ADA Tejas (LCA) News and Discussions

[laughingbuddha]

IAF officials point out that the Tejas is yet to receive final operational clearance despite the home-grown fighter aircraft being in the making for over 30 years. As per revised timelines, the first full Tejas squadron in the Initial Operational Clearance configuration will be in place only by 2016-2017.

"We have been hand-holding the LCA for a long time and will continue to support it. But it is not a replacement for a medium, multirole fighter aircraft. Its reach is barely 200 km while we need an aircraft with a reach of at least 1000-km if we have to pose any challenge in the Tibet Autonomous Region, where India expects a major threat to its air combat power in case of a conflict with China," said a top IAF officer.

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

 

[power_monger]

IAF officials point out that the Tejas is yet to receive final operational clearance despite the home-grown fighter aircraft being in the making for over 30 years. As per revised timelines, the first full Tejas squadron in the Initial Operational Clearance configuration will be in place only by 2016-2017.

"We have been hand-holding the LCA for a long time and will continue to support it. But it is not a replacement for a medium, multirole fighter aircraft. Its reach is barely 200 km while we need an aircraft with a reach of at least 1000-km if we have to pose any challenge in the Tibet Autonomous Region, where India expects a major threat to its air combat power in case of a conflict with China," said a top IAF officer.

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

These Idiots should be kicked out of service. If at all they wanted a Higer range Aircraft why was tejas requirements kept for short range? Secondly Combat Radius of tejas is 1300Km compared to 1800Km of Rafale as per wiki.Is that you call huge difference?

 

[ersakthivel]

IAF officials point out that the Tejas is yet to receive final operational clearance despite the home-grown fighter aircraft being in the making for over 30 years. As per revised timelines, the first full Tejas squadron in the Initial Operational Clearance configuration will be in place only by 2016-2017.

"We have been hand-holding the LCA for a long time and will continue to support it. But it is not a replacement for a medium, multirole fighter aircraft. Its reach is barely 200 km while we need an aircraft with a reach of at least 1000-km if we have to pose any challenge in the Tibet Autonomous Region, where India expects a major threat to its air combat power in case of a conflict with China," said a top IAF officer.

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

The radius of action of tejas mk-1 is close to 500 km depending upon the weapon load. Good enough for close air support and many other behind the enemy lines strike on logistics centers and command centers which will form close to 50 percent of all air operations along with air defence of home skies.

 

[Pulkit]

The radius of action of tejas mk-1 is close to 500 km depending upon the weapon load. Good enough for close air support and many other behind the enemy lines strike on logistics centers and command centers which will form close to 50 percent of all air operations along with air defence of home skies.

@laughingbuddha

All these factors will be resolved in MK2 even though MK1 is asper requirement.
The range of MK1 is good enough for the role of support of ground forces .... As laughingbuddha range can vary with load it can also be increased with carrying extra fuel tanks...
When the role of defending our own space is then MK1 is sufficient....
For deep peneteration role we have sukhoi....
The purpose for which MK1 was designed can be fulfilled by present MK1...

 

[pankaj nema]

Tejas mk 1 will be used only for Combat air patrol duties ie protecting Jaguars
and Mig 27

Tejas mk 2 with a better radar and better Self protection EW sytems will go deep into enemy territory

 

[ersakthivel]

IAF officials point out that the Tejas is yet to receive final operational clearance despite the home-grown fighter aircraft being in the making for over 30 years. As per revised timelines, the first full Tejas squadron in the Initial Operational Clearance configuration will be in place only by 2016-2017.

"We have been hand-holding the LCA for a long time and will continue to support it. But it is not a replacement for a medium, multirole fighter aircraft. Its reach is barely 200 km while we need an aircraft with a reach of at least 1000-km if we have to pose any challenge in the Tibet Autonomous Region, where India expects a major threat to its air combat power in case of a conflict with China," said a top IAF officer.

:: Bharat-Rakshak.com - Indian Military News Headlines ::

While deep strikes on Tibet region will be reserved for 272 Su-30 MKis ,there will be enough targets for tejas mk-1 and mk-2 to strike within the 500 Km combat radius of its capacity. IAF never hand hold anybody on tejas. Read Air marshal Philip Rajkumar's Quote, "from 1936 to 2006" IAF never involved itself with tejas,

If Tejas is not fit, then why is it undergoing cold condition testing in Leh for months ? Please ask all the MMRCA contenders how much distance will their fighters fly , with how many tons of load from Leh? 4 of the 6 MMRCA contenders failed in Leh evaluation. We dont know how much was lifted by the other two MMRCA contenders that were short listed. And how long did they flew.

tejas was designed with low wingloading larger wing area config to operate in across the entire indian border.

only after realizing that tejas will be a reality in 2006, IAF gave its suggestions in the form of 250 Requests for ction, barring a dozen each one of those requests were complied with by ADA. Those 12 are set to be done in tejas mk-2.

So it is a patent lie to say IAF waited for thirty years, Funding for two TDs were provided only in 1993 , that too in a limited two TDs first and LSPs later mode with only half of the 4000 Cr requested by ADA . And the faster LSP mode proposed by ADA was also rejected by MOD in favor of slower Two Tech Demos first to evaluate tech and LSPs later for IOC and FOC testing mode.

Also in indian hot atmospheric condition the lift of any fighter suffers 12 percent and jet engine power by about 12 percent. So most of the fantastic thousands and thousands of Km range quoted by quoted by MMRCA competitors with 7 to 9 ton of weapon load is pure BS.

no one knows how much their range and effective weapon load will decrease in indian hot conditions.

 

[ersakthivel]

Tejas mk 1 will be used only for Combat air patrol duties ie protecting Jaguars
and Mig 27

Tejas mk 2 with a better radar and better Self protection EW sytems will go deep into enemy territory

Where is the source for your claim?

Mk-1 too has EW and a radar dia bigger than the 20 billion dollar MMRCA winner. And once Quartz radome is fitted it too can fire BVRs to 120 Km range .

There are enough targets on the warfront and behind the enemy lines in any war. Not each and every target lies behind 1000s of Km.

if it is so why was tejas mk-1 asked to demo its multi role capacity in LIVEFIST? A couple of tejas fighters released ground bombs and dumper external tanks and fired R-73s with in 100 seconds to demo their swing role or multi role capacity.

 

[ersakthivel]

These Idiots should be kicked out of service. If at all they wanted a Higer range Aircraft why was tejas requirements kept for short range? Secondly Combat Radius of tejas is 1300Km compared to 1800Km of Rafale as per wiki.Is that you call huge difference?

Wki figures dont apply for indian hot climate in which 12 percent of lift and 10 percent of engine power is lowered in any fighter . SO those fantastic claims of 9 ton weapon load and 2000 km range need a heavy reality check.Most people peddle ferry range with full external fuel mixed p with max take off external load!!!

Ferry range is for all fuels and no weapon weight. once you deduct 4 tons from all external fuel load and put 4 tons weapon in their place range will decrease drastically. Simply there is no way in the world for a 7.5 ton fighter to lift 9 ton weapon load for 2000 Km range.

@laughingbuddha

All these factors will be resolved in MK2 even though MK1 is asper requirement.
The range of MK1 is good enough for the role of support of ground forces .... As laughingbuddha range can vary with load it can also be increased with carrying extra fuel tanks...
When the role of defending our own space is then MK1 is sufficient....
For deep peneteration role we have sukhoi....
The purpose for which MK1 was designed can be fulfilled by present MK1...

It is fuel fraction that determines the range and load.

tejas mk-1 carries 200 Kg more internal fuel than gripen C.

