is yet to be taken.

The aviation ministry had earlier announced plans to resume regular international flights starting December 15, 2021, but rescinded that order due to the rise in Omicron cases.

Regular international flights are expected to resume by March-April

Domestic airlines operated more than 2,800 flights before the pandemic in 2020. On Sunday, February 13, they operated 2,058 flights and to reach 80% of the pre-Covid level, the number has to go over 2,200.

The scheduled international passenger flight ban has been in place in India since March 23, 2020. However, special passenger flights have been operating between India and approximately 40 countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements formed with them.

India currently has air transport bubbles with Afghanistan, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, US and Uzbekistan.

India and 40 countries since July 2020 are operating flights under air bubble arrangements.

Last week, the Ministry of Health issued a statement and informed that besides uploading negative RT-PCR report (taken 72 hrs before journey), the option to upload the certificate of completing full primary vaccination schedule of COVID-19 vaccination provided from countries on a reciprocal basis.

“All travellers will self-monitor their health for the next 14 days of arrival. If travellers under self-health monitoring, develop signs and symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, they will immediately self-isolate and report to their nearest health facility or call National helpline number (1075)/ State Helpline Number," the ministry said.

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The Indian MRCA competition - here's how the SAAB Gripen stacks up along with the other competitors

Prashant-prabhakar

17 Feb 2022

The Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition of India, also known as the MRCA tender, is a competition to supply 126 multi-role combat aircraft to the Indian Air Force(IAF).

In April 2019, the IAF had issued an RFI (Request for Information) for the procurement of 114 fighter jets at a cost of around USD 18 billion - which was touted to be one of the world's biggest military procurement programmes at the time. The acquisition of these jets came at a time when the older fleets of Jaguar, Mirage and the MiG 29 were slowly being phased out as they approached the end of their operational life.

Indian Air Force Jaguar | The National Interest

The Indian Airforce plans to attain a 42 squadron strength by 2035 and deploy 450 fighter jets each along the borders of Pakistan and China. Additionally, many more stealthy autonomous UCAVs (DRDO AURA), swarm drones (ALFA-S) and unmanned aircraft would join the team to transform into a fully advanced Network-Centric Force capable of sustained multi-role operations.

The Lockheed Martin F-21, Boeing's F/A-18, Dassault Aviation's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Russian aircraft MiG 35 and Saab's Gripen are the top competitors fighting for the ultimate gold.

Given the line-up of competitors and the current fleet structure, how does Gripen have the edge in the IAF’s hunt for a fighter?

The SAAB Gripen

Wikipedia

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defence company SAAB AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with a relaxed stability design and fly-by-wire flight controls. Later aircraft are fully NATO interoperable.

Gripen is the world's latest designed and the most modern fighter. But besides its leading multirole and netcentric warfare capabilities – where you can do more with fewer aircraft-what really differs is that with the same fleet size – with Gripen – you will have twice the number of airborne fighters and airtime at half the cost, compared to contemporary fighters.Kent-Åke Molin, Sales and Marketing Director, Saab

Kent-Åke Molin | Saab

How does it fit the bill considering India's scenario?

While contemporary fighters are designed that rely on large fleets and limitless resources, ensuring there are enough aircraft in the air when required. Gripen is designed and tailored for nations that need to operate assets independently during long periods of conflicts against adversaries with perhaps even larger fleet size and really advanced combat systems.

EurAsian Times

In my view, that also summarises India's challenges. What distinguishes Gripen from other fighters is that it is designed from the start with these challenges in mindsays Kent-Åke

The key to air dominance, Kent emphasizes, is demonstrable deterrence in air. India shares borders with six countries, each with different terrain and temperature profile. Consequently, the Indian Army needs for surveillance systems on these different border areas are also hugely varied.

Representative | Design World

The highly contested battlespace of today necessitates a superior electronic warfare capability. The Indian Air Force as well can benefit from a new generation EW solution that gives the pilots an armour of information advantage. A non-negotiable for an effective EW system is its ability to understand radio frequency emitter signals, no matter how many they are, and draw quick conclusions. The result is superior situational awareness that helps the pilot to see first and act first. Modern air forces like the IAF need this game-changing capability to ensure mission success. If India requires, Saab is willing to share its know-how of the GaN ( Gallium Nitride) technology not just for the Gripen programme, but also for ongoing and future indigenous programmes such as the LCA and AMCA.Kent-Åke

HAL AMCA | AeroTime Hub

The other element is a high level of preparedness to counter consistent efforts to probe air defence systems. To Counter surge attacks and sustain high tempo attacks over extended periods, the IAF would have to demonstrate the power and ability to fight attritional warfare against an enemy with large resources.

SAAB JAS 39 Gripen crew loadout | representative | Reddit

With Gripen, India will have the ultimate warhorse but also the workhorse that stays in the air, patrols India’s vast borders 24/7, is resilient to meet surge attacks as well as fight and win attritional warfare scenarios over long periods of conflict. Kent-Ake

What makes the Gripen different from other competitors of its class?

The Gripen features very reliable systems and foolproof equipment that apparently, fail rarely. What that means is the fighter can be deployed for decentralized operations from the temporary base(s), thereby bringing ease and speed to maintenance activities, slashing logistical costs, minimising turnaround time and more.

SAAB JAS Gripen 39E cockpit | Reddit

Having almost 100% of the fighters mission-ready on the tarmac should not be a problem for any platform. But what happens when you start flying, sortie after sortie in high-tempo operations during longer periods? With less maintainable and reliable, heavy, twin engine configurations you will rapidly start exhausting your resources of fuel, spares and manpower. The higher failure rates that inevitably come with the more installed equipment will soon get them grounded. Kent-Ake

The inherent design is another factor that works to the Gripen's advantage. The system architecture has a clear distinction between tactical and flight-critical features with individual layers in between, ensuring the software and hardware work independently without overlapping. This feature has additional benefits in that tactical updates are now made easier, cheaper and quicker as opposed to the general norm of updating software which generally takes ages.

Ola Rignell, Chairman and Managing Director, Saab India | Representative | Saab

This one feature is what would keep Gripen way ahead of its peers, even in the years to come.

Getting your hands on this fighter craft means you now get the opportunity to embrace new, cutting edge technology while at the same time, also developing new tactics constantly, thereby ensuring your enemies are five steps behind at all times.

The Swedish aerospace company has pitched the Gripen fighter aircraft to India, reportedly, at " half the price paid for Rafale". Priced at 125 Mn, the Gripen is now pitted against the 216 Mn Euro Rafale. Saab expects India to launch a global tender in the “first half of this year”. 

SOURCE(s)

COVER: AamJanata

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