ADA Tejas Mark-II/Medium Weight Fighter

[HariPrasad-1]

Most military projects are critically dependent on suppliers. Unless HAL can make quartz radomes and IFR probes, we need to monitor this deal very closely.

There was a plan to Indigenize many LRUS. I do not know the current status.

 

[Suryavanshi]

a) Can we not do it, without foreign help?

It's a 50 50
We can do it but it will take more time without foreign help.

b) Will ISRO have some contribution?

ISRO has a radically different type of Propulsion system. But yes the common data point of both these departments have most likley been shared previously.
In case of any technical assistance gov agency mostly likely assist each other, at least I hope so.

c) Could DRDO define problem statements in a distributed format in research instutions across India?

Yes but It is not done from what I've observed but we are slowly warming up to that idea.

d) Will IITs get involved?

They always are.

e) Why will rolls-royce work with us?

Not unless we give them a very very good deal.

 

[Prashant12]

Metal-cutting for single-engine Tejas MK 2 fighter planes to begin in February

The Tejas (Mk-II) are slated to replace the existing French-made Mirage -2000 and Russian -made MiG-29 class of fighters.

Metal cutting, the first step in the start of commercial production, of the of indigenously made single-engine fighter plane Tejas (Mk-II) is scheduled for February 2020, according to Dr Girsh S Deodhare, director of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and head of the Tejas programme.

The Mk-II will have more advanced sensors including a powerful radar, empowering the fighter for operations beyond the visual range, and improved avionics. The fighter will be able to fly with more weapons and fuel than its predecessors Mk-1 and Mk-1A.

The IAF is buying 123 Mk-1 and Mk-II fighters. The Tejas Mk-II will be several tons heavier and is designed to fit into the medium weight categories of fighters.

Recently the IAF told the government that it is ready to buy more indigenous fighters to replace its aging fighter fleet.


The Tejas (Mk-II) are slated to replace the existing French-made Mirage -2000 and Russian -made MiG-29 class of fighters.

“The detailed designing stage is over; drawings are frozen,” Dr Deodhare said.

Both the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are looking at the Tejas as a replacement for the the French-made Mirage-2000 class of fighters, around a dozen of which were pressed into action on February 26 to bomb a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camp in Balakot, Pakistan, in reprisal for the February 14 terrorist attack in Pulwama that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers.

The prototype of the Tejas (Mk-II) is expected to be flying in about two years. The metal cutting will take about a year to 18 months. Tejas Mk -II, which will be fitted with a GE-414 engine, is scheduled to make its first flight in 2024. .

The DRDO has been criticized and even ridiculed for slow progress made in key military programmes, especially the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) programme, which has taken about a decade-and-a-half to mature. Nonetheless, the Tejas has the unique distinction of not being involved in a single crash or accident till date despite hundreds of hours of flying.

Using learnings from the past and in an effort to shorten the manufacturing and maintenance process, the DRDO has decided to build the Tejas (Mk-II) in a modular fashion and plans to lean on the private sector more than it did in the past.

Modular construction, where components like the fuselage, wings and landing gear area built separately but are put together in the final assembly line, increases the speed of construction and shortens delivery time. Modular construction requires detail exacting design of each component and allows more than on unit to be involved in the production process. It also helps maintenance and reduces time between sorties. Components can be changed easily by replacing a module making the fighter easily serviceable. A major complaint against the initial batch of Tejas fighters was that they weren’t designed in a modular fashion increasing maintenance and turn-around time.

Interestingly, the DRDO is also working on an “optimally manned” cockpit technology for the LCA and the next-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The cockpit technology will help regain control of the aircraft in case the pilot loses consciousness or is incapacitated. A helmet-mounted sensor will alert ground control, which will be able to take over the aircraft’s controls to safely land the aircraft. “It is an artificial intelligence-based application. Till now we were following (the west), now we want to take the lead, “ Dr Deodhare said.

“Metal Cutting of the Tejas (Mk-II) is a very important development. The ADA and DRDO must ensure that going forward they should hand-hold private sector. Also I must underline that both the airforcr and DRDO must sort out power and thrust requirements or in short what kind if engine is being used from the very beginning. On the whole it is very positive and crucial development for the fighter programme,” Air Marshal S J Nanodkar said when asked about the metal-cutting for the Tejas (Mk-II).

