Indian Air Force gives MNCs run for money

A small-band of highly skilled technocrats at the Indian Air Force’s Pune-based 9 Base Repair Depot (BRD), is giving run for money to large defense technology multinational companies, by cracking a range of printed circuit board (PCB) through reverse engineering.

Established in 2011 with few equipments from Israel, the PCB Diagnosis  and Repair lab at 9 BRD now boasts of cracking any kind of PCB used in military technology from ground based radar to sophisticated fighter jets. Thus saving time and money as the PCBs from across the country are being sent to 9 BRD, instead of the original equipment manufacturer (OEP) located abroad.

A printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically connects electronic components using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate.

9 Base Repair Depot (BRD) is one of the premier system BRDs under Headquarters Maintenance Command  Indian Air Force.The role of the Depot is to Repair Ground to Air Communication Sets, Ground to Ground Communication sets, Air Field Lighting System, Navigational Aids, Photo Equipment, Crypto equipment, Airborne Radio sets, Test equipment and Air Combat Manoeuvering Instrumentation system. The Depot is now tasked to undertake Repair, Calibration and life extension of Chemical, Biological, Nuclear and Radiological items. The Depot is also the stock holding agency for complete items under the range of repair.

Air Commodore Sanjay Kumar, who is the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of 9 BRD, said,”Nowadays all the PCBs land at 9 BRD instead of going to a foreign where the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is located. The OEMs do not transfer their technology. However we have mastered the art through reverse engineering and cracked about 60 PCBs. We have now expertise to crack any kind of PCB related to military equipments.”

Another senior IAF officer added,”If you want to send the PCB to the OEM, they charge Rs 2.5 lakhs to 5 lakhs and take about two years to return it. However our team can repair it within 6 to 8 months. The Russian PCBs are difficult to crack as they are not standardise while other Western countries OEMs have standardize their equipments. “

Officials said that they have also began focusing on indigenization of various equipments, as the OEMs as well Indian defence units are demanding exorbitant prices. “All over the country the IAF need ladders which pilots use to climb on the aircraft. Their is requirements of about 250 ladders per year as it is damaged within two years. When we asked HAL to supply it, they quoted Rs 3 lakhs per ladder. The Air Headquarters instructed us to make it. Accordingly we designed a prototype at a cost of Rs 15,000. As we dont have production facilities, we roped in private vendors who supply them for Rs 38,000 now.”

9 BRD was formed as Base Signal Repair Unit (BSRU) on  01 May 1957 and was rechristened as 9 Base Repair Depot on 01 April 1966. 9 BRD has over five decades built a formidable reputation for professional excellence and commitment. Its continued dedication for quality in supporting air operations is highly commendable and for this, the unit has been awarded Presidents’ Colour by Pratibha Devisingh Patil on 08 January 2011.

The Depot presently is evolving from repair of old / vintage equipment to state of the art and latest equipment being inducted in the Indian Air Force. This includes the Aircraft Avionics, Air to Ground Radio Communication Sets and Airborne Pods. The Depot is also undertaking Printed Circuit Board (PCB) diagnosis and Repair which involves immense Research and Development work, reverse engineering of circuit diagrams, development of Test Program Suites which can be used as a diagnostic tool for fault identification and repair of any type of PCB. “Depot has been able to repair many PCBs till date and about Rs 2.1 crores have been saved in terms of Foreign Exchange. The Depot is aiming to become a classic Avionics BRD in the years to come,” added Air Commodore Sanjay Kumar, who is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. Kumar has spent about 15 years with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

The Depot has also performed well on the Logistic and Administrative front. In the last one year the Depot has improved the state of infrastructure and environment. Depot has acquired Environment Management System Certification ISO 14001: 2004. Depot is already Quality Management System certified ISO 9001: 2008. The Depot has been able to create new infrastructure for improving the overall efficiency and work environment. A few of the buildings built and operationalised in the last one year are the Sabhaghar (Conference Hall), Overhaul Training Section, Mechanical Transport Section, Fire Section, Armoury, Station Medical Centre and Network & Information Technology Laboratory.

The Depot conducts a lot of Air Force level Seminars and Workshops. A few of the important ones are Maintenance Command Aerospace Safety Council meeting in September 2014, Seminar on Maintenance Challenges in 1965 Operations on 07 August 2015 and Electrostatic Discharge Workshop for 105 personnel from two Operational Commands on 15 September 2015. The Depot hosted 100 plus CMDs and MDs from CII on 04 September 2015 to showcase the skill level of personnel in the IAF. “This will help Air Warriors to get jobs after their retirement,” Kumar added.

The Depot has also taken keen part in indigenous development activities in line with the Make in India, Buy in India policy of India. A number of major components both of Aircraft and Ground equipment have been developed by the Depot which has reduced dependency on the foreign OEMs and this has resulted in huge foreign exchange savings too.

Owing to the premier Projects pioneered by this Depot, it is frequently visited by Senior Officials from IAF and industrialists from the market. The Depot is an epitome of professional excellence and a technology demonstrator and thus becomes a unit worth visiting or emulating by other units in the IAF.

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