The slogan of the salon Aero India is "Make in India"
The tenth International Aerospace Show Aero India 2015, which opened in Bangalore, will undoubtedly leave a noticeable mark in the history of the entire global industry.
First, the exhibition is being held a few weeks after the leaders of Russia and the United States visited India - first, in December 2014, Vladimir Putin, then Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and then Barack Obama. Second, the Bangalore bride show will be held for the first time under the "Do in India" slogan, which has been announced by the new government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Slow corkscrew breakout
Moscow and Washington are the main rivals for the supply of military products to New Delhi. Analysts say Russia is striving to maintain its position as a major supplier. Since the 1960s, the volume of our country's arms exports to India has amounted to at least $ 45 billion. More than 60 percent of the main military platforms currently in service with the national armed forces are produced in Russia. At the same time, in recent years, India has been striving to diversify its suppliers of military equipment. As a result, in the period 2011–2014, Washington surpassed Moscow: 5, 3 and 4, 1 billion dollars, respectively, according to experts of the weekly "Janes Defense Weekly".
"The price of Rafale fighters has already more than doubled compared to the $ 10 billion announced in the tender."
Regarding Modi's slogan, sources in the Western defense industry told Janes: "Obviously, we have something to offer to the Indian defense market, but the main emphasis will now be on partnerships with Indian firms."
The combat readiness and combat effectiveness of the Indian Air Force is declining, despite the coming to power of the government, which seems ready to make the most radical decisions regarding the acquisition of weapons and military equipment (AME).
In 2006, Jane's World Air Forces, the Jane's World Air Forces app, described the Indian Air Force as a competent, knowledge-intensive military, characterized by a severe shortage of pilots and a very high accident rate, especially with regard to fighters MiG-21.
The Indian Air Force's fleet, with the exception of the Su-30MKI, is aging and measures are being taken to repair, modernize and replace both combat and transport aircraft. The publication writes: “The Indian Air Force operates in a state of constantly changing structure. Optimal decision-making is complicated by the political pressure, the impact of past tender corruption scandals, conflicting budget priorities, persisting problems associated with the development of domestic systems and bureaucratic delays in the tender procedures."
Of course, a lot has changed in recent years. An internal assessment of the Indian Air Force in 2014 and published in Janes shows that the combat, transport and helicopter fleets averaged 60 percent over the previous three years. At the same time, as studies have shown, the fleet of combat aircraft had the lowest level of operational readiness - 55 percent, helicopters - 62 percent, and training (TCB) and air vehicles - 65 percent. According to the study, this state of affairs is primarily due to delays in the implementation of procurement programs of the Department of Defense and the poor state of maintenance and support for the operation of aircraft platforms by HAL Corporation (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited).
The Parliamentary Defense Committee is confident that the military department has not been able to provide the state of the air force that India requires. A number of reports published at the end of December last year pointed to the persistent budget deficit and its negative impact on the combat capability and combat readiness of the Air Force.
Parliament is particularly displeased with the Ministry of Defense's inadequate management of the Air Force's combat aircraft fleets. Emphasizing that the number of squadrons is currently only 34 units instead of the envisaged 42, the committee stated that the current situation is due to the lack of predictive planning. In particular, the programs of the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) and the LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) light combat aircraft were highlighted as concerns.
LCA program
LCA or Tejas is a program for the development and production of a domestic Indian light fighter that started in the mid-1980s. The first serial "Tejas" in the Mk.1 version was transferred to the Indian Air Force a month ago - 32 years after the start of the program.
In February 2014, the Ministry of Defense announced that the LCA program was lagging behind as one of the main reasons for the slowdown in the build-up of the Air Force's capacity, and Tejas certification was postponed due to problems with the development of the aircraft's critical systems.
Dissatisfied with such a report, the parliamentary committee announced that it illustrated the ministry's careless and callous approach to improving the effectiveness of air force squadrons. The LCA backlog is a symptom of what Narendra Modi described in August 2014 as chalta hai, or careless, devil-may-care attitude. “There is no shortage of scientific talent and opportunities in India, but it is the negligent attitude towards their duties that puts an end to all endeavors,” the prime minister said at a specialized event at the headquarters of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in New -Delhi.