So please dont get fooled by import lobby claims of low range and low weapon load.

tejas mk-1 was designed to multi role job with a combat radius of 500 Km and air defence with good enough numbers.

All else is pure BS,

Since navy asked for higher powered engine for carrier take off withe higher load mk-2 was initiated. And seeing the advantage of higher TWR and higher load airforce too upgraded their requierments considering the cost effectiveness and higher performance specs.

If there was no Ge-414 engine, tejas mk-1 itself is good enough

 

[pankaj nema]

Where is the source for your claim?

if it is so why was tejas mk-1 asked to demo its multi role capacity in LIVEFIST? A couple of tejas fighters released ground bombs and dumper external tanks and fired R-73s with in 100 seconds to demo their swing role or multi role capacity.

Of course Tejas mk 1 is a Multi role plane it has to be

Suppose in a war situation there is a juicy target of opportunity / time sensitive target
within range and NO other bomber available on the air field
then it can be immediately deployed for action and it will also carry R 73 / Derby along with it

But ideally as long as Mig 27 and Jaguars are available they will be used for CAS

But the question arises is that who will protect them

Bisons are going out so Tejas is the best for that role

 

[pankaj nema]

@ersakthivel

The first task in war is to achieve air superiority

In the last Iron Fist exercise An 32 and even hawk trainers were used for Bombing missions
with a caveat that they will be used for bombing
UNDER air superiority conditions

So you have be prepared for all possibilities hence Tejas is a multi role plane

Now that Pakis are deploying MI 35 and as more and more JF 17 come in PAF ;
IAF will have to take out all these problems ASAP

That means more planes needed for CAP / interception roles

 

[Pulkit]

bhai yahi to main bhi bol raha hun.....

Wki figures dont apply for indian hot climate in which 12 percent of lift and 10 percent of engine power is lowered in any fighter . SO those fantastic claims of 9 ton weapon load and 2000 km range need a heavy reality check.Most people peddle ferry range with full external fuel mixed p with max take off external load!!!

Ferry range is for all fuels and no weapon weight. once you deduct 4 tons from all external fuel load and put 4 tons weapon in their place range will decrease drastically. Simply there is no way in the world for a 7.5 ton fighter to lift 9 ton weapon load for 2000 Km range.





It is fuel fraction that determines the range and load.

tejas mk-1 carries 200 Kg more internal fuel than gripen C.

So please dont get fooled by import lobby claims of low range and low weapon load.

tejas mk-1 was designed to multi role job with a combat radius of 500 Km and air defence with good enough numbers.

All else is pure BS,

Since navy asked for higher powered engine for carrier take off withe higher load mk-2 was initiated. And seeing the advantage of higher TWR and higher load airforce too upgraded their requierments considering the cost effectiveness and higher performance specs.

If there was no Ge-414 engine, tejas mk-1 itself is good enough

 

[ersakthivel]

@ersakthivel

The first task in war is to achieve air superiority

In the last Iron Fist exercise An 32 and even hawk trainers were used for Bombing missions
with a caveat that they will be used for bombing
UNDER air superiority conditions

So you have be prepared for all possibilities hence Tejas is a multi role plane

Now that Pakis are deploying MI 35 and as more and more JF 17 come in PAF ;
IAF will have to take out all these problems ASAP

That means more planes needed for CAP / interception roles

tejas can be air superiority fighter also.Like any other MMRCA contender. it has one of teh lowest clean config RCS and will have the longest range BVR missiles with a radome dia bigger than rafale and gripen.

So no problems in air superiority role once its composite nose cone is replaced with Quartz cone enabling its radar to track in its full 120 plus Km range for fighter sized targets.

Once all its BVRs are launched tejas can not be tracked by enemy fighter radar from any distance higher than say 50 Km because its clean config RCS is lowest in IAF.

For close combat its 1 plus TWR and low wing loading delta wings enabling higher ITR is as good an asset as any fighter in IAF has got.

 

[ersakthivel]

@ersakthivel

The first task in war is to achieve air superiority

In the last Iron Fist exercise An 32 and even hawk trainers were used for Bombing missions
with a caveat that they will be used for bombing
UNDER air superiority conditions

So you have be prepared for all possibilities hence Tejas is a multi role plane

Now that Pakis are deploying MI 35 and as more and more JF 17 come in PAF ;
IAF will have to take out all these problems ASAP

That means more planes needed for CAP / interception roles

Ideally Mig-27 and jags can not survive in today's CAS roles because if confronted by enemy fighters launching long range BVR missiles their low engine power wont be able to help them evade. In such situation it is true multi role fighters like tejas that has the capacity to fight as air superiority fighter when confronted will be called on to the first day CAS role.

because when confronted by enemy fighters it can drop its ground bombing loads and do close combat like a true air superiority fighter.it is a crucial factor many people miss.

Fighters like Jags and Mig-27 can be used for CAS only after full air superiority is achieved.Will they be able to fight out with at least JF-17s which are being inducted in huge quantities by PAF? These fighters had their time and did their duty. It is not fair to cal these last century fighters to do duty in this century also. Jags are reitred long back in frnace and britain. Same with Mig-27s world over. they will be entering retirement list soon.

thats why IAF needs close to 300 plus tejas to keep its sanctioned squad strength and stay relevant as a modern fighting force.

Simply splurging all the money on 126 rafales and expecting jags and Mig-27s to CAS in tomorrow's combat will be suicidal. No modern air force keeps such vintage fighters in front line. Can jags and Mig-27s face PLAF J-10s and flankers fleet if they are confronted in any bomber CAS role in north east?

Wil they be able to take off with any meaning ful loads from high altitude himalayan air fields? NO.

thats why defence minister has told parliament that all 14 squads of Mig-21, 23, 27 and Jags are fit to be replaced by tejas in due time. But IAF has not ordered beynd 6 squads right now. May be once IAF pilots get the hang of both tejas mk-1 and mk-2 orders will only increase.

Only the replacement of all these vintage 14 squads with 300 tejas mk-1s and mk-2s will release the Su-30 MKI and( if inducted) rafale fleets to be used in their original role of deep penetration and strike.

Otherwise IAF wont be a modern airforce at all. Expecting upgraded Jags and still in service Mig-27s to sty till 2030 will sap the trained pilot strength of IAF as well. because the 300 Plus tejas fighter pilots will be far superior in both air superiority roles and CAS roles opposed to only CAS roles for JAg and Mig -27 fighters.

this 300 tejas fighters will make IAF a totally swing fleet, with all fighters good enough for both roles , strike and air superiority within their range,

Considering the pathetic availability rate of just 45 percent at anytime for the huge IAF SU-30 MKI fleet, IAF just can not do without 300 plus tejas fighters till the full force induction of FGFA and AMCA.It means at any given point of time only about 130 odd Su-30 MKIs from the fleet strength of 272 are available for action.

SU-30 MKI's 40 percent availability rate is only for peace time. Consider the wear and tear and declining availability of them during long drawn out war. It will be even more dangerous to rely only on Su-30 MKI fleet and rafale fleet, expecting Jags and Mig-27s to do CAS opposed to JF-17s and J-10s.

No one can hood wink the civilian defence authorities by restricting tejas numbers to just 126 in IAF, despite the best efforts of import lobbies and journos who are backed by them.

 

[Pulkit]

Very True IAF has not even ordered sufficient Tejas MK1 to keep the assembly line running till MK2 comes to picture.
Even the delay in the IOC FOC of Tejas was due to the IAF wanting to confirm order of RAfale...
They wanted all the funds available...
100 MK1 and 150 MK2 would be a good number(As replacement of MIGs)... you can add another squad of sukhoi any day.... and your rafale could help you to get the increase in fleet size...

