Ground-breaking achievement for India as the country's first stealth-fighter prototype kicks off production

In what can be termed as a landmark achievement, India has announced the development of a 5.5 Generation fighter aircraft- which would soon be synonymous with the Indian Air Force's display of aerial prowess in the years to come.

Representative | Twitter

DRDO's ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) in collaboration with HAL, announced the commencement of the manufacturing process of India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) prototype-India’s futuristic fighter jet.

https://twitter.com/DRDO_India/status/1501612421869277188

In what has been termed as the proverbial ‘metal cutting’ for the first prototype, the AMCA is projected to be a modern fighter aircraft with superior stealth features.

In February of 2021, HAL had announced plans of the company employing a special purpose vehicle (SPV) model with private players, which would, in turn, be used in the production of the next generation AMCA and Indian Multi-Role helicopter.

Reportedly, commercial defence entities might also join the production process of the AMCA, although the design and development will be majorly spearheaded by DRDO and HAL.

Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)-Tech and specs

Designed to penetrate deep into enemy territory and annihilate hostile defences and critical targets, the AMCA is touted to feature advanced avionics, suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), diverter-less supersonic intakes and artificial intelligence (AI) as well.

Representative | India Today

It will be a twin-engine, single-seat fighter craft incorporating stealth features to replace the main strike fighters of IAF- the Mirage 2000 and the SEPECAT Jaguar.

An Indian Air Force SEPECAT Jaguar | Airforce Technology

It will have the capacity to carry 1.5 tons of ordnance in its internal weapons bays and would weigh around 20 tons in a baseline stealth configuration.

Furthermore, the fighter craft will be able to mount a 23-millimetre cannon and an extra 5 tons of fuel and weapons on 14 external hardpoints.

The AMCA is designed with a very small radar cross-section to attain stealth properties and for this, it features “S-shaped” air-intakes to reduce radar exposure to the fan blade, thereby magnifying stealth.

UTTAM Aesa Radar on LCA Tejas | Representative | Indian Defence News

It will be manufactured in two variants- AMCA Mk1-which will feature an existing GE414 afterburning turbofan and AMCA Mk2- which is projected to house an even more powerful engine that would be manufactured in collaboration with a foreign entity.

Reportedly, India and France are close to signing a contract for the joint development of a 125kN engine for the AMCA.

CREW 1 or 2FUEL CAPACITY 6,500 kgPAYLOAD 6,500 kg COMBAT RANGE 1,620 kmSERVICE CEILING 20,000 m (65,000 ft)GUNS 23 mm GSh-23 cannonROCKETS S-8 rocket pods (expected)AVIONICS A larger variant of LRDE Uttam AESA RadarWikipedia

23 mm GSh-23 cannon | Representative | Weaponsystems.net

The first flight is expected to be by 2024-25 and serial production is scheduled to begin by 2030 (tentative).

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Defence Aviation Post

Hundreds of people jet around the globe every year just to have a glimpse at this behemoth of engineering marvel. What's even more fascinating, is the fact that it isn't any off-the-hook, experimental program or any next-generation stealth fighter-not even close.

This is the world's largest cargo aircraft and the only one of its kind to have been ever built to date.

The AN-225 MRIYA - which translates to ''dream" or ''inspiration" in Ukrainian, was a strategic airlift freighter craft designed in the 1980s by the Antonov Design Bureau in Soviet Ukraine.

The Mriya has always been notorious for transporting "off-beat" cargo like an entire locomotive, giant turbines, massive generators and sometimes even ready-to-eat meals for an entire army.

A Challenger 604 being transported via Mriya | Representative | The Loadstar

It is also worth noting that the mighty Mriya only made 2 flights per year.

The bigger question though, was why would the world need an aircraft as monstrous as the AN-225?

Travelling back in history just might give us an insight.

How it all began..

In the early 1980s, Soviet engineers began scouting for ways to transport the Buran Space shuttle and Energia super rocket. Apparently, the existing infrastructure at the time proved to be no match in handling the massive size of the new space hardware.

