Clipped wings

When India's indigenously designed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) does eventually make a successful first test flight, it will be met with a ...

When India’s indigenously designed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) does eventually make a successful first test flight, it will be met with a muted cheer in the Indian airforce. That long-awaited event, scheduled for sometime late this month, appears to have been put off again because of concerns over the flight control system. No new date has been announced. When and if the frequently deferred lift-off does occur, the airforce will still have to hold its horses. It will take another decade or so before the IAF can count on having an operational squadron of the aircraft. If, therefore, there is a noticeable lack of enthusiasm in the IAF about the LCA, it is understandable. At the current rate of progress the LCA will be technologically obsolescent when the IAF starts flying with it. This is disturbing. The LAC’s troubled design and development history and stretch-out production schedule have contributed to the worrying assessment of the airforce’s combat capabilities in the latest report of the Parliamentarystanding committee on defence.

The committee is right to call for a performance audit of the LCA project but it should have gone further in light of its own conclusions and asked for a complete review. Both the committee and the IAF believe the aircraft may not be inducted before 2015. It is essential therefore to ask the defence ministry to justify the project afresh, taking into account the cost of stop-gap arrangements involving the still to be upgraded Mig-21, the cost and feasibility of incorporating new design features in the LCA and the cost of available alternatives. With an investment of almost Rs 3,000 crore so far, the LCA, unlike some other defence projects, has not been starved of funds. US sanctions after Pokharan-II have undoubtedly been a serious setback. But the long-running problems seem to lie in design and project management and these should be investigated. More drift will not do. A firm conclusion must be made about the best course of action. Common sense says it is foolish to carry on simply because the project isthere. The government would be wise not to rely solely on the judgment of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and others closely involved with the project. Independent advice is crucial.

The LCA is the most prominent of several gaps in IAF capabilities and the report is scathing about slippages in air defence systems including the Trishul and Akash missiles. Precisely where the slippages are occurring is not spelled out naturally but once again it seems to be that technological and scientific claims have been somewhat exaggerated. Certainly, the delays can no longer be blamed on a shortage of funds. It may also be a case of trying to do too much at one time. Priority-setting may relieve the pressures on development teams. It appears that indigenous production is not the only area of trouble. The acquisition of advanced warning and control systems has been dogged with problems. Defence Minister George Fernandes has been holding out hope of the Israelis supplying the AWACs and he remains confident of this, despite China’s unsuccessful bid to acquire the same equipment. If the AWACs do materialise, a large gap in Indian air defences will be plugged.