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Re: MiG-21s served us well, will be phased out by 2014, Air Chief tells NDTV
I read supplement not replace..
I read supplement not replace..
Because IAF will never order them in numbers.That is the biggest mystery.IAf ordered 40 SUKHOIs and kept them without weaponisation for 10 years honing tactics. If they staraight away say we neeed atleast 200 LCAs, then GOI will place orders for 200 engines immediately.Now you are talking - LCA induction IS the solution. I am still wondering why HAL is not developing a high capacity manufacturing for the LCA Mk-1, which is still miles ahead of the Mig-21s (even the bisons). Once HAL builds a 25 aircraft per year capacity for the LCA mk-1, they can provide enough replacements for all the Mig-21s and Mig-27s that IAF needs to retire in 5-6 years. Then, once LCA Mk-2 gets FOC, HAL can build a second production line for LCA mk-2 and change the LCA mk-1 line for naval LCA or export models (maybe one after another). After that, the LCA Mk-1 manufacturing line can be mothballed or replaced with an AMCA manufacturing line.
As for the rest - A force structure of 50% LCA and 50% of MKI/ FGFA, MMRCA/ AMCA (total of 50 squadrons with ~1000 combat aircraft) is what IAF should look forward to post 2025.
Even if you post it hundred times people will always call that lca which was finalised in the 1980s which is 30 yearas old and hasn't got it's FOC is obsolete.Thanks for the heads up about OT.
Here's my two cents about Mig-21 and it's replacements - A short history of Mig-21, LCA Tejas and IAF requirements.
1. Mig-21s were used as air-superiority fighters in the Vietnam war - that was ~50 years back! The Mig-21s were the early 3rd gen fighters (although nobody counted generations back then). India got a few Mig-21s before the 1965 war, although there were not enough training and pilots to operate them). India finally used the Mig 21s for good in the 1971 war and were impressed by them.
2. By the 1980s, the lack of maneuverability of the Mig-21 compared to the new PAF F-16s and their obsolescence led the IAF to buy the Mig 29s from Soviet Union (SU). The Mig-21s were relegated to support roles and were meant to be used as point defense interceptors. However, the relatively "weak" engines of the Mig-21 meant that they were not very good as point defense interceptors too.
3. The Mig-29s being delivered by the already crumbling SU were having engine problems and creating a lot of trouble in IAF. The only good 4th gen fighters the IAF had were the Mirage 2000s bought from the French. In the mid 1980s, the IAF asked HAL to develop a "Mirage-type" (western design) 4th generation fighter for them to replace the Mig-21s for interception and support roles. That was when ADA was founded and LCA was conceived. So, LCA was designated as the Mig-21 replacement from the beginning.
4. However, in the first half of 1990s, India went through one of the most potent forex crisis in it's history. India's credit rating hit new lows, the economy was in shambles after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, India's largest trading partner. All defense projects were hit by the economic downturn and no new LCA funding were available. Only after 1995 when India's economy had started to revive thanks to IT boom, did GoI put in some more funds for LCA design and development.
5. Shortly afterwards however, the govt changed, BJP came to power in 1996. The tenor of India's foreign and defense policy changed, with the explosion of nuclear bombs in 1998. At the critical time of LCA development (1998-2000), when foreign collaborations and component buying should have happened, the western governments put in critical sanctions on Indian defense industries, leading to extreme delays in the LCA project in general and the Kaveri engine in particular. Remember, India's biggest problem/ handicap has been it's industrial manufacturing limitations - especially in terms of metallurgy and manufacturing process development. Engines are particularly affected by a combination of these two. There are only 5-6 countries in the world who have the metallurgical technology to develop a 4th generation turbojet engine - USA, Russia, Britain/ Germany, France and Japan. PRC is still trying to catchup and so is India.
6. By the time LCA was ready with the prototypes, the Kaveri had failed critical tests. So, in desparation (and to avoid more Russian engines), India turned to western sources - GE 404 was chosen for the prototypes and then for Mk-1. For the LCA Mk-2 a competition was held, between GE/ EADS - finally GE won the contract with the GE 414. The Kaveri engine development was decoupled from LCA and is being tried out through a JV with Snecma (Mirage again).
7. So, in summary, LCA was, is and should be the real replacement for the Mig 21s. The reason LCA is so late is as much technical as political. Actually it is ALL political - given it's history, it is a miracle that the LCA is still alive and kicking. GoI and MoD should hunker down, throw a whole pot of money, as much brains and indsutrial power as they can and see the LCA through ASAP - to replace the Mig-21s. With India's current ability and clout, we can do it by 2015. Mass production from 2016 (25-30 a year) would put ~250/ 300 LCAs in IAF by 2025, replacing all the Mig-21s, Mig-27s and even the Jaguars due to retire by then.
SOmeone like CAG has to conduct an inquiry regarding what was gained by HAL in license building under TOT thousands of russian fighters?more pilots will die for sure..HAL is going to build most of MMRCA fighters which will take decade to finish.i dont understand why is HAL going to gain by assembling almost all MMRCA planes?? before mig 21 are phased out all of them might crash...do our pilots deserve this delay??
Sounds rather critical of HAL...Air Chief Marshall Browne: Well coming to HAL first, let me put it this way. They have their hands full they have some very big programs you know on the table and whether it's to do with helicopter, FGF phase programs as you mentioned, the mirage overall and so many issues. So we are dependent a lot on HAL. In fact that is the only aviation industry we have today in the country supporting the IAF. And as time goes by you can see them getting more and more involved. But then of course what we are looking at also is the need for greater response to deliveries, you know in terms of time much better quality in terms of the product itself and HAL has to just get on with it because we cannot afford to have these delays taking place, slip ups happening. It affects our training schedule, it affects our induction schedules. So like I said they have a lot of food on the table, they need to sort that out and get on with each one.