UTC Aerospace Systems expects to conduct a greater scope of work in India following the approval of its new four-person life raft by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for domestic production and export.
Primarily fitted on business and general aircraft, the life raft, which is also approved by the Indian Directorate General of Civil aviation, enables passengers and crew to evacuate in case of an emergency landing on water.
“UTC Aerospace Systems is among the first aerospace companies to manufacture aerospace products in India for direct shipment to the United States,” says Daphne Falletti, president of UTC Aerospace Systems Interiors.
“This announcement further supports the industry in India by focusing attention on the benefits of manufacturing in-country and highlighting the success of the 'Make in India' initiative to a global audience,” adds Chris Rao, vice president of UTC Aerospace Systems in India.
Rao adds that “there is so much potential in the Indian aerospace market” with the opening up of the sector to allow for more foreign direct investment.
Additionally, UTC Aerospace Systems says it is in talks with the Indian Air Force to install a new Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance system that collects “actionable information”.
Speaking to Flightglobal, Dr Richard Wileman, the company’s director of business development, says the DB-110 pod allows aircraft to capture day and night images at nearly 100nm (185km) horizontally and from 40,000ft.
Dr Wileman declined to reveal the platform on which the IAF has planned to install the DB-110 pod. It is currently in use on several F-16 fleets around the world, including those from Turkey and Pakistan.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
