ADA Tejas (LCA) News and Discussions

[Sridhar]

It is the trainer version . Check the T there

 

[Rahul Singh]

Only thing which is bothering me is MMR's integration. Hope this summer PV-3 flies and MMR gets certified by september.

 

[thakur_ritesh]

Tejas for IAF by yearend-Asian Age


Bengaluru, Feb. 2: The Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project is on the home stretch. India’s first indigenous supersonic, multi-role fighter is now a "reality", defence minister A.K. Antony declared on Tuesday, virtually putting a stamp of approval on the aircraft by saying that "it will certainly get the initial operational clearance (IOC) by the end of 2010."

Upon achieving IOC, the Indian Air Force, which has ordered 20 Tejas fighters and is expected to ask for 20 more soon, will establish a squadron of these at an airbase in Tamil Nadu. The final operational clearance is expected by end-2012, after which Tejas will spread its wings across the country.

"It’s a historic day," Mr Antony said soon after the LCA flew a demonstration flight. "Serious doubts were raised about Tejas. Three years ago, there were demands to abandon it. The Doubting Thomases have been proved wrong. Now I can proudly say we will fly our own fighters."

The IAF could be flying a squadron of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft by the end of the year.

In January, the Cabinet Committee on Security allocated Rs 8,000 crores for production of the Air Force version of the LCA and for the development of the naval version and the trainer, clearly indicating that there was now no doubt at the highest decision-making levels about the success of the project. Tejas, long criticised as being too late, too expensive, was first conceived some 27 years ago, began as a technology demonstrator project in 1993 and was subsequently cleared for development as a multi-role fighter in 2001.

I have been a critique of raksha mantra a k antony for the way he goes about handling the bureaucracy in the MoD, where he comes across as absolutely timid on forcing his points through, to the extent that last year he was forced to give a statement that the delays happen mostly because of bureaucratic hurdles, followed with continuous delays in certain important hardware acquisitions for the forces for the fear of some scandal or the other which all has portrayed him in some very poor light and shows his inability to conduct himself as an able administrator in a very key mantralay, but then here is also a man who stands tall when it comes to promoting indigenous products amongst the forces especially amongst the iaf and ia who seem to keen too grab stuff from over seas.

At least there are certain things he is getting right, much appreciated shri raksha mantri.

 

[Sridhar]

The Stores Interface Box

The Stores Interface Box (SIB) is the Weapon Management Computer for the Tejas, India's indigenous light combat
aircraft (LCA). Conduction-cooled Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) for fighter aircraft use, based on an Open Standards
Architecture (OSA), with a three slot VME card cage has been developed for the first time in the country using non-MIL
industrialgrade (COTS) components. The SIBhasbeencertifiedairworthy for LCAapplicationby theCEMILAC/OCRI.
The SIBis anLRU,whichis requiredtofunctioninahighreliability safety critical environmentonthe LCA. Its functionis
to control a number ofweapon interface units called Pylon Interface Boxes (PIB) based on high-level commands received
from the mission computer/pilot over 1553B buses. The SIB is internally configured as a dual redundant hardware
including power supplies to enhance the reliability. The SIB unit has successfully undergone all environmental and
EMI/EMCtests specifiedfor safety critical avionics LRUof LCA.


Back-plane : 3-VMEbackplanewithP0,P1 andP2 connectors
(including one spare slot)
Main card size : 6U(160 mm x 233.35 mm)
Switch card size (2 cards) : 65 mm x 160 mm and 75 mm x 160 mm
Cards : 2 in main card cage (one spare)
2 RF switch cards in RF COMPT
Relays : 34
DC-DC Converters : 5 (dual redundant banks)
Feed through filters : 4
Connectors : MIL-38999 (6 No.) S700 ARINC (1 No.)
Cooling : Conductive cooling (no fans) and metal core PCBs
RS 422/232 channels : 10 (5 per card)
1553 Nodes : 6 (3 per card)
Power : 35 W, 28 V DC input
Material : Aluminium 6061 avionics grade alloy
Mounting : The unit is provided with a matching mounting tray
Physical
Size : ½ ATR (L= 355 mm, W=124 mm, H = 194 mm)
Loaded with PCBs : 11kg
Power dissipation : 35 W
The spin-offs of this projects are mainly the open architecture technologies such as PowerPC processors, VME, PCI,
Ethernet, PMC, Linux OS, etc., which have potential applications in many current and future projects of DRDO/ADA. A
derivate PowerPC board has already found use as the work-horse formany data processing tasks in a number of SONAR
projects ofNPOL, Kochi, and till date, over 100 such boards have beenmanufactured. The production requirement of this
boardfor theNPOL Sonarprojects alone inthenext fewyears is estimatedtobeof theorderof fewhundreds.
Cooling : Conductive cooling
PCBs : Metal-core PCBs with card level heat sink and wedge locks

