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Our Bureau

Bangalore, Nov. 20 Honeywell International expects to be shortly demonstrating its micro-air vehicle to security agencies as an option for monitoring sensitive and terror-prone areas, said senior officials.

The US aerospace major’s T-Hawk UAV (unmanned air vehicle) has been widely used by the US military. In India, it could be used to monitor border areas, cities, coasts and vital installations. “A lot of discussions are going on (with authorities on homeland security) and a demonstration can take place soon,” said Mr Anil P. Gupta, President, Honeywell International India Pvt Ltd.

At a time when the security agencies are grappling with increasing incidents of violent attacks, UAV-makers from the US, Europe and Israel are offering their eyes in the sky as an intelligence solution. These planes come in all sizes. Honeywell’s T-Hawk is a portable moving device that flies at 10,000 ft.

Mr Gupta said aerospace dominated Honeywell India’s sales of $900 million and exports of $300 million.

Honeywell has outsourced to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd the assembly and production of its TPE331 turboprop aeroengines, said Mr Robert A.Wilson, President, Business & General Aviation, Honeywell Aerospace, speaking at a media conference to mark HAL’s 25 years of licensed production of these engines on Friday.

HAL has moved from assembly of TPE331-5 engines for its captive market to being the sole manufacturer of the TPE331-12 variant for Honeywell’s global markets according to a pact signed in 2008, Mr Wilson said. The defence major has supplied the earlier variant 225 TPE331-5 engines for smaller turbo aircraft used by the Armed Forces and Coast Guard.

Worldwide, he said, 13,000 of these engines were in use on 80 types of aircraft. HAL products would go into four of eight aircraft. “We are extending this relationship to engineering and development expertise and to derivatives of these engines, including new aircraft. Retrofits were another opportunity,” Mr Gupta said.

According to HAL’s Chairman, Mr Ashok Nayak, HAL may soon be supplying 600 turboprop engines worth $200-300 million.

Honeywell’s business ranges from making engines for civil and military aircraft, surveillance, energy efficiency and environment to rural telemedicine and nuclear power. It is also banking on the tender for the IAF’s Jaguar upgrade programme.

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