Opinion Aero India 2025: Time for India's DPSUs to Shift from Showcasing Models to Delivering Milestones

As Aero India 2025 approaches, the excitement surrounding potential new aerospace program announcements is palpable. However, this enthusiasm is often tempered by the historical reality of prolonged development timelines within India's defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs).

A shift in approach is needed, where announcements translate into tangible progress within a reasonable timeframe.

Traditionally, Aero India has been a platform for showcasing ambitious aerospace programs, often symbolized by scale models representing future aspirations.

Yet, the journey from these announcements to actual flying prototypes typically stretches over 5-6 years, sometimes even longer. This extended timeline has drawn criticism and raised concerns about the efficiency and urgency of India's defence projects.

The typical pattern observed at Aero India involves grand announcements of new projects, such as advanced fighter jets, drones, or missile systems, accompanied by scale models or artist renderings.

While this generates initial excitement, the subsequent progress often lags. Securing funding, completing detailed designs, constructing prototypes, and conducting rigorous testing can take years due to bureaucratic hurdles, technical challenges, and budget constraints.

This long wait often creates a public relations challenge for DPSUs. Each year that passes without significant progress can fuel skepticism, especially in the rapidly evolving aerospace sector where technological advancements can quickly render initial designs obsolete.

To address this issue, industry analysts and stakeholders are advocating for a more cautious and strategic approach to announcements by Indian DPSUs. They suggest that announcements should be made only when a clear and achievable timeline is in place for major milestones, such as prototype testing, within 12-24 months. This would demonstrate a commitment to speed and efficiency.

Instead of relying on scale models to showcase future potential, DPSUs could focus on presenting tangible progress. This could involve providing updates on ongoing projects nearing crucial stages like prototype flights or advanced trial phases.

Furthermore, new programs should not be announced unless funding is secured and initial research and development phases are well underway, minimizing the gap between announcement and action.

By managing expectations and emphasizing near-term achievements, DPSUs can rebuild trust with stakeholders, the public, and international partners. A more disciplined announcement strategy could also incentivize internal processes to become more efficient, reducing unnecessary delays.

In today's competitive aerospace market, speed is crucial. By demonstrating the ability to deliver on promises within a reasonable timeframe, India can strengthen its position in the global arena and showcase its growing capabilities in aerospace and defence technology.

Aero India 2025 presents an opportunity for India's DPSUs to shift from showcasing models to delivering milestones, signaling a new era of efficiency and innovation.

 

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[Anant]

A very important point. We can make do with fewer announcements which are more accurate. The problem with making ten different statements is that it gives the impression the company has no control or understanding of the project, and are just winging it as they go along.

 

[Rational Guy]

A very realistic and correct article. DPSU should give realistic timelines based on funding status. More importantly they should stop talking and work silently. China stunned by flying 6th generation fighters without prior boasting. They let the results speak for themselves. We need to learn from this.

 

[Dhiren Punjabi]

These announcements are made primarily for hiding the failures/delays of DRDO, and then diverting the attention of public from these failures to the new programmes without any concrete plan, thereby creating false hopes.
The government should hold these people accountable for such announcements and also delays !
More than 80% of projects taken by DRDO are either delayed or failed. Some examples : FRCV, Kaveri, Tejas, Tapas, AIP system, Astra mark 2 and 3, and the list goes on.

 

[Bhup Chand Sharma]

Data Patterns is a stall to watch out for...
Some of the firsts in Nation would be on display... How the IAF and MoD takes it forward is to be seen

 

[Sandeep]

We need to make sure that any project started should finish successfully and on time. Long delays harm our national security so we need to do everything we can to make each project a success by using the right people and funding them properly.