make in India of US F 16 & F/A 18 Not Attractive: HAL

The man leading India's top military aviation company feels that the US offer to produce F 16 and F/A 18 jets in India is not attractive, as both jets failed to meet the cut at an air force competition for new fighters. The chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Suvarna Raju, says that any gaps in the fighter force can be met by shoring up production of Indian-developed Light Combat Aircraft, to which the private sector can contribute 80% of parts. 

In an interview with ET, Raju also reveals that the government has cleared the new Light Combat Helicopter for export and talks are on with at least two nations. Excerpts: 


Q: Do you think the recent US offer for the production of F 16 and F/A 18 fighters in India are viable? 

A: Neither aircraft could win the (air force's) medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA) competition. So I really don't know. It is not very attractive and I sincerely don't know how serious they are. The F 16 production has stopped and I am sure a parallel line for the F/A 18 won't be worth it. 


Q: How involved will the private sector be in the production of the LCA aircraft in India?
A: The first 20 aircraft will be completed by 2018, by when we have to make a Mk 1A version of the aircraft. We are ramping up production to 16 aircraft a year. We have recently issued request for quotations to the private players to supply modules like fuselage parts and wings. If we can get this from the private sector, we can increase production to 25 aircraft a year. 

So, we are looking for capacity augmentation with these private players. We are looking at a concept in which HAL is an integrator that has some 20% (of total) work in the hangers. The remaining 80% of work can be off loaded to the industry. If a private company for example is setting up a shop for composites manufacturing, it will be assured for business for many years.

Source: Economic Times