“The world will not wait for us,” he continued. - We must run ahead of time. We do not have to say that the project, which started in 1992, will be completed after some time. Considering how rapidly military equipment is developing in the world, India cannot afford to modify systems that are already two steps behind what will soon be presented on the market."
The single-seat light fighter LCA reached initial combat readiness only in December 2013 - two years later than planned. Constant delays in the program forced the Air Force to extend the life of the MiG-21, which were to be replaced by LCA./p>
According to HAL, six production LCA will be built by 2016, and in the future it is planned to achieve an annual production rate of 16 units. According to the calculations of the corporation's management, the delivery of two air squadrons of 20 Tejas Mk.1 fighters each will be completed by 2018. The first of these will initially be based in Bangalore to enable HAL to respond quickly to emerging technical problems. Subsequently, this squadron will be relocated to its place of permanent deployment in Sulur, 350 kilometers from the city of Coimbatore in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Overall, HAL and ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) DRDO have spent $ 1.33 billion to date on the development of the LCA. Since 1983, when the program started, 16 Tejas M.1 aircraft have been built: two technology demonstrators, three prototype fighters, two LCA training aircraft, seven small-scale production and two carrier-based prototypes.
Although building the first production model is a great achievement, officials do not deny that the aircraft does not meet the requirements of the Air Force and is a temporary replacement. Insufficient engine power of 80–85 kN limits the armament, the fighter is not equipped with electronic warfare equipment.
In addition, the LCA will not be able to strike with long-range missiles and hit aerial targets out of visual range, as the integration of the weapon kit is still ongoing. And the equipment for refueling in the air LCA Mk.1 will receive only when it reaches full combat readiness.
Many have questioned former HAL President RK Tyagi's claim that 60 percent of LCA components and systems are locally designed and manufactured. In any case, General Electric's F404-GE-IN20 engines, weapons and many other elements of the fighter are imported.
Today, the Air Force is pinning its hopes on the LCA Mk.2, which is expected to be powered by the more powerful GE-414 engine and is expected to be ready for serial production in 2019-2020.
Meanwhile, on the eve of the opening of the salon from the factory airfield of the HAL corporation in Bangalore, the second prototype NP2 (Navy Prototype) of the LCA aircraft in the naval version - LCA-N took off. Earlier, on December 20, the NP1 prototype made a springboard takeoff at the Goa training ground. These two events marked important steps in the implementation of India's LCA-N program, which aims to develop technologies that enable aircraft to be used from a ship, including landing with aerofinishers and springboard takeoff. India is now one of the three countries with a naval aviation proving ground and the world's six capable of developing ship-based aircraft.
MMRCA program
The initial tender, opened in 2007, envisages the acquisition and licensed production of 126 aircraft in India. In early 2012, Dassault with the Rafale fighter was selected as the winner of this tender.
Recently, however, Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar suggested that the Indian military might acquire additional Su-30MKI multifunctional fighters instead of continuing ongoing contract negotiations with Dassault over the licensed production of 108 Rafals at HAL's Bangalore facilities. This proposal was supported by a number of high-ranking representatives of the Ministry of Defense, one of whom said that the final decision on the Rafale fighters should be made by New Delhi before Modi's official visit to France and Germany, scheduled for April.
"The Ministry of Defense insists that the actions of the Dassault do not contradict the terms of the 2007 tender, which include the requirements of the Air Force for the MMRCA aircraft," said one of the high-ranking representatives of this service. A significant part of these requirements include Dassault's commitment to licensed Rafale production at HAL facilities. “Dassault’s reluctance to take responsibility for this part of the tender conditions, which includes quality control, delivery times and early assessment of losses, may well lead to the elimination of the results of the tender,” he added.
The French aircraft manufacturer explains its protests against customer compliance by the fact that it has no administrative leverage over HAL, which, as noted in parliamentary reports and complaints from the Air Force, often disrupts production schedules and overspends on many projects.
