Sniperz Blog: LCA

Showing posts with label LCA. Show all posts

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Daily pill of Defence - 6 April 2008

LCA to fly at Berlin Air Show-2008
ILA press release

ILA2008 likely to set new records:

- Over 1,000 exhibitors from more than 40 countries expected.
- Partner country India announces its largest presentation abroad.
- Over 300 aircraft expected.

The partner country at the ILA2008 is India, which has announced its largest-ever presentation at any foreign aerospace show.
....
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) of this year’s partner country, India, intends to display its single-engined HJT-36 “Sitara” jet trainer, the light military and civil helicopter “Dhruv” and the “Tejas” light combat aircraft for the first time in Europe.
....
The Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO will be making its first appearance at the ILA with a review of its wide-ranging work. (read more)

Related Report: IDRW.org

Agni-III ready for retrial on April 27
Hemant Kumar Rout, Newindpress

After the successful test-fire of Agni-I missile by the Army, defence scientists are all set to testlaunch the indigenously developed sophisticated long-range ballistic missile Agni-III in the last week of April. (read more)

'Top' Kashmir militant arrested
BBC

Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say they have arrested a top leader of a leading militant group. Junaid-ul-Islam is the third in the hierarchy of the Hizbul Mujahideen and was its spokesman for 15 years. (read more)

Friday, April 4, 2008

Daily pill of Defence - 4 April 2008

Tejas: ADA looks to Boeing to provide help
Ravi Sharma, Hindu

The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the defence laboratory behind the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), could soon be turning to global aerospace major Boeing to help them with the aircraft’s flight testing programme. (read more)

NATO invites Albania, Croatia, Georgia and Ukraine into NATO
FIDSNS

Allied leaders decided to invite Albania and Croatia to begin accession talks with NATO. The decision was announced at the Summit meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in the Romanian capital Bucharest. The Heads of State and Government of the 26 NATO countries held an extraordinary session in the presence of their counterparts from Croatia and Albania to welcome these two new members. (read more)

Its an extremely slippery slope that the heads at Brussels are leading NATO down. Looks like they need to get their priorities right and their heads checked. Or it may just be that they're living 20 years in the past.

New SPG unit to combat snipers
Vishwa Mohan, ToI

In a bid to strengthen its defences against a Lee Harvey Oswald type incident or a 'Day of the Jackal' scenario, the Special Protection Group (SPG) — the elite force providing close security to serving and former prime ministers and their families — will soon have a counter-sniping unit. (read more)

Better late than never... they should have had such a unit a long time ago.

For 4 yrs, VIPs flying unsafe: CAG indicts IAF
Vijay Mohan, The Tribune

While pointing out several infirmities in the acquisition process of aircraft for the Indian Air Force’s VIP squadron, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed that the IAF has been ferrying the country’s leaders in aircraft that have been unsuitable for VIP flights for the past four years. (read more)

INS Kesari (Shardul-class) to be commissioned on April 5
Shiv Aroor, Livefist

INS Kesari (see photos), the Navy's latest amphibious vessel of the Shardul-class will be commissioned into service on April 5 at the IN Jetty at Naval Base, Vizag. The GRSE-built vessel is the second in the Shardul-series of landing ships. (read more)

Sunday, March 9, 2008

The real LCA story

Former SA to PM Ashok Parthasarathi and Vice Adm. (retd) Raman Puri have explained what really happened to the LCA program in this extremely well written piece for The Hindu.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/09/stories/2008030958701000.htm

The case to support the indigenous LCA programme
Ashok Parthasarathi and Raman Puri

The facts with regard to perceived cost and time overruns and performance shortfalls in perspective

