Lockheed Martin and NEC Corporation today announced that Lockheed Martin will use NEC’s System Invariant Analysis Technology (SIAT) in the space domain.

SIAT’s advanced analytics engine uses data collected from sensors to learn the behavior of systems, including computer systems, power plants, factories and buildings, enabling the system itself to automatically detect inconsistencies and prescribe resolutions.

NEC’s advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities and Lockheed Martin’s space domain expertise offer new opportunities in developing enhanced integrated satellite and spacecraft operations with uniquely developed prescriptive analytics. These include rapid assessments of changes in performance and the space environment, such as the potential influence of space weather on electronics. With this information, operators can improve product performance and lifecycle efficiency.

“Lockheed Martin and NEC are experts in space and systems, and that’s the right blend to explore how AI can improve space products for astronauts and people on the ground,” said Carl Marchetto, vice president of New Ventures at Lockheed Martin Space. “AI can revolutionize how we use information from space, both in orbit and on deep space missions, including crewed missions to Mars and beyond.”

“The innovative SIAT developed by NEC can make valuable contributions to solving the challenges faced by Lockheed Martin in the space field,” said Tomoyasu Nishimura, senior vice president, NEC Corporation.  “Going forward, NEC aims to continue strengthening this solution and to globally support safety, security and operational efficiency in a wide variety of fields.”

“It is an honor to see NEC’s SIAT being used by Lockheed Martin, one of America’s leading space innovators,” said Masahiro (Mark) Ikeno, president and CEO, NEC Corporation of America. “We are confident in SIAT’s ability to contribute to the reliability, safety and security of Lockheed Martin’s developments in the space field.”

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 has been listed for passage during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.  This Bill was introduced in the Monsoon Session last year and referred to the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, which tabled its report earlier this year.  The Bill seeks to recognise transgender persons, and confer anti-discriminatory rights and entitlements related to education, employment, health, and welfare measures.  This post explains key provisions of the Bill and certain issues for consideration.

Self-identification and obtaining a Certificate of Identity

The Bill provides for ‘self-perceived gender identity’ i.e. persons can determine their gender on their own.  This is in line with a Supreme Court judgement (2014) which held that the self determination of one’s gender is part of the fundamental right to dignity, freedom and personal autonomy guaranteed under the Constitution.

Along with the provision on ‘self-perceived gender identity’, the Bill also provides for a screening process to obtain a Certificate of Identity.  This Certificate will certify the person as ‘transgender’.  An application for obtaining such a Certificate will be referred to a District Screening Committee which will comprise five members including a medical officer, psychologist or psychiatrist, and a representative of the transgender community.

The Bill therefore allows individuals to self-identify their gender, but at the same time they must also undergo the screening process to get certified, and as a result be identified as a ‘transgender’.  In this context, it is unclear how these two provisions of self-perceived gender identity and an external screening process will reconcile with each other.  The Standing Committee has also upheld both these processes of self-identification and the external screening process to get certified.  In addition, the Committee recommended that the Bill should provide for a mechanism for appeal against the decisions of the District Screening Committee.

Since, the Bill provides certain entitlements to transgender persons for their inclusion and participation in society, it can be argued that there must be an objective criteria to verify the eligibility of these applicants for them to receive benefits targeted for transgender persons.

Status of transgender persons under existing laws

Currently, several criminal and civil laws recognise two categories of gender i.e. man and woman.  These include laws such as Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (NREGA) and Hindu Succession Act, 1956.  Now, the Bill seeks to recognise a third gender i.e. ‘transgender’.  However, the Bill does not clarify how transgender persons will be treated under certain existing laws.

For example, under NREGA, priority is given to women workers (at least one-third of the beneficiaries are to be women) if they have registered and requested for work under the Act. Similarly, under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, there are different eligibility criteria for males and females to adopt a girl child.  In this context, the applicability of such laws to a ‘transgender’ person is not stated in the Bill.  The Standing Committee has recommended recognising transgender persons’ right to marriage, partnership, divorce and adoption, as governed by their personal laws or other relevant legislation.

In addition, the penalties for similar offences may also vary because of the application of different laws based on gender identity.  For example, under the IPC, sexual offences related to women attract a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, which is higher than that specified for sexual abuse against a transgender person under the Bill (up to two years).

Who is a transgender person?

