The Timeless Process of Heat Treatment

The forerunners of aerospace transistors came along in the late 1950s and 1960s and supplanted thermionic valves for many applications. The improved cost-effectiveness of transistors led to the development of digital aircraft systems throughout the 1960s and 1970s, initially in the military combat aircraft where it was used for Nav/Attack systems.

For many years, the application of electronics to airborne systems was limited to analogue devices and systems with signal levels and voltages generally being related in some linear or predictive way. This type of system was generally prone to heat soak, drift and other non-linearities. The principles of digital computing had been understood for a number of years before the techniques were applied to aircraft. Size was the main barrier.

The first aircraft to be developed in the US using digital techniques was the North American A-5 Vigilante, a US Navy carrier-borne bomber which became operational in the 1960s. The first aircraft to be developed in the UK, intended to use digital techniques on any meaningful scale was the ill-fated TSR 2 which was cancelled by the UK Government in 1965. The technology employed by the TSR 2 was largely based upon solid-state transistors, then in comparative infancy. In the UK, it was not until the development of the Anglo-French Jaguar and the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod in the 1960s that weapon systems began to seriously embody digital computing, albeit on a meagre scale compared to the 1980s.

Since the late 1970s/early 1980s, digital technology has become increasingly used in the control of aircraft systems as well as just for mission related systems. A key driver in this application has been the availability of cost-effective digital data buses such as ARINC 429, Mil-Std-155311 and ARINC 629. This technology, coupled with the availability of cheap microprocessors and more advanced software development tools, has led to the widespread application of avionics technology throughout the aircraft.

This has advanced to the point that virtually no aircraft system - including the toilet system - has been left untouched.

The evolution and increasing use of avionics technology for civil applications of engine controls and flight controls has been since the 1950s. Engine analogue controls were introduced by Ultra in the 1950s which comprised electrical throttle signalling used on aircraft such as the Bristol Britannia. Full

authority digital engine control became commonly used in the 1980s. Digital primary flight control with a mechanical backup has been used on the Airbus A320 and A330/A340 families using side-stick controllers and on the Boeing 777, using a conventional control yoke. Aircraft such as the Dornier 728 family and the A380 appear to be adopting flight control without any mechanical backup, but with electrically signalled backup.

The application of digital techniques to other aircraft systems - utilities systems - began later. Today, avionics technology is firmly embedded in the control of virtually all aircraft systems. Therefore an understanding of the nature of avionics technology is crucial in understanding how the control of aircraft systems is achieved.

The nature of micro-electronic devices

The extent of the explosion in ICs developments can be judged by a ten-fold increase per decade in the number of transistors per chip. Another factor to consider is the increase in the speed of device switching. The speed of operation is referred to as gate delay; gate delay for a thermionic valve is of the order of 1,000 nanoseconds (1 nanosecond is 10-9 or one thousandth of one millionth of a second); transistors are

about ten times quicker at 100 nanoseconds. Silicon chips are faster again at approximately 1 nanosecond). This gives an indication of how powerful these devices are and why they have had such an impact upon our daily life.

Another area of major impact for ICs relates to power consumption. ICs consume minuscule amounts. Consumption is related to the technology type and speed of operation. The quicker the speed of operation then the greater the power required and vice versa. The main areas where avionics component technology have developed are:

Aerospace semiconductors transisitors and capacitors

Manufacturing and reliability progress has increased the use of electronic components in aircraft generally, from aerospace power applications to radar and defence.

Processors, Memory and Data buses

Processors

Digital processor devices became available in the early 1970s as 4-bit devices. By the late 1970s, 8-bit processors had been superceded by 16-bit devices; these led in turn to 32-bit devices such as the Motorola 68000 which have been widely used on the Eurofighter and Boeing 777. The pace of evolution of processor devices does present a significant concern due to the risk of the chips becoming obsolescent, leading to the

prospect of an expensive re-design. Following adverse experiences with its initial ownership of microprocessor based systems, the US Air Force pressed strong standardization initiatives based upon the

MILSTD-1750A microprocessor with a standardized instruction set architecture (ISA) though this found few applications in aircraft systems computing. For these types of application, starting with the adoption of the Motorola 68020 on Eurofighter, the industry is making extensive use of commercially developed microprocessor or microcontroller products.

Memory devices

Memory devices have experienced a similar explosion in capability. Memory devices comprise two main categories: Read-Only Memory (ROM) represents the memory used to host the application software for a particular function; as the term suggests this type of memory may only be read but not written to. A particular version of ROM used frequently was Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), however this suffered the disadvantage that memory could only be erased by irradiating the device with ultra-violet (UV) light. For the last few years EPROM has been superseded by the more user-friendly Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (E2PROM). This type of memory may be re-programmed electrically with the memory module still resident within the LRU; using this capability it is now possible to reprogram many units in situ on the aircraft via the aircraft digital data buses.

Random-Access Memory (RAM) is read-write memory that is used as program working memory, storing variable data. Early versions required a power backup in case the aircraft power supply was lost. More recent devices are less demanding in this regard.

Digital data buses

The advent of standard digital data buses began in 1974 with the specification by the US Air Force of MIL-STD-1553. The ARINC 429 data bus became the first standard data bus to be specified and widely used for civil aircraft being widely used on the Boeing 757 and 767 and Airbus A300/A310 in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ARINC 429 (A429) is widely used on a range of civil aircraft today.

Italy - A Country With a Lively International Freight Scene

Italy is a forward-looking country with a dynamic freight transport sector, which supports its imports and exports activity.

The United Kingdom is one of Italy's largest export markets with sales of goods worth just over 9 billion pounds in 2008. Meanwhile, UK sales to Italy were valued at 13 billion pounds in the same year.