Ideally Mig-27 and jags can not survive in today's CAS roles because if confronted by enemy fighters launching long range BVR missiles their low engine power wont be able to help them evade. In such situation it is true multi role fighters like tejas that has the capacity to fight as air superiority fighter when confronted will be called on to the first day CAS role.

because when confronted by enemy fighters it can drop its ground bombing loads and do close combat like a true air superiority fighter.it is a crucial factor many people miss.

Fighters like Jags and Mig-27 can be used for CAS only after full air superiority is achieved.Will they be able to fight out with at least JF-17s which are being inducted in huge quantities by PAF? These fighters had their time and did their duty. It is not fair to cal these last century fighters to do duty in this century also. Jags are reitred long back in frnace and britain. Same with Mig-27s world over. they will be entering retirement list soon.

thats why IAF needs close to 300 plus tejas to keep its sanctioned squad strength and stay relevant as a modern fighting force.

Simply splurging all the money on 126 rafales and expecting jags and Mig-27s to CAS in tomorrow's combat will be suicidal. No modern air force keeps such vintage fighters in front line. Can jags and Mig-27s face PLAF J-10s and flankers fleet if they are confronted in any bomber CAS role in north east?

Wil they be able to take off with any meaning ful loads from high altitude himalayan air fields? NO.

thats why defence minister has told parliament that all 14 squads of Mig-21, 23, 27 and Jags are fit to be replaced by tejas in due time. But IAF has not ordered beynd 6 squads right now. May be once IAF pilots get the hang of both tejas mk-1 and mk-2 orders will only increase.

Only the replacement of all these vintage 14 squads with 300 tejas mk-1s and mk-2s will release the Su-30 MKI and( if inducted) rafale fleets to be used in their original role of deep penetration and strike.

Otherwise IAF wont be a modern airforce at all. Expecting upgraded Jags and still in service Mig-27s to sty till 2030 will sap the trained pilot strength of IAF as well. because the 300 Plus tejas fighter pilots will be far superior in both air superiority roles and CAS roles opposed to only CAS roles for JAg and Mig -27 fighters.

this 300 tejas fighters will make IAF a totally swing fleet, with all fighters good enough for both roles , strike and air superiority within their range,

Considering the pathetic availability rate of just 45 percent at anytime for the huge IAF SU-30 MKI fleet, IAF just can not do without 300 plus tejas fighters till the full force induction of FGFA and AMCA.It means at any given point of time only about 130 odd Su-30 MKIs from the fleet strength of 272 are available for action.

SU-30 MKI's 40 percent availability rate is only for peace time. Consider the wear and tear and declining availability of them during long drawn out war. It will be even more dangerous to rely only on Su-30 MKI fleet and rafale fleet, expecting Jags and Mig-27s to do CAS opposed to JF-17s and J-10s.

No one can hood wink the civilian defence authorities by restricting tejas numbers to just 126 in IAF, despite the best efforts of import lobbies and journos who are backed by them.

 

[ersakthivel]

It seems the import lobby is working overtime to discredit tejas with statements being attributed to unnamed IAF official falsely claiming that tejas has just 200 Km range!!!

may be people want to trip the new govt into national security trap and bleed IAF budget for another decade with 20 billion buy of rafale. So throwing mud on tejas is a most important consideration on this front. It explains the virulent baseless article by mr. Das and many other sources claiming ADA is incapable of supporting tejas fleet, exporting tejas is a pipedream , so on and so forth.

All these baseless lies will be repeated all over again and again with statements like IAF is waiting 30 years for tejas holding hands,

Interesting times ahead!!!!

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

radar of jf17 detects 3m2 at 75km. Tejas will be near 1m2 when fully loaded and jf17 can detect tejas at 30-40km.so simply tejas radar can fire at four target once. So tejas will detect jf17 early and hit it with astra.

 

[ersakthivel]

http://forum.keypublishing.com/archive/index.php/t-29009.html

karna's post from above link.

Technologies developed and Spin offs

The LCA project has resulted in the indigenous development of a vast number of technologies. There are major advances in all the major ADA sectors. The advances are briefly presented in a table below [48,51,52,54,55,62,63,66]:

Area of R&D
Outline of advances made in the field

Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics
CFD codes, various aspects of wind tunnel testing, development of Control Law, and control law simulation and testing facility, use of supercomputer to attack various aerodynamics issues, Finite Element Method codes, Aero Elasticity Studies.

Airframe including Carbon Fiber Composite {CFC) Wing and Fin
Precision machining of special metals like Titanium (challenging), Aluminum, Composites manufacture and machining, Carbon Disc brakes.

Propulsion System
Engine Design work at GTRE, design and manufacture of very high reliability sub-components like fan-blades, casings etc, for the Kaveri, JFS, Hydro-mechanical parts, Engine Control Unit, Nozzle Control Unit [51].

Mechanical General Systems and Manufacturing.
Landing gear, Brake Systems, AMAGB, Brake Parachutes , CAD-CAM software, Environmental Control Systems, Application software for Distributed Numerical Control, software to improve control over CNC instruments.

Flight Control System
Control Software, Iron Bird testing facility, Mini Bird, Cockpit Controls, Actuators and other components of Digital Flight Control System and computer [52].

Avionics and Electrical Systems
Design of Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC), LCD, Antennae, Testing facilities like DAIR, Communication Equipment, Control and Coding Unit, IFF, Various cockpit systems and simulators, Mission Computer, Lightning test facility, Multi-Mode Radar.

Quality Assurance and System Effectiveness
Several quality assurance programs like Failure Mode Effect and Criticality analysis, Fault Tree Analysis, `Walk through check lists' etc"¦ were implemented [53]. Software like C-SCAN was developed to deal with QC issues in composites [54], Software Test Plan based on DOD standard.

Ground and Flight Testing
Flight test facility and equipment, testing during ground run, fast and slow speed tests,


The detailed list of technologies developed and their applications may be found in the Appendix I.

Private Sector Participation

The LCA project has managed to secure considerable amounts of participation from the private sector. This participation falls into three broad areas; manufacturing of pre-designed components (moulds, tools, jigs, etc"¦)[56] and special purpose tools [57], software development [58] and advanced machining products (aerospace grade Line Replaceable Units (LRU))[59].

Some of these companies existed before the LCA project but a fair number are new. Almost all of these companies have had to expand their capabilities and take on serious financial liabilities because of the LCA project. A large number (approximately 300) of small and medium-scale units are involved in mechanical production. These units are heavily invested in the LCA project as it stands today and will suffer enormous hardships if the project is summarily cancelled. Many of these companies are in a position to exploit spin-off technologies and will at the very least be able to assert a presence in the aerospace market.

The software companies have been able to combine their participation in the LCA to enter into very high-end markets like embedded systems, ultra-stable code development, and computational fluid dynamics calculations. Some software companies have used their LCA experience to build up manpower and then moved into more lucrative businesses like e-commerce. This has added to growing presence of Indian companies in the world software market.

Small and Medium-scale manufacturing units have been able to upgrade manufacturing setups so as to meet the requirements imposed by certifying bodies such as DGAQA and CEMILAC. This has spawned ancillary industry as some of these companies outsource their initial requirements and focus on meeting aerospace tolerances and quality guidelines. This has provided employment for highly skilled craftsmen. We present a list of private companies involved in the LCA project in Appendix II.

