Author name: Aviation World

New Delhi, 8th September 2026: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on September 07, 2026 accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) i.e., in-principle administrative approval to various acquisition proposals of the Defence Forces at an estimated cost of about Rs 1,10,000 crore. For the Indian Army, approval was granted for the procurement of Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Recce Vehicles, High Mobility Vehicles (HMV), Self-Propelled Mechanical Mine Layers (MML), Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs), Trawl Tanks and Sarvatra Bridge System. The CBRN Recce Vehicles will be capable of detecting, identifying, monitoring and marking of areas contaminated with CBRN agents. The HMVs will enhance operational capabilities, logistic support and mobility in challenging terrains. The MMLs will achieve the desired operational capability in terms of fast and responsive minelaying in difficult terrains. The ALHs will execute complex missions across all terrains and operational situations for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. The Trawl Tanks and Bridge System will be utilised to provide composite crossings to fighting formations during operations in varied terrains. For the Indian Navy, AoN was accorded for the procurement of Arudhra Radars, Design & Development and subsequent procurement of Marine Gas Turbines (MGT). Arudhra Radar will replace the existing Air Route Surveillance Radars at various Naval Air Stations and MGT, a warship propulsion system, will reduce dependency on foreign vendors. For the Indian Air Force, approval was granted to various proposals to enhance the war-fighting capability of fighters, transports and helicopters. Approval was also accorded for procuring Ground-Based Multi-Purpose Jammer (GBMPJ) and installing Defence Forces Secure Access Card (DEFSAC) System. The GBMPJ will provide effective jamming against radars of adversaries and DEFSAC will replace existing paper based Identity Card/Passes/Permits with an interoperable Radio Frequency Identification-based smart cards system. Of the total AoNs accorded, approximately 98% of procurements will be made from the Indian Industry. (News Source: PIB) 

Used Cooking Oil Could Play a Critical Role in Meeting India’s Immediate SAF Mandate — A Key Issue at the 2nd India SAF Conclave & Awards 2026 New Delhi,Sept 5th,2026: As India moves from SAF policy to implementation, feedstock availability and mobilisation are emerging as critical to meeting the country’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) ambitions. India generates an estimated 1.8–2.6 million tonnes of used cooking oil (UCO) annually, yet only around 110,000–156,000 tonnes—approximately 6%—is formally collected. India consumes approximately 29–30 million tonnes of edible oil each year, making UCO one of the country’s most immediately available domestic waste-based feedstocks for SAF. The Government’s indicative SAF blending targets for international flights are 1% in 2027, 2% in 2028 and 5% by 2030. A 5% blend would require approximately 0.4–0.5 million tonnes of SAF annually. While UCO cannot meet the entire long-term requirement, substantially improving its collection could make a meaningful contribution to near-term supply. The challenge is converting an available resource into verified, traceable and certifiable feedstock at scale. Formalising UCO collection could strengthen energy security, support the circular bioeconomy, prevent used oil from re-entering the food chain and create livelihoods across the collection ecosystem. A policy assessment has indicated potential annual import savings of Rs. 20,000–30,000 crore, industry value creation of Rs.10,000–20,000 crore and possible public-health savings of Rs.50,000–80,000 crore, subject to further techno-economic assessment. The SAF Association has proposed a Used Cooking Oil Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, covering mandatory collection targets, EPR certificates linked to verified recovery, registration of collectors and aggregators, digital traceability and recognition of the last-mile collection workforce. The objective is to create a transparent supply chain from kitchen to collector, aggregator, refinery and certified SAF production. Industry Perspective at India SAF Conclave 2026 Rohit Kumar, Secretary General, SAF Association and CMAI, said: “India is not short of feedstock; it is short of the systems that can turn available feedstock into verified, sustainable and commercially viable SAF supply. Feedstock mobilisation must receive the same policy attention as technology, finance and airline offtake. We need to build the supply chain now, not after the mandate arrives.” Manish Marwaha, Founder & CEO, Byufuel, said: “India’s SAF programme will be shaped not only by technology, but by feedstock. The challenge is creating a credible proof and traceability layer—from the kitchen to the refinery—so that this under-utilised domestic resource can be reliably verified and unlocked for India’s SAF transition.” Byufuel collects UCO from food businesses across 70+ Indian cities and supplies it to refineries through certified supply chains supported by digital chain-of-custody systems. India’s SAF Opportunity: From Domestic Resource to Global Opportunity The 2nd India SAF Conclave & Awards 2026, under the theme “Powering the SAF Transition Together,” will connect Indian stakeholders with global expertise, technology, finance and markets, with discussions spanning feedstock mobilisation, SAF technologies, sustainability, airline offtake, project finance, CORSIA, certification and international partnerships. With its growing aviation market, diverse feedstock resources, refining capabilities and industrial base, India has the potential to become a major SAF market, producer and investment destination—turning domestic resources such as UCO into verified, scalable and internationally recognised SAF supply. 2nd India SAF Conclave & Awards 2026 28–29 September 2026 | Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi Theme: Powering the SAF Transition Together 25+ Countries | 1,000+ Delegates | 100+ Speakers Registration & Full Agenda: www.safassociation.com

