Interview/ K. Rajalakshmi Menon, director general of aeronautical systems, DRDO
Q/ Modern warfare has undergone a transformative change.
A/ Operation Sindoor has really been a paradigm shift. It seems like there is a big shift from manned systems to unmanned systems. But when you look closely, it is not that manned systems are totally out, because once we have air superiority, we still need manned platforms. In a war or any conflict situation, it cannot be done with just one solution. It has to be a mix of solutions—manned and unmanned, complemented by ground systems.
Q/ What are we capable of as far as building fighter engines are concerned?
A/ Fourth generation technologies have already been developed, with the DRDO, industries and academia coming together. We started from scratch in the 1980s. From there, to have come up with all the technologies for 4th generation is an achievement in itself. Though it has been pointed out that the requirements for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fighter are still unmet, the technologies we have been able to develop are a huge leap. And, we can now certainly go for 5th generation. We should be able to achieve 6th generation technology, too, in some more time. So, whatever we have done in the past has been an investment. We can now get a return on those investments through other programmes.
The only aspect is that we should not interrupt this pace at which things have been moving because once that interruption happens, it becomes very difficult to keep up.
One main issue with developing aero engines in India is funding. The Russians, Americans and the Chinese have invested heavily, but that has not been the case for India.
Q/ Do you think funding remains a challenge?
A/ Funding is very, very important. But again, would we have been able to deliver in the 1980s if we had the kind of investment we have today? Probably not, because the ecosystem was still not ready.
The funding was there at the right pace till 2012, after which the Kaveri programme was delinked from the LCA for technical reasons. But I don't think funding was the problem. There was a technological gap. It took time for us to bridge that gap and come up to this level.
But today, if we don't fund it, it will be a big blunder as the ecosystem is more or less in place. And fortunately, even from across the world, other industries and countries are willing to partner us and bridge any gap that is there for the fifth generation fighter engine requirement.
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Q/ Is the Kaveri Project dead?
A/ We are going in a full-fledged manner to see that the Kaveri can be used in the Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle. It is also our aim to see the Kaveri engine in its full form, the way it had been developed, and try it on a platform. So, we are talking to all stakeholders so that there is confidence to integrate it on a platform and do a flight test.... As scientists, our aim is to see that we develop an end-to-end system and prove it. We are aiming for it. And therefore, Kaveri is not dead; it is alive.