Hindustan Aeronautics Sets Five-Year Goal for Fighter, Trainer Production

[sancho]

Hindustan Aeronautics Sets Five-Year Goal for Fighter, Trainer Production

A target for criticism over delays in projects in the past, India’s largest defense manufacturer, government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) is undergoing a transformation of its human resource through training and innovative programs. This is focusing on two urgent requirements–the overdue Light Combat Aircraft (LCA); and the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT). HAL (Chalet A 124) has confirmed that the projects will go into production in the next five years...

...As the lead integrator for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), for which Dassault’s Rafale was chosen, HAL–with 2,400 private vendors–could also be working with industrial giant Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) as its major supplier. RIL is looking to invest around $1 billion on its new aerospace division at Nashik to “design, develop and manufacture equipment and components, including airframe, engine, radars, avionics and accessories for military and civilian aircraft, helicopters, unmanned airborne vehicles and aerostats.” It is likely that the company will also manufacture parts for the Dassault Falcon business jet...

...In the first four months of 2013 HAL applied for 127 patents related to aeronautical products and systems, including metal treatment, and spent $312 million on design and development, yet it still continues to lag in the challenging arena of engine design. “The present state of engine technology [in India] is not up to the mark and the aerospace industry is at crossroads,” said V.K Saraswat, scientific advisor to the defense minister. “We have achieved partial success with the Kaveri [for the LCA]… [but] we don’t even have state-of-the art indigenous systems worth mentioning. Even simple fuel-injection systems are not on a par with international standards,” Saraswat continued, while pointing out that even Indian-manufactured tanks had to rely on imported engines.

There are some who doubt HAL’s confidence about the transfer of technology (TOT) from Rafale’s M88-2 engines from Snecma, each providing a thrust of 75kN and incorporating the latest technologies such as single-piece bladed compressor disks (blisks), a low-NOx combustion chamber, single-crystal high-pressure turbine blades, powder metallurgy disks and ceramic coatings, which could enable India to become self-sufficient in engine technology. “The Kaveri developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment(GTRE) is now planned for use for the unmanned combat air vehicle,” said one OEM executive. “That’s not saying much about its capability…engines involve a lot of intellectual property and one doesn’t see full TOT happening.”...

...Helicopters, where HAL can claim experience and success in, are on the radar with discussions ongoing with OEMs to develop a 10-to 12-ton 22-seater (like the Mi-17) category helicopter for VIPs for flying at an altitude of 23,000 ft. In a tie-up with the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai, joint research will be carried out in the field of transmission systems for a helicopter engine program. “This partnership will involve required software and design solutions for different types of gears, bearings, lubrication system, vibration monitoring systems and production technologies,” said an IIT official. HAL has also committed to certification of a Light Utility Helicopter, of which 187 are on order by the Indian army and air force, by 2015...

Hindustan Aeronautics Sets Five-Year Goal for Fighter, Trainer Production | Aviation International News

 

[Abingdonboy]

No mention of the LCH or ALH WSI?


+ LUH certification by 2015 is a nice to hear.

 

[Manindra]

But history says most time they slip their targeted time .

 

[Icewolf]

So Tejas will be done by 2018 not 2015?

 

[Dash]

So Tejas will be done by 2018 not 2015?

The article is speaking of MRCA not LCA.

@sancho, so Reliance is taking some work, like we discussed the other day.

 

[Abingdonboy]

But history says most time they slip their targeted time .

Past Performance Does Not Equal Future Success and vice versa- HAL are clearly trying to reform themselves and are taking all the steps they need to (HR reforms, capital expenditure, training of staff, capacity building, JVs, pvt party partnerships etc etc) to become a global aviation giant.

 

[JanjaWeed]

Ah.. even HAL is going for पंचवर्षीय योजना. We all know how efficient these five year plans are...

 

[Abingdonboy]

Ah.. even HAL is going for पंचवर्षीय योजना. We all know how efficient these five year plans are...

They serve their purpose bro and have been more successful than failure in the past across the board.

 

[sancho]

The article is speaking of MRCA not LCA.

@sancho, so Reliance is taking some work, like we discussed the other day.

The author said that Reliance "could" get some part of the work, but that is neither fixed yet nor does it mean that they get parts of HALs workshare. Dassault generall is free to choose Indian privat companies to divert their part of the offsets and Reliance is likey to get some shares, otherwise Dassault wouldn't have teamed up with them, or why they want Reliance to build parts for the Dassault Falcon. But as I said, it seems Reliance wants a bigger share of the cake and that's the cause of the problems between Dassault and HAL.

 

[soumya1989]

UPDATE ON HAL PROJECTS:

Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA): Preliminary design phase completed. Negotiations in progress to conclude R&D contract. 20 agencies will be involved at the R&D stage.

Jaguar Upgrade: The first flight of the Jaguar Darin III (Maritime variant) took place in Nov. 2012 and is undergoing flight evaluation. Modification on two other variants–strike and trainer–is in progress. The first flights are due by July 13 and September 13, respectively. Flight Operation Certificate (FOC) is planned for 2014-15.

Mirage Upgrade: Preliminary Design Review has been completed and technical specs for the FOC have been finalized. Design activities are under progress, according to HAL

Sukhoi: In addition to the existing contract of 180 aircraft, a contract for an additional 42 has been signed. HAL claims to have “absorbed the technologies to manufacture aircraft from the raw material stage.”

Light Combat Aircraft (LCA): The prototype flew last year and carrier compatibility trials are scheduled before year-end at the Navy’s shore-based testing facility in Goa.