New Delhi (NVI): The Indian Air Force has been giving boost to fast tracking of indigenisation of aircraft as well as systems and enlarging the scope of involvement of Indian aerospace and defence industry.
In an official statement, the Ministry of Defence said, “For increased self-reliance and to meet sustenance requirements in product support of IAF aircraft and systems, indigenisation of aircraft as well as systems spares and setting up of indigenous Repair and Overhaul (ROH) facilities for aggregates are key focus areas of IAF.”
IAF operates a variety of aircraft fleets of foreign origin ranging from legacy MiG-21 Bison to the state-of-the-art Rafale aircraft.
The ministry informed that there is immense scope for indigenisation in the IAF for a wide variety of spares and equipment ranging from aircraft general purpose spares.
These include nuts, bolts, cables, gaskets, springs, etc to complex high technology spares, such as avionics equipment, aeroengine accessories, etc.
Moreover, the indigenisation of spares for maintenance of aircraft and systems is undertaken through Base Repair Depots (BRDs) of IAF located in various parts of the country and Number 1. Central Indigenisation and Manufacturing Depot (CIMD), Nashik.
The statement further said, “As part of IAF’s focus on Self-Reliance and Atmanirbhar Bharat mission, the air force is giving impetus to fast tracking of indigenisation as well as enlarging the scope of involvement of Indian aerospace and defence industry especially, MSMEs.”
Under this, IAF has already identified indigenisation requirements of approximately 4,000 lines of spares.
While critical requirements for indigenisation include aviation grade filters (fuel, hydraulic & pneumatic), aeroengine bearings, hydraulic and pneumatic hoses, multifunction displays, aviation grade circuit breakers, lamp filaments, spark plugs, etc among others.
Apart from this, enormous opportunities are also available for the aerospace and defence industry partners in India including MSMEs to join hands with IAF in this vigorous indigenisation drive, the ministry noted.
In addition to manufacture of spares and aggregates, another area of focus of IAF is to engage with the industry to set up repair and overhaul (ROH) facilities within India for high value rotables or repairables.
To achieve this objective, IAF aims to accrue huge savings to the financial exchequer, besides developing and encouraging in-house MRO facilities, thereby leading to reduced timeframes for repair and enhanced operational availability of assets.
Furthermore, to facilitate dissemination of requirements for indigenisation, details of RFPs issued through CPPP portal by BROs/ CIMD are also being listed in the IAF website, the statement read.
In addition, a list of over 200 lines of high value ex-import spares (unit cost over Rs 10 lakh) has been hosted on the Defence Ministry website srijandefence.gov.in.
This year, IAF will be displaying a host of indigenisation requirements through their stall in Hall C, during Aero India.
“Representatives from various BROs will be available in the stall to interact with industry representatives for explaining the requirements for indigenisation and associated procedures,” the statement added.
-RJV