As per international standards, ‘transgender’ is an umbrella term that includes persons whose sense of gender does not match with the gender assigned to them at birth. For example, a person born as a man may identify with the opposite gender, i.e., as a woman.In addition to this sense of mismatch, the definition provided under the Bill also lists further criteria to be defined as a transgender person.  These additional criteria include being (i) ‘neither wholly male nor female’, or (ii) ‘a combination of male or female’, or (iii) ‘neither male nor female’.

The Supreme Court, the Expert Committee of the Ministry of Social Justice and Welfare, and the recent Standing Committee report all define ‘transgender persons’ based on the mismatch only.Therefore, the definition provided under the Bill does not clarify if simply proving a mismatch is enough (as is the norm internationally) or whether the additional listed criteria ought to be fulfilled as well.

Offences and penalties

The Bill specifies certain offences which include: (i) compelling transgender persons to beg or do forced or bonded labour, and (ii) physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic abuse.  These offences will attract imprisonment between six months and two years, in addition to a fine.

The Standing Committee recommended graded punishment for different offences, and suggested that those involving physical and sexual assault should attract higher punishment.   It further stated that the Bill must also specifically recognise and provide appropriate penalties for violence faced by transgender persons from officials in educational institutions, healthcare institutions, police stations, etc.

(Source – PRS Legislative)

The quality of childbirth care given to women and newborns in the community and primary health centers across Uttar Pradesh based on WHO’s Safe Childbirth Checklist has shown a marked improvement. However, the improvements were not sufficient enough to bring down the maternal and infant mortality, a latest study has shown. 

The BetterBirth study, one of the largest ever conducted in maternal-newborn health with more than 300,000 women and newborns, suggested  that after two months of coaching, birth attendants completed 73% of the essential birth practices as specified in the WHO checklist, 1.7 times better than the control arm at 42%.

The study also reported that proper administration of oxytocin immediately following childbirth to prevent maternal hemorrhage was 80% in intervention facilities as compared to 21% in control facilities; initiation of breastfeeding was done in 70% in intervention facilities while only in 4% in control facilities and skin-to-skin contact  was practiced in 79% cases in intervention facilities and only 11% in control facilities) between mother and newborn to warm the baby was significantly higher in intervention facilities. 

Similarly, appropriate measurement of maternal blood pressure was taken in 68% in intervention sites but only in 7% in control sites and measurement of maternal temperature was taken in 63% in intervention sites as against 0.3% in control sites while newborn temperature was taken in 43% cases at intervention site and only 0.1% control sites, suggesting significantly higher in intervention sites compared to control sites. 

At twelve months, four months after the coaching ended, completion of checklist items persisted at 62%, 1.4 times better than control facilities, which remained unchanged. There was no difference between intervention and control sites, however, in stillbirths, seven-day newborn mortality, and seven-day maternal mortality and morbidity. Perinatal mortality, for instance, was 47 deaths per 1,000 live births in both groups, the study found.

It is also the first study to rigorously demonstrate large-scale, broad-based improvement in care during the 48-hour period of labor and delivery when women and newborns face the greatest risk of death and complications. The study appears in the December 14, 2017 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The research was led by Ariadne Labs, a joint center of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, in partnership with the Governments of India and Uttar Pradesh; Community Empowerment Lab in Lucknow, India; Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Belgaum, India; Population Services International, and the World Health Organization. It was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The quality of care around the time of childbirth has been recognized globally as a major contributor to the persistently high rates of preventable maternal and infant deaths in childbirth, even though more women are delivering babies at facilities. The WHO’s Safe Childbirth Checklist was designed to target the seven major causes of death by helping birth attendants consistently follow basic practices such as handwashing and use of clean gloves to prevent infection,  monitoring and treatment of women’s blood pressure to prevent eclampsia, provision of uterine massage and appropriate medication to prevent maternal hemorrhage. 

In this randomized study conducted from 2014 to 2016, birth attendants and managers at 60 rural health centers in Uttar Pradesh were coached on use of the WHO’s Safe Childbirth Checklist. Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state and has among the highest birth-related mortality rates in the country, making it strategically critical to India’s effort to reduce maternal and neonatal death. Sixty matched facilities that did not receive the intervention served as comparison sites. Coaches and independent observers recorded birth attendant performance, tracking obstacles and successes in implementing the Checklist. The birth attendance performance information was provided in real-time as supportive feedback to birth attendants, facility managers, and district health officials to encourage problem solving, communication, and teamwork. The intervention did not include skills training for birth attendants and did not provide supplies or medications. 

