Major DRDO projects behind schedule: AK Antony

NEW DELHI: Major DRDO projects are behind schedule with lack of development of state-of-the-art technologies, non-availability of infrastructure, failure of some components during trials being among the major reasons, Defence Minister A K Antony told Lok Sabha.

He said the phase-II of Light Combat Aircraft, which was supposed to be completed in 2008, is now scheduled to complete in December 2015 while completion of phase-I of Naval Light Combat Aircraft has been pushed back to December 2014 from March 2010.

Other important projects running behind schedule are Airborne Early Warning & Control System, Long Range Surface to Air Missile and Air to Air Missile.

DRDO was expected to wrap them up by October 2011, May 2011 and August 2012 respectively but the deadline has been extended to March 2014, December 2015 and December 2016 now, he said, replying to a question yesterday.

Technical and technological complexities, non-availability of critical components, denial of technologies by more advanced countries, enhanced user's requirements, increase in the scope of work and long-drawn user trials were also among significant causes for the delay, he said.