Project Delays in DRDO

[KashifAsrar]

Can the forces bank on DRDO?

‘After Promising The Moon, It Delivers Too Little, Too Late’

Rajat Pandit | TNN



New Delhi: Buy or make? This existential question has dogged defence acquisitions in the tussle between the armed forces and DRDO over the years. The Barak case has once again brought their conflict to the fore.
Strangely enough, for an organisation not known for its competence, DRDO has time and again managed to veto plans of armed forces to ‘‘buy’’ military hardware and software from abroad by promising to ‘‘make’’ them indigenously. ‘‘After promising the moon, DRDO either does not deliver or delivers too little, too late, affecting our overall defence preparedness,’’ says a senior officer.
Take the CBI case in the Rs 1,160-crore deal, which was signed in October 2000, for Israeli Barak-I anti-missile defence systems. One of the main CBI contentions is that the then defence minister George Fernandes gave the go-ahead for the Barak deal by overruling DRDO, which had then held that its own Trishul AMD system was in an advanced stage of development.
While kickbacks may have been paid, the decision to overrule DRDO was certainly valid, considering that the 9-km-range Trishul system is still nowhere near becoming operational, despite being tested over 80 times.
As reported by TOI earlier, from missiles, radars and electronic warfare programmes to juices, mosquito repellents and titanium dental implants, DRDO has a whopping 439 projects and studies worth around Rs 16,925 crore on its plate at present.


ENDLESS WAIT

Trishul missile
Sanctioned: 1983 Status: Not ready

Akash missile
Sanctioned: 1983 Status: Not ready

Nag antitank missile
Sanctioned: 1983 Status: Not ready

Arjun tank
Sanctioned: 1974 Status: Not inducted

Tejas LCA
Sanctioned: 1983 Status: Projected final operational clearance by 2010





‘Akash’ project delay has upset IAF plans, says Air chief Tyagi

New Delhi: Defence Research and Development Organisation on several ocassions has vetoed plans to ‘‘buy’’ military hardware and software by promising to ‘‘make’’ them. But while self-reliance in defence is a worthy objective, it cannot be at the cost of military preparedness. Here’s a sample of some key Defence Research and Development Organisation projects:

Akash:

This indigenous 25-km-range missile system was meant to bolster air defence cover, which still has many gaping holes. But just like its sister Trishul, Akash is still far away from induction into the armed forces. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, in fact, says the delay in Akash has ‘‘upset’’ his force’s air defence plans. Consequently, IAF is now going to acquire 18 Israeli quick-reaction SpyDer anti-aircraft missile systems, worth around Rs 1,800 crore, to replace its aging OSA-AK and Pechora systems.
Arjun: Despite this project being sanctioned way back in 1974, the Arjun main-battle tanks are yet to be fully combat-worthy. If left to the Army, they would use the bulky Arjun tanks for target practice only. It was, incidentally, Pakistan’s acquisition of 320 T-80UD tanks from Ukraine, coupled with a general upgradation of its armoured capabilities, that led Army to press for procurement of 310 Russian T-90S tanks at a cost of Rs 3,625 crore.
Under the February 2001 contract, another 1,000 T-90S tanks will now be produced indigenously over the next decade, under transfer of technology from Russia, to ensure India retains the armoured combat edge over Pakistan.

Tejas LCA:
The Light Combat Aircraft, sanctioned in 1983 to replace the aging MiG fighters in IAF’s combat fleet, will take another six-seven years — if not more — to become fully-operational.
Though Defence Research and Development Organisation proclaims LCA will be a state-of-the-art fighter when ready, Indian Air Force is already grappling with a rapidly-depleting number of fighter squadrons.By 2012, the overall LCA project cost could touch Rs 10,000 crore, with the government having already sanctioned Rs 5,489.78 crore for Tejas till now. It’s no wonder IAF is desperate for the $6.5-billion deal to acquire 126 multi-role combat aircraft from abroad to take off as soon as possible. These three cases are just the tip of the iceberg. With around 29,000 personnel in 50 laboratories and establishments, Defence Research and Development Organisation continues to be way behind schedule in several crucial projects ranging from the Nag anti-tank guided missile to the Kaveri engine meant for fighter jets.
The solution probably is to go in for more and more ‘‘Buy and Make’’ deals, which involve direct acquisitions followed by indigenous licensed production, or joint R&D projects to develop frontline weapons. A good example of this is the joint development of the 300-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with Russia.
As for advanced AMD systems, Navy has pinned its hopes on the January 2006 DRDO-Israel Aircraft Industries agreement to develop Barak-II or Barak-NG (next generation), with a 60-km range, by early 2010 in the $350-million project.

