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US firms seek licences to fulfil LCA contracts

Imran Qureshi, in Bangalore

American companies have sought revival of licences from the US government to begin supply of components for India's multi-role fighter, the light combat aircraft.

This follows Washington's decision to lift sanctions on India that were imposed in the wake of the 1998 nuclear tests.

"They are talking to us. They have simultaneously sought revival of their licenses from the US government to renew fulfilling their contractual obligations," Kota Harinarayana, director of the Aeronautical Development Agency, told IANS.

ADA is the nodal agency that coordinates the work of other bodies for the LCA project.

The imposition of US sanctions had affected maintenance of the GE-404 engines as well as the supply of 11 engines contracted to power the Rs 30 billion LCA project. The LCA is meant to replace the ageing Mig-21's for the Indian Air Force.

About a dozen Indian scientists led by K G Narayanan, director of the Aeronautical Development Establishment, who were working on the flight control system for the modern fighter aircraft at Lockheed Martin had to leave the US within 24 hours after the sanctions were imposed.

"GE and Lockheed Martin have already opened a dialogue and we expect to hear from them in the middle of November. It is too early to say if a delegation would go from here for a face-to-face dialogue," said an official who did not want to be identified.

"We can expect some movement on this front, say by December," said Harinarayana.

But "we are not in such a bad situation as we were in 1998. We have ...worked around and beaten the sanctions. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to successfully complete flying a dozen flights of the first technology demonstrator (TD-1) and prepare for the second prototype," he added.

Harinarayana led the indigenous effort of scientists and researchers from over 100 institutions in the country to produce the first prototype technology demonstrator.

Interestingly, the autolay software used for design and development that was developed by his team has provided spin-off benefits for the global aeronautical industry, helping the ADA to commercially exploit its efforts in the wake of the sanctions.

Airbus Industrie is using it for its 700-seater A-380 plane.

But the efforts came at an extra price because the components had to be sourced from countries other than the US.

The price of these components in the US is more competitive.

As one senior official put it, after the sanctions were lifted "we can breathe a little easier now."

The development of the tail-less, delta winged, digital, fly-by-wire prototype has gone through one of the bumpiest rides before the US sanctions nearly stopped it at the development stage.

US President George W Bush lifted the sanctions after the September 11 terror attacks in a bid to build a coalition against terrorism.

The lifting of sanctions meant that the ADA would be able to get the 11 engines contracted from GE. More importantly, work on the Kaveri engine, the indigenous effort, would proceed in a more realistic time frame.

The development of any combat aircraft goes through an internationally set standard drill of seven years. India is now hoping to get the LCA inducted into the IAF in the next six years.

Indo-Asian News Service
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