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Indigenised aircraft project not likely to go for test flight before 2010
Huma Siddiqui
New Delhi, Nov 12: The light combat aircraft (LCA) project, which was initiated in 1983, is not likely to go for the test flight in December this year. Highly placed sources said that the much hyped indigenised LCA will not see the light of day till about 2010, even though just about $500 million have been spent so far, since 1978. In other words, all the technologies developed, all the engineering person-hours paid for 22 years, all add up to around just $500 million would yield not result the desired result.According to highly placed sources in the Indian Air Force (IAF), efficiency of the LCA itself is in doubt. They fear that the end product will be in a diluted form, as the sanctions imposed by the US has affected the F404 engines and the fly-by-wire technology and the avionics which were to power the first two prototypes for the LCA. This means that the LCA will see the light of day not before 2010. And, if it were not the sanctions, then the LCA would have taken off in 1999-2000.Recently, Air Chief Marshal Tipnis has admitted that the IAF was looking at acquiring more modern aircraft given the delay in the LCA. And, it is expected that IAF will need as many as 10 squadrons in the next few years unless action is taken soon. And this is contrary to the belief and the announcement made by the defence minister Mr George Fernandes recently, that the prototype will take off in December 2000. While under the original plan the aircraft was to fly the prototype in 1990 and to be handed over to IAF by 1993-94, its virtually the end of year 2000, and the prototype has yet to be seen. Sources have revealed that, the LCA cannot fly for another five to ten years, since there are several problems that need to be overcome. And, the most significant reason for this inordinate delay is not exactly the Kaveri engine being designed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), but the overall lack of project management at various levels. According to sources, at the time of taking on the project, everything was either miscalculated or the team was totally unprepared for any sort of delays. Also, what was not foreseen was the resource crunch, which was another significant reason, since all the projects were delayed in the 90s as the country faced a resource crunch which affected the LCAs too. What has slowed down the project is the failure of the Indian scientists to have avionics suitable for the indigenised LCA. There are, however, several other reasons too leading up to the delay experts point out: Lack of initiative on part of the government. The project has cost the government so much money and time, that the disgruntled scientists too at the DRDO have virtually given up working on that.There was no production line for a product that is acceptable. Especially, when the infrastructure required has also to be developed.Politics should have been kept out of the scientific development process.And if one takes into consideration the private industry, then it maybe pointed here that they don't even have 10 per cent of the knowledge that is required to create a product like an LCA. Experts have pointed out that a technology platform should be available to outsource the production to private industry. This will help cut the cost of production and give the private industry an opportunity to get involved in aerospace projects. Fly-by-wire (FBW) technology has been identified as the immediate reason for the delay. While chief scientific advisor to the government of India Dr Abdul Kalam, in 1999, had claimed that the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) had locally developed the digital flight control computer (DFCC) despite sanctions. However, sources have claimed that this locally produced DFCC has failed to carry out LCA's taxi trials to test frame, flight control system, coordination and dynamic stability. Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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