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Bangalore. Indias state-owned aeronautical and defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is planning an investment of Rs.25,000 crores ($ 6 billion approx) over the next decade to enhance its design and production capability for different types of aircraft, including rotary wing machines.
Revealing this, HAL Chairman & Managing Director Ashok Nayak pointed out that HAL already had a robust order book of around Rs.55,000 crores ($ 12.2 billion approx) and that major investments and initiatives were aimed at acquiring the best in technology.
Giving details of various projects HAL is currently working on, he said that upgradation and reengineering of the Anglo-French deep penetration strike aircraft (DPSA) Jaguar in service with the Indian Air Force (IAF) was on while preparations for the production of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) Sitara was also on the its radar.
Of course, the Indian defence ministry is yet to initiate the process for the evaluation and finalization of an appropriate engine for boosting the strike capability and service life of Jaguar.
IAF wants the Rolls Royce engine already powering it either to have additional boost through upgradation or a new engine. Rolls Royce is competing for this project now with US Honeywell.
HAL has already an order for 12 LSP (Limited Series Production) Intermediate Jet Trainers (IJTs) from IAF. Featuring a glass cockpit, Sitara would replace the ageing fleet of Kiran as the platform for stage two training. Powered by a custom-made Russian origin AL-551 engine, Sitara would help the Indian combat pilots to graduate to a supersonic fighter. The IJT project has demonstrated HALs capability to design and build a trainer aircraft on time, observed Nayak.
And of course, IAF and HAL are also testing the trainer version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) which would eventually train both IAF and Navy pilots.
In the days ahead, remarked Nayak, HAL would do a lot more outsourcing.
Infrastructure in the Indian private industry is also coming up. We would like to make use of that, he noted.
Nayak specified that HAL is no way trying to do a monopoly. Apparently, he was reacting to the observation of Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora who recently said that the Government support and focus to HAL was affecting the growth of private sector aerospace manufacturers.
But as the only aviation body of its type in the country, HAL has also been designated as the integrartor for the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA), for which IAF, DRDO and HAL experts are now evaluating six aircraft. The IAF RfP is for 126 aircraft with 63 more in options. But as the IAF is fast losing its outdated Soviet-vintage combat jets to obsolescence, it could eventually order some 300 or so of the selected aircraft.
In the fray are Boeings F-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martins F 16 Super Viper IN from the US, Eurofighter from the four-nations consortium of Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain, Gripen from Sweden, Rafale from France and Mig 35 from Russia.
Another high profile project with HAL is the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), being developed as a follow up to the 5.5-tonne class multi role Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv. Its prototype is now getting ready for its maiden flight in a few weeks time.
Featuring advanced technological elements including a glass cockpit, LCH has been specifically designed to fit into anti-infantry and anti-armour role.
Powered by a high performance Shakti (Ariden) engine developed in tieup with the French engine major Turbomeca, LCH will also be capable of operating from high altitude battle fields. The helicopter will have a substantial component of composite materials to withstand the rough, cold weather.
HAL hopes to sell 65 of these high altitude gunships equipped with helmet mounted targeting systems, electronic warfare systems and advanced weapons and missiles. LCH will have two pilots in tandem, missionized cockpit seats. The Dhruv though has side-by-side seating for two pilots, one of them a dedicated weapons operator.
Nayak also said that the weaponized version of Dhruv, also powered by the Shakti engine, is now getting ready for induction. The attack version of Dhruv has stub wings for anti-armour and air to air missiles as well as rocket pods for 70-mm and 68-mm rockets. Its attack version for the Indian Army would be fitted with anti-tank Nag missile.
Developed by DRDO, Nag features an infrared guidance system and has a range of up to 8-kms. The wepaonised Dhruv will also be equipped with an electronic counter measure (ECM) suite featuring radar and missile detectors, infrared jammers as well as chaff and flare dispersers.
Giving facts and figures, Nayak said that HAL had so far delivered 90 utility versions of ALH to the users, including defence forces and civilian agencies. Indian army is planning to replace its fleet of ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters with Dhruv.
About the recent crash of a Dhruv in Ecuador, Nayak observed that
over-manoeuvring by the pilot could have caused the mishap. There were no cancellation of export orders on account of the crash, he pointed out.
HAL had bagged the US $55-million order for the supply of seven helicopters against stiff global competition to the Air Force of Ecuador. Pending the outcome of the statutory inquiry into the circumstances leading to the crash, Ecuador has however grounded its fleet of Dhruvs.
Notably, the pilot survived the crash.
The sale of Dhruv to Ecuador was Indias first major export outside its immediate neighbourhood. HAL had earlier supplied two Dhruv choppers to Nepal in addition to leasing out one to the Defence Ministry of Israel. The current list of its potential buyers include Peru, Turkey, Mauritius and Maldives.
