Pilots younger than aircraft they’re flying

India makes 9 aircraft a year against 5-10 a month globally

COREENA SUARES I DC HYDERABAD, NOV. 24 Except for the Sukhoi Su30, Indian Air Force fighter aircraft are older than the pilots who fly them.

The procurement process for acquiring aircraft and helicopters, especially for training, has been excruciatingly slow because top officers are afraid of being accused of irregularities in the purchase.

The Indian defence public sector manufactures six to nine aircraft a year, against the international rate of five to 10 per month. The Kiran that crashed at Siddipet on Friday is the second such aircraft to crash in two months.

The Kirans in operation at Hakimpet and Dundigal have exceeded their technical life and are being flown by cannibalising parts from other aircraft.

A majority of the Kiran aircraft used in the second phase of training at the Hakimpet and Dundigal Air Force training grounds, were manufactured in 1989; the newest Kiran aircraft in the IAF is at least 31 years old. The trainees who fly them are around 20 to 25 years old.

A defence historian who has written extensively on fighter aircraft told that delays in procurement are to blame for not inducting more aircraft.

“History narrates that the officers who have taken decisions or pushed a procurement decision, have wound up being harassed by investigation agencies for years, even after retirement. While officers who have avoided taking decisions have never faced any adverse consequences, even though those delayed decisions actually cost lives rather than money,” he said.

“In addition, the government’s attempts to create new procurement policies have resulted in complex regulations. This makes it almost impossible for a supplier to navigate, unless they use a local consultant or agent, which is an open invitation to corruption,” he said.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has recommended that the IAF phase out ageing HJT-16 Kiran aircraft for training fighter pilots. In an earlier report, CAG had said, “Due to considerable delay in production of contracted IJT aircraft, IAF continues to depend on the ageing and depleting Kiran fleet for training purpose.”