ADA Tejas (LCA) News and Discussions

[venom]

Would me great if LCA goes with RD-33 which infact will increase the chances of Mig-35 In MMRCA tender.....<ig-29,Mig-35 & LCA will then have a common engine..

 

[Rahul Singh]

Defunct Humanity: Indian delegation visited RD-33MK production plant

Check out the last 2 pics in the blog...Sea Wasp RD 33MK has TVC...I guess something is cooking.

Nothing can be better than RD-33MK for LCA. But question is. Is available thrust enough or can meet thrust requirement of LCA MK-2.

This link says RD-33Mk's thrust = 9000Kg = 88.25 KN ! ! ! !

Below is Klimov page on RD-33MK

The Sea Wasp is an upgraded RD-33 engine installed on Mig-29 fighters. Its development started in 2001 as the MiG aircraft-building corporation signed a contract to supply MiG-29K fighters.

The Sea Wasp provides a higher thrust than the basic model while featuring all its advantages such as unrestricted flight control and high stability against ambient disturbances.

A jet fighter equipped with this engine can safely take off the aircraft carrier deck and efficiently perform combat tasks in a hot climate.

The RD-33MK will be used as a base model for future improved jet fighter engines. In particular, it may be equipped with Klimov’s proprietary thrust vectoring nozzle that enhances combat efficiency by 12-15%.

RD-33MK is the first product of major modifications of the basic engine. Its horsepower is 7% higher due to the use of cooled blades made of modern materials including composites.

FACTS

Unassisted takeoff of the MiG-29K fighter from the aircraft carrier deck is possible owing to the increased horsepower of the engine;
The engine contains systems that reduce its infrared and optical visibility;
The service life of the engine is a long 4,000 hours;
Installed on MiG-29K, MiG-29KUB and MiG-35 jet fighters;
Developed in 2001.

 

[rakesh]

is that true kaveri engine fully developed?

 

[ironman]

Nothing can be better than RD-33MK for LCA. But question is. Is available thrust enough or can meet thrust requirement of LCA MK-2.

This link says RD-33Mk's thrust = 9000Kg = 88.25 KN ! ! ! !

Below is Klimov page on RD-33MK

Why ? that is an inferior technology as compared to western counterparts..

 

[Dark Sorrow]

Why ? that is an inferior technology as compared to western counterparts..

True, couldn't agree more. Western counterparts have better metallurgy, machining and packaging technology. Western engine also tend to be fuel efficient. Western engine also weigh less compaired to Russian engine and have a greater T/W ratio.

 

[ironman]

Because western counterparts have better metallurgy, machining and packaging technology. Western engine also tend to be fuel efficient.

Moreover RD-33 MK only has a TBO of 2000 hrs while comparing with Western (5000 hrs).

 

[Rahul Singh]

True, couldn't agree more. Western counterparts have better metallurgy, machining and packaging technology. Western engine also tend to be fuel efficient. Western engine also weigh less compaired to Russian engine and have a greater T/W ratio.

Don't go after the western claims. They are used to bash Russian technology to break into USSR dominated defence market....... RD-33 is a proven engine and has continuously evolved over decades. 'MK' is exactly not what RD-33(old) was...........

*TVC will allow navel LCA to take-off easily or at least safely from flight deck.

Why ? that is an inferior technology as compared to western counterparts..

Can you prove it?

Moreover RD-33 MK only has a TBO of 2000 hrs while comparing with Western (5000 hrs).

Wrong. RD-33MK have a life expandable upto 4000Hrs.

Link

 

[AJSINGH]

Why ? that is an inferior technology as compared to western counterparts..

do you really think that way , can you claim your statement , dont give yankees reason of russian engines , they have been most reliable engines ever made
yes they are not much fuel efficient but new engines are changing this trend , the combined weight to thrust ratio in Mig 35 is 1.42 and in SH is only 1.09

 

[RPK]

Navy backs Tejas with Rs 900 cr IDRW.ORG

Talk to navy fighter pilots about their air force counterparts and you cannot miss the message: air force pilots are pussycats… real fighter jocks fly from ships!

One of the most breathtaking sights in military aviation is a modern fighter landing on an aircraft carrier deck. Flying in at over 250 km per hour, it must halt within 100 metres, one-tenth the distance available to most land-based fighters. The pilot aims at a cable stretched across the landing area; a tail hook on the fighter’s rear fuselage catches the cable, effectively dragging the aircraft to a halt before it runs out of landing deck, subjecting the pilot to a deceleration 4.5 times the force of gravity.
It is called a THUMP-BASH technique. As the fighter thumps down onto the deck, the pilot bashes forward his throttle, revving up the engines to full power. It seems a crazy thing to do when trying to halt really quickly, but there’s a reason: if the tail hook misses all three arrestor cables, the fighter must have the power and speed to get airborne again before the end of the flight deck.

To hit the arrestor cables accurately, the pilot must descend steeply, hitting the deck twice as hard as his air force counterparts, who enjoy the luxury of levelling out at ground level, descending slowly till the wheels touch the runway.