On the possibility of setting up a Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) centre in Bangalore, he said HAL had no plans in this regard. There had been indications earlier though, but according to Nayak, conditions are not conducive yet for such a venture.
He said there was some progress in the partnership with Russia over the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) and Military Transport Aircraft (MTA).
According to Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, IAF was hopeful to induct the first FGFA squadron by 2016-17.
Yet another high profile project for which HAL is preparing is the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) unveiled by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a followup to the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas which is expecting to get Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) by 2011. MCA will have stealth features and an enhanced strike capability.
In the near future, HAL will manufacture eight Tejas LCA under Limited Series Production (LSP)programme, based on the current progress of the project. IAF has placed an order for 20 Tejas aircraft of IOC standard.
HAL will also be the production agency for the MK-II version of Tejas equipped with an engine capable of generating a thrust of around 95-kN. The basic version of LCA Tejas is powered by GE F404 engine. Competition for a more powerful engine is already on.
On the civilian front, Nayak said that HAL had started preparing the ground for the production of Indias first civilian transport aircraft Saras, now being developed by the Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), a unit of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Thirty to 35 Saras aircraft should be produced at HALs Kanpur establishment, he said adding that Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was expected to give IOC for this aircraft in about a years time.
NAL has said that the third prototype of Saras, which would feature weight reduction to the extent of 500-kg, will fly in 2010. It will be equipped with the Engine Indicating and Crew Alert System (EICAS), and the autopilot. Right now, the aircraft prototype is a little heavier than required.
The two prototypes of Saras have between them logged more than 100 hours of flying. In March 2009, the second prototype of Saras had crashed on the outskirts of Bangalore while on a flying sortie. This mishap had caused the death of three IAF pilots.
DGCA has hinted that the accident was due to the wrong engine relight. The engine relight is carried out before the certification of an aircraft to find out if an aircraft can operate or land with one engine in the event of an emergency of if one of the engines fails.
IAF has evinced an interest in buying 15 Saras. Now NAL is planning to impress upon the Indian Postal Department the utility and economy of using Saras for speedier delivery of parcels. Equipped with two rear mounted engines and designed to operate on short, semi prepared runways, Saras can be used as an executive transport, air taxi, package carrier, air ambulance, and in roles such as remote sensing and aerial survey.
..:: India Strategic ::.. HAL to Invest $ 6 billion to boost capability
Revealing this, HAL Chairman & Managing Director Ashok Nayak pointed out that HAL already had a robust order book of around Rs.55,000 crores ($ 12.2 billion approx) and that major investments and initiatives were aimed at acquiring the best in technology.
Giving details of various projects HAL is currently working on, he said that upgradation and reengineering of the Anglo-French deep penetration strike aircraft (DPSA) Jaguar in service with the Indian Air Force (IAF) was on while preparations for the production of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) Sitara was also on the its radar.
Of course, the Indian defence ministry is yet to initiate the process for the evaluation and finalization of an appropriate engine for boosting the strike capability and service life of Jaguar.
IAF wants the Rolls Royce engine already powering it either to have additional boost through upgradation or a new engine. Rolls Royce is competing for this project now with US Honeywell.
HAL has already an order for 12 LSP (Limited Series Production) Intermediate Jet Trainers (IJTs) from IAF. Featuring a glass cockpit, Sitara would replace the ageing fleet of Kiran as the platform for stage two training. Powered by a custom-made Russian origin AL-551 engine, Sitara would help the Indian combat pilots to graduate to a supersonic fighter. The IJT project has demonstrated HALs capability to design and build a trainer aircraft on time, observed Nayak.
And of course, IAF and HAL are also testing the trainer version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) which would eventually train both IAF and Navy pilots.
In the days ahead, remarked Nayak, HAL would do a lot more outsourcing.
Infrastructure in the Indian private industry is also coming up. We would like to make use of that, he noted.
Nayak specified that HAL is no way trying to do a monopoly. Apparently, he was reacting to the observation of Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora who recently said that the Government support and focus to HAL was affecting the growth of private sector aerospace manufacturers.
But as the only aviation body of its type in the country, HAL has also been designated as the integrartor for the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA), for which IAF, DRDO and HAL experts are now evaluating six aircraft. The IAF RfP is for 126 aircraft with 63 more in options. But as the IAF is fast losing its outdated Soviet-vintage combat jets to obsolescence, it could eventually order some 300 or so of the selected aircraft.
In the fray are Boeings F-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martins F 16 Super Viper IN from the US, Eurofighter from the four-nations consortium of Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain, Gripen from Sweden, Rafale from France and Mig 35 from Russia.