Limitations

It has to be noted that this article draws data from various public sources of information. It represents an open literature analysis of what is known thus far about the LCA program and its comparators. While the real costs of development, ownership and operating such platforms are very important in economic analysis, it must be noted that such data is very difficult to come by. Additionally, it was observed that the utility of the various platforms could only be gauged with time. Hence it is provides an inkling about the benchmarks that the LCA needs to meet in order to prove its effectiveness over its life cycle.

Conclusions

The LCA project represents a considerable investment in advanced infrastructure relating to the crucial aviation industry. Subsequent to the flight of the TD-1, at least some of the R&D effort supported by this investment has met with visible success. A large portion of the investment so far has gone into development of a base of research and academic institutions vital to foster a sustained presence in this in this field.

At the present time it is possible to estimate the unit cost of the LCA and the measures of effectiveness for evaluating multi-role aircraft. However the absence of a production version of the LCA precludes the possibility of a computation of cost-effectiveness quotients. Critics of the project must accept the fact that our specific requirements on cost and performance are not met by platforms currently available on the market and that superficial comparisons of effectiveness of the LCA with other `international standards' are utterly meaningless at the present time. These factors increase the need to encourage and sustain the development of platforms specifically designed to perform in the Indian context. In the LCA project Indian R&D institutions and manufacturers have once more demonstrated their ability to overcome the initial lack of a technological base. This feat merits the highest commendation.

It is also important to take note of the growth fostered in certain industrial sectors. This is a very positive in economic terms as it moves us one step closer to improving the competitiveness of our industry and moreover reduces the impact of defense purchases on foreign exchange reserves. If the manufacturers are indeed able to exploit spin-offs and affect a stronger showing in the aviation market, then we could see real long-term prosperity in certain parts of India. The authors also recommend that stronger measures be taken at the earliest possible to transfer more technology to industry and specific economic incentives be offered to private sector companies to participate in the LCA project. Even if the LCA does exceed the present estimated unit cost, the funds will end up being dispersed within the country and will boost local industry.

At this stage in the project several critical subsystems are poised to reach completion. This is a reason to continue funding the project. If a decision is made to curtail project funding now, a fair bit of the progress to date will be lost as talented manpower will leave the company and several private companies involved in the project will suffer enormous losses [4].

Given the complexity of the LCA platform and the fact that this is a first attempt, it is also likely that there may be a few setbacks in the months to come. This is quite common with such projects. The authors feel that these setbacks should be faced with courage and every effort to realize the full potential of the LCA must be strongly supported.

Appendix I: Technologies developed and Spin offs

Next we briefly profile the technologies developed for this project, the agency, and the possible spin-offs (we apologize for any that we may have missed).

AGENCY
IMMEDIATE APPLICATION TO PROJECT
SPIN-OFFS AND/OR MARKET POTENTIAL

ADA: Aeronautical Development Agency: Computer Aided Design [62]
Autolay Software: used to design LCA.
ADA had tied up with Computervision, the largest CAD/CAM company in the world, for marketing Autolay, following which the Airbus Industrie had evinced a keen interest in the product

ADA: Aircraft Systems Maintenance Simulator [63]

Designed in collaboration with IIT Bombay and Tata Consulting.
Simulator for LCA maintenance.
A Maintenance simulator was designed for Mig 29 a/c. This was used to train IAF and Royal Malaysian AF personnel in India.

ADA: Flow Simulation
The CFD group uses a suite of CFD software developed in Indian institutions under projects
sponsored by ADA or developed in-house. Present capability is a simulation of transonic
flight of LCA with stores.
CFD has very broad applications. The transonic field integral method can be used for highly complicated geometry with moderate computing resources.

ADA [64]: GITA
Graphical Interactive Three dimensional Analysis software, LCA Design.
Technology Associates Inc of US and Boeing use it for CAD\CAM application

ADA [65]: Prana
Virtual Reality software for CAD applications. A prototype can now be readied through virtual reality in nearly half the time it takes for a physical prototype. VR technology would be used for the first time in the Indian aircraft industry for the LCA.
This software can be used in the automobile, shipbuilding and aero industries. ADA is on the lookout for a marketing tie-up. Many DRDO labs and corporate groups such as TVS and Mahindra and Mahindra have already expressed interest in it.

ADA
Design of LRU for Hydraulic, Fuel and Environmental Control Systems. Actual Manufacture is outsourced. C-SPAN implementation for detecting flaws in Composites with cooperation of CAIR and VIVASONICS.
The local manufacturers have been able to build up confidence in producing aviation grade components

ADE: Aeronautical Development Establishment (DRDO)[62]
Engineering Test Station for integration of hardware and software of DFCS

ADE (DRDO) [62]
Dynamic Avionics Integration Rig: to test LCA avionics

ADE (DRDO) [62]
Indigenous Real Time Simulator for testing LCA Control Law (CLAW)

ADE (DRDO) [63]
Bread board model of Display Processor

ADRDE (DRDO) [66]
Brake Parachute and Spin Parachute. Tested at IISC and Terminal Ballistic Research Lab (TBRL)
Parachute imports for some platforms are of a low quality, this could find application there.

ASEIO (DRDO)
EW equipment, Mission Computer, Standby UHF link.

ARDE (DRDO) [67]
Ejection system for LCA, this includes a combination of ejection seat and canopy release system.
This product has been tested and certified by the Martin Baker Corp. of UK. This system can be re-used on any subsequent platform.

BARC: Bhabha Atomic Research Center: Computer Division[68]
ANUPAM-860/16 Node parallel processor, used for CFD work related to LCA engine intakes
Other versions of ANUPAM/16 Node (ex. ANUPAM-Pentium/16) are under development. This is a significant contribution to evolving field of Parallel Processing applications.

At that time ANUPAM was india's most powerful computer a BARC. And CFD studies for tejas air intake was conducted on the computer for more than one month. What is fascinating is "Ducksperts like Prodyut das " say that this intake is too small and chokes!!! without knowing a shit about how it was designed!!!

BEL Bangalore
LCDs, Populated PCBs of the Flight Control Computer. This unit played a crucial role in overcoming the setbacks of the sanctions.

BHPV Bharat Heavy Plates & Vessels Ltd. Vizag:
Heat Exchanger for environmental unit.

BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. Corporate R&D,
Pump Motor for Radar Cooling

BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, MHD Centre Trichy
ECS test facility

BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. Ramachandrapuram, Hyderabad
Brake Dynamometer

CAIR: Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics: Control Systems Group [69]
Part of National Flight Control Law Team, work relates to control systems

CAIR: Robotics Group [69]
Gantry robot and supplied it to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for LCA wing inspection

CDAC
LCA simulators

Central Electro Chemical Research Institute, Karaikudi
Development of Cd. plating for maraging steel (Grade-250)

Central Institute of Tool Design, Hyderabad
Tooling and machining of precision parts

COMPROC: Composite Production Center (DRDO)
Composites for LCA
Composites for other defense applications.

CSIO(CSIR)
Heads Up Display for LCA

CMTI bangalore.
Manufacturing of LCA parts and machinery. Testing of Filter Elements and Development of Filter test rigs

CVRDE: Central Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (DRDO) [62]
AMAGB: Aircraft Mounted Accessories Gear Box

CVRDE: [62]
Hydraulic Filters designed by ADA.

DEBEL (DRDO):
Pilot's personal systems, onboard oxygen generating system (OBOGS).

DRDL (DRDO):
Radome for MMR, Carbon Brake discs for LCA, Control and Coding Unit (CCU). The MMR Radome required indigenous production of Kevlar Socks and Low loss polyester resin.

DEAL (DRDO)
Communication Radio and Data link.

DMRL (DRDO):
Rotor and starter casting for Jet Fuel Starter, Heat exchangers for environmental unit.

