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India Thought Leaders: LCA (Navy) Will Add Punch To Blue Water Vision, Adm. Nirmal Verma Says
India rolled out the naval version (NP-1) of its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) on July 6 in Bangalore with Defense Minister A.K. Antony leading the team. With the air force version of LCA (Tejas) now months away from its much-awaited initial operational clearance (IOC), the NP-1 rollout was hailed as a significant new chapter in Indian aviation.
Amidst all the feel-good news stories on NP-1 in India's media, it was important to check the pulse of the user, who would eventually have the final say on the platform's worthiness. AVIATION WEEK Senior Aerospace and Defense Correspondent (India) Anantha Krishnan M. caught up with Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Adm. Nirmal Verma to learn the significance of the NP-1 rollout and the way ahead.
AW: The LCA Navy was rolled out on July 6 after the project got the Cabinet Committee on Security's nod in April 2003. How significant is this program for the Indian Navy?
CNS: The LCA (Navy) was sanctioned in March '03 [following] the success of LCA (AF) in January 2001. They were planned as a possible replacement to our aging fleet of Sea Harriers, which have been in service since the '80s. The vision of the Navy has always been to be an effective force, and hence LCA (Navy) shall play an important role in our future carrier operations doctrine. The LCA (Navy) design specifically caters [to] the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC1) scheduled to be delivered by Cochin Shipyard Ltd by 2014. The aircraft is expected to have state-of-art sensors and weapons and would be an integral part of our air arm. LCA (Navy) would add punch to the Navy's blue water vision.
AW: What role has the Naval Project Team (NPT) based at the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) played in speeding up the program?
CNS: The Naval Project Team is part of the LCA (Navy) Program office at ADA and is a composite team of scientists from ADA and field experts from the Navy. This team provides [the] Navy specific requirements during design and development in terms of domain knowledge and expertise. They have been involved in the development of the aircraft since its conceptualization and form an important part of the entire design and development team of ADA. The team is also monitoring the Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) project coming up at Goa, and is working toward the interface of LCA Navy with our Indigenous Aircraft Carrier.
AW: ADA says that the first flight of NP1 will happen by the end of this year, and NP 2 one year after that. Are you confident that these deadlines will be met?
CNS: Unlike the LCA (AF), the LCA (Navy) experiences additional force during takeoff/landing, and requires increased cockpit vision and low speed maneuverability during carrier operations. These challenges are being addressed by ADA. We look forward to the day when the NP1 and NP2 take to the skies.
AW: A Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) is coming up at Naval Air Station Hansa, Goa, and is said to be only the third such facility in the world. In addition to LCA, will you use this facility for any other platforms?
CNS: The Shore Based Test Facility at Goa will primarily be used to carry out extensive Carrier Compatibility Tests for present and future versions of LCA (Navy). Since the facility replicates the deck of an aircraft carrier, it is an excellent platform for maintaining currency for the aircrew and [a] training ground of [the] crew for carrier operations. This would reduce the training load on the carrier, thereby increasing her operational availability. The Shore Based Test Facility can be used for training requirements for the carrier borne fighter aircraft in our inventory, viz MIG 29K.
AW: Tejas (IAF) had to go through various difficulties and the project invited a lot of negative publicity from the media and even at times from the user. In your view, what are the key things the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) must do for an early induction into the Navy?
CNS: The design and development of a new state-of-art aircraft is a tedious and time-consuming process. ADA and HAL, having gained certain expertise during the development of the Air Force version of LCA, are better placed to carry out the design changes for the naval version. Putting the LCA (N) into "flight" trials and proving of carrier compatibility of the naval prototypes and meeting the specified naval mission requirements must now be one of the key thrust areas for the naval program.
AW: How important is it for the Indian armed forces to support indigenous programs?
CNS: The importance of self-reliance in well recognized by the armed forces and is being supported wholeheartedly. In order to [have] indigenization and self-reliance in defense production, a number of steps have been taken by the government in [the] recent past. As you are aware, the Kelkar Committee appointed by the government on the subject submitted its recommendation in 2005 for the purpose, and a number of these have been approved for implementation. Measures have also been recommended by the Standing Committee on Defense in its report of April 2009.
Issues and concepts of indigenization, defense industry, R&D, [and] joint ventures, as well as policy frameworks are all interrelated. The Indian Navy has consistently supported all efforts in these linked areas, and this is borne out of the fact that we have made good progress in indigenous warship construction, though some areas related to capacity and timelines need to be addressed. We have also proactively pursued indigenization with respect to the induction of Arihant, as also in key areas of equipment and subsystems for warship and submarine construction. A number of DRDO projects have been proactively supported by us, and we will continue to assist all agencies, public and private, engaged in the process of indigenization. At the same time, we have to plan for alternatives when indigenous programs do not materialize as per projects time frames in order to ensure that requisite capabilities are inducted in time for operational requirements.
AW: Many of our homegrown projects were always delayed. What are the main causes for these delays and what is your mantra to overcome this?
CNS: There are a number of reasons for time and cost overruns in indigenous projects. These include technological and developmental challenges, current limitations of our defence industrial base, nonavailability in time of requisite materials and components, and procedural delays in some cases. Efforts have been made at various levels to address these key areas of concern. The Ramarao Committee recently submitted its recommendations on some of these areas, and the same are under examination by the Ministry of Defense.
In December 2008, the Standing Committee on Defense submitted a report on 'Indigenization of Defense Production – Public Private Partnership.' The report highlighted the need for public-private partnership in defense production. Steps have been taken in the recent past to ensure greater participation by public and private industry. We need to enhance the vendor base and infuse competitiveness through private sector participation. Defense production, as a sum total of DPSU and private sector capabilities, would be increasingly relevant as an index of our indigenous efforts. To achieve desired levels of self-reliance, our R&D and industrial responses to the existing and emerging requirements of the services would need to be strengthened. The indigenization process must also ensure that requisite capabilities are inducted in time. The time taken from the "drawing board" to the "delivery" stage should be comparable to global standards, and processes related to specifications, design and production need to be made efficient and result-oriented.
(This interview primarily focused on the LCA (Navy) program and related developmental issues only. Aviation Week at a later stage will bring to you more reports on the Indian Navy by capturing the voices of senior officials.)