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...egin-in-feb/story-wyYM6Iwz0HsC1XHkDUlX3K.html

 

[Raju Seth]

Metal-cutting for single-engine Tejas MK 2 fighter planes to begin in February

The Tejas (Mk-II) are slated to replace the existing French-made Mirage -2000 and Russian -made MiG-29 class of fighters.

Metal cutting, the first step in the start of commercial production, of the of indigenously made single-engine fighter plane Tejas (Mk-II) is scheduled for February 2020, according to Dr Girsh S Deodhare, director of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and head of the Tejas programme.

The Mk-II will have more advanced sensors including a powerful radar, empowering the fighter for operations beyond the visual range, and improved avionics. The fighter will be able to fly with more weapons and fuel than its predecessors Mk-1 and Mk-1A.

The IAF is buying 123 Mk-1 and Mk-II fighters. The Tejas Mk-II will be several tons heavier and is designed to fit into the medium weight categories of fighters.

Recently the IAF told the government that it is ready to buy more indigenous fighters to replace its aging fighter fleet.


The Tejas (Mk-II) are slated to replace the existing French-made Mirage -2000 and Russian -made MiG-29 class of fighters.

“The detailed designing stage is over; drawings are frozen,” Dr Deodhare said.

Both the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are looking at the Tejas as a replacement for the the French-made Mirage-2000 class of fighters, around a dozen of which were pressed into action on February 26 to bomb a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camp in Balakot, Pakistan, in reprisal for the February 14 terrorist attack in Pulwama that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers.

The prototype of the Tejas (Mk-II) is expected to be flying in about two years. The metal cutting will take about a year to 18 months. Tejas Mk -II, which will be fitted with a GE-414 engine, is scheduled to make its first flight in 2024. .



https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...egin-in-feb/story-wyYM6Iwz0HsC1XHkDUlX3K.html

so mk2 will be single engine jet replacin twin engine jets??...Is that even logical??

Also metal cutting strat in feb 2020,will take 18months ,that bring us to 2022 & wil mkae first flight in 2024,did he meant first flight in after 2 years after 2 years time is spent in metal cutting,he could have said 4years from now ..or did i miss something??

 

[Prashant12]

so mk2 will be single engine jet replacin twin engine jets??...Is that even logical??

Also metal cutting strat in feb 2020,will take 18months ,that bring us to 2022 & wil mkae first flight in 2024,did he meant first flight in after 2 years after 2 years time is spent in metal cutting,he could have said 4years from now ..or did i miss something??

Only MiG-29 is twin engine.
Also Tejas MK 2 is medium weight fighter like mirage, mig 29 & jaguar.

First flight of prototype in 2 years (2022) & production after 2024.

 

[Raju Seth]

Only MiG-29 is twin engine.
Also Tejas MK 2 is medium weight fighter like mirage, mig 29 & jaguar.

First flight of prototype in 2 years (2022) & production after 2024.

he never mentioned production...first flight clearly means ,first prototype to fly in2024..isnt it??

 

[Prashant12]

he never mentioned production...first flight clearly means ,first prototype to fly in2024..isnt it??

Tejas Mk 2 in 2022

The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will unveil the Tejas Mark II with a heavier stand-off weapon capacity in the 75th year of India’s independence, in 2022, and the long-awaited indigenous fighter, which will be manufactured by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), will go into production by 2025-2026, two senior defence officials said on condition of anonymity.

AMCA in 2024

Designed as a fifth-generation stealth fighter using composite material, the AMCA will be unveiled by ADA in 2024.

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/i...tand-off-weapon-capacity-in-2022-4365031.html

 

[Bleh]

so mk2 will be single engine jet replacin twin engine jets??...Is that even logical??

Range or payload wise, yes.

Otherwise an unreliable piece of shit like Mig-29 will still be more at risk of crashing than Tejas Mk2 even if it had 3 engines.

Also metal cutting strat in feb 2020,will take 18months ,that bring us to 2022 & wil mkae first flight in 2024,did he meant first flight in after 2 years after 2 years time is spent in metal cutting,he could have said 4years from now ..or did i miss something??

Probably because its more than just the airframe unlike Tejas TD-1... They might want it to have other features currently being developed to be tested on it as well.

 

[Aaj ka hero]

An unreliable piece of shit like Mig-29

This was great if there was mass falling of mig-29upg,last time I heard mig-29 of IAF is one of the safest planes there.
So, I hope due must be given wherever it is.