There have been several articles in the press critical of projects of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in general, and specifically the programme relating to the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), now named Tejas, and the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. Indeed, whenever a significant event that involves indigenous R&D, particularly defence-related, occurs, or a crucial decision is set to be taken, articles originating from within the defence “system,” or from vendors who see their business prospects threatened, appear. The real facts relating to the programme need to be put in context.
Performance shortfalls
The two issues on which the LCA project is criticised are cost and time overruns, and performance shortfalls. As regards the so-called time overruns, when the zero/go date for the project is taken as 1983, the critics fail to mention that what was sanctioned in 1983 was an ad hoc Rs.560 crore, pending full preparation of the Project Definition Document (PDD) — which is a fundamental step even to start the design and development process. The costs were to be finalised based on the PDD. This required the setting up of infrastructure in a hundred academic institutions and R&D laboratories and building up expertise to undertake the fundamental and application-oriented R&D required, and harnessing the design and engineering effort available largely in the public sector units for such a complex, state-of-the-art aircraft. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) discussed with Air Headquarters the Air Staff Requirement (ASR). Air Headquarters had requirements added to what was originally to be a replacement for the MiG-21. As a result, the ASR that was finalised was practically that for a Mirage 2000. But in the public perception the LCA remained as a replacement for MiG 21.

It look seven years, till 1990, to formulate the PDD. Based on this the ADA, in a report to the Ministry of Defence in 1990, gave a time-frame of seven years to develop the LCA and projected a financial requirement of Rs.4,000 crore. This included the building of four prototypes also. There had been a 25-year gap since the only fighter aircraft ever indigenously designed, developed and manufactured, namely the HF-24 Marut, had entered squadron service. So the period of seven years to set up a more advanced R&D infrastructure and build up even the core personnel needed to develop the technologies that the LCA’s ASR and PDD called for, was modest.
“Go-ahead”
After consideration, including by special committees, the Indian Air Force and the government gave the real operational go-ahead only in late-1993. Even that “go-ahead” covered the development of only two Technology Demonstrator Aircraft (TDA) without weaponisation. The funding approved was only of Rs.2,000 crore — half the amount requested for full-scale development. The first TDA flew in 2001, eight years from the real operational ‘go’ date, despite much additional R&D work that had to be undertaken due to the U.S. sanctions imposed in 1998.

Comments appeared in the media in 2001 quoting IAF sources to the effect that what the ADA had achieved was just a flying machine that was yet to be weaponised. Considering the nature and scope of the approval accorded in 1993, what else was to be expected? Using the money sanctioned for two TDAs, the ADA built four. Full-scale development, for which another Rs.2,000-plus crore was finally sanctioned, thus started only in late-2001. Some 1,200 hours of flight testing was to be undertaken to secure Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) from the IAF.

At that point, apart from the weaponisation requirements the project had to undergo extensive redesign to accommodate an air-to-air missile chosen by the IAF, which was considerably heavier and longer than what had been specified till 2000. The IAF had again changed its mind. This necessitated the complete redesign of the wing structure, using only composite materials in order to keep the weight within limits. The period of this redesign was also utilised to upgrade the avionics, to a completely open architecture.

Consequently, in “generational terms” the LCA is a fourth generation-plus aircraft with full networking capabilities. This made it more than comparable to anything the IAF had, and possibly would have, even after it acquires the 126 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) now on tender, with first deliveries due eight years hence.
On the engine
It is true that the Kaveri engine for the LCA that the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) of the DRDO has been developing for 12 years has not yet met its technical performance targets and requires redevelopment. So far the GE 404 engine from the U.S., which powers the F-16 fighter-bomber, has been used to power the LCA. The problems the GTRE has with the Kaveri are not unusual in a complex fighter aircraft engine project being undertaken for the first time. Moreover, the financial sanction of about Rs.320 crore given for engine development was possibly only to cover the Project Definition Phase and some high-risk technology development effort. We do not know of a first-of-type high-technology fighter aircraft engine being developed anywhere in less than a multi-billion dollar programme and a 20-year-plus development cycle. Even Snecma, the sole fighter aircraft engine manufacturer in France, despite decades of experience in developing and manufacturing engines for Mirage III, V and F-1, took about a decade and $2.2 billion to develop the M-88 engine for the Mirage 2000. The development of the Kaveri is unlikely to cross $1 billion.

The LCA with a GE 404 engine has done 800-plus hours of flight-testing. Even with that engine the performance has been not only vastly superior to that of even the recently upgraded MiG 21 BIS (the IAF is operating almost 400 of the series), but it has shown itself to be comparable in many critical parameters to the Mirage 2000. Modifications to the aircraft structure are under way to reduce weight and improve engine performance. When the GTRE’s joint venture with a leading foreign engine manufacturer for further development is completed in the next four years, the Kaveri will be brought up to a performance level, superior to the GE 404. Fitted with it, the LCA will be truly comparable to the Mirage 2000 and in many respects even superior. And all this in an aircraft much lighter than the Mirage 2000.
Superior
As for network-centric capability, which intrinsically needs indigenous systems for secrecy, security and inter-operability, it is superior in the LCA compared to any aircraft in the IAF’s inventory.

