NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Rezaul H Laskar in New Delhi
India is considering proposals from several countries to jointly produce the indigenously developed light combat aircraft, which has completed its first phase of tests after taking to the skies in January.
Sources in the defence ministry said offers had been received from British Aerospace (BAe) Systems, Russia's Sukhoi and MiG corporations, and aerospace companies from Malaysia and South Africa.
"All these offers are being considered and we are looking at the possibility of forming some sort of consortium for the production of the LCA, both for the Indian Air Force and for export markets," a senior defence ministry official, who did not want to be named, said.
"The LCA is expected to have a production cost of $15-20 million, a very competitive price when compared to western aircraft. This should allow us to export it to countries looking for a cheap and effective combat jet," the official said.
BAe Systems and the two Russian firms are major suppliers of aircraft to the IAF. BAe's Jaguar and several MiG series aircraft are made under licence by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which played a vital role in the design and fabrication of prototype versions of the LCA.
The defence sources said collaboration with foreign partners could cut cost of production and speed up the development of the LCA, which flew almost 13 years after work began on the aircraft.
The LCA is the second aircraft indigenously developed by India after the HF-24 Marut which first flew in 1967. The LCA, however, is expected to enter service with the IAF only by the end of the decade.
The Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Agency, the defence establishment heading the LCA programme, is preparing several prototypes of the aircraft to test sensors, radars and the indigenously developed Kaveri engine.
A US-made General Electric F404 engine powered the LCA on its maiden flight. India imported 11 of these engines before their sales were restricted under sanctions imposed by Washington in the wake of the Pokhran nuclear tests of May 1998.
Indian defence officials believe the US decision to resume defence supplies following the withdrawal of these sanctions could benefit the LCA programme.
"Till the Kaveri engine enters production, we could import more engines to power the LCA. This will speed up the testing and development of the aircraft," said an official.
The Kaveri has so far been tested in India and at a high altitude facility in Russia but Indian scientists are still facing teething problems with the engine.
India has already spent some Rs 22 billion on the LCA and, according to a reliable estimate, a further Rs 30 billion will be needed for the development of the aircraft, which was designed to replace the IAF's ageing fleet of MiG-21s.
The IAF has projected a requirement for some 220 LCAs.
Indo-Asian News Service
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