On February 11, Laurent Colle-Billon, head of the General Directorate for Armaments under the French Ministry of Defense, explained: Dassault refused to extend warranty service to Rafale fighters, which will be produced under license in India. This should not cause additional complications, since these conditions were not stipulated in the RFQ prior to the holding of the relevant tender in India."
France allegedly insists on increasing the cost of these aircraft in the event that a decision is made to service them by the manufacturer's specialists. Meanwhile, the price of fighters has already more than doubled in comparison with the $ 10 billion announced during the tender.
The Indian Air Force, despite all these problems, still believes that the program for the purchase of Rafal fighters should be implemented. Retired Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur of the Air Force Research Center in New Delhi is "cautiously optimistic" about the Rafale purchase and does not support Defense Minister Parrikar's recent proposal for additional purchases of Su-30MKIs in place of French fighters: The next aviation commanders persuaded the government to make a decision on the purchase of "Rafale", this choice was made after a comprehensive professional assessment, which did not cause any controversy."
Bahadur believes that significant technological differences between the French platform and the Su-30MKI determine the operational need for the acquisition of the Rafale. He admitted that the cost of the Su-30MKI built under license, amounting to 59.66 million, is about half that. But he drew attention to the extremely high cost of operating Sukhoi aircraft, which require extended and expensive parking spaces. More economical in operation and maintenance, the French fighter also has a technical advantage over the Su-30MKI, since it is equipped with an on-board radar station (BRLS) with an active phased antenna array (AFAR), and, in addition, it has an effective scattering surface.
Another advantage of the Rafal, according to Indian experts, is that it is a single-seat platform, while the Su-30 requires a crew of two. “The acquisition of an additional number of Su-30MKIs will definitely require the preparation of an increased number of pilots compared to the acquisition of Rafals, at a cost of huge amounts of money,” explained Bahadur.
Military analyst Air Marshal Retired Jimmy Bhatia also believes the Rafale is more important in improving the Indian Air Force's combat capability, as it provides improved data processing and increased situational awareness: Rafali is urgently needed to fill the gap left by the decommissioning of fighters. MiG-21 and MiG-27, and get capabilities that the Su-30MKI does not have. Consideration should be given to the performance and lifecycle costs, as well as some of the other benefits of this platform. Delays under the LCA program require an early signing of the contract and the start of delivery of French fighters."
FGFA program
During the visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to India, the parties agreed to accelerate work on the creation of the fifth generation FGFA (Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft) fighter jointly developed by Sukhoi and HAL on the basis of the PAK FA platform (promising frontline aviation complex) or T- 50 of the RF Air Force.
"The tender for the purchase of reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters was canceled due to the negligent selection of the winner"
Under this $ 11 billion program, New Delhi is allocating $ 295 million for the development of a draft design. According to existing plans, HAL will build 130-145 FGFA aircraft by 2020-2022 for a total of $ 30 billion. Representatives of the Indian Air Force stipulate that this number may increase significantly, taking into account the development by China of the fifth generation J-20 and J-31 fighters, the latter of which may enter service with the Pakistani aviation.
In 2014, work on the FGFA program practically did not progress, as the partners clarified a number of controversial issues. On January 10, the world media, citing the regional director for international cooperation of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Andrei Marshankin, reported that Russia and India had agreed on a draft design of the FGFA fighter. According to the UAC representative, there is already documentation and understanding of the scope of the next design stage, the scale of future serial production. Marshankin did not disclose any other details. In particular, the question was not clarified in what configuration the preliminary design of the FGFA was agreed - single or double.
It was previously believed that although the Indian Air Force traditionally prefers aircraft operated by two pilots, they would remove this requirement for the FGFA, since the Russian side requested a billion dollars for the development of a two-seat version (this option would be significantly different from the PAK FA, which could be taken as the basis for the FGFA). At Aero India 2013, for example, only a single-seat mock-up of a joint fighter was presented.
