MARCH OF TECHNOLOGY

India is moving ahead with its indigenously developed fighter aircraft, but aerospace technologies are racing ahead, and programme delays could blunt the technological edge of the air force, says ATUL CHANDRA

- ATUL CHANDRA

It has taken a long time to fructify, but India's aerospace and defence ecosystem is designing and developing a wide range of military aircraft and helicopters of indigenous origin. However, rising global tensions and the slow collapse of the international order may deprive indigenous programmes of crucial technologies at key moments. The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU) yet remain vital for the development of the indigenous aerospace and defence ecosystem, as the private sector is slowly entering this field. Indeed, the nation's aerospace and defence industry ecosystem is today a far cry from the eighties, when the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was reduced to mere license manufacture of the MiG-21, Sepecat Jaguar, MiG-27 combat aircraft, Dornier Do-228 transport aircraft and Cheetah, Chetak helicopters, at the expense of its fighter aircraft design and development capability.

Today, HAL is the production partner for the Tejas Mk-1, Mk-1A, LCA Mk2 and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)/Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), all types, which were designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). HAL has also developed a strong rotorcraft development capability, with the induction of various variants of the Dhruv helicopter, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and soon to be inducted Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and post-2030, the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) and the Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH). HAL is also stated to begin deliveries, later this year, of the Hindustan Turbo Trainer 40 (HTT-40) Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) and has also received the Hindustan Jet Trainer 36 (HJT-36) 'Sitara' Intermediate Jet Trainer as the 'Yashas'.