So freight forwarding between the two countries is a well oiled machine, and there are many freight companies with expertise in arranging services between Italy and England.

in 2008, Italy was the seventh-largest economy in the world and the fourth-largest in Europe.

After the second world war, Italy changed from being an agriculture based economy which had been very badly affected by the results of the war, into a major industrialised economy and a leader in international trade. The freight services sector in Italy has developed in tandem.

Italy is a highly developed country, and, according to The Economist, has the world's eighth highest quality of life. The country enjoys an especially high standard of living, and is the world's 18th most developed country, higher than Germany, UK and Greece. As a result, Italian consumers are sophisticated and demanding, especially in terms of quality. They therefore have a taste for good quality and market leading imports from the UK, especially in technology and quality consumer goods. Some up-market fashionable UK brands are also in demand in Italy as imports.The client of shipping companies to Italy reflects this.

Despite this, Italy's economy suffers from many problems. After strong growth between 1964-1988,the last ten years' average yearly growth rate has fallen behind the European average. What's more, Italian living standards reflect a considerable north-south divide. The average Gross Domestic Product per capita in Northern Italy may far exceed the EU average, whilst some regions and provinces in Southern Italy are well below the European average. Italy is sometimes called the sick man of Europe. Freight transport options are correspondingly more numerous in the developed north.

The Italian economy is undermined by lack of infrastructure development, market reform programmes and investment in research. Italy still receives financial aid from the EU. To this extent, the freight industry is held back and it is not at the cutting edge in the same way as it is in countries like Sweden.

Italy has fewer global multinational companies than other economies of its size, but there are a large number of small and medium sized businesses, and in the North, there are many companies involved in industrial and machinery production. This has led to a manufacturing industry focused on exports of niche and luxury products. Freight forwarders have been keen to attract custom from these kind of businesses and they make up the vast majority of the customer base of an average Italian shipping company or freight company.

Italy's most important exports and freight cargo by sector are motor vehicles, chemicals, electrical engineering, home appliances, aerospace and defence technologies, firearms, fashion, food processing, sport and luxury vehicles. The automotive industry is the fifth largest automobile producer in Europe. There are thus many international freight transport options for cars and other vehicles.

It is a surprising fact that Italy is the world's 6th highest exporter.

Contributing to this, Italy is an important agricultural exporter. Italy is the largest kiwifruit, grape and artichoke producer in the world. The country also exports and produces more wine than anywhere else in the world.

Italy's closest trade ties are with the other countries of the European Union, with whom it conducts about 60% of its total international trade. Italy's largest European Union, in order of market share, are Germany, France and Spain followed by the UK. So the international freight infrastructure linking these countries is very robust and a freight forwarding will be guaranteed a high level of service.

Setting Up Business in India - What Foreign Companies Must Know

Foreign companies may set up business in India in any one of the following manners while retaining its status as a foreign company:

Liaison Offices - A foreign company can open a liaison office in India to look after its Indian operations, to promote its business interests, to spread awareness of the company's products and to explore further opportunities. Liaison offices are not allowed to carry on any business or earn any income in India and all expenses are to be borne by remittances from abroad.

Project Offices - The project office is the ideal method for companies to establish a business presence in India, if the object is to have a presence for a limited period of time. It is essentially a branch office set up with the limited purpose for executing a specific project. Foreign companies engaged in turnkey construction or installation normally set up a project office for their operations in India.

Branch Offices - Foreign companies engaged in manufacturing and trading activities outside India may open branch offices for the purpose of:

o Representing the parent company or other foreign companies in various matters in India, like acting as buying and selling agents.
o Conducting research, in which the parent company is engaged, provided the results of this research are made available to Indian companies
o Undertaking export and import trading activities.
o Promoting technical and financial collaborations between Indian and foreign companies.

Trading companies - Foreign companies may invest in trading companies engaged primarily in exports. Such trading companies are treated at par with domestic trading companies in accordance with the trade policy.

The RBI accords automatic approval for foreign equity up to 51 per cent for setting up trading companies engaged primarily in exports. All other proposals, which do not meet the criteria for automatic approval, can be addressed to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, i.e. "FIPB".
Wholly owned subsidiaries - Foreign companies may set up a wholly owned subsidiary, which is an Indian Company with an independent legal status, distinct from the parent foreign company.
Under the current foreign investment policy, a wholly owned subsidiary can be established either under the automatic route, if the conditions specified therein are complied with (specific high priority industries) or obtain an approval from the FIPB.

Joint venture companies - Foreign companies may set up a joint venture company i.e. in financial collaboration with an Indian business house/company in India, which is an Indian Company with an independent legal status, distinct from the parent foreign company.

Under the current foreign investment policy, a joint venture can be established either under the automatic route, if the conditions specified therein are complied with or obtain an approval from the FIPB.

Foreign companies intending to set up any kind of office mentioned above activities on behalf of the parent company or foreign trading companies in India for promotion of exports from India have to obtain a prior approval of the Reserve Bank by submitting an application in the prescribed form to the Central Office of Reserve Bank. On approval of such cases, permission is granted initially for a period of 3 years, subject to the condition that expenses of such office will be met exclusively out of inward remittances; such offices are not permitted to generate any income in India.

Industrial Policy:

Industrial Policy: Industrial Policy determines items/areas reserved under automatic route of approval by the RBI for Foreign Company to do business in India. Automatic approval is available through the RBI in all items/activities with the exception of a few items which are set out in Press Notes issued by the Government of India.

Besides reserved items/areas reserved by Reserve Bank of India are also notified a "List A" which specifies activities that are not covered by its Automatic Route.