During the visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to India, the parties agreed to accelerate work on the creation of a fifth generation fighter. Photo: ITAR-TASS
Nothing is known about the engine. India has consistently insisted on equipping the FGFA with the Russian AL-41F1 (or "product 117") being developed for the PAK FA, and on providing a level of stealth and weapon capabilities similar to the T-50. In addition, New Delhi is demanding an increase in its participation in the program after Moscow unilaterally cut it from 25 percent to 13 percent. India is trying to gain wider access to fighter design, Janes said.
Nevertheless, said military analyst Air Marshal in reserve Jimmy Bhatia, these issues are unlikely to derail the program: “As in a number of other Indo-Russian defense deals, ultimately all problems will be resolved in bilateral negotiations. The Indian Air Force has no choice other than FGFA to master stealth technologies. With all possible shortcomings, only the Russians will be able to provide us with these technologies, and no one else."
Less transport problems
While the Indian Air Force combat aircraft fleet is only partially effective, the situation with transport platforms is much better. This is largely due to the choice in favor of the American program of military assistance to foreign countries FMS (Foreign Military Sales) and the improvement of the strategic partnership between Washington and New Delhi.
Back in the mid-2000s, relations between the two countries left much to be desired. The Pentagon's Office of General Assessments has released a report according to which there is persistent and in some cases deep mistrust in the area of military cooperation as a consequence of the Cold War and India's close ties with the Soviet Union. The US hoped to overcome the negativity with a special campaign launched at the 2003 Aero India Air Show, two years after the lifting of Washington's sanctions against New Delhi for conducting nuclear tests in 1998. Efforts have led to negotiations on a possible delivery to the Indian Air Force of Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft (MPS) and C-130 transports. The sale of the C-130 (at the initial stage of negotiations, six, and in the process of agreeing on 12 machines) was settled in 2008. And the potential P-3C contract was replaced by the export of Boeing's Neptune P-8I MPS to India. This was the first overseas delivery of this type of aircraft, which significantly increased the capabilities of the Indian Navy.
In addition to the C-130 (the cost of the first six platforms is $ 962 million), the Air Force also purchased 10 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy transport vehicles from the United States for $ 4.1 billion. The parties are currently negotiating 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy transport helicopters, as well as 22 Apache AH-64E attack helicopters, which won the Indian tender in October 2012.
After the C-130 and C-17 filled the corresponding niche in the national air force fleet (the first five C-130s are used by special forces, one was lost in an aircraft accident in 2014), India began implementing two ambitious programs to replace in the future a fleet of 105 modernized medium transport aircraft An-32 of the Ukrainian company "Antonov" and 56 obsolete "Avro-748M" (Avro 748M).
The first task, as envisaged, will be solved by the jointly developed Russian-Indian MTA (Multirole Transport Aircraft), while the replacement of the Avro is stalled due to the filing of a single tender for the tender. The proposal for a possible supply of the C295 twin-engine turboprop aircraft came from a joint venture between Airbus Defense and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and was approved by the India Production Authority IPA (Indian Production Agency). However, according to the DPP (Defense Procurement Procedure), if the only bidder takes part in the tender, special permission from the Cabinet of Ministers is required to approve his project. If received, 16 military transport aircraft (MTC) C295 will be delivered ready-made by Airbus, and another 40 will be built by the Indian partner within eight years from the date of signing the contract. As an Airbus spokesman explained to Janes weekly, the European aircraft manufacturer is awaiting a decision on the further terms of its cooperation with TASL after submitting a joint application for the competition.
According to the vice-marshal of aviation in the reserve Manmohan Bahadur, it is necessary to have some options for solutions in the stage of approval and implementation until the decommissioning of the An-32 fleet in the 2030s: “Planning must start now, and the proposal for import and licensed production 56 rather than 40 military transport aircraft, it could well fill the existing gap by increasing the number of aircraft. This is vital not only to improve the efficiency of the Indian Air Force's transport aviation in the future, but also to stimulate the domestic aircraft industry in order to reduce dependence on imports."