So it is a fallacy to think that we can continue the importing spree and still have such network-centric capability.

As recently as in 2005, the IAF’s requirement for 126 new aircraft was only for an upgraded Mirage 2000. At Rs.120 crore to Rs.140 crore a plane, compared to at least double that amount for any of the aircraft types now bidding for the 126 MRCA, is not the LCA a highly cost-effective fighter for volume induction into the IAF?

As for development costs, the LCA has remained well within the sanctioned $1.2 billion — which is about the lowest anywhere. Time overrun in the strict sense is only by a year or two, despite the sanctions. A first-of-type aircraft of this degree of complexity has not been developed anywhere in the West or in Russia in less than two to three decades.

The F16 series that was inducted into the U.S. Air Force in 1975 is today at Mark 60. That is how aircraft of this level of complexity are improved after induction. That this imperative applies even more to the LCA has to be recognised.

It is for the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister to ensure that this effort is not belittled or scuttled, and that the LCA programme is given all-out support — as successive Prime Ministers have ensured for our atomic energy and space programmes.

(Ashok Parthasarathi was Science Adviser to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Vice- Admiral (retired) Raman Puri was Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Committee of Service Chiefs, remaining closely involved with the inter-service weapons acquisition process from October 2003 to February 2006).

This sums up what all the detractors of the 'DDM' have been saying for the past decade or more, and far more eloquently than I could have ever hoped. (for the uninitiated, DDM - "Desi Defence Media", more usually abbreviated perjoratively as "Desi Dork Media")

The LCA compares extremely well with similar programs when you look at the challenges that had to be overcome. Even with regards to time, it is as good as the other 4.5 gen combat aircraft. The article makes that extremely clear.

Even with regards to the time, it blows to smithereens the myth that LCA has overrun its cost of 560 crores (which was only the initial allocated sum, and not the total project cost).

Rajiv Singh of domain-b has written an even more brutal repartee to the Media lies, and mauls apart all that the English language press uses to cover their fabrications, without even leaving them a fig leaf of credibility or truth to cover their shame with. This five page bloodbath at http://www.domain-b.com/aero/20080218_duds01.html has been aptly titled "India's Light Combat Aircraft: When duds begin to fly news". Makes for extremely interesting reading. Take a look.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Tejas goes abroad

Chacko Joseph from Frontier India handed me this very interesting story from Avionews (link).

With India's presence in the Aviation world increasing in leaps and bounds with the MRCA tender, as well as indigenous aircraft programs, its logical that Indian presence at air shows too increase. Confirmation of this came with the news that the shining star of Indian Aviation, the HAL Tejas will be travelling to Germany and will be displayed at the Berlin Air Show, ILA-2008. Read more below.

Avionews, 25th Jan 2008, Friday.

"ILA 2008": India announces strong presence as partner country at the air show

Berlin, Germany - Numerous delegations from politics, business and the military expected to attend

(WAPA) - "India will be the partner country at the ILA2008 and has announced a strong presence at the show. From 27 May to 1 June , in reply to an invitation by Federal Minister of Defence Dr. Franz Josef Jung, representatives of one of Asia’s fastest growing markets will be organising an attractive combined national display at the International Aerospace Exhibition. This was confirmed by India’s defence minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony in talks with his German counterpart.

Some 25 Indian companies will be presenting their displays in an area covering 1,200 square metres. They include Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), companies and organisations such as Bharat, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) and India’s aerospace association SIATI. Among other exhibits, HAL is planning to show a single-jet trainer, the HJT-36 Sitara, as well as a lightweight fighter, and a lightweight civilian and military helicopter, the Dhruv, displaying it on the ground and in the air. The Suryakiran (Sun Ray) aerobatics display team of the Indian Air Force will also be demonstrating their skills. High-ranking delegations from politics, business and the military will also be visiting the ILA.
....
....
The ILA2008 is organised jointly by the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) and Messe Berlin GmbH, and takes place every two years at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport". (Avionews)

So, thats the news folks... our baby, the LCA Tejas is finally going abroad. You may remember the plans to display the Tejas in the Paris Air Show last year. Those plans didn't fructify, much to our disappointment. Of course, DRDO had something else in store for us, conducting intensive flight trials at Dabolim in Goa.

