This is not about a new line. If we wanted a 2nd line for the LCA, why there are consultants dime a dozen out there who could help a private guy setup a line and produce the LCA. I am talking top tier guys like Eurofighter, BAE, Northrop Grumman and a host of 2nd rung guys like Embrear to guys from Korea and Japan who have fighter lines , assembly and ecosystem experience. There really is no need to import another plane if that was the reason.shiv wrote:In my opinion fiddling with HAL to magically increase its production are ideas that are bound to fail because it is like having enough bricks to build one house but trying to rearrange and redistribute those bricks to build two houses. Everyone, HAL and IAF included are saying this openly and clearly.
We need a new line. A new private line in a country where the private industry has never done it can only mean a 100% (or 90%) foreign owned entity that assembles in India, employs Indians, supplies to India and others.
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Why, HAL itself could roll out 25 planes a year if they de-bottleneck it and outsource some of the work to private guys (as the HAL CEO himself says and roll out 250 airframes upwards in 10 years).
There are specialised consultants out there exactly to help out with this kind of thing as well. So, lack of experience can be filled in without too much trouble subject to political clearance from Unkil and India.
That however, is not the intent of this entire thing. It is about quid pro quo, strategic alignment, and of course try to get major vendors in to help out with tech gaps where they exist today (which are in engine materials, design and testing and also in sensors --materials and manufacturing) . Also, serves a political purpose of Make In India, creates jobs, and also makes headlines if Indian made fighters are exported outside (think auto industry .. Ford, Nissan, Hyundai etc.).