 

[Bleh]

This was great if there was mass falling of mig-29upg,last time I heard mig-29 of IAF is one of the safest planes there.
So, I hope due must be given wherever it is.

I give due where its deserved. Here it's not.

80 Mig-29s were originally bought since just 1985.
Only 62 were left to be upgraded to UPG.

Navy's Mig-29K bought a recently as 2010 already have started crashing regularl too.. . One crashed last month.

 

[Aaj ka hero]

I give due where its deserved. Here it's not.

80 Mig-29s were originally bought since just 1985.
Only 62 were left to be upgraded to UPG.

Navy's Mig-29K bought a recently as 2010 already have started crashing regularl too.. . One crashed last month.

How many of airforce migs crashed.
Of course when you go for upgrade you choose those airframes that can remain in air for more years.
I am saying pilot crash ratio in mig-29 was and is pretty low.

 

[Akula]

I give due where its deserved. Here it's not.

80 Mig-29s were originally bought since just 1985.
Only 62 were left to be upgraded to UPG.

Navy's Mig-29K bought a recently as 2010 already have started crashing regularl too.. . One crashed last month.

Here is a list of Aircraft crashes between 2010-2019(till today) in the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...ts_involving_military_aircraft_(2010–present)
I couldn't find single Mig-29UPG crash except Mig-21, Jaguar, Mig-27, Su-30mki and helicopter crashes of Indian armed forces.
If you are able to find please inform me.

 

[Bleh]

How many of airforce migs crashed.
Of course when you go for upgrade you choose those airframes that can remain in air for more years.
I am saying pilot crash ratio in mig-29 was and is pretty low.

Seriously!? Those are not too old aircrafts & >20% of total 78 has crashed away in 2.5 decades.

Compared to that 270 of our Su-30s aquired in 2 decades have seen 10 crashes, ie, <4%.

Here is a list of Aircraft crashes between 2010-2019(till today) in the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(2010–present)
I couldn't find single Mig-29UPG crash except Mig-21, Jaguar, Mig-27, Su-30mki and helicopter crashes of Indian armed forces.
If you are able to find please inform me.

Any UPG haven't crashed yet, they've got brand new engines. I'm not aware how reliable they are, but if Navy's Mig-29K jets are any indication, those too may start falling off the sky soon enough.

I'm not sure how reliable that Wiki link is, but we got 78 between 1986-199X(?). Only 62 left with IAF got upgraded to UPG standard.

 

[Armand2REP]

Seriously!? Those are not too old aircrafts & >20% of total 78 has crashed away in 2.5 decades.

Compared to that 270 of our Su-30s have seen 10 crashes in 2 decades, ie, <4%.

Any UPG haven't crashed yet, they've got brand new engines. I'm not aware how reliable they are, but if Navy's Mig-29K jets are any indication, those too start falling off the sky soon enough.

I'm not sure how reliable that Wiki link is, but we got 78 between 1986-199X(?). Now 62 left with IAF (upgraded to UPG standard).

Look at Egypt, they just started recieving them and already lost two.

 

[Aaj ka hero]

Seriously!? Those are not too old aircrafts & >20% of total 78 has crashed away in 2.5 decades

Sirji, can you please provide source of that information.
I am searching it but was unable to find it.

 

[Bleh]

Sirji, can you please provide source of that information.
I am searching it but was unable to find it.

Google up "India 78 Mig-29" & "India 62 Mig-29UPG" & you'll find more than enough links. Then subtract & divide the numbers yourself.

 

[Prashant12]

Rs 26,000 crore order for Tejas Mark 1A imminent, will open door for Mark 2 to fly by 2023

After months of negotiations, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) have fixed the price of the Tejas Mark 1A light combat aircraft (LCA) at about Rs 310 crore per fighter, say ministry of defence (MoD) sources involved in the negotiations.

Now HAL is awaiting a formal contract, worth some Rs 26,000 crore for building 83 Tejas Mark 1A fighters that the MoD has already green-lighted for purchase. According to the agreed schedule, delivery of the Mark 1A will begin 36 months after the contract date. If the order is placed at the start of 2020, Tejas Mark IA deliveries will start in 2023.

With 16 fighters to be delivered each year it would take another five years to deliver all 83 fighters – that is by 2028.

“We should be signing the contract very soon”, IAF boss, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, had said on October 4. That is now imminent.

