‘Four states can be def aerospace hubs’

New Delhi: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana make a compelling case for becoming the hubs for India’s military aerospace ecosystem, says a recent report by management consultancy Primus Partners.

The four states “collectively contribute to nearly 70% of the work centres of the LCA (light combat aircraft) Tejas aircraft ecosystem, but generally to India’s military aerospace industry as well. Along with numerous start-ups and companies forming the supply chain, these states have given rise to a robust ecosystem for military aerospace”, the report stated.

The government established the LCA project in 1983 to develop a new light combat aircraft to replace ageing IAF fighters, especially MiG-21 variants. Under the programme, an indigenous single-engine, delta-wing, light multirole fighter aircaft was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with the Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Air Force and Navy.

In 2003, the LCA was officially named “Tejas”, and it became part of a general fleet modernization programme. It is the smallest and lightest in its class of supersonic combat aircraft.

A “one region, one segment” approach can also be beneficial for the country’s military aerospace industry wherein regions can have clusters for separate segments such as south India for military aerospace and other regions for land and naval segments, the report said.

It pointed out that the military aerospace is at an inflection point, with an urgent need to bolster its capabilities and expand capacities into more high-value-added products. This would require a strong research and development ecosytem along with domestic and global growth of public as well as private companies involved in this industry.

“To propel growth across the military aerospace ecosystem, it is imperative to address key technological domains, including aero engines and strategic electronics while continuously working on the skilling ecosystem to make sure there is sufficient workforce to absorb the same,” said Amit Dugar, vice president (aerospace and defence), Primus Partners.

While the possibilities of growth for the Indian military aerospace ecosystem are “unlimited”, the report stated that the long-term visibility of orders is a pressing concern for the industry and impacts investment decisions in enhancing capacities.

In fact, many companies are not keen to undertake research and development in this industry as there is limited funding and lack of vision for the future. Gaps in the skilled workforce with relevant technical capabilities are another area that requires work on a war footing. Further, the industry also requires streamlining in industrial licensing, and evaluation trial timelines should be looked into, Primus Partners said.

Fostering a strong public-private research and development ecosystem can be a key driver for growth in military aerospace.