ADA Tejas Mark-II/Medium Weight Fighter

Zarvan

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The Air Force has decided to place an order for 100 new and improved Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. However, despite being in the works since 1983, the light fighter is nowhere near indigenization and almost 70% of the aircraft's systems still need to be imported.


THE FOREIGN CONNECT An audit by the CAG brought out that despite claims that only 35% of the fi ghter depends on foreign systems, the actual figure is closer to 70%.


Engine: Effort to develop the Kaveri engine failed, forcing the purchase of GE 404 powerplants from the US.




>Flight control system actuators: Considerable development delay leads to purchase from foreign sources.

>Multi-mode radar:

Joint HAL-LRDE project failed, Israeli company roped in.

>Radome:

Initially developed by ASL, failed to meet standards, imported from the UK.







THE DEFICIENCIES The Air Force and Comptroller and Auditor General identified the following glaring deficiencies in the fighter:

>Lack of a trainer:

The LCA still does not have a certified trainer version to coach pilots.

>Mission simulator:

The lack of a full-mission simulator for the aircraft also a hindrance to training.


> Increased weight, reduced internal fuel capacity, front pilot protection system weakness, reduced speed key deficiencies.

> Performance issues with the radar warning receiver and counter-measure systems.

> Original sanction for project was Rs 560 crore that has been increased to Rs 10,397 crore.





THE LCA LEGACY In the works since 1983, the LCA project is an example of how things went off target in Indian research and development.

1983-LCA project sanctioned to replace the MiG 21 fleet. Technical specifi cations framed in 1985.

1998-Was the target date for the induction with a total projected requirement for 220 fighters.


2001-The actual first flight of the aircraft took place, five years behind schedule.

2013-It took an agonising 12 years from first flight to an initial operational clearance in which the aircraft met basic parameters.

2014-The first LCA is inducted but is still not combat worthy. Several defi ciencies remain, besides incomplete weapons tests and integration.

2015-Government asks IAF to order 100 more of an improved version of the LCA. This in addition to an earlier order for 20.




WHAT THE IAF WANTS NOW To be able to commit fully to an order for 100 more LCA fighters, the Air Force wants these four things to be in place at the earliest:

> Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar to track incoming targets

> Integration of a long range beyond-visual-range missile

> Air-to-Air refuelling capability to enhance its range

> Modern electronic warfare capability to enhance survivability of the aircraft

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...ofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

 

Lions Of Punjab

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WHY INDIA NEEDS LCAS


Union Minister from Kerala O Rajgopal - then Defence Minister George Fernandes & PM Atal Bihari Vaypayee seen during the Naming Ceremony of Light Combat Aircraft TEJAS
The government has decided to go in for 120 Tejas Light Combat Aircrafts (LCAs) instead of more Rafales over and above the 36 being ordered. Some are even salivating at the thought that this decision has been "rammed down the IAF’s (Indian Air Force) throat".
Going a step further, one "strategic expert" criticised the recommendation of the committee of experts looking into the Defence Procurement Procedure that acknowledges the primacy of the political executive in all decision making but adds that, “... in the choice of defence equipment, the armed forces must have the final say”. It all boils down to an understanding of what type of war(s) would the nation (not just the armed forces) be involved in – on which would depend the equipping of the Services.
Confrontation

