VMAN Orders 10 new generation Amphibian Aircraft to connect Indian Waterways

By Gulshan Luthra

Hyderabad/ New Delhi. It’s Time to Fly from the Rivers, Coast, or Lakes, to connect India’s various regions, both for civil and military requirements.

In a pioneering initiative, VMAN, an aircraft leasing company operating from the GIFT City, or Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, has signed an MOU for 10 new generation ME-1A aircraft from the US company Mallard Enterprises. The first steps towards manufacturing these machines, made of strong but lightweight composite materials, resistant to sea salts, have been initiated and it should take about three years to deliver the flying machines after first payments are received, ME Co-founder and CEO Dan Peabody told India Strategic.

The aircraft will be propelled by two Pratt & Whitney engines, and in a standard configuration for regional transport, it will carry 19 passengers with luggage over a distance of about 648 km. Of course, the flight can be extended three times to 1945 km but then the passenger load has to be reduced to six with typical airline reserves, Dan explained as we chatted over coffee.

Production Timelines

It takes 3 to 4 years to produce and deliver an aircraft from the drawing board to the assembly lines and the customers, and Dan and his team are travelling around to look for more customers to add to the aircraft orders. They were at the Singapore Airshow, Wings India, and then in New Delhi for procedural discussions with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA).

In New Delhi, “the response from Mr Vumlunmang Vualnam, Secretary, MOCA, was positive and encouraging,” said Air Vice Marshal Arvind Walia (Retd), Advisor with Mallard.

The Secretary and his Team at MOCA were appreciative of the new technology being offered, and that India did have ample scope for building connectivity with amphibian aircraft, which can operate seamlessly from water to surface. “It was very encouraging interaction indeed. India has a huge potential to exploit its waterways and also provide last mile connectivity with Amphibious Aircraft. The ME-1A, with its multirole capabilities, is the right fit to meet the connectivity demand, seamlessly.”

Dan, as Mr Peabody is known in the aviation circles, said Mallard was also involving Indian partners in the development programme, as India’s requirements could be sizeable. As the market develops and opportunities arise, next steps would follow towards growth.

For instance, Mallard signed an MOU with Bangalore-based Global Academy of Aviation (GAT) earlier this year to collaborate in design, certification and manufacture of its aircraft.

VMAN

VMAN CEO Ashok Mansingh, who announced the MOU at Wings India, said with the new-generation 21st century design, the ME-1A would greatly facilitate connectivity with inaccessible terrains for last mile connectivity, or simply for regional transport. With the ME-1A, VMAN would provide economical and environmentally sustainable connectivity.

Notably, VMAN is an established aircraft leasing company, and has already signed an order for French-built Airbus H125 single engine civil helicopters to build regional connectivity, for which the Government of India has announced several incentives under the UDAN scheme. UDAN, or Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik, is meant to encourage low cost, affordable air travel for the common man.

The helicopters are being leased to Thumby Aviation, a non-scheduled air transport operator for use as Air Taxis all over India.

Huge Requirement for Amphibian Connectivity

India, after all, has 140 million people, 6,000 km of coastline, another 1,500 km with islands, and waterbodies from the sea level to more than 10,000 feet in the mountains. There has to be an amphibious aircraft revolution in fact, Mansingh said.

Mohan Chunduri, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Mallard Enterprises, said ME-1A would greatly support the Government’s UDAN programme, and that Mallard was keen for sizeable number of aircraft orders in this ambitious dream for the common man in India.

“Together with Vman, we are committed to supporting India’s UDAN programme with the multi-role amphibious aircraft that offers low cost and vital last mile air connectivity to small communities across the country,” said AVM Arvind Walia.

India has a huge potential to exploit its waterways , and also provide last mile connectivity. The runway-independent ME-1A can meet the increasing civil aviation demands, and also those of the armed forces right from the coast and rivers in Kerala and Tamil Nadu to the rivers and lakes in the Himalayas, observed AVM Walia, who knows the country’s terrain inch by inch, thanks to his long service with the Indian Air Force.

Within a few years, as the number of aircraft goes up, small airfields and lakes would open new routes for convenient connectivity, which should be of strategic advantages to Indian forces also.

AVM Walia, still young and enthusiastic post-retirement, has rich experience in the international industry, working with Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky in the past. He is now US-based.

(With inputs from Team)