 Â“These results are important because they show that major improvements in the quality of childbirth are possible,” said senior co-author Dr. Vishwajeet Kumar, executive director of the Community Empowerment Lab in Lucknow, India, which has worked on maternal and infant health initiatives in Uttar Pradesh for more than a decade. “We can build on this progress with initiatives that further strengthen the health system and provide the missing links required for reductions in mortality.” Explanations the authors cited for the lack of impact on death rates include persistent gaps in skills, in supplies, or in systems for care of complications. “In the end, a Checklist cannot substitute for other critical components of the health system. The agenda now is to bring together all of these system improvements so we can provide women and infants in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere with the best possible care and outcomes,” Dr Kumar said.

Based on evidence of improvement in essential birth practices, the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist is now being evaluated and rolled out in more than 30 countries around the world, from Namibia, Nigeria and Indonesia to Mexico and Italy, as well as multiple states across India. Work underway is to identify methods for further improving implementation of the Checklist and to develop additional strategies to achieve mortality reduction.

Every day, more than 800 women and 7,000 babies die during the time around childbirth worldwide, while thousands more suffer life-threatening and lifelong complications. Globally, great strides have been made in lowering the deaths of women and newborns; however, there is substantial room for improvement as childbirth remains the No. 2 killer of women of childbearing age.

Kohima : Rising temperature, erratic rainfall and occurrence of moderate drought are beginning to impact food production in Nagaland. In order to meet the challenge of climate change, the state is now turning to its forgotten resource – traditional food crops which can withstand higher temperatures and water-stressed conditions.

The hilly state has initiated steps to revive traditional rice as well as millet varieties which over the years gave way to high yielding crop varieties for various reasons. Though farmers are not growing traditional varieties for sustenance, they are still the custodian of knowledge about them. In wake of climate change, these varieties will be promoted among farmers, as they are the best bet for adapting to changing climate. 

The biological diversity of rice in the state is tremendous – 867 traditional ‘land races’ of rice have been identified by the State Agriculture Research Station (SARS) at Mokokchung. These rice varieties are broadly categorized as glutinous, brown and aromatic, and most of them are grown under the jhum or shifting cultivation system practiced by different Naga tribes in the state. 

The state government has initiated a project called “gene pool conservation of indigenous rice varieties under traditional integrated rotational farming system for promoting livelihood and food security as climate change adaptation strategy.” The Rs 24 crore project will be supported by the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change. It will be implemented in one village in each selected block in five districts – Tuensang, Wokha, Zunheboto, Mokokchung and Kohima – over the next three years.

All rice production systems are exposed to heat stress but rain-fed uplands are particularly vulnerable to temperature rise. Heat stress leads to stunting, affecting yields. In addition, warmer climate leads to introduction of new diseases and insects. “Farmers need new varieties which are drought and heat resistant. Traditional rice and millet varieties can do just this, as they can grow even in marginalised lands, are highly diverse in terms of pest resistance, yield, time of cultivation and maturity and water requirement,” Dr D.K. Chetri, Joint Director, SARS, told India Science Wire on the sidelines of a media workshop in climate change here.  

“Nagaland is not adequately equipped to current climate change impacts. The state has a large existing adaptation deficit which is a priority of early action. Therefore, there is a need for developing processes for community led adaptation that are rooted in local institutions,” he added. 

Under the projects, field gene banks will be developed for conservation and research of promising varieties, and seed exchange programme will be initiated with the involvement of communities engaged in both jhum and terrace cultivation. Selected promising seeds varieties will then be disseminated to farmers across the state. 

Rice is staple food of Nagaland with about 86% of the cultivable area in the state under jhum and terrace rice cultivation systems. Traditional rice varieties are grown in altitude ranging from 300 to 2500 meters. But of late, farmers are shifting to cash crops putting cereal production under stress. High intensity farming of rice and pulses, promoted under several schemes, has not been sustainable.

Climate change has added a new stress factor. In the last 100 years, Nagaland has experienced increase in average annual temperature from 1.4 degree to 1.6 degree. “The projected increase in average annual temperature is 1.6 degree to 1.8 degree between 2021 and 2050,” pointed out Dellirose M Sakhrie, secretary of the state Department of Science and Technology. The rainfall is also expected to increase in intensity by 20%.  The number of extreme dry and extreme wet days will increase during 2021-2050. 

Dr Chetri said farming practices in the state would have to be modified with changing climate, in order to ensure food and nutritional security of people. 