How many fronts is India going to face? A two-front scenario is what everyone talks about, but it would actually be a "five-front" one – the northern border, the western part, the naval "frontier" down South and the two new challenges of space and cyber world.
The last two are parts of the threat continuum as also integral parts of any action that happens in the other three. The definition of "victory" and "defeat" has also changed. Both sides may believe that they have won, which when analysed from an outside perch, may show that both had lost in some form.
The Yom Kippur, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars are proof that "military victory" is just one part of a conflict while true victory is on a substantially different plane because in war, victory and defeat have a contextual hue.
Most assessments indicate India’s wars would be short and sharp, implying that time and intensity would be factors in the perception of (as different from making of) victory and defeat. So, India has to plan its defence procurements to enable its fighters address the five-front challenge in a short and sharp engagement, and if the confrontation drags on, it must have the "strategic" depth for a continuous supply chain that can come only from an indigenous arms industry. Defence procurements must have quality to ensure that war of the right intensity can be carried on with the enemy; and also ensure the timeliness of supply, so that the fighter has requisite firepower that assures a positive asymmetry over adversarial equipment, and lastly, capacity or quantity to enable him sustain the asymmetry over the period of confrontation.
Equipment
So one is looking for equipment to achieve two aims, first, deterrence to prevent war, and second, if war is to be fought, fight to win. The process of equipping will always be primary, with its sourcing, though almost as important, coming in second.
Indigenous sourcing of military equipments gives "strategic depth" or "strategic autonomy" to a nation, but may not always be possible. So, the process of procurement needs to follow the dictates of ensuring positive equipment asymmetry, even if sourcing is from a foreign entity. Procurement decisions have to be correspondingly taken and recommendations made accordingly because it is the armed forces which have to implement the nation’s will. This is the scenario for which we have to prepare and weigh the decision to acquire more LCAs.
The IAF’s objections to the LCA have been based on proven technical infirmities of the aircraft that would have been impediments in fulfilling its charter in the five-front scenario. Its doggedness to stick to its air staff requirements, plus the government’s push towards accountability, have put the required pressure on the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to work towards overcoming the 50-plus shortcomings, the major ones being the absence of the advanced Active Electronically Steered Array (AESA) radar, air-to-air refuelling capability, a modern electronic warfare suite and Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile capability. Re-positioning of major aggregates for the ease of maintenance (which was a major observation) has nullified the requirement to stretch the fuselage that would have increased aerodynamic drag to such levels as to require the more powerful F-414 engine. This obviates the requirement to have LCA Mk2 for the IAF.
Forty three of the observations have been resolved, leading to the government’s decision to acquire the 120 LCAs. However, what is overlooked is that this decision would not have come about if the progress in the programme was not acceptable to the IAF. No government would want to "ram down" a weapon system, especially one as vital as a fighter aircraft.
Bridges
There are many bridges to be crossed, the foremost being the capability of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce the required 12-plus LCAs each year. The IAF requires serviceable aircrafts on the flight line and an assured supply chain, and the HAL would have to buck its track record to meet the requirement. In the interim, the IAF’s acceptance of LCA Mk1 should spur the ADA to accelerate the first prototype of the already delayed Mk2 for the Navy (which mandatorily requires a redesigned fuselage for the more powerful F-414 engine), and not "throttle back" in euphoria. It must also concentrate on keeping the futuristic Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme for the IAF on track.

http://www.dailyo.in/politics/tejas...kippur-war-iraq-afghanistan/story/1/6850.html
 

prasadr14

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it seems that R.M. Parikkar ji is hell bent to introduce a large no. of LCA in the IAF
This is what you get when u have a govt that is pro-India. Kudos to them. Even though it will have teething issues, in the long run this will benefit India tremendously.
It will most likely be in partnership with a private company, which would be another bonus.

Lot of Indian military programs were sabotaged in the past for kickbacks from foreign companies. Thank god for the current govt, otherwise, LCA would have ended up in the dustbin.
 

bose

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Guys,awesome news at last. @Sakal Gharelu Ustad sir,@maomao sir it seems that R.M. Parikkar ji is hell bent to introduce a large no. of LCA in the IAF
We need 10 continuous years of Parikar as RM... It will be the best thing in the world to happen for Indian Defense Industrial sector and employment ...

I believe SU30 MKI strength will go up to 400 eventually...
 

mikhail

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I am still not sure how HAL will produce anything.

Are there any other sources with this news?
Sir,right now there is no credible source of this news but i can assure you that Sourav Jha is an extremely honest,straight forward and reliable person when it comes to defense related news and generally provide us with authentic,solid information unlike that congi agent Ajay Sukhla!!
 

mikhail

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We need 10 continuous years of Parikar as RM... It will be the best thing in the world to happen for Indian Defense Industrial sector and employment ...

I believe SU30 MKI strength will go up to 400 eventually...
Alas,in all probability he will be there for only the next 3 and a half years thanks to the "secular" media who are constantly making false propaganda against this Govt.:sad:!!
 

M.J.K

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If the below article is to be believed IAF seems to pull out of MK2.
I dont understand why we need dassault when we already have Airbus as consultant for the same? Any thoughts guys?
Dassault to assist with LCA Navy Mk.2

French Aerospace Major Dassault Aviation has agreed to provide assistance to India on designing undercarriage for the naval variant of the LCA as one of the offset conditions on India’s purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jet from Dassault Aviation.

Current Naval LCA MK-1 suffered several long delays due to over-engineered undercarriage which also was overweight in turn limiting operational capability of the jets. lack of expertise’s and understanding of safety limits required for undercarriage and landing gears lead to the design of heavier and over-engineered systems for Naval LCA MK-1. by roping in Dassault Aviation, India wants to let LCA Navy Mk.2 developers bring right balance between Safety Standards and meeting standard operational capability of the jets to avoid unnecessary delays in the programme.

LCA Navy Mk.2 will be powered by General Electric higher thrust F414-GE-INS6 engines which will provide adequate thrust for seaborne operations from an aircraft carrier, MK.2 will also feature increased wingspan, lighter landing gear and structure, and improved systems layout towards better safety and maintainability.