To carry on business in items/areas reserved in List A, proposals are required to be approved by Foreign Investment Promotion Board, Government of India for which an application is required to be made to Secretariat for Industrial Assistance, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, New Delhi.

Industrial licensing is mandatory in respect certain industries i.e. Distillation and brewing of alcoholic drinks; Cigars and cigarettes of tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes;

Electronic Aerospace and defense equipment of all types; Industrial explosives including detonating fuses, safety fuses, gun powder, nitro cellulose and matches; Hazardous chemicals; Drugs & Pharmaceuticals (according to modified drug policy issued in September '94).

The compulsory licensing provisions do not apply to the small-scale units manufacturing any of the above items reserved for exclusive manufacture in small scale sector.

Specific Industries are exclusively reserved for the public sector i.e. Arms and ammunition and allied items of defense equipment; defence aircraft and warships; Atomic energy; Railway transport.

Foreign Collaboration:

Indian Companies can also enter into Technical Collaboration Agreements with Foreign Collaborators under two routes:

" The automatic route of Reserve Bank " Under approval of Secretariat for Industrial Assistance (SIA), Ministry of Industry, Government of India, New Delhi.

Application for foreign technical collaboration which do not conform to the parameters given in automatic route are required to be made to SIA, Ministry of Industry, Government of India, New Delhi. The extension of Foreign Technical Collaboration Agreements (including those approved by the Reserve Bank) is also required to be approved by SIA.

Nuts and Bolts-1: Registration & Incorporation

The procedure for registration of an industrial undertaking varies; it entirely depends upon whether the item proposed to be manufactured falls within the licensed, de-licensed, or small-scale sector. An application seeking an industrial license must be filed with the Ministry of Industry together with the application seeking NRI investment approval. An application in Form FC/IL - SIA must be submitted to the Ministry of Industry for grant of an industrial license.

Form FC/IL - SIA should comprise information related to the promoter and collaborator, proposed activities, items of manufacture, capital structure, borrowings, investment, foreign exchange inflow, technology transfer, if any. There is no definite time frame as when the approval will be granted, it depends on a case-to-case basis. However, if the information supplied in Form FC / IL - SIA is precise and calls for no clarification from the Government, approval is normally obtained in 4-6 weeks.

In case of an item reserved for manufacture in the small-scale sector unit must get itself registered with the Directorate of Industries/District Industries Centre of the State Government concerned.

Can capital investment made in India be repatriated Capital investment made in India can be fully repatriated along-with the profits after completing certain formalities. Also, returns on the investment can be repatriated in two forms i.e.:

"Dividend - dividend on shares held by foreign investors is fully repatriable subject to certain formalities "Interest - interest earned on bonds or debentures can be repatriated after paying appropriate tax. the profit, earned by the branch doing permitted activities can be remitted after payment of the necessary taxes in India, the branch office should submit an application for remittance to the authorized person along with necessary documents/certificates etc., as prescribed. Direct Tax Issues Tax liability in India is basically determined on two criteria viz. Scope of total income and Residential status of the taxpayer. Company that is registered outside India is treated as a Foreign Company. Taxable income of foreign enterprises determined as per the various provisions contained in the Indian Income-tax Act, wherever a foreign enterprise belongs to a country with which India as entered into an agreement for Avoidance of Double Taxation (AADT), the tax liability determines as per the provision of the relevant AADT.

Rakesh Saxena, Advocate

Death by Airshow: History's Biggest Airshow Disasters

Cape Town recently hosted South Africa's biggest air show: Africa Aerospace and Defence, at Ysterplaat (near Milnerton). By all accounts, the 3-day show was a resounding success, but not all airshows are that lucky. Over the years there have been a number of airshow disasters, perhaps the most spectacular of which is the Ramstein airshow disaster, which took place in (then) West Germany in 1988.

Considering that 70 people died and 500 had to be treated at hospital, perhaps spectacular is the wrong word: catastrophic is more appropriate. Among those killed were 67 spectators and three pilots. According to Wikipedia, 346 spectators were seriously injured during the explosion and subsequent fire, but scores more were hurt by shrapnel.

An Italian Air Force display team were performing a "pierced heart" formation, which is when two groups of aircraft create a heart shape and a lone plane, flying towards the audience, pierces it. The timing of the accident couldn't have been worse, as the lone plane crashed into the two groups just as they were passing each other.

Once again, according to Wikipedia, the single aircraft crashed onto the runway and the fuselage and resulting fireball of aviation fuel headed straight into the crowd. The universe has a cruel sense of humour as one of the other damaged aircraft crashed into the emergency medical evacuation Black Hawk helicopter, inflicting fatal burns on the pilot. The pilot of the aircraft that hit the helicopter ejected, but his parachute didn't have time to open before he hit the runway and was killed.

It was a bad day that got worse as the emergency medical response was not as good as it should have been. Some of this was caused by a lack of cooperation between German and American military authorities; some was due to inefficiency; and some by the differences in the types of medical equipment used by the separate military paramedics.

Eight years ago, Ukraine suffered an airshow disaster of similar proportions. The Sknyliv airshow disaster occurred when a Ukrainian Falcon crashed during an aerobatics presentation near Lviv, Ukraine. More people were killed than at the Ramstein disaster (over 80) but fewer people were injured (around 100).

The accident occurred when the plane began a rolling manoeuvre; it was in its descent when the left wing clipped the ground. The pilots managed to eject but the plane skated over the ground towards some stationary aircraft before exploding and cart-wheeling into the crowd. The pilots survived.

Wikipedia comes to the rescue again as it says that following the disaster, the Ukrainian president fired the head of the air force, and a military court sentenced both pilots to prison after they were found guilty of failing to follow orders, negligence and violating flight rules. One of the pilots, however, maintains that the crash was due to technical problems and a faulty flight plan.

