Maroc - EURASIAREVIEW.COM - A la une - 13/Feb 00:40

Impediments To Indigenous Manufacture Of Military Aircraft In India – Analysis

Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh on Monday slammed officials of the state-owned military aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautic Ltd, for tardiness in the delivery of fighter jets and sternly asked them to be conscientious. At the Aero India 2025 exhibition in Bengaluru on Monday, the chief the Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh publicly slammed officials of the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for failing to meet the IAF's critical requirement of fighter jets as promised.  The Hindustan Times reported that Air Marshal Singh went to the extent of saying that he has "no confidence" in the state-run aircraft maker. "I can only tell you our requirements and what our worries are. You have to alleviate those worries and make us more confident. At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen," Singh is heard saying in the clip posted on YouTube. The aircraft, which the chief had flown at the air show was said to be a Light Combat Aircraft Mk 1A. But actually it wasn't that, as it lacked many essential features. Singh pointed out that a Mk-1A will be Mk-1A only when fully fitted. The IAF had ordered 83 Mk-1A fighters for INR 480,000 million in February 2021 and plans to buy 97 more Mk-1As at a cost of around INR 67,0000 million. The first aircraft was to be delivered by March 31, 2024, but that didn't happen, partly because the US firm GE Aerospace's inability to supply the F404 engines on time. There were also delays in some key certifications. Nevertheless, HAL unveiled the LCA Mk-1A, at the air show on Monday, in a bid to allay concerns about its readiness to supply the aircraft. But Air Chief Singh was very disappointed that the plane he flew was only a partially fitted. "I was promised when I come here in February that I will see 11 Mk-1As ready minus the engines. That is what I was promised. Not a single [fighter] is ready... You [have started] calling it Mk-1A. It is not Mk-1A. Mk-1A is after the capability comes in. Then only it is Mk-1A. The weapon has to come in. When the capability comes in, then it is Mk-1A. I find that we are just not in mission mode." An unidentified HAL official then heard saying "I can assure you that no stone will be left unturned. Your directions are noted." To which the IAF chief said: " I feel only a few are putting in effort or may be everyone is putting effort in their own silo and that the overall things are not working out. Something has to change. Something drastic has to change." Short of Fighters The IAF is deeply concerned about the current pace of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) as the delay affects the combat effectiveness of the IAF given the rise in the capabilities of both China and Pakistan, India's challengers in the immediate neighbourhood. The IAF is meant to have 42 squadrons, but for the last ten years, it has had only 30. While the government has made Atma Nirbhartha or self-reliance, as it motto, and is discouraging imports, indigenous industry has not measured up to the challenge. Quality Issue According to Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (https://www.spsmai.com/experts-speak/?id=124) the quality of aircraft rolled out by HAL is questionable. Over the last 45 years, the IAF has lost as many as 1100 combat aircraft for reasons attributable largely to technical failure. That works out to an average of 24 aircraft lost per year. Of all the fleets, the IAF has experienced serious quality issues with aircraft of Russian origin of the older generation, manufactured under license and/or maintained by HAL. These include the MiG-21, MiG-27 and the MiG-29 fleets. In fact, owing to frequent crashes, the MiG-21 has acquired the nickname "flying coffin". Crashes occurred frequently in the MiG fleet primarily because of engine failure, Pandey says. One of the contributory factors to the poor quality of output by HAL, especially on aircraft engines, is the rush to meet production targets towards the end of the financial year. In one particular year, HAL overhauled four engines of MiG-29 aircraft in the first six months of the financial year. But in the last three months of the same financial year, under pressure to meet with deadlines, HAL completed the overhaul of four engines. Compression of time by 50% would have had a deleterious effect on the quality of work. The IAF has lost a number of Su 30 MKI aircraft on account of technical failure. In one case, two pilots flying a Su 30 MKI, while approaching the runway to land, suddenly found themselves catapulted out of the cockpit when neither of them had operated the ejection system! The overall fleet serviceability of the Su 30 MKI hovers around 55% as opposed to the stipulated minimum of 70%. Over the years, the IAF has lost 50% of its MiG fleet and nearly 200 fighter pilots. A majority of the accidents have been caused by flaws in the manufacturing or deficiencies in the overhauling process. It is not without reason that the Dassault Aviation of France was unwilling to stand guarantee for the quality of the product and the delivery schedule if it was compelled to join hands with HAL to produce the Rafale combat jet in India. This proved to be the nemesis for the eight-year bid to buy 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft. Enter Private Sector Foreign defence manufacturers are now looking to the Indian private sector for partnerships. Airbus has joined hands with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. to produce the C-295 to replace the ageing Avro fleet of the IAF and there are reports of a similar joint venture between Airbus and Mahindra Aerospace to produce a Light Utility Helicopter. HAL's inefficiency is helping impart fresh impetus to the private sector in the Indian aerospace industry. Budget Allocation Fall Tushar Chakrabarty of the Institute for Policy Research Studies points out that allocations for defence in India's annual budgets have been falling over the years. In 2014-15, the Central government spent 17.1% of its total expenditure on defence. This increased to 17.8% in 2016-17. However, since then, the share of defence in total central government expenditure has steadily decreased. In 2024-25, the Centre is estimated to spend 12.9% of its total expenditure on defence, as compared to 13.9% at the revised estimate stage in 2023-24. According to recent reports, India's defence budget for 2025-26 allocates approximately INR 1.92 lakh crore (around US$ 22 billion) for capital expenditure, which includes buying new weapons and modernizing the military. But the recurrent expenditure (mainly salaries and pensions) stands at around INR 4.88 lakh crore (around US$ 57 billion), thus making up a significantly larger portion of the total defence budget. In most years this has been so. Between 2013-14 and 2024-25, defence pensions have increased at an annual rate of 11%. In 2024-25, 23% of the total defence budget is estimated to be spent on pensions. This leaves very little for buying or manufacturing equipment or spending on R and D.