The workshop was organised by the Centre for Media Studies, the Department of Science and Technology, the Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme, along with the Nagaland Climate Change Cell. (India Science Wire) 

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned INS Kalvari (S-21), the first of the six Scorpene class submarines built under Project 75 (Kalvari Class) into the Indian Navy at an impressive ceremony held at Naval Dockyard, here on Thursday. The event marked the formal induction into the Navy of the first of the six submarines being constructed at Mazagon Docks Ltd., in collaboration with the French builder M/s Naval Group. 

Prime Minister described INS Kalvari as a prime example of “Make in India.” He commended all those involved in its manufacture. He described the submarine as an excellent illustration of the fast growing strategic partnership between India and France. He said the INS Kalvari will add even more strength to the Indian Navy. 

He said that the 21st century is described as Asia’s century. He added that it is also certain that the road to development in the 21st century goes through the Indian Ocean. That is why the Indian Ocean has a special place in the policies of the Government, he added. Prime Minister said this vision can be understood through the acronym SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region. 

Mr. Modi said India is fully alert with regard to its global, strategic and economic interests in the Indian Ocean. He said that is why the modern and multi-dimensional Indian Navy plays a leading role in promoting peace and stability 

He said India believes that the world is one family, and is fulfilling its global responsibilities. India has played the role of “first responder” for its partner countries, in times of crises, he added. He said the human face of Indian diplomacy and Indian security establishment is our speciality. He said a strong and capable India has a vital role to play for humanity. He said countries of the world wish to walk with India on the path of peace and stability. The Prime Minister said that the entire ecosystem related to defence and security has started to change in the last three years. He said the skill-set accumulated during the manufacture of INS Kalvari is an asset for India. 

Congratulating the MDL for restarting the production line of submarines once again, Defence Minister Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman,  thanked the Yard workers, who she said “mattered high on this day”. The process of submarine construction has again been started in the country and it should not stop, she said. She emphasized the need to avoid episodic starts and stops in the industry and maintain a pool of skills needed to build high technology platforms within the country, sustenance of which would lead to a virtuous cycle of betterment for Indian industry, retention of skills and better peace dividends to the nation.

Welcoming the gathering, Admiral Sunil Lanba stated that this commissioning marked a milestone in the journey of the Indian Navy towards indigenous submarine building. The Indian Navy is deeply committed to the principle of indigenisation and the Government’s thrust on ‘Make in India’. Commissioning of Kalvari is a testimony of our resolve and these achievements are a result of the Indian Navy’s proactive and integrated approach to achieve self-reliance, the Admiral said.

The Commissioning Warrant of the submarine was thereafter read out by the Commanding Officer, Captain SD Mehendale. Subsequently, hoisting of the Naval Ensign onboard for the first time and ‘Breaking of the Commissioning Pennant’ with the National Anthem being played, marked the completion of the Commissioning Ceremony.   

INS Kalvari is manned by a team comprising 08 officers and 35 sailors with Captain SD Mehendale at the helm as her first Commanding Officer. The commissioning will augment the offensive capability of the Indian Navy, and the Western Naval Command in particular. 

PHILADELPHIA : Boeing and the Netherlands Ministry of Defence today signed an agreement that will upgrade six Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) Chinook helicopters to the latest F-model configuration, ensuring commonality of systems for their entire fleet of 20 F-model Chinooks. Deliveries of the six modernized Chinooks are planned to begin in 2021.

“The Netherlands’ Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) is responsible for providing the Dutch armed forces with the best equipment money can buy, and our troops deserve that,” said Colonel Koen van Gogh, DMO project leader. “Ever since their introduction in the mid-1990s, the Chinooks have been continuously involved in almost all of our missions abroad, but also in disaster relief operations and in domestic support. A true versatile workhorse of our Defense Organization.”

The upgrade to a common configuration will improve operational effectiveness, maintenance, and affordability.

A key feature includes advanced operational capabilities provided by the Common Avionics Architecture System cockpit with an integrated Digital Automatic Flight Control System. The common avionics architecture system also aligns with the U.S Army and other allies, improving worldwide interoperability, flight-handling characteristics, and long term sustainability.

“Our longstanding close partnership with the Netherlands played an important role in achieving their objective of a standardized fleet of CH-47F Chinooks,” said Chuck Dabundo, vice president, Boeing Cargo Helicopters, and H-47 program manager. “Worldwide interest in Chinooks continues to grow. This is the eighth international order since 2015, and it grows the operational Chinook fleet within NATO. There is no doubt the Chinook is the world’s premier heavy-lift helicopter with a long future will continue to serve our customers for decades to come.”

