The Arjun Main Battle Tank and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, two major (and expensive) indigenous weapons platforms, have apparently been given the cold shoulder by the Armed Forces. In November last year, the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar signed off on a Rs 67,000 crore plan to procure 83 Tejas LCAs, 15 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) and 464 T-90 M Bhishma MBTs.
But the Indian Army’s preliminary tender issued last week for ‘Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCV)’ (read tanks) and the IAF’s plans to issue a Request for Information (RFI) for single engine fighter jets indicates a change of heart, and a clear preference for foreign products over indigenous ones. No doubt, the inordinate delays and rising costs of both projects have a lot to do with this.
The LCA project was launched way back in 1983, and till now, only three or four aircraft (with 40 per cent imported content) are actually flying, though they are yet to be certified combat- ready. Inordinate delays also lead to changes in the original requirements to match rapidly changing technology, which in turn leads to even further delays.
The IAF is plagued by a rapidly ageing fleet and only 33 fighter squadrons against the authorised strength of 42, (each squadron comprises 12 to 14 aircraft), and this gap impacts its ability to guard both the northern and western flanks of the nation. The Arjun MBT program is of even older vintage, having been initiated in 1974.
Some 124 Mark I tanks (with over 50 per cent imported components) have already been inducted by the Forces, even though at 62 tons, they reportedly are too heavy for the bridges and culverts in Punjab and the Northeast. The Mark II, under production, is five tons heavier. Both have service and targeting issues. No doubt, Make in India is a noble effort, and needs encouragement. But perhaps it is time to seriously consider making only niche, high-end military software, instead of reinventing the entire wheel.