Buran Space Shuttle loaded atop Mriya | Representative | Wikipedia

Interestingly, no Soviet aircraft at the time could handle such a payload. The Mi-26 chopper, with its capacity to lift to 26 tons, was no match for the massive payload either. So, what could the engineers do then?

Indian Air Force Mi-26 Chopper | Representative | Source

Initially, the An-124 Ruslan was chosen for the task but further tests quickly showed that even a partially assembled Buran and components of its rocket carried on its back would mess up the airflow around the plane’s giant vertical stabilizer. A 7-meter extension of Ruslan's fuselage was proposed although the idea was squashed again.

An-124 Ruslan | Aero Corner

With no plans of giving up, Moscow now began focussing on an even bigger plane- which led to the birth of the project known by the codename ‘Article-400,’- that metamorphosed into what we now popularly know as the An-225.

The birth of the beast

The lead designer of the An-225 and the An-124 was Viktor Tolmachev. The design of Antonov An-225 Mriya had been selected on basis of heavy transport aircraft- the An-124 Ruslan.

The An-225 had fuselage barrel extensions added to the fore and aft of the wings. The centre section of the Ruslan’s wing was re-engineered to accommodate three engines, as opposed to two. The number of landing gear assemblies on the sides of the fuselage was increased from 10 to 14, and the three last rows of wheels were steerable so the giant plane could make a turn on a runway.

Ivchenko Progress D-18T engines featured on Mriya

The forward section of the Ruslan was stretched by 8 meters while the aft section was reduced by 1 meter to compensate for the plane’s heavy dual stabilizer.

An increased-capacity landing gear system with 32 wheels was designed, some of which are steerable, enabling the aircraft to turn within a 60-metre-wide (200 ft) runway. Furthermore, the An-225 had a nose gear designed to "kneel" so that cargo could be more easily loaded and unloaded.

Antonov's Main Landing Gear | Wikipedia

Unlike the An-124, the An-225 was not intended for tactical airlifting and was not designed for short-field operations.

The full-scale development of Antonov An-225 Mriya took about three and a half years, almost more than twice the time it was initially set to take. The final aircraft weighed about 640 tons in fully loaded conditions and stood so massively tall that it had to be placed diagonally inside its final assembly hall.

On December 21, 1988, test pilot Aleksandr Galunenko lifted Mriya off Gostomel airfield near Kyiv for the first time.

At the time of its debut, the An-225 was christened "MRIYA"- “dream” in Ukrainian, and this was perhaps the first time that a Soviet aircraft received a Ukrainian name.

A second An-225, with a slightly different configuration, was partially built during the late 1980s for the Soviet space program. A lack of funding and interest initially stalled the program mid-way although it was restored by 60–70% later on.

Hidden twin of the mighty Mriya | Daily Mail

Shattering records

Mriya holds the absolute world record for an airlifted single-item payload of 189,980 kg and an airlifted total payload of 253,820 kg.

loveEXPLORING

On 11 August 2009, a generator for a gas power plant in Armenia along with its loading frame was loaded onto the An-225-the heaviest single cargo item ever sent by air freight.

On 11 June 2010, the An-225 carried the world's longest piece of air cargo-two 42.1 m test wind turbine blades from China to Denmark.

The cargo area of the Antonov 225 is 141-ft long, 21-ft wide, and 14-ft, 5-1/4 in. tall, enough to accommodate the two turbine blades | windpowerengineering.com

Facts and figures

The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of An-225 is 640 tons, which is about 80 tons more than the MTOW of an Airbus A380.

Representative | Reddit

The Mriya celebrated its 25th anniversary on the 21st of December 2013, while it received its type certificate from the Interstate Aviation Committee Aviation Register (IAC AR) on 23rd May, 2001.

It was assigned resources and a lifetime of 20,000 flight hours, 4000 flights translating to 45 years of operation at the time.