http://www.drdo.com/pub/techfocus/2010/feb10.pdf

 

[ppgj]

Only thing which is bothering me is MMR's integration. Hope this summer PV-3 flies and MMR gets certified by september.

hopefully this month -

Mr P. S. Subramanyam, the man spearheading the development of Tejas, said, “Only the Multi-Mode Radar needs to be flown on Tejas, and that we will do this month”.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/national/finally-iaf-will-fly-‘made-india’-fighter-194

 

[RPK]

http://www.8ak.in/8ak_india_defence...single-crystal-blade-technology-to-india.html

Eurojet could transfer single crystal blade technology to India


04 Feb 2009 8ak: Eurojet management today confirmed that if required they are willing to transfer single crystal turbine blade technology. This is currently not under the scope of the RFP and a separate agreement would have to be signed.

Under the license production of the Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKI it is believed that Russia transferred some of this technology to India, however Mr Harmut Tenter, Managing Director of Eurojet claims that their technology is a generation ahead. This is a complex process in which the entire blade is a single giant crystal. The end result is that the blades can withstand up to 200 degree higher temperatures whilst also improving the efficiency of the engine. More on the engine technology here.

On the offsets issue, Mr Tenter pointed out to their good working relationship with HAL on the gearbox for the ALH Dhruv which is amongst the most advanced in the world. They are open to any company that the MoD nominates and would like to see greater opportunity to partnership with the Indian private sector. Meanwhile in the U.K. Rolls Royce has won a US$1.4 billion contract to maintain the Eurojet engines in their Typhoons. In this light, Mr Tender was asked whether there could be a role for the Indian private sector in engine maintenance; he replied that this is entirely possible but solely for the IAF to decide.

While low initial orders would mean that the numbers may not justify setting up a complete production facility in India, Mr Tenter says that this is something they could consider in the future even for areas unrelated to the current engine order. Eurojet has repeatedly claimed that they are looking at long term partnerships and points to the success of Airbus company as an example of a very successful European consortium.

On Feb 2 after the LCA test and demonstration, defence minister, Mr A.K. Anthony declared an additional 8,000 crores (~US$1.8b) for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas programme. It is believed that a significant portion of this is for the engine technology. While Sncema has offered to help resolve the problems with the Kaveri engine, the need of the IAF is urgent and it is felt that even DRDO cannot justify the delay that would arise from waiting for the Kaveri-Snecma engine to be developed. This means that only GE's F414 and Eurojet are in the competition for the LCA engine.

Some analysts feel that India would be more susceptible to sanctions from Eurojet, since it is a consortium of companies from 4 countries, than from the U.S. In response, Mr Tenter said that during Kargil war, work continued uninterrupted. He added that should India choose Eurojet, it is a minimum 40 year relationship and a commitment that Eurojet and their partner countries take very seriously. Germany signed a defence co-operation agreement with India in 2006 and is the lead nation in the Eurojet consortium.