Informed sources close to idrw.org have said that in case Indian Air force which has now placed orders for 100 LCA -Tejas MK-1A aircraft does pull out from development of Air-force variant of LCA MK-2 then Indian Navy and ADA will continue development of LCA Navy Mk.2 independently since LCA Mk.2 has been developed from ground up as a Naval fighter which has already cleared wind tunnel testing and currently been assisted by Airbus Defence & Space in aerodynamic refinement and in development of lighter landing gears for MK-2 jets.

While Earlier Air force MK2 had stated deadline of 2021 to achieve its first flight, Navy at present had not set such deadline even though difference between Air force and Naval variant could have been hardly 15 % but development of Naval fighter jet is considered much more complex than developing Air-force variant and difference of 15% which seems small but involves developing systems for aircraft carrier operations slightly more complicated.

Air force likely will take call on MK-2 only when the first Prototype of MK-1A is ready for evaluation by 2017 as promised by HAL and will meet host of aerodynamic and avionics improvements required to meet Indian air forces’ ASR requirements and address shortcomings of MK-1 aircraft and bring it close to operational capabilities of MK-2 which Air-force had hoped for .

http://idrw.org/dassault-to-assist-with-lca-navy-mk-2/
 

Punya Pratap

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@ersakthivel, @Kunal Biswas and all the Tejas Fan's / Critics,

May I bring to your notice the unique Conformal Tank layout of F 16I Soufa of Israeli Air Force, pics attached below and details:

F-16I Sousa fighter design
The F-16I is fitted with a pair of removable conformal fuel tanks provided by IAI. The conformal fuel tanks (CFT), holding 450gal of extra fuel, are mounted on both sides of the upper fuselage. The very low drag configuration CFTs have a very small effect on the aircraft's agility, handling quality and flight limits. The use of the conformal tanks increases the aircraft's mission range and combat endurance.

The fitting of conformal tanks makes the two wing inner store stations normally used for external tanks (stations 6 and 4, each rated at 4,500lb capacity) available for weapon carriage, doubling the aircraft's air-to-ground weapons capacity.

The F16I is fitted with a dorsal avionics compartment. The first version produced with the dorsal compartment was the Israeli two-seat block 30 F-16D aircraft, produced in the late 1980s. The large dorsal compartment extends from the rear of the cockpit to the fin and houses additional avionics systems, chaff and flare dispensers and the aircraft's in-flight refuelling receptacle.


I was wondering why can't ADA & HAL work on something similar for Tejas MK 2 to increase the range and free up wet stations for ammo. I understand MK 1A can also be considered and I suggest feasibility study with wind tunnel tests etc should be done immediately.
 

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Punya Pratap

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The Israeli F-16I Soufa/Sufah (Storm/Thunderstorm), compliments Israel's deterrent strategy by further strengthening the potential threat to carry out retaliatory strikes throughout the Middle East. The extended flight range reportedly allows Israeli forces to attack targets well within Iran without having to refuel. Some offered the interpretation that the 'I' in the F-16I, stands for Iran [actually it stands for Israel]. The bumps over the wing on both sides of the plane are conformal fuel tanks. Use of conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) extends the F-16's effective mission range/loiter time up to 50 percent, depending on the mission profile. CFTs can be used for both air-to-ground and air-to-air missions. They can be easily removed. They also increase weapon payloads by freeing-up additional store stations. The baseline F-16 has a combat radius of 740 nm (1,370 km) with two 2,000-lb bombs and two AIM-9, with 1,040 US gal external tanks.

The Block 52/60 F-16 aircraft procured by Israel, Greece and the UAE have structural, plumbing, and wiring provisions for the Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFT). Attached to the upper surface of the F-16's fuselage, the tank's lower surface conform to the aircraft's shape. This arrangement allows the CFTs to be relatively light weight, since nothing is suspended from them. With an empty weight of 900 pounds, tank set holds 450 gallons (about 3,000 pounds) of additional JP-5/8 fuel. A CFT set carries 50 percent more fuel than the centerline external fuel tank, with only 12 percent of the drag. The CFT can dramatically increase the operational radius of the aircraft for long range missions. The aircraft can fly a long range strike mission with full weapon's load, and engage in air combat when external (370 Gal) fuel tanks have been dropped. The CFT, along with external 370 gallon jetissonable tanks or 600 gallon non-jetissonable external tanks are added with the CFT, provides the F-16 with a 60-70 percent increase in operational radius. At subsonic speeds the CFT have neglible effect on the aircraft agility, thought the drag increases in proportion to speed at supersonic speeds. The aircraft fitted with CFT retain nearly the full handling qualities, flight limits, and signature. The CFT set can be fitted or removed in less than two hours. The tanks are are built under the Peace Marble V program by IAI as a sole source to Lockheed Martin's specification.