If you're wondering which is this ILA which we've never heard of, its the German name for the Berlin Air Show - "Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Air_Show).

In a way, the LCA's debut in Germany is befitting. After all, it was the great German aircraft Designer, Dr. Kurt Tank, who helped design our first aircraft, the HF-24 Marut.

Unlike last year, when the LCA was still an unfinished aircraft, this time, the LCA goes prepared. It has fired a missile, been integrated with the LITENING targeting pod, and having made a night flight. It will be joined by the HJT-36 'Sitara' and the Dhruv, both wanting to shake off their ill-fated displays at Aero India-2007. They have impressed international audiences before. Let us hope that the Tejas too does that.

In addition, the air show will give an opportunity for IAF Pilots and DRDO Scientists to check out the Eurofighter Typhoon, which will participate in the 126 Aircraft MMRCA tender. Also expected to attend will be the Swedish Gripen, which was also present at Aero India-2007.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Newsflash: LCA Fires Missile

This is a newsflash from Chacko Joseph of Frontier India, who has confirmed that the LCA PV-1 has successfully fired a Vympel R-73 Air to Air Missile during Missile Trials in Dabolim, Goa.

This is a HUGE step forward for Indian Aerospace, and marks a turning point in the Operational Clearance process for the Tejas, and marks the first milestone of the weaponization process. Many more trials will have to be conducted, but this is a first step.

I saw a picture of the first LCA test flight. The whole team was up in the air, like little schoolboys cheering in a cricket match, without thought of the VIPs and VVIPs around (many of whom were also jumping up and down in glee). Today would have been the second of such cheerfully tearful days. Congratulations to the LCA team, and all those who poured their heart and soul into the program, which is finally bearing fruit. And Congrats to Chacko Joseph who first reported this news. Keep it up all.

Heres the report from Frontier India (link):

LCA firing the R-73 (Pictures courtesy DRDO, taken from Frontier India)

Tejas fires its first missile
Written on October 25, 2007 – 6:53 pm | by FIDSNS |

The Light Combat Aircraft ‘TEJAS’ program achieved the most significant milestone yet when it successfully test fired the Close Combat Missile R-73 today at the air to air range off Goa coast. The historic event marks the beginning of weaponisation, which is the focus of the current initial operational clearance (IOC) phase of the program. Air to Air missile integration and testing especially on a fly by wire aircraft is a very complex task involving interfaces with aerodynamics, engine air intake, control laws, flight control system, avionics system, electrical and other general system of aircraft. Today’s successful test firing is the culmination of preparatory work under the guidance of Mr. JJ Jadhav, DPD (Weapon Systems) and Mr. Balasubramanyam, AGM (HAL). Accordingly the main objectives of test firing were to validate:

•Safe separation of the missile from the parent aircraft.
•Effect of missile plume on engine air-intake
•Functionality of store management system (SMS) including safety interlocks
•Effect of missile plume on composites structures
•Handling quality assessment during missile launch

The historic flight was done on Tejas prototype vehicle PV-1, piloted by the Chief Test Pilot of the National Flight Test Centre ADA, Gp Capt. N. Harish. The test firing was done at 7 km altitude and 0.6 Mach.... (read more)

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

75 years: Soaring hopes and Ambitious plans

At the 75th Anniversary Celebrations of the Indian Air Force at Hindon Air Base, the rows of VVIPs (Including the president, Vice-prez, PM and group) were enthralled by our hi-flying boys-in-blue. And what better occasion to trumpet the achievements and plans of the IAF. Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Major's address did just that; and in the process, helped clear up a lot of confusion, and provide a checklist (almost) of the Force's plans for the next few years.

You can check out the full address at Press Info. Bureau of GoI. (Link)

The Press releases for the MoD can be found here.

