Game changer

The deal for 83 Light Combat Aircraft will boost our fledgling domestic aerospace ecosystem

The Union Cabinet’s go-ahead for the purchase of indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) for induction into the Indian Air Force may well be a game changer for self-reliance in the country’s defence manufacturing sector. Tejas, a project that has overcome many ups and downs, incorporates a large number of new technologies which were never attempted in India and will form the backbone of the IAF in the years to come. The Rs 48,000-crore deal for 83 LCA, the first self-made, single-engine and fully-weaponised fighter jet, is expected to boost India’s fledgling domestic aerospace ecosystem. For engineers at state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), it is a landmark moment in the three-and-a-half decade long journey. It was in 1983 that the project was rolled out to build a new LCA as a replacement for the Russian MiG 21s, which continue to fly despite the fleet being obsolete. The main reason for the delay is that India wanted to develop its own jet engine. The aircraft will give a big boost to the domestic aviation industry since it involves extensive cooperation between the private industry and HAL. There are over 70 Indian suppliers involved in manufacturing various parts of the aircraft. In all, about 500 Indian companies, including MSMEs, will be working with HAL in this deal for 83 new Tejas. The purpose for developing a home-grown fighter was twin-fold: to fill the deficiency in combat forces as well as the development of a local industry capable of creating state-of-the-art products with commercial spin-offs for a global market.

Despite the fact that there was a long delay, largely due to ‘technology apartheid’ following India’s nuclear tests, it is a matter of pride for the country that now the ‘Made in India’ LCA has been deployed. It is not only the largest indigenous deal in the defence sector, but also the biggest for fighter jets since the government in the mid-1990s okayed the purchase of 272 Sukhoi-30MKI jets from Russia. HAL has a challenging task at hand and will have to step up its production rate. Last year, an import embargo was imposed on 101 defence items, a new Defence Acquisition Procedure was put in place and foreign direct investment in the sector was raised from 49% to 74% under the automatic route. The government may have made clear its intent to support indigenous defence manufacturing to stem the dependence on expensive high-tech foreign imports, but the real test lies in putting that into practice and ensuring desired outcomes. The IAF at present has 30 fighter squadrons against the requirement of 42 in case of a simultaneous two-front war. The Air Force is banking on Tejas to add to its strength.

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