However, sadly enough, there have been reports of the An-225 being damaged amidst the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Pictures that surfaced showing Mriya as a burnt wreck | The Sun

Regardless, the Ukrainian government has stated that it would re-build the iconic aircraft and this time, at the Russian's expense.

The restoration is estimated to take over 3 billion USD and over five years. Our task is to ensure that these costs are covered by the Russian Federation, which has caused intentional damage to Ukraine's aviation and the air cargo sector a press release by Ukroboronprom-(Antonov's parent organisation), on 27 February 2022

Over the entire period of operation since 1992 aircraft Antonov An-225 Mriya was carried about 20 500 tons of cargo including more than 2500 tons in 2013.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: AeroTime Hub

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), is a European combat "system of systems", under development by Dassault Aviation, Airbus, Indra Sistemas and Thales. The consortium aims at developing Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS) as well as other air assets for the future operational battlespace.

Royal United Services Institute

The NGWS's components will apparently integrate remote carrier vehicles and a New Generation Fighter (NGF) which is touted to replace the French "Rafale", German "Typhoon" and Spanish "EF-18 Hornets" by 2040.

Reportedly, a deal worth €150 million was signed in February of 2020 to kick-start the developmental programme. With each country assigning a national coordinator-Airbus for Germany, Indra for Spain and Dassault for Spain, the FCAS concept was developed in the frame of the ETAP European Technology Acquisition Programme that started in 2001. 

Possible hurdles in the FCAS fighter program

In 2017, France and Germany jointly announced plans of building the FCAS revolving around the NGF concept. Eventually, Spain joined the bandwagon too and it now appears that all these major European aviation stalwarts are at loggerheads with each other as to who should lead the fighter program.

A full-scale model of Europe's 6th Generation fighter craft

In what can be described as an escalation of the stand-off between the two defence contractors, Dassault wouldn't want to play the second-best given its recent success with the manufacture and export of Rafale jets. Airbus, on the other hand, is looking for a more equitable position in a successor aircraft while forming a new partnership.

We still have difficulties with Airbus. It’s not always easy to negotiate with the Germans.Dassault Chief Executive Officer Eric Trappier noted at a news briefing in Paris on January 26

Dassault Chief Executive Officer Eric Trappier | Dassault Aviation

He further went on to state that talks between Dassault and Airbus and Spanish arms led to no fruitful results and an agreement regarding moving on was yet to be made.

If the collaboration on FCAS was to fail, Trappier said that Dassault had a backup plan and also ruled out possibilities of future collaborations on European fighter jets.

A custom-painted Rafale | Rafale B Nato Tiger Meet 2013 | Representative | Pinterest

Reportedly, the aerospace giants battling for dominance doesn't come as a surprise as history shows France and Germany have been at odds with each other in certain areas of cooperation.

The two countries have expressed their contention over intellectual property rights with France alleging that Germany’s defence industry seeks access to French technology, which Germany vehemently rejects. Additionally, both the countries are also split overpayments, the precise description of the fighter and with France even going further to mention Germany's absence from international combat missions.

A Franco-German fighter isn’t just a bad idea because of asymmetric weapons export policies. The industrial arrangements themselves are problematic. Ostensibly, the FCAS is a joint program, but the partners have agreed to make Dassault prime contractor on the aircraft, and there are few doubts that Safran will be the prime contractor on the engine and the French company Thales on the radar and electronic warfare systemsargues Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, in his article

Eric Trappier further suggests that Germany's possible acquisition of nuclear-capable US fighter jets as part of a long-standing NATO pact could also impact the FCAS project majorly.

A Dassault exit would be a major blow for a project hailed as a beacon of European Union unity at a time when the continent is engulfed in conflictBloomberg Quint

A test flight of a demonstrator is expected around 2027 and entry into service around 2040

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdo5EKlcfYc

Airbus Defense and Space | Youtube

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Popular Mechanics

The Boeing 737 family, designed to supplement the B727 on short and thin routes, remains the most commercially sold aircraft to date. The 737 Classic-300/400/500 variants were launched in 1980 and introduced in 1984, while the 737 Next Generation (NG) -600/700/800/900 variants were Introduced in 1997.

