This facility would in close proximity to machining and special processing and would support both engine and structural sheet metal forming. Phase-1 of this facility would consist of sheet metal cutting, brake forming, hydro forming / fluid forming, heat treatment for aluminum and assembly operations like riveting, etc.

“Setting up of the sheet metal processing facility will enable QuEST and its current customers to graduate towards integrated sourcing and assemblies. It reiterates our commitment to setup an ecosystem for the supply chain catering to global aerospace industry requirement. Combined with the rest of our capabilities it positions us uniquely in the aerospace industry in India.” said Aravind Melligeri, Chairman & Co-founder, QuEST.

QuEST has appointed Nicholas Belbin, as an advisory board member at QuEST Manufacturing to leverage his extensive experience in aerospace sheet metal processing. He has been instrumental in establishing FMS and computerized systems for various forming processes like brake forming, hydro-forming, hot forming etc. He has also written detailed specifications for forming and processing of sheet metal fabrication and assembly.

QuEST is participating in the Farnborough International Airshow 2008 – UK, during which, it would be showcasing its end-to-end capabilities in aerospace engineering which include design and drafting/modeling, analysis/simulation, design automation, technical documentation, instrumentation and controls, electrical wiring/harness, avionics, embedded systems, manufacturing engineering, prototyping, in-house precision machining, sheet metal work and special processing.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About QuEST

QuEST is a leading provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing. The company helps customers in the aerospace, power generation, oil & gas, civil structures, industrial products, and transportation verticals to cut product development costs, shorten lead times, extend capacity and maximize engineering resources availability by providing support across the complete product life cycle from design and modeling through analysis, prototyping, automation, data documentation, instrumentation and controls, embedded systems development, manufacturing support, vendor management, and in-house precision machining. Through our Global Product Development framework and our on-site/off-shore/on-shore models, we leverage our local presence and global reach to support globalization initiatives for our customers. QuEST employs over 1500 people and has delivery centers in India, USA, Italy, Japan and footprints in UK, Germany, France, Spain and China. For more information,visit http://www.quest-global.com.

About QuEST Manufacturing

QuEST Manufacturing specializes in precision manufacturing, sheet metal fabrication, special processing, design and development of tooling, fixtures and gauges for aerospace, automotive and industrial verticals. The integrated engineering and manufacturing capability uses best-in-class manufacturing processes, state-of-the-art technologies and a technically competent team. The flexible, modular approach from design through to manufacturing provides a customized, end-to-end solution to the customers; thereby reducing cost and increasing value. For more information,visit http://www.quest-manufacturing.com.

Recently, QuEST was awarded the EADS E2S preferred supplier status for engineering services. This distinction comes after a stringent selection process by a distinguished EADS panel for over 2 years. During this process, approximately 2000 suppliers were evaluated on various parameters ranging from capability to infrastructure.

QuEST has been recognized as a quality supplier to the aerospace industry through the

AS 9100 certification received for both engineering services and manufacturing practices. QuEST’s services include design and drafting/modeling, analysis/simulation, design automation, technical documentation, instrumentation and controls, electrical wiring/harness, avionics, embedded systems, manufacturing engineering, prototyping, in-house precision machining, sheet metal work and special processing.

QuEST has earlier received Airbus approvals for engineering services and manufacturing which helps to support various current and upcoming Airbus programs. This is in addition to various customer approvals from Airbus Tier 1 suppliers, for manufacturing.

QuEST has also initiated the setting up of an aerospace supply chain eco-system in its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) which would be spread over 250 acres in Belgaum, North Karnataka, India. This will be highly beneficial to EADS from a point of view of being able to source fully finished aerospace components and subassemblies from India.

QuEST is also licensed to carry out export controlled work in the US. This is an additional benefit from QuEST that would be useful to EADS in the event that it requires work to be performed in the US for offset purposes.

“QuEST is uniquely positioned to support EADS, Airbus, Eurocopter and their Tier 1 & 2 suppliers in their globalization initiatives through the EADS E2S preferred supplier award combined with QuEST’s end-to-end engineering services and manufacturing offerings, accredited best in class quality processes and a distinct roadmap for the future” said Aravind Melligeri, Chairman & Co-founder, QuEST

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About QuEST

QuEST is a leading provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing. The company helps customers in the aerospace, power generation, oil & gas, civil structures, industrial products, and transportation verticals to cut product development costs, shorten lead times, extend capacity and maximize engineering resources availability by providing support across the complete product life cycle from design and modeling through analysis, prototyping, automation, data documentation, instrumentation and controls, embedded systems development, manufacturing support, vendor management, and in-house precision machining. Through our Global Product Development framework and our on-site/off-shore/on-shore models, we leverage our local presence and global reach to support globalization initiatives for our customers. QuEST employs over 1500 people and has delivery centers in India, USA, Italy, Japan and footprints in UK, Germany, France, Spain and China. For more information,visit www.quest-global.com.

In the first phase, Samtel HAL Display Systems will provide indigenous MFDs for HAL’s star programme – the SU-30 MKIs. The LCD based MFDs have already undergone extensive testing by DARE (Defence Avionics Research Establishment) for their flight worthiness to be fitted on the fleet of SU-30 MKI to be produced over the next decade. The indigenous Multi Functional Displays (MFD), jointly developed with DARE (DRDO lab) and manufactured by Samtel has recently got clearance for flight-testing from RCMA (Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness). With this clearance, Samtel becomes the first Indian company to indigenize multifunctional displays for the Indian Defence forces.

The Multi-Functional display (MFD) is a device that puts all aircraft-systems monitoring and flight planning functions at the pilot's fingertips. The MFD displays a composite view of the aircraft’s environment, providing the pilot with all necessary information to make safe decisions during every phase of flight. Engine performance and situational data such as location, terrain, traffic, and weather and airport information are all digitally depicted and can be quickly interpreted at a glance on the large-format display.

The next phase of this order will see Samtel Displays Systems fit MFDs for HAL’s LCA and IJT programs. Samtel Display Systems has a JV with HAL to support production, design and integration of next-generation avionics display equipment and systems.

Commenting on the order, Samtel Group’s CMD Mr. Satish Kaura said, “The long term manufacturing agreement with HAL is clearly a milestone for public-private partnership in this highly sensitive and strategic sector. In addition to the production of MFDs, the agreement will also require sustained support for all of HAL’s applied systems. The defense industries demand high quality and high performance avionics equipment and systems and Samtel is committed to maintaining these standards.”

HAL Chairman, Mr. Ashok K. Baweja added, “HAL is cruising ahead to become a powerhouse for design, analysis, engineering and software solutions. We are committed to leverage our joint synergies in encouraging and fostering Indian ambitions to be a leading role player in the world aviation scenario of the next decade.”

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Samtel:

Samtel Display Systems (SDS) is a key player in the international market in manufacturing of high-technology equipments for avionics, military and professional applications in the international arena. SDS is a part of the Samtel Group, India’s largest integrated manufacturer of a wide range of displays for television, avionics, industrial, medical and professional applications, TV glass, components for displays, machinery and engineering services. The group employs 6000 people in nine world-class factories and has an annual turnover of Rs 12 billion (USD 300M). Visit www.samtelgroup.com for details.

About HAL

Prior to flying, extensive ground tests were undertaken at Su-30 integration rig. The tests were conducted during both daylight hours and in the night to evaluate the display characteristics of the MFD under varying light conditions. Four test sorties were undertaken at an altitude of approx. 40,000 ft with the indigenous MFD for its evaluation, and no failure of MFD’s was observed. Samtel will implement minor improvements suggested by the flight crew.

With this achievement, Samtel becomes the first Indian company to indigenize multifunctional displays for the Indian Defence forces. The flight trials were conducted on the Sukhoi Su-30 aircrafts at Barreilly.

Samtel Display Systems has a JV with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to produce indigenous next-generation MFDs, HUDs (Head Up Displays) and HMD (Helmet Mounted Displays) for HAL’s star programs like IJT, LCA and SU-30 MKI. Along with this, Samtel has recently entered a JV with Thales to work towards the local development, production, sale and maintenance of Helmets Mounted Sight & Display (HMSD) and other Avionics Systems destined for the Indian market.

