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SP’s
AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION
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DECEMBER • 2009
www.spsaviation.net

• President Flies in the

Su-30MKI
• IAF Chief in Candid
Conversation
• Dubai Airshow Defies
the Downturn

Embraer’s Asia-Pacific Tour

Phenom 100
RNI NUMBER: DELENG/2008/24199

Debuts
See us at:
Singapore Airshow 2010
at H78 India Pavillion
See us at:
Defexpo 2010, India
at Hall 14 Stand 14.1
 Aviation
SP’s AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION

TABLE of CONTENTS News Flies. We Gather Intelligence. Every Month. From India.

ISSUE 11 • 2009

20
In November,
Embraer
commenced on
a flying demo
tour of the entry
level Phenom 100
executive jet in the
Asia-Pacific region.
The first stop was
India where the jet
visited seven cities,
starting with Delhi.

INTERVIEW HALL OF FAME

10 Chief of the Air Staff
Cover Story 35 Richard E. Byrd
‘IAF Transforming into a
Potent Strategic Force’ REGULAR DEPARTMENTS
FIRST ON BOARD
THE PHENOM 100 3 A Word from Editor
INDUSTRY
SP’s was the first to fly
14 Sagem the Phenom 100—widely
5 NewsWithViews
AASM-250: Smart Weapon - Su-30 Operations Suspended
acknowledged as the most
Temporarily
comfortable business jet in
MILITARY the entry level category— - MoD Nod for IAF Trainers
15 Joint Strike Fighter during its Delhi debut.
7 InFocus
Report Card • Home-Grown Truths
19 SU-30MKI
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Get Real, Go Indigenous

32 Neighbourhood
The PLAAF In Tibet
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On a Strike Mission
SP's Avn 11 of 09 Cover.indd 1 12/11/09 5:44:13 PM

40 LastWord
Cover Photo: Unmanned Undone
SPECIAL REPORT Premium comfort, outstanding performance and low
operating costs are key design drivers of the Phenom 100. NEXT ISSUE:
26 Dubai Airshow
Antidote to Downturn Photo Credit:Abhishek Singh 2009 Highlights: SP’sYear-End Special

Issue 11 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 1

 TABLE of CONTENTS

PLUS... PUBLISHER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DESIGN & LAYOUT

Jayant Baranwal
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Arundhati Das
SENIOR VISITING EDITOR
Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia
SENIOR TECHNICAL GROUP EDITORS
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19 President Aboard
The Su-30MKI
CHIEF SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Sangeeta Saxena
© SP Guide Publications, 2009