A decision on the C295 was originally expected in November last year, but has been postponed until February 9 for additional information. However, on February 8, the Indian news agency PTI, citing the Ministry of Defense, reported that the deadline for making a decision was again postponed. Analysts expect that a decision will be made in the near future, and suggest two possible scenarios for the development of events. According to the first, the tender will be held anew so that Indian rather than foreign companies play the main role in the implementation of the program. The second option involves the suspension of this project in favor of accelerating the MTA program.
Meanwhile, Airbus, while awaiting a decision on the MTC C295, hopes to clarify the situation with the tanker aircraft in the near future. The European multi-role air tanker / transport aircraft A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport) developed by Airbus in early 2013 won a victory over the Il-78 developed by Ilyushin OJSC in a tender of 1.8-2 billion dollars. “The situation has developed in such a way that after the elections and a change of leadership in the Indian Ministry of Defense, the procurement process was postponed,” said the press secretary of Airbus. “Naturally, we hope that the agreement will be finalized in the near future.”
Educational-training disputes
Disputes over the replacement of imported products with domestically produced equipment have also affected the purchase programs for training aircraft (TCB). Although the production at the facilities of HAL of the advanced training trainer "Hawk" Mk.132 (Hawk Mk 132) of the BAE Systems company is considered a great achievement, the Indian corporation has been delaying the design and construction of the intermediate training trainer "Sitara" for a long time.). This affects the training process for Air Force crews who are forced to use the aging HJT-16 Kiran fleet.
In 2018, it is planned to decommission the Kiran trainer, since there is no way to support the operation of the Orpheus engines manufactured by Bristol Siddeley, which these aircraft are equipped with. “This will force the Air Force to change its training schedule by eliminating the intermediate training phase,” says Bhatia. - Accordingly, the flight time will be transferred to the PC-7 basic training aircraft and to the Hawk. Bhatia believes the Air Force should abandon the HTT-40, which HAL has been developing for more than five years, promising a first flight by the end of 2015.
The Defense Ministry is trying to oppose the Air Force, which is advocating the purchase and construction of 106 PC-7 Pilatus TCBs under license, in addition to 75 aircraft that have already been purchased from the Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft in 2012 for a billion dollars. The Defense Department is instead pushing to approve the development of the HTT-40 to fill the gap in 181 TCBs in basic training.
In turn, the Air Force objected to training on two different types of TCB basic training, reasonably arguing that the cost of their logistical support would be too high. "The development of the HTT-40 should be shut down as this is just a waste of money," Bhatia said.
Officers' wives demand modernization
The effectiveness of the Indian fleet of attack and heavy transport aircraft is ensured thanks to deliveries under the FMS program, which cannot be said for the RSH (Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter) reconnaissance and surveillance vehicles. In 2004, the Ministry of Defense announced a tender for the purchase of RSH helicopters, the results of which were canceled in 2007 due to a negligent selection of the winner. In August 2014, the Indian Defense Ministry again suspended plans to import 197 vehicles, although the qualifying competition between the AS550 Fennec of Eurocopter and the Ka-226 of Kamov ended.
According to the new guidelines, it is planned to build about 400 RSH helicopters under license in accordance with one of the DPP items - Buy and Make Indian. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense has repeatedly extended, in the interests of domestic manufacturers, the deadlines for submitting responses to RFI requests under the RSH program - first from November 11 to December 23, 2014, and then until February 17.
While senior Defense officials have calculated that local production of RSH helicopters is generating $ 6.44 billion for the Indian defense industry and will be in line with Modi's instructions to reduce dependence on defense imports, for Air Force pilots and army aviation, the cancellation of the RSH tender means flights on obsolete platforms such as licensed Chetak helicopters (based on Aerospatiale's Alouette III) and Cheetah (based on Lama SA315B), which arrived at armament in the 60s and 70s.
"The closure of the RSH program (in the original version) will deal a serious blow to the provision of helicopter support for army formations deployed in the Himalayan regions on the border with China and Pakistan," said military analyst Lieutenant General in reserve Vijay Kapoor.
A negative decision on this tender could also have political implications: in November 2014, a group of wives of Indian army officers demanded that the army aviation cease the use of old Chetak and Chitah helicopters due to the high accident rate of these platforms. They claim that 191 such vehicles have crashed over the past two decades, killing 294 officers.