Commenting on this landmark achievement, Samtel Group’s CMD Mr. Satish Kaura said, “The flight testing of these indigenous MFDs underscores Samtel’s commitment to produce high quality, high performance avionics equipment and systems for our customers both in the Indian and international arena. It reinforces our endeavors to develop and provide indigenous technology developed to meet Export market and Defence Offset requirements by the overseas clients.”

The Multi-Functional display (MFD) is a device that puts all aircraft-systems monitoring and flight planning functions at the pilot's fingertips. The MFD paints a composite view of the aircraft’s environment, providing the pilot with all necessary information to make safe decisions during every phase of flight. Engine performance and situational data such as location, terrain, traffic, weather and airport information are all digitally depicted and can be quickly interpreted at a glance on the large-format display.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About Samtel:

Samtel Display Systems (SDS) is a key player in the international market in manufacturing of high-technology equipments for avionics, military and professional applications in the international arena. SDS is a part of the Samtel Group, India’s largest integrated manufacturer of a wide range of displays for television, avionics, industrial, medical and professional applications, TV glass, components for displays, machinery and engineering services. The group employs 6000 people in nine world-class factories and has an annual turnover of Rs 12 billion (USD 300M). Visit www.samtelgroup.com for details.

About DARE

With current capacity 61 flights a week spread across Mumbai, New Delhi, Kochi, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Chennai, Lucknow, and Jaipur, Oman Air operates an extensive network of services throughout India. The addition of Kozhikode, our 3 gateway in Kerala and ninth destination in India.

In this regard, HE Darwish bin Ismail Al Balushi, secretary-general of the Ministry of Finance and member of the board of directors of Oman Air, who is carrying out the chief executive officer’s duties, said that India remains to be a very important destination country. The Indian travel market he acknowledged is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, furthermore an important destination witnessing a blooming economic growth. Today, India is absolutely the prime single market for Oman Air with a network of nine, and soon ten cities served non-stop Muscat. It is enjoying tremendous economic growth, consequently aviation is just one of the key sectors benefiting from such development, and Oman Air is content to be part of this economic growth facilitating travel to and from India. With its mounting importance in the world in terms of economic growth he added, there was an extent for higher passenger traffic between India and the Gulf.

“Oman Air was able to establish a distinctive status in the Indian travel and tourist market due to its high quality services, along with the convenient flight connections timings. These have certainly contributed in increasing the number of passengers to and from India in general, in addition to our other destinations within the airline network. The addition of Kozhikode demonstrates our long-term commitment to India and we look forward to developing our network further across India as we explore new route opportunities to give the travelling public even more choice” he further said.

HE Darwish bin Ismail Al Balushi avowed that it was very important to allow people to move from one place to another. Every flight means a lot of joy to many people. Kozhikode is Oman Air’s 26th destination, and we hope the new service would strengthen further the existing friendly relations between Oman and India. He concluded by saying, we are very confident that the inauguration of the new destination, will achieve our anticipated objectives based on the feasibility study undertaken by the company connoisseurs in this regard.

Corporate Communications and Media of Oman Air notified that earlier this year, The National carrier of The Sultanate Oman Air, received clearance from Indian authorities to commence operations to the two new destinations namely Calicut and Bangalore, from Muscat. This follows signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Sultanate and India. With the two new sectors, Oman Air’s destinations in India will go up to 10, they added. Getting the new destinations and additional capacities by Oman Air aims at covering the flights that were earlier operated from the Sultanate to India by Gulf Air.

The talks, they informed resulted in getting additional capacity for Oman Air, including increasing the number of seats on some of the flights operated by the company to India from 7,550 to 11,550 seats, an additional 4,000 seats in one way. The civil aviation authority in the Sultanate and India also agreed on liberalising cargo flights to allow more air carriers in both countries to operate unlimited number of cargo flights.

Corporate Communications and Media of Oman Air gave information that the Muscat – Kozhikode schedules are; Departing Muscat International Airport daily at 0145, arriving to Kozhikode at 0635. Departure from Kozhikode International Airport daily will be at0730, arriving to Muscat International Airport at 0930.

Mr. Mohammed Salim ; Country Manager India – Mr. Abdulrazaq Al raisi; Senior Manger Sales, Mr. Usama Al Haremi. Head of Corporate Communications and Media and Mr.Vijay Bhattia, President Bird Group participated in the press meet.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Shri B Joga Rao Vice President, ITC was the Chief Guest. While speaking on this occasion, he brought out how wealth can be generated from the waste. He has outlined the concept Triple Bottom Line and 3R concept followed by ITC .

Shri GVS Hemantha Rao, Dy. Chief Executive, & MR for ISO Systems , NFC while welcoming the gathering, dealt on various clauses of Indian Constitution on Environment and other environmental laws pertaining to environment protection. Six technical talks were delivered by various groups of NFC on Environmental Aspects.

WED is commemorated every year on 5th June. It is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

In 2007, MKU decided with its vision to be a global defense solutions provider it could not ignore the significance of the UAV segment to its growth plans.

After considerable deliberations, in the latter half of 2007, MKU took the strategic decision to penetrate the UAV sector notwithstanding the presence of almost every large defense company in this field. Dynamism and ingenuity coupled with far sighted vision, MKU in a short span of barely 8-9 months has been successful in developing two products which can compare with the best in the world.

“....Having attained a prominent global position or perhaps no1 in the Ballistic Protection market, we have entered fast growing UAV market where we have just launched 2 solutions, TERP & Erasmus but we are geared to catch up with the industry and command a sizeable market share ..” said Mr. Anurag Gupta Jt. MD, MKU, at launch of TERP in February 2008 during DEFEXPO, INDIA.

The TERP or Tactical Reconnaissance Electrical Probe is an all composite, backpack-able UAV System that requires no tools for assembly. It is ideally suited for frontline operations and provides enhanced Tactical Situational Awareness. The system is designed to play a key role in military, paramilitary and civilian deployments.

The ERASMUS UAVS is a high performance tactical / strategic UAVS designed for frontline operations. The system is transported in 2 ruggedized containers and requires 45 minutes for assembly or disassembly. The system is equipped with an Image Exploitation System which enables ERASMUS to track or target objects based on a visual image reference.
MKU shall be exhibiting at ILA, Berlin Airshow, from 27th May-1st June 2008 with their cutting edge UAV Solutions.

Apart from ,UAVs MKU has recently ventured into development of high performance drones designed for various Air Defense Target Applications. The Drone offers several flight profiles including steep climbs and dives.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

MKU

"PROTECTING THOSE WHO PROTECT US" – is the motto of the MKU Private Limited, which is one of the most reputed and largest manufacturer of various kinds of critical protection equipment and other products required by the Army, Police and other Special Forces in India and abroad. In a span of just two decades, it has not only earned a distinction of becoming one of the leading defence solutions providers for the Indian Army, but has traversed into new markets abroad. It now has a direct customer base in more than 50 countries. MKU products have become the preferred choice of armed forces, police and special forces in India as well as several other countries of the world. MKU's diverse product portfolio also includes products for personal protection. For vehicles, MKU produces a variety of composite ballistic panels, while for personal protection, it produces helmets, ballistic jackets, up-armor inserts and plates, anti-mine equipment and bomb blankets. MKU is also known for its canvas and rubber footwear and different varities of tents.

To give more momentum to this initiative, MKU is participating in a forum being organised by Institute for Defense & Government Advancements (IDGA), USA on Military Armor Protection which will review the latest advances to reduce human casualties and vehicle damage as a co-sponsor. This seminar will be held from May 19 - 22, 2008 at The Westin Alexandria, Alexandria, VA, USA

MKU had recently created a lot of buzz in the international market with the acquisition of Germany based company AST Security Equipment GmbH, a NATO registered company specialising in Helicopter and Ship armouring. ‘The acquisition of AST Security Equipment, Germany will provide us with strategic capability to provide cutting edge integrated armouring solutions for the modern vehicle armouring programs across the world’ said Mr. Neeraj Gupta, (Jt. Managing Director, MKU) on the occasion.

