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When I lived in Bangalore, I frequently saw commercial planes landing at old airport near Marathalli. Now that airport area is exclusively used by HAL to manufacture jet planes like Tejas and its testing. I also saw many HAL buses plying on the roads carrying PSU employees and also empty HAL buses stopping near bust stands and picking up commuters for a fee. Many times I travelled on empty HAL buses from office to home paying nominal bus fare. So, for me, HAL is more of a bus service in Bangalore than Aeronautics manufacturing PSU! Meanwhile Bangalore has been renamed as Bangaluru. Does this improves HAL’s performance? Since year 2008, old HAL airport is closed for civil flights as civil flights shifted to bigger and better Kempegowda International Airport north of the city. This is revenue loss to HAL and its employees are agitating to revive civil flights to earn revenue. HAL approached NDA II defence minister Manohar Parikar for bailout and he asked commercial airliners to use Bangaluru HAL airport partly for some revenue generation for HAL. HAL should realize that civil flight operation management is under jurisdiction of AAI (Airport Authority of India) and HAL should focus on its core competency of manufacturing defence jets and helicopters.HAL however has few success stories also. In a short span of nearly 15 years, HAL has developed attack helicopter call LCH (Light Combat Helicopter). It is one of the best in it’s class compares well with USA Russian European or Chinese attach helicopters. Japan is keen to buy LCH. LCH need was felt in 1999 Kargil war where bulky Russian utility helicopters were shot down and failed to deliver punch at high altitude to holed up Pakistani soldiers. LCH got initial operational clearance in 2015 & demonstrated bomb dropping and other missile firing at Iron Fist IAF exercise at Pokharan in 2015. Final operational clearance is expected by 2017 followed by serial production. LCH production is expected to start from 2018 but how many LCH per year can be expected from this plant each year. China has production base of its attack helicopter ZH-10. And recent news published by Chinese media that all Army divisions Corp has been provided with a regiment of ZH-10 chopper. To counter this threat, India must produce huge volume of LCH per year and not merely 2-3 choppers per year. IAF has given 64 LCH order to HAL and if past performance is any indication, HAL will take 40-45 years to make these 64 LCH! A recent good news is HAL wants to give technology to an Indian company who can make large numbers of ALH Dhruv choppers.HAL LUH takes first flight in 2016. HAL LCH is a great helicopter that needs bulk production on priorityAnother success story of HAL is development of LUH (Light Utility Helicopter) derived from previously developed Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv . Dhruv is first indigenously developed chopper by HAL and relatively successful. More than 200 Dhruv was made by 2013 but it cannot be called a complete success as there few are crashes in IAF and in Equador, which is the only country outside India who ordered Dhruv. Few Dhruv chopper in Equador crashed and they cancelled entire export order of 6 choppers. Hope new HAL LUH will be a better chopper and gets off the block soon and sufficient quantity serial production starts as early as possible. IAF needs 400 LUH type planes and already India and Russian signed a contract to manufacture 140 out of 200 Russian Kamov 226 model chopper in India. Can HAL handle all these load? HAL is making (or just assembling) Sukhoi 30 MKI under licence and its maintenance, Tejas fighter jet, British jet trainer Hawk under license and chopper LCH. Manufacturing speed, however, is extremely slow 2-5 planes per year. HAL is made 4 Tejas jet in year 2016 and 3 Tejas made flypast during Republic Day parade 2017. HAL plans to ramp-up production to 8 by year 2017-18 and 16 by 2018-19 and 24 by 2020. A second HAL factory is up at Tumkuru near Bangaluru for helicopters and a third factory for Tejas (second Tejas factory produced its first plane SP5 in January 2017) is considered by government and HAL started outsourcing critical components from private sectors to speedup assembly. If the current slow speed continues, India’s immediate requirement of small single engine planes and choppers will be available in 50 years! China producing 200 jet planes per year and its Aeronautics industry is 7 times bigger than India. Then what is the solution? In the original Raphel MMRCA proposal, 18 planes were to be manufactured in France and 108 in India in collaboration with the HAL. It was later discovered that the cost of 108 fighters would go up by about Rs 150 crore per plane since the labour man hours in India (read HAL inefficiency) were 2.7 times higher than in France, raising questions about the French firm being the lowest bidder. On December 2016, Admiral Sunil Lanba, India’s chief of naval staff (CNS), caused a minor flutter in the media by suggesting that the Navy was doing a rethink on