By Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd.)
New Delhi. Indian Air Force (IAF) continues to be at a low of 31 squadrons. The global aerospace industry accounts for nearly 40 percent of global military expenditure which was $ 2.24 trillion in 2023. Indian Armed Forces have increasing defence aerospace requirements and budgets. But, unfortunately, India continues to be one of the largest importer of aviation products.
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is likely to issue an open tender for the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) for 114 fighter jets for the IAF. It could be one of the largest defence procurement projects in recent years.
The aerospace industry involves development, production and maintenance of aircraft, missiles and UAVs. It also involves many airborne systems, avionics, aero-engines, rockets, and weapons. Aviation technologies are the leading and cutting edge, and often game changing. Obsolescence sets in faster. For India to be a global player, it must become self-sufficient in defence and aerospace. These require investments in research and development. For India to sit on the global high table, it must master some of these for Make In India manufacturing.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), other Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU) and private industry have seen rising technological and manufacturing capabilities. India has clear advantage of higher skills and lower costs of production. The present government’s ‘Atamnirbharta’ push supports the ‘Make in India’. Time is ripe for mastering new technologies and boosting domestic defence production. Artificial intelligence (AI) and Information Technology will support the process.
Indian Military’s Aviation Requirements
Indian Armed Forces require many fighter and transports aircraft, and helicopters.
UAVs, Flight Refuellers, Radars and Avionics
India just procured 31 General Atomics Predator MQ-9 UAVs costing nearly $3.9 billion. Configured in both Reconnaissance and Attack variants, it’s a big ticket acquisition towards India’s strategic requirements.
India requires additional Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA), Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, drones, among others. There is a need for air defence radars, missiles systems, long range precision aerial weapons, and much more. India remains dependent for foreign help in aero-engines, many avionics, radars, some weapons, and ejection seats, among others.
HAL Great at License Production
HAL is the leading aerospace company with its 19 production units. It has manufactured 26 different types of aircraft, mostly military, through indigenous development and licence-production deals.
HAL license produced fighters including Su-30 MKI, medium transport aircraft, trainers, and helicopters. HAL has also built both Russian and Western aero-engines under license. Significantly, HAL will now also make GE 414 engines in India.
HAL also supplies components for the major global companies’ such as Airbus, Boeing, Eurocopter, among others. HAL’s composite manufacturing capability is of world class. Nonetheless, HAL has potential to do better in human productivity and quality assurance.
HAL has just completed deliveries of 40 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ‘Tejas’ Mk1.
On order are 83 LCA MK1A with modern AESA radar, and deliveries are now delayed to April 2025. IAF has committed to additional 97 Mk1A recently.
HAL is also working on LCA Mk2 with the more powerful GE 414 engine, now called the Medium Weight Fighter. The Mk2 is now planned to roll out around August 2025, and make first flight in March 2026, and induction around 2032. IAF has committed for around 120 LCA Mk2 initially. Numbers will go up later maybe to 200.
IAF also awaits the indigenous, HAL-DRDO’s fifth-generation stealth Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). This is a work still in initial progress and the prototype is expected by 2028 and induction around 2035.
Helicopters
India has done well in helicopter production. Nearly 400 Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), ALH-WSI ‘Rudra’, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) ‘Prachand’ and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) are already flying. HAL is also developing Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH).
Meanwhile the NAL-HAL Saras transport plane continues to be developed slowly.
DRDO’s Potential to Harness Aviation Technology
Many of DRDO’s 52 laboratories run aviation technology projects. These include aeronautics programs, unmanned aerial vehicles, missiles and other weapons including lasers, precision-guided munitions, glide bombs, electronic warfare, and the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV).
There is a Defence Technology Commission with the Defence Minister as its Chairman.
What matters for defence preparedness is the R&D systems that actually get inducted into armed forces. DRDO systems that have actually been inducted include the LCA, Akash AD missile system, Sukhoi Su-30MKI avionics, Tarang radar warning receiver, Retarder bomb kits, Netra AEW&C, series of surveillance and missile control radars, Prithvi and Agni series of missiles, Helina ATGM, BrahMos and Nirbhay cruise missiles, Astra AAM, ABM (Anti Ballistic Missile System) project’s AAD (Advanced Air Defence) and PAD (Prithvi Air Defence) missiles.
Some More HAL Projects
Among the ongoing projects are DRDO/HAL AMCA, Rustom, TAPAS-BH-201 and AURA UAV, missile approach warning system (MAWS), Multi-role radar ‘Uttam’ for LCA, laser and DEW (Directed Energy Weapons), FLIR and Wide angle HUDs, Barak 8 LRSAM, NGARM (New Generation Anti-Radiation Missile) Rudram-1, ASAT capability enhancement, Sudarshan Laser guided bomb, Garuthmaa & Garudaa 1000 kg Glide Bombs, Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW), High Speed Low Drag Bomb, Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) and GTX-35VS Kaveri engine, among few more.