In 2007, one of America's most famous aerobatics pilots died after his plane crashed at the Vectren Dayton Air Show near Miami, Florida. According to eye-witness accounts, Jim LeRoy was performing a stunt with another aircraft. They were doing loops when LeRoy swooped too close to the ground; he couldn't pull up before he hit the ground and the plane burst into flames. LeRoy suffered major burns and died on the way to the hospital.

Ironically, LeRoy was part of an airshow troupe that called themselves the Masters of Disaster. He was a very experienced pilot and had won several awards for his showmanship. His skills were so much in demand that he was one of the few aerobatic pilots able to earn a full-time living by performing at airshows.

We have to go all the way back to 1952 for the next airshow disaster, which took place at the Farnborough Air Show in Hampshire, England. A BBC article states that a jet fighter "disintegrated" during a low-level fly by. Both engines broke free and fell into the crowd. It was reported that 27 people were killed and 63 injured. Apparently, the plane had just broken the sound barrier before it exploded.

People who have a fear of flying are often patronised by others who tell them that travelling by plane is safer than going by driving. That may be true, but it seems neither is quite as dangerous as being in the crowd at an airshow.

High Temperature Electronic Components

High temperature electronic components for aerospace and defence include standard products and custom solutions for power management, power conversion and signal conditioning under extreme temperatures and harsh conditions. High reliability products have to be guaranteed from -55°C to +225°C and are sometimes used outside that range, from cryogenic lows to upper extremes.

Aerospace requires energy, weight and cost savings in compact electronic systems. Often mission-critical, high Temperature standard electronic components include DC-DC converters, electric motor drivers solutions, Voltage Regulators, Voltage References, Clock Generators & Timers, Analog -to-Digital Converters, Amplifiers, Power MOSFET's and Drivers, ICs (ASIC) or hybrid multichip assemblies.

From design to simulation, from wafer process to assembly, from characterization to thousands of hours life tests, high temperature electronic components are cutting edge technology. Aircraft components such as fuel pumps, landing gear or brake actuators, flight control actuators all use them. Political, environmental and economical trends for air transport are leading us towards the All Electric Aircraft (AEA). Electrifying aircraft provides opportunities to reduce weight and carbon dioxide emissions and also to reduce maintenance costs. Design of the All Electrical Aircraft has the goal to eliminate as many hydraulic power sources and complicated circuits as possible. The replacement of conventional hydraulic systems will include the replacement of all hydrostatic actuators with Electro-mechanical Actuators EMAs.

Electronics design.

At high temperatures, you start getting into an area where regular solder will melt and insulation will disintegrate. Commercial TTL and CMOS devices have been successfully tested at temperatures above their specified limit.

High-temperature operation is not exclusively a semiconductor problem. Internal heat dissipation is caused by conduction losses. To minimize them, devices with low on-resistance operated at the lowest currents possible and minimum leakage must be used. Because leakage increases with temperature, which in turn increases leakage, the danger of thermal runaway is always present.

UK Aerospace Jobs

Perhaps no sector reveals the 'reluctant European' streak in British policy-making better than aerospace. Until eclipsed by France in 1991, the United Kingdom boasted the second largest aerospace industry in the OECD, measured in turnover. Moreover, the technical prowess of the industry is the equal of the United States. British industry can claim several firsts in aircraft technology, including the development of the first jet engine, all-metal airframe, and the first jet-powered airliner. Hawker-Siddeley was widely regarded as the European leader in wing design and manufacture and this realisation led to the firm's retention as a subcontractor to Airbus even after the British government pulled out of the consortium in 1970. For all its commercial travails, Rolls-Royce has a sterling reputation for advanced engine designs and it is the only European engine company that is competitive with the US giants, Pratt & Whitney and General Electric, across a range of military and civil products. The problem for successive British governments was to craft policies to enhance the competitive position of the industry and safeguard aircraft jobs for highly skilled personnel. Whether this was best achieved via European efforts was always controversial.

Subcontracting jobs for Boeing or Aircraft Manufacturing jobs?

British aerospace policy, however, was very confused during the 1970s. Part of the problem was that the principal firms of the time, Rolls-Royce and Hawker-Siddeley (later folded into British Aerospace), had divergent views about cooperative arrangements with Europe. Rolls-Royce wanted access to the American manufacturers in order to level its playing field with its engine rivals General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. This desire led to Rolls' feverish pursuit of the engine contract for the Lockheed L-1011 in 1968. The Labour government agreed to provide launch aid for the engine. As it was, Rolls was far too ambitious, both in its belief that development problems would be minimal and that early delivery dates could be achieved. The advanced technology engine, the RB-211, was plagued by technical problems and delivery dates slipped. The contract with Lockheed bankrupted Rolls in 1971.

Airbus Industrie courted BAe for its expertise in wing manufacture. Boeing courted them for the Boeing 757 subcontracting. The UK Department of Trade favoured Boeing, the Foreign Office favoured rejoining the Airbus consortium. A government has to consider (more widely) aerospace jobs in the longer term, maintenance jobs and support. The latter, rejoining Airbus, happened in 1978.

Aero India

HIGHLIGHTS OF AERO INDIA 2005

1. Retail villages have been planned in the exhibition area and the Air display viewing area. For the convenience of the dignitaries and dear visitors most attractive Indian handicrafts were sold in the kiosks in the Retail villages. Talented craftsmen were benefited as their beautiful products were sold in thousands.

