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Our Bureau

Will bridge the gap for trained manpower in aerospace engineering, management

Bangalore , Dec. 7

An industry-led proposal to set up the country's first aerospace university is yet to take off.

Formally moved over a year ago to meet the country's growing aviation management needs, the proposal awaits approvals of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Karnataka Government, according to Dr C.G. Krishnadas Nair, President of the Society of Indian Aerospace Technologists and Industries (SIATI), the prime mover behind the proposal.

A dedicated university is meant to bridge the gap for trained manpower in aerospace engineering and management, in particular air traffic control, through industry-friendly courses.

The university would most likely be located in Bangalore, though SIATI has some alternatives, too. It will run undergraduate and post-graduate courses on all aspects of aerospace, said Dr Nair, who headed HAL in the late 1990s.

Its syllabus will include design, construction and management of airports; management of airlines; design and manufacture of aircraft, satellites and launch vehicles; airworthiness certification, avionics and ICAO regulations.

The curriculum and a large aerospace faculty are ready. The hope is to start the university in 2008 with 60-100 students, Dr Nair said on the sidelines of a CII-sponsored meeting with a visiting US aerospace industry delegation.

The largely self-financed aerospace university may need around Rs 30 crore to be set up. It would draw its financial and intellectual sustenance from the Government of India, the aerospace industry led by the 15-year-old SIATI, HAL, ISRO, CSIR's National Aerospace Labs, airline bodies Air India, Indian and Jet Airways; the State Trading Corporation; the Indian Institute of Science which has a specialised aerospace engineering department, and institutions such as Bhagwan Mahavir Jain Educational Trust, Dr Nair said. The former ISRO Chairman, Dr K. Kasturirangan, heads the advisory council.

US team visit

A 20-member team from the US Aerospace Industry Association (AIA) that came calling on Bangalore on Wednesday said it was keen on forging business partnerships with the Indian counterparts.

AIA, which calls itself the voice of US aircraft, defence, space and missile technology sectors, has Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, United Technologies, IBM and HCL, among its members.

Its Director, Mr Varun Nikore, said the US aerospace industry, with total sales of over $180 billion last year, was on its first mission to India to understand local capabilities, the defence offset policies and meet potential partners in Delhi and Bangalore.

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