Indian Air Force: News & Discussions

[shade2]

GE F404 still facing mystery delays?

Looks like the Jernails will start pushing for F16 emergency procurements over any Tejas variants

 

[SlayingHell]

GE F404 still facing mystery delays?

Looks like the Jernails will start pushing for F16 emergency procurements over any Tejas variants

HAL geniuses kept delaying the F404 engine orders repeatedly, up until recently. It's almost as if they had a childish understanding of production lines, supply chain management, and the like. Someone should really spoon-feed them the basics – in high-tech industries with long lead times, scaling up or down requires massive investment and time. You can't just throw orders around on a whim and expect deliveries of 'x' units per year. It’s not like a roadside pakoda vendor bringing in his wife to scale up production!

 

[Blademaster]

HAL geniuses kept delaying the F404 engine orders repeatedly, up until recently. It's almost as if they had a childish understanding of production lines, supply chain management, and the like. Someone should really spoon-feed them the basics – in high-tech industries with long lead times, scaling up or down requires massive investment and time. You can't just throw orders around on a whim and expect deliveries of 'x' units per year. It’s not like a roadside pakoda vendor bringing in his wife to scale up production!

Yes but the problem is that they couldn't start ordering the engines until the GoI ponied up the money and approve the purchase so the blame really lies with GoI and MoD and their myopic way of procuring weapons.

 

[SlayingHell]

Yes but the problem is that they couldn't start ordering the engines until the GoI ponied up the money and approve the purchase so the blame really lies with GoI and MoD and their myopic way of procuring weapons.

The blame also lies equally on HAL for blindly trusting companies like GE with their delivery timelines. Every business out there promises the moon from roadside Samosa guy to GE, and it’s HAL’s responsibility to carefully evaluate those timelines before relying on them.

 

[Blademaster]

The blame also lies equally on HAL for blindly trusting companies like GE with their delivery timelines. Every business out there promises the moon from roadside Samosa guy to GE, and it’s HAL’s responsibility to carefully evaluate those timelines before relying on them.

No I think the GE did warn them and told them that they needed a certain amount of time and confirmed orders by that date and when none was forthcoming, GE, to no fault of them, closed down that line to save money and in the time of COVID, entire supply chains were disrupted and there were other higher priorities. So I tend to give some leeway to GE's explanations about the delay in the engines.

 

[truthsoldier]

HAL geniuses kept delaying the F404 engine orders repeatedly, up until recently. It's almost as if they had a childish understanding of production lines, supply chain management, and the like. Someone should really spoon-feed them the basics – in high-tech industries with long lead times, scaling up or down requires massive investment and time. You can't just throw orders around on a whim and expect deliveries of 'x' units per year. It’s not like a roadside pakoda vendor bringing in his wife to scale up production!

MoD took 3 long yrs just to negotiate price of tejas with a PSU under them. We can't hope a company to place this big orders without the money on the table

 

[Spitfire IX]

The blame also lies equally on HAL for blindly trusting companies like GE with their delivery timelines. Every business out there promises the moon from roadside Samosa guy to GE, and it’s HAL’s responsibility to carefully evaluate those timelines before relying on them.

I recall reading that in 2021 GE accepted the order for the engines for the 83 Kk1A but informed HAL that it could not guarantee delivery as indicated to HAL. At the time Covid-19 was rampant, I think, affecting GE and suppliers.

If you are informed before a contract is signed that delivery might be delayed and delivery is delayed, you are not in a position to complain too bitterly, I think.