EADS plans to ride the LCA into Indian market - Broadsword by Ajai Shukla - Strategy. Economics. Defence.

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Wednesday 11 February 2009

EADS plans to ride the LCA into Indian market


(photo: courtesy Ajai Shukla)

The fourth Tejas in the Limited Series Production (LSP) run, nearing completion in a hangar in HAL, Bangalore)



By Ajai Shukla
Aero India 09, Yelahanka, Bangalore
Business Standard, 12th February 09

At the opening of the Aero India 09 defence exposition today, Defence Minister AK Antony clearly enjoyed what must have seemed like a wild-west style shootout. One after another, four contenders for India’s purchase of 126 medium fighters --- the Eurofighter Typhoon, the F/A-18, the F-16 and the MiG-35 --- took to the skies in a fiesta of aerobatics clearly aimed at impressing the decision-makers who must decide which aircraft will win the $12 billion contract.

But the performance that evoked Mr Antony’s praise was that of the Indian-built Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Although more cautious than the all-out performances of the established fighters, the Tejas went far beyond anything it had ever displayed before, surprising the spectators with steep climbs, an inverted pass, high-gravity turns and loops.

Addressing the press, Mr Antony remarked, “I was very excited to see the LCA. After many years we could see the LCA doing manoeuvres… I was excited to see the Indian-made LCA in Indian skies.”

But even amidst success, the Tejas LCA is struggling to overcome major development hurdles. Its maker, Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has taken the crucial decision to bring in a design consultant, a global aerospace major that would assist HAL to overcome persistent design glitches that dog the LCA, including fuel distribution, uneven braking, flight controls, environment controls and testing. And while US-based Boeing has declined to supply such know-how, German-Spanish consortium, EADS, one of the makers of the Eurofighter, has aggressively pursued the consultancy as a way of flying into the Indian market.

In multiple interviews with senior Indian and EADS officials who requested anonymity, Business Standard has pieced together the EADS strategy. The company has decided to supply India with high technology for Indian products that are not directly competing with an EADS product. The Tejas is not in the same category as the heavier Eurofighter.

Having established its presence in the Tejas programme, EADS is confident that it would be well positioned to get its Eurojet EJ200 engine accepted for the Tejas. India is currently deciding between the EJ200 and the GE-414 engine for powering future squadrons of the Tejas.

And EADS believes that winning the contract for the EJ200 engine, and producing it in India, would position it perfectly for the lucrative medium fighter contract; twin EJ200 engines power the Eurofighter.

While willing to part with the technology assistance needed to get the LCA over its hump, EADS worries about the possibility of eventually being held responsible for a possible failure in the Tejas development.

“Let’s be clear that we are not underwriting the LCA programme”, says a senior European official related with the contract. Another likens EADS’s role to helping someone in a dark room turn on the light switch. But EADS will do no more than indicate the direction of the switch.

The German and Spanish governments have already permitted EADS to part with the technology needed for the Tejas programme; the US government, in contrast, imposed stringent restrictions on Boeing. Explains a senior EADS official, “If we don’t supply technology, India will develop it anyway, perhaps with some delay. So it is better for us to establish our presence here, partner India in the Tejas, and perhaps even market it together.”

13 comments:

  1. Wow! Another nice read from Ajai Shukla! And i liked the last sentence the best...

    “If we don’t supply technology, India will develop it anyway, perhaps with some delay. So it is better for us to establish our presence here, partner India in the Tejas, and perhaps even market it together.”

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1 pic, baas ?? hugely disappointing ajai !
    nice article tho'.

    anything else we can look forward to ?

    please identify the payloads of the LCA in the last article, what is the red thing on port wing ?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Please upload LCA manoeuvres video...if you have....plz..plz...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Is it me or the rear landing gear is different from the earlier ones?? It looks kinda inverted 'L' than the usual '\' shape & its also looks closer 2 the intake as well... r they testing N-LCA landing gear on LSP-4???

    Or may be im seeing things....:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don’t think EADS from anywhere can be a partner in LCA program. Their role is limited to share their experience in fine-tuning and certification. Beyond that they have nothing to say in ADA LCA. But if EADS is ready to support LCA MK-2 against Gripen DEMO, then India should attach EADS as a partner……

    $ 20 million is a big price but it will worth if LCA Mk-1 gets FOC by 2011-12.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Shukla Sir,

    Thanks for your pics on LCA Tejas LSP-04.

    ReplyDelete
  7. that stool in the foreground brings back lots of memories of HAL....almost all the stools found in the canteen/mess are of this type ...actually its an in-house product, made by fixing surplus steel utensil over the chair frame.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ajaiji
    I am desperate to see Tejas doing maneuvers. Please upload the video if you have any.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Why are they looking for a "design consultant" now ?
    ADA has already made it so far on their own with out any help, then they can finish it by themselves...

    ADA has to learn to do this on their own, after all, they designed the bird, and it has flown fine so far. All they need to do is change the intakes(from the old f/18 style to the new f/18..) and perhaps add canards or levcons...

    ReplyDelete
  10. AJAI CAN U CONFIRM ABOUT NEWS ON SURINAME BUYING DHRUV PLEASE?

    I LOOK FORWARD TO HEAR ROM YOU

    REGARDS,

    MIC

    ReplyDelete
  11. to Ajai Shukla

    from ria novosti

    russia has handed over 4 mig29k two seater to india

    can u get pics of those aircraft

    ReplyDelete
  12. On a second thought ,why can't we get the corporate India to partner in the LCA project. Why don't we ask Ratan Tata to be another partner along with EDA.

    I am sure he would bring his vision and his expertise in getting projects finished.

    Please explore this thought and let us know if the government is doing anything in this direction.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi all, you can visit http://maverickstartsblogging.blogspot.com/ for latest LCA maneuver videos.

    ReplyDelete

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