2. Bharat Electronics Limited arranged for all communications and infrastructure support for AERO INDIA 2005. Fax, Mobil phones, Walkie-Talkie, Internet, Public Address System, Closed Circuit TV, Audio Visual Projection in the Conference Halls, Registration Centre, etc., were the contributions of Bharat Electronics Limited.

3. The first Aero India Golf tournament was organised at Karnataka Golf Association, Bangalore. CII takes the credit for arranging these unique features, which was enjoyed by all visitors around the world.

4. Peter Thompson had designed the 18-hole championship course. The clubhouse area is 30,000 square feet. The flood lit driving range was the longest in India.

5. The Pavement on the Runway has been prepared using Falling weight defect meter. Also it is to be noted that Glass grid has been utilised for adding strength. Dense Bitumen concrete using polymer modified Bitumen to PCN 40 was a special feature to it.

6. The Media centre accommodated 250 members. It was located in brand new hanger, which had an indoor space of 4,200 square feet.

7. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore adopted Box Technology for execution of subway to interlink exhibition and Domestic areas of AFSY. They have completed the work in a record time.

8. Amongst the 57 speakers 33 were from abroad in the seminar.

9. Very interesting and informative journals, which widely covered aviation, aerospace and defence matters, attracted many dignitaries. Those colourful journals were, Aviation week Group (New York), Aerospace and Maritime International (published from Mumbai), Chanakya Aerospace Defence & Maritime Review (New Delhi), Defence World (New Delhi), Indian Defence Review (New Delhi), Vayu Aerospace Review (New Delhi), Indian Aviation - Civil & Military (Mumbai), Indian Defence Year Book (New Delhi), International Aerospace - Review & Analysis (Mumbai), Intervestnik Publishing House (Russia), S.P. Guide Publications, Private Limited (New Delhi) and Sterling Book House (Mumbai). These Books and Bookstalls enthralled the visitors with informations and critical analysis on defence issues. Every page had abundant valuable data.

10. Indian Companies participated in this show were mostly from Bangalore. Some were from New Delhi.

11. Software companies like Aster Teleservices (P) Ltd., 3rd Floor Sri Amulya Estate, Mahesh Nagar, Hyderabad-1., Autotech Systems (P) Limited, 27, 24th Main Sarakki Lake, 5th Phase, J.P. Nagar, Bangalore - 560 078., BACHAL Software Limited, HAL Estate, Airport lane, Bangalore - 560 017., CADES Digitech (P) Limited, Anchorage, 100 Richmond Circle Road, Bangalore - 560 025., Com Avia Systems Technologies Private Limited., 47 Gangamma Temple Road, Jalahalli Post, Bangalore - 560 013., Connect Electronics Private Limited, 1878 New Thipasandra Main Road, Bangalore - 560 075., Datta patterns (I) Private Limited, New No.19, Old No.16, Aza Gowder Road, West Mambalam, Chennai - 600 033., Datason (B) Private Limited, 1006, A Narayana Reddy Complex, BEML Main Road, New Thippasandra, Bangalore - 560 075., Integrated Digital Systems 4B Sundaram 46P Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, Kolkatta - 700 016., Quest, 55 Quest Towers, Whitefield Main Road, Mahadevapura, Bangalore - 560 048., Satyam Computer Serivices Limited, SDC Plot No.45,46,47 Electronic City, Phase-II, KIADB Industrial Area, Bangalore - 560 100., Samtel, 52 community Centre, New friends Coway, New Delhi., Shogi Communications Limited, 803 8th floor Ansal Bhavan, 16 K.G. Marg, New Delhi - 110 001., Sigma Electro Systems, M-83 MIDC, Ambad Nashik-10., Sika interplant systems Limited, 3 Gangadhara Chetty Road, Bangalore - 560 042., Silver Software, Plot-23&24 EPIP, 1st Phase KIADB, Whitefield, Bangalore - 560 066., SLN Technologies Private Limited, 889 4th Cross, 7th Main HAL II Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore - 560 008., Speak Systems Limited, B-49 Electronic complex, Kushaiguda, Hyderabad - 500 062., Umac Avionics Private Limited, 143 Umac House, 18th A main HAL 2nd Stage, Bangalore - 560 008., United Telecoms Limited, 18A/19 Doddanekundy Industrial Area, Mahadevapura Post, Bangalore - 560 048, etc., had beautiful pavilions in this grand show to reveal their invaluable contributions to Indian Avaiation, Aerospace and Information Technologies. As Bangalore city is studded with popular software Institutes many software technocrats have joined together and formed these companies to serve DRDO, HAL, Navy, Airforce, Missiles, Airborne guided weapon systems UAV, Helicopters and Bharat Electronics.

12. The Alpha Design Technologies (P) Limited, Bangalore develop simulation command, control requirements for Land, Ship borne, airborne systems. They also manufacture Night vision devices, simulators, Radars, communications systems and other Indian defence needs.

13. Amphenol Interconnect India Private Limited, 105 Bhosari Industrial Area, Bhosari Pune manufacturers and markets many varieties of connectors, cable harnesses and antenna products. They serve military and Aerospace, Automotive & Medical, electronics, wireless infrastructure and mobile handsets. They are the leading dealers in Indian defence sector.

14. Apollo computing Laboratories Private Limited has specialised in embedded computing, digital communications wed in defence and aerospace sector. In Agni II, LCA they offered their services.

15. Aster Teleservices Private Limited of Hyderabad have done a yeoman service to Indian defence units with data acquisition and control, smart cards, LC Launcher link, Fibre Optic Technology link, PCI based GPS time synchroniser, Unimux, Hand held cable testers, etc.

16. Airdel (India) Limited with technical collaboration of Aviation developments U.K. has branches at Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta, Chennai, Kanpur, Pune and Bangalore. They manufacture and supply fastness and other parts to Aerospace and commercial industry.

