IAF hosts Seminar on Indigenization of Avionics

Pune/ New Delhi: Indian Air Force hosted the Avionics Indigenisation Seminar (AVISEM – 22) on 18-19 July 2022 at Base Repair Depot, Pune. The theme of the seminar was "Indigenisation of Avionics Aggregates Based on Modular Open System Architecture (MOSA) Framework". The event was steered by the Indigenisation Directorate of Air Head Quarter and was chaired by Air Marshal Vibhas Pande, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Maintenance Command IAF.

The core objective of the seminar was to translate the Atma Nirbartha mantra into an actionable framework on the ground, to promote the adoption of Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology in the aviation system and reduce dependency on Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) of Western and Russian origin.

Members from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) establishments, the academia and the civil aviation industry were invited to the seminar to deliberate on the process of creating an implementable framework for indigenous repair and development of avionic aggregates within the country.

The keynote address of the event was delivered by Air Marshal Vibhas Pande AOC-in-C, Maintenance Command IAF. The Air Officer in his address emphasized the need to create solutions within the country for the sustenance of the vast and varied fleets of the IAF and reduce the dependency on OEM to the barest minimum.

The Air Officer particularly touched upon the aspects of harmonization of the expertise available with the R&D centres, Academic Institutes, Industry and the IAF and how these can be used to enhance the operational capability of IAF. Whilst emphasizing on the importance and need to embrace COTS technology in aviation, he elaborated on the concept of software-defined systems and principles of commonality as an effective means of addressing the challenges of hardware and functional obsolescence.

Five theme-based sessions were conducted and each session was chaired by eminent personalities from DRDO and IAF. During the sessions, subject matter experts presented their views on developing indigenous repair capability using modern diagnostic and repair techniques, infusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technology for fault diagnosis, reverse engineering of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), and COTS-based MOSA framework for developing avionic aggregates besides challenges related to certification towards adoption of COTS technology in aviation.

The event saw active and enthusiastic participation from the spectrum of the participants and general consensus on adopting the MOSA framework for indigenous repair and development.

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