The Hindu : National : Air Force unhappy with TEC’s decision

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Air Force unhappy with TEC’s decision

Ravi Sharma

French firm to co-develop Kaveri engine

Specifications of RFP not entirely met: sources
Engine expected to power light combat aircraft Tejas

BANGALORE: India’s efforts to develop a combat aircraft engine have hit yet another air pocket. Both the Russians and the Indian Air Force are unhappy for different reasons with the Technical Evaluation Committee’s (TEC’s) decision to choose the French engine house Snecma as the Gas Turbine Research Establishment’s (GTRE’s) partner to co-develop the long-delayed Kaveri engine.

The Kaveri is expected to power the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas.

The K.V.L Rao-headed TEC after deliberating over the proposals sent by Snecma and the Russian engine giant NPO Saturn for more than two years, recently declared that Snecma, better met the GTRE’s requirements, thereby eliminating the Russians from the race.

Though the GTRE has sent the TEC’s report to the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, M. Natarajan, he has reportedly not been able to initiate commercial negotiations with Snecma as the Air Force is unhappy with the engines.

Unsatisfactory

The TEC’s contention in rejecting the Russians is primarily because they are not in a position to comply with the GTRE stipulation — developing the core engine within 48 months.

For the Air Force both the Russian and French offers are unsatisfactory.

According to highly placed sources the French and Russian proposals are “not entirely meeting some of the specifications of the RFP.”

Most crucially there is a shortfall in the thrust requirement of 81 kiloNewtons (kN).

Power plant

While the Tejas’ current power plant, the General Electric manufactured F404 IN20 produces a thrust of around 79 to 80 kiloNewtons, the Air Force has estimated that only a thrust in excess of 90 kN will allow the Tejas to meet air staff requirements.

“Why should we replace the fully developed and integrated FADEC [Full Authority Digital Engine Control] F404 engine with one that does not have a very much higher thrust rating and is only being offered in a licence production agreement and not being co-developed with GTRE? If we are to look at the licence production route it would be better to go for an engine that has a much higher thrust and growth potential and make the necessary changes on the Tejas’ fuselage,” a senior official said.

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