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION

Abhishek Singh
SUB-EDITOR
Bipasha Roy
CONTRIBUTORS
INDIA
Air Marshal (Retd) P.K. Mehra
Air Marshal (Retd) N. Menon
Group Captain (Retd) A.K. Sachdev
Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha
10 IAF Chief’s
Interview EUROPE
Alan Peaford, Phil Nasskau,
Rob Coppinger
USA & CANADA
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Anil R. Pustam (West Indies)
CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR
26 Jayant Baranwal
Dubai ADMIN & COORDINATION
Airshow ’09
Bharti Sharma
Survi Massey
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—Air Chief Marshal P.V.
Naik, Chief of the Air Staff
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ULD TE es tthhe
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SH JJ
 MILITARY SU-30MKI
President’s
TRYST with the skies
Clad in a G-Suit, President Pratibha Patil
undertook a 30-minute sortie on an Su-30MKI
at an altitude of 10,000 ft and a speed of
around 800 kmph
N
OVEMBER 25, 2009 WILL GO
down in the annals of history
as the day on which President
Pratibha Patil became the
first woman President to fly in a fighter
jet. Around 10.55 am, the Su-30MKI
took off from the Lohegaon Air Force
base in Pune with the Supreme Com-
mander of the Indian armed forces
onboard. Clad in a G-Suit, the 74-year-
old Patil undertook a 30-minute sortie,
wherein the aircraft flew at an altitude
of 10,000 ft and a speed of around 800
kmph or 0.9 Mach (speed of sound),
but did not go up to the supersonic lev-
els of around 1,100 kmph. The flight,
commanded by Wing Commander S.
Sajan, went off smoothly.
“Today I had a wonderful and unique
experience. I am reassured that we are
well equipped and they (the armed
forces) have the strength to protect our
border. I feel proud at this moment,”
the President enthused on disembark-
ing from the aircraft. “The aircraft was
very sophisticated. I was instructed by
the pilot how to manoeuvre and I could
do that. Today I am proud and every
Indian should be proud of the ability
and the spirit of sacrifice and the tal-
ent and capability of our armed forces.
I have all admiration for them.”
Flanking the aircraft in which Pa-
til travelled in the rear seat were two
PHOTOGRAPHS: INDIAN AIR FORCE PRO
other Sukhois, affording her the expe-
rience of observing fighter jets in flight
at that altitude and at such high speeds.
Maharashtra Governor S.C. Jamir and
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal
P.V. Naik were present to witness the
historic flight.
Earlier, the President had been ac-
corded a ceremonial guard of honour
THE AIRCRAFT WAS VERY
SOPHISTICATED. I WAS
INSTRUCTED BY THE PILOT
HOW TO MANOEUVRE AND I
COULD DO THAT. TODAY I AM
PROUD AND EVERY INDIAN
SHOULD BE PROUD OF THE
ABILITY AND THE SPIRIT OF
SACRIFICE AND THE TALENT
AND CAPABILITY OF OUR
DEFENCE FORCES. I HAVE
ALL ADMIRATION FOR THEM.
—PRESIDENT PRATIBHA
PATIL
by a contingent of air warriors. Hav-
ing passed a mandatory pre-flight
medical test, the usually saree-clad
Patil donned a G-Suit (anti-gravity suit)
which ensures uninterrupted supply of
blood to the brain even under high ‘g’
loads. She stepped inside the aircraft at
10.35 am, assisted by some airmen.
“There was no apprehension, but
there was excitement. Practicing yoga
also helped me and I also followed the
instructions given by the air force offi-
cials carefully. I was, right from the be-
ginning, very confident. I’m confident
even now,” the President said.
In a response to a question on in-
duction of women in the Indian Air
Force, Patil said, “There are some tech-
nical requirements and qualifications
to be completed. And also, one has to
study the situation women pilots have
to face. The government is consider-
ing the matter. Initially, there were no
women in the armed forces. Now, we
have. In the same way, we have women
pilots for helicopters and commercial
aircraft. Now, the government is think-
ing on the lines of recruiting them as
fighter pilots. I am sure that a proper
decision will be taken”.
History for the incumbent of Rash-
trapati Bhawan has repeated itself. On
June 8, 2006, the then President, A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam, 74, had created history
by being the first Indian President to
To Read the
have undertaken a 30-minute sortie in
the Su-30MKI. An unfulfilled dream of
his youth days was to become a fighter
Complete Story
pilot. So he did the next best: sit at the
rear of a fighter aircraft and soak in
the excitement. President Patil has fol-
lowed the tradition set by her prede-
- Visit -
cessor. It will not be a surprise if future
Presidents carry forward the trend to
www.spsaviation.net
motivate the country’s guardians of the
skies by flying the fighter jets. SP
—By Our Special Correspondent
Issue 11 • 2009 SP’S AVIATION 19
 BUSINESS AVIATION DEBUT FLIGHT
S T O R Y
C O V E R

WINDOW TO THE SKY:

THE PHENOM 100 FLAUNTS
STATE-OF-THE-ART AND

First On Board
USER FRIENDLY DISPLAYS
BY GARMIN

the
Phenom 100
Phenom 100’s debut flight at Delhi airport flew with its first
passenger, SP’s Aviation Editor in-Chief Jayant Baranwal, on
November 5. Introduced by Embraer in 2005, the Phenom
100 has been widely acknowledged as the most comfortable To Read the
PHOTOGRAPHS: ABHISHEK / SP GUIDE PUBNS

business jet in the entry level category.

Complete Magazine

T
HURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5. NINE IN THE MORNING and the skies over Delhi were an omi-
nous grey blanket of what can at best be conjectured as unexplained smog. But the mood
- Visit -
on the ground at Terminal 1A Indira Gandhi International Airport was far from grey—on
the contrary, the elegant visage and gracious interiors of the Phenom 100 lifted spirits and
www.spsaviation.net
charged the air with an infectious ebullience. “Embraer is proud to showcase its successful
entry level Phenom 100 in the Asia-Pacific region,” said José Eduardo Costas, Embraer Vice
President, Marketing and Sales, Asia Pacific–Executive Jets.
Continued on page 24...

20 SP’S AVIATION Issue 11 • 2009 www.spsaviation.net

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