DLRL (DRDO)
EW equipment

DSIC
Digital Engine Control Unit
Used with GEF404 now, but will eventually end up being used with GTX-35VS.

ER&DC
LCA simulators

ERDL
Canopy Severance System [70]

ECIL Hyderbad
Materials for LCA

Government Tool Room & Training Centre, Bangalore & Mysore
Machining & Assembly of Precision Valves

GTRE Bangalore:
Kaveri engine (GTX-35VS) and testing of sub-systems like ECS, FADEC etc"¦
This technology will spawn other engine designs.

HAL: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (Hyderabad)
Integrated Communication Equipment (INCOM), MMR, Electronic Controllers, IFF Transponder, Audio Management Unit, Radio Altimeter, Utility Management System
Various items can be installed on other platforms.

HAL Lucknow Division (LD)




Wheels and Brakes, Hydraulics LRUs, Environmental LRUs, Fuel Gauging Probes, U/C Actuator Jacks, FADEC & KADECS Hydromechanical units for engine control, Engine Nozzle Control system, Electronic Control of ECS and Fuel Monitoring, Airbrake Actuator, Utility Management System, Electrical LRUs AC Master Box, DC Master Box, Static Inverter and Rectifying Unit, Ground Power Protection Unit, Design of LRU for Cold Air Unit, Accumulators, operating jacks.

HAL-Korwa:
Crash Data recorder

HAL-Engine Design Bureau:
Jet Fuel Starter for the LCA. This device is crucial to deciding the environments where the LCA is deployed. It has been tested at high altitudes to ensure operation in places like Leh AFB.

HAL-Nasik (this is Mig 21 building factory)
Standard Parts

HAL-Aircraft Design Bureau (ADB)
Microprocessor controlled Brake Management System, Canopy and bubble.
HAL-ADB has produced this for other aircraft like the Airbus A300.

HAL-ADB
1200 L Drop Tank for LCA, these were tested for resistance to small arms at TBRL

HAL-ADB
Dynamometer Test Rig for testing the Brake Management System
This can be used to test BMS for other platforms as well

HERL (DRDO)
Miniature Detonation cord for LCA canopy ejection.

Hindustan Springs, Mysore Springs
Hydraulic & Fuel System LRUs

HMT, Bangalore
Nose Box assembly jig.

HVF Avadi,
Manufacturing of LCA parts and machinery.

IICT Indian Institute of Chemical Technology
Development of Low Loss Polyester resin for MMR matrix material.

IISc Indian Institute of Science
Lightning Test Facility, Explosive Atmosphere Testing, and consultancy on a host of other projects.

IIT: Indian Institutes of technology
Involved in consultancy in several project relating to software development, aerodynamics design etc"¦

IPCL Baroda
Materials for LCA manufacture.

Kerala High Tech
Radar Cooling system, Valves for OBOGS (Check Valves, Solenoid Valves and Temperature Control Valves)

LEOS(ISRO) Lab for Electro Optic System
Tri-axial miniature Magnetometer

LRDE: Electronics Research and Development Establishment (DRDO) [62]
Avionics for LCA. Video Switching Unit (VSU), Centralized Warning Panel (CWP), and Ground Checkout System (GCS) [71].
These are systems used in almost all modern day a/c. The GCS offers an extremely convenient way of evaluating the DFCS and other LRUs from a mobile trolley.

LRDE (DRDO)
Antenna and processor for MMR

MIDHANI Hyderabad
Materials for LCA (ferrous and non ferrous alloys).

MTRDC(DRDO)
TWT for MMR

NAL: National Aeronautics Laboratory: Systems Analysis Group: Dr. A. Pedar [69].
Ada software used to design LCA, efforts have focused on identifying the most reliable software subset.
Software can be used on other design codes as well once reliability is known.

NAL: Composites Materials Division, part of CFC National Team [62].
Composites and technology of co-bonded and co-cured construction for LCA wing, and rudder/fin.
Applications to other a/c also exist ex. SARAS under development at NAL is a full a/c made fully of CFC.

NAL: Flow Simulation (Dr Anand Kumar) [72]
Software developed to examine vortex formation at tip of delta wing. A fair amount of simulation has taken place on the NAL FLOSOLVER and the SUPERSOLVER (collaboration with Tata-Elxsi); indigenous parallel computers built in Bangalore with available components. This machine has evolved in the project started in 1986 on the
development of indigenous parallel high performance computer
This work has found application in a study on modeling and simulation of aircraft wake carried out by NAL under a project awarded by the Civil Aviation Authority of UK on the basis of a global tender. The software developed at NAL is designed to enhance the capacity of busy civilian airports by simulating realistically the wake vortices of the leading aircraft; which could have adverse effect on the following aircraft.

NAL & BHEL(Tiruchi)

NALTECH (Commercial Promotions of NAL technology) [73]
Largest computer controlled Autoclave facility measuring 4 m diameter x 8 m length, and costing around Rs. 7 Crores has been custom built for the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), to cure composites.
Applications exist for other CFC bonding and manufacturing areas. NALTECH perceives applications in other areas of autoclave technology.

NAL [64]
Parallel Processing codes developed for various applications in LCA design
Molecular Dynamics code was parallelized and sold to Hitachi.

NAL
FEPACK: Analysis of Structures in LCA
Sold to domestic companies.

NAL
NTAF (National Transonic Aerodynamic Facility) used for LCA design.
Applications exist for other strategic projects.

NAL[74]
Carbon fibre Epoxy Prepregs: popular 'building blocks' in composite product development. NAL, with support from TIFAC and ADA has developed aerospace grade carbon fibre prepregs
Technology has been transferred to IPCL Vadodara.

NAL
AAVRITA a Comprehensive Fortran Software Package 'AAVRITA', for the electromagnetic (EM) design and analysis of radomes.
Radar design applications such as MMR.

NFC Hyderabad
Materials for LCA.

Ordinance Factory- Medak
Manufacturing of LCA parts and machinery.

OF Ambhazhari,
Al-Alloy-L77 for LCA extrusions
This removes the need to import Al-Cu alloys.

PSG College Coimbatore
Manufacturing of LCA parts and machinery.

RCI Hyderabad
CCU, actuators

SAMEER (DOE)
Antenna for communication equipment.

VSSC(ISRO) Trivandrum:
Actuator of Flight Control System




Appendix II: List of Private Companies, their immediate contributions and the possible spin-offs.

We have tried to present immediate contributions and possible spin-offs based on various sources. This is by no means an exhaustive list and we apologize for any mistakes.

COMPANY (ADDRESS)
IMMEDIATE CONTRIBUTION TO PROJECT
SPIN-OFFS AND/OR MARKET POTENTIAL

Ailga Rubber Works, Nagpur
Bought out items

Ajay Sensors & Instruments, Bangalore
Design and fabrication of manual control unit for ECS test battery

ASML, Bangalore
Simulator/Simulation.

Accord S/W & Systems, Bangalore
S/W

BALCO
Aluminum extrusions.

Bangalore Rubber Industries, Bangalore
Rubber Seals for Liquid Colling System of Radar

BASHI Aerospace, Hyderabad
LRUs and composite drop tanks.
Bashi has indigenously manufactured various items from valves to pilot static test rigs and they also make ground-testing equipment of components and aircraft parts.

Bhaskara Dynamiks, Bangalore
Attitude test rig for AMAGB

Compupatterns
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

CSM Software, Bangalore
Component analysis, failure mode analysis
This company also supplies to other defense projects. Defense and Aerospace are a large portion (~40%) of the companies assets [75].

