Recent News

Stockholm/Paris ​ 5th July 2023: The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has signed an agreement ​ with Thales for the delivery and installation of SMART-L Multi Mission land based long-range radars. The SMART L MM/F will contribute to maintaining Swedish airspace sovereignty and will provide superior situational awareness at all times. Away from the frontlines, long range radars are critical assets to gain and maintain airspace sovereignty. Designed to actively detect and track multiple targets at long ranges, these ​ radars continuously monitor the location of friendly and enemy aerial systems. Given the multitude of threats and conflicts in constant evolution, building a reliable, accurate, up-to-date Recognized Air Picture (RAP) is becoming a challenge. Today, the naval and land versions of the SMART-L MM radar are operational in the Royal Netherlands Navy and Royal Netherlands Air Force. “We are proud to be selected by FMV to enhance Swedish air surveillance capability in an increasingly challenging environment. ​ FMV has chosen the long-range SMART-L MM/F radar as a major component of the sensor chain program and with this contract Thales will play an important role in contributing to Sweden’s national airspace sovereignty,” says Christophe Salomon, Executive Vice President Thales Land and Air Systems. SMART-L Multi Mission (MM/F), is a next generation long-range multi mission radar for air and space surveillance and Ballistic Missile detection, with applied high-end techniques resulting in a radar with an unrivalled long range performance of up to 2000 km. Thanks to its digital architecture, and AESA antenna the radar is easily upgradable and prepared for future and for the duration of its lifespan.

Kuwait, 4th July 2023: In ongoing efforts to make traveling on Jazeera Airways more convenient, Kuwait’s leading low cost airline has now introduced pre-ordering through their online Duty Free and On-board shop. Passengers can opt to pre-order items from an extensive collection of luxury perfumes, jewellery, electronics, tobacco and other gift items from the Jazeera Duty Free or On-board shop to receive them on-board their flight. To buy any products, passengers simply have to add them on from the Travel Extras option when booking flights through the Jazeera website (www.jazeeraairways.com) or app up to 24hours prior to departure. All shopping can be done through a debit or credit card safely and securely. Items will be delivered to passengers on-board their flight. Prices of all pre-ordered items will be up to 15% lesser that those purchased in-flight. In addition to this passengers can continue to order in-flight meals from J Café before their flight. Andrew Kendall, General Manager – Duty Freefor Jazeera Airways highlighted, “We are pleased to be the first Middle Eastern low cost carrier to offer this pre-ordering service. At Jazeera we strive to offer a comfortable and affordable journey to our passengers while ensuring the best customer experience. By opening up our Duty Free and On-board shops for pre-orders, passengers can travel light while taking advantage of the different discounts and offers.” Jazeera Airways currently flies to more than 63 destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Central and South Asia as well as Europe. The pre-order offer applies to most destinations in the Jazeera network.

New Delhi, 3rd July 2023: The first batch of crew recovery team of Mission Gaganyaan completed Phase-1 of training at Indian Navy’s Water Survival Training Facility (WSTF) at Kochi. Utilising the state of the art facility, the team comprising of Indian Naval Divers and Marine Commandos underwent recovery training of crew module in varied sea conditions. The two weeks training capsule covered a brief on the conduct of the mission, actions to be taken during medical exigencies and familiarisation with different aircraft and their rescue equipment. The training also validated the SOPs formulated jointly by the Indian Navy and ISRO. On the concluding day, Dr. Mohan M, Director of Human Space Flight Centre, ISRO witnessed the recovery demonstration and interacted with the team. The team trained at WSTF will now be involved in recovery of test launches planned by ISRO in the forthcoming months.

