Planes, graft and national security
India must hasten the process of combat aircraft acquisition to meet the dual challenge posed by Pakistan and its all weather friend China.
At a time when the credibility of the Manmohan Singh regime lies in tatters, thanks to the scandal-a-day allegations of corruption that it faces, the recent announcement of the Government, narrowing the list of qualified bidders, on the acquisition of 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft has, happily, not invited any accusations of corruption, cronyism or nepotism. This is unquestionably because of the impeccable reputation for honesty and probity that Defence Minister AK Antony enjoys in India and abroad.
But, many like former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra aver that our defence procurement procedures are antiquated and excessively time-consuming. They argue that Mr Antonys fixation with his image of impeccable integrity, (he is often jocularly referred to as Saint Antony!), has resulted in serious delays in procurement of vital defence equipment, ranging from Army helicopters and 155 mm Howitzers, to combat aircraft and submarines. Mr Mishra warns that our defence planners have to note that since 2008 the China-Pakistan all weather friendship has become a military alliance directed against India, against which we may have to defend ourselves at the same time.
The Indian Air Force has a sanctioned strength of 39.5 combat squadrons. Barely 29 squadrons are operational at present. Some of them are equipped with aircraft of 1960s and 1970s vintage. Even with scheduled acquisitions, we will have 39.5 operational squadrons only in 2017. We will then find that facing the China-Pakistan alliance the IAF requires a minimum strength of 45 combat squadrons.
Pakistans Air Force presently has 22 combat squadrons. It is set to acquire 10 to 12 squadrons of JF-17 and a couple of squadrons of J-10 fighters from China. The latter is an Israeli variant of the F-16. The Chinese Air Force already has 350 fourth generation fighter aircraft and is set to have an estimated 300 such combat aircraft based in the Lanzhou and Chengdu Military Regions bordering India. Despite these developments, we have proceeded at a rather leisurely pace with our defence modernisation, though in its growing fleet of Russian Sukhoi 30s, the IAF has one of the finest contemporary fighters.
India has adopted a transparent process of tendering for acquiring the MMRCA. The bids came from Russia (MiG-35), Sweden (Grippen), France (Rafale), the US (F-16 IN and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet) and the European Eurofighter Consortium, comprising Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, for the Typhoon. Over the past two years, dozens of senior IAF officials have gone through each of these bids meticulously to see how far they fulfilled the 643 parameters the Air Force had laid down.
The aircraft offered have been put through rigorous flight tests in Leh (high mountainous terrain), Jaisalmer (hot desert terrain) and Bangalore, across the coastal belt. A high-level Technical Evaluation Committee laid down the guidelines for offsets India expects from suppliers, with the manufacturers required to effect substantial transfer of the aircrafts technology in an effort to boost Indias aerospace industry which lags seriously behind its Chinese counterpart.
Following the rejection of the Grippen and MiG-35 bids, New Delhi recently announced that both the American aircraft, the F-16 IN and the F/A-18, had also failed to meet the IAFs requirements. The Americans argued that their fighters alone possess the unquestionably superior AESA radar, which gives them a combat edge. Moreover, the Americans have looked at the entire MMRCA acquisition in larger strategic terms.
American analyst Ashley Tellis, an expert on Indian defence and nuclear policies, asserted, The winner (of the MMRCA contract) will obtain a long and lucrative association with a rising power and secure a toehold into other parts of Indias rapidly modernising strategic industries. The aircraft will play a vital role in Indias military modernisation as the country transforms from a regional power to a global giant. There is disappointment in Washington, DC at the rejection of American bids, especially as President Barack Obama had personally lobbied with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on this issue. Hopefully, the Americans will understand that on issues like the acquisition of the MMRCA, India will not yield to external pressure.
Even the Americans acknowledge that both their warplanes are of relatively old vintage and cannot be upgraded any further. On the other hand, both the Eurofighter and the French Rafale are relatively new and can be upgraded substantially in future. With Pakistan already flying F-16s for over quarter of a century, there was little enthusiasm for the F-16 IN, even though it was a much more advanced version of what the PAF flies. The F/A-18 failed in high altitude flight trials in Leh in early 2010. Its acquisition would have placed us at a disadvantage when facing the Chinese Air Force. In some flight evaluations, the Grippen also performed better than the F/A-18. Moreover, India has found US conditions of end use monitoring of equipment it supplies irksome. Serious doubts also remain about American readiness for transfer of technology, which could substantially benefit our aerospace industry.
The US has little reason to complain when it loses out in the face of international competition. Defence deals with India, even during Mr Antonys tenure, have been substantial and included 6 C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, 10 C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft and 12 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft, apart from the troop-carrying ship, Trenton. India is also set to purchase a substantial number of light howitzers for its Mountain Divisions and consider an offer of 197 helicopters for the Army after having scrapped a deal with Eurocopter following American protests.
Equally, there is no cause for our worthy Communists, who never tire of espousing the cause of the Chinese while turning a blind eye to China-Pakistan nuclear and military cooperation, to celebrate Mr Antonys decision on the MMRCA. Mr Antony has inked more contracts with the Americans than any of his predecessors.
The Ministry of Defence appears to have understandably decided that cost will not be the primary consideration in the selection of the MMRCA. The Eurofighter was sold to Saudi Arabia at a cost of $123 million per aircraft more than double that of its American and Russian competitors. The Rafale, priced at around $85 million, is also substantially costlier than its American and Russian competitors. The Eurofighter deal with Saudi Arabia was clouded with serious allegations of corruption and kickbacks. This should not be repeated in its dealings in India.
version of the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) look-down, ground-mapping, radar. The Indian Air Force is not the most advanced but its leadership, despite its flaws, knows when it is being palmed off with yesterday’s goods. Had Washington offered the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35 Lightning II, the IAF would have jumped at it and the decision would have been hurrahed along by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. In the event, the French Rafale and the EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space) Company’s Typhoon Eurofighter progressed even as Lockheed and Boeing were sought to be pacified with two transport aircraft deals — the one for the C-130J making sense, the other for the C-17 not. Russia, likewise, was mollified with collaboration on the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). To my consternated friends in Washington who sought an explanation, I offered an analogy. Some two decades back, the Daimler-Benz car company entered the Indian market with older Mercedes models, convinced the cash-rich yokels would splash good money for anything with the three-cornered star on the bonnet. The old cars, remained unsold and the investment in production jigs and tools in their factory in Pune went waste. The Germans quickly corrected course, offering the newest Mercedes models, available in Dusseldorf, in Delhi.
