2010 holds all the promise of exciting times. While the IAF is persistent in its drive to gain muscle, civil airlines are breathing somewhat easy with improving passenger traffic even as space enthusiasts can now hope to reach beyond the skies.

SP’s Aviation yet again holds a mirror to the speedball modernisation drive that has the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a whirl of acquisition and augmentation. SP’s Defexpo 2008 Special edition (Issue 1, Volume 10, 2008) had carried exclusive information pertaining to finalisation of the contract for six C-130J Super Hercules from Lockheed Martin inked between the governments of India and the US February 7 under Foreign Military Sales (FMS). This time around, the same route has reportedly been adhered to for acquiring 10 C-17 Globemaster III from Boeing at an approximate cost of $2.5 billion (Rs 11,410 crore)—a deal that media reports claim has received the in-principle approval of the Indian government. The development makes it pertinent to take a closer look at the multifarious roles played by Military Transport Aircraft, a subject that finds extensive coverage in this issue.

Hitting the accelerator in the IAF’s modernisation endeavours, the Indo-Russian project for the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft is reported to be progressing at a brisk pace. Russian authorities are optimistic that the customised two-seat version of the T-50 PAK-FA will be ready for induction by 2015, although the top brass of the IAF are cautious and estimate 2017 to be a more realistic time frame. While the modalities of the joint venture are discussed threadbare in InFocus and Forum, an incisive discourse on Fifth Generation fighters affords a detailed analysis of the defining characteristics and unique capabilities of these aircraft. Also deliberated at length is the significant role played by electronic intelligence in modern warfare.

Meanwhile, mood in the civil aviation industry in India is upbeat with the Minister for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel, declaring, “Things are turning for the better, which is borne out by the rebound in air traffic figures from October onwards.” Exciting times have also infected space travel with the private industry increasingly playing a pivotal role in the more familiar suborbital and low-Earth orbit regimes—an account to set your spirits soaring!