AXISCADES Technologies Ltd, an end-to-end engineering and technology solutions provider, catering to Aerospace, Defence, Heavy Engineering, Automotive, Energy, Medical & Healthcare sectors, serving Global OEMs, announced the appointment of Dr. S. Christopher, as Non-Executive Non-Independent Director effective from June 30, 2023. Dr S. Christopher served as Secretary, Department of Defence – R&D, Ministry of Defense, Government of India, Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Director of the Centre for Airborne Systems, Group Director at Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) and is presently engaged as a professor of practice in the Department of Electrical Science at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. Dr Christopher is a recipient of many awards such as JC Bose Gold Medal, DRDO Scientist of the Year Award, DRDO Technology Group Award, NRDC Award, Dr VM Ghatge Award for his contributions in the field of microwave antennas and radar systems. He has to his credit several publications, copywrites, and patents. Dr. S Christopher is a distinguished scientist from DRDO who obtained his BE (Hons) in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the College of Engineering, University of Madras in 1978, MTech in Microwaves and Radar Engineering from IIT, Kharagpur, and PhD in Antenna and Measurement Techniques from IIT Madras. He has had an illustrious career and is known as the man behind the indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system, from the inception to induction to Indian Air force. He served as the Secretary to the Department of Defence R&D, Ministry of Defense, Government of India, managing critical projects including ATVP, the design house of nuclear submarine programme; ADA, the fighter aircraft design agency and the Brahmos, missile joint venture with Russia. Over the years, Dr. Christopher has held several esteemed positions. He served as Project Director for LCA Multi Mode Radar and led the design and development of slotted array technology, used in several airborne and missile projects. He was also Project Director for development of Maritime Patrol Airborne Radar, SuperVision 2000, for the Indian Navy. Commenting on the development, Mr. Arun Krishnamurthi, CEO and Managing Director of AXISCADES said: “We are proud and privileged to announce the appointment of Dr S. Christopher as a board member of Axiscades Technologies. With his exceptional qualifications and extensive experience in the defense industry, we believe Dr. Christopher will greatly enhance the strategic capabilities of the Company and contribute significantly to enhance the Company’s offerings in advanced defense solutions to our global customers and Indian Defense. Dr. Christopher embodies the values, that define our company’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and integrity. His visionary leadership, unwavering dedication to national security, and ethical conduct make him an ideal fit for our board.”

St. Louis,USA, 30th June 2023: The first flight by a United States Air Force’s (USAF) pilot of a T-7A advanced jet trainer built during the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase took place on June 28 from St. Louis,USA. The 63-minute flight by the USAF test pilot Maj. Bryce Turner, 416th Flight Test Squadron and Boeing T-7 chief test pilot Steve Schmidt, was observed by senior representatives of the USAF, Boeing, and Saab, as well as an audience who watched online via the internet. “The first flight of the T-7A by a serving Air Force pilot is a historic achievement for the program and is a tribute to the years of hard work and dedication from Saab and Boeing,” said Erik Smith, President and CEO of Saab in the U.S. Saab is responsible for the development and production of the fully installed aft section for T-7A. The seven afts produced at Saab in Linköping, Sweden are part of the EMD test aircraft. Saab has opened a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility West Lafayette, Indiana for the production series aircraft, which will be used forpilot training by the U.S. Air Force. The T-7A program is currently in the EMD phase. The EMD phase includes engineering, verification and validation activities, test aircraft build, flight test support and preparation for series production. Saab’s first EMD delivery to Boeing was in April 2021. Since then, all further EMD deliveries were completed in just over a year. On April 28, 2022, Boeing and Saab rolled out the first T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer test aircraft built for the EMD phase. An initial trial flight of the EMD aircraft was performed earlier by a Boeing test pilot.