Data Patterns, Chennai,
Testing of LCA avionics subsystems.
Company has potential applications in other projects Jaguar, MiG, ALH, PSLV and GSLV [75].

DCM Data Products, Delhi
S/W development

Eastern Engineering Company
Special Purpose Machine Tools
This company has a large product list, more information may be found at their website http://www.eastern-engineering.com/mfg.htm.

Firth India, Nagpur
Materials

Gururaja Engineering Works
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

High Energy Systems, Trichy
(NiCd battery)

Horseman India, Pune
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

Hyderabad Orthographic Engg
Electroselctros/Relief Valve,

INDAL.
Materials

Indfos Industries Ltd, New Delhi
Development of Hydro-mobile trolley for Ground Testing

India Machine Tools
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

JAI Sales Corportion, Bangalore
DC Power transient simulator, Universal test system

Janapriya Tools, Hyderabad
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

JINDAL
Materials extrusions for Al-Cu parts

JS lamps, Faizabad
LCA lamps

JV Tools, Hyderabad
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

Kanti Industry, Bangalore
Precision CNC Manufacturing

Karnataka Erectors, Bangalore
Fabrication of Combined Performance Test Rig (CVRDE) and Wheel Roll Test Rig (HAL-LD)

Khalsa Engineering Works, Kanpur
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

Kobayashi, Hyderabad
Machining of Precision Components

Kumaran Industries, Bangalore
Supplies all the metallic wing components, landing gear parts, critical fuselage parts and fin fittings, (~100 products). It also supplies 180 parts, including compressor shaft, compressor casing, and compressor blades, for the Kaveri engine.
It also manufactures about 250 parts for the Saras, a light plane developed by HAL and National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL). Parts include wing components, vertical tail, horizontal stabiliser, rear fuselage and door. For more information contact [email protected]

Kuvarp Industries, Bangalore
Development of Vulcanised Fuel system items

Lakshmi Patterns Works, Chennai (LPW)
Development of tooling for AMAGB castings and Pump castings for Radar Cooling

L&T, Bangalore.
Precision CNC Manufacturing

Microcon Instruments & Systems Ltd. Bangalore
PC based ECS simulator and Controller emulator DAS for Attitude Test Rig of AMAGB

Minitech, Bangalore
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

MTAR Machine Tool Aids & Reconditioning, Hyderabad.
LRUs Manufacture and Precision Tools.

Mobile Access Positioning (P) Ltd.,
15/A, Electronics City,
Bangalore - 561 229.
India.
Work related to Ground Checkout System (GCS), Coding and Control Unit (CCU), Mission Preparation and Retrieval Unit (MPRU), and Mission Computer Test Station (MCTS), Mission Computer (MC), Display Processor Test Station (DPTS), Digital Engine Control Unit (DECU)
This company has branched out into several product lines relating to positioning and tracking systems and embedded systems. It's website may be found at http://www.emapnav.com/html/home.htm

A list of customers may be found at http://www.emapnav.com/html/customers.htm

Manjira Machine Builders, Hyderabad
Machine tools for LCA manufacture

Neonwires, Pune.
Bought out items

OMC, Hyderabad.
Simulator/Simulation

PEECO, Calcutta
Tools Moulds and Fixtures

Pratibha Industries Bangalore
Tools Moulds and Fixtures

Process Wire.
S/W development

Ramsoft Technologies (domestic branch of Fusion Software Engineering)
4/1, "Deviah Court", 22nd Cross
8th Main, 3rd Block, Jayanagar
Bangalore - 560 011. India Tel: +91-80-8521191/92
Fax: +91-80-8521193
[email protected]
Software design and development relating to the Mission Computer and other embedded systems with ASIEO and LRDE.
Company has diversified into several areas in embedded systems. More information about tis projects and clients can be found at Ramsoft Technologies :: Home

Rashmi Tools, Hyderabad
Tools Moulds and Fixtures

Raghu Vamshi Engineering Services Hyderabad
Tools Moulds and Fixtures

RK Engineering Industries
Tools Moulds and Fixtures

Roshine Autoelectricals Ltd
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

Sanghvi Aerospace, Ahmedabad

SASMIRA Bombay
Design of spindles and weaving technology for Kevlar Socks needed to make MMR

Shanthi Gears Ltd, Coimbatire

LCA accessory gear boxes.
Shanti Gears has made, gears for ALH, Chetak, Lancer, screw jacks for nuclear projects, and custom-made gear boxes for testing battle tanks. email: [email protected], [email protected]
Home page: www.shantigears.com

Sheeba Computers
S/W development

Silicon Graphics, Delhi
Simulator/Simulation VRML for CAD
This is the beginnings of VRML based design in India.

Sujan industries, Mumbai
Rubber components LCA K-seal
email: [email protected]

Southern Electronics, Bangalore
Fire detection and warning

Sujana Bangalore
S/W Development

System Controls

(Bangalore)
Air Data Test System (ADTS)
This company offers a variety of Avionics products, details may be found at their website http://www.system-controls.com/index.html and they have also recently moved into e-commerce

Tata Elxi, bangalore
Simulator/Simulation for Maintenance Operations.

Titanium Tantalum Products, Chennai
take-off engine gear shafts and indigenised a number of LCA components through GTRE
Company has built gun blast tubes based on samples given by HAL and is the only unit in the world who can make 5-tonne magnesium alloy casting which tests engine vibration and monitors corrosion rate.

Trabha Machineries, Bangalore
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

Triveni Hi-Tech Pvt. Ltd

[email protected], [email protected]
Manufacturers of Aircraft, Aero engine components and sub assemblies.
LCA combustion liner The company has supplied tig-welded rings for the LCA's Kaveri engine.
Triveni Hi-Tech has reverse-engineered scarce parts of Mi helicopters and the MiG-21. It caters exclusively to machining needs of defense-related undertakings. Pratt & Whitney approves this company for engine related work.

Turbotech, Bangalore
Uplock 3 Types

Unnathi Corp, Ahmedabad
Trial weaving of Carbon Fibre cloth.

Vishnu Forge
Steel Forgings

Vision Labs, Hyderabad
Simulator/Simulation.

Vivasonics, Hyderabad
Portable C-SPAN equipment for detecting flaws in Composites
Useful in other quality CFC manufactures.

Venkateshwara Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Industries.
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

Vizarya Gauges and Equipments
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

Walchand Industries
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

WIDIA, Bangalore
C-SPAN equipment for detecting flaws in composites.
Useful in other quality CFC manufactures.

WIPRO Bangalore.
S/W Development

Yukew India, Bangalore
Fabricating of tools, moulds and fixtures

 

[ersakthivel]

Does the LCA program make sense? [Archive] - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums

From the same link,

Arming The Dangerous
Rahul Chandran

Eight years of R&D in aircraft technologies finally paid off when a slim, fighter jet took to the skies. But even better, spin-off technologies from the development of the world's lightest combat aircraft are poised to fund further research in defense.
EIGHT YEARS OF R&D IN AIRCRAFT technologies finally paid off when a slim, fighter jet took to the skies. But even better, spin-off technologies from the development of the world's lightest combat aircraft are poised to fund further research in defense.

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), India's first fully indigenous and the world's smallest combat aircraft. The machine graduated from a mere concept to a flying machine on January 4, 2002. When Wing Commander Rajiv Kothiyal, a test pilot of
the Indian Air Force taxied and took off, pundits lauded the flight as "sheer poetry in motion."

But, overshadowed by the euphoria over the first flight of the LCA, a revolution is quietly brewing. Some time in 2000, the Defense Research Development Organization, an umbrella organization that consists of 51 laboratories, decided to license spin off technologies—corollaries to the actual task of building the world's smallest combat aircraft. As a first step, the CAD software—Autolay—developed by scientists at the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the nodal agency for the LCA, was earmarked for licensing.

