Indian forces already have a culture of extending the life of their equipment but it is the defence industry that needs to come up with upgrade proposals.

A general refrain in all the upgrade programmes has been the delays in the decision-making process. In the past, however, problems arising from such dithering have been further compounded by subsequent hitches in implementation. Implementation can be split into two phases—design and development phase, and fleet modification phase. Time taken for decision making can be reduced if periodical improvements and upgrades become a culture with the user and the industry to ensure exploitation of the aircraft and systems. Operators appreciate the changes taking place in the environment and also the weaknesses in the existing system, which need to be modified through use of better technology or outright replacement. The indigenous aircraft can even undergo generational improvements whilst the manufacturing cycle is going on or thereafter but an independent programme of midlife upgrades is inevitable in the case of imported/licence-manufactured aircraft.

Design & development phase

This phase commences with defining the operational requirements and the system specifications by the user. Designation of the design and development agency depends upon the platform and the complexity of the upgrade. So far, the availability of design data, especially for the airframe modifications, has been the determining factor in selecting the development agency.

In the case of systems upgrade, the selected system integrator designs the system architecture, finalises Interface Control Document and various protocols required for integration. These steps are identical whether the upgrade is being done by foreign vendor/OEM or indigenous agency. Participation by the project team comprising of flight test crew and operation representatives at the premises of the vendors is of utmost importance. The extent of participation by the customer project team will have an impact on the timelines for completion of the programme. After the sub-systems have been identified and the hardware planning and interfaces have been finalised concurrent activities on the integration rig and building the prototype can go on.