MilMat: DRDO Chief to continue on contract; HAL Dornier for Mauritius

New Delhi/Chennai/Bangalore, Nov 28: The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) Chief Dr Avinash Chander has been asked to continue in service, post-superannuation from November 30.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials said that the President of India retired Dr Avinash (DOB: 06.11.1950) with effect from 30.11.2014 on attaining the age of superannuation.

The MoD His appointment beyond his date of retirement for 18 months would be on contract basis, with the same terms and conditions. His contractual term will end on 31 May 2016.

Dr Avinash was appointed during the UPA-2 regime, following the superannuation of Dr V K Saraswat. "This is merely a technical announcement as his appointment was valid till May 2016," a DRDO official told OneIndia.

New pilot section system goes live in Mysore

Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on Friday inaugurated the new Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) at No. 2 Air Force Selection Board (AFSB), Mysore. The new CPSS replaces the earlier Pilot Aptitude Battery Test (PABT) that has been in use for decades.

"The CPSS was conceived former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam with a vision to adopt better tools for Pilot Aptitude Test in consonance with modern aircraft being acquired by the IAF. The project was also aimed at addressing the issue of the alarming rate of flying accidents in the IAF attributed to pilot error," an IAF spokesperson said.

The new system has been jointly developed by the Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR) and the Air Defence Establishment (ADE), both coming under the command of DRDO.

In a related development in Bengaluru, the IAF conducted the Passing out Parade (PoP) for air warriors who were part of the Permanent Commission and Short Service Commission Aeronautical Engineering Course.

The PoP was held at the Air Force Technical College (AFTC) Jalahalli. The PoP marks the culmination of 74 weeks of training (22 weeks training at Air Force Academy and 52 weeks at Air Force Technical College) in Aeronautical Engineering, Military Leadership, Managerial Skills and Ethos of an air warrior.

Mauritius inks pact with HAL for Dornier

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) said on Friday that the Company inked a pact with the Government of Mauritius for the supply of Dornier aircraft for maritime surveillance.

The contract was signed by Kan Oye Fong Weng Poorun, Senior Chief Executive, Prime Minister's Office (Mauritius) and by S. Subrahmanyan, Managing Director, HAL (MiG Complex and Accessories).

"Thanks to the support of the MoD, External Affairs, our Coast Guard, and Government of Mauritius, this contract worth nearly Rs 100 crore gives boost to our export efforts," HAL Chairman R K Tyagi said.

Sunset Retreat at INA

The Indian Naval Academy (INA) at Ezhimala conducted a Sunset Retreat on Friday evening. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan was present on the occasion in the company of senior naval officials.

The INA band captured the imagination of the audience with their performance. The cadets also performed some mesmerising drills during the occasion. The Sunset Retreat was organised on the eve of the PoP. Around 380 cadets will be attending the PoP scheduled for November 29.

[MilMat or Military Matters will bring to you aerospace and defence happenings in brief on a regular basis. MilMat is compiled by OneIndia Defence Desk.]