Interview with Pritam Bhavnani, President, Honeywell Aerospace, India
What are the joint ventures and partnerships that Honeywell Aerospace has entered into as a part of your effort to penetrate the Indian market?
Honeywell is an active participant in India’s infrastructure development at airports in Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai.
Honeywell recently announced that, as part of a contract awarded by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs to MKU Pvt. Ltd., an India-based supplier of body armour, Honeywell’s Gold Shield® and Spectra Shield® composite materials will be the primary ballistics protection incorporated into 59,000 jackets for Indian paramilitary and police forces. Spectra provides a high level of protection against bullets with the flexibility to increase comfort and resistance to different angles.
Honeywell demonstrated its T-Hawk™ Micro Air Vehicle to paramilitary forces in Chattisgarh at the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in April 2010. The T-Hawk features a ducted-fan engine, which allows it to hover and stare, ideal for surveillance and detection.
Honeywell’s Turboprop engine TPE331-5 is made under license by HAL for the Dornier 228 aircraft, also made by HAL. In addition, Honeywell is transitioning the worldwide manufacture of the TPE 331-12 model engine to the HAL Engines Division in Bangalore. Manufacture and sourcing of engine parts has already begun with orders placed on the HAL factory for over 30 engine kits.
The tender for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft for the Indian Air Force is expected to be finalised in the near future. What stakes does your company have in the mega deal and who are the contenders with which you would be associated in the supply of the aircraft selected?
We have content in form of avionics, electrical and mechanical components in almost every major modern combat Aircraft today, the MMRCA contenders included. We not only have presence in the US platforms that are participating in this tender, namely, F-16IN and F-18 Super Hornet, but also have significant content in Eurofighter, Grippen and Rafale.
What are ongoing projects related with the armed forces, para military forces and civil aviation sector in India that Honeywell Aerospace involved with at present?
Honeywell has a broad offering of safety and security products to ensure the safety of India. Our technologies power military readiness. From turbine engines for the Abrams M1 Main Battle Tank and the CH-47 Chinook helicopter to systems that power unmanned vehicles and avionics for jet fighters, our life-cycle management and six sigma approaches enable performance improvements in orders of magnitude. Our technology is important because it saves lives and money.
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In the defence sector, we offer proven solutions that are in action to support internal security and military readiness. Honeywell has significant high-technology content on the majority of Indian indigenous programs including the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, and Intermediate Jet Trainer. We have also developed key safety and mechanical systems for defence platforms like the maritime reconnaissance P8i, the troop transport C-130J program and the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft.
On these platforms as with all others, the Indian Armed Forces demand innovative, reliable and cost-effective solutions that meet or exceed their requirements. Honeywell is committed to anticipating and providing such solutions as a strategic military partner. Honeywell also offers highly capable, dependable and efficient solutions for the Medium Combat Aircraft, Multirole Transport Aircraft, Light Combat Helicopter and Mi-17 helicopter upgrade. For precision and surveillance, our TALIN® inertial navigator and T-Hawk™ Micro Air Vehicle are two unmatched solutions to expand and support India’s defence capabilities.
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On the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Honeywell provides varied content including its Power Thermal Management System (PTMS), which integrates the functions of auxiliary power, environmental controls, and emergency power into a single system. The PTMS integration reduces aircraft weight and length while significantly increasing reliability. The PTMS is available for use on More Electric Architecture (MEA) aircraft.
Honeywell has content worldwide on more than 275 platforms including fighter aircraft, military and commercial helicopters, human space vehicles, bomber aircraft, satellites, tanker aircraft, naval vessels, special mission aircraft and unmanned vehicles.
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These technologies also enable safer commercial and business travel.
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