DRDO Delayed Projects- Questions in Parliament

The following are major ongoing projects of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lagging behind schedule: Project Probable Date of Completion (PDC) Original Revised Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Phase-II December 2008 December 2015 Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA, Navy) Phase-I March  2010 December 2014 Aero-engine Kaveri December 1996 December 2009 # Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) System October 2011 March 2014 Long Range Surface - to - Air Missile (LR-SAM) May 2011 December 2015  Air-to-Air Missile Astra August 2012 December 2016 PDC has been further extended within the sanctioned cost and scope. The following are some of the reasons for delay in completion of the above projects :- (i)                 Ab-initio development of the state-of-the-art technologies. (ii)               Non-availability of infrastructure/test facilities in the country. (iii)             Technical / technological complexities. (iv)             Non-availability of critical components / equipment/materials and denial of technologies by the technologically advanced countries. (v)               Enhanced User’s requirements or change in specifications during development. (vi)             Increase in the scope of work. (vii)           Extended/long-drawn user trials. (viii)         Failure of some of the components during testing/trials. Delay in Completion of above projects are not due to lack of manpower.  Therefore, question of recruitment of more scientists does not arise for this purpose.  However, scientists are being recruited regularly through Direct Advertisement, Campus Recruitments from IITs, IISc & NITs, Registration of Students with Scholastic Aptitude (ROSSA) Scheme, Non Resident Indians (NRIs) Scheme, Lateral Entry Scheme, etc. as per the requirements of the ongoing and futuristic projects.