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Parts of LCA Tejas go missing from London airport
India's effort at building an indigenous trainer for the air force has hit numerous air pockets since Sthe project's inception way back in 1983.
In one of the comparatively recent gaffes that raised serious security concerns and added to the hiccups in the rollout of the fleet, a huge consignment containing critical parts meant for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas was lost in transit.
Though the bulky cargo went missing in December 2008 from London's Heathrow Airport after it was loaded onto an aircraft in the US, the government, surprisingly, is still clueless on its whereabouts. The consignment contained 15 actuators - devices that control the flow of material or power and which are a part of the integrated flight control system (IFCS) and line replaceable units (LRUs).
It was airlifted by a British Airways plane from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on December 22, 2008. The aircraft was headed for Heathrow Airport, from where it was supposed to come to India and land at the doorstep of LCA manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is likely to face embarrassment because the serious breach of security and the resultant financial loss is now on the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) radar, sources in the defence ministry said.
A laboratory of the DRDO, the Aeronautical Development Establishment ( ADE), entered into a contract with BAE Systems Overseas Inc for the supply of 15 ship sets of IFCS and LRUs for the LCA at a total cost of more than $ 30 million, which works out to Rs. 135 crore.
While 14 containers reached HAL safely, the last consignment of actuators - 15 pieces, each weighing around 200 kg and valued at more than ` 10 crore - went missing, government sources revealed.
It is alleged that the DRDO did not insure the consignment - a contravention of the defence purchase regulation - owing to which the defence ministry was not in a position to claim damages for the missing parts, a government source said. The Purchase Management Procedure of 2006 clearly states that goods costing Rs. 2.5 crore and above should be insured against loss or damage in transit. It stipulates that the insurance cover must be obtained before the consignment is dispatched by the supplier.
BAE Systems was supposed to deliver all the components for the LCA by March 2009. A senior DRDO official conceded that a consignment meant for the LCA, which is still undergoing pre-induction tests, was lost in transit and led to a financial loss. When asked why the DRDO did not seek insurance cover, the official, however, said: "The DRDO or its laboratory and officials cawnnot be blamed for whatever happened and the LCA production work continues without delay." Internal inquiries showed that the ADE shifted the blame to the freight clearing agents, suggesting that they did not advise them to opt for insurance cover.
When the shipment was lost, sources said, the defence ministry had requested the US government to inquire and possibly trace the container through diplomatic channels. The FBI did conduct a probe in America as well as London, but could not crack the case.
The DRDO has not been able to buy that equipment for the LCA since the episode, adding to glitches which the fleet's rollout has been facing. It is not known whether the DRDO conducted an internal inquiry and fixed responsibility on officials for the serious lapses.
The air force has ordered 40 Tejas Mark-I aircrafts, with two such planes expected to be ready for induction by March 2012. A total of Rs. 5,777 crore was sanctioned to the IAF for the development of Tejas.
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Parts of LCA Tejas go missing from London airport : North: India Today
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