Some juicy tit-bits provided by the CAS are:

Aircraft Entering Service:

- Hawk AJTs- Will arrive next month.
- Phalcon AWACS- Will be here next year.
- LCA - 1st sqn operational by 2010 (IOC)

Contracts to be signed soon:

- 6 C-130J 'Super Hercules' Tactical Transport Aircraft for the Special Forces.
- 80 Mi-17 1Vs.
- 54 ALH Dhruvs.
- Aerostats for Air Defence and over-the-horizon Surveillance {{Obviously from Israel}}.

Upgrades:

- Jaguar & Mig-27 - Upgrades almost done
- Mirage-2000 & MIg-29 - Being Negotiated
- Il-76, An-32, Helos - Will start after that

Other:

- Integration of Civil Radars.
- 'Combat Communications Network' to be set up.
- Joint Design & Development of 5th Gen Fighter Aircraft and MTA (Medium Transport Aircraft) being negotiated. {{This is probably the clearest indicator that the FGFA project is not the PAK-FA being developed by Russia, since its design has been frozen.}}

Friday, June 29, 2007

MRCA Tender- RFP cleared for Release

MRCA Contract Update- June 29

Over the past week, theres been a flurry of activity on the MRCA scene. Last week, AK Antony said that the Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC) would meet and approve the Request for Proposal (RFP) for release within the fortnight. That report was on the 18th. Luckily, the DAC met the deadline. Yesterday, the DAC met in Delhi and cleared the purchase of the 126 fighter jets.

The big news was reported by various newspapers. Unfortunately, its hard to trust most of these reporters (for reasons well known), and so, an official MoD source was needed. That press release is given below.

An Analysis of this news is on the way. The press release by itself is quite detailed, and a lot can be inferred from it. The most important observation is the name "Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft", which suggests that the IAF is no longer looking for a Mig-21 replacement, but is looking to boost the number of medium weight class (Max. Takeoff Wt. of 20-25 tons) aircraft, which do the bulk of "Earth-mover" work in strike roles. That is, in any mission, these aircraft would be the bomb carriers and the core of the formation, while other aircraft, like the LCA and Su-30 would provide air cover. This class, capable of carrying over 6 tons of weapons (9-10 tons
of load, i.e. Weapons + Fuel), is crucial for the IAF, which has been looking to shore up the numbers and replace the Mig-27s and Jaguars that are getting old.

This also means that the MoD is no longer worried about the progress of the LCA project. Reports before would regularly talk about the MRCA being floated due to delays in the LCA project. But, considering the progress of the Tejas, that doesn't seem to be a worry any more.

The MoD Press Release:
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=28894

DEFENCE ACQUISITION COUNCIL CLEARS PROCUREMENT 126 MMRCA

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has cleared the process for the procurement of 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force. During its meeting here today, the DAC debated various issues related to the initial purchase, transfer of technology, licensed production and life time maintenance support for the 126 MMRCA and gave the final go-ahead for the project.

In pursuant to the recent assurance given by the Defence Minister for an early issue of the much awaited Request for Proposal (RFP) for the 126 fighter jets, the Ministry of Defence and Indian Air Force officers have been working overtime to scrutinize all aspects of the RFP. In view of the size and operational importance of the likely purchase, the criteria for selecting the final MMRCA contender from amongst some of the best combat aircraft offered by American, Russian and European companies, has been fine tuned. The RFP would contain a selection model that would involve an exhaustive evaluation process as detailed in the Defence Procurement Procedures — 2006.

The proposals from the likely contenders would first be technically evaluated by a professional team to check for compliance with IAF’s operational requirements and other RFP conditions. Extensive field trials would be carried out to evaluate the performance. Finally, the commercial proposal of the vendors, short-listed after technical and field evaluations, would be examined and compared. The aircraft are likely to be in service for over 40 years. The vendors are required to provide a life time support and performance based warranty for the aircraft. MoD officials have confirmed that great care has been taken to ensure that only determinable factors, which do not lend themselves to any subjectivity, are included in the commercial selection model. The selection would be transparent and fair.

The DAC has approved that a majority of the MMRCA would be produced in India under transfer of technology. The vendor finally selected would also b e required to undertake offset obligations in India. It is expected that the ToT and offset contracts would provide a great technological and economic boost to the indigenous defence industries, which would include DPSUs, RURs and other eligible private sector industries. Foreign vendors would be provided great flexibility in effecting tie-up with Indian partners, for this purpose.