17. Avi-Oil India Private Limited supply lubricants, which is the only one approved by centre of military. Airworthiness and Certification, Ministry of Defence. This company is registered with Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance as an eligible manufacturer of aviation products. It has collaboration with NYCO S.A. of France. Indian Oil Corporation, Balmer Lawrie have joined hands to form this unique lubrication for Indian defence and civil aviation.

18. BACHAL Software Limited has the credit of developing simulators, development and testing of Real-time embedded Avionics software for safety critical and mission critical systems used for Flight control, Flight warning, Transmission, Weapon usage, fuel management etc. They offer their services to DRDO labs, HAL, ADA, Indian Armed forces apart from serving Thales, Rolls Royce, SAGEM, ECE, British Airways, etc..

19. Bijal Petroleum Equipment Corporation which has its Office in 5/210 Ashirwad Industrial Estate, Ram Mandir Road, Gargeon (w), Mumbai - 400 104 extends aviation ground support and fuel handling and testing equipment for aircrafts, helicopter refuelling for Indian defence.

20. To entertain the visitors and to have an aesthetic look some stalls contained fancy items, handicrafts produced by Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Limited, Cauvery, Karnataka State Arts and Crafts Emporium. Many women visitors both from India and abroad were very much lured by the beauty in each item sold there.

21. Saree is the traditional dress worn by Indian women. Hence a stall for silk zari sarees was there in Aero India - 2005 to divert the attention. Many thousands of well designed sarees were on sale and the women V.I.Ps had an enjoyable time there. Karnataka Soaps & Detergents (P) Limited also displayed their soaps which have a pleasant fragrance.

22. Chandra International, Mumbai are engaged in export and import, switchover trade and represents International companies like ESL Defence, U.K, Douglas SPD, UK, Goodrich, USA and Orbit ACS.

23. ComAvia Systems Technologies (P) Ltd. Bangalore executes services in areas of Avionics integration for Indian higher aircraft programmes for LCA, Jaguar, MiG27, etc., They also build Integration test rigs and other test solutions consisting of data acquisition and simulation over MIL-STD-1553B Bus, ARINC429, Analog, Digital, Serial and other interfaces.

24. Data patterns (I) Private Limited, Chennai has developed airborne, naval, ground and space applications such as mission computer and displays for aircraft, Onboard Computer and fire control systems for missiles, radar subsystems, ATE for aircraft, ground systems space craft and vehicles.

25. For DRDO, Department of Space system, System houses and Aerospace Industry, the Datasol (B) Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore over a very good service in designing, developing and integrating the State of the art modular products in areas of Avionics, Cockpit display products etc. It is an ISO 9001-2000 Company.

26. DRDO has 5000 scientists, 25000 other scientific technical and supporting personnel, and 54 laboratories. Contact Persons are: Dr.D.Banerjee, Phone 91-011-23016640, Brig Umang Kapoor, Director, Phone:91-011-2301-3209, B.C. Srikanta Vice Chairman DRDO.

27. Dynamatic Technologies, Bangalore deal with ailerons, flaps for ITT-36 Jet Trainers; wing and rear fuselage for Lakshya, a high performance UAV; Control surfaces for the Su-30 mki fighter Aircraft like Vertical Fins, stabilisers, Canard, Ventral fins and slats, Ground support equipment for military jets, servo test control equipment for helicopters; Transmission products and electro hydraulics brake actuating systems for Battle Tanks. Fabrication and assembly of airframe structures of Lakshya, Indias Pilotless Target Aircraft, Hall's 155-36 Project. Dynamatic Aerospace will be partnering HAL in the development of Airframe structures for the Sukhoi 30 mki fighter aircraft.

28. Enpro Secan India Ltd., New Delhi markets vapour cycle cooling system for Armoured fighting vehicles, Liquid cooling systems for Radars, Antennas etc., wave guide dryers, ACIDC Brush and Brushless motors, torque motors for Rods, Radars, missiles, etc., fans blowers axial centrifugal battle tanks, XIBC armed vehicles, etc., Heat transfer systems for Aircraft, battle tanks etc., They serve HAL, ADA, ECIL, BEL, DRDO, IAF, Indian Army, BDL, Air India, Thales, Airbus, Eurocopter, MTU, Embracer, LUCAS, Air France, Lufthansa, etc.,

29. Silver Oxide Zing, Nickel, Cadmium batteries for Indian military aircraft, helicopters, torpedoes and missiles are supplied by High Energy Batteries (I) Ltd., Tamilnadu. Contact Person: S.Arunachalam, V.Balasubramaniam, Fax: 91-4339250516, 91-431-2414455.

30. Terra Vista range of products for the 3D Terrain Generation 9.8 marketed by Integrated digital systems, Kolkatta. Those 3D databases are utilised in war gaming, situational aware analysis, flight simulation, training etc.,

31. It was interesting to note that JS Precisions, Bangalore is formed under women Entrepreneurs scheme. Contact person is Mrs. Jayanthi, Fax: 91-080-26637921, Phone: 91-080-266372707. They supply sheet metal, machined and non metallic components for aircraft & aero engines. Locknuts, Gaskets, jig fixtures, Locking washers and the products it supplies to IAF, DRDO, Naval Aviation and HAL. More than 800 precision critical / non critical components are produced by them.

32. Kumaran Industries, Bangalore produces jet engine parts for Aerospace and Aeronautical Industry utilising CNC Technology. Development of precision airframes and aero engines parts for LCA, ADA, ALH, 14 seat passenger aircraft, SARAS (NAL), ADE, Navy and Air force are some of their invaluable contribution to Indian air force. They have obtained recognition from foreign companies too like Magellan, uTGU technologies. Contact Person is Mr.Mohan, Director, Phone: 91-80-23409113, fax 91-80-23381498. Mr.M. Parthasarathy is the technical Director.

