India's Air Force One takes off on first official flight

Ushering an era of power-jetting-in-style for VVIPs, president Pratibha Patil formally inducted the Indian Air Force's newly-acquired, highly-secure Boeing Business Jets (BBJs) on Wednesday and embarked on her visit to Arunachal Pradesh and Assam on its inaugural flight.

Patil performed prayers and cut a ribbon to mark the commissioning of the Rs 934-crore BBJs in to the IAF's Communication Squadron at Palam airport here.

Walking up the red-carpeted stairway, the president, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, waved at the IAF personnel and the media corps before settling down in the plush VVIP cabin, which comprises a state-of-the-art executive office with conferencing facility and a private room with a double bed cot and in-flight entertainment features.

Designed to act as a command centre-cum-office in the sky in the event of an emergency such as a nuclear attack, the BBJs -- derived from Boeing 737-700 -- is custom built for the IAF by the US aircraft manufacturer and can carry a maximum of 46 passengers and a large cargo space.

"The trip would now be more business like. We will get more time to study, concentrate and apply our minds as flight will be more smooth," said Patil, just before the flight took off from Palam for the north-east. 

Though not comparable to the larger and more sleeker Air Force One of POTUS (president of the United States), the three BBJs -- named Rajdoot, Rajhans and Rajkamal -- have several similar features.

"The aircraft has some of the finest high technology equipment with excellent communication systems," IAF chief Air chief marshal Fali Homi Major said at the inauguration ceremony.

Major said Air Force One of POTUS was a bigger aircraft and some of its features were different from the Indian BBJs, mainly because the former is built on the Boeing-747 platform.

"In the BBJs too, there are several features, which exist in Air Force One. It will be more than fair to call it the Indian Air Force One. Absolutely, I don't see any reason. Why not?" Major said to a query in this regard.

He, however, added that "there is a huge difference between the US Air Force One and this (BBJs). It has got perhaps other features, some features we don't have. But for our requirements, I think, we have the necessary equipment on board."

Pointing out that the BBJs were one of the finest available aircraft of its class for transport roles in terms of its performance and safety features, the IAF chief said the VVIP aircraft had Self Protection Suites (SPS), provided passenger comfort and had low noise levels.

The SPS, which came at an additional cost of Rs 200 crore for the three BBJs, is for electronic warfare to provide greater security from in-coming enemy missiles.

It includes radar warning receivers, missile-approach warning systems and counter-measures such as dispensing flares or metal chaff to deviate the heat-seeking and radar-guided missiles.

With a secure satellite-based communication system in addition to VHF radios, which helps the travelling VVIPs such as the prime minister to be in touch with ground as and when the need arose.

The IAF had bought the BBJs in October 2005, aiming to retire its aging Boeing 737-200s by June this year. However, India had to sign a deal-specific End-User Monitoring Agreement (EUMA) with the US Administration, required under American laws, for delivery of the three aircraft.

Asked about EUMA, the IAF chief said the issues concerning the agreement with the US, which provided for a physical verification of the aircraft to ensure it was being used for the purpose it was bought, had been "sorted" out.

"Those issues have been sorted out. It (EUMA) is not for the aircraft, but for the systems in it. That is why the aircraft is flying now," he said. 

The three BBJs, which were delivered beginning August last, powered by two CFM-56 engines manufactured by US General Electric and French Snecma are designed for long rides pulling off 3,000 nautical miles or 6,000 kms and about 6,000 nautical miles or 11,100 km with additional fuel during Extended-range Twin-engine Operations (ETOPS).

Capable of cruising at 41,000 feet altitude at speeds of 410 knots or about 800 kmph, the aircraft has a glass cockpit with head-up display, inertial navigation system, dual flight management system and auto-landing capability, and is Radio Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) compliant to ensure other aircraft do not fly nearer to the VVIP aircraft.

The aircraft's interiors, exclusively designed to accommodate VVIPs and their entourage, has luxurious plush beige leather seats for three different set of passengers -- the VVIPs, Cabinet-rank executives, and their staff members.

The honour of piloting the first flight of Rajdoot with the president as its VVIP passenger went to IAF's Group Captain V Bhalotra and his co-pilot Wing Commander CK Kumar.

The two pilots have been joined by eight other crew members including Navigator Wg Cdr SB Arun Kumar, Engineers Wg Cdr MPM Kumar and Wg Cdr A Satish Kumar and five other flight stewards comprising an IAF Warrant Officer and four sergeants.