Chennai, September 04, 2026: Global aviation software provider Ramco Systems announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Safran Helicopter Engines, to collaborate on enabling seamless integration of Safran’s engine data with Ramco Aviation Software. Through this MoU, Ramco and Safran Helicopter Engines will work together to enable engine information post shop visits to flow directly from Safran into the Maintenance Information System (MIS) within Ramco Aviation Software, reducing manual data entry for helicopter operators and allowing them to focus more on keeping aircraft in service. The outcome of this collaboration will be the award by Safran Helicopter Engines of the EngineLife® Connect label, which identifies the best connectivity solutions compatible with its range of products and services. As part of the MoU, the companies will work on enabling engine configuration, usage metrics, and maintenance events to be automatically ingested into Ramco Aviation Software, improving data accuracy and consistency across maintenance operations. The partnership will focus on enabling: Engine data ready to use: Building the technical link to allow Safran’s engine information, including configuration, hours, and events, to be directly loaded into Ramco Aviation Software. A trusted data exchange:Defining joint business processes to ensure reliable and continuous both way data flow between Safran and Ramco. Better digital services for operators: Using improved data flow to strengthen the digital services provided by Safran to its customers. The collaboration will also include joint evaluation of data exchange formats and establishment of operational processes to ensure ongoing compatibility. For operators, the partnership is expected to reduce the time and effort required for engine data initialization within the MIS, while improving the structure, quality, and consistency of data supporting airworthiness and maintenance planning. Sam Jacob, Executive Vice President & SBU Head – Aviation, Aerospace and Defense, Ramco Systems, said, “With several of the world’s largest helicopter operators on our platform, Ramco sits at a unique intersection of the aviation MRO ecosystem — connecting OEMs and operators through a single digital backbone. We’re delighted to partner with a leader like Safran Helicopter Engines to enable this seamless digital exchange: Safran gains richer engine maintenance data to strengthen reliability, while operators receive OEM information directly into their systems, cutting manual work and improving productivity. Powered by AI and agentic automation, Ramco Aviation Software is built to make exactly this kind of connected, intelligent ecosystem possible.”

The certification, with Smiths Detection Computed Tomography (CT) systems, enables advanced threat detection and more efficient checkpoint operations. London,28 August 2026: Smiths Detection, a global provider of threat detection and security screening technologies, announced that it has achieved Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Level 2AB certification for prohibited item (PI) detection software to be used at airport checkpoints. Level 2AB certification confirms that Smiths Detection’s software meets TSA’s most rigorous explosive detection standard for checkpoint screening at US airports. This certification supports TSA’s goals of strengthening security, improving efficiency and enhancing the passenger experience. When deployed with Smiths Detection computed tomography (CT) systems, the certified software uses machine learning to assess carry-on baggage images and identify those requiring operator attention. Philip Tackett, Ph.D., VP of Technology at Smiths Detection Inc, said,“Achieving TSA Level 2AB certification is an important milestone for checkpoint security and reflects the strength of our automated detection capabilities. We are proud to support TSA’s continued modernization of the passenger checkpoint.” The certification builds on Smiths Detection’s existing CT deployments across US airports and demonstrates how advanced detection software can enhance checkpoint operations.