MKU has also recently introduced its ‘INSTAVEST’ – a snap on & off quick release MOLLE type ballistic over-vest which it claims has a world-beating new system which disengages the body armour in less than 1 second from the body of the soldier when required. Commenting on the vest, Mr. Neeraj Gupta said ‘This vest is a result our constant focus on the requirements and needs of our end customers, it will prove to be a boon for soldiers in critical evacuation and extraction scenarios in life threatening scenarios as also to injured soldiers seeking emergency medical treatment”. Earlier last year MKU had introduced a revolutionary new Aero system & other low trauma ballistic over-vests for personal protection.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About MKU Pvt Limited:

MKU Pvt Limited is one of the leading Integrated Defence Solutions company with a vast international footprint. It is the largest manufacturer & supplier of ballistic platform solutions required regularly by the Indian Army, Police and the other Special Forces.

It has gained a formidable reputation as a major player in the field of ballistic platform solutions in over 50 countries. This reputation has been built as a result of its in-house capability to process composite materials and to design customised solutions for its customers. First-hand expertise and top-grade resources enable MKU to produce hard and soft armor that conform to the highest quality standards.

It has recently forayed into the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) business and is gearing up to offer some cutting edge solutions in the global markets.

CONTACT:
MKU Pvt Limited – Anurag Tripathi, Deputy Manager-Corporate Communications +91-512-236-3491, anurag.tripathi@mku.com
Sharad Khandelwal, Intl. Sales Manager – Americas, +91-512-236-3491, sharad.khandelwal@mku.com

Mr. Tim Jones, Director, QuEST Manufacturing, said, “It is very impressive to see how QuEST Manufacturing has become a significant player in Aerospace Manufacturing in such a short timescale. This gives clear evidence of the significant opportunity which existsfor wellfocussed Indian companies in the Aerospace sector today. I am very excited about working with QuEST and to contributing to their continued success as well as continuing my own long association with India.”

Mr. Jones joined Rolls-Royce in 1985 following a distinguished career in the Royal Air Force Regiment. His initial role was as Regional Executive – Middle East, based in Cairo. He moved to Saudi Arabia in 1987 where he was responsible for industrial projects as well as civil and defence aero engine programmes in the region. He led the Rolls-Royce support activities to the Allied Forces during the 1991 Gulf war.

In 1992, Mr. Jones became Director, South East Asia, based in Singapore where his main activities centred on the successful Rolls-Royce Trent engine campaigns for Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines. He subsequently returned to UK in 1999 as Executive Vice-President (Defence Aerospace) before taking up the role of Managing Director Rolls-Royce, India Ltd.

The son of a founder member of the Indian Army Kumaon Regiment, Tim Jones is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management. He is also a Member of the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About QuEST

QuEST is a leading provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing. We provide support across the entire product development life cycle from design and modeling through analysis, automation, re-engineering, instrumentation and controls, embedded systems development, prototyping, data documentation, manufacturing support, vendor management, and in-house precision machining. Through our Global Product Development framework leveraging our local presence and global reach, we enable companies in the aerospace, civil structures, industrial products, oil & gas, power generation, and transportation markets to cut product development costs, shorten lead times, extend capacity, and maximize engineering resources. QuEST employs over 1300 people and has delivery centers in India, USA, Japan and Italy, and a footprint in UK, Germany and China. For more information on QuEST please visit www.quest-global.com.

Contact
Romana Charania - QuEST, Bangalore
+91-99455 39195 Romana.Charania@quest-global.com

Sagar Parida - Good Relations, Bangalore
+91-80-25590727 sagar@gri.co.in

The earlier ships of the class viz. INS Magar, INS Gharial and INS Shardul were successfully delivered to the Indian Navy by GRSE in the past. The basic design of the ship was evolved by Directorate of Naval Design at Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Navy), New Delhi. Design modifications of the ship have been carried out by GRSE. The Project is managed by the Directorate of Ship Production at IHQ MoD (Navy).

This new ship Kesari, like her predecessors, will be an important amphibious warfare ship carrying Landing Craft Assault, battle tanks, army vehicles and troops. The ship is capable of beaching for disembarkation of these vehicles and army troops. The new ship has several upgradation in terms of better performance, maintainability, enhanced air-conditioned accommodation for troops and additional inner Bow Door as per latest classification rules. The ship is also provided with helicopter staging facilities for SEAKING MK 42C helicopter or indigenously built Dhruv helicopter.

The new ship Kesari is also fitted with modern electronic equipment. She will have two WM 18 Rocket Launcher mountings and CRN 91 Guns.

The ship has an indigenous content of over 90% with the state-of-the-art equipment such as main engines, gearbox, CPP system, steering gear, air-conditioning and refrigeration plants, power generation and distribution system manufactured in the country. The ship is 124.8 meters long and 17.5 meters broad and will have a deep displacement of 5600 tonnes. The ship can carry 12 main battle tanks, 10 Army vehicles and 500 troops for amphibious operations and is capable of achieving a speed of 15.8 knots. The ship is fully equipped to safeguard the maritime interest of the country.

The ship ‘KESARI’ from to-day is dedicated to the service with the Indian Navy. Commissioning of the ship ‘KESARI’ is yet another milestone in the history of GRSE who had been actively contributing to the defence preparedness of the country.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Aviation New Zealand and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) together represent New Zealand’s status as the partner country and its presence at the 2nd Civil Aviation Week – Airport & Airline 2008 Expo 2008 being held in the capital.

His Excellency, Mr Rupert Holborow, New Zealand High Commissioner inaugurated the Airport & Aviation Expo 2008, in the presence of Mr Paul Vaughan, New Zealand Trade Commissioner and Mr John Nicholson, CEO, Aviation New Zealand

New Zealand’s participation in Airport & Aviation Expo 2008 showcases the country’s capability as an expert in providing top quality aviation training (both crew as well as pilot) with a strong emphasis on safety that is in line with those set by other leading regulatory bodies such as European Aviation Safety Agency and similar thereof which will be a special point of focus.

Commenting on partnership opportunities between New Zealand and India, Mr. Paul Vaughan, New Zealand Trade Commissioner said, “India can leverage on New Zealand’s unparalleled expertise in the aviation sector to further boost the growth in its already booming domestic aviation industry.” The Indian Aviation industry is one of the fastest growing domestic aviation markets in the world with 24% annual growth.

Aviation New Zealand, country’s leading aviation industry body is focussing on increasing cooperation and trade between the players in the aviation sector in the two countries. As its first India specific initiative, Aviation New Zealand has brought with it country’s leading companies such as Air New Zealand, Airways International, CTC Aviation Training, and Glidepath that provide diverse services including Aviation Consulting, Design and Engineering, Safety and maintenance, aviation pilot and crew training, Infrastructure Engineering, software development, simulator solutions and cargo handling services amongst others.

Speaking at the launch, Mr John Nicholson, CEO, Aviation New Zealand said, “Our endeavour is to help strengthen India’s aviation industry by enabling Indian players leverage upon our rich experience, knowledge and expertise to build formidable competitive advantage for them in this keenly contested space.”

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) in conjunction with Aviation New Zealand aims to connect overseas aviation customers with New Zealand exporters

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Kanna chose from his hectic schedule, March 5, 2008 to visit his alma mater Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani Rajasthan where he was a student during 1980-1985 and obtained his M.Sc. (Hons) Chemistry and MSc (Tech) Computer Science under the unique dual degree flexibility which allows meritorious motivated and committed science students to work for two degrees simultaneously.

Going around the Institute Kanna was impressed by the new Library building, Lecture Theatre Complex, Students Activity Centre etc. He had extensive interactions with the faculty and students at the Centre for Robotics and Intelligent Systems (CRIS) and appreciated the work done on Humanoid robot by the Fab 4 current BITSians Samay Kohli, Arpit Mohan, Harsh Sinha and Prayag Mukherjee who will be participating in the Robo Games the biggest Robot competition in the world at San Francisco later this year.

In his lecture on Mars or Bust, Kanna talked about the Remote Agent Experiment (RAX) which was co-winner of NASA’s 1999 Software of the year and pointed out that a successful innovator must possess Information Skills, Problem Solving Skills, Decision Making Skills and Communication Skills apart from Ability for Time, Stress and Project Management. He thanked the broad based integrated and interdisciplinary approach of education at Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani Rajasthan undoubtedly a top ranking university in India yesterday and India today which gave him ample opportunities from admissions to graduations for developing such skills and acquiring such ability to ensure that winning in tough situations became his way of life.

