Cash crunch stalls Tejas
SUJAN DUTTA

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060206/asp/nation/story_5809993.asp

Tejas: Take-off trouble
New Delhi, Feb. 5: The Indian Air Force has cited a resource crunch and is going slow on placing an order for the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) called Tejas despite repeated requests from the defence research establishment.

The Indian Air Force is now in the middle of a process to acquire 126 multi-role combat aircraft and with the LCA project limping, air headquarters is studying whether it should actually work to acquire more — about 200 — aircraft.

The LCA is just one of the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) projects that smacks, typically, of over-promise and under-delivery. But the research organisation’s chief, M. Natarajan, believes that no deadline can be set for its projects and that the sloth does not add to the tax-payers’ burden.

The DRDO that is developing the LCA jointly with the defence public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been waiting expectantly for the IAF order to infuse funds into the project and also to get a user’s assurance.

Though air headquarters has not said so in public, it is weighing whether it should commit funds because it is anticipating a resource crunch for the big ticket purchases of multi-role combat aircraft — that could cost the exchequer more than $5 billion over 10 years — and other equipment that it has projected as an immediate need.

Natarajan, who is also the scientific adviser to the defence minister, said during the CII-defence ministry organised Defexpo 2006 that concluded yesterday, that HAL would be given a production order for 20 LCA — the aircraft was christened Tejas by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee — only after the air force gets the approval for its funds.

Natarajan claimed the weapons integration process for the LCA has been completed.

The LCA was projected to replace the IAF’s ageing MiG 21 air defence fighter as the mainstay of its fighter fleet in a decade but slippages and disruptions delayed the project and upset perspective planning in defence headquarters.

One of the major causes of the slippages in production is the delay in the development of the Kaveri engine that was planned to power the aircraft. But the development of the Kaveri, already hit because of US sanctions (since lifted) that followed the 1998 nuclear tests, has run into more trouble with ground tests of the engine in Russia showing poor results.

Do ponder as to why all your missiles are named after invaders who entered India.And count how many of those invaders came anywhere from the region we call Pakistan today.

How many from Afghan ? How many from Pakistan ?

Naming missiles with foreign names, surely they can find a regional Muslim from the sub continent?

Take Gauri for example, the man was a monster as per Muslim scholars and he was of Turkic descent, why name a Pakistani missile with a foreigner’s name.
Ghauri killed thousands of Indians, btw before partition there was no Pakistan, what I am saying is that the ancestors of both countries were killed by this man, I can understand Indian reservation about the name but I am baffled as to why the foreign name is chosen, not only that but a name of a man who killed both present day Indians and Pakistanis alike?
Not only is it insulting in a way but it defies logic. Imagine if Iran named its new gen missiles as HItler and targetted it at Israel.

Either they stick to old Islamic names or get local names.

In other news but the same old show of manhood, the head of the Babur already claimed in his first press conf that the said missile is better than that of INdia.

Ghauri, Ghaznavi, Abdali, Babur, etc. played a vital role in the establishment of Muslim rule on massive India for approximately 900 years.

What do they have common with Pakistan ? – Islaam.

Pakistan, along with Israel i believe are the only 2 countries formed on the basis of a particular religion. Pakistanis consider owing a lot to the likes of Qasim, Ghaznavi, Ghauri etc. for the advent of Islaam into South Asia and delivering to them the so-called true religion of their God.

These people lived in Muslim India for centuries and the signs of their legacy are still evident in various parts of South Asia. Many Muslims in South Asia are descendants of these people. So i don’t think these names are foreign in any way to Pakistanis or Indians. After all there is a stunning population of Muslims in India too (approximately equal to that of Pakistan or more). I read somewhere that Pak also has a missile called TIPU SULTAN in the making.

As for Iran naming its missiles ‘Hitler’ to target the Israelis ……. I ask you a question, what cultural, religious, territorial bond does Iran have with Hitler ? None. 🙂

Babur has a very strong cultural, religious bond with the people of Pakistan. Infact the history of Pakistan starts with the advent of these names to the subcontinent – when Qasim took Sindh from Dahir – 712 A.D.

And it is also a good name for a cruise missile.

Peace.