New Delhi: The defence ministry told Rajya Sabha on Monday, February 13, that 23 out of 55 Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO’s) ‘mission mode’ projects are running behind schedule.
The mission mode projects are high-priority programmes based on the specific operational requirements put forth by forces and should have been completed within definitive time frames. Delays in such projects could affect the operational efficiency of the forces.
In response to a query, minister of state for defence, Ajay Bhatt, informed the parliament that such projects involve Tejas Mark-2 light combat aircraft (LCA), Naval LCA, unmanned aerial vehicles to air independent propulsion (AIP) for greater underwater endurance of submarines, light machine guns, and advanced towed artillery gun systems (ATAGS).
Other delayed projects are in the areas of surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, electronic warfare, systems for fighters and warships, air droppable containers, simulators, tactical radios, rockets, bombs, infantry combat vehicle-command (ICV-C), life support systems, periscopes and torpedoes.
The Times of India reported that some of these projects involve technologies that are already available and readily accessible in India or abroad at a short notice.
The MoS defence also informed the parliament that there has been a cost escalation in 12 projects but sought to underline that increase in cost should not be seen as a loss but as the “enhancement of the scope of the project”.
The delay is also affecting crucial single-engine Tejas jets, which is necessary for the Indian Air Force to stem the reduction in the number of its fighter squadrons, which is currently at 31. According to official estimates, 42 of them are required to handle any emerging threat from China and Pakistan. The Indian Air Force has just inducted 30 of the 123 Tejas jets ordered so far, the Times of India report said.
The government in February 2021 signed off a contract worth Rs 46,898 crore for 73 improved Mark-1A fighter version of Tejas and 10 other fighters for delivery in the 2024-29 timeframe.
The lightweight Tejas Mark-1 (13.5 tonne weight) was designed with the intention to replace old and obsolete MiG-21s, the medium-weight Mark-2 (17.5 tonne), to eventually succeed fighters like the Mirage-2000s, Jaguars and MiG-29s of the IAF. On the other hand, the naval LCA is the forerunner for the twin-engine deck-based fighter which the Navy wants for its own aircraft carriers. The Times of India report points out that it will take at least a decade to be operationally ready.
In order to address the delays, the Mos defence said several steps are being undertaken, including a mandatory focus on pre-project activity, increased frequency of project reviews, increased involvement of Services and Production partners during the development process, among others.