India imports US$2 billion in essentials annually, according to estimates. Domestic production of these minerals may reduce import prices and decouple important military assets from geopolitical uncertainty. Government of India (GoI) concerns and a drive for an indigenisation strategy highlight the need for self-sufficiency in high-tech military components.
Aerospace alloys are utilised in aircraft materials. Some applications need exceptional performance, tensile strength, or heat resistance, even at high manufacturing or processing costs. In this safety-focused profession, fatigue resistance is essential.
Material Science in Aircraft Engineering
Standards for materials and techniques establish its practice internationally.
Most aerospace materials lack at least one of the following qualities: light, rigid, robust, damage-tolerant, and durable.
Aerospace airframe and engine components may employ 0.05 percent of all materials. Aeronautical applications need less than 100 metal alloys, composites, polymers, and ceramics.
India relies on China, Russia, the US, Brazil, Australia, and the Congo (DRC) for such military supplies. Military industries rely primarily on imports, while certain indigenous materials have replaced them. Dependence on imports limits the ability of Indian companies to export defensive equipment/platforms, limiting the country’s defence industrial ecosystem.
During the recently concluded DefExpo, many Indian companies have announced partnerships with foreign OEMs. These partnerships focus on advanced materials for aerospace.
India imports $2 billion in essentials annually, according to estimates. Domestic production of these minerals may reduce import prices and decouple important military assets from geopolitical uncertainty. Government of India (GoI) concerns and a drive for an indigenisation strategy highlight the need for self-sufficiency in high-tech military components.
Steel, copper, aluminium, titanium, cupronickel, tungsten, composites, and ceramics are the primary metallic/non-metallic material groups used in aerospace and defence production. These elements are combined with other metals, including nickel, cobalt, vanadium, zinc, antimony, molybdenum, borates, chromium, germanium, and lithium, to create specialised alloys. These alloys are then machined into the necessary shapes and sizes after undergoing specific treatments such as forging and casting to make them lighter, stronger, and blast-resistant.
Aluminium alloys, titanium alloys, steels, and composites make up the primary categories of materials utilised in aeronautical constructions. In addition to these elements, nickel-based alloys are essential jet engine structural materials.
Other materials have specialised uses for specific aircraft types, although they are only sometimes used in significant numbers. Examples include magnesium alloys, fibre–metal laminates, metal matrix composites, wood, ceramics for heat-insulating tiles for rockets and spacecraft, and radar-absorbing materials for stealth military aircraft.
Many additional materials are also utilised in aircraft: copper for electrical wiring, semiconductors for electronic devices, and synthetic fabrics for seating and other furnishings. However, none of these materials is required to carry a structural load.
Rarely does a single material have all the necessary qualities for an aircraft’s construction and powerplant. Instead, mixtures of materials are used to provide the optimal balance of cost, performance, and security.
Setting the Standard
India’s DOS (Directorate of Standardisation) standardises equipment. DDP, Ministry of Defence, controls DOS. (MoD). The Standardisation Committee creates DoS policies. The DoS works with the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Director General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance, Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
DoS publishes five standardisation documents for components, assemblies, subassemblies, equipment, and other defence supplies. The Joint Services Rationalised List (JSRL), Joint Service Guide (JSG), and Approved Notification (AN) implement Indian norms.
MSSC standardised military material needs. They also harmonise worldwide and Indian material norms. India joined the NATO Codification System’s highest body, the Allied Committee 135 (AC/135), via the Department of State (NCS). Due to this agreement, the Indian Navy uses naval standards to design and build surface and subsurface boats.
To provide raw materials, businesses must have a QMS that meets aerospace and defence industry standards. AS 9100, ISO 9001, and ISO/IEC 17025 are required. Suppliers must also have their QMS authorised by the OEM to become approved raw material sources. Depending on the raw materials eventual use, India’s Director General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA), Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Director General of Quality Assurance (DGQA), Department of Space (DoS), and others may need to authorise suppliers. Material changes require platform recertification, especially for airborne systems.
A Glaring Gap in India
Mineral-rich India supplies most key mineral and ore classifications. India possesses 18 percent of the world’s ilmenite reserves (titanium oxide minerals, which produce high-performance metal parts such as artificial human body parts, aircraft engine parts, sporting equipment, synthetic rutile, pigments, etc.)
India produces about 200 million tonnes of iron ore and 13 percent of the world’s bauxite output. However, India imports more essential metals and alloys.
Most Indian defence businesses, DPSUs, and DRDO labs import raw materials. HAL, the largest DPSU, imported raw materials worth Rs 3,629.4 crore ($ 500 million) in 2018-19. Six Indian defence businesses imported high alloy steel worth Rs 5250 crore in 2018-19. ($700 million). India produces composite components from glass, carbon, and aramid fibres, but not Kevlar or aircraft-grade carbon fibre.