Kanna went on to describe the AI based MAPGEN (Mixed initiative Activity Planning GENerator) the ground-based decision support system which enabled human-in-the-loop oversight of plan development for Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission operations involving the twin robot geologists Spirit and Opportunity which landed on the red planet in January 2004 to probe the history of water.

MAPGEN received NASA's 2004 Turning Goals into Reality award under the Administrators Award category, a NASA Space Act Award, a NASA Group Achievement Award and a NASA Ames Honor Award. Kanna the principal investigator for MAPGEN got the 2002 NASA Public Service Medal and also the First NASA Ames Information Directorate Infusion Award. In Oct 2004, Kanna was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for his role on MER at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) the lead US center for robotic exploration of the solar system.

With his current research focus on unmanned Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s), Kanna has no doubts in stating that Autonomous robots that can "think for themselves" will soon be exploring and monitoring the dark depths of the ocean as well as the frontiers of outer space.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani Rajasthan which has set a bench mark in industry university collaboration is one among the top ranking universitiesin India today offering degrees in various branches of Engineering, Management, Economics, Pharmacy, Sciences, Engineering Technology, Information Systems, General Studies, Finance, etc presently at Pilani, Dubai, Goa campuses and in the near future at Hyderabad campus apart from an array of work integrated learning programmes for HRD of a vast spectrum of Indian corporates.

An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. They may be partially comprised of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery round, attached to a detonating mechanism. EDs may be used in terrorist actions or in unconventional warfare by guerrillas or commando forces in a theater of operations. In the 2003–present Iraq War, IEDs have been used extensively against coalition forces and by the end of 2007 they have been responsible for approximately at least 40% of coalition deaths in Iraq.

With a 2007-2012 CAGR of 15.7%, the standoff threat detection systems market is forecasted to be one of the fastest growing counter-IED markets. According to a recent research report by Homeland Security Research Corp. (HSRC), 2008-2012 Global Counter-IED Markets and Technologies Forecast, novel approaches to detecting and in some cases defeating threats from buried IEDs, suicide bombers and vehicle-borne IEDs (VBIED) will be deployed in a variety of locations with a forecasted increased demand for standoff suicide bombers detection systems.

A cumulative 2007-2012 market for $5.6B will be awarded to those that can overcome some of the major technological challenges, including the ability to detect the IED at a distance of at least 50 yards from any damageable target with minimal false alarms.

Among other subjects, the new research report covers the following:

1. 2008-2012 EU & US Services and Upgrades Market forecasts - (2008-2012 aggregate market exceeding $28B)

2. 2008-2012 EU & US Systems Market Forecasts – (2008-2012 aggregate market exceeding $43B)

3. Business Opportunities - The report outlines 15 distinct business opportunities, attractive to new as well as established players.

4. Analysis and Forecast of Current and Evolving Technologies – With several new technologies maturing simultaneously, the report provides a roadmap to the transition from existing to upcoming solutions - what will drive them and how, and what might inhibit the transition.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

The agreement covers avionics for new Airbus A320s, A330s and A340s, as well as 131-9A model APUs for new A320s. Delivery of Honeywell avionics and APUs are underway and will continue through aircraft deliveries planned until 2011.

“Kingfisher Airlines will benefit from a common configuration of world-class technological equipment on its present and future aircraft with optimized inventory management and predictable maintenance costs,” said Mike Madsen, Honeywell Vice President of Airlines. “This important partnership demonstrates Kingfisher Airlines’ confidence in Honeywell as a strategic business partner.”

Hitesh Patel, Executive Vice President - Engineering and Operations of Kingfisher Airlines said “This partnership is based on Honeywell’s long-term commitment to Kingfisher Airlines through its value offering packaged with superior technology and breadth of solutions.”

The Honeywell 131-9A APU is a small gas turbine engine that provides compressed air and electrical power for main-engine starting and operation of aircraft systems on the ground or in flight.

The selected Honeywell avionics systems for Kingfisher’s A320 family, A330 and A340 aircraft include Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS II), Weather Radar with Forward-Looking Windshear Detection, solid state Flight Data Recorder (FDR) & Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR), Quantum™ Line Communications & Navigation System (CNS), Flight Management Systems (FMS) and Air Data Inertial Reference System (ADIRS). Kingfisher also selected high speed Satellite Communication System (SATCOM) on its A330 and A340 fleet.

EGPWS, invented by Honeywell, provides a terrain display and alerts the flight crew if the aircraft approaches too close to terrain. Honeywell’s patented ACAS (aka TCAS - Traffic Collision Avoidance System) provides a display of surrounding aircraft and alerts the flight crew if another aircraft comes too close for safety. Honeywell’s radar provides essential weather detection up to 320 nautical miles, turbulence detection up to 40 nautical miles, and forward-looking windshear detection up to 5 nautical miles. FDR & CVR recorders record flight data parameters and cockpit voice conversation for analysis. CNS enables cockpit crew to interact with ground stations such as Air Traffic Controller. ADIRS helps pilots keep the Aircraft on course by sensing its movement in all three dimensions. The all new MCS7200 SATCOM supports on board internet, email, telephone/mobile usage while allowing crew communication in voice and data with ATC and ground teams.

Kingfisher Airlines is rated India’s favorite airline offering premium first-class service on domestic routes, flying to 34 cities with over 208 daily flights.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Honeywell International is a $36 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For additional information, please visit www.honeywell.com.

Based in Phoenix, Honeywell’s aerospace business is a leading global provider of integrated avionics, engines, systems and service solutions for aircraft manufacturers, airlines, business and general aviation, military, space and airport operations.

HTSL attaches top priority for human resource development and it is in this context it joined hands with BITS, Pilani in February 2005 with a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to offer a two year MS in Embedded Systems degree program and a two year MS in Mechanical Systems Design program for the sponsored employees of HTSL. Both the degree programs had three semesters of coursework followed by one semester of Dissertation. In addition, HTSL has always been providing challenging opportunities for final year students from BITS Pilani to carry out their Practice School projects at Bangalore and has regularly supported many campus events with sponsorship.

In a colourful function organized at HTSL Bangalore on Monday 11 February 2008 (which also happens to be the auspicious day of Basant Panchami dedicated to worship of Saraswati Goddess of Learning) the employees who successfully completed the programs received their final degree certificates from Dr Krishna Mikkilineni Managing Director HTSL. Dr Krishna in his speech said that the curriculum undergone by the employees has added value to their current profile and urged them to proceed further for PhD. Dr Krishna also pointed out that while it is tough to pursue studies with work, one can achieve it if desired and determined.

Mr Sanjay Singh and Dr S Balasubramanian faculty members from BITS Pilani Bangalore off campus centre represented the Institute at the function. The graduating students thanked BITS Pilani and HTSL for the opportunity to pursue higher studies provided to them

Prof L K Maheshwari Vice Chancellor BITS Pilani in his congratulatory message which was flashed in the venue urged the graduating students to contribute to the task of nation building and conveyed that if change is an inevitable challenge, then innovation is the response and knowledge is the weapon. Professor BR Natarajan Dean from BITS Pilani in his message thanked Honeywell for the strong corporate support so vital for the success of the collaboration and conveyed that the graduation day at HTSL marked yet another milestone in university industry partnerships.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani Rajasthan which has set a bench mark in industry university collaboration is one among the top ranking universitiesin India today offering degrees in various branches of Engineering, Management, Economics, Pharmacy, Sciences, Engineering Technology, Information Systems, General Studies, Finance, etc presently at Pilani, Dubai, Goa campuses and in the near future at Hyderabad campus apart from an array of work integrated learning programmes for HRD of a vast spectrum of Indian corporates.

The MOU represents another step toward establishing a strong collaborative working relationship, encouraging joint pursuit of emerging business opportunities, and providing for in-country production, offset and long-term support. This agreement will pave the way for more exchanges of communications technology and business know-how between India and Raytheon.

