India's 90-Seater Regional Transport Aircraft Development Struggles with Funding

[Akshat]

Where there is will there is a way. HAL market cap is 2 lac crore. If no funds being allocated, ask govt to bring rights issue for 20K crore. Invest in R&D for proposed 90 seater and also go for 15,000 KM range ~300 passenger and 16-18,000KM ~400 passenger capacity planes. India has a booming civil market. Importing or screwdriving and putting a make in India sticker will hurt.

Money isn’t an issue. GoI is expected to take almost 15 lakh crores of debt this year. Assuming 16000 crores spread over 5 years, this project needs only 3200 crores annually, which is negligible for GoI. Problem is that GoI knows that HAL and NAL can’t be trusted to develop anything worthwhile. They can only operate when Indian armed forces are involved because MoD will force them to buy substandard products at double triple prices. No one in an actual competitive market will buy from DPSUs.

 

[Ajath]

As long as he doesn’t give it to DRDO or HAL or NAL. At least we will get a plane that way.

LAL SALAM , COMRADE slogans will not help your state Chetta. You guys have to shed out leftist attitude and move towards encouraging new industries to be set up in your state. Remember SINGUR , WB . If not your state survival will solely depend upon on Gulf money

 

[Ajath]

Civil aircraft rated for passenger travel have to be exceptionally reliable with components sych as actuators often rated for a million flight hours. They need to incorporate a highly redundant fail-safe architecture where most avionics have quadruple redundancies.

The critical part is aero engines.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

The critical part is aero engines.

While aero engines are indeed critical, the most critical part would be navigation and control avionics. These avionics need to be fail-safe and need a highly redundant architecture.

 

[Amit]

NAL is developing SARAS a 14-18 seater civilian plan for last 30 years still it will take another 5 years for 1st flight. How could government trust on NAL & give another 16000 crore rupees to develop a 70 seater plan when NAL is unable to develop even a 14-18 seater plan.

 

[Anil Kumar]

First of all NAL have to deliver Saras mk1 and mk2 then government can consider for bigger aeroplane

 

[RG]

For regional jet a version of C-295 can be developed without reinventing the wheel, HAL could work with TATA systems on this. Also Mahindra should be give MTA contract for Ambraer KC-390. India should work with Ambraer to produce its line of product for regional market. A consorsium approach with Private and Public sector must come together for developing aerospace sector in the country. It is very capital intensive, with requirement of 10000s of part. HAL should focus on product developments that it is good at - specially Helicopter, fighter and trainer, they should build expertise in these areas and share it with private sector on a royalty basis.

 

[Baiju Bhaskaran]

Is this project really necessary or of any national importance, that GOI or any private party should take risk and fund it.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

Money isn’t an issue. GoI is expected to take almost 15 lakh crores of debt this year. Assuming 16000 crores spread over 5 years, this project needs only 3200 crores annually, which is negligible for GoI. Problem is that GoI knows that HAL and NAL can’t be trusted to develop anything worthwhile. They can only operate when Indian armed forces are involved because MoD will force them to buy substandard products at double triple prices. No one in an actual competitive market will buy from DPSUs.

The article sites funding hurdles as the reason. BTW, which other organisation in India is capable of pulling such projects thru?

 

[venkat]

ananthakrishan - deliver all the super delayed items first and then dream about this plane. tera aukat me nahi hai

 

[Akshat]

The article sites funding hurdles as the reason. BTW, which other organisation in India is capable of pulling such projects thru?

Invite an open tender and find out. I am not favoring anyone. That’s the spirit of open market. Let the best man win. Only thing that’s for sure is that DRDO/NAL/HAL ain’t capable of this.

As for the article, the HAL chief only said that the funding requirement is pending. Nowhere has it been mentioned (by him, not the author) that the reason is a fund crunch at the central level. Probably the government doesn’t trust HAL. Or they have seen data and know that the project is not viable. Or there can be other higher priority items. There can be dozens of reasons for not approving.

 

[beencensured]

Yeah, no one invested billions in infra, billions in 4 G network, 5 G tech development, green hydrogen etc.

Your missing the point of competition. These cronies dream of free lunch having their hands out and investment is to bring new types of efficient screw driving.

 

[Akshat]

Your missing the point of competition. These cronies dream of free lunch having their hands out and investment is to bring new types of efficient screw driving.

At least you accepted that their screw driving will be efficient.

Let the government run an open competition with funding provided to these companies. Then talk.

 

[beencensured]

At least you accepted that their screw driving will be efficient.

Let the government run an open competition with funding provided to these companies. Then talk.

I am not into screw driving because trillions are lost of talented people leaving India. Like this if India is capable of fixing su30mki engine then they can build better, but there is no incentives to that unless they move to foreign.

 

[Akshat]

I am not into screw driving because trillions are lost of talented people leaving India. Like this if India is capable of fixing su30mki engine then they can build better, but there is no incentives to that unless they move to foreign.

Again, DPSUs can’t even do screw driving properly. For private companies, screw driving is the first stage. That’s how most countries’ defense ecosystem develops. South Korea, Turkey, China… all started with screw driving.

And if you want the private companies to develop their own products, go ahead and give them the funds that DRDO is wasting. Give them contracts that DPSUs are hogging so that they can earn revenue and then plough them back in R&D. Is any of that happening? Even MoD is only releasing projects where screw driving is required from them, like MRFA or submarines. Where are the d@mned tenders?

 

[beencensured]

Again, DPSUs can’t even do screw driving properly. For private companies, screw driving is the first stage. That’s how most countries’ defense ecosystem develops. South Korea, Turkey, China… all started with screw driving.

We are way beyond screw driving besides like with the spider we are likely not to identify friend and foe AND HAVE MORE fRATICIDES.

 

[Prashu Sam]

Delay is common. Get used to it