the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project, India’s premier light fighter jet program. In an article in July 2016, Admiral Arun Prakash (retd.), a former chief of naval staff, outlined three reasons why the military leadership was apprehensive about the project. Firstly, Prakash pointed out that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the huge public sector firm manufacturing the LCA, is a monolithic, indolent giant with a work ethos that struck dread in the hearts of air-warriors. The company’s unionized employees were a cause for low productivity and poor production engineering standards that created many maintenance and inter-changeability problems on aircraft. Secondly, there was a high failure rate of HAL manufactured components and systems that didn’t inspire confidence among military aviation managers. And lastly, Prakash pointed to the suboptimal production support, which often left HAL customers high and dry.HAL’s unionised employees stand behind trophies for Lalbagh Garden (Bangaluru) flower show. Is HAL is supposed to be doing this? (photo from HAL website). HAL’s first jet Marut was born obsolete. It was used only for colourful flypast and gallery shows.Maruti Automobile may know nothing about Aeronautical engineering but they are good at just-in-time Automobile production. Maruti has developed large ancillary industry in Gurugram and Manesar belt near Delhi which help them produce more than 14 lakhs (2016) cars per annum. HAL must adopt this type of production model instead of do-everything-yourself which produces few jets, few helicopters per annum.HAL has huge history of failure. Marut, the first indigenous jet plane before Tejas was made by HAL in collaboration with German company. Marut project disappeared without a trace. German designed Marut was supposed to fly with maximum speed of Mach 2 but its maximum speed was barely Mach 1. Soviet Union provided a blueprint for its popular jet Mig-27 when it was state-of-the art jet for serial production in India. HAL failed to raise to the occation to copy Mig-27 when it has all the blueprints and knowhow. Tejas jet took 35 years to clear initial operational clearance which was developed by DRDO & HAL. Government given go ahead to Tejas mark 1 for 20 jets and 80 Tejas mark 1A to make HAL production up and running despite auditor CAG listed 52 deficiency in Tejas mark 1 before it can be engaged in a hostile dogfight. HAL promised they will resolve most of these deficiencies in Tejas mark 1A which is expected to be operational by 2019. Question remains by when IAF will get its due 80 Tejas mark 1A jets? And will they be obsolete once all 80 planes are operational in year say, 2027? Every taxpayer Indian has right to know what is being manufactured at HAL’s 19 manufacturing plants and at what speed. China, on the other hand, producing defence jets and helicopters at volume which is 20 times bigger than India, thus creating a huge technology gulf between two countries. If Tejas jet fails, it can still be used as advance jet trainer but that 40-45 year money and time waste experience of slow learning of every Aeronautical engineering from scratch will be eye opener for Indian politicians and burrocrats. These decision makers should learn from Indian Metro Rail projects. First Metro project was done at Calcutta (now Kolkata) with Indian engineers with the objective of do it yourself mode in order to learn new technology. That project of 16 KM metro rail was completed in 32 years. Second metro rail project was Delhi Metro which was started with speed of execution in mind and in initial phase, all works were executed by foreign consultants but Indians learned technology vary fast. After a decade, Delhi Metro third phase was mostly done by Indian consultants and even TBM (tunnel boring machine) operators were Indian. So, which process is better? India should follow Delhi metro route for Aeronotical engineering development by allowing Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Sukhoi etc. to deploy production centres with Indian private sector as JV for faster development of this industry. Private sector productivity and efficiency will drive speed and efficiency in Indian Aeronautical industry. We should remember HMT (Hindustan Machine Tools) was big PSU in India in 1980’s with multiple factories and assembly line in Bangalore, buses for employee commute and lost benefits for PSU employees. HMT was called time keepers of the nation as it has near monopoly in wrist watch market segment in 1980s. That changed after Tata group launched Titan wrist watches after economic liberalization in early 1990s. By 21st century HMT became sick PSU due to cost plus manufacturing inefficiency, burro-cracy, lack of marketing & inability to adapt to new technology. By 2016, PSU HMT was dissolved. Hope PSU HAL will not have same fate.IAF inducted two LCA Tejas mark I in 2016 for Flying Daggers squadron before Final Operation Clearance and Tejas made first Republic day parade on 26 January 2017 with three jets. These included two LCA Tejas mark I and a trainer