IAF takes self-reliance route to overhaul Russian-origin planes

STEPS TO BOOST SELF-RELIANCE, RISE IN EXPORTS, RECORD DEFENCE PRODUCTION WERE SOME POINTS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE END-OF-YEAR MINISTRY REVIEW

The ongoing RussiaUkraine war has hit the repair and overhaul (ROH) of critical equipment in the Indian Air Force's Russian-origin aircraft, including aero-engines and avionics, and self-reliance plans are being pursued to address the situation, the defence ministry said in a comprehensive end-of-year review published on Friday, highlighting the key developments in the sector during 2023.

"The Russia-Ukraine conflict has resulted in the inability to send major aggregates like aeroengines, critical avionics and specialist weapons abroad for ROH. To mitigate the situation, 44 shortlisted projects pertaining to Russian fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters are being progressed through Other Capital Procurement Procedure (OCPP)," the year-end review said.

OCPP deals with enhancing the utility of the military's existing assets through ROH under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020.

The shortlisted projects are being pursued through OCPP under several categories including life extension, development and execution of ROH technologies for airframes, electro-mechanical rotables, avionics and electronic warfare systems, repair and refurbishment of Russian engines and avionics, and replacement of avionic aggregates, the ministry said in the review.

"A comprehensive self-reliance plan to engage the defence industrial corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu has been chalked out. The industry has been appraised in detail on the indigenisation requirements of IAF," it said.