BY : economictimes




China's air force has more than 2,000 operational aircraft mainly indigenous copies of Soviet-era designs, like the A-5 (based on the MiG-19), the F-7 (MiG-21) and Y-8 (An-12). Their derivatives continue to be developed.

Long after the An-12 went out of service, China not only continues to operate the Shanxi Y8F-400 derivative, but is now working on a further development — the Y-9.

That keeps China mired in obsolete technology. Similarly, while the A-5III is very different from the original MiG-19, it has little value in today’s warfare.

More recently, though, China has begun licence-production of Russian Su-27 and Su-30MKK, and has also indigenously designed more advanced types, like the J-10 and JF-17 fighters, the FBC-1 fighter-bomber, and the K-8 and L-15 trainers.

By contrast, the IAF had operated licence-produced and imported types like the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27, MiG-29, Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000 and Jaguar. It is only now going in for indigenous designs like the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter and the HJT-36 intermediate jet trainer, with the HJT-39 advanced jet trainer and the Light Combat Helicopter to follow.

How do China’s and India’s aerospace technologies compare? Importantly, unlike India, China has had no access to western technology for decades. Its technology base has thus been built up through vigorous in-house R&D, reverse engineering of foreign products, and the like.

India’s Tejas, Asia’s only fourth-generation combat aircraft, has technologies on par with those of most comparable aircraft, and superior to those of one such design.

China’s most advanced fighter, the Chengdu J-10, said to be based on the technology of Israel’s Lavi, has some structural composites, advanced avionics and a fly-by-wire flight control system, but lacks fourth-generation technology. A large, twin-engined derivative, designated the J-13, is said to be under development.

The technology embargo has hit China’s engine development hardest. All their aircraft, to date, have had Soviet-era clones or imported Russian engines, like the AL-31FN for the J-10 and the RD-93 for the JF-17. The Shenyang WS-10A, China’s first indigenous engine, was only recently announced. Its problems will take years to overcome before it powers the J-10. India’s problem-plagued Kaveri engine for Tejas, will also take years to enter service. but appears to be a more advanced design than the WS-10A.

Similarly, while China licence-produces several helicopters, there is none of Chinese design to match the HAL Dhruv — which had an infusion of German technology. Dhruv is among the most advanced helicopters in its class, and India’s most exportable product.

India has nothing to match the Hongdu L-15 – only the world’s second, modern, supersonic advanced jet trainer. However, the more recent transonic, HAL HJT-39, now under development, should be a technologically-superior, world-class product. Incidentally, should the IAF require a supersonic trainer, a toned-down Tejas could become the world’s first such fourth-generation aircraft.

Regarding missiles, India has the formidable Indo-Russian BrahMos cruise missile, while the Akash, Trishul, Astra and Nag are under development. By contrast, China has had a family of less-capable missiles, indigenous as well as Russian clones, for years.

China leads India in exports — mainly of early-vintage aircraft to countries like Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar and Pakistan, at “friendship” prices. Pakistan will have large numbers of JF-17s, which it jointly developed with China. In the future though, India will have far more advanced export products to offer.

Interestingly, both countries have joint helicopter projects. China has teamed with Eurocopter for the 6 to 7 tonne EC-175 (Z-15 in China), while India is to develop a 10-tonne battlefield helicopter with Russia.

China is well ahead of India for the development of commercial aircraft. It has several turboprop derivatives, of which the recent Xian MA-60 has been exported to countries like Fiji, Indonesia, Nepal and Zimbabwe.

China jointly assembles the Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet, is setting up a locals assembly line for the A320-family aircraft at Tianjin, is indigenously developing the ARJ21 regional jet, and plans to produce its own single-aisle mainline aircraft. India’s only product may be an airliner development of the Indo-Russian medium transport aircraft.

China’s airliners will mainly meet domestic demand, while the Indian market is too small to justify such a venture.
What of the future ? China’s relentless, single-minded pursuit of aerospace development, with several times India’s investment in that field, its numerous R&D and manufacturing facilities, and its large, well-trained work force, is showing results. China’s latest aircraft, while still not world-class, are way ahead of its earlier products.

India will have to invest much more, to further refine its capabilities, particularly in fields like prime contractorship and systems integration, and to develop technologies not yet in hand. India’s current technological lead over China can no longer be taken for granted.