Weekly News Debrief: 23 November - 1 December: Major A320 Software Glitch, India Looking to Obtain Su-57s, S500s, Hayli Gubbi Eruption

 India's Potential Su-57 Deal with Russia:

  • With Russian President Vladmir Putin's visit to New Delhi between 4 and 5 December, experts have said that talks and negotiations about Su-57s and S500s may start, but no major deal is expected to be signed.

  • ~71% of Indian fighter-aircraft are of Russian origin, such as the Su-30MKI and MiG-29.
  • Despite pressure from Washington, India is expected to procure Su-57s as 5th-Generation fighter aircraft, which its air force currently lacks, as the HAL AMCA is in development (Click Here for the HAL AMCA Article).
  • Indian defences currently have S400 Defence systems, which are SAMs with a range of ~350km. These proved to be instrumental during the Indo-Pak conflict in May this year.
  • New Delhi is looking to procure upgraded S500 systems, with:
    •  higher engagement altitudes (near the edge of space, up to ~200km)
    •  Anti-Satellite (ASAT) capabilities
    • Complete ballistic missile defence 
    • Radar enhancements
    • Longer range missiles
    • Anti-aircraft range is similar to the S400, but anti-missile range is far superior

Major A320 Software Glitch:
  • A massive software glitch affecting the prevalence of A320-family aircraft has led to the grounding of approximately 80% of all Indian commercial aircraft. 
  • Globally, about 6000 aircraft have been grounded.
  • Many aircraft have already returned into service after software updates and technical inspections.
  • Several aircraft which require hardware modifications too will take far longer.
  • A software glitch requiring imminent action was discovered after JetBlue flight 1230 had an unwarranted altitude drop, without pilot intervention, injuring several passengers and causing the aircraft to divert.
  • Solar flares had corrupted data in the software, causing this issue.
  • Airbus immediately issued an Airworthiness Directive to the concerned airlines and operates, leading to swift action.
  • Now, more A320s are facing issues. Specifically, those fitted with Pratt & Whittney PW110 GTF.
  • For such aircraft, takeoffs are restricted with visibility of less than 100m and the presence of freezing fog.

 Hayli Gubbi Affects Aviation:
  • The eruption of a 12,000-year dormant volcano, Hayli Gubbi in Ethiopia caused major disruptions in aviation.
  • The massive ash cloud has been travelling east, to India and is currently over China. 
  • The ash and volcanic remains are too high to affect breathing and air quality significantly.
  • However, the ash rests between 25,000 and 40,000 feet, right at cruising altitude.
  • The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an urgent operational advisory to Indian Airlines, urging them to adjust flight timings, routes, and fuel planning depending on the cloud's path.
  • This has led to widespread delays and cancellations.




 

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