“This strategic alignment makes good business sense for Raytheon, PEL and our common partners as well as for India and its military forces,” said Gregory Vuksich, vice president, Raytheon Network Centric Systems International Business Development. “Our Indian associates at PEL are highly respected, proven technology suppliers who bring complementary capabilities, creativity and innovation of great value to India’s military forces.

“Forming these relationships is a critical aspect of Raytheon’s approach to building a team committed to providing the best high technology electronics solutions for India’s military.”

PEL is a market leader in India providing communication solutions to both the military and civil sectors. Backed by a strong design and engineering team and a Ministry of Defence-approved manufacturing infrastructure, PEL is strongly poised to garner substantial defense business in the near future and is well positioned to take active part in the offset program.

Raytheon Company, with 2007 sales of $21.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning more than 85 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

At this year’s 5th Defence and Naval Exhibition (DEFEXPO), a BAE Systems RG-31 will be on display on the Mahindra Defence stand.

Nearly 600 RG-31s are in service with the U.S., Canada, and other forces, including the United Nations. Under the U.S. Department of Defense’s Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) programme, 624 RG-31s have been ordered.

“Mahindra is an enormously capable world class company with the skills to become a strong partner for BAE Systems on the development of a mine protected vehicle for India,” said Mike Mendoza, BAE Systems’ managing director India.

“Mahindra Defence Systems is in the business of providing vehicle protection to defence forces,” said Brigadier Khutub Hai, Chief Executive of Mahindra Defence Systems. “Our cooperation with BAE Systems, who are leaders in this field, for joint production of mine protected vehicles is a strategic fit for our vehicle armouring business."

The all-steel, welded armor, monocoque hull of the RG-31 protects occupants from anti-tank mine detonations and is proven to have saved the lives of countless crews from mines and roadside bomb attacks. With a modular interior layout the vehicle can be configured as an APC, command vehicle, ambulance, surveillance vehicle and for many other uses. In standard APC configuration, this air-conditioned vehicle carries a crew of 8-10.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is the premier global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 96,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15 billion (US $27 billion) in 2006*.

*On a pro forma basis, assuming BAE Systems had owned Armor Holdings Inc for the whole of 2006"

About Mahindra Defence Systems

Mahindra Defence Systems is a division of the US$ 6 billion group Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, the eighth largest group in India. MDS is today the country’s leading provider of high mobility and light bullet proof vehicles to the armed forces, paramilitary and police forces. There are in excess of 500 Rakshaks and up-armoured Scorpios in service in the Indian Army and security/police forces in India and abroad. For further information, please visit www.mdsarmouredvehicles.com

The International Air Transport Association says Asia Pacific passenger traffic will grow 5.9 percent annually between 2007 and 2011, faster than the 5.1 percent global average, and both Hong Kong and Singapore built their new terminals to tap the increasing demand. Though Bangkok tried to challenge them with its new airport, it fell flat because of certain inherent defects in the design and security aspects. The capacity enhancement achieved via the new facility is a much needed development, when most of the world’s important airports are operating near or to capacity, which if overlooked will eventually lead to decline in the efficiency. Changi has already established a brand image globally by graduating from a mere transport infrastructure to a travelers and carriers friendly miniature aviation city.

Changi achieved over 35 million passenger movements in 2006. As one of the word’s busiest and well-connected airport, Changi Airport is served by more than 80 airlines flying to over 180 cities in 60 countries with more than 4,000 weekly scheduled flights. The success of Changi is attributable to several strategic and progressive efforts such as a liberal aviation policy, efficient airport operations and a nurturing spirit towards both home-grown and foreign carriers at Changi.

Even before liberalization became the rule of the game, Singapore took conscious efforts to pursue a liberal air transport policy, and actively expanded its pool of air traffic rights while simultaneously welcoming the foreign airlines. With perpetual commitment to enhance connectivity and driven by the spirit to excel the competition that is close at heels, Singapore is pursuing a proactive strategy to constantly review reinvent & innovate in order to remain relevant to the customers it serves. Analysts say that the aviation industry competition is intensifying in the region where airline passenger growth is projected to increase faster than the global average, so a forward looking approach is essential to sustain the competitiveness that Singapore has achieved.

Commenting on the latest feather on the cap of Singapore Ms. Ragini Dhanvantray of Rikvin Consultancy says “The airport’s growth is synonymous with Singapore’s economic development and it has won Singapore an iconic position in the world’s aviation map. Singapore endeavors to render the best services to diverse customer market, which resulted in the launch of Budget Terminal and the Commercially Important Persons (CIP)Terminal and now terminal 3 will reinforce its position as the aviation hub in the region. Businesses choose Singapore as their regional headquarters or as their regional launch pad primarily because of its strategic location. It brings the east and west closer because of the connectivity both in terms of air and sea transport. The Terminal3 is a natural outcome of Singapore’s efforts to augment its position as a Tourists haven and an important commercial center in the region. The status has already resulted in manifold growth in passenger traffic, which will further escalate in the years to come with the launch of the Integrated Resorts. So this capacity expansion through terminal 3 is more of an anticipatory approach which will uphold the efficiency of the airport and the convenience of commuters”

Rikvin consultancy provides highly professional company incorporation services, both in attractive standard packages as well as customized services. Online incorporation being a hallmark service, other services of Rikvin include

§ Offshore Incorporation

§ Singapore Immigration -EntrePass / Employment Pass

§ GST Registration

§ Accounting Services

§ Tax Planning & Consulting

For More information on Singapore Company Incorporation & Migration, please visit http://www.rikvin.com

§ Business Plan Drafting

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Rikvin consultancy started in 1995 is an incorporation specialist specializing in company incorporation, registration and administration processing for all business types and sizes in Singapore and throughout the world. Rikvin facilitates foreign entrepreneurs’ immigration into Singapore by assisting in obtaining Entrepass for themselves and their families and employment pass for their employees. Rikvin also provides a full range of accounting services for companies who require a complete and properly constructed set of financial statements for their business purposes. For further information visit www.rikvin.com

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) evolved over the past few years from a tactical “nuisance” threat to a strategic problem – challenging the tactics, strategies and warfighting capabilities of established armies worldwide. The result should be a reavaluation and major changes to military doctrines world wide, impacting outlooks, makeup and budgets for decades to come.

This world-changing trend is described, examined and analyzed in detail in this new report:

The report arrives at some surprising conclusions about the ways the IED threat will influence the evolution of militaries in general and counter IED technologies in particular. The report examines existing and evolving strategies and technologies and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of adopting each technology.

Among others, the new research report focuses on the following areas:

1. Global Counter-IED Business Opportunities – New market entrants with a technological edge are presented with market entry opportunities in several multi-billion dollar markets
2. Analysis of 71 current and future counter-IED technologies by tactical segments (e.g., Prediction, Detection, Prevention, Neutralization and Destruction, Mitigation)
3. 2008-2012 Global Procurement, Services and Upgrade Market forecasts (2008-2012 aggregate market totaling $23.2 billion with an outlay of $29.4 billion)
4. 2008-2012 Global market forecasts analyzed and segmented by country (e.g., U.S., Europe, India, Israel, China, Arab Word)
5. Global Counter-IED Market Growth opportunities segmented by country

To view TOC click here.

Homeland Security Research Corp., provides premium market, technology and industry expertise that enable clients around the world gain critical insight into the business opportunities that exist within the Homeland Security market. Some of our government clients include U.S. Congress GAO, DHS, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, EU, UK Ministry of Defense and NATO, among others. In addition, HSRC serves nearly 300 private clients including many Fortune 500 companies, as well as security decision makers worldwide.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

Market Research Analyst is a panel of experts with extensive experience in custom and syndicated market research as well as strategic consulting across numerous technology-driven markets. We provide ‘best in class’ resource of featured market research papers and insightful analysis briefs to our clients worldwide by partnering them with best market research publishers.

AS9100 is the international quality management standard for designers and manufacturers of equipment for aerospace applications. The standard contains all the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 along with additional requirements deemed critical to the aerospace industry.

