ADA Tejas (LCA) News and Discussions

[khatarnak]

MATTSTER

How many flights does it take to certify a new aircraft and on how many different aircraft ?? I suppose each aircraft is slightly different.

Do you really need over a thousand flights or is this simply is very cautious, extremely conservative flight testing program ??

well, as long as i know, it depends on how many systems and/or tests are being tested on each sortie. it requires to test about 1300 systems approx., as long as LCA concerns...

 

[ZOOM]

Just wanted to know, how many sorties does completed by Tejas? and how far is it from getting IOC?

 

[khatarnak]

ZOOM
Just wanted to know, how many sorties does completed by Tejas? and how far is it from getting IOC?
Attached Thumbnails

if you consider the no. of sorties, don't connect it to the no. of systems to be tested because it is possible that in case of malfunctioning of a system or subsystem, it might be tested more than once.

here you go.....

LCA-Tejas has completed 1173 Test Flights successfully. (11-Sep-09).


LCA has completed 1173 Test Flights successfully
(TD1-233,TD2-305,PV1-218,PV2-128,PV3-153,LSP1-54,LSP2-82).
218th flight of Tejas PV1 occurred on 11th Sep 09.

 

[VayuSena1]

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 *****cats… 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.

Hahahaha! I would have appreciated that statement from my Navy counterparts provided they actually have an aircraft to match my beast in the near future.... Let me be generous by giving them the next 10 years and come up with something close to the Su-30 MKI.

Pardon me for the digression, but we have a rather annoying habit of responding to such taunts by our counterparts.

 

[SATISH]

Hahahaha! I would have appreciated that statement from my Navy counterparts provided they actually have an aircraft to match my beast in the near future.... Let me be generous by giving them the next 10 years and come up with something close to the Su-30 MKI.

Pardon me for the digression, but we have a rather annoying habit of responding to such taunts by our counterparts.

Wont u people ever cut it out?...C'mon this is a forum not the officer's mess sir....

:noo1:

 

[ironman]

India May Use Russian Engines For LCA​

India is seriously considering to use the Russian 33/RD-33MK engines for the homegrown Light Combat Aircraft, as it already used the Indian Air Force [IAF] fleet of MiG-29 aircraft.

A high level Indian military delegation comprising of Defence Production secretary and Chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Ashok Nayak recently visited a Russian ‘Chernyshev’ plant where RD-33/RD-33MK engines for MiG-29K and MiG-35 are being manufactured.

As per an agreement signed between India and Russia, the license production of RD-33 Se.3 engine will happen in India as well as transfer of technology. Officials said that only the first 20 to 40 aircraft will be manufactured with imported of-the-shelf GE-404 engines.

The RD-33 MK engine has been deemed unique since it operates well on any AoA (angle of attack).

“India would benefit if it chooses the RD-33MK engine”, said a senior Indian Air force official, adding that this is because of the unification it will receive because of the common engine logistics it will achieve in the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), MiG-29, MiG-29 MK and possibly the MiG-35. The serial production line for RD-33 class engine is already under construction in India. And after India pays transfer of technology amount for the RD-33 ser. 3 engine, it will not have to pay a double sum for the RD-33 MK engine.

The RD-33 series 3 is an upgraded version of the RD-33 powerful RD-33 turbofan engine with thrust vectoring for MiG family fighters. The engine provides superior maneuverability and enhances the fighter’s performance in close air engagements.

In 2005, Russia signed a $250 million deal with India to modernize engines for the MiG-29 fighters of the Indian Air Force. According to the terms of the deal, HAL will make 120 RD-33 series 3 jet engines at its Koraput plant for the upgrade of MiG-29 fighters. The contract will enable HAL to master the assembly of the RD-33 jet engines and use the experience in the assembly of next generation jet engines.

As for the delays in the development of fully indigenous ‘Kaveri’ engine for HAL’s LCA fighter and other IAF aircraft, it is only forcing India to keep an eye out for a powerful engine for upgrading LCA. The currently installed GE404 doesn’t fulfill the IAF specification and is not powerful enough for Navy LCA variant. The other engines in the market that fit the bill are the American GE414, British-EU EJ200 and Russian RD-33MK who stand a chance to be chosen as the LCA mark 2 engine solution till the indigenous ‘Kaveri’ engine is ready.