 

[KashifAsrar]

Trishul set for quiet burial by year-end

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The Trishul antimissile defence system, which DRDO tried to peddle to the Navy in late-1990s to scuttle the procurement of the Israeli Barak-I system, will die its own natural death in the next two months.
After more misses than hits, Trishul’s ‘‘project closure’’ date has been set for December 2006 — a euphemism for it being scrapped—. To save itself the embarrassment over the abandonment of the project, DRDO has taken shelter behind the alibi that ‘‘all development work on it has been completed’’.
As reported by TOI earlier, after spending around Rs 300 crore and some 80 tests later, the Trishul project was being progressed merely as a ‘‘technology demonstrator’’, after being delinked from the user services (armed forces).
Instead of Trishul, DRDO will now concentrate fully on the $350-million Barak-NG (next generation) project signed with Israel Aircraft Industries in January this year, as also reported earlier. ‘‘While Barak-I has a 9-kmrange, Barak-NG is slated for a 60-km interception range for incoming enemy sea-skimming missiles. The timeframe for the project is four years from the date of the agreement (January 2006),’’ said a senior official.
‘‘This is the first time India is participating in such a hightech venture as a full and equal partner, with DRDO getting the opportunity to leapfrog ahead. The decision for Barak-NG was taken after extensive consultations among the Navy, DRDO and others,’’ he added.
Though Trishul’s long saga may be coming to an end, DRDO is still hopeful of delivering its sister missile system, the 25-km-range Akash, to IAF by 2009 or so.
That may well turn true but a worried IAF is now going in for a Rs 1,800-crore deal for 18 Israeli Spyder quick-reaction anti-aircraft missile systems to plug holes in its air defence capabilities.
Both Trishul and Akash, incidentally, are among the five core missile systems of India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, which was launched as far back as in 1983. Only the 150-250-km range ‘‘Prithvi’’ missile and the 2,000-km-plus ‘‘Agni-II’’ missile have been fully inducted into the armed forces till now.
Even DRDO’s claim about Trishul system being indigenous were flawed, say some Navy officers. ‘‘Its surveillance radar was Dutch, firecontrol system was Swedish and Russia was involved in its missile production,’’ said an officer.
Right through its trials, Trishul system was dogged by repeated failures in its missile guidance and control systems, which included technical problems in perfecting the ‘‘three beam’’ guidance system.

 

[waz]

The Indian armed forces are better of ditching DRDO and putting their time and resources into joint efforts such as Brahmos which have paid good dividends to them. I have read article written by military experts in India at the dissatisfaction the top brass have over DRDO's lack of progress..


The article also mentioned an armoured edge over Pakistan but where? Even with the induction of the 1000 T-90’s they will be facing 600 T-80’s with 300 of those being the latter T-84 configuration that is just as good and in fact better in some parts than the T-90. You then have the 600-700 Al Khalids as well which makes a force of 1200…..That’s just balancing the equation. You then have our T-85 which will be upgraded along with the Al Zarar which will face off against the T-72’s. By the time the induction of all the T-90’s takes place Al Khalid two will be coming out.

 

[Owais]

DRDO must get its act together: Services brass

[ 19 Oct, 2006 0133hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: The armed forces' brass had two specific messages for PM Manmohan Singh on Wednesday. One, corruption scandals in defence deals should not be allowed to derail modernisation plans. And two, DRDO must get its act together, instead of delivering too-little, too-late.

Sources said the PM was told during the combined commanders' conference that long delays in procurement of desperately-needed military hardware and software, coupled with tardy progress in DRDO projects with unrealistic timeframes, was causing a steady depletion in the war-waging potential of the armed forces.

Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash, for instance, stressed that episodes like the recent CBI kickbacks case in the Rs 1,160-crore Barak deal would send the wrong message that it's better to avoid taking decisions rather then they coming back to haunt you later, said sources.

Any paralysis in decision-making would not augur well for the future of India's defence preparedness, he said. The Navy, of course, is quite upset that one of its former chiefs, Admiral Sushil Kumar, has been named as an accused by CBI for legitimately favouring the top-notch Israeli Barak-I anti-missile defence system in 1999-2000 over the still-unsuccessful indigenous Trishul system.

IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, in turn, pointed to the long delays in the indigenous 'Tejas' Light Combat Aircraft, as well as the acquisition process for 126 multi-role combat aircraft from abroad, to buttress this point, said sources.

Grappling as it is with a rapidly-depleting fighter strength, the IAF will lose its long-standing combat edge over Pakistan in a few years from now, warned ACM Tyagi.

Pakistan, as it is, is on course to get 36 or more advanced F-16s, apart from upgradation of its existing 32 F-16s, from the US.

This will be supplemented by a large number of JF-17 'Thunder' fighters jointly developed with China. The PM, on his part, said the government would ensure a "balanced development"of the country's defence capabilities.

In pursuing the modernisation of the armed forces, "we seek the optimal blend of developing and producing indigenously and sourcing from elsewhere".

"Transparency in procurement is a desirable objective, both for good governance and national security. Reports critical of such processes can demoralise the Services, where they are untrue, and must be directly addressed, where they are true,"he said.

The forces certainly need reassurance that the frequent eruption of defence scandals will not hit their modernisation plans.

 

[Keysersoze]

Does the government not have some sort of oversight committee?
I mean by all standards that would be unacceptable.
And this is coming from someone who is used to the screw ups by the MOD!

I have heard the arguement that they are getting experience. But consistantly failing does not constitute a positive thing.