Project Management Assignment - 1

Sector: Defense Project: Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Project 1. Need of the project
The primary need is to replace the ageing MiG-21 fighters. The other objective is to the build a local aerospace industry capable of creating state-of-the-art products with commercial spin-offs for a global market

2. Scope
Project Scope:
Cost: $100 million Time: 10 years Quality: Lightweight, multirole, single-engine tactical fighter aircraft

Product Scope:
Delta wing configuration with no tail planes, single vertical fin. It integrates technologies such as relaxed static stability, fly-by-wire flight control system, advanced digital cockpit, multi-mode radar, integrated digital avionics system, advanced composite material structures and a flat rated engine.

3. Feasibility Market Feasibility:

o At the start of LCA project It was estimated by 1995 the IAF would lack 40% of the aircraft needed to fill its projected force structure requirements. As on today IAF is reported to have a requirement for 200 single-seat aircrafts. 2- Seater Tejas can be used as Trainer aircraft for pilots (IAF has requirements for 20 two-seat trainers) Indian Navy may order up to 40single-seater LCA.

o o

Technological feasibility:

For the development of Light combat aircraft the nodal agency i.e. ADA(Aeronautical development agency) identified 5 critical technologies they are o An airframe to be built with extensive use of composite material of which we had no previous experience o An engine where no Indian agency had any competence in Engine building o A radar set that was to be better than our imported best and yet be lighter in weight and perhaps a bit smaller in size o An electronic control system for an unstable platform o A completely digital man/machine interface while we had no experience at all of the new fangled concept of a glass cockpit,

All this within a decade, the project sounds implausible.

Financial Feasibility

Project Deadline: The total program cost of LCA project so far in $ 1.2 billion. The project was planned
to be completed in 10 years but even after 27 years full operational clearance is not provided for Tejas aircraft. Payback period: Assembly lines have been built at HAL to roll out eight aircraft a year. IAF will be inducting 20 Tejas aircrafts by end of 2013 and 108 aircrafts by 2022. Navy is planned to induct naval version of Tejas by 2014. Even if the HAL sells 40 Tejas LCA by 2015 the revenue will be $1.24 billion and the cost incurred for the project will be recovered.

Environment Feasibility Tejas is environmentally more feasible than the aircraft which it is intended to replace Below is the comparison of Tejas LCA and MIG21 aircraft Parameter Mileage Takeoff weight Tejas 1.22 km/kg 13300kg MIG 21 0.81 km/kg 9400 kg Remark Tejas is more fuel efficient More takeoff weight of Tejas and high mileage contribute to less emission Lower Noise pollution

Sound Emission

2-3 decibel less than MIG21

10-12 decibel

4. Outcome of Project:
Success
o Of the five critical technologies the ADA identified at the beginning of the LCA programme as needing to be mastered for India to be able to design and build a "completely indigenous" fighter, two have been entirely successful: the development and manufacture of advanced carbon-fiber composite (CFC) structures and skins and a modern "glass cockpit." In fact, ADA has had a profitable commercial spin-off in its Autolay integrated automated software system for the design and development of 3-D laminated composite elements (which has been licensed to both Airbus and Infosys). About 70% of the components in LCA are manufactured in India and the dependence on imported components used would be progressively reduced in the coming years.

Short comings

o o

Delay in Project launch: The need for LCA program was accepted in 1969 only by government but the Final permission was granted only in 1983 that too the responsibility of design was given to DRDO (ADA lab) and manufacturing to HAL. Instead both the design and manufacturing would have been assigned to HAL as HAL completed design studies in 1975. Earlier some key technologies were planned to import whereas on the light of Indias nuclear test and the sanction which followed it the DRDO was not able to procure these technology and thus forced to develop these technologies in-house, instead if they had planned to develop these technologies like digital flight control system earlier only lot of time and money could have saved. Project team did not listened to internal doubts expressed in muted tones and then in thunderous debates that the Kaveri project will not and cannot match with the Tejas project in good time. Even today Kaveri engine is not ready and Tejas is being fitted with engine made by GE No foreign collaboration was made for development of multi mode radar; India did not had at that time even transfer of technology on radar. They could have coordinated testing program of Tejas more tightly with the existing assets of ASTE and HAL Flight Test Division rather than creating a brand new National Flight Testing Center( NFTC) for the purpose

5. Conclusion
The Tejas LCA project helped to develop domestic aerospace industry, the concept and objective of project where good, but the project planning and management were not properly handled.