There are three guiding principles for this procurement scheme. First, the operational requirements of IAF should be fully met. Second, the selection process should be competitive, fair and transparent, so that best value for money is realized. Lastly, Indian defence industries should get an opportunity to grow to global scales.

With the decks finally cleared, the RFP is planned to be issued in the near future.

Sitanshu Kar

An earlier report by the Indian Express, dated 18th June is given below.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/33998.html

PANEL MEET SOON TO DECIDE ON IAF’S 126 FIGHTERS CONTRACT

New Delhi, June 18: The decks have been cleared for India’s biggest ever global defence tender to acquire 126 multi role combat aircraft. Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said the Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC) will meet within a fortnight to finalise the tender document.

“The DAC will meet within a fortnight and decide on the RFP. All negotiations are over and now it is a question of formalities,” the Minister told media persons after inaugurating a two-day annual Unified Commander’s Conference.

He indicated that issues like factoring in life-cycle costs and clauses of the offset policy have been resolved by saying that the final Request for Proposals would be issued within “one or two months”.

Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal F H Homi left on Monday for a five-day France visit. He will attend the Paris Air Show that will showcase contenders for the contract like the American F-16 and F/A 18 Super Hornet, the French Rafale, Russian MiG 35 and the Swedish Gripen.

Speaking on the LTTE threat, ... (unrelated issues continued).

More Reports:
(note- links shown here may have been shortened. If you're not able to see, right click and copy link location.)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/29/stories/2007062954320900.htm
http://www.indiaprwire.com/businessnews/20070628/23165.htm
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/India_to_buy_126_fighter_jets
CNN Money Report
International Herald Tribune Report
Reuters India Report
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/77788.html
For more reports, see Google News. A Collection of reports like the ones above can be found here.

Interview with Dr. Atre

Frontier India has an extremely informative interview with Former Scientific Advisor Dr. V.K. Atre, who is uncharacteristically blunt and direct about the level of commitment the Services have shown in DRDO projects, preferring to go in for foreign solutions. Considering that Dr. Atre has rarely given interviews & has never criticized the Armed Forces or media before, this is really a revelation, and a wake-up call.

The former DRDO Chief is clear that DRDO has got a lot of flak that it scarcely deserves- the Sources, Armed Forces, An Ignorant Media, Foreign Vendors and the Import Lobby, all with an axe to grind, an interest to serve, or simply trying to cover their own mistakes.

DRDO-bashing is the easiest thing to do, since it is the focal point of all indigenous weapon systems development. Production & Quality problems are blamed on DRDO, even though it doesn't produce equipment, only develop it. Delays are caused by the services, which delay or mess up Staff Quality requirements (the Redesign of LCA wings, or the Arjun Project), or MoD bureaucrats who sit on files, or push pennies to try and save money, at the expense of destroying national security. All these are conveniently forgotten when journalists blame DRDO for any problem that ails the defence projects. And with an active defence contractor Lobby that will do anything for billion-dollar cheques and an easily-influenced media, its no wonder that the spate of recent anti-DRDO rants have been published.

We must be clear that DRDO is at fault in many cases, and is not perfect. But the fact remains that it has been expected to develop world-class systems for costs that Foreign companies throw monthly parties for. Look at the Trishul- how can anyone expect results for a measly $70 mn. Or the LCA, which has reached the stage its at for just $500 mn. The F-22 Raptor has already spent over $60 Billion, and the JSF another 15 billion. The much maligned Arjun has spent only 315 crores to reach the state its in now. And it is a world-class system comparable with the Abrams (which was a $6 bn project) and the latest Leopard 2s.

Dr. Atre comes out strongly against these criticisms and has presented a strong defence of the DRDO, which has had to navigate through a lot of dirt hurled at it to get crucial projects ready. Frontier India also has a lot of other related articles that together, tell the same sad story of conspiracy and slander against the DRDO, which has had to keep quiet and rely on retired officials to defend it. Please read this extremely well written piece (link: http://frontierindia.net/indigenous-defence-research-looking-through-drdo-prism/).