India - its air defense missiles
Like other defenses, the effectiveness of India's air defense system has been significantly reduced due to the cancellation of domestic development programs and delays in the procurement of military equipment produced by the joint venture and foreign companies. One such example is the development program of the local industry in partnership with the European MBDA anti-aircraft guided missile (SAM) "Maitri". Negotiations have been going on since 2007, and in the end, the Indian Air Force and Army, without waiting for the results, made a choice in favor of the development of the Akash medium-range system by the domestic industry.
The decision on how to overcome the problems under the Maitri program was proposed in July 2014 to the then Minister of Defense Arun Jaytli by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. In 2013, after six years of negotiations, a memorandum of understanding was signed between MBDA and DRDO, providing for the distribution of the shares of participation of the two parties in the planned work. However, further depends on the approval of the Indian military department.
The National Air Force has placed an order for eight Akash anti-aircraft missile regiments and plans to more than double this number in the future. The ground forces intend to start commissioning four regiments.
An MBDA spokesman confirmed to Jaynes weekly the Indian Armed Forces' actions on Akash. That, however, does not mean the closure of the Maitri program, he added. “It is important for India to check the Buy and Make Indian implementation box in terms of combat capability and technology transfer,” explained an MBDA spokesman.
Another key air defense program awaits a decision of the Ministry of Defense - for the procurement of a portable short-range system VSHORADS in the amount of three to five billion dollars. Under this program, in 2013, field tests of the Mistral complexes developed by MBDA, RBS-70NG by Saab and Igla-S by the Russian Kolomna Machine Building Bureau were completed. The decision on the tender is currently suspended due to the US proposal to supply India with the FIM-92 Stinger systems of the Raytheon company under the FMS program.
Pakistani-Chinese respite
The combat capability of the Indian Air Force in the short and medium term will depend entirely on the approach of the Modi government to the procurement of weapons and military equipment. One gets the impression, experts say, that the Ministry of Defense will adhere to a dual policy, encouraging domestic development and production, but with foreign participation. This point of view is shared by sources in the Western defense industry, who told Janes that in promoting products to the Indian market, they will focus on partnerships with local companies.
Since coming to power in May 2014, the Modi government has made two important decisions. The first of them provides for an increase in foreign direct investment in the country up to 49 percent in order to increase the attractiveness of the Indian market for foreign leading companies. The second, associated with a pragmatic approach to the defense procurement procedure, involves the elimination of the threat of foreign manufacturers being blacklisted for violating the rules for selling sophisticated equipment.
This approach includes a proposal to relax the rules for the use of intermediaries in this area. Many observers believe that local assistance is vital to procurement negotiations. Any attempt to regulate the process will undoubtedly increase industry confidence and can simplify lengthy acquisitions.
If Modi manages to demonopolize the production of military equipment and increase the efficiency of defense companies and organizations, he will succeed where no Indian government has been able to achieve tangible results before him, analysts say. There are two factors at work for the prime minister. The nascent private sector is seeking to support the military by eliminating the monopoly of state-owned companies over the supply of military equipment. At the moment, the geopolitical situation around India is relatively stable.
While Indo-Pakistani ties have never been harmonious, Islamabad is now more concerned about the Taliban threat, which means New Delhi has yet to experience the potential negative strategic implications of a reduction in its fighter fleet if the issue is not resolved positively. Equally, China is in no hurry to continue border disputes with India, which gives New Delhi a respite and time to improve its defense procurement policy.
According to the rules in force in India for the procurement of weapons at the first stage of the tender, companies whose proposals do not meet the technical requirements are excluded. On the second of the remaining participants, a short list is formed, from which the most attractive offer from a financial point of view is selected.
As the British "Telegraph" reported, citing a source in the Indian Ministry of Defense, Narenda Modi will announce changes in the rules for the procurement of weapons in the near future. “After the Aero India-2015 salon, these innovations will be included in the procurement policy, which is now being prepared by Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar,” the source said.