Another high profile project with HAL is the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), being developed as a follow up to the 5.5-tonne class multi role Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv. Its prototype is now getting ready for its maiden flight in a few weeks time.
Featuring advanced technological elements including a glass cockpit, LCH has been specifically designed to fit into anti-infantry and anti-armour role.
Powered by a high performance Shakti (Ariden) engine developed in tieup with the French engine major Turbomeca, LCH will also be capable of operating from high altitude battle fields. The helicopter will have a substantial component of composite materials to withstand the rough, cold weather.
HAL hopes to sell 65 of these high altitude gunships equipped with helmet mounted targeting systems, electronic warfare systems and advanced weapons and missiles. LCH will have two pilots in tandem, missionized cockpit seats. The Dhruv though has side-by-side seating for two pilots, one of them a dedicated weapons operator.
Nayak also said that the weaponized version of Dhruv, also powered by the Shakti engine, is now getting ready for induction. The attack version of Dhruv has stub wings for anti-armour and air to air missiles as well as rocket pods for 70-mm and 68-mm rockets. Its attack version for the Indian Army would be fitted with anti-tank Nag missile.
Developed by DRDO, Nag features an infrared guidance system and has a range of up to 8-kms. The wepaonised Dhruv will also be equipped with an electronic counter measure (ECM) suite featuring radar and missile detectors, infrared jammers as well as chaff and flare dispersers.
Giving facts and figures, Nayak said that HAL had so far delivered 90 utility versions of ALH to the users, including defence forces and civilian agencies. Indian army is planning to replace its fleet of ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters with Dhruv.
About the recent crash of a Dhruv in Ecuador, Nayak observed that
over-manoeuvring by the pilot could have caused the mishap. There were no cancellation of export orders on account of the crash, he pointed out.
HAL had bagged the US $55-million order for the supply of seven helicopters against stiff global competition to the Air Force of Ecuador. Pending the outcome of the statutory inquiry into the circumstances leading to the crash, Ecuador has however grounded its fleet of Dhruvs.
Notably, the pilot survived the crash.
The sale of Dhruv to Ecuador was Indias first major export outside its immediate neighbourhood. HAL had earlier supplied two Dhruv choppers to Nepal in addition to leasing out one to the Defence Ministry of Israel. The current list of its potential buyers include Peru, Turkey, Mauritius and Maldives.
On the possibility of setting up a Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) centre in Bangalore, he said HAL had no plans in this regard. There had been indications earlier though, but according to Nayak, conditions are not conducive yet for such a venture.
He said there was some progress in the partnership with Russia over the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) and Military Transport Aircraft (MTA).
According to Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, IAF was hopeful to induct the first FGFA squadron by 2016-17.
Yet another high profile project for which HAL is preparing is the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) unveiled by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a followup to the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas which is expecting to get Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) by 2011. MCA will have stealth features and an enhanced strike capability.
In the near future, HAL will manufacture eight Tejas LCA under Limited Series Production (LSP)programme, based on the current progress of the project. IAF has placed an order for 20 Tejas aircraft of IOC standard.
HAL will also be the production agency for the MK-II version of Tejas equipped with an engine capable of generating a thrust of around 95-kN. The basic version of LCA Tejas is powered by GE F404 engine. Competition for a more powerful engine is already on.
On the civilian front, Nayak said that HAL had started preparing the ground for the production of Indias first civilian transport aircraft Saras, now being developed by the Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), a unit of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Thirty to 35 Saras aircraft should be produced at HALs Kanpur establishment, he said adding that Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was expected to give IOC for this aircraft in about a years time.
NAL has said that the third prototype of Saras, which would feature weight reduction to the extent of 500-kg, will fly in 2010. It will be equipped with the Engine Indicating and Crew Alert System (EICAS), and the autopilot. Right now, the aircraft prototype is a little heavier than required.
The two prototypes of Saras have between them logged more than 100 hours of flying. In March 2009, the second prototype of Saras had crashed on the outskirts of Bangalore while on a flying sortie. This mishap had caused the death of three IAF pilots.
DGCA has hinted that the accident was due to the wrong engine relight. The engine relight is carried out before the certification of an aircraft to find out if an aircraft can operate or land with one engine in the event of an emergency of if one of the engines fails.
IAF has evinced an interest in buying 15 Saras. Now NAL is planning to impress upon the Indian Postal Department the utility and economy of using Saras for speedier delivery of parcels. Equipped with two rear mounted engines and designed to operate on short, semi prepared runways, Saras can be used as an executive transport, air taxi, package carrier, air ambulance, and in roles such as remote sensing and aerial survey.
..:: India Strategic ::.. HAL to Invest $ 6 billion to boost capability
