WINGS AND WHEELS
Indigenisation a must for HAL's Dhruv
MAKE NO mistake; the `Druv' is the world's best utility helicopter in the 5 to 6 tonne class, bar none. It is so good that the world's most diversified helicopter manufacturer, Eurocopter, was very disappointed when not chosen to market the chopper internationally.
The question, however, is how indigenous it is - and that does not refer to MBB (which later merged into Eurocopter) helping with the initial design in the 1980s. It refers to the shameful fact that virtually all the aircraft's systems, and particularly its engines, are from international vendors with no plans for local manufacture in the foreseeable future.
This means that whenever any of the dozens of systems needs to be repaired or replaced, the Air Force, Army, Navy and Coast Guard will pay through their nose. This becomes especially important when one realises that `through life' costs are typically four to five times the initial acquisition cost and Indian prices are often as little as half of those charged internationally. In addition, unnecessary dependence on foreign sources means that essential equipment is subject to `denial' — whenever India's international `friends' want to pressure it to change its policies. That happened in 1998, post-Pokhran, crippling many sections of the armed forces.
It is therefore extremely surprising that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which ordered 30 Turbomeca TM333-2B2 engines in July 1999, quickly followed up by ordering 52 more in May 2000 and more than 300 in January 2003 (bringing the total to 400 engines), made no concerted attempt to include licensed local manufacture as part of these large deals. This when HAL has been manufacturing sophisticated aero engines for fixed and rotary wing aircraft since the 1960s, including helicopter engines under licence from Turbomeca!
The second, 52-engine, order even included a substantial escalation clause that kicked in when HAL did not `lift' engines from Turbomeca fast enough because only seven helicopters were manufactured in 2001-02, followed by just 11 more in 2002-03 — something that should have been obvious in 2000.
Fortunately for the country, the appointment of N.R. Mohanty as HAL's chairman in 2001 allowed it to make a start in cleaning up the Augean stables that he `inherited' and this is partly reflected in the 2003 order which at least calls for licensed manufacture of certain critical spares.
Unfortunately for Mr. Mohanty, the country and HAL, his reign of transparent integrity comes to an end in November and agents of various foreign vendors are said to be already lobbying Delhi to ensure that `their' men occupy the top slots come December. This is already reflected in Turbomeca, for instance, dragging its feet in implementing the aforesaid agreement to indigenise the manufacture of critical spares for the helicopter engines hoping that the environment will change once the new regime is in place.
If Mr. Mohanty wants to leave behind a legacy at HAL that his family can be proud of, he must ensure that, at the very least, the tainted helicopter systems agreements are revisited to ensure that they are favourable to India and that his successors are also men of integrity and ability. This is an achievable goal, because although he has less than three months left, he is sure to have the full support of the able and upright senior bureaucrats now at the helm in the Defence Ministry and at the Prime Minister's Office.
C. Manmohan Reddy
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