33. Maini Precision Products (P) Ltd., Bangalore serves Honeywell USA, Moog Aerospace U.K., WA, Goodrich, USA, Sneema moteurs, France, etc., by producing machined components. Contact person: Shaikendra Pratap Singh, Fax: +91-80-51272500, 91-80-51272400.

34. The Ministry of Indian Defence has licensed Max Aerospace Aviation Ltd., Mumbai to supply and install of Avionics, UAV's, CAV's Aircraft Subsystems, helicopters and Arms. This company takes pride to say that they have been approved by DGCA, HAL, DGAQA and CHEMILAC and it has been registered with IAF. Navy and Indian coast guard. Their maintenance works are also approved by NAVCOM. ADF, VDR and CUR. The works in cockpit Instruments, lighting systems, gyro instruments and airframe components have been with quality and perfection. Contact person: Bharat Malkani, Phone: 91-22-26135545, fax: 91-22-26162613.

35. Merchant Shipping Industry, Indian Army, Navy Coast guard and IAF prefer to use specialised tents for survival of helicopter crew, inflatable lifearts, life Jackets, etc., produced by meridian Inflatables Private Limited, Mumbai. It has 25 years of experience and possesses ISO 9001 Certificate. Contact Person: Maj. Arun Phatak (Retd.) Phone: 91-22-28570369, fax 91-22-28572927.

36. MIDHANI, Hyderabad which has developed 75 alloys with the enormous efforts of their R&D team.

Aero India Exhibition - Aero India 2009

Aero India Exhibition was started in 1996 by the Ministry of Defence. Aero India is an event where, the latest products and technologies of the aviation industry are popularized and demonstrated, it helps the aviation and aerospace industry to promote and showcase their products and services. It is Asia's cardinal biennial air show held at Yelahanka Air Force base in Bangalore. The Aero India show comprises of displays and exhibits of military and civil aircrafts of key manufactures, vendors and suppliers. Multifarious aircrafts of Indian Air Force are also displayed.

Aero India Exhibition Chronicle

The last three editions revealed some of the most advanced technologies and aviation equipments.

The 4th edition:witnessed presence of 176 companies from 22 countries. The event was attended by about 50 delegations from the United States, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Africa visited Bangalore for the event. The French delegation was led by the Prime Minister of France, Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

The 5th edition: pulled a paramount crowd of 380 exhibitors belonging to world's leading industries. The show included a total of 80 aircraft including Fighter jets, Light Combat Aircraft, Advanced Light Helicopters, Intermediate Jet Trainers (AJTs), Maritime Surveillance Aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) displayed their flying skills and capability.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy also displayed their various aircraft. There were 32 official military delegations and over 250,000 people who attended this show.The major attractions were the leading fighter, advanced jet trainers and unmanned aerial vehicles from Russia, US, France, Britain, Israeli and India. There were flying performances and static exhibitions of the Russian MiG-29K,Su-30MKI and Il-78 tanker; the American F-15 E, C-130J Super Hercules and P-3C Orion aircraft; the French vintage Mirage 2000 and Falcon 2000; the British Hawk 100, Jaguar and Sea Harriers, and the Indian Dhruv (Advanced Light Helicopter) and Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT). The event also included aerobatics performance by Sarang- the Indian Air Force's Advanced Light Helicopters. There were also views of Il-78 tanker and Mirage 2000 aircraft performing mid-air refueling and fighter trainers making formation in the clear blue sky.The 6th edition was yet again the centre of dazzling interest around the world and embraced visits by the myriad international delegations. The sizable attractions of the event were the astounding displays by the team of Indian Air Force and the helicopter formation display team. The attractions of the event were the MiG-35 and Lockheed-Martin F-16, as well as the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The Indian industrialist Ratan Tata too took to skies in an F-16. There were also displays by the Surya Kiran and Sarang teams, the Surya Kiran team consists of nine Indian pilots, and displayed actions such as flying as close as 3-5 mts at high speeds and exhibited numnerous formations like the arrow, diamond the hearts. The Sarang team displays maneuvers of Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).

'Aero India 2009' aerospace exhibition will be organised in Bangalore, India in February 2009. This year, with the formulation of the partnership between FICCI and Farnborough International Ltd, the show will have extensive business focus.

Aircraft Modification - A310 Military Conversions

As any aircraft is superseded, military conversions can significantly extend their useful lives.

A number of air forces acquired the Airbus A310 as VIP aircraft and troop and/or freight transports. The only one to buy a brand new aircraft was the Royal Thai Air Force, which took delivery of a VIP-configured A310-300 for use by the Royal Flight on 5 November 1991. The Canadian Forces boosted their strategic airlift capability with five ex-Wardair/Canadian Airlines International A310s in 1992/93. Redesignated CC-150 Polaris, the five aircraft were delivered in a 194-seat passenger configuration, but four were subsequently converted by Sogerma in Bordeaux to a passenger/cargo combi layout. This required some 100,000 engineering and production hours, which included a new main deck cargo door, fuselage and flooring reinforcement, a cargo loading system, and a removable bulkhead and smoke curtain to separate cargo and troops. The fifth aircraft remains in a VIP layout. All are operated by 437 Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton, Ontario, and are used to re-supply Canadian Forces personnel across the world.