P.S.: Keep looking out for good news on the Defence projects front. A little birdie (Mr. Chacko Joseph from Frontier actually) tells me that a lot of great news is coming up... will update as it comes out.

Indigenous defence research - looking through DRDO prism

Indian Armed Forces are used to import Defence systems from abroad and use them mostly for training and during operations whenever necessity rises. Most of these systems are in free flow production in their respective countries and sometimes inducted by their Services. These systems, therefore, have got the maturity in terms of engineering, production and maintenance. This provides the comfort zone for the three Services to induct, operationalise and maintain these weapons.

The most important aspect is that these weapons, are not designed keeping Indian environment, tactics, operational doctrines or user’ preferences in mind. They are not customized for the convenience of the Indian Armed Forces. Even then, they are accepted by the Services based on their maturity level. Even in those cases where partial quantities are produced in the country, mostly in Indian Ordnance factories (OFB) and Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs), there is hardly any technology transfer taking place. These items would already have been produced in large quantities in their respective countries and would have reached end of production life for their own use. Many times, the tooling will be transferred to Indian production line accordingly. Though the products are subsequently made in India, most of the raw materials and components still have to come from the parent country and the value addition by Indian Industry is very small, varying from 10% to 30%. Even then, this is a preferred route for the OFB’s and DPSUs as there is no risk for them. They have assured product line and order quantities from the Armed Forces. Most of time, the critical high end system’s technology is not passed to India. It is a form of “Technology Apartheid.” India ends up paying exorbitant prices and foreign exchange.

The international arms market runs with political and monetary diplomacy. The arms majors adopt all tricks of trade to push their wares. India is one of the largest importers of arms in the world, hence these issues imply to India too.

With this background, it is natural that the Indian Armed forces hesitate to accept Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed items as they know that even after DRDO successfully develops, there would be a reasonable time gap before a smooth free flow production gets established by the Indian Industry. There is also pressure from import lobbies and vested interest which cultivate the sensation seeking mass media for defaming Indian indigenous research.

It is to be noted that all countries which develops a complex defence system has gone through the same pains and problems as DRDO before serial production gets established.

Frontier India Defence and Strategic News Service interacted with Dr. VK Atre who has held the position of Scientific Advisor to Minister of Defence. I covered in depth on the DRDO point of view on the state of indigenous Defence Research.

There are 4 state actors when it comes to indigenization of weapons.

1) The Ministry of Defence (MoD)
2) The Armed Forces
3) The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
4) The Public sector defence production units (DPSU)

There are 3 non state actors which influence the outcomes
1) Foreign Vendors
2) The Mass Media.
3) The Import Lobby

The Ministry of Defence

Ideally the MoD should act as the bridge between the scientific & technical community and the armed forces.

On the role of MoD in indigenization Dr. Atre say’s “Variable. There are occasions when MoD has supported DRDO strongly and there are occasions when they have not. It depends.... (read more)

Saturday, June 16, 2007

A flicker of 'Radiance'

President Abdul Kalam in a lecture in 2005 had spoken about his fond desire to see the LCA 'Tejas' ("Radiance") achieve greater heights and international recognition.

And what better way to do this than display our very own bird at the biggest aviation fair in the world- The Paris Air Show, a biennial show held on odd years at Le Bourget Airport in Paris.

It was this desire that Kalam articulated in the following verse, entitled "Soaring Dream", which he wrote in 1990.

Fabulous air show of Paris in motion

My thought too in flight and yearns for my Nation

When will the planes designed in my land

Pierce the sky as lightening in action

And gracefully land as angels in full boom

All to the envy of spellbound spectators

Yes we can !!

When we are united in action and addicted to deeds

Sky can't be limit for my nation in action !!

An ambitious dream it would have been when he wrote it. And impossible it would have seemed in 1999, when the LCA was on the verge of being shut down. Now, those difficulties are far away; the LCA is a reality, and a beautiful and powerful aircraft as well. Seeing it fly on foreign shores wouldn't be a surprise.