version. On a routine flight from Leh to Bangalore, a Tejas jet landed at Bhopal due to rains (or bad weather). It was reported that water was seeping inside the cockpit. The plane was covered with a tarpaulin sheet to prevent water seepage and photographers were not allowed to take pictures. This proves how poorly designed DRDO / ADA / HAL Tejas jet is. Rain water seepage do not happen even from a Rs 2 lakh rupees Maruti 800 car (it is called Japanese quality). The Tejas has by one account produced One of the single worst fighter projects that has ever been conceived of in the history of aviation. Even as it enters service, the aircraft is already obsolete. However, march past of 3 Tejas for the first time in Republic day parade 2017 gives hope Tejas will survive technological obsolesce. The engine on the Tejas mark I presently is the US-built GE-404, the radar is the Israeli Elta 2032, the ejection seat is British, and the weapons are a mix-and-match from around the world. Many of these imported systems need to eventually be developed in India, but more time will be needed to build up the technology base. The Tejas is never going to re-define the words "state-of-the-art." At the same time, the development of the Tejas is a fairly positive indicator of where India stands in its ability to manufacture fighter aircraft.According to IAF assessments, the Tejas LCA, when compared to Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen and Lockheed Martin’s F-16, boasts reduced airborne endurance — 59 minutes versus three hours for the Gripen and nearly four hours for the F-16. The Tejas can also only carry a weapons payload of around three tons against nearly six tons by the Gripen and seven tons by the F-16. Maintenance requirements for the Tejas LCA are also higher than with foreign combat aircraft. The Tejas LCA requires 20 hours of serving for every hour of flying against six hours for the Gripen and 3.5 hours for the F-16. In addition, the service life of the Tejas LCA is also half that of the 40 years found in both the Gripen and F-16. But this is not a true picture. Tejas is much smaller than Gripen or F-16. Large number of Tejas can fight and win air battles if they fight like wild dog. Wild dogs are often found in jungles of Peninsular jungles and they hunt in a team. Even a much bigger tiger do not confront a group of wild dogs as tiger knows that tiger may kill few wild dogs but ultimately a group of well co-ordinated wild dog group will easily kill a solitary tiger. This should be the game-plan for Tejas. A large number of smaller Tejas needed to target bigger enemy jets. Tejas due to its small size is stealthy by birth and if more composites are added on its surface it will become more stealthy and a game changer!There could, however, also be surprise entries into the Indian competition from the US, with Raytheon, which manufactures the AESA radar for the F/A 18 Super Hornet and the F 16 also showing interest. While in the past, US firms had limited options to offer to New Delhi, with India now gaining Major Defence Partner status, transfer of sensitive technology and licences have been made easier. The integration of an AESA radar was a key parameter for the Air Force to clear the order for 83 LCA Mk 1A fighters, after years of blocking the indigenous fighter on concerns that it would not be combat worthy.Navy refusing HAL Tejas naval versionAs far back as the early 1990s, the navy had initiated a study for examining the feasibility of adapting the LCA to shipborne use. While confirming feasibility, the study had revealed some major problem areas, which included lack of engine thrust, requirement of an arrester hook and stronger undercarriage, and need for cockpit/fuselage re-design before the LCA could attempt carrier operations. Undaunted, the navy re-affirmed its faith in the programme by contributing over Rs 400 crore as well as engineers and test pilots to the project.The prototype LCA (Navy) had rolled out in July 2010, raising great hopes. However, it is obvious that the DRDO failed to address the problems listed above with any urgency, leading to ultimate rejection of this ambitious project. By its failure to deliver on the LCA (Navy), the DRDO has let down its most steadfast supporter amongst the armed forces, the Indian Navy. A little introspection by those at the helm of this organisation would reveal to them three reasons for its abysmal performance despite a wealth of talent and a network of sophisticated laboratories - an exaggerated opinion of their capabilities; a lack of intellectual honesty in denying obvious failures, lazy speed and an unwillingness to seek external help when required.Exercise Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada is considered one of the most realistic and challenging aviation warfare exercises. IAF participated in Exercise Red Flag with its Su 30 MKI in 2016 to take on USAF F-16 jets. This game IAF exposure in handling F-16 which is used by Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Exercise Red Flag from January 23 to February 10, 2017 was pitched between