Reading an article from two years ago on the Kaveri - GE - Eurojet dilema, it seems that even though the issue was just as urgent 2 years ago, no action was taken. 8ak believes that whether GE or Eurojet wins, the issue must be resolved quickly and the long delayed Tejas deployed in numbers that could bring down costs to make it suitable for the export market.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

http://knol.google.com/k/lca-tejas#

LCA Tejas
India's Ligth Combat Aircraft
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project was sanctioned in 1982 with a budget of Rs 560 crore to develop a state-of-the-art fighter aircraft to replace IAF's MiG-21 fighters. Close to Rs 6,000 crore have since been spent but the aircraft, rechristened as Tejas, still remains under development. It is currently being tested with a substitute engine (F404-GE-IN20) and makeshift avionics package.
Contents

* Tejas LCA
* At a Glance
* Current Status
* Kaveri Engine
* Planned Induction
* LCA Tejas Trainer
* LCA Naval Variant
* Foreign Collaboration for Initial Operational Clearance
* EADS Consultancy for Air Force variant
* Consultancy for Naval variant
* LCA Tejas Mk-2
* Snecama - Kaveri
* Government nod for Snecama - GTRE tie up
* Initial Operational Clearance
* News

At a Glance

Powerplant 1xF404-GE-IN20)
Thrust (Dry)
54.9 kN (12,250 lbs)
Thrust (Afterburner)
85 kN (19,000 lbs)
Internal fuel capacity 3,000 Liters
External fuel capacity
5×800 liter tanks or 3×1,200 liter tanks, totaling 4,000/3,600 liters
Radar

ELTA EL/M 2052 AESA Elta claims that the long-range AESA fire control system is capable of detecting 64 targets, and of simultaneously engaging "several" using radar-guided missiles. A prototype of the radar is currently being tested on a Boeing 737 testbed. For ground surveillance, the design is capable of generating high-resolution synthetic aperture radar imagery and of detecting moving surface targets, and can also be used to support maritime surveillance tasks.
Weight (Empty)
5,500 kg (12,100 lb)
Weight (Max Take Off)
14,500 kg (31,967 lb)
Weight (Max Landing)
9,500 kg (21,000 lb)
Wing Loading
221.4 kg/m² (45.35 lb/ft²)

Current Status
LCA Programme involves building and flight-testing of two Technology Demonstrators – TD1 and TD2 and five Prototype Vehicles (PV to PV5), the last being a two-seat Trainer version.

With the first flight of the LCA Trainer PV5 on November 26, 2009, the aircraft involved in the flight test program are flying.

To ensure a smooth, efficient and timely transfer of technology from the design agency ADA to the production agency, HAL, eight Limited Series Production (LSP) aircraft are being built at HAL under LCA Full Scale Engineering Development (FSED) program. The LSP aircraft will eventually enter quadroon service.

The Tejas is currently undergoing weapon trials to obtain its Initial Operational Clearance, most likely by early 2011.

Final Operational Clearance of the aircraft will take an additional two years, after which HAL will start production at the rate of 10 aircraft a year.

The first squadron will be delivered to the IAF by the end of 2014 and the second squadron by 2016.

Kaveri Engine
The indigenously developed Kaveri Engine was to power the Tejas aircraft. DRDO's Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) has already spent Rs 200 crores ($411 million) developing the engine since 1989, but the powerplant is still overweight and does not have the 21,000-22,500lb of thrust (93-100kN) that the IAF requires. Plans to equip the LCA have practically been shelved, but for political reasons there has been no official announcement to this effect.

Planned Induction
A contract for procurement of 20 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in Initial Operation Clearance (IOC) configuration, along with associated role equipment, reserve engines, engine support package, engine test bed and computer based training (CBT) package from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was signed in March 2006. The total contract cost is Rs. 2701.70 crores.

In October 2008, Defense Minister A K Antony announced that the country would purchase a total of 140 aircraft to form seven fighter squadrons of the IAF.

Air Chief Marshal FH Major said the first two squadrons of the fighter would be fitted with the American GE 404 engine."The initial squadrons of the LCA will be with the present engine. All the remaining five squadrons will be with a new engine that we will choose."

The initial 40 Tejas aircraft will be powered by the GE 404. Subsequent aircraft will be powered by the Kaveri replacement and would be called Tejas Mk 2.

The IAF initially placed an order for 20 GE404 powered Mk 1s with the plan being to place an additional order for 20 once Final Operational Clearance was obtained for the aircraft in squadron service.