Seoul, 30th June, 2023) – Korean Air has partnered with GS Caltex, a globally-recognized Korean energy and chemical company, to conduct test flights using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The test flights using SAF will be analyzed and the results will be used by the Korean government to establish SAF quality standards and accelerate commercialization. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 29 to cooperate on a series of test flights using SAF. This agreement is aligned with the Korean government’s initiative to boost the supply of eco-friendly biofuels. Both Korean Air and GS Caltex will proactively participate in the government project hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). The Korea Petroleum Quality & Distribution Authority and the Incheon International Airport Corporation will also participate in this project. Korean Air will use SAF supplied by GS Caltex on select international flights departing from Seoul Incheon. The airline will use SAF that satisfies international standards on quality, including American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The test flights will take place for six months starting in the second half of 2023, and the government plans to establish SAF implementation guidelines for domestic use based on the results of the flights. The research will assist in setting SAF quality standards prior to full-scale domestic production. SAF is expected to play a key role in substantially reducing carbon emissions from aircraft operations. Unlike nonrenewable fossil fuels, SAF is manufactured from eco-friendly and/or recycled materials such as animal and vegetable oils, algae and solid waste, and may reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional fossil jet fuel. SAF usage is on the rise, and the EU is mandating airlines refueling in its territory to use a minimum 2% SAF blend from 2025. Many countries including the United States are introducing a variety of policies to expand SAF production through incentives such as tax deduction. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has also led states to adopt and commit to the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 for international flight operations. Korean Air tested SAF for the first time in November 2017 between Seoul Incheon and Chicago O’Hare, and has been using SAF on its Paris-Seoul Incheon route since last year. Korean Air has also signed an agreement with global energy company Shell to purchase SAF from Shell at major airports in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East for five years starting in 2026. The airline’s increase in SAF usage is part of its proactive efforts to reduce carbon emissions to help tackle climate change, and further strengthen its environmental, social and governance (ESG) management for governance transparency. “SAF is crucial in reducing carbon emissions in the aviation sector, but is easily influenced by various factors such as domestic and international policies, regulations, and demand and supply,” said Seong Bae Cho, Senior Vice President of Procurement at Korean Air. “The cooperative effort with GS Caltex will vitalize the Korean domestic SAF market, and will serve as stepstones for the Korean government’s decarbonization policies.”

The partnership enables eligible RuPay cardholders to enjoy access to over 50 Priority Pass Access India airport lounges and travel experiences across major cities in India. Mumbai, 28th June 2023: Priority Pass Access India, a leading domestic airport lounge and travel experiences programme, owned and operated by Collinson, announced new partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). This partnership will enable eligible RuPay (a product of NPCI) cardholders in India to enjoy access to over 50 premium lounges and airport experiences across all major cities in India simply by tapping or swiping their RuPay card on entry. In addition, eligible cardholders of RuPay will also enjoy access to a network of railway lounges in India. With travel returning at speed and travellers in India seeking out more sophisticated experiences that are seamless, integrated and add value to their journeys, this partnership is purposefully-timed to better support RuPay’s growing portfolio of travelling cardholders. A recent Collison study that surveyed over 5,400 frequent travellers across seven Asia Pacific markets (1,063 of which were India-based respondents) revealed, lounge access is the number one most desirable travel benefit at the airport. 87% of travellers in India expect airport lounge access as a premium card benefit; 55% revealing they feel ‘rewarded’; while a further 52% ‘feel valued as a customer’ when they are provided with lounge access. They also value other travel experiences, such as dining discounts, lifestyle and wellness benefits such as sleep pods and having access to a wellbeing and fitness app. Sumit Prakash, Country Director, India and South Asia at Collinson, said: “With India witnessing a travel rebound that is over and above pre-COVID levels, we are thrilled to partner with NPCI, the umbrella organisation that powers retail payments in India, to provide a strong travel-experience focused proposition to RuPay’s travelling customers. Eligible RuPay cardholders can now enhance their travel experience through Priority PassTM Access India where they can enjoy a wide network of premium airport lounges and travel experiences. We look forward to welcoming them. Denny Thomas, Head-RuPay, NPCI, added: “We are excited to partner with Collinson to provide Priority PassTM Access India to our customers. We wanted to provide our customers with an experience that they can enjoy when travelling alone, with loved ones or business colleagues; and with consumers revealing that lounge access is their number one most desirable travel benefit, it was the ideal choice to gift to our valued cardholders and celebrate the return of travel together.”