NEWTOWN - According to Indian Express, India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has faulted the Indian Air Force for its inefficient An-32 modernization program. The CAG specifically points out the cost associated with the IAF's reticence to finalize its engine procurement. The cost of each engine increased from $719,500 to $1,090,000 during the delay, costing India an extra $45.6 million (in 2009 USD) for 100 engines. The An-32 is powered by 5,000shp-class Motor Sich AI-20 turboprops.
Forty of the An-32 aircraft were to be upgraded in Ukraine - a nation now gripped by international pressure and internal strife - with the remaining 62 modernized by HAL at its newly upgraded Kanpur facility. However, delays in work on the upgrade facility itself resulted in even higher costs and the eventual grounding of over half the An-32 fleet.
The CAG also cited the IAF for spending $31.1 million (also 2009 USD) on a MiG-27 "Takshak" EW upgrade in 2009, with final deliveries scheduled for 2016, even though the IAF intended to phase out the MiG-27 beginning in 2014. Furthermore, the Takshak upgrade was underperforming and failed to meet a number of program requirements.
You have 0 item(s) in your cart