 

[ppgj]

what is the source of the news? if true this is really big news.

 

[Vladimir79]

what is the source of the news? if true this is really big news.

Click the title of the article, it will link you to the source.

 

[indian_blues]

India May Use Russian Engines For LCA​

If it goes for RD-33MK, i'm damn sure MIG-35 will win MRCA.

 

[Rahul Singh]

India May Use Russian Engines For LCA​

As far as my information goes, RFP have been sent only to EJ and GE. So as of now RD-33MK for LCA might be the wild guess.

 

[khatarnak]

what the thrust of RD33 ser. 3 AND RD33MK is?

 

[venkat]

RD33 new series engines for LCA!!!!. Though sounds good, adds a new dimension to the confusion. seems the new series of RD33 which is used in mig29k are almost smokeless.
How do this engine compares with existing GE400IN20 or F2J3 in terms of weight,dimensions and performance. IN20 has a 1553B FADEC interface. Earlier Russiam engines are fuel guzzlers. LCA is becoming a too many cooks kind of a thing....

 

[p2prada]

Hahahaha! I would have appreciated that statement from my Navy counterparts provided they actually have an aircraft to match my beast in the near future.... Let me be generous by giving them the next 10 years and come up with something close to the Su-30 MKI.

Pardon me for the digression, but we have a rather annoying habit of responding to such taunts by our counterparts.

Su-33 may be a future contender for any new aircraft for our future supercarrier requirements.(if it exists)

N-PAKFA is also a possibility.

 

[Rahul Singh]

what the thrust of RD33 ser. 3 AND RD33MK is?

Thrust of both is about @ 9000 KG = 88.32 KN approx. Difference is TVC and optimization for over sea operations.

 

[nitesh]

LiveFist - The Best of Indian Defence: EXCLUSIVE: LCA To Receive "HF" Designation Next Year

 

[rocky2]

Hai friends do anyone can post the picture of LCA mark2 version. I heard that it has a different airframe and also a 2 seater compared to Lca 1....:goodstuff:

 

[Dark Sorrow]

Hai friends do anyone can post the picture of LCA mark2 version. I heard that it has a different airframe and also a 2 seater compared to Lca 1....:goodstuff:

Please introduce yourself in the Introduction Section.
As for your question Mark 2 version is still in the design board. No prototype has yet been built. It won't be a 2 seater plane and airframe won't see much(major) modification.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

RD 33 is not going to be in the LCA since chinese are using the variant of the same engine in the JF-17 thunder, i am sure they have agreements preventing the sale of the engine to other countries like India. RD-93 engines have already been shipped to China a more powerful version of rd-33 .
http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2006/06/fc-1-uses-rd-93.html

FC-1 uses RD-93



MOSCOW. June 13 (Interfax-AVN) - The Moscow-based Chernyshev machine-building enterprise and the St. Petersburg-based Klimov plant will supply 30 RD-93 air engines to China this year in the framework of the contract signed by the Rosoboronexport state-owned arms trader, Chernyshev enterprise director general Alexander Novikov said on Tuesday.

"The Klimov plant will supply the first 15 engines and we will provide the rest," Novikov told Interfax-Military News Agency.

Implementation of the contract is progressing as planned, he said. "The contract provides for supplying a total of 100 engines," he noted.

According to Novikov, there are chances of increasing the supplies of RD-93 engines to China, but it will depend on the success of the aircraft that Chinese plane builders are designing. "According to our information, the work on the plane is progressing successfully. The first prototype powered by the RD-93 engine is already flying, and we hope that the demand for the engine will grow in the future," he said.

RD-93 is different from the baseline engine in the lower position of components. The engine was designed to meet specific demands of the Chinese party.

"We see that China has the potential of importing up to 500 engines. As to licensed production, we have not discussed it yet," the official said.

 

[SATISH]

RD 33 is not going to be in the LCA since chinese are using the variant of the same engine in the JF-17 thunder, i am sure they have agreements preventing the sale of the engine to other countries like India.

Sir RD 33 series 3 are built by HAL but the Thrust is still too low for IAF specs.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

we are better off buying more MIG-29's instead