Girish Deodhare, chief of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) – the Defence R&D Organisation agency responsible for the Tejas programme – spoke exclusively to Business Standard about the Tejas Mark 1A fighter. He described it as a bridge between the current Tejas Mark 1 and the Mark 2 fighter that ADA is developing. He says the latter will be, from the standpoint of size, sophistication and capability, far superior to the Mark 1 fighter.

While the Mark 1A light fighter will have the same fuselage and General Electric (GE) F-404 engine as the Mark 1, the Mark 2 will be a significantly larger medium fighter with the more powerful GE F-414 engine.

“Initially the Tejas Mark 2 was planned to be just a re-engined Mark 1 (with a more powerful engine). However, with the advent of the Mark 1A, it was decided that Tejas Mark 2 would be configured with significantly higher capabilities. While the ‘all up weight’ (maximum take-off weight, with fuel and weapons) of Tejas Mark 1 is 13.5 tonnes, the Mark 2 will be 17.5 tonnes, taking it into the medium weight category. It will also carry an 85 per cent higher weapons load,” said Deodhare.

While ADA is developing the Mark 2 fighter, HAL is building the Mark 1A, with ADA contributing its expertise in avionics, flight controls, aerodynamics and structural analysis.

While the Tejas Mark 2 will be almost a generation ahead of the Mark 1 fighter, even the interim Tejas Mark 1A will be far more capable. The IAF has demanded five new capabilities in the Mark 1A, including “active electronic scanned array” (AESA) radar, with multi-tasking capability that would give it a clear combat edge over Pakistan’s entire fighter fleet, and most of China’s as well.

“The initial batches of the Tejas Mark 1A may field an imported AESA radar, but the DRDO is developing its indigenous Uttam AESA radar. As soon as it is proven, the Uttam will start equipping the Tejas Mark 1A,” said Deodhare.

The Uttam AESA radar is already flying on a Tejas prototype and has completed 11 successful test flights. “We need to do a couple of more years of flight testing before it is certified and ready for production. Thereafter, all Tejas Mark 1A will incorporate the indigenous radar”, he said.

This incremental approach is also evident in the “digital flight control computer” (DFCC) – a fighter aircraft’s brain – that ADA has designed and qualified for the Tejas Mark 2. The upgraded DFCC is ready and qualified, but it could not go into the Mark 1A because it was built bigger to allow easier maintenance access in the larger Mark 2 fighter.

“So we took the upgraded cards from the Tejas Mark 2’s DFCC and installed them into the smaller Mark 1 DFCC chassis, effectively upgrading it for the Mark IA. The new Mark 1A DFCC will have significantly higher processing power, which allows us to add many more advanced capabilities in the flight control system,” said Deodhare.

In addition, the Tejas Mark IA is being upgraded with a “self-protection jammer” (SPJ), supplied by Elta, which the IAF has demanded in order to confuse incoming missiles. Each Mark 1A fighter will carry a SPJ on a pod under its wing, sharing a mounting station with an air-to-air missile.

Giving the Tejas Mark 2 the contemporary look of the Rafale and Eurofighter, it will be built with canards on the front of the fuselage. These fin-like structures serve to make the aircraft unstable, and therefore more manoeuvrable. Deodhare says ADA decided to fit canards after discovering that increasing the Mark 2’s internal fuel capacity to 3300 kilogrammes (from 2400 kg in the Mark1) made the fighter excessively stable. Designing canards near the nose of the aircraft regained its manoeuvrability.

“We are targeting the first flight of the Tejas Mark 2 by 2023. We are confident of this since most of the technologies that will go into it are already matured through LCA Mark 1,” said Deodhare.

 

[Aniruddha Mulay]

Rs 26,000 crore order for Tejas Mark 1A imminent, will open door for Mark 2 to fly by 2023

After months of negotiations, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) have fixed the price of the Tejas Mark 1A light combat aircraft (LCA) at about Rs 310 crore per fighter, say ministry of defence (MoD) sources involved in the negotiations.

Now HAL is awaiting a formal contract, worth some Rs 26,000 crore for building 83 Tejas Mark 1A fighters that the MoD has already green-lighted for purchase. According to the agreed schedule, delivery of the Mark 1A will begin 36 months after the contract date. If the order is placed at the start of 2020, Tejas Mark IA deliveries will start in 2023.

With 16 fighters to be delivered each year it would take another five years to deliver all 83 fighters – that is by 2028.

“We should be signing the contract very soon”, IAF boss, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, had said on October 4. That is now imminent.