A lot of people were hopeful that this would happen this year, especially after the amazing displays at Aero India. Mutterings of the LCA flying were all around. Airshowtrips had a tentative list of aircraft being displayed at Le Bourget this year, and, guess what, the LCA was on it- both Static and Flying display as well. That wasn't confirmation enough, since they themselves stated that it was a tentative list. Even then, the prospects of an LCA flying over foreign shores was mouth watering. India-Defence and Bharat-Rakshak both latched onto this news with gusto and came out with these reports ([1] [2]). Then, the Paris Air Show Official Website released an 'Official' list (download the Excel sheet here...) of aircraft taking part, and I was overjoyed to see the LCA on it- both on static and flying display.

Alongside the LCA would have been our very our very own ALH Dhruv, which made a splash at Farnborough last year, along with the HJT-36 'Sitara' and the Lancer upgrade for the IAF Cheetah helicopters. Unfortunately, this years accident at Aero India ruled out the Sitara, after only one more aircraft was left.

Of Course, considering that the LCA has not yet made a night flight, nor been equipped with drop tanks as yet, there was a tingling sensation in the back of my neck that suggested that this was too good to be true. Mails to both HAL and ADA didn't bring any replies. Apparently, others felt the same tingling. Shiv Aroor spoke to the HAL guys, who denied that the LCA was taking part. If that wasn't enough, the Show organisers released an updated list of aircraft (excel sheet) taking part, which removed the Tejas from the list. Even the Airshowtrips.be site shows the LCA as cancelled. Well, the bubble did finally burst. One wonders why the LCA was cancelled from the show. Well, I'm pretty sure it was cancelled, for the Le Bourget guys could scarcely have made any mistakes in their list.

For those who want to share the dream, heres the screenshot of the previous version, showing the LCA. It shows 2 aircraft taking part- Static Display, and flying Display. =>

When I check out books about the latest aircraft, its painful to see even the chinese aircraft discussed, but not a word about the LCA. Thats probably because its till now been a quiet, local project that has not garnered much attention. Most of the talk has only started after the Aero India showing this year. As for the Chinese aircraft, we have to admit, they do have a larger base than ours. Hell, they have exported their aircraft to other nations (third world or not), and that does earn them some attention.

The Tejas, with its excellent performance and handling characteristics, as well as small size and cost is something that should catch some eyeballs. And, as the flagship venture of our aerospace industry, it must be shown to the world. The best way to do that is at the Air Shows. Lets hope that the LCA does fly next year, at Farnborough. That would certainly be a fitting end to Kalam's dream, and the collective wishes of the nation.

Side note:
The news about the LCA is not all bad or disappointing. Apparently, the reason the LCAs were pulled from the show was because PV-2 and PV-3 are undergoing rigorous sea-level trials at INS Rajali in Arakkonam (Bharat-Rakshak report, India-Defence report). Arakkonam has the country's longest runway (4100 m) and is the second largest naval base in Asia. It is also home to the Navy's Tu-142 'Bear' aircraft.

Apparently, these two aircraft are being put through a gruelling series of tests that would hasten the Initial Operating Clearance for the LCA. Its heartening to see the program steaming ahead as planned. The tests will not only test reliability of the LCA systems under the hot and humid conditions, but will also test low level flight characteristics, as well as maritime navigation.

This is probably the first time that the Tejas is flying outside Bangalore, and given the Maritime security role that the IAF envisages for it initially, these test flights are vital. Given the Navy's commitment to the LCA-N program, that too makes these flights important, since they would help give the mariners an idea of the Tejas capabilities. the IAF had formed a core of pilots and engineers into an "LCA Induction Team", which has really helped the LCA induction along, as well as creation of tactics and maintenance plans for the aircraft engineers.

Side note 2:
Lots of pictures from Paris-2007 can be found at these sites: futura-sciences.com, militaryphotos.net, airshowtrips.be and many many more places. I'll try to add as many links as I can.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Daily pill of Defence - 6 April 2008

Friday, April 4, 2008

Daily pill of Defence - 4 April 2008

Sunday, March 9, 2008

The real LCA story

Friday, January 25, 2008

Tejas goes abroad

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Newsflash: LCA Fires Missile

Tejas fires its first missile

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

75 years: Soaring hopes and Ambitious plans

Friday, June 29, 2007

MRCA Tender- RFP cleared for Release

Interview with Dr. Atre

Saturday, June 16, 2007

A flicker of 'Radiance'

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