Question: Will the Minister of DEFENCE be pleased to satate :-

(a) whether there has been delay in military development projects including the completion of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the initially proposed completion date of these projects;

(c) the reasons for the delay in the projects;

(d) whether Government has studied the impact of delays in various defence related projects including the construction of submarines, LCA etc.;

(e) if so, the details thereof; and

(f) the measures taken by Government to ensure the earliest completion of the projects?

Answer: Minister of Defence (Shri A.K. Antony)

The following are major ongoing delayed projects of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):-

Projects Probable Date of Completion (PDC)
Original Revised
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Phase-II December 2008 December 2012*
Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA, Navy) Phase-I March 2010 December 2014
Aero-engine Kaveri December 1996 December 2009#
Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) System October 2011 March 2014
Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) May 2011 December 2015
* PDC is likely to be extended upto March 2015.
# PDC has been extended within the sanctioned cost and scope.

The following are some of the reasons for delay in completion of the above projects:-
(i) Ab-initio development of the state-of-the-art technologies.
(ii) Non-availability of trained / skilled manpower in respect of ab-initio development projects.
(iii) Non-availability of infrastructure / test facilities in the country.
(iv) Technical / technological complexities.
(v) Non-availability of critical components / equipment / materials and denial of technologies by the technologically advanced countries.
(vi) Enhanced User’s requirements or change in specifications during development.
(vii) Increase in the scope of work.
(viii) Extended / long-drawn user trials.
(ix) Failure of some of the components during testing / trials.
Based on the studies and past experience on the impact of delays in the DRDO projects, the following measures have been taken to complete the ongoing projects without any further delay:-
(i) Consortium approach is being used for design, development and fabrication of critical components.
(ii) Three-tier project monitoring approach has been instituted in the major projects / programmes.
(iii) Project Monitoring Review Committee (PMRC) and Project Appraisal and Review Committee (PARC) meetings are held regularly to monitor the progress of ongoing projects / programmes.
(iv) Concurrent engineering approach has been adopted in technology intensive projects to minimize time-lag between development and productionisation of the systems.
(v) Information Technology and modern management techniques are being applied.
(vi) Encouraging joint funding by users to ensure their commitment towards earliest completion.
(vii) Promoting synergy and better co-ordination among User Services, DRDO and production agencies through cluster meetings.

As far as construction of submarines is concerned, there is delay, which has been attributed to delay in procurement of construction materials. The project is being closely monitored by Ministry of Defence and Indian Navy to complete it without any further delay. Detailed information cannot be divulged in the interest of National Security.

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