Says Aravind Melligeri, Co-Founder and Chairman, QuEST: “Achieving this approval in less than 12 months of setting up the aerospace manufacturing facility, shows QuEST’s commitment and focus to deliver quality products to our customer in design & manufacturing”

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About QuEST

QuEST (Quality Engineering & Software Technologies) is a leading provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing. We provide support across the entire product life cycle from design and modeling through analysis, prototyping, automation, data documentation, manufacturing support, vendor management, and in-house precision machining. Through our Global Product Development framework leveraging our local presence and global reach, we enable companies in the aerospace, civil structures, industrial products, oil & gas, power generation, and transportation markets to cut product development costs, shorten lead times, extend capacity, and maximize engineering resources. QuEST employs over 1200 people and has delivery centers in India, USA, Japan and Italy, and a footprint in UK, Germany, and China. In FY07, the company reported revenues of $34.4 million. For more information, visit www.quest-global.com.

Apart from regular news updates on the industry, the ESO micro-site will contain research articles by industry analysts and consultants, and will feature customer case studies. Editorial control rests with Global Services. The micro-site will be linked from the QuEST and Global Services websites.

“We noticed that Engineering Services Outsourcing had seen a lot of traction off late, but seemed to lack in awareness because of its specialty. We saw an opportunity here to play a role in filling that niche space with knowledge and were encouraged by QuEST’s willingness to sponsor the initiative. We will endeavor to provide a platform that will engage the ESO community and bridge the existing gap,” said Satish Gupta, head of sales and marketing at Global Services.

Says Vijay Menon, vice president of marketing at QuEST, the site sponsor: “Engineering services outsourcing is distinct from IT and BPO outsourcing, and QuEST is delighted to support this initiative to create a credible and independent forum where all the stakeholders—buyers, sellers, analysts, consultants, and industry observers—can meet to exchange notes and gather information on ESO.”

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About QuEST

QuEST (Quality Engineering & Software Technologies) is a leading provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing. We provide support across the entire product life cycle from design and modeling through analysis, prototyping, automation, data documentation, manufacturing support, vendor management, and in-house precision machining. Through our Global Product Development framework leveraging our local presence and global reach, we enable companies in the aerospace, civil structures, industrial products, oil & gas, power generation, and transportation markets to cut product development costs, shorten lead times, extend capacity, and maximize engineering resources. QuEST employs over 1200 people and has delivery centers in India, USA, Japan and Italy, and a footprint in UK, Germany, and China. In FY07, the company reported revenues of $34.4 million. For more information, visit www.quest-global.com.

About Global Services

Global Services is an integrated media brand with a portfolio offering that includes a magazine, a website, events, a newsletter and customized solutions. Our audience consists of corporate professionals, primarily in North America and Western Europe, engaged in the sourcing and management of business and technology services. Global Services team is co-located in US and India and is owned by CyberMedia. www.globalservicesmedia.com

“This is the 3rd seminar hosted by EDS Technologies for the aerospace and defense establishmentsincluding aircraft manufacturers,aviation engineering services and various simulator developersin India. It will bring the latest updates and aunique opportunity to learn the industry’s most advance 3D visual simulationapplications that are deployed to create, train, simulate and visualize.” said Prashant Pawar, Country Manager at EDS Technologies.

The seminar will start with a keynote address from a well known industry leader. Thereafter, PRESAGIS will present and demonstrate components of their unified COTS modeling and simulation software portfolio including content creation, visualization, simulation and human-machine interferences (HMI) solutions.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About EDS Technologies

EDS Technologies Pvt. Ltd, established in 1995, is the largest PLM Solutions and Real Time 3D Visual Simulation provider in India, with its head quarters in Bangalore, and having presence in Gurgaon, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad. EDST is staffed with over 120 skilled professionals with industry experience supporting customer requirements across the country.

EDS Tech, the largest PLM partner of IBM/Dassault Systemes, plays a vital role in implementing Dassault PLM Solutions, in India across various industry segments. The company is supporting close to 3000 CATIA licenses across India from more than 600 customer sites over the past 10 years. EDST has met with considerable success in executing the PLM needs of Automotive, Aerospace, Manufacturing clients and their suppliers in India.

For more information, visit http://www.edstechnologies.com/

About PRESAGIS

PRESAGIS is a world leader in commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) modelling, simulation, and embedded display graphics software, and creator of the first unified COTS modelling and simulation software portfolio for the global aerospace and defense markets. As an independent, wholly-owned subsidiary of CAE, PRESAGIS is built on a combined legacy of innovation and service, delivering superior customer value through rapid technology advancement. The company services more than 1,000 active customers worldwide, including many of the world's most respected organizations such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, BAE Systems and CAE.
For more information, visit http://www.presagis.com.

Emma, Geri, Melanie C, Mel B and Victoria have come up with a shortlist for fans to choose from which is the following three options:

1. Spice One
2. Girl Power
3. Spice Girl

The name which receives the most votes before the competition closing date on 5 December 2007 will win and one entrant will be selected at random to meet the band. The Spice Girls will take part in an official naming ceremony in December.

Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, commented: “We’re delighted to offer one of our planes for the unique ceremony, especially since the name will be chosen by Spice Girl fans worldwide. Whichever name wins, one thing is for sure – you would be plane crazy to miss out on the opportunity to take part.”

Fans can vote for their favourite name online on the official Spice Girls website www.thespicegirls.com. The lucky winner and their guest will fly to, or within, the US during December to meet the Spice Girls as they name the aircraft. The competition will be open from today and will close on 5 December. Terms and conditions apply.

Virgin Atlantic has a fleet of 38 aircraft and all have individual names ranging from Scarlett Lady to Atlantic Angel and Pretty Woman and even a Miss Behavin’! Very few of our aircraft have been named after people, however in 1993 Princess Diana had an aircraft named after her which was called Lady in Red. In 2002 Claudia Schiffer named an aircraft Claudia Nine. HRH Queen Elizabeth II named one of our A340-600 aircraft Queen of the Skies at the Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse during an official visit to France.

Last month Virgin Atlantic announced that the Spice Girls have chosen Virgin Atlantic as the airline partner for the Return of the Spice Girls world tour, which kicks off in December. The partnership deal will see Virgin Atlantic providing flights for the Spice Girls, as well as the whole team who are responsible for making the World Tour a huge success. The deal will also include promotional tie-ups and consumer competitions.

For further information please contact the Virgin Atlantic Press Office on 01293 747373 or visit www.virginatlantic.com

For further information on the Spice Girls or their tour, please contact Stuart Bell at the Outside Organisation on 020 7436 3633 or visit www.thespicegirls.com

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

The CANEUS 2008 Conference will be held November 9-14, 2008, in the city of São José dos Campos, located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil's thriving hub of aerospace and defense activities, and home of both the Brazilian aeronautics giant, Embraer S.A., and the Air Force R&D Center and its General-Command for Aerospace Technology, confirmed Rosane Argou Marques, Project Manager, from the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development, and Col. Dr. Carlos Fernando Rondina Mateus, the IIEAv's Vice-Director for Technology.

The decision to select Brazil as the venue for the CANEUS 2008 Conference was made by the CANEUS Board of Directors, which noted the strong commitment made by the Government of Brazil and the Brazilian aerospace industry to the rapid and cost-effective infusion of MNT into aerospace and defense systems. The International CANEUS Organization congratulates Brazil as a nation, and in particular, key Brazilian organizations: the ABDI, Air Force and Embraer S.A., for taking a leadership role in hosting the unique, global CANEUS Conference in Brazil.

Col. Darcton Damiao, IEAv Director commented, "Welcoming the CANEUS 2008 conference to Brazil represents an important part of our overall strategy to encourage aerospace innovation within Brazil, and integrate it with similar developments in other countries around the world. Over the past decade, within Brazil, we have attracted some of the aerospace industry's most successful companies along with their supply chain organizations to our São José dos Campos region".

"Here, they find a perfect combination of a pro-aerospace government, an established professional infrastructure, and access to world-class researchers and universities. The CANEUS 2008 Conference represents an important opportunity for Brazil to showcase its vigorous aerospace industry and MNT research activities to the rest of the world, as well as form robust international partnerships." added Col. Damiao.

