CAG questions readiness of IAF bases, says Boeings not effective
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 7
In separate reports tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the Comptroller and Auditor General has raised serious questions on the operational readiness of the IAF bases, saying US’ Boeing-supplied maritime reconnaissance aircraft don’t perform as promised.
One of the reports said: “Audit found inadequacies in the support facilities at IAF airfields adversely affecting their readiness”. The report identified facilities like modernisation of communication equipment, surveillance of plane while in air, safe landing and take-off, restoration of runaway after (enemy) bombing, refuelling of planes and handling of armaments to be loaded. There was a shortfall in the equipment to be held by the airfields which was mainly due to delay in procurement.
The CAG pointed out that Modernisation of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) project at a cost of Rs1,220 crore was running years behind the schedule. Off the 30 air bases to be moderinsed by 2014, only 25 had been done till last year.
The IAF conducted in October 2016 a survey “at 40 per cent of the airfields” where MAFI implementation was completed and found that the performance of systems and infrastructure was 69 per cent. This was sub-optimal performance, said the CAG.
The CAG has also questioned award to Boeing. The report on Navy maritime reconnaissance aircraft said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2009 awarded a contract to Boeing by wrongly arriving at costs.
The CAG said Boeing, in 2007, bid at $2,187 million (Rs8,700.37 crore). The EADS bid was at 1,323.72 million Euros (Rs7,776 crore). The Euro rate was then Rs58.74. The EADS offered two-year support, the Boeing offered nothing. The cost negotiation committee (CNC) calculated 20-year support price and suggested that EADS bid was 1.483 million Euro (Rs8,712 crore) — Rs12 crore more than Boeing.
Modernisation behind schedule
- Rs 1,220 cr Modernisation of Airfield Infra (mafi) project running behind schedule, as per CAG
- 25 Air bases modernised till 2017; target was to modernise 30 air bases by 2014
- 69% Performance of airfields where MAFI implemented; CAG calls it sub-optimal performance