USAF 5th generation stealth jet F-35 and 4th generation F-16 jets. F-35 got Impressive 15:1 kill Ratio at Red Flag War Games over F-16. If this is the state of affair, how will a 4th generation Tejas will handle USAF F-35 or Chinese J-20? It will be a fight between a falcon and a sparrow.Until the Tejas arrived, India had lacked a locally built jet fighter since the 1970s when it had the Marut and Gnat/Ajeet, but were retired quickly because the IAF wanted to only import foreign fighters to bridge the technology gap between Marut and USA supplied Sabrejet of PAF. India thus lost development continuity. This blunder must not be repeated because airpower in the 21st century will reflect India’s manufacturing strength. With warplanes growing in complexity and costs, and hostile stealth aircraft about to debut in India’s neighbourhood, imports are certainly not an option.Indian scientists haven’t gained much hands-on experience in joint development of PAK-FA T-50 with Russian as the project PAK-FA T-50 is a fairly mature aircraft for India to get substantial work share. In fact, HAL – which initially hoped to get some development work from Sukhoi – has surrendered much of its quota of work. When India and Russia inked the FGFA deal in December 2011, HAL had only 15 per cent of the work share but was paying 50 per cent of the development cost. But India’s share in research-and-development was limited by its domestic industrial capabilities. The country had no expertise in stealth, which has taxed the world’s leading armament companies.After Modi government in place, there seems to be some positive movement to speed up production rate. Modi lay foundation for a new helicopter factory at Tumkuru near Bangaluru in January 2016 to make LUH, LCH and ALH Dhruva. During Aero India 2017, defence minister Manohar Parrikar declared that a new plant will be up and running in next 18-24 months and will have the capacity to manufacture 8 LCA-Tejas aircraft per year. HAL chief T Suvarna Raju said in March 2017 that HAL will deliver 8 LCA jets in year 2017 and start an annual delivery of 16 jets from 2018-19 onwards. He also said "we are going to build around 1,000 helicopters including Kamov 226, LCH (Light Combat Helicopter), ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) in the next 10 years,". This is a tall order. Can Modi magic transform HAL? HAL in collaboration with BAE upgraded the jet trainer Hawk Mk132 into light attack aircraft Hawk-I for low intensity conflicts. Hawk-i is capable of delivering precision Munitions including Air to Ground and close combat weapons, self defence capabilities through Electronic Warfare systems, digital map generator and operational reliability through new Dual Hot stand-by Mission Computer Avionics architecture supported by indigenous high accuracy and high Altitude Radio Altimeter, IFF MKXII, Data Transfer system, CMDS and RWR. Such "light attack aircraft" are adept at several missions that high-performance fighters are ill suited to perform. Flying slower, their pilots get more time to identify targets, especially over jungle terrain, or when targets are camouflaged. In mountains, accuracy is extremely important because even narrowly missing a target on a sharp ridgeline means the bomb or rocket strikes harmlessly, hundreds of feet below. Light attack aircraft allow greater accuracy. One can hope all existing Hawk Mk132 to become light attack aircraft in a specified timeframe. Can Modi bring aache din for Indian Aeronautics industry and HAL? HAL needs more assembly lines for Tejas, LCH, Hawk-I etc. or completely handover production to private sector players who can produce jets in large numbers like Maruti.Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently said state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) willhave to scale up production of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), asserting that the government has not "ditched" the project for any other fighter jet.Seeing speedup of performance, Delhi is now making extra demands to Moscow when it comes to the joint production of a Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). India may go in for this joint venture only under the condition of a full-scale technology transfer and if Russia provided help in the development of the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). According to media, the Indian side bases such demands on the experience of the Sukhoi-30MKI jet acquisition programme, which cost India Rs 55,717 crore ($8.4 billion) without any tangible help in developing indigenous fighter-manufacturing capabilities. The recipient company Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) is still unable to manufacture the Sukhois on its own.HAL / DRDO Tejas took first flight in 2001 but Final Operational Clearance (FOC) received in December 2018. NDA defence minister Manohar Parikar checks AMCA model. HAL AMCA is still in models for twenty years (1995-2015) and DRDO’s ADE / ADA labs are still conducting wind tunnel tests. With this speed it may take more than 100 years to fly this jet.