pandyan wrote:
So, who is providing the components today for Tejas? Why can't they show a nice contract and rope in private companies?
Too many chicken-egg scenarios
Yes. But in fact this business of inviting private participation has been on only for a decade or so now with increasing private involvement in stalls in Aero India. In fact last year, on this thread we discussed a news item where some HAL bigwig admitted that the biggest problem was going to be mass production of small (and larger) parts for the LCA production line rather than the one-off items that was being done for the prototypes. Obviously, if they get suppliers to do that
and keep quality high
and costs low then the problem is solved.
I think the use of the word "pin" is significant as is the mention of cost. High quality pins/small parts may cost a bomb if an investment in machinery has to be put in up front by any private company. HAL can't help here but GoI can help by giving soft loans and tax breaks to companies that are willing to invest in the machinery/floor space to make small parts. The investment will really pay off in MCA or FGFA, because the same factory can then continue to produce pins/rings for the next A/C.
The other unrelated issue is "transfer of technology". When we buy a Jag or a rafale, it was basically unprofitable to set up factories for every pin/ring. Either HAL had to set up a unit for that or it was imported wholesale. If the company in UK/France shut down or if sanctions were applied that small pin - the proverbial nail in the horse's shoe could ground a plane. So we need massive, ma-assive private involvement of small players to make thousands of little parts.