CANEUS USA President, Dr. Thomas George, commented "we sincerely hope that the Brazilian example will also inspire other countries, regionally within South America, with similar aerospace aspirations, to also participate in the global CANEUS 2008 Conference." "The International CANEUS Organization has invested considerable effort and resources to ensure that a strong partnership is built with key Brazilian organizations, upon which is based the success of the CANEUS 2008 Conference and all future activities related to the CANEUS MNT Concepts-to-Systems mission," added Dr. Oudea Coumar, President of CANEUS Europe and R&D Manager at EADS -Astrium Space Transportation, France.

By hosting the CANEUS 2008 Conference in Brazil, the International CANEUS Organization has also made a long-term commitment to establish a CANEUS Regional Secretariat in Brazil. Both CANEUS and the Brazilian organizations will work together to strengthen these links with the ultimate goal of facilitating both technology exchanges and collaborative MNT-based pilot projects involving strong participation by both Brazilian industry and research institutions.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About CANEUS:

CANEUS is a worldwide organization serving the needs of the aeronautics, space and defense communities by fostering the coordinated, international development of MNT (Micro-Nano- Technologies) for aerospace applications. As a "hands on" organization, CANEUS is focused on the practical aspects of transitioning MNT rapidly and efficiently from the concept to the aerospace system level. In achieving this goal, CANEUS brings together technology developers, aerospace end-users, governmental policy makers and investors from across the world. www.caneus.org

Contacts:

Milind Pimprikar, Chairman, CANEUS International
Phone: +1-514-499-3959
Tel: 1-514-4993959
E-mail: mp@caneus.org

Rosane Argou Marques, Project Manager, Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development
SBN Quadra 1, Bloco B, 5º andar, Sala 504, Ed. CNC
ZIP: 70041-902 – Brasília – DF - Brazil
Phone: +55.61.3962.8700 Fax: 55.61.3962.8715
E-mail: rosane.marques@abdi.com.br

Carlos Fernando ondina Mateus, Ten Cel Av, Ph.D.
?IEAv?s Vice-Director for Technology
Comando-Geral de Tecnologia Aeroespacial (CTA)
Instituto de Estudos Avançados (IEAv)
Vice-Direção Técnica
Tel: +55 (12) 3947-6752 Fax: +55 (12) 3944-1177
E-mail:mateus@ieav.cta.br

About CANEUS Conferences:

The biennial CANEUS World Conferences are unique, complex and comprehensive events spanning all levels of MNT development from pure research at the laboratory level to system-level development for aeronautics, space and defence applications.

The CANEUS Conferences are unlike any others in that they provide attendees with tangible, measurable deliverables. CANEUS Conferences offer participants an exceptional opportunity to take part, first-hand, in the creation of continuous, smoothly functioning technology development “pipelines” for transitioning emerging MNT concepts to Aerospace systems.

The CANEUS conferences unite the worldwide communities of technology developers, end-users, and funding sponsors. The impressive list of speakers and attendees include world-renowned scientists, engineers, program managers, investors and policy-makers from across the globe. Given the focused objectives and unique structure of the CANEUS Conference, each of the 120+ speakers, presents by invitation only, and is a world-class authority in his or her respective field.

Website: http://caneus.org/CANEUS08

Carlyle had invested $6 million in QuEST in September 2003. The money was used to grow QuEST’s infrastructure and facilities in the U.S. and India as part of its global expansion plans.

“The funding from Carlyle significantly helped us grow the business,” says Ajit Prabhu, co-founder and CEO, QuEST. “Since 2003-04, QuEST has grown revenues at a compounded growth rate of 34% and we are now a global engineering services provider with full fledged delivery capabilities in USA, Europe and Asia.”

“The decision to buyback the Carlyle stake is a demonstration of our confidence in the business model and of our commitment to the company,” says Aravind Melligeri, co-founder and president, QuEST. “QuEST is now at the next level of growth. With the setting up of our manufacturing facilities and the upcoming SEZ in Belgaum, we are poised to offer customers an expanded portfolio of capabilities that include design-and-build solutions.”

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About QuEST

QuEST (Quality Engineering & Software Technologies) is a leading provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing. We provide support across the entire product life cycle from design and modeling through analysis, prototyping, automation, data documentation, manufacturing support, vendor management, and in-house precision machining. Through our Global Product Development framework leveraging our local presence and global reach, we enable companies in the aerospace, civil structures, industrial products, oil & gas, power generation, and transportation markets to cut product development costs, shorten lead times, extend capacity, and maximize engineering resources. QuEST employs over 1200 people and has delivery centers in India, USA, and Italy, and a footprint in UK, Germany, China and Japan. In FY07, the company reported revenues of $34.4 million. For more information, visit www.quest-global.com.

This afternoon the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a new security screening policy that will go into effect at U.S. airports on October 27 and apply to all religious head coverings. The change is a direct result of collaboration between TSA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) and other Sikh organizations in response to the concerns of the Sikh American community over a procedure implemented on August 4, 2007.

The August 2007 procedure disproportionately targeted Sikhs for secondary screening due to their turban, an article of faith, like the Jewish kippah (yarmulke) and Muslim hijab. The turban is an integral part of the Sikh faith and identity, and removal of the turban in public is akin to a strip search. The procedure resulted in Sikh travelers being forced to undergo an invasive pat-down or removal of the turban.

The turban was the only religious article listed as potentially requiring additional screening. Furthermore, the procedure may have resulted in a misallocation of national security resources due to the heightened focus on Sikh passengers solely because of their religious practice of wearing a turban.

“The new policy is encouraging and addresses most of the concerns of the Sikh American community,” said Kavneet Singh, SALDEF’s Managing Director. “Our collaboration with TSA has resulted in a solution that strengthens TSA’s ability to protect our nation’s airports, while also respecting the civil liberties of all travelers of faith. We will continue to work closely with TSA to ensure that the implementation of the new procedure does not result in the inappropriate profiling of Sikhs and other travelers of faith.”

Under the new procedure, a Sikh traveler’s turban will be accommodated during the screening process by providing additional options to satisfy the security requirements. According to TSA, the revised procedure states:

“TSA will now include the screening procedures for headwear within the overall category of bulky clothing and will not call it out as a separate category. Removal of all headwear is recommended but the rules accommodate those with religious, medical, or other reasons for whom removing items is not comfortable. Transportation security officers have several options for screening passengers who choose not to remove bulky clothing, including headwear.”

Additionally, all 43,000 TSA screeners will undergo Sikh cultural awareness training before the Thanksgiving holiday travel season. The trainings will include two tools developed by SALDEF in collaboration with the US Department of Justice:

1. A training video: On Common Ground: Sikh American Cultural Awareness Training for Law Enforcement [watch video]; and
2. A poster called, Common Sikh American Head Coverings [view poster], that TSA is distributing to all 450 airports across the country.

SALDEF thanks TSA Administrator Kip Hawley for his leadership along with officials at TSA and DHS for their collaborative efforts in finding a solution that balances both national security and protects the rights of all travelers going through America’s airports.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

About SALDEF

Founded in 1996, SALDEF is the largest and oldest Sikh American civil rights and educational organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the civil rights of Sikh Americans through legal aid, advocacy and educational outreach. SALDEF's mission is to create a fostering environment in the United States for future generations of Sikh Americans.

This marks a major step for the CANEUS Organization towards it’s mission and important role in furthering MNT education in member countries, not only to keep the existing skill set at the cutting edge but also for the development of a well-trained future workforce.

The “International MNT University ” is envisaged to serve not only the aerospace community but other disciplines as well. The University will focus on education, policy and regulatory issues, while nurturing of world class technical human resources capable of serving as the leaders and innovators of tomorrow in the field of Micro-Nano-Technologies.

To start with the University will commence its academic operations by developing micro-nanotechnology and aerospace engineering continuing educational courses from the academic year 2008-09, from a “temporary” “virtual” campus, said Dr. Pimprikar. The University will become fully operational in 2010-12, at a location to be selected by the Governing Board of CANEUS. On it’s becoming fully operational, it would have 36 full time faculty members and offer multi-disciplinary programs.

International Location

The University has received expression of interest from 3 countries and 2 states in the United States offering 5-year commitment to host the University. CANEUS is in the process of finalizing the business plan and formulating guidelines for interested parties to formally submit proposals by September 2008. The decision to locate the University will be made based on strong commitment, innovation environment and established infrastructure to support the University’s global activities.