Germany's Luftwaffe operates seven CF6-80C2A2-powered A310-300s and is seeking to acquire two more, to bolster its long-range fleet in the face of increasing logistics demands. The creation of a rapid reaction force, a rise in humanitarian operations, and the new tactical training unit in Mexico, are all making additional demands on its resources. Two A310s replaced two Boeing 707s at the end of 1999, and two of the existing A310s were modified to tanker transports in 2003. The Luftwaffe acquired its first three aircraft in May 1991 when the former East Germany carrier Interflug ceased operations, and further enlarged its fleet between November 1996 and November 1998 with four ex-Lufthansa machines. Five are operated in VIP configuration, and two as passenger/cargo combi aircraft.

Two A310-300s are flown by Transport Squadron 3/60 of the French Air Force (Armee de 1'Air) out of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Both have 180 minutes ETOPS (Extended Range Twin Operations) and are used primarily as VIP transports. The A310s were bought from Royal Jordanian in November 1993. The Belgian Air Force obtained two secondhand A310-200s from Singapore Airlines in September 1997 and April 1998, also for use as VIP transports. The Pratt & Whitney-powered aircraft are operated by 21 Squadron on military and government transport duties, as well as international relief flights.

Multi-role aircraft conversions.

With the order book for the A310 diminishing and tailing off, Airbus Industrie is hoping that a more determined incursion into the military market will provide a lifeline for the A310. Recognising that reduced defence spending will demand future multi-role aircraft, which are capable of simultaneously carrying out air-to-air refuelling (AAR) and transport operations, Airbus is offering the A310 in MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) configuration. With the KC-135 in particular nearing the end of its useful life, the demand for replacement tankers will undoubtedly accelerate, and derivatives of

current wide-body aircraft will offer a more cost-effective solution than building a dedicated aircraft from scratch. In addition to offering greater refuelling capacity than earlier airliners, the A310 would also have an advantage in operating costs and longer airframe life. At a price tag in the region of US $30m for a modified second-hand machine, such an aircraft should prove attractive to potential customers. Australia, Canada and Germany are all believed to be in the market for such an aircraft. Studies have indicated a potential market for 100 military tanker/transport aircraft by 2010, of which half are expected to be MRTTs. A demonstrator was produced by the conversion of a former airline A310-300 (N816PA), which undertook compatibility trials with Royal Air Force aircraft in 1995. No orders had been placed by September 1999.

The A310 MRTT can be converted from existing models or can be new-build aircraft.

R&D Companies and Data Loss

R&D Companies and Information Technology (IT)

R&D companies, as the acronym suggests, have to engage in a lot of research. A very high level of research is required to come up with a new invention. Therefore, researchers tend to use a lot of data to test the various outcomes and hypothesis. Due to limitations posed by the traditional way of storing data, R&D companies are increasingly storing their valuable data electronically.

R&D companies in the field of medicine tend to painstakingly undertake several experiments. The results of these experiments have to be recorded, evaluated, and maybe even published. While computers can help the researchers to record their findings, Internet can allow the researchers to publish their results with minimal effort.

Since the laptops offer the required mobility while performing research and analysis, most of the researchers in the defence, agriculture, pharmaceutical, defence, aerospace, and biotechnology industries tend to use laptops. Therefore, most of these companies tend to have a dedicated IT department. If the data is mobile, as is the case with laptops, the chances of losing the data are also higher.

If R&D companies are exchanging the research data across the Internet, they also need to be sure that the server is secure because any malicious user can easily misuse the data. More often than not, the data related with R&D is extremely confidential. Therefore, most companies tend to use the latest IT to help them keep their data secure.

Why is R&D Data Important and Valuable?

R&D is a field that requires large amount of investment because of the sheer nature of the industry. In addition, it is not a field that reaps immediate results. Research can take months or years before an appropriate product, equipment, or idea can be developed. Therefore, while the investment is huge, the results may not be apparent. Any data loss or leakage can ruin the entire capital and infrastructure investment.

Companies invest in R&D to stay ahead in the market competition whereas governments invest in R&D to ensure that the country is ahead in technological advancements or for national security. While most companies have to be extremely cautious about their R&D data so as to avoid data or idea leakage lest the competitor steal the idea, the government has to protect the R&D data to ensure that there is no threat to national security.

Protecting the Valuable R&D data

It is imperative to protect the R&D data because of the nature of the data. Most companies create centralised reporting systems so that data can be gathered comprehensively in one place. This minimises the chances of losing your data because the flow of data is restricted.

Some R&D companies do not wish to risk exchanging their data on public networks. Having personalised servers that allow you to exchange data within company in the most secure manner is a very good idea. You can always test the security of these measures and upgrade the security when the need arises.

Data encryption is the most important measure that R&D companies should make use of. Data encryption allows your valuable data to be encrypted before it leaves the secure premises of your office via a network server. Only authorised users with the requisite passwords can gain access to this data. Encrypting the data is the best way to minimise your risk against hackers, data theft, and malicious users.

R&D data is not the kind of data that can be created again once its lost. Therefore, the R&D companies will have to ensure that their valuable data is always backed up appropriately. Using manual backups may not be a good idea because it leaves room for error. Your best bet would be to either use Continuous Data Protection (CDP) or Automated Remote Backups.

CDP technique mirrors the data on two disks. Therefore, even if something happens to one disk, the other disk remains protected. Automated remote backups ensure that your data is automatically backed up and stored in a location that is geographically distant from the primary office site. This ensures that the data remains protected even if a natural or man-made disaster such as terrorist attack occurs at the primary office site.

What to do in the Event of Data Loss?

If all your data protection measures fail, you will need to hire the services of a professional data recovery company. Since the nature of the lost data may be confidential, it would be best if you sign a confidentiality agreement with the company. In addition, make sure that you hire the services of the best company becaus