DRDO is also converting six each pre-owned airliners into AEW&C and FRA aircraft for IAF. And IAF has ordered six more ‘Netra’ AEW&C.
These need hastening. The infrastructure is in place.
There is been significant success in the LCA program, missiles, and radars. In many other areas, it is work still in progress. The committee set up for ‘restructuring and redefining’ role of DRDO under the former Principal Scientific Advisor to government, K Vijay Raghavan, has submitted its report. The committee, has suggested a comprehensive restructuring of DRDO, including the consolidation of its 41 labs into 10 national labs, and the establishment of five national test facilities. Action must unfold quickly.
Significant Private Industry
Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), in a joint venture with Airbus, opened a facility in Vadodara for making CASA C-295 MW transport aircraft. Tatas produce Akash SAM launchers as well.
They also have an aerospace production facility in Hyderabad where they are making aero-structures for Boeing CH-47 Chinook, AH-64 Apache, Lockheed Martin Sikorsky S-92 helicopters, C-130 Hercules, and for the Pilatus PC-12NG.
Although India has not bought Lockheed Martin’s F 16, the Tatas also -produce its wings for the company’s global supply chain.
Dynamatic Technologies makes assemblies of vertical fins for Sukhoi 30 MKI fighters, and also supplying aero-structures for Airbus aircraft. Hyderabad’s VEM technologies manufactures central-fuselage for LCA Tejas. Many Indian MSMEs and start-ups are in defence production.
UAVs and Drones Best Handled by Private Sector
Indian armed forces have a huge requirement of large and medium UAVs. India needs drones. Manned Unmanned Aircraft Teaming (MUMT) is an area of action.
Adani Elbit Advanced Systems India Limited is producing Hermes-900 UAVs in India. Many start-ups have entered drones and counter drone manufacturing. These include Newspace Research & Technologies, Paras Aerospace, VEDA Aeronautics, Throttle Aerospace, General Aeronautics, Redwing Labs, Dhaksha Unmanned Systems, UrbanMatrix Technologies, Thanos Technologies, and Auto Micro UAS, among many others.
Even TASL will soon make UAVs and kamikaze drones.
Developing New Aviation Technologies
India needs to cover a lot of distance on aero-engine, stealth, advanced multifunction AESA radars, Infra-Red Search and Tracking (IRST) system, Electronic warfare, Directed Energy Weapons (DEW), hypersonic platforms and weapons, Artificial Intelligence (AI) secure communications, among others. The Aero-engine and hypersonic require a task force like approach.
Advanced Precision Weapons
Air engagements are becoming farther, there is thus a need for long range sensors and weapons that can operated in adverse electronic environment. Precision and range are the two critical requirements for both air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons. India has a successful missile program, including the Astra, Akash, BrahMos, among others. Astra Mk 3, and BrahMos II need to be accelerated. In many cases we have partnered with Russia and Israel. The JV route is working well. Gradually, critical components like weapon sensor heads and control systems must be increasingly Indian. DEW allow ‘high off bore sight’ and even rear hemisphere kills and ‘lower cost per kill.’
Depletion and Way Ahead Requirement
IAF is already facing depletion in numbers of fighter squadrons and modernisation is behind schedule.
Indigenous production needs to be ramped up in terms of quality, numbers and deliveries on time. India is still at LCA Mk1 stage. Other variants are still to come. The AMCA may require foreign help for few technologies. HAL still has production and quality issues to resolve. HAL platforms continue to be import dependent and therefore costly. Also manpower productivity must increase.
Long project delays force revision of Air Staff Requirements as technologies rapidly move ahead. More efficient corporate structure will help, and the PSUs must be released from bureaucratic control. There are a handful of major aircraft engine manufacturers in the world. India has been dependent on Russian, French and American engines for long. India has to make a reliable gas turbine engine.
India should not have to import trainer aircraft. India also does not have a significant indigenous transport aircraft project. India needs help in advanced AESA radars, EW systems, modern weapons, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other advanced avionics. It is best to take collaborative approach and use economic muscle and high military systems requirements to seek transfer of technology. The Prime Minister has given a clear direction for “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. India needs to think ahead, and harness its numbers, lest we get left behind again.
— (The Author is a former Director General, Centre for Airpower Studies (CAPS). He was a Test Pilot and in the first IAF Team to ferry the Mirage 2000 from France to India. He has flying experience on the Rafale).
