NEW DELHI — Indian utility vehicles maker Mahindra & Mahindra and U.S.-based Telephonics Corp. will establish a plant in India to make airborne radar systems for the country’s defense sector. The joint venture intends to provide systems for air traffic management services, homeland security and other emerging defense surveillance requirements, as well as for the civilian applications, says Khutub Hai, chief executive of Mahindra Defense Systems.

Although spiraling jet fuel costs, plummeting profits and high debt levels are threatening the survival of its domestic carriers, India's burgeoning demand is expected to pull the beleaguered aviation sector through the current turbulence.

NEW DELHI – The Indian air force is attempting to recover and repair one of two Israeli Aerostat radar balloons that was damaged by bad weather in 2009, Defense Minister A.K. Antony says. “While one Aerostat system is working well, the other system was damaged due to [a] sudden strong gust of wind on May 27, 2009, and became nonoperational. Steps have been initiated for recovery of the system,” Antony told parliament Wednesday.