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The Indian Government is considering to handover project for improved version of ‘Tejas’ fighter planes to private sector for efficient and time bound execution. 
 
Fed up with a string of delays and design flaws, the government wants to rope in a private player for Light Combat Aircraft, or LCA, programme. 
 
Sources told Economic Times that discussions have taken place in the top echelons of the government to expedite Tejas programme. 
 If the plan gets a go-ahead, private players would have a potential order for more than 160 improved <keyword id="2942559" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tejas-Mk-II">Tejas Mk II</keyword> fighters that the <keyword id="15141" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> desperately needs to plug vital operational gaps. 
 The feels that the state-run agencies, <keyword id="139970" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hindustan-Aeronautics-Ltd">Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd</keyword> (HAL) and the defence ministry's <keyword id="139969" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aeronautical-Development-Agency">Aeronautical Development Agency</keyword> (ADA), involved in the LCA do not have the capacity to meet the order. 
 
"It is very clear that the LCA programme cannot be allowed to go on as it is. There are not enough resources available to complete the project in the timeline required. A private company would be accountable and would invest in the project," a senior official aware of the government's thinking told ET on the condition of anonymity. 
 
The financial daily reported that another proposal suggested setting up of a special purpose vehicle for the project in which DRDO and HAL, the entities now responsible for the LCA, could be partners along with the private sector. 
 
Meanwhile, experts are of the opinion that the improved version of the fighter jets will have the potential for exports also. 
 
"An improved version of the fighter that meets air force requirements would also have a good export potential. The numbers could go up significantly if India promotes it in and around the region as an affordable fighter," another official told ET. 
 
With the government ever received an order, each fighter would cost a few hundreds of cores of rupees, boosting 'Make in India' cause. 
 
Reportedly, the LCA was conceived in the early 1980s as an aircraft that would replace the Russia-made MIG 21. But, three decades have passed and the Air Force is still to get even a single squadron of these indigenously produced fighters. 
 
India’s neighbours, China and Pakistan, have squadrons of indigenously developed fighter aircraft. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Government is rapidly losing out on creating Low Combat Aircraft for India

The United States has invested significantly in expanding its strategic partnership with <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword> and is pursuing a robust agenda to deepen the bilateral cooperation, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt <keyword id="20428643" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="campbell" source="keywords">Campbell</keyword> has said. Addressing the ongoing India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Summit in California on Monday, Campbell said successive administrations in Washington and New Delhi have invested time and political capital to bring the partnership to greater heights. "But in the last year, I like to say, our partnership has reached 'escape velocity'," he said. "The United States has invested significantly in expanding our strategic partnership with India, and we are pursuing a robust agenda to deepen cooperation for the rest of the year - not only diplomatically, but also through iCET ( initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology)," Campbell said. The third edition of the two-day INDUS-X summit began on Monday. It is organised by the <keyword id="20263494" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="us-india-strategic-and-partnership-forum" source="keywords">US India Strategic and Partnership Forum</keyword> (<keyword id="20252677" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="usispf" source="keywords">USISPF</keyword>) at Stanford University in California. "Our defence establishments, research institutions, private industry, and startups possess a deep bench of talent and mutual thirst for innovation, which is why INDUS-X was designed to create the necessary ecosystem and partnerships for new ideas, research, and development to flourish," the top American diplomat said. Asserting that the two countries are "more closely aligned than ever before" today, Campbell said the US and India have pursued an "ambitious agenda" of summits, joint challenges, and exchanges in over a year since the launch of the INDUS-X. INDUS-X, which stands for enhanced strategic and defence partnership between India and the US, was launched on June 21 last year by the <keyword id="20331010" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="us-department-of-defence" source="keywords">US Department of Defence</keyword> and the <keyword id="22082092" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-ministry-of-defence" source="keywords">Indian Ministry of Defence</keyword> during Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword>'s state visit to Washington, DC. "I expect these efforts will continue, given the deep bonds that tie our countries together and the strategic challenges we both face. INDUS-X is now, and will be, a cornerstone of our continuing efforts to advance the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology - iCET," Campbell said. The iCET was launched by Prime Minister Modi and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the QUAD summit in Tokyo on May 24, 2022. Observing that technological leadership is increasingly at the heart of the strategic competition, Campbell said it is the great differentiator in the US foreign policy approach. "And India is in a very small group of countries with whom we work most intimately on tech. The iCET, which places technology at the very heart of the US-India partnership, has greatly accelerated our strategic cooperation," he said. Talking about the second iCET meeting that took place between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his US counterpart Jake Sullivan in June, Cambell said it "showed the immense progress we are making across a range of sectors including space, semiconductors, advanced telecommunications, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and clean energy". "Deepening defence cooperation is also a key pillar of iCET," said the top American diplomat. "Our work together driving innovation and developing cutting-edge technologies will help us maintain a critical advantage for our armed forces. We've taken unprecedented steps to increase operational coordination, information sharing, and defence industrial cooperation, including co-production," he said. "In fact, we've authorised an unprecedented level of technology transfer as part of the GE engine co-production arrangement, and our two governments have just finalised a Security of Supply Arrangement to reinforce our supply chain resilience," he said. Last year, GE Aerospace and <keyword id="19998363" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-aeronautics-limited" source="keywords">Hindustan Aeronautics Limited</keyword> (HAL) inked a pact to jointly produce fighter jet engines for the <keyword id="19992067" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-air-force" source="keywords">Indian Air Force</keyword>'s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II - Tejas. "Under INDUS-X, the US and Indian governments have also announced: awards of USD 1.2 million in seed funding to ten US and Indian companies under Joint IMPACT 1.0 Challenges; our intent to launch two additional joint challenges in other domains, including space; and the launch of a INDUSWERX Testing Consortium of industry, academia, and nonprofit organisations across the US and India to promote our companies' access to testing and experimentation facilities," Campbell said.

US invested significantly in expanding strategic partnership with India: Kurt Campbell

Washington, In a landmark announcement, <keyword id="14497396" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GE-Aerospace" source="Orion">GE Aerospace</keyword> on Thursday said it has inked a pact with <keyword id="151778" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-aeronautics" source="Orion">Hindustan Aeronautics</keyword> Limited (<keyword id="68124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hal" source="Orion">HAL</keyword>) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for Indian Air Force's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II -- Tejas. The announcement came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden. "The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace's F414 engines in India, and GE Aerospace continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this," the US firm said in a statement here. It described the Memorandum of Understanding with HAL as a "key element" in strengthening defence cooperation between India and the US. "This is a historic agreement made possible by our longstanding partnership with India and HAL," said H Lawrence Culp Jr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GE and CEO of GE Aerospace.

GE Aerospace inks pact with HAL for joint production of fighter jet engines in India

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Government is rapidly losing out on creating Low Combat Aircraft for India

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US invested significantly in expanding strategic partnership with India: Kurt Campbell

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GE Aerospace inks pact with HAL for joint production of fighter jet engines in India

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