Indigenous systems like the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk 1A, which has a 45 percent carbon composite airframe, rely heavily on imports.
Light Combat Helicopters (LCH), Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, Medium Weight Fighter (MWF) Tejas MK 2, and fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will utilise carbon composite airframes (AMCA).
Challenges to Atmanirbharta in Material Science
Material grades have restricted purchase quantities. These orders are typically below a firm’s lucrative minimum order quantity (MoQ). Order numbers are unsustainable because specific material grades have minimal or no dual-use potential. Thus, businesses cannot recuperate the expenditures of creating indigenous capabilities for these critical minerals compared to their commercial uses.
Companies don’t do R&D for some alloys and non-metallic materials since it’s too expensive. The sector usually licences the technology, which has end-use restrictions and requires government engagement. The government has transferred technology from Defense Public Sector Undertakings and Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) institutions, including the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), to close the gap.
Any defence platform’s designer specifies its materials. Thus, foreign platform material requirements are based on local norms, specifications, and material availability. After acquiring such a platform, during technology transfer from foreign OEMs, these design criteria are not changed to match Indian requirements and specifications since modifying those needs platform recertification. Platform requirements vary since Indian forces employ platforms from several nations. Due to this diversity of prevalent specifications and the need to recertify the platform if design standards change, Indian material manufacturers following Indian standards cannot substitute the imported raw material even if both materials have similar physical and chemical properties, creating a perpetual dependency on imported raw material.
For exotic material development, India requires better testing facilities. The lack of testing facilities raises research costs and slows material development, making the nation reliant on imports.
Military material and alloy suppliers have another challenge: obtaining authorised sources. Most multinational OEMs have approved suppliers with long-term contracts for each programme. These OEM-associated vendors are vital to the supply chain. OEMs seldom swap suppliers since it’s expensive. Thus, getting sourcing certification for numerous suppliers to increase volume and lower unit cost is difficult.
Course Correction: Power of Policy
Policy-level initiatives by the GoI and government entities and stakeholders are underway. The DAP 2020 proposal that emphasises domestic military material sources is the most important. DAP 2020 addresses some of the major issues highlighted above.
• Service Headquarters (SHQ) analyses the material composition at the RFI stage for projects other than “Buy-Global” to see whether indigenous materials are feasible. If the material is not created locally, explore Transfer of Technology (ToT) under the “Buy and Make” area.
• DPSU/PSU platform manufacturers, R&D facilities, and SHQ must conduct environmental scans to discover materials that may be created in the nation via the following channels for future needs.
• Phased material development by platform manufacturers and R&D organisations using their resources or the Indian industry is encouraged.
• Inclusion of ToT for manufacturers and authentication of materials by production agencies in licenced manufacturing projects (PAs).
• Seeking and prioritising/promoting ToTs for military supplies in exchange for Indian industry offsets. Adopting ‘Make’ or Technology Development Fund (TDF) programmes for material development.
In addition, DAP 2020 specifies a procedure and incentives for platform manufacturers to use indigenously created materials in procurement.
Systematic Overhaul to Foster Capability
Government and industry must collaborate on long-term domestic capability development. A think tank or nodal body should aggregate incentives from several ministries into a strategic material strategy with frequent milestone monitoring.
Successive governments have provided incentives to help industries create vital military supplies. Demand side incentives like minimum order guarantees, exclusivity and long-term agreements with DPSUs should be guaranteed to promote indigenous military supplies.
Public and private industries should discover defence materials employed in civilian applications. Carbon fibres are utilised for diving suits, thermal apparel, and military purposes. The more significant market for these components/subsystems will attract indigenous producers.
Technical and functional requirements in the military and aerospace industry require rationalisation and documentation of analogous standards to convert other global standards without recertification. The EDSIS (European Defence Standards Information System) may be implemented in India to provide a unified standardisation procedure. Certification standards should also follow internationally recognised norms of certifying materials rather than products. This will remove platform recertification and allow designers to pick from approved materials.
Manufacturers should find materials that can be reconfigured to satisfy military criteria without significant manufacturing line adjustments. After identifying and developing the technology, firms might set up a pilot production unit in their current manufacturing unit to obtain market exposure and certifications before establishing a dedicated unit.
Monitor each DPSU and OFB facility’s import reliance on imported raw material. Each DPSU should have a self-reliance indicator that compares raw material imports to overall requirements. DDP should report this quarterly. This will foster healthy competition for DPSUs to minimise raw material imports.
Author is Aerospace and Defence Analyst.
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