ADA announced that its flagship software product, Autolay, would be licensed to commercial aircraft maker Airbus Industrie for $3.2 million for use in its new commercial super jumbo project: A 380.


The contract was the culmination of a long-drawn and extensive benchmarking by Airbus Industrie to select composites software for the A380 project. The contract marked a first of sorts. At a time when governments around the world were being forced to cut down on defense expenditure, India was having its own defense R&D expenditure being subsidized by the sale of spin-off technologies.

The contract was the culmination of a long-drawn and extensive benchmarking by Airbus Industrie to select composites software for the A380 project. The contract marked a first of sorts. At a time when governments around the world were being forced to cut down on defense expenditure, India was having its own defense R&D expenditure being subsidized by the sale of spin-off technologies.

The Airbus contract was sourced through the marketing expertise of U.S.-based CAD/CAM major Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). Says Air Marshall (retd.) Philip Rajkumar (PVSM), director of the ADA, "While our R&D expertise is second to none, we had no marketing muscle. It made sense to approach a company with proven competencies in this field."

Interestingly, ADA subsequently handed over Autolay along with the associated Intellectual Property rights to Infosys Technologies for an unspecified royalty. Infosys is mandated with further developing the software, enhancing its features to interface with other related tools and programs, and increasing applicability in related areas.
Autolay was no flash in the pan either. After the success with Autolay, ADA now plans to put another software tool christened "Prana" on the block. ADA hopes proceeds from Prana will drive another wave of development, thus ensuring the sustainability of a huge enterprise.

Autolay is an integrated automated software system for the design and development of 3-D laminated composite components. To make the aircraft lighter, LCA uses (as high as 45 percent) composite materials extensively in its airframe. In addition to their light weight, composite materials are also amenable to tailoring their mechanical properties, thereby providing better performance capabilities. However, the processes of the design and development of laminated composite components is radically different from those used in conventional metal structures. It required a new range of multidisciplinary knowledge and computational techniques.

Autolay was designed to address these composite design and development requirements. The software automates the creation of engineering data required to drive the end-to-end design and manufacturing simulation of laminated composite components. Depending on component design complexity and the extent of automation in the fabrication process, reduction of cycle times of up to 70% can be realized routinely by the use of this software. In realistic terms, this would result in a reduction of a minimum of 6 to 8 months in the design and development cycle time of typical aircraft projects. Apart from aerospace, the software can also be effectively used in the shipbuilding, automotive, recreational, and sports goods industries.
Patchwork Artists.

etc from this link.

http://www.siliconindia.com/magazine/StoryNext.asp?aid=QOI766674637&pid=4&page=2
Karna

 

[ersakthivel]

Does the LCA program make sense? [Archive] - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums

Dreams lighten in LCA
Sqn. Ldr. B.G. Prakash

THE INITIAL design of the LCA was based on a metallic body, but ambitious men wanted to use composites. The Indian Air Force opted for a metallic fuselage with traditional technology instead of experimenting with unproven composites. After all, only about half a dozen countries around the world, Italy's Aliena, Germany, France's Mirage and Air Bus, Britain's British Aerospace and Jaguar - are well versed with handling composite technology. The US depends on its very advanced metal technology and less on composites, though about 45 per cent of the F-22 Raptor aircraft comprises of composites.

Advanced composite units at NAL and HAL were established. Both have been instrumental in supporting HANSA, SARAS and the LCA. Prahlad says that bridging a technological gap - as in handling the composites - is more important than satisfying the design aspects. Assemblies with fasteners, bolts, rivets get replaced by monolithic composite components. The spin off is easily absorbable in space launch vehicles and guided missiles, where reusability and pilot's lives are not issues.

Significant Achievement

The use of composites results in a 40 per cent reduction in the total number of parts: For instance, 3,000 parts in a metallic design would come down to 1,800 parts in a composite design. The number of fasteners has been reduced to half in the composite structure from 10,000 in the metallic frame. The composite design helped to avoid about 2,000 holes being drilled into the airframe. Though the weight comes down by 21 per cent, the most interesting prediction is the time it will take to assemble the LCA -- the airframe that takes 11 months to build can be done in seven months using composites.

Involvement of British Aerospace

A component that has curvature, bend and sharp edges may look easy to be formed with composites. But its strength and stress-bearing capacity at certain points is difficult to measure and to improve upon. Tooling design is the most critical requirement in composite technology. The skin of the LCA measures 3 mm at its thickest with the average thickness varying between 2.4 to 2.7 mm. The skin needs to bear a force of 100 Newton per mm. What the designers initially achieved was just 40 N/mm. With some improvements it reached 60 N/mm. Interaction with BAe offered some solutions. BAe is reported to have achieved 160 to 180 N/mm which was a challenge. It came to light only later that they were working with skin thickness of 6 mm. This was a lesson well learnt when composites were used in the bulkhead and stiffener underneath the skin.

T - Pull

The T-Pull problem was another headache for the designers. T-pull occurs at skin and stiffener edge. It includes two forces: One force which acts perpendicular to a surface is referred to as 'sigma z'. The inter-lamination shear stress the trme to assemble the LCA - the airframe that takes along the surface is the other. The flat top of a T-joint meshes with the surface of a composite panel. Adhesives hold them together. The 'leg' of the T joins the flat top not in a perfect mesh - but creates a triangular void at the junction. This is termed as the Bermuda Triangle. Forces tend to pull the leg away from the top; the initial design could withstand only 40 N/mm. An innovative introduction of a thin composite interface strip between the flat top of T and the surface improved the strength dramatically to 60 N/mm. From a basic design scheme it graduated into padded configuration and overlay configuration. Failure was expected at the joints - which did not happen.

On the fuel tank floor, horizontal and longitudinal stiffeners cross each other. At the point of crossing, the longitudinal members are cut out to allow the breadth-wise members to pass through. This process is intricate and special tooling was necessary. Stiffeners join the surface in T-joint and need to be perpendicular to the surface - at exactly 90 degrees!

Research and analysis are continuing to make the T-joint stronger. Adhesives and reinforcement are used to fill the void. Flex cores are used which not only look simple but also elegant. Stitches to bind the flat top of the T to the surface is another method. The recommendations of BAe helped and further progress is foreseen. A 'duct dividing wall' made of composites, which reduces the number of parts and fasteners, is another indigenous effort. It was conceived against existing norms. Complex tool is developed to work on an area measuring 3 m by 1 5 m made of composite. Baffle frame stiffener in fuel tank needs precision engineering.

Air Duct

The Air Duct is a monolithic piece that needs stiffeners. Generally stiffeners protrude outward or inward depending on the component. But the surface of air duct is to be smooth and protrusion of stiffeners cannot be outward lest it obstruct free airflow. So stiffeners are embedded and internal. According to Simha the consultant, one of the 'two best parts' designed is used where the air duct enters the fuselage, with four external and two internal stiffeners, which replaces nearly 30 metallic components. A conventional design could have been used. In the conventional sandwich design, two thin skins called face sheets of 0.3 mm to 1.5 mm thickness are separated by honeycomb struts made of aramid based nomex. The separated space of 10 mm to 20 mm is mostly hollow. Sandwich panels are used in under carriage door, hatches or panel covering the armament bay. Repeated failure was encountered at the inner skin of the air intake with the sandwich design, using metal or composite adopted until then. The other best part is the Y-joint in the floor of the fuel tank with longitudinal stiffeners along the body.

