Context

India and South Korea are manufacturing similar lines of products (Light Armed Helicopter), which has positioned them as competitors in the global export market.

• The Competitors: India’s Tejas and South Korea’s FA-50 Light Combat Aircraft (LAC)
• Aim: to get the Malaysian Light Attack Fighter contract.

Who has the upper hand?

• The South Korean aircraft appears to be having a slight advantage over the Indian LCA.
• South Korea has now also decided to accelerate the production of its Light Armed Helicopter.
• It authorized a 5.75 trillion won (US$4.3 billion) plan to begin mass production of a homegrown light-armed helicopter (LAH) in the coming months.

India’s Light Combat Helicopter (LCH):

• The LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world which can land and take off at an altitude of 5,000 meters with a considerable load of weapons and fuel.
• The helicopter uses radar-absorbing material to lower radar signature and has a significantly crash-proof structure and landing gear.
• A pressurized cabin offers protection from Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) contingencies.
• The helicopter is equipped with a countermeasure dispensing system that protects it from enemy radars or infrared seekers of enemy missiles.
• LCH is powered by two French-origin Shakti engines manufactured by the HAL.

KAI Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) of South Korea:

• Project Type: Light-armed helicopter
• Manufacturer: Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI)
• Engine: The helicopter is powered by two Arriel 2L2 turboshaft engines.
• First Flight: July 2019
• Cruise Distance: 411 kilometres
• Operation time: Two hours and 35 minutes
• Armament: The rotorcraft is armed with a chin-mounted 20mm Gatling-type gun.

Comparison:

Challenges Related to the Defence Sector in India:

• High Dependence on Imports: The defence sector in India relies heavily on imports, and changing geopolitical circumstances cause it to be delayed.
• Narrow Private Participation: Private sector participation in the defence sector is constrained by the lack of a conducive financial framework, which means our defence production is unable to benefit from modern design, innovation, and product development.
• Lack of Critical Technology: Lack of design capability, inadequate R&D investment, and inability to manufacture major subsystems and components hamper indigenous manufacturing.
• Lack of Nexus between Stakeholders: India's defence manufacturing capability is hindered by overlapping jurisdictions between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Industrial Promotion.

AtmaNirbhar India in Defence:

• Establishment of Defence Industrial Corridor
• Modernization with Indigenization

• Defense Manufacturing Ecosystem
• Indigenisation with Private Boom
• Defence Investor Cell
• Inclusion of Defence Entrepreneurs in Policy Making
• Strengthening the Economy with Strategic Independence