In November 2009, HAL chairman Ashok Nayak told the Business Standard that MOD was going ahead with the second squadron order without waiting for the aircraft to successfully enter squadron service.

“The Ministry of Defence (MoD) tender for 20 additional Tejas fighters is on track,” he siad. “After it is issued, we will sit down with MoD and negotiate a price.”

The IAF's decision was reportedly prompted by the impending decline in fighter squadron strength as a result of the phasing out of older MiG-21 variants.

LCA Tejas Trainer
The twin seat trainer variant of the LCA Tejas, PV5, flew for the first time on November 26, 2009. During its maiden flight the aircraft was flown at altitudes up to 9 km and speed up to 0.85M.

A flight demonstration of PV5 was organized for the Defense Minister on February 2.

The trainer, which features full operational capability from the rear seat, has a lot of commonality with the Naval version of the aircraft, development of which can now be accelerated.

LCA Naval Variant
A Naval version of the LCA capable of operation from an aircraft carrier is also under development. Two Naval Prototypes - NP1, two-seat trainer, and NP2, single-seat fighter - are proposed to be built and flown to obtain clearance for deck operation.

The NP1 is currently being equipped after structural assembly. It is due to roll out by April and take to the air by June. The NP2 is scheduled for the first flight by June 2011.

FSED of Naval version is expected to be initiated concurrently with the ongoing LCA Programme.

The naval variant will feature an arrestor hook, a drooped nose for better cockpit visibility, LEVCONS and fore plane to reduce landing speed, strengthened undercarriage and fuselage and a fuel dump system.

Maximum T/O from a carrier will be restricted to 12.5 tons, with the max external load being reduced to 3.5 tons.


Foreign Collaboration for Initial Operational Clearance
EADS Consultancy for Air Force variant
January 2009 ADA sought assistance from EADS to redesign the Tejas undercarriage and help reduce the weight of the fighter which is already 1.5 tons heavier than envisaged. Some of the other problems that ADA needs help with are fuel distribution, uneven braking, flight controls, environment controls and testing.

Under a $20 million, four year deal with EADS will help get final operational clearance for the LCA Tejas.

Consultancy for Naval variant
ADA entered into a preliminary agreement with Lockheed Martin to be its consultant for the Tejas naval variant. It picked Lockheed as its choice because the aviation major developed the naval variant of the F-35 Lightening II fighter, US Navy's first single engined carrier based fighter. The LCA, like the F-35 is single engined. It is much easier to fit an arrester hook on a twin engined aircraft than a single engine aircraft.

In September 2009, DRDO dropped Lockheed Martin as consultant for the Naval variant of the Tejas LCA.

According to the Business Standard, the DRDO move followed Lockheed Martin's inability to get a Technical Assistance Agreement clearance from the US Government within 90 days as stipulated in a June 2009 agreement between Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Lockheed.

In order to preclude further delays, ADA is looking at France’s Dassault Aviation and Europe's consortium EADS as possible replacements.

Lockheed is still hopeful of salvaging the situation despite the US Government's tardiness in giving it clearance within 90 days.

LCA Tejas Mk-2
In September 2008, it was announced that the Kaveri would not be ready in time for the Tejas, and that an alternative power plant would have to be selected.

The re-engined LCA will be referred to as LCA Tejas Mk-2

Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) issued a RFP for the supply of 99 engines with thrust in the 95-100 KN to power Tejas LCA Mk 2, which the agency hopes will fly in 2014.

The RFP was sent to just two contenders: General Electric (GE) for the F414 engine and Eurojet for the EJ200 engine. The two countries submitted their proposals on December 11, 2009, a day ahead of the deadline on December 12.

The RFPs are currently being evaluated and a final decision on the new power plant is expected before March 2010.

DROD will pick the engine that requires minimum re-engineering and minimum acquisition + operating costs, says DRDO’s Chief Controller of Aeronautics, Dipankar Banerjee.

Extensive re-engineering requirement could trigger a weight spiral, something the LCA is already plagued with.

