More organized approach could've got LCA faster: DRDO official

[SpArK]

More organized approach could've got LCA faster: DRDO official​

Feb 15, 2014

NAGPUR: In light of defence minister A K Antony recently expressing concern over delay in development of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Avinash Chander, director general (R&D) in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said government should adopt an organized approach in such projects.

Chander, who is also the scientific advisor to defence ministry, was in the city to attend valediction function of Indian Ordnance Factory Service (IOFS) probationers, passing out from theNational Academy of Defence Production(NADP), here. He said, "both research, production of prototypes and trials should go simultaneously. However, in the current system, a separate approval is required for each stage."
In LCA, first 9 prototypes were made and then trials followed. Each step of initial development, trials and making fresh units needs separate permission. An integrated approach will work better, said Chander. Finally with a substantial 40 LCAs ready, the DRDO can hope for faster progress in subsequent stages, he said. The project was sanctioned in 1994 and given the track record of other aircraft including F-16s, it takes at least 15-16 years to develop a new plane, he said.

Chander also pointed out at low budgetary allocation for defence research. In India, around 5.2% of the total defence budget is earmarked for research. In South Korea, it is as much as 20% and China spends 16% of the defence budget on research. On LCA's Kaveri engine that failed to meet the requirements of aircraft, he said it had been subsequently evolved to be now used in the futuristic unmanned combat aircraft to be made by DRDO. The failure of Kaveri engine in LCA was called a major setback. DRDO is now depending on US-made GE engines for the aircraft.

Chander said one of the biggest challenges before DRDO now was to make guided artillery shells. At present, the artillery has conventional shells. These needed repeated bombarding to ensure the target was hit. Guided shells are like smart bombs that can be pinpointed at the target. However, the challenge is to develop a technology that would prevent electronic guiding equipment embedded in shells from getting damaged when the gun fired. Artillery guns fire with almost 60,000 G-force. Even as the design for smart shells was there, the technology to resist the impact was yet to be developed, he said.

DRDO to turn to campus

DRDO is planning to reach out to the campuses to hunt for research ideas. Avinash Chander said plans were under way to start separate centres dealing in different areas of research for tying up with the universities. So far, research outside of DRDO was limited to ordnance factories. In coming years, many new ideas could come from the campuses, he said.


More organized approach could've got LCA faster: DRDO official - The Times of India

 

[thesolar65]

More organized approach could've got LCA faster: DRDO official​

Feb 15, 2014

NAGPUR: In light of defence minister A K Antony recently expressing concern over delay in development of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Avinash Chander, director general (R&D) in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said government should adopt an organized approach in such projects.

Chander, who is also the scientific advisor to defence ministry, was in the city to attend valediction function of Indian Ordnance Factory Service (IOFS) probationers, passing out from theNational Academy of Defence Production(NADP), here. He said, "both research, production of prototypes and trials should go simultaneously. However, in the current system, a separate approval is required for each stage."
In LCA, first 9 prototypes were made and then trials followed. Each step of initial development, trials and making fresh units needs separate permission. An integrated approach will work better, said Chander. Finally with a substantial 40 LCAs ready, the DRDO can hope for faster progress in subsequent stages, he said. The project was sanctioned in 1994 and given the track record of other aircraft including F-16s, it takes at least 15-16 years to develop a new plane, he said.

Chander also pointed out at low budgetary allocation for defence research. In India, around 5.2% of the total defence budget is earmarked for research. In South Korea, it is as much as 20% and China spends 16% of the defence budget on research. On LCA's Kaveri engine that failed to meet the requirements of aircraft, he said it had been subsequently evolved to be now used in the futuristic unmanned combat aircraft to be made by DRDO. The failure of Kaveri engine in LCA was called a major setback. DRDO is now depending on US-made GE engines for the aircraft.

Chander said one of the biggest challenges before DRDO now was to make guided artillery shells. At present, the artillery has conventional shells. These needed repeated bombarding to ensure the target was hit. Guided shells are like smart bombs that can be pinpointed at the target. However, the challenge is to develop a technology that would prevent electronic guiding equipment embedded in shells from getting damaged when the gun fired. Artillery guns fire with almost 60,000 G-force. Even as the design for smart shells was there, the technology to resist the impact was yet to be developed, he said.

DRDO to turn to campus

DRDO is planning to reach out to the campuses to hunt for research ideas. Avinash Chander said plans were under way to start separate centres dealing in different areas of research for tying up with the universities. So far, research outside of DRDO was limited to ordnance factories. In coming years, many new ideas could come from the campuses, he said.


More organized approach could've got LCA faster: DRDO official - The Times of India

Der Aye, Durust Aye!! (Hindi proverb)

 

[kaykay]

I hope they will learn from their mistakes and won't repeat same with AMCA.

 

[sancho]

government should adopt an organized approach in such projects.

low budgetary allocation for defence research. In India, around 5.2% of the total defence budget is earmarked for research.

On LCA's Kaveri engine that failed to meet the requirements of aircraft, he said it had been subsequently evolved to be now used in the futuristic unmanned combat aircraft to be made by DRDO.

The same old denials, justifications and distractions!

 

[sancho]

6 DRDO Projects Delayed

Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday told the Rajya Sabha that six major projects, including Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ and a couple of missile programmes, had been delayed.
In a written reply, Antony said the LCA phase-II, which was to be ready by December 2008, is now expected to be completed by December 2015. “The major ongoing projects of DRDO are lagging behind schedule,” he said.
The Naval variant of the LCA’s Phase-I, which was tentatively set for completion in March 2010, would be delayed till December 2014. The ‘Kaveri’ aeroengine, which was originally scheduled for roll-out in December 1996, recently got an extension at an additional cost and scope.
The Airborne Early Warning and Control System, which was to be ready by October 2011, would now be ready only by December 2015.
The Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) project would now be ready only by December 2015 instead of the previously scheduled May 2011 date. Air-to-Air Missile ‘Astra’ too would now be completed in December 2016 instead of August 2012.

'6 DRDO Projects Delayed' -The New Indian Express


Wonder how they justify these things?