IDN TAKE: Privatizing Combat Jet Production

[mkb95]

The government is all set to increase orders for indigenous fighter jet Tejas, but Air Force officials had questioned the plane's capabilities. The Indian Air Force said the move to increase reliance on the Tejas, delayed by more than 15 years, would severely compromise India's combat worthiness because this would lead to total dependence on state owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), which the officials said has a poor quality and delivery record. Besides, Tejas Mk-1 will be able to meet only the low end of Air Force requirements.
It should be noted that the government ordered additional LCAs with features more advanced than the Tejas Mk-1, including a self-protection jammer, an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to be procured from Elta of Israel, and air-to-air refueling capability. This version of the aircraft has been labeled Tejas Mk-1A.
Credibility Issues
Experts believe that IAF's combat needs would be met only with the Tejas Mk2, which will be powered by a higher thrust GE 414 engine, compared to the GE-404 engine currently powering the Tejas Mk-1 and Tejas Mk-1A Historically, HAL not only has a poor record on delivery, but produces inferior products. Their unprofessional approach to service requests from Ecuador for the 8 Dhruv advanced light helicopters led to the eventual cancellation of the contract with HAL. Ecuador earlier complained that the Indian company had failed to ship some parts for the helicopters, which were bought for a total of $45.2 million.
The another major issue facing the Air Force is the lack of homogeneity in aircraft design, such that each aircraft seems to be ever so slightly different; this is a major shortcoming. Whereas US and French designed aircraft are developed from drawing board onwards to be easy to repair and parts are freely swappable. If HAL has made Tejas more maintenance-friendly than its predecessor products, then IAF would not have been high-strung to the induct the jet.
India appears to have unwitting followed the Russian model of aircraft design, who is India's traditional weapons supplier. The Air Force has been chary about the performance of its prime fighter the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, which is facing several unresolved service issues including in-flight displays blanking off, ejection seat activating on its own and grievous failures with its engines. There have been no fewer than 69 investigations involving engine failures since 2012, according to Defence Minister Parrikar. Between January 2013 and December 2014 alone, the Indian Air Force recorded 35 technical problems with the turbofans. These issues directly reflect HAL's production inadequacies.
Over the next couple of years HAL should increase its production capability from the current level of 6 aircraft annually to 7 by 2016-17 and 8 in 2017-18 and thereafter boost it to 16 each year, only then they can earn the confidence of Ministry of Defence (MoD), who seem to have noted HAL reluctance to change its old ways. Otherwise, MoD will be forced to adopt the option of enabling private players to assemble the combat jets. Since the technology rests with ADA rather than HAL, transitiong the task would not be a major impedement. The priviate industry would gladly welcome such a move by MoD.
The other alternative would be to either purchase fighter combat aircraft from overseas on a fast-track government-to-government basis (jsut as in the case of the 36 Rafale procurement) or set up another aerospace agency either government owned or private other than HAL to manufacture the increased numbers of Tejas Mk-1A
HAL officials in their charactertic manner have shown wonted overconfidence and dismissed saying that they do not respond to such criticism, and that they will meet the delivery schedules.

The Mk-1A Factor
Some analysts, however, said purchase of additional Tejas Mk-1As might be the best solution to meet immediate fighter aircraft requirements.
"With the IAF's fixed-wing fighter fleet witnessing an alarming decrease, the homegrown Tejas Mk-1A seems to be the quickest solution to arrest this decline. However, a more long-term solution needs to be found in terms of offensive capability," said Ankur Gupta, a defense analyst with Earnest and Young India.
"To the best of my understanding, the Tejas Mk2 is many, many years away. I don't think a single prototype has been built yet so the earlier projected timelines do not stand true," Gupta said. Initial operational certification and final operational clearance for Tejas Mk2 could stretch well into 2025, Gupta said.
A MoD official, however, said with the addition of an AESA radar, a jammer and air-to-air refueling capability, the Tejas Mk-1A should meet the operational needs of the Air Force, but declined to say when the Tejas Mk2 will be complete.
Retired Air Marshal Subhash Bhojwani said that while the AESA radar and air-to-air refueling capability would compensate for most of the LCA's operational deficiencies, with regard to day-to-day line maintenance he said that the Tejas will remain an engineer's nightmare.
As matters can be measured now the only option for the government is to entrust Combat Aircraft production to the more efficient and accountable private sector rather than continue with a white elephant like HAL. Only then serious issues which the Air Force is facing right now can be mitigated over a period of time.
Admin - IDN

 

[Water Car Engineer]

Please let it happen, right has HAL even delivered SP2 yet?