Girish Deodhare, chief of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) – the Defence R&D Organisation agency responsible for the Tejas programme – spoke exclusively to Business Standard about the Tejas Mark 1A fighter. He described it as a bridge between the current Tejas Mark 1 and the Mark 2 fighter that ADA is developing. He says the latter will be, from the standpoint of size, sophistication and capability, far superior to the Mark 1 fighter.

While the Mark 1A light fighter will have the same fuselage and General Electric (GE) F-404 engine as the Mark 1, the Mark 2 will be a significantly larger medium fighter with the more powerful GE F-414 engine.

“Initially the Tejas Mark 2 was planned to be just a re-engined Mark 1 (with a more powerful engine). However, with the advent of the Mark 1A, it was decided that Tejas Mark 2 would be configured with significantly higher capabilities. While the ‘all up weight’ (maximum take-off weight, with fuel and weapons) of Tejas Mark 1 is 13.5 tonnes, the Mark 2 will be 17.5 tonnes, taking it into the medium weight category. It will also carry an 85 per cent higher weapons load,” said Deodhare.

While ADA is developing the Mark 2 fighter, HAL is building the Mark 1A, with ADA contributing its expertise in avionics, flight controls, aerodynamics and structural analysis.

While the Tejas Mark 2 will be almost a generation ahead of the Mark 1 fighter, even the interim Tejas Mark 1A will be far more capable. The IAF has demanded five new capabilities in the Mark 1A, including “active electronic scanned array” (AESA) radar, with multi-tasking capability that would give it a clear combat edge over Pakistan’s entire fighter fleet, and most of China’s as well.

“The initial batches of the Tejas Mark 1A may field an imported AESA radar, but the DRDO is developing its indigenous Uttam AESA radar. As soon as it is proven, the Uttam will start equipping the Tejas Mark 1A,” said Deodhare.

The Uttam AESA radar is already flying on a Tejas prototype and has completed 11 successful test flights. “We need to do a couple of more years of flight testing before it is certified and ready for production. Thereafter, all Tejas Mark 1A will incorporate the indigenous radar”, he said.

This incremental approach is also evident in the “digital flight control computer” (DFCC) – a fighter aircraft’s brain – that ADA has designed and qualified for the Tejas Mark 2. The upgraded DFCC is ready and qualified, but it could not go into the Mark 1A because it was built bigger to allow easier maintenance access in the larger Mark 2 fighter.

“So we took the upgraded cards from the Tejas Mark 2’s DFCC and installed them into the smaller Mark 1 DFCC chassis, effectively upgrading it for the Mark IA. The new Mark 1A DFCC will have significantly higher processing power, which allows us to add many more advanced capabilities in the flight control system,” said Deodhare.

In addition, the Tejas Mark IA is being upgraded with a “self-protection jammer” (SPJ), supplied by Elta, which the IAF has demanded in order to confuse incoming missiles. Each Mark 1A fighter will carry a SPJ on a pod under its wing, sharing a mounting station with an air-to-air missile.

Giving the Tejas Mark 2 the contemporary look of the Rafale and Eurofighter, it will be built with canards on the front of the fuselage. These fin-like structures serve to make the aircraft unstable, and therefore more manoeuvrable. Deodhare says ADA decided to fit canards after discovering that increasing the Mark 2’s internal fuel capacity to 3300 kilogrammes (from 2400 kg in the Mark1) made the fighter excessively stable. Designing canards near the nose of the aircraft regained its manoeuvrability.

“We are targeting the first flight of the Tejas Mark 2 by 2023. We are confident of this since most of the technologies that will go into it are already matured through LCA Mark 1,” said Deodhare.

Once the production of the Su30 MKI gets over at HAL Nashik, will HAL use this production line for Tejas Mk1A??

 

[Bleh]

Once the production of the Su30 MKI gets over at HAL Nashik, will HAL use this production line for Tejas Mk1A??

Yes, read here; https://defenceforumindia.com/forum/threads/lca-tejas-mk1-mk1a-news-and-discussion.81401/unread

 

[Aniruddha Mulay]

Yes, read here; https://defenceforumindia.com/forum/threads/lca-tejas-mk1-mk1a-news-and-discussion.81401/unread

Has the technologies that will go into Tejas mk2 been realised.
If so, why cannot HAL do simaltaneous manufacturing of Tejas Mk1A and Mk2 ??