The total estimated capital cost of the project is $15 Million, which would be met partially through local host country and investment from CANEUS membership. The recurring expenditure would be met from the Endowment Fund, student fees, donations and other earnings through Research & Development, consultancies, course fees, etc. The University is envisaged to be self sufficient and self-reliant by the year 2012.

It is important to note that CANEUS has recognized the Global need and taken bold step to address it by creating a roadmap and funding commitments.

CANEUS is pleased to partner with a University in Switzerland that will offer summer school program on Micro-technology focusing on Space Applications. The two-weeks summer session, limited to 30 students, will be held from June 16-27, 2008. 24 of the 30 students will be selected to receive Marie Currie scholarship from the EC.

Contact: Dr. Milind Pimprikar, Chairman - CANEUS International

Tel: 1-514-499-3959

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

As the Washington Post reported yesterday, “one result of Sputnik had nothing to do with space. It was the creation of the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a technology think tank that went on to develop a computer network called Arpanet. Arpanet evolved into the Internet”.

“Sputnik and its aftermath are a familiar tale at this point -- the story of a fat and happy superpower suddenly finding itself in a full-blown existential crisis but shaking free of its torpor, revamping science and math education, and winning the race to the moon.”

The Satellite industry is undergoing through similar revolution, as we look to next 50 Years - 2057

Since Sputnik, 50 Years of “Small” to “Large” Satellites

Sputnik was a small satellite weighing approximately100 kg. With the ever-increasing demand for space applications and services, by mid eighties, the size of satellites have grown from a hundred kg to several tons, a scale that few small or developing countries can afford.

Next 50 Years – Era of Small Satellite?

Now, with the advancements in emerging micro and nano-technologies, the trend towards smaller-sized spacecraft and enhanced capability is increasing.

The use of smaller satellites has gained great momentum, with interest from military, civil, commercial and academic space programs worldwide. New manufacturing techniques and new applications have meant that much smaller, much cheaper space platforms are in demand, now more than ever.

Worldwide Race

Emerging companies such as CANEUS NPS of Canada, Angstrom Aerospace of Sweden, SSTL of UK and Microsat of USA, are attempting to seize on this opportunity and provide advanced small satellite platforms and new satellite services, ushering a transformation in the satellite industry.

The current state of the international small satellite industry is also very fragmented; numerous governments and private agencies run sub-critical, small satellite programs with very little communication between these groups. Furthermore, many component and sub-system developers are not familiar with small satellite end-user needs and customer requirements. There is alsoconcern that there exists a lack of transparency between developers and end-users.

Standards: Europe and the USA on Different Path?
One aspect particularly striking so far, is the fact that this is a 99% US effort is evolving to space wire plug and play (PnP), and in particular the development of the SPA standard, while ESA and the Europeans are shooting for CCSDS-SOIS standard. This is a clear example of Europe and the US sides running different ways rather than collaborate early on achieving a common solution.

The goal of the newly established international Small Satellite Working Group, originating from Canada, is to mitigate and harmonize the standards being developed. This global forum will push hard for a easy understandable, easy implemented common standard for various hardware and software protocols that allow rapid assembly and simulation of any new satellite, independently on its place of origin.

Canada’s Unique Position

Canada is uniquely placed with its geo-political position and unique capabilities both in nanotechnology and space industry in offering end-to-end satellite mission services via low-cost, small-satellites; notably, being offered by the innovative Canadian small satellite manufacturer CANEUS NPS.

These satellites range in size from 100g to 150kg, and will be mass manufactured and rapidly deployable. Building on a strong foundation of emerging micro and nano technologies (MNT) and novel spacecraft architectures, CANEUS NPS Inc. is offering to make access to space affordable and on-demand for many potential customers.

International Small Satellite Advocacy Group

A Small Satellite International Working Group was recently established under the auspices of the Global CANEUS organization, in order to open up the market for small satellites and facilitate dialogue between the many stakeholders in the industry;it is necessary to create an international consortium for the coordination and standardization of the small satellite industry.

The CANEUS Small Satellite Working Group with participants and operations in the USA, Canada Europe, Japan, Brazil and South Africa, aims to take an approach similar to that designed for the semiconductor industry.

This worldwide forum focuses on providing opportunities for industry representatives to participate in cutting-edge technical discussions, while also establishing the future direction of the small satellite industry. By actively participating in establishing standards, stakeholders can influence important industry trends. Companies engaged in current industry dialogue can decrease manufacturing costs, increase reliability and productivity, and enjoy increased access to customers, end-users, and the global market.

This International advocacy Group, a global non-profit membership organization, aims to mitigate risk collectively for all participants by investigating the various operating modes and business models for small satellite operations, including space technology validation, satellite constellations, and launch on demand. It further emphasizes the identification of end-users of small satellite missions and their specific needs; collaborate to establish how the small satellite industry can respond to these mission or product requirements. This will have the effect of opening up the small satellite market and providing business and investment opportunities by facilitating dialogue and the establishment of cooperative relationships.

Source: Press release distribution via India PRwire

CANEUS NPS Inc. is a unique, first-of-its-kind international undertaking based in Canada, and at the forefront of advanced Micro, Nano and Pico Satellite (NPS) Technology Development. CANEUS NPS Inc. aims to firmly establish a business case for a novel satellite services company based on mass-produced, multifunctional Nano and Pico Satellite missions that will make access to space truly affordable and available “on demand”. CANEUS NPS Inc. essentially offers its customer’s data products derived from a wide range of space missions that are designed to customer specifications using these revolutionary classes of standardized Nano and Pico satellites. CANEUS NPS Inc. will drastically lower the cost of space missions to between $1M-$4M per mission and increase the frequency of the launches to one or more missions every six months.

The need

Typically, the outcome of the CANEUS conference workshop sessions is the creation of ”blueprints” for the implementation of MNT aerospace pilot projects. Those projects will see the development of new MNT technologies, advancing them from the concept level through the normal stages of R&D until they are ready for incorporation in complementary combination in prototypes of high-level systems. The basic technologies, and the end-point systems they lead to, will be designed to answer the most pressing needs of the large aerospace and defense systems buyers. Moreover, they are also chosen in line with the priorities of government funding agencies.

Therefore, it is crucial that there be no delay or uncertainty at the point when newly developed technologies will be ready for incorporation into the first prototype of a high-level system. (This refers to the technologies that are related to the pilot projects that were selected by the workshop participants at the CANEUS conference. Those workshops use as a point of departure the concept papers prepared prior to the conference.) To maintain the necessary momentum, we are proposing the creation of a purpose-built fund whose sole vocation will be to provide, typically, one-third of the estimated $3M for the system prototype development step of each of the half dozen or so projected pilot projects that will issue from the CANEUS conference workshops.

We cannot predict exactly how many of the concept topics under consideration will lead to a “green light” for a pilot project that will culminate in the building of a systems-level prototype. At least four — one from each general category — can be expected. That would mean that the required seed funding for the proposed CANEUS Pilot Project Fund (CPPF) would amount to $4M to $6M. A contribution unit size of $500K, with 5% of that amount being used to fund the operation and administration of the fund, would create opportunities for seven contributors if, on average, each one contributes two units of support to the fund.

Structure and purpose of the fund

The CPPF would be structured as a project of CANEUS, which has been constituted as a not-for-profit organization (under IRS Rule 501(c) 3) whose board of directors would include representatives from the organizations that contribute to the CPPF. The CANEUS board will also include members who are representative of the R&D community, of the government funding agencies, and of the buyers (government and commercial) of the high-level systems that would be based on the MNT that is brought step-by-step through the R&D development process by CANEUS. The CPPF is not a venture fund, as it will not be investing in business ventures. It will invest in projects that are still very much at a pre-commercial stage of development. A pilot project that is co-funded at a level of 33% by the CPPF will typically receive the rest of the required funding from an agency program and an investor (or group of investors) with a special interest in the particular field of that project.

The goal of the CPPF is to eventually become a self-funding CANEUS unit. Towards that end, a means must be developed that will see the CPPF generating revenue from the increase in value of the technologies it helps bring forward. One way of accomplishing this would be for CANEUS to become a co-owner of t