In 2016, the Netherlands acquired 14 CH-47F Chinooks through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Sales program. To date, Boeing has delivered more than 900 H-47 Chinook helicopters. The Chinook is on order or operated by 20 countries, including eight NATO nations – Canada, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the U.S.

Union Minister of Women & Child Development, Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has written to leading Bollywood film production houses asking them to comply with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act, 2013 to provide a safe, secure and inclusive work environment for women.

Through this effort, Ministry of WCD will extend outreach and implementation of the Act to yet another section, a statement issued by the Ministry said.

The Minister has personally written to Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Bhushan Kumar, Ekta Kapoor, Vinod Chopra, Mahesh Bhatt, Shahrukh Khan, Sooraj Barjatya Bhavana, Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani, Ajit Andhare, Sajid Nadiadwala, Vijay Singh, NP Singh, Aamir Khan, Shobu Yarlagadda, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Manish Mundra, Pritish Nandy, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Subhash Ghai.

Mrs Gandhi said that as leaders of their organisations, they are ethically and legally accountable for the safety of not only their direct employees, but of all outsourced and temporary staff as well.

On November 7, Mrs Gandhi had launchedan online complaint management system titled Sexual Harassment electronic–Box (SHe-Box) for registering complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace. The complaint management system has been developed to ensure the effective implementation of the SH Act, 2013. This portal is an initiative to provide a platform to working women to file complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace under the SH Act. Those who had already filed a written complaint with the concerned ICC constituted under the SH Act are also eligible to file their complaint through this portal.

Late last month, Mrs Gandhi had tweeted, thanking Mr Arun Jaitley, Minister of Corporate Affairs, for considering Ministry WCD’s request to amend relevant rules under the Companies Act, 2013, for women’s safety. The amendment would ensure that the Board of Directors of all companies duly report on the constitution of complaints committee under the Act.

Bestselling international novelist Adam Nicolson will speak about the resurgence in nature-writing heralded by the current wave of green literature at the Jaipur Literature Festival next year.

Cultural historian and Virginia Wolfe expert Alexandra Harris will offer a fresh perspective on the English writer’s iconoclastic masterpiece Orlando; award-winning journalist Åsne Seierstad, who went to Afghanistan two weeks after September 11^th and later returned to live with an Afghan family will share her insights on the troubled nation; and Dominic Dromgoole, former artistic director of the Globe Theatre, will discuss Shakespeare’s universality and how his works manage to resonate with audiences from China to Syria as seen through Globe to Globe, the recent world tour of Hamlet at the Festival slated from January 25 to 29, 2018.

The third list of speakers also include Harvard professor Homi Bhabha, with his vast knowledge of post-colonial writing, who will also speak at the Festival as will forensic anthropologistKathy Reichs, whose books inspired the popular American television series, Bones; human rights activist and surgeon Ma Thidawill speak of her ideals and chronicle Myanmar’s dramatic history; author and filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabirwill take part in a candid conversation with musical maestro Zakir Hussain;Philip Norman, author of biographies on the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elton John, will recollect anecdotes from the Beatles’ famed 1968 visit to India.

Celebrated naturalist Redmond O’Hanlonwill take us on a fascinating journey deep inside the People’s Republic of Congo, where he went in search of a dinosaur rumoured to have survived in a remote prehistoric lake!

Amongst the Indian speakers are geo-strategist Brahma Chellaney who will stir up the troubled waters of the South China Sea and the Brahmaputra conundrum; C. Raja Mohanwill consider the many ideas that make China an Asian powerhouse; author and economistGurcharan Das will analyse the complex modern triptych of aspiration, greed and instant gratification and the elusive idea of frugality; poet and novelist Jeet Thayilwill discuss his latest book, The Book of Chocolate Saints, and his dominating themes of love, hate and savagery.

P. Sainath,India’s best known development reporter, will shed light on the heart of darkness within India’s agrarian and rural reality; filmmaker and environmentalist Pradip Kishen will unravel the ancient history and the rugged topography of the mysterious Aravalli hills;debut novelists PrayaagAkbar and Preti Tanejawill discuss their chillingly dystopic novels, Leila and We That Are Young respectively;Bollywood royaltySharmila Tagorewill speak to herdaughter, Soha Ali Khan, who has authored a witty memoir titled The Perils of Being Moderately Famous; the sassy septuagenarianShobhaa De,with her characteristic charisma and irreverence, will discuss turning 70, the subject of her latest book; environmental crusaderSunita Narainwill make an impassioned plea to overcome the impending global climate catastrophe;diplomat T.C.A. Raghavan, author of The People Next Door: The Curious History of India’s Relationship with Pakistan, will discuss cross-border dynamics; and columnist Vir Sanghvi will regale festival-goers with his refined palate on the unlimited potential of food.

