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Mr. J R Nanda
CEO
AVI-OIL India Pvt. Ltd. |
Aeroindianews.com,
the official online show daily of Aero India 2007 spoke with
Mr. J R Nanda, CEO, AVI-OIL India Pvt. Ltd.
AeroIndianews.com: What are the latest aircraft for which you are prepared to supply lubricants.
J.R. Nanda: The HAWK Advance Jet trainer to be inducted by the IAF is the latest plane for which we are fully geared to supply lubricants. Approvals from all the certification agencies in India such as the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) have been received. We plan much ahead in terms of lubricant requirements as base depots of the IAF must be equipped with all the necessary stocks well before the aircraft arrives for servicing. Before this we worked for the Sukhoi-30 and IL-78FRA and our lubricants are qualified for the air dominance aircraft of the IAF.
AeroIndianews.com: How are you planning for the proposed induction of the 126 Medium-Multirole Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA) aircraft which the IAF plans to procure.
J.R. Nanda: We will start our work soon after the RFP is issued so that we can plan for whichever aircraft is chosen -be it Western or Russian. The technical documentation will be prepared from our experience of all these years. I can say for sure that we will be prepared for the lubricant requirement of the aircraft well before the induction. As fighters get increasingly complex, so are their lubrication needs. We will have to indigenize the lubricants, get the necessary approvals and create supply lines to service the requirement of the M-MRCA.
AeroIndianews.com: Will you be supplying lubricants for the next generation helicopters which the Army Aviation is planning to buy.
J.R. Nanda: Our products are already listed in Eurocopter and Bell manuals. We are lubricant suppliers for the ALH and other helicopters in IAF service. So providing for any new generation helicopters should not be a problem. We will certainly go in for certification for lubricants required by any new helicopters which the defence forces are planning to buy. In addition we are also supplying lubricants to UAVs that have been approved by IAI, Israel.
AeroIndianews.com: What about the civilian market for lubricants- such as the large fleets of Airbus and Boeing aircraft in service with airlines in India.
J.R. Nanda:
The civilian market for aviation lubricants will evolve once Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activity picks up in India. I understand that MRO centers may be opened in India over the new few years. This will catalyze demand for lubricants and we will be in a position to address the civilian market. At the moment we are supplying lubricants to the corporate jet sector in small quantities given that the number of corporate jets are few in India. Our customers include Reliance, Taneja Aerospace and others. Since our oils and other products meet most of the specifications, supplying to civilian customers should not be a problem at all. We also supply to the flying clubs and pilot training schools.
AeroIndianews.com: As a dedicated provider of aviation lubricants, does AVI-OIL have to do R & D to develop special lubricants.
J.R. Nanda:
The purpose why we were created is self-reliance in aviation lubricants. We have to develop appropriate grades of lubricants as and when new requirements are projected. Our range of lubricants includes high performance lubricating oils, hydraulic fluids, greases, protectives and specialties. For this R & D is required on a constant basis. For example we have developed certain specialities required by HAL, which are not in the product range of our technical collaboraters.
AeroIndianews.com: AVI-OIL is known for its innovative stand design during Aero India. What can Aero India visitors expect to see this year.
J.R. Nanda: Our theme this year is based on Indian commemorative postage stamps issued for the Defence Services and Civil Aviation over the years. Our theme will be the stamp of quality to show our visitors that we have been an important part of aviation in India for the past decades and will continue to be so in future.
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