The Hindu : PAC pulls up Defence Ministry for delay in Sukhoi aircraft delivery

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 23, 2003

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PAC pulls up Defence Ministry for delay in Sukhoi aircraft delivery

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI DEC. 22. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has expressed concern at the delay in the delivery of Sukhoi (Su-30 MKI-2 and Su-30 MKI-3) aircraft and criticised the Defence Ministry for not furnishing the current status of the envisaged upgradation of these aircraft to the desired multi-role version.

"As per the revised delivery schedule effected in February 2001, 10 fully upgraded mutli-role aircraft [Su-30 MKI-3] were expected to be made available between July and December 2003 and 22 partially upgraded aircraft, including 10 aircraft in Phase I and 12 in Phase II were to be delivered latest by June 2002 and June 2003 respectively. As against this, only 10 Su-30 MKI-1 aircraft were received and inducted into the Indian Air Force in September 2002," the Parliamentary panel's report said today.

The PAC said that since only 10 Su-30 MKI-1 aircraft had been obtained so far, it is apparent that there was already a slippage in the delivery of the aircraft in Phase II. "...It is unlikely that the revised upgradation programme of Su-30 aircraft in India would materialise."

"What the Committee apprehends at this stage is that there is every likelihood of another revision in the already belated induction programme, which would obviously result in avoidable extra cost to the Government," the panel said.

"With this background, the Committee is extremely constrained to observe that the Ministry has again failed in its joint development mission to accomplish the induction programme despite seeking repeated revisions in the delivery schedule."

In an earlier report, the Committee had observed that the cumulative delay in the induction of the Su-30 multi-role aircraft had not only frustrated the proposed aircraft phase-out plan, but also resulted in a huge financial burden to the tune of Rs. 546 crores due to fluctuations in foreign exchange conversion rates.

"While expressing dissatisfaction over imprudent planning and inept handling of the execution of the joint development project, the Committee had recommended that the Ministry should initiate urgent measures to realise acquisition of Su-30 multi-role aircraft within the revised time-frame [agreed to in February 2001] in order to contain further outgo of precious foreign exchange," it had stated.

The contract for 40 Su-30 aircraft and associated equipment had been approved at a cost of Rs. 6,310 crores in November 1996.

The PAC had previously observed that the Defence Ministry had "opted for an uncertain route of joint development which proved not only delay prone but also rendered the entire upgradation programme significantly complex both in terms of technology and management."

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