Depending on the variant, the average range of the B737 spans anywhere between 5000-7000km. This range allows most commercial flights to stay up in the air for a maximum of seven hours- considering weight and factors as well.

Boeing Business Jet | Avjet Global

The Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), specially designed for the corporate jet market, is based upon the 737 series airliners. Introduced in 1998 and made its maiden flight the following year, the Boeing B737 BBJ shattered all records and still holds the title for the longest ever operated B737 flight to date.

Flight plan for the historic journey

Airways Magazine

Lap 1

With BBJ chief pilot Michael Hewett and former United Airlines 747 pilot Clay Lacy behind the controls, the iconic Boeing 737 took off from Martin State Airport at 8:32 a.m. local time Friday and climbed to 37,000 feet, flying north-easterly to Kennebunkport, Maine (East Coast of US).

Lap 2

From Kennebunkport, having made a sharp turn to the west, the jet maintained its track and climbed to 39,000 ft. After about 6 hours and 30 minutes into the flight, it was overflying Seattle (West Coast of USA).

Lap 3

From Seattle, the airplane turned south and climbed to a final cruise altitude of 41,000 feet (12,496 meters), heading straight into the Californian city of San Diego.

Lap 4

From San Diego, it headed on a south-easterly track towards Texas, before finally reaching its waypoint of Miami. This was perhaps, the longest lap of them all.

Lap 5

In the final lap, the Boeing Business Jet headed northeast to Baltimore, where it entered a holding pattern to bring down its fuel to normal reserves, before landing at Sussex County airport near PATS, Inc., in Georgetown, Delaware (back on the East Coast).

Facts and figures of the flight

Average speed for the flight- 451 knots (519 miles per hour)Amount of fuel used - 65,580 pounds (29,746.6 kilograms)Amount of fuel still in reserve at landing-  5,520 pounds (2,503 kilograms)

The Boeing BBJ-C (Convertible)- featuring the "quick-change" facility wherein the aircraft can be switched between being used as an executive flight and cargo immediately after the other | Representative | FlightGlobal

The airplane was equipped with a nine-tank fuel system, capable of holding an additional 3,820 U.S. gallons (14,458 litres) of jet fuel, giving the BBJ a total fuel capacity of 10,695 U.S. gallons (40,480 litres).

This is a great airplane. Business jet owners now have the interior space and the range to do business on a global scale. This is a 'one-stop to anywhere-in-the-world' business toolMichael Hewett

His co-pilot-Clay Lacy, is also known for his around-the-world, record-setting 747 "Friendship One" flight, conducted in January 1988.

The only quad-engine Boeing Business Jet | Business Insider

"I've flown just about everything. And this is the direction in which big business leaders are going. You have to fly far to do business in the world today. And you can't fly these distances in traditional business jets without paying a stiff penalty in comfort and productivity.Clay Lacy

The airplane flew a record 13 hours 51 minutes 42 seconds and travelled 6,252.5 nautical miles (7,200.4 statute miles) (11,580 kilometres), thereby breaking all records and being the longest ever operated B737 until today.

One of the 3 private jets owned by Mukesh Ambani | Representative | The Economic Times

Started in July 1996, Boeing Business Jets is a joint venture between The Boeing Company and General Electric Company.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: All credits to respective owner(s)

From what is known, the certification of the Boeing B737 MAX-10, the largest variant of the MAX family, might now extend well beyond 2022 as opposed to the tentative date scheduled for December 31 of this year.

Aviation Voice

According to people in the know, the B737 MAX 10 might not get through FAA certification in time, which if missed, could mean implementing newer safety requirements, thereby translating to additional pilot training for the MAX 10, raising costs. It is to be noted that the Boeing B737 MAX family had been designed keeping the company's main objective in mind- to slash separate pilot training, thereby increasing the overall cost of acquiring the aircraft.