Lockheed Martin began F-16 flight demonstration of an initial CFT shape in 1994 to investigate performance and handling quality characteristics. Subsequent wind tunnel testing led to the current external lines, which were initially validated in flight testing of high angle-of-attack handling characteristics at Edwards AFB, CA. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company completed the first phase of flight testing of its new conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) for its F-16 multirole fighter in September 2001. Flight testing with aerodynamic shapes was conducted on an F-16C at Eglin Air Force Base, FL, from March through August. A total of 24 test flights and 65 flight test hours were accomplished, and testing involved loads, flutter, and stability and control.

There are conflicting reports concerning the F-16I combat radius, but the most reliable source reports a combat radius of 2,100 km, on par with the F-15I. The Israeli military would not disclose the exact range of the jet, but one senior air force officer said, "it can reach the capitals of all the countries in the region." One report says that "it has an 820 km non-refueling radius of operation, sufficient to reach both Libya and Iran" -- but a glance at a map reveals that 820 kilometers from Israel is short of Baghdad, and far short of the 1,500 kilometers need to reach Tehran. One report suggest that the F-16I has an unrefueled combat strike radius of 1,640 kilometers without refueling. Another report relates that the external fuel capacity in conformal fuel tanks increases the aircraft range to 800 miles (1,500 km). One published reports states that the external fuel tanks above the central fuselage, extend the range of the jet and the reach of the Israeli air force by 25 percent.
 

sabari

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Taking some idea from f16 and using it in tajes will be a good way to go
 

silicon3

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@Punya Pratap , your article really piqued my intterest. this is a first time i have seen or read about CFT's which will really boost the flying range. really good share

Are these fitted for the entire duration of the journey as in removed only after return to base or they can be jettisioned in mid flight once empty?.

Other senior and knowlegeble members.. have there been CFT developed earlier for Pre F16 fighters by any other country, have the russian offered this CFT option for our MIG or Sukois?.

I sure hope CFT option is looked at for the LCA/Tejas, will keep the aircraft up much longer ,add more flexibility to armamants.
 

Punya Pratap

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@Punya Pratap , your article really piqued my intterest. this is a first time i have seen or read about CFT's which will really boost the flying range. really good share

Are these fitted for the entire duration of the journey as in removed only after return to base or they can be jettisioned in mid flight once empty?.

Other senior and knowlegeble members.. have there been CFT developed earlier for Pre F16 fighters by any other country, have the russian offered this CFT option for our MIG or Sukois?.

I sure hope CFT option is looked at for the LCA/Tejas, will keep the aircraft up much longer ,add more flexibility to armamants.
@silicon3, These CFT's get jettisoned as per the requirement, the same as the centerline ones do so that is not the problem. In Peacetime these CFT's usually return home but during combat they get jettisoned so that the AoA etc arent hampered!

The problem is that a CFT option for Tejas has to go through validation (tunnel tests/Jettison tests etc) But I dont think that it should be a great problem except for the issue of resultant drag! A proper CFT design that doesnt spoil the aerodynamics, TWR or the CoG of Tejas can actually address the issue of Tejas having limited range or the required weapons load (Since the wet stations can be used for arming more A2A / A2G missiles!

Israelis are masters in JUGAD and hence they always took up things unlike our Russian friends so I would advise ADA to have a brain storming session with them!
 

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HAL unveils LCA Tejas full scale model at Minsk Square

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has unveiled the full scale model of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas in Bengaluru city’s iconic Minsk Square.
Tejas is a single engined, light weight, highly agile, multi-role supersonic fighter. It has quadruplex digital fly-by-wire Flight Control System (FCS) with associated advanced flight control laws.
Extensive use of advanced composites in the airframe gives it a high strength to weight ratio, long fatigue life and low radar signatures. Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is the project manager for the development of LCA.CA's production facilities have been set up at HAL.
T Suvarna Raju, Chairman and Managing Director, HAL, unveiled the LCA model opposite to HAL Corporate Office. Earlier, the Minsk Square housed the model of Ajeet (Gnat) aircraft which was removed due to the metro work in 2009.
“The Minsk Square with lush green layout and lighting is maintained by HAL. We are happy to contribute to the city’s beautification in our own way. The LCA model stands as a symbolic representation reflecting city’s reputation as an aerospace hub of India”, said Raju. Cmde C D Balaji (Retd), Program Director, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), and G Kumar Naik, Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), and others were present during the launch.
 

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