“An arrested landing on an aircraft carrier is actually a controlled crash,” naval flight instructors invariably warn their cadets.

If it takes a Top Gun pilot to pull off such landings, it takes a superbly engineered aircraft to repeatedly absorb the stresses of these controlled crashes. The naval variant of India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is poised to enter this challenging playing field. And its prospects have been boosted by the Indian Navy’s commitment to indigenisation.

Business Standard has learnt that the navy has okayed the placement of an order for six Naval LCAs. At an approximate cost of Rs 150 crore per aircraft, that will provide a Rs 900 crore infusion into the Naval LCA programme.

That investment in the Tejas programme is rooted in the navy’s plan to operate both light and medium fighters off its aircraft carriers. The Naval LCA will supplement the heavier Russian MiG-29K, which has already been ordered from Russia. The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), being built at Cochin Shipyard, Kochi, has been designed with a separate aircraft lift and maintenance facilities for the LCA, in addition to facilities for the MiG-29K. That has linked the development of the Naval LCA with the construction of the IAC, which is expected to join the fleet by 2014.

But the LCA programme faces a bottleneck in choosing a new engine. Two uprated engines — the General Electric GE-414 and the Eurojet EJ-200 — are currently being evaluated, but will be supplied only by 2013-14. And only with the new engine will the LCA have the power to get airborne from an aircraft carrier.

P S Subramaniam, the Director of the Aeronautical Development Agency, which coordinates the LCA programme, explains: “We will fly the Naval LCA with the current GE-404 engine to test its flight characteristics, and whether its structural strength is sufficient for aircraft carrier operations. After the LCA is fitted with a new, more powerful engine we will take the next step of operating from an aircraft carrier.”

Meanwhile, a major shore-based test facility is coming up at INS Hansa, in Goa, which replicates an aircraft carrier deck on ground, complete with arrested recovery and a ski jump for take off. This facility, which is expected to be operational by October 2011, will be used for certifying the Naval LCA before actually flying off an aircraft carrier. This will also be used for pilots’ training and for training maintenance crews.

 

[ppgj]

top notch pilots have to be carrier based without doubt. thumbs up to them. also IN takes the cake for their commitment to indigenous route.

 

[SATISH]

Well LCA will make a very good carrier aircraft...Why?...it has nearly the whole surface of the airframe made of composites. Composites are more resistant to corrosion. The GE 414 is more preferred as it has already operated in a naval environment and has more thrust to weight ratio. The delta wing of the LCA makes it smaller and hence more Aircrafts can be accommodated in the deck. The IN is already using the Derby and Israeli Radar so there is no need for more weapons training. The LCA is also indigenous and there is not much need for hue and cry over the spare parts. I fully support the navy's decision of going to LCA and diversifying it's sources. I also appreciate it when they say the IAC is designed in such a way to accommodate the LCA. Kudos to the navy. Hope the thing is completed on time.

 

[ab041937]

It is indeed a good news that IN has backed LCA and going by the history of IN they are less fussy about the product they induct. One of the prime reason is that Indian Navy is a way ahead of PN, its immediate enemy. China doesn't have a Blue water navy yet and therefore cannot threaten Indian coasts. IA & IAF on the other hand have to deal with twin threats from China and Pak. This is the reason why they have to keep their guards up in terms of latest weapons procurement. They have been spoiled by foreign goodies and nothing to blame them for it. But, it is essential that LCA is inducted in armed forces even if in small numbers. We all know that IAF is on the path of modernization and they'll not accept substandard weapons just for the glory of indigenization. But, surviving on imported weapons is a recipe for disaster. This is why China choose J-10 over far more advanced Su-30 MKK. With time and the flow of money weapons will evolve aswell. The input provided by the pilots and their flying experience would help HAL in developing more advanced fighters in the future and this is why the induction of LCA is very essential.

 

[arya]

hi

good step of indian navy

jai hnd

 

[Rahul Singh]

Good news indeed, but expecting more on the status of IAF LCA particularly PV-5 and LSP-3.

 

[nitesh]

cross posting:

DRDO tech focus on Gas Turbine Research

 

[enlightened1]

^^^
The Link isn't working

 

[Sridhar]

^^^
The Link isn't working

Replace *** with p-d-f .

 

[killer343]

HAL is relay dump...It take almost a decade to make LCA ....But haven't achieve upto to mark as required...Learn something from ISRO.Instead for production HAL should only focus on Research and development.Production should hand over to private companies and later bring more private players into this defense weapons for R&D.

 

[A.V.]

Replace *** with p-d-f .

to solve the problem the word pdf is unbanned the ink should work now

 

[Rahul Singh]

HAL is relay dump...It take almost a decade to make LCA ....But haven't achieve upto to mark as required...Learn something from ISRO.Instead for production HAL should only focus on Research and development.Production should hand over to private companies and later bring more private players into this defense weapons for R&D.

You should better do some home work before you compare fighter jets with launch vehicles.