Erospace & Defence Eview
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II/2013 ARerospace &Defence eview Building National Air Power ‘Iron Fist 2013’ : before, Lessons from the LCA during and after Aero India 2013 - a review Rudra for the Army AgustaWestland II/2013 II/2013 Aerospace &Defence Review Innovative action – Vayu stand in Hall A was visited practice but since 1953, treated 38 by the thousands, three Vayu some privileged citizens to fire not platitudes Show Dailies were published power and aerobatic displays. Air Marshal Brijesh Jayal, writing and widely distributed during with the biennial Aero India Show the Show – and to readers far as backdrop takes a snap shot beyond ! view of how Indian Aeronautics, Building National Air Power ‘Iron Fist 2013’ : before, and more specifically, its Lessons from the LCA during and after Aero India 2013 - a review Rudra for the Army Industry have evolved over the past 20 years. The defence HAL ALH Mk.IV Rudra at Aero India 2013, procurement procedure itself Yelahanka (photo by Angad Singh) has also evolved but while India possesses all the prerequisites for a sound aeronautics industry, its contribution to building national EDITORIAL PANEL air power has not been in keeping with the potential for lack of a The LCA – still a pie MiG-21 Pioneers at MANAGING EDITOR 82 104 National Aeronautics Policy. Vikramjit Singh Chopra in the sky Lugovaya Perhaps the most enlightening Air Marshal Brijesh Jayal EDITORIAL ADVISOR event at Aero India 2013 actually reminiscences on MiG-21 took place at the International conversion training at Lugovaya, Admiral Arun Prakash Conference in downtown in the then Soviet Union, during EDITORIAL PANEL Bangalore a day before the Show October 1962-February 1963. was inaugurated at Yelahanka. Pushpindar Singh The theme was ‘Challenges in Air Marshal Brijesh Jayal Design to Deployment. Vayu Air Cdre. Jasjit Singh recorded first hand the candid Lt. Gen. Kamal Davar address by Air Commodore K Muthana, Project Director Gp Capt JC Malik at the NFTC on the ‘Critical Dr SR Valluri lessons from the D&D of Cdr M Nirmal LCA’. The conclusion was that Monica Arora 46 The continuing primary problem with the LCA 108 From Fishbed to Bison Angad Singh RSH saga programme is ‘management’! April 2013 marks 50th Richard Gardner (UK) Angad Singh writes on the anniversary of the MiG-21 in situation today, where it has service with the Indian Air Force, Reuben Johnson (USA) taken the MoD a decade already beginning with the MiG-21F-13 Simon Watson (UK) to do nothing ! The initial RFP (Type 74 or Fishbed C) till the Bertrand de Boisset (France) was issued 10 years ago and present MiG-21 Bison. ‘Saga of Dr Nick Evesenkin (Russia) virtually the same helicopters the MiG-21bis’ upgrade by Air Commodore Nayani Harish is Tamir Eshel (Israel) have been evaluated time and again. With HAL’s LUH still published on the eve of that ADVERTISING & MARKETING MANAGER years away from IOC, the Army momentous anniversary. urgently requires new rotorcraft Husnal Kaur assets. ‘Iron Fist’ 2013 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER 86 Three years after the Vayu Shakti Premjit Singh 2010 fire power demonstration at Pokhran, the Indian Air Force displayed its might under the new banner Iron Fist. Vayu editors were on hand to witness the ‘shock and awe’ and record events by camera for its vast Published by: readership. However, in an Also : THE SOCIETY FOR AEROSPACE STUDIES exclusive, Vayu’s Simon Watson New Rotary Wings for D-43, Sujan Singh Park, Once more with feeling: from the UK was permitted to New Delhi 110 003 India 48 visit some of the bases before, the Dutch, Hunt with the Aero India 2013 during and after the main event. Tel: +91 11 24617234 Hounds, Run with the In this comprehensive coverage These dramatic images are Fax: +91 11 24628615 of the biennial event hosted at combined with the on-the- Hares, Army Day 2013, e-mail: [email protected] Air Force Station Yelahanka, spot article from Pokhran, 64th Republic Day, e-mail: [email protected] the Vayu editorial team have giving readers a most unusual Rudra – the Destroyer reviewed highlights of the Show, opportunity to also ‘have been Printed at Aegean Offset Printers with the large editorial team there’ ! being virtually everywhere, Vayu also looks back at ‘The The opinions expressed in the articles Regular features : from covering exhibitions at the Tilpat Years’ at which range just Commentary, Viewpoint, Opinion, published in the Vayu Aerospace and various Halls to attending press Defence Review do not necessarily reflect 20 kilometers south of Delhi, Aviation & Defence in India, World the views or policies of The Society for conferences as also conducting the Indian Air Force carried Aviation & Defence News, Vayu 25 Aerospace Studies. exclusive interviews. Even as the out not only routine armament years back, Tale Spin. Visit us at: www.vayuaerospace.in lovea380.com Operators love the aircraft that passengers love to fl y. Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks. A 380 Higher load factors. Lower costs. When will your revenues profi t from the A380? Airbus . Love at fi rst fl ight. 56122_038AIRBUS_Vayu_Oct.indd 1 __TFG Prepress__ 19/09/2012 16:18 lovea380.com Operators love the aircraft that passengers love to fl y. Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks. A 380 Higher load factors. Lower costs. When will your revenues profi t from the A380? Airbus . Love at fi rst fl ight. 56122_038AIRBUS_Vayu_Oct.indd 1 __TFG Prepress__ 19/09/2012 16:18 C O M M E N T A R Y in defence hardware and software. There are several reasons Beyond the old formulae why this must be done. First, imported weapons systems widen he sorry tale of India’s attempts at self-reliance in defence the balance of payments deficit. Second, imported arms can be Tequipment continued at this year’s Aero India show in a potential security risk. During the 1982 Falklands war, the Bangalore. Defence minister AK Antony mouthed platitudes Argentine military disabled two British warships with Exocet about how indigenisation, including technology transfer, was missiles supplied by the French.Then-British prime minister uppermost on his mind. The State-owned Defence Research Margaret Thatcher was so upset by this that she threatened to and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over the Dhruv nuke the Falklands unless the French handed over the missiles helicopter and displayed a new and improved Light Combat codes to the British. The request was granted, enabling British Aircraft. That the real story of homegrown defence development forces to foil further attacks and win the war. In the years since has not changed was underlined by the more candid statements of then, weapons have got ever more reliant on IT and software. the Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, who What prevents Indias weapons suppliers from handing over the called for financial penalties against Indian defence equipment codes of weapons used by us, to potential enemies ? makers guilty of “poor performance” when it comes to producing Third, we need to remember that China, which has a much good weaponry on time and within budget. larger military than Indias, is not just a major manufacturer of India’s inability to manufacture any defence equipment was defence systems, it is now emerging as an exporter too. There is once an embarrassment. Today, it is a festering economic sore no reason why our domestic defence manufacturing should not and a national security issue. In a recent report, the Stock-holm at least match up to Chinese levels. The offset policy, in which International Peace Research Institute showed that between 2007 30% and more of the value of all large import orders have to be and 2011, India was the world’s largest arms impo-rter, spending spent by the supplier in one of a number of specified ways that $12.7 billion on weapons. And this story will get worse. Even include local investment, technology transfer and procurement, after announced austerity measures, IHS Jane’s Defence Budgets is a means of building up strong indigenous capacity in the has projected that India will be spending over $65 billion on defence sector. And finally, the private sector must play a vital weapons by 2020. Inevitably, given our inability to even produce role in this project, both to lower costs and improve efficiency ‘Made in India’ army boots and pistols, let alone submarines and in defence production, and to boost the technological base of fighters, much of this will be spent overseas. Indian industry in general. Mr Antony has attacked the performance of the State- owned enterprises and he repeatedly called for indigenisation. From : The Economic Times In Bangalore, he insisted that technology transfer would be a prerequisite for all future contracts. This is the easy response Probe, don’t scrap to demands for indigenisation. The DRDO and State-owned nvestigations into the allegations of corruption in the firms regularly receive infusions of technology but are incapable IAgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal must unearth the money of converting this knowhow into an innovation cycle. The trails and lead to punishment of the guilty. But the government’s technology is usually out of date and repeated transfers have to initiation of cancellation proceedings on the deal is a move be arranged every few years at the cost of several billion dollars that is as misguided as it is predictable. It threatens to bring on per dose. A much more strategic plan to develop indigenous needless costs for the system. And in as much as it virtually defence capacity is needed. The monopoly of the State-owned amounts to an admission of guilt, it would even appear to be defence enterprises must be broken.