The Hindu : National : Panel finalises partner for co-developing Kaveri engine

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Sunday, Dec 09, 2007
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Panel finalises partner for co-developing Kaveri engine

Ravi Sharma

BANGALORE: After a two-year exercise, the K.V.L. Rao Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) that was constituted to decide who should join the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in co-developing the indigenously Kaveri combat aircraft engine, has finally made up its mind. The co-developed Kaveri engine is expected to power the indigenously designed Light Combat Aircraft Tejas.

But the TEC’s decision could turn superfluous since the end user of the Kaveri engine, the Indian Air Force (IAF), has indicated that the parameters specified by the GTRE in the request for proposal (RFPs) sent out to two global engine houses were not synchronous with Air Staff Requirements (ASRs). The user’s stand is that an engine co-developed with these parameters and engine specifications (especially thrust) is not acceptable since there will be serious shortfalls in performance and operational viability.

The IAF’s stand indicates that it will like the GTRE to go in for a fresh RFP, factor in problems such as the near two-tonne increase in the Tejas’ weight, incorporate specifications that are in tune with ASRs (including choosing the right thrust), invite afresh global engine houses and then choose a partner, who will help develop an indigenous engine. Even while admitting that sending a new RFP would further delay the choosing of a partner, sources said that a “small” delay was preferable to the long term effects of the IAF flying an aircraft with an under powered engine.

The GTRE, a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory that since 1987 has been trying in vain to develop a combat engine (Kaveri), threw up their hands in 2005 and put out an RFP calling for help. But with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which will manufacture the Kaveri expressing a desire to have issues that would come up during the production phase addressed, the RFP had to be re-tendered.

Sent to the French engine house Snecma and Russia’s NPO Saturn, the RFP, among other issues, specified the kind of thrust that was required to be generated by the co-developed Kaveri. After a series of meetings with officials from the GTRE and HAL, the Snecma and the NPO Saturn sent in their proposals. In November the TEC, whose members are from the GTRE, HAL, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) – who are designing the Tejas – and the IAF, even visited the Snecma and the NPO Saturn’s facilities in France and Russia, “to see first hand whether the two engine houses would be able to fulfil RFP parameters.”

Official sources said the TEC had evaluated that Snecma was meeting the RFP specified parameters “to a larger extent than NPO Saturn.” The TEC’s report is expected to be sent to the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister later this week.

Sources also told The Hindu that the stalemate over the Kaveri stemmed from the fact that the user (IAF) was not a part of the committee that finalised the RFP.

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