The rather unfortunate crash of the Rustom Technology Demonstrator during its maiden flight would undoubtedly be a setback for the Indian aerospace industry

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) on its maiden test flight hit a coconut tree and crashed near Hosur in Tamil Nadu on November 16. The remote-controlled aerial vehicle developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) was operating from the airstrip belonging to Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Limited at Belagondapalli village near Hosur, 40 km south of Bangalore. The UAV had been airborne for just 21 seconds when it impacted a coconut tree and crashed into a farm. Fortunately, there was no casualty on the ground but the aircraft was totally destroyed. As is usually the case, failures of indigenous programmes generate considerable media interest and excitement.

The remote-controlled aerial vehicle that ploughed into the ground soon after take off probably due to a snag in the remote control mechanism was a ‘Technology Demonstrator’; a scaled down version of the Rustom UAV built for the initial phase of the flight research programme meant for proving technologies. Classified as a Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV, the Rustom has been named after Professor Rustom B. Damania of National Aeronautics Laboratory who in the 1980s had designed the manned experimental Light Canard Research Aircraft (LCRA). The airframe of the Rustom developed by ADE Bangalore is a derivative of the LCRA and hence, the name.

Rustom is the successor of the Nishant, the first UAV from ADE to have been inducted into the Indian Army. Compared to the Nishant, the scaled up version of the Rustom would be much larger in size, approximating to the Israeli Heron and would have the capability to operate at 30,000 ft above mean sea level. It is expected to have an endurance of up to 24 hours. However, with the possible development of in flight ‘buddy refueling’ capability, which is very much on the cards and could be made available to India in not too distant a future, the vehicle would be endowed with infinite endurance and would not need to land for days, weeks or even months. With such a potential, unmanned aerial platforms could provide the Indian armed forces a quantum jump in aerial surveillance and intelligence gathering capability.

Deviating from the routine, wherein proven technology is transferred to a production agency, in this case, ADE, which is essentially a design agency, had around three years ago, invited proposals from leading Indian aerospace companies both in the public and private sector. The aim was to select an aerospace company which could join hands as production agency-cum-development partner with sizeable financial stake in this Rs 1,000 crore ($200 million) venture for series production of the Rustom and delivery to the customer by January 2012. The partner selected would have to possess or develop the necessary infrastructure, expertise and experience as also would be expected to participate in the design and development phase. Major players who stepped forward to join the race are Hindustan Aeronautics Limited jointly with Bharat Electronics Limited, Larsen & Toubro, Godrej & Boyce and the Tatas. Given the size of investments involved, especially by the private sector, it would be reasonable to assume that ADE would be looking for a firm commitment from customers which, in this case, would be the armed forces of India. It is not known whether there is any.

For some reason, the issue of selection of a partner has been hanging fire for a long time, since March 2007 to be precise. Proposals from the Indian aerospace majors are believed to be still under evaluation at the Ministry of Defence. Meanwhile, ADE is going ahead with the development programme commenced over four years ago, virtually depriving the potential partner of the opportunity to participate in the development of the vehicle and reducing lead time for the creation of infrastructure. The inordinate delay in the selection of a partner will eventually impinge on the progress of the overall programme itself leaving the armed forces to explore alternatives from abroad.