January 2018 will also see JBM present the second edition of its extremely successful ‘The First Book Club New Writers Mentorship Programme’, which will now include entries for short-stories and poetry as well as works of fiction or non-fiction from first-time writers who will be chosen for a coveted opportunity of mentorship under publishing veterans. 

The Getty Foundation, the British Council, the Aga Khan Foundation and Nordic countries too have come together to support and strengthen the Festival. Harvard University Press, The Murty Classical Library, Westland, Kindle Direct Publishing, Avid Learning and Kingfisher (as Good Times Partner) have also partnered with the Festival this year.

SAN DIEGO : General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), in partnership with Starburst Accelerator, a global aerospace and aviation incubator, hosted a selection committee entitled “The Future Is Now” at its headquarters in Poway, California on December 1^st. The showcase featured pitch-style presentations from 10 aerospace startups sharing technology and innovations to a cross-section of industry experts and potential investors. The event provided an opportunity to hear about new ideas being developed and consider how the ideas could impact business growth.

“GA-ASI has embraced an entrepreneurial approach to its business throughout our 25-plus years in aviation and this event is a natural extension of our approach to innovation,” said Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI. “We hosted this event as a way to provide aerospace entrepreneurs with an audience of enthusiastic industry leaders who are interested in investing in new technology that will fill critical capability gaps in support of the warfighter.”

Starburst Accelerator hosts quarterly selection committee programs as part of its mission to provide access to seed funding from the top business angels and venture capital firms dedicated to aerospace, defense and security. As an added benefit, this event also attracts major aerospace industry resulting in a collaborative environment for the advancement of new technology.

“The selection committees are integral to our work accelerating the most promising early-stage aerospace companies,” said François Chopard, founder and CEO of Starburst Accelerator. “Hosting our final program of 2017 at GA-ASI, a well-respected innovator in aviation and leading design manufacturer, was a natural choice and key to connecting the competing startups with major industry players. As we see more startups enter the aviation space and be welcomed by well-known incumbents, the future of aerospace is bright.”

Mexico : The Mexican Navy received two final AS565 MBe Panther helicopters, completing the order of ten purchased in November 2014. 

Versatile, safe and efficient. That’s how the Mexican Navy describes the MBe Panther after approximately two years of its use in various operations. Its maximum take-off weight has increased significantly from 4,300 kg to 4,500 kg. But this isn’t the only improvement: the MBe Panther also offers optimised performance in high and hot environments, and features modern avionics with a vehicle and engine multifunction display (VEMD) and sophisticated mission equipment for greater operational capabilities, allowing it to achieve a top speed of almost 280 km/h and a range of 780 kilometres. All of these qualities make this helicopter a safe and cost-efficient model for the missions it covers.

“The MBe version is a more modern helicopter with an advanced four-axis autopilot and generally improved performance and features thanks to engines that are more powerful than those of its predecessor. This is the third version of the Panther to be used by the Mexican Navy, who has been operating helicopters from this range since 2004,” explains Admiral José María García Macedo, General Coordinator of Naval Aeronautics for the Mexican Navy. “The MBe’s capabilities can be used in both marine and land-based environments for missions like search and rescue (SAR), or to support the civil population in disaster areas or areas affected by natural catastrophes. It can also be used for cargo load jobs and as an air ambulance. In total, each Panther logs approximately 300 flight hours per year.”

“The personnel of different squadrons consider this helicopter easy to fly, especially due to its technology and avionics, which facilitate operations and increase security throughout missions. We are very satisfied with the new Panther,” affirms Admiral García Macedo.

On 2 August 2017, two crew members of a tuna boat were aboard a piston helicopter as part of fishing activities, where they suffered an accident and fell into the sea 370 kilometres south-east of Puerto Chiapas. An MBe Panther equipped for medical evacuations set off from the ocean patrol of the Mexican Navy “Durango” to rescue the crew members. The injured crew were immediately transported to a regional hospital to receive specialised medical care, given the severity of their injuries.