Category: Transport

** Operation Sankalp: Sixteen Indian-flagged vessels provided safe passage everyday

Operation Sankalp was started in June 2019 after there were explosions on board two oil tanker ships in the Gulf of Oman amid increased tensions between Iran and the U.S.

The Indian Navy’s Operation Sankalp has provided safe passage to an average 16 Indian-flagged merchant vessels in the Gulf region everyday, an official statement said on July 14.

Operation Sankalp was started in June 2019 after there were explosions on board two oil tanker ships in the Gulf of Oman amid increased tensions between Iran and the U.S.

“Since then, an Indian Navy ship with an integral helicopter embarked has been continuously deployed in the north-west Arabian Sea [off R’as al Hadd], Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf from June 2019, to show presence, instil confidence in Indian maritime community and provide assistance to Indian-flagged merchant vessels,” the statement said.

** Boeing delivers 10th P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to Navy

This is the second of the four additional aircraft contracted under an optional clause in 2016.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing on Tuesday delivered the 10th long-range maritime reconnaissance anti-submarine warfare aircraft to the Navy. This is the second of the four additional aircraft contracted under an optional clause in 2016.

The remaining two were expected to be delivered in the last quarter of this year, a defence official said.

The patrol aircraft was an integral part of the Indian Navy’s fleet and had surpassed 30,000 flight hours since its induction in 2013, Boeing said in a statement.

** HAL set to deliver first batch of 3 Light Combat Helicopters to IAF

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is gearing up to deliver the first batch of three Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) to the Indian Air Force (IAF) once acceptance tests are completed. These are part of the 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) helicopters approved for the Army and the IAF.

“HAL has received Letter of Intent for five Air force and five Army LCH for delivery pending contract finalisation of 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) LCH. HAL has produced and signalled out three LSP LCH for the IAF. Same will be subjected to customer acceptance and training shortly,” a HAL source said.

** Nitin Gadkari inaugurates 16 projects in Manipur

he projects include a ₹45-crore RCC bridge over the Makru river in Tamenglong district.

Mr. Gadkari read out some of the projects and said funds had been sanctioned.

Mr. Biren said the bridge over the Barak river would be completed by September and the third bridge over the Irung river was likely to be completed by December this year.

** Telugu-origin Sirisha Bandla to join Richard Branson on Virgin Galactic’s next flight to space

Sirisha Bandla’s zeal to learn more about space led her to pursue Bachelors of Science degree in aeronautical/astronautical engineering from Purdue.

** National Doctors’ Day: Miyar gram panchayat gets an ambulance

Becomes first panchayat in India to have its own ECG machine, telemedicine unit and a dedicated ambulance

Miyar Gram Panchayat in Karkala taluk got a dedicated ambulance thanks to an initiative of the Cardiology At Doorsteps (CAD) Foundation to mark National Doctors’ Day on July 1.

Padmanabha Kamath, founder of CAD Foundation Trust, said Miyar GP becomes the first panchayat in India to have its own ECG machine, telemedicine unit and a dedicated ambulance. Each member of the panchayat contributed ₹1,000 from their salary for the initiative, he said.

** Chandrayaan instrument helps unravel the mysteries of solar corona

An instrument on board India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission has provided outstanding science results on the solar corona and heliophysics, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

Though we have a fairly good understanding of the origin of energy and other various aspects of the Sun, several potentially life-changing phenomena still remain a mystery, notes the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency.

** Cochin International Airport wins honour in airport service quality

The Airport Council International, a global body of airport operators, established the Roll of Excellence recognition to airports which, in the opinion of the passengers ascertained through a survey, consistently delivered excellent services, says a CIAL press release

The Cochin International Airport has won the Airport Council International (ACI) Director General’s Roll of Excellence honour in Airport Service Quality.

The ACI, a global body of airport operators, established the Roll of Excellence recognition to airports which, in the opinion of the passengers ascertained through a survey, consistently delivered excellent services, said a CIAL press release here.

** Trials for India’s first medical drone delivery service begins in Karnataka

India’s first drone delivery service, that specialises in medical supplies, will begin operating in Karnataka soon. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s green signal is awaited, Throttle Aerospace Systems (TAS) CEO Nagendran Kandasamy said.

The trial, which started on Monday and continued till Tuesday, was successful, Kandasamy said. He said India’s first official beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) medical drone delivery experiment started in Sembhukha Nagar of Gowribidanur taluk in Chikballapur and the trial will continue for 30 to 40 days.