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Revealing this, HAL Chairman & Managing
Director Ashok Nayak pointed out that HAL already
had a robust order book of around Rs.55,000 crores
($ 12.2 billion approx) and that major investments
and initiatives were aimed at acquiring the best
in technology.
Giving details of various projects HAL is currently
working on, he said that upgradation and reengineering
of the Anglo-French deep penetration strike aircraft
(DPSA) Jaguar in service with the Indian Air Force
(IAF) was on while preparations for the production
of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) Sitara was
also on the its radar.
Of course, the Indian defence ministry is yet
to initiate the process for the evaluation and
finalization of an appropriate engine for boosting
the strike capability and service life of Jaguar.
IAF wants the Rolls Royce engine already powering
it either to have additional boost through upgradation
or a new engine. Rolls Royce is competing for
this project now with US Honeywell.
 HAL
has already an order for 12 LSP (Limited Series
Production) Intermediate Jet Trainers (IJTs) from
IAF. Featuring a glass cockpit, Sitara would replace
the ageing fleet of Kiran as the platform for
stage two training. Powered by a custom-made Russian
origin AL-551 engine, Sitara would help the Indian
combat pilots to graduate to a supersonic fighter.
“The IJT project has demonstrated HAL’s
capability to design and build a trainer aircraft
on time,” observed Nayak.
And of course, IAF and HAL are also testing the
trainer version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)
which would eventually train both IAF and Navy
pilots.
In the days ahead, remarked Nayak, HAL would
do a lot more outsourcing.
“Infrastructure in the Indian private industry
is also coming up. We would like to make use of
that,” he noted.
Nayak specified that “HAL is no way trying
to do a monopoly.” Apparently, he was reacting
to the observation of Vice Chief of Air Staff
Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora who recently
said that the Government support and focus to
HAL was affecting the growth of private sector
aerospace manufacturers.
But as the only aviation body of its type in
the country, HAL has also been designated as the
integrartor for the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft
(M-MRCA), for which IAF, DRDO and HAL experts
are now evaluating six aircraft. The IAF RfP is
for 126 aircraft with 63 more in options. But
as the IAF is fast losing its outdated Soviet-vintage
combat jets to obsolescence, it could eventually
order some 300 or so of the selected aircraft.
In the fray are Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet
and Lockheed Martin’s F 16 Super Viper IN
from the US, Eurofighter from the four-nations
consortium of Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain,
Gripen from Sweden, Rafale from France and Mig
35 from Russia.
Another high profile project with HAL is the
Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), being developed
as a follow up to the 5.5-tonne class multi role
Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv. It’s
prototype is now getting ready for its maiden
flight in a “few weeks’ time”.
Featuring advanced technological elements including
a glass cockpit, LCH has been specifically designed
to fit into anti-infantry and anti-armour role.
Powered by a high performance Shakti (Ariden)
engine developed in tieup with the French engine
major Turbomeca, LCH will also be capable of operating
from high altitude battle fields. The helicopter
will have a substantial component of composite
materials to withstand the rough, cold weather.
HAL hopes to sell 65 of these high altitude gunships
equipped with helmet mounted targeting systems,
electronic warfare systems and advanced weapons
and missiles. LCH will have two pilots in tandem,
missionized cockpit seats. The Dhruv though has
side-by-side seating for two pilots, one of them
a dedicated weapons operator.
Nayak also said that the weaponized version of
Dhruv, also powered by the Shakti engine, is now
getting ready for induction. The attack version
of Dhruv has stub wings for anti-armour and air
to air missiles as well as rocket pods for 70-mm
and 68-mm rockets. Its attack version for the
Indian Army would be fitted with anti-tank Nag
missile.
Developed by DRDO, Nag features an infrared guidance
system and has a range of up to 8-kms. The wepaonised
Dhruv will also be equipped with an electronic
counter measure (ECM) suite featuring radar and
missile detectors, infrared jammers as well as
chaff and flare dispersers.
Giving facts and figures, Nayak said that HAL
had so far delivered 90 utility versions of ALH
to the users, including defence forces and civilian
agencies. Indian army is planning to replace its
fleet of ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters
with Dhruv.
About the recent crash of a Dhruv in Ecuador,
Nayak observed that
over-manoeuvring by the pilot could have caused
the mishap. “There were no cancellation of
export orders on account of the crash,” he
pointed out.
HAL had bagged the US $55-million order for the
supply of seven helicopters against stiff global
competition to the Air Force of Ecuador. Pending
the outcome of the statutory inquiry into the
circumstances leading to the crash, Ecuador has
however grounded its fleet of Dhruvs.
Notably, the pilot survived the crash.
The sale of Dhruv to Ecuador was India’s
first major export outside its immediate neighbourhood.
HAL had earlier supplied two Dhruv choppers to
Nepal in addition to leasing out one to the Defence
Ministry of Israel. The current list of its potential
buyers include Peru, Turkey, Mauritius and Maldives.
On the possibility of setting up a Maintenance,
Repair and Operations (MRO) centre in Bangalore,
he said HAL had no plans in this regard. There
had been indications earlier though, but according
to Nayak, conditions are not conducive yet for
such a venture.
He said there was some progress in the partnership
with Russia over the Fifth Generation Fighter
Aircraft (FGFA) and Military Transport Aircraft
(MTA).
According to Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal
P V Naik, IAF was hopeful to induct the first
FGFA squadron by 2016-17.
Yet another high profile project for which HAL
is preparing is the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA)
unveiled by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) as a followup to the Light
Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas which is expecting
to get Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) by
2011. MCA will have stealth features and an enhanced
strike capability.
In the near future, HAL will manufacture eight
Tejas LCA under Limited Series Production (LSP)programme,
based on the current progress of the project.
IAF has placed an order for 20 Tejas aircraft
of IOC standard.
HAL will also be the production agency for the
MK-II version of Tejas equipped with an engine
capable of generating a thrust of around 95-kN.
The basic version of LCA Tejas is powered by GE
F404 engine. Competition for a more powerful engine
is already on.
On the civilian front, Nayak said that HAL had
started preparing the ground for the production
of India’s first civilian transport aircraft
Saras, now being developed by the Bangalore-based
National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), a unit
of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR).
 Thirty
to 35 Saras aircraft should be produced at HAL’s
Kanpur establishment, he said adding that Director
General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was expected
to give IOC for this aircraft in about a year’s
time.
NAL has said that the third prototype of Saras,
which would feature weight reduction to the extent
of 500-kg, will fly in 2010. It will be equipped
with the Engine Indicating and Crew Alert System
(EICAS), and the autopilot. Right now, the aircraft
prototype is a little heavier than required.
The two prototypes of Saras have between them
logged more than 100 hours of flying. In March
2009, the second prototype of Saras had crashed
on the outskirts of Bangalore while on a flying
sortie. This mishap had caused the death of three
IAF pilots.
DGCA has hinted that the accident was due to
the wrong engine relight. The engine relight is
carried out before the certification of an aircraft
to find out if an aircraft can operate or land
with one engine in the event of an emergency of
if one of the engines fails.
IAF has evinced an interest in buying 15 Saras.
Now NAL is planning to impress upon the Indian
Postal Department the utility and economy of using
Saras for speedier delivery of parcels. Equipped
with two rear mounted engines and designed to
operate on short, semi prepared runways, Saras
can be used as an executive transport, air taxi,
package carrier, air ambulance, and in roles such
as remote sensing and aerial survey.
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