What happens if Boeing misses the tentative deadline?

Apparently, missing the deadline would force the company to upgrade the MAX-10 cockpit, which would result in the crew alerting system operating differently from that of the MAX 8 and 9 models. This would mean separate pilot training on the MAX-10- additional expense airliners wouldn't want to incur.

Boeing 737 MAX Family | Twitter

Reportedly, Boeing wants to get the MAX-10 certified without the latest safety standards on the design of cockpit crew alerts based on which the previous variants were certified. According to the updated Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act (2020) by the US Congress, any airplane certified after December 31, 2022, would have to comply with the latest FAA crew alerting regulations.

According to reports by ch-aviation, Boeing has an overall order of 613 MAX 10 units in its order book, with  Donghai Airlines, flydubai, GOL, Lion Air and United Airlines being some of the customers.

Although Boeing hasn't officially requested an extension of the date from the congress, it is highly that it will.

If they would like more time, this is an FAA decision. If the FAA says yes, we need another six months, give them six months. If everybody was in agreement, I would change the date.U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who chairs the Senate committee that helped draft the FAA reform law, said

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash | SpaceNews

She further added that the FAA should perform a full system safety assessment and also state whether designing a cockpit model for MAX 10 different from the other variants might increase the risk for airlines with mixed fleets.

Safety first. We’re not going to hurry. We’re not going to be rushed.I need the FAA to lead. I want to hear from them that that’s what they think is the safest way to go.Cantwell said

Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS)

Every current Boeing airplane, except the B737, has EICAS that meets FAA regulations.

EICAS | Representative | Twitter

EICAS is a centralized cockpit warning system that helps the pilots differentiate, prioritize and respond to aural and visual warnings, cautions and alerts that activate during flight. Additionally, it also advises pilots on suppressing erroneous warnings that can cause excessive distraction.

Technically, not only does it inform the crew of what is going wrong but also advises on what is to be done to correct it.

Reportedly, owing to the B737's cockpit design, inherited from the vintage 1960s design, it becomes difficult to update the airplane to comply with the new regulation.

We continue to work transparently with the FAA to provide the information they need, and we are committed to meeting their expectations to achieve 737-10 certificationBoeing

Today marks the third anniversary of the MAX crash in Ethiopia-one of two fatal MAX crashes-that killed 346 passengers and crew.

The smaller version-the MAX 7 model is currently undergoing flight tests and is expected to be certified later this year.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Leeham News and Analysis

Indian aviation stocks, including SpiceJet, IndiGo parent InterGlobe Aviation, and Jet Airways, rose 5-8% each on March 9 after the civil aviation ministry announced on March 8 resumption of international flight operations from March 27.

"The suspension of scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India, thus, stands extended only up to 23:59 hrs IST on 26.03.2022 and air bubble arrangements shall accordingly be extended to this extent only," the ministry had said.

Aviation stocks soaring as India set to resume international flights

ALSO READ - India to restart scheduled international flights after 2 years from March 27

The move is intended to improve international capacity while also lowering airfares, which have been rising owing to increased demand and higher crude oil prices. International operations shall be subject to strict adherence to the health ministry's guidelines.

Earlier on February 28, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had extended the ban on regular international flights until further orders.

However, the DGCA said that the flights that are operational under air bubble arrangements, as well as international cargo flights, will continue as scheduled.

Scheduled international flight services have remained suspended since 23 March 2020.

Scheduled international flight services have remained suspended since 23 March 2020. However, special flights have been operating between India and about 35 other countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements.

India currently has air transport bubbles with 40 countries including Canada, France, Germany, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the US.

SpiceJet was quoting at INR 59.85, up to INR 2.85 or 5%, and InterGlobe Aviation was quoting at INR 1,705.65, up to INR 105.60 or 6.60%, and Jet Airways was quoting at INR 93.90, up to INR 4.45 or 4.97% on the BSE.