Y - Joint

The Y-Joint is an innovation in the airframe of the LCA where the air duct joins the floor of the fuel tank. Centre fuselage holds the fuel tank which is 2.5 m long. This part needs to handle hook stress and bending stress with the skin being 2.4 mm thick. A monolithic composite part that replaces several metallic pieces was developed. It merges with a counterpart at the bottom, which contains the fuel tank floor. Prevention of fuel leakage is of prime importance. Simha conceived of a small extension at the edge of the top piece, in a new design, which had to mesh with a similar receptacle in the bottom part in a Y-shaped joint. One arm of the Y runs to a length of 1.75 m along the fuel tank floor. No one was sure that it could be manufactured to required specifications. NAL helped. With stiffeners both inside and on the external surface, the secondary bonding technique was successfully used to a length of 1.75 m. The scientist who made this says: "One learns from nature. Branches of trees join the trunk usually in a Y-joint. It must be naturally strong."

Fin and Torque Shaft

The fin for the LCA is a monolithic honeycomb piece. No other manufacturer is known to have made fins out of a single piece. The torque shaft for actuating the rudder is a challenge. It is built on additive process. The cost of manufacture reduces by 80 per cent from Rs 2.5 million in this process. This is contrary to a subtractive or deductive method normally adopted in advanced countries, when the shaft is carved out of a block of titanium alloy by a computerized numerically controlled machine. A 'nose' for the rudder is added by 'squeeze' riveting.

LCA has hats

Yet another innovative design is stiffener of hat section. It has a cross-section that resembles a hat in sequences, it endured the tests and worked well. A honeycomb sandwich piece measuring 400 mm in breadth was not reflecting the required strength to withstand shear forces. Other manufacturers have used similar designs. Within the breadth of 400 mm a hat like cross-section, six or seven in number, successively linked in sequence in the stiffener, is tried in the design. In fact about 30 per cent of the composite material is carved out from the original strip. Hollow portions are created. Yet the design proved capable of withstanding larger shearing forces. It is an optimisation of shape. Engineers use Finite Element Analysis in optimising. FEA computer software are available. Now, an engineer can develop new software based on this design. Autolay -- the software used by designers in the project -- is fondly mentioned.


Section 5435 and 8385

Composites are used in the inner skin at air intake on section 5435 of the front fuselage, at section 8385 of the rear fuselage and at the external skin of rear fuselage. The policy statement stipulates that small cutouts in the airframe are to be minimised; only large cut outs for access are acceptable. Where the straight stiffeners did not provide the required strength, flanged reinforcements were successfully tried. Benefits accrued in achieving improved buckling factor and consequently effected manageable stress concentration.

Lightning Strikes

When lightning strikes the LCA, four metal longerons stretching from end to end, afford protection. In addition, all the panels are provided with copper mesh. One out of five is 'bonding' bolt with gaskets to handle Electr-Magnetic Interference. Aluminum foils cover bolt heads while the fuel tank is taken care of with isolation and grounding.

Corrugated Composite and Test

Some components are of sheets that taper down from a thickness of 9 mm to 3 mm. Obviously, the lamination should dwindle without losing strength. A corrugated finish, which is meticulously achieved, is used. NAL has the only Non-Destructive Test facility in India using ultrasonic tests with frequency varying from 1 to 10 megahertz to test composites. It is needed at many stages in development. Result is in the form of colour images and is analyzed.

Indian Institute of Technology, Powai is involved in providing test boxes, which replace a few test panels. Ultrasonic based testing is necessary on composite surface, which does not show cracks but can have de-laminated layers. Dent shows up on composites though the design allows for barely visible damage to the skin, which may not grow. Moisture is absorbed by composite but the design takes this into consideration. A portable ultrasonic test gear is under development, which can be used in field formations.

SARAS is Thinner

The passenger aircraft under development, SARAS, has control surface that uses composite sheet of 0.6 mm thickness. Squeeze riveting used here is more sophisticated. Technology usable on a sheet with 3 mm thickness cannot be directly adopted.

Appropriate Technology

Plaster of paris is used to make moulds on which composite sheets of the required thickness including the taper are shaped. Surface of the mould needs to be absolutely plane, which is provided by smoothly machined granite tabletops on the workbench. Templates support the plaster block on both sides. The compound solidifies by normal sunlight. To prevent shrinking, solidifying compound from losing its surface grip on the template, screw and nut are inserted on the template. The nut acts as locking nut. Depending on the complexity, the number of screw holes increase. Appropriate technology is in use in the most sophisticated aircraft that this country has seen.

From a level of non-use, composites now form nearly half of the airframe, which carries 30 per cent of the total weight of the aircraft. At times, wealth of information gets poverty of attention - more so with the LCA. May the will of each Indian fly with it!

(c) Indian Defence Review

 

[Ashutosh Lokhande]

DRDO's claim about being in a position to export Light Combat Aircraft Tejas has been dismissed as premature and unrealistic by former top IAF officers who want it to focus on getting the indigenous fighter plane inducted into own air force first.

"It is good to have ambitions but there are several miles to go before we can talk or think about exporting LCA.

"It is too early to talk about this as it has to be fist inducted into IAF before we take a decision on selling these planes," former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy said.

He was reacting to DRDO's claim that it can sell light-weight multirole LCA to friendly foreign countries in future.

Krishnaswamy said DRDO and the country will have to be "realistic" as for exporting the aircraft. The country will have to make huge investments to create a new and big production line for mass production of these aircraft, he said.

The development of the home-grown fighter aircraft, which recently got 'Initial Operational Clearance' by IAF, has already taken 30 years at an estimated cost of over Rs 17,000 crore.

However, the induction is still awaited as IAF has not yet given the 'Final Operation Clearance'.

Production of the aircraft is estimated to push up the cost further.

Krishnaswamy said when it comes to exporting combat aircraft or helicopters, the seller has to provide long-term fleet support to the customer countries and "DRDO has no exposure to such fleet management practices".

"We had exported some choppers to a country and one of them crashed during the national day parade of that particular nation.

"So, we should first focus on developing the aircraft for our own requirements and then think of other things," he said.

Krishnaswamy said the first indigenously built bomber HF-24 Marut aircraft had to go through several modifications due to problems experienced in it even several years after it was inducted in IAF.

Former Western Air Command chief Air Marshal (retd) A K Singh said the development of the aircraft is far behind schedule and DRDO should first make it ready for the country's own air force.

"Moreover, you may talk about exports but the point is that who will buy such an aircraft which has taken so long for being developed and there are so many choices available for countries to buy such planes," he said.

Former Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal (retd) N V Tyagi said as a concept, the idea of exporting LCA is good as it will create revenue but one must realise that any foreign customer will buy it only after seeing its performance in the Indian Air Force, where it is yet to be inducted.

"To show its performance, it has to serve in the force for quite some time and only then, one should start thinking about exporting it," he said.

The LCA programme was initiated in the early 1980s but it has seen several delays and time and cost over-runs which have led to the postponement of phasing out of the vintage Russia-origin MiG 21 combat aircraft from the air force.

As per government plans, six squadrons of LCA would be manufactured of which two would be LCA MK-I while the remaining would be the MK-II version. A squadron comprises around 20 aircraft.

DRDO has also contracted for American GE-414 engines which would provide a stronger thrust to LCA-MK II whereas the initial two squadrons will be powered by the GE-404 power plants.

The first squadron of the fighter plane would be deployed at the Sulur air base in Tamil Nadu and the later ones are expected to replace MiG 21 squadrons at their respective bases.

DRDO Claim on LCA Tejas Export Premature: Ex- IAF Officers