DRDO has concerns about the EJ200's ability to withstand the corrosive salt-water naval environment and about F414's limited thrust without reheat, as also any export control restrictions that it comes packaged with.

The RFP indicates an initial procurement of 99 engines with an optional follow-up for 49 more. The initial batch of engines will be procured directly from the manufacturer with the rest being assembled at HAL.

It has been reported that Eurojet is proposing a thrust vectoring version of the EJ200 for the Tejas.

Snecama - Kaveri

DRDO has offered to co-develop and co-produce 90 kN thrust class upgraded Kaveri engine with M/s Snecma, France to meet LCA Mk-2 requirements within 48 months from the date of project inception.

DRDO and M/s Snecma will be jointly responsible for engine design, development, flight trials and certification in Tejas.

The modified Kaveri engine will match the performance of the F414 and EJ2000 throughout the flight envelope of Tejas.

Minimum changes are required in the airframe to integrate this engine without affecting the weight and configuration of Tejas.

The proposed engine will be based on Snecama's ‘Eco’ engine core.

Snecama, which had earlier indicated that TOT for the core may take 15 years, now believes it can be done in 5 years. It proposes a minimum production run of 250 engines to make the joint venture viable.

The Indian Air Force is inclined towards a proven engine that is already in production and flight worthy for meeting immediate requirement.

On December 14, Defense Minister Shri AK Antony, told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that the proposal on the Kaveri-Snecma engine joint venture for LCA Tejas continues to be under consideration.

Government nod for Snecama - GTRE tie up
In late December 2009, GTRE officials told The Hindu that the government had given the go-ahead to pursue the joint venture option and talks with Snecma “could start early next year.”

The government nod followed a backtracking by the IAF on its opposition to the engine based on the recommendations of a team, headed by Air Vice-Marshal M. Matheswaran. The team, which included officials from the ADA, the IAF and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, submitted a report that stated that an engine developed jointly by Snecma and the GTRE would not meet the IAF’s performance requirements.

The IAF had earlier also sought the delinking of the Kaveri and Tejas project.

Initial Operational Clearance
Two Tejas LCA aircraft carried out five weeks armament trials at Jamnagar in October aimed at achieving initial operational clearance for the aircraft by December 2010.

Two prototypes that took in the trials were the PV3 and LSP-2.

"The trials entailed flight envelope expansion in various stores configurations, as well as air-to-ground weapon delivery trials in different modes of weapon delivery," a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official said on October 16, 2009.

The trials included visual engagement of ground targets.

As of February 2010, the Tejas had successfully released the R-73 missile, dropped bombs, and flown with drop tanks.

Stand off engagement of ground targets will be part of a followup trial, probably after the aircraft is equipped with its radar and weapon aiming subsystem.

The trials are expected to be wrapped up by the end of the year and the aircraft given its Initial Operational Clearance.

News
Indian Navy is reported to have placed an order for six Naval LCAs, at an approximate cost of Rs 150 crore per aircraft.

The move throws a Rs 900 crore lifeline to the floundering LCA program.

The Navalized LCA will be based on the re-engined LCA Mk 2 since the GE 404-IN20 powered Mk 1 does not have the reserve of power required for carrier deck operations. However, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will test the airframe modifications required on the LCA for carrier operations using an LCA Mk 1

"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," says ADA director P S Subramaniam.

The Naval LCA will likely be tested at a shore-based carrier operation training facility, currently being developed at INS Hansa, in Goa, equipped with a ski jump take off and arrestor cables. The facility is projected to be operational by October 2011.

According to Business Standard, 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.

 

[ppgj]

Eurojet could transfer single crystal blade technology to India

04 Feb 2009 8ak: Eurojet management today confirmed that if required they are willing to transfer single crystal turbine blade technology. This is currently not under the scope of the RFP and a separate agreement would have to be signed.

it seems everybody is in a hurry to take the MRCA cake. this contest is probably the last big order from india as it tries to build local capability to build and operate modern fighters. from EADS pov, it makes perfect sense.200 EF's in IAF, a huge number of LCA's down the line and MCA in future powered by EJ 200 means it is a mouth watering long term business proposition.

however with 4 countries in the consortium, even a rough patch with any one of them may create a stumbling block in terms of tech transfer.

