Curtain Raiser
Advanced Materials For Defence & Aerospace
The Centre for Joint Warfare Studies and Indian Military Review are organising Advanved Materials for Defence & Aerospace 2023 seminar & exhibition on 22 Nov 2023 at New Delhi.
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.
India relies on China, Russia, the US, Brazil, Australia, and the Congo (DRC) for advanced materials for defence & aerospace. 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.
India imports $2 billion in essentials annually, according to estimates. Domestic production of these minerals may reduce import prices and decouple important military assets from geopolitical uncertainty.
Other materials have specialised uses for specific aircraft types, although they are only sometimes used in significant numbers. Examples include magnesium alloys, fibre-metal laminates, metal matrix composites, wood, ceramics for heat-insulating tiles for rockets and spacecraft, and radar-absorbing materials for stealth military aircraft.
Many additional materials are also utilised in aircraft: copper for electrical wiring, semiconductors for electronic devices, and synthetic fabrics for seating and other furnishings. However, none of these materials is required to carry a structural load.
Rarely does a single material have all the necessary qualities for an aircraft’s construction and powerplant. Instead, mixtures of materials are used to provide the optimal balance of cost, performance, and security.
Glaring Gap in India
Mineral-rich India supplies most key mineral and ore classifications. India possesses 18 percent of the world’s ilmenite reserves (titanium oxide minerals, which produce high-performance metal parts such as artificial human body parts, aircraft engine parts, sporting equipment, synthetic rutile, pigments, etc.)
India produces about 200 million tonnes of iron ore and 13 percent of the world’s bauxite output. However, India imports more essential metals and alloys.
Most Indian defence businesses, DPSUs, and DRDO labs import raw materials. HAL, the largest DPSU, imported raw materials worth Rs 3,629.4 crore ($ 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.
Any defence platform’s designer specifies its materials. Thus, foreign platform material requirements are based on local norms, specifications, and material availability.
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.
Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR) of April 2013 says: “Advances in nanotechnology will drive the next paradigm shift in military capabilities. Nano-technology would usher in light weight, strong, multifunctional advanced materials for use in combat systems, while enhancing surveillance, protection and connectivity. Nanotechnology should give rise to new materials which in themselves are multi-functional with entirely new properties. Such materials may reduce ower and weight requirements, increase protection of platforms and durability and thereby enhance operational effectiveness of platforms. Carbon composites, metal matrix composites, stealth coatings, self-healing materials, adaptive camouflage materials and structures and smart skin materials shall be the main structural materials for the future combat and support systems. Capability for development of Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) based sensors, actuators, RF devices and focal plane arrays would also need to be developed.
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.
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Advanced Materials for Defence
The following metals and alloys are finding wide use in Defence & Aerospace applications.
• Aluminum Alloys
• Titanium Alloys
• Stainless Steel
• Nickel-Based Superalloys
• Cobalt-Based Superalloys
• High-Strength Steel Alloys
• Composite Materials
• Tungsten and Tungsten Alloys
• Beryllium
• Magnesium Alloys
Advanced Materials for the Air Force
Some of the common advanced materials and their purposes/functions in fifth-generation fighter jets are:
• Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP)
• Titanium Alloys
• Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs)
• Stealth Coatings
• Advanced Aluminum Alloys
• Graphene-Based Materials
• Advanced Ceramic Materials
• Advanced Stealth Composites
Advanced Materials for Warships and Submarines
Advanced materials play a significant role in the construction of warships and submarines, providing enhanced strength, durability, and performance. Some of the advanced materials and their purposes are:
• High-Strength Steel
• Aluminum Alloys
• Composite Materials
• Titanium Alloys
• Non-Skid Decking
• Advanced Ceramics
• Acoustic and Sonar Materials
• Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP)
Advanced Materials for Land Systems and Missiles
A wide variety of advanced materials are utilized in artillery guns, battle tanks, and missiles to improve performance, durability, and overall effectiveness. Here are some of them:
• High-Strength Steel
• Composite Armor
• Reactive Armor.
• Ceramic Materials
• Titanium Alloys
• Advanced Propellant Materials
• Advanced Guidance System Materials
• Composite Materials for Missile Airframes
Recent Developments in Advanced Materials
Some of the latest developments in advanced materials for defense and aerospace include:
• Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs)
• Graphene
• Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)
• Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs)
• Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs)
• Bio-inspire zHigh-Performance Composites