 

[neo29]

With eurojet ready to give crystal blade technology to us, shows how much germany is sweetening the ej200 and EF deals.

the article clearly says that no one wants more delays in lca hence either ge 414 or ej200 will be chosen. considering ej200 fits easily in lca without much modification unlike its counterpart ge 414 , eurojet will easily win the bid.

bad news for kaveri, though development with snecma is going on. for now iaf and MoD wants either of these 2 engines to fly of the lca. since kaveri wil be ready by 2014-15 , it may be used later for more LCA's or MCA's .

 

[Sridhar]

Mr. Antony, who witnessed the flight display of the twin-seater trainer version prototype (PV5) and another belonging to the limited series production (LSP)-2 of the LCA programme, said scepticism that prevailed a few years ago about the LCA project no longer existed with the progress made in project implementation.
Tejas has successfully undergone weapon trials such as the release of the R-73 missile, dropping of bombs, and integration of drop tanks, and the process was due to be completed by the end of this year.
On the LCA’s Naval version, Mr. Antony said that the building of two prototypes was envisaged — a two-seat trainer (NP1) and a single-seat fighter (NP2). The NP1 was nearing completion of equipping after the structural assembly, and it was due to roll out by April next followed by the first flight in June. The NP2 is scheduled for the first flight by June 2011.
Earlier, the PV-5 was flown by the National Flight Test Centre’s chief test pilot R.R. Tyagi and group director R.K. Raveendran. Mr. Antony also inaugurated the System Test and Integration Rig at the Centre for Airborne Systems at the HAL airport.
Secretary (Defence Production) R.K. Singh and Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister V.K. Saraswat, accompanied the Minister.



http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article99367.ece

 

[nitesh]

I don't think this is true that full squadron will be formed but this makes the jingo feels happy

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/national/finally-iaf-will-fly-'made-india'-fighter-194

Bengaluru, Feb. 2: The IAF, long ridiculed as one of the world’s biggest air forces that has never flown its own indigenous fighters, could be flying a squadron of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft by the end of the year.

The defence minister, Mr A.K. Anthony, declared on Tuesday that the indigenous aircraft, the world’s smallest multi-role fighter “will certainly get the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) by the end of 2010”.

In January, the Cabinet Committee on Security allocated Rs 8,000 crore for production of the air force version of the LCA and for the development of the naval version and the trainer, clearly indicating that there was now no doubt at the highest decision-making levels about the success of the project.

Tejas — long criticised as being too late, too expensive – was first conceived some 27 years ago {Here is the problem with out media, they keep peddling this lie of program started in 1983 when there was only planning started of making LCA the ADA was set up in 1984 and then program cam out of PDP (project definition phase) only in 1989 then only real development started }. It began as a technology demonstrator project in 1993 and was subsequently cleared for development as a multi-role fighter in 2001.

Nearly, all trials have been completed in some 1,290 flights.

Mr P. S. Subramanyam, the man spearheading the development of Tejas, said, “Only the Multi-Mode Radar needs to be flown on Tejas, and that we will do this month”.

Mr Antony’s championship of the indigenous military technology has also seen DRDO notch up a Rs 4,000 crore IAF order to supply it six squadrons of Akash air defence missile systems, in addition to the two squadrons it already has and against stiff competition from the Israeli Spyder system.

 

[Dark_Prince]

Flight control computer facility for LCA Aircraft project inaugurated at BEL


India’s Light Combat Aircraft(LCA) program took off towards early completion following the inauguration of a facility to manufacture the Digital Flight Control Computer (DFCC) for the LCA(Tejas), at Bharat Electronics’ (BEL)'s Bangalore Complex by Indian defence minister A. K. Anthony.

Defence minister A.K Anthony and BEL CMD, Mr Ashwani Kumar Datt at the inauguration of the digital flight control computer facility at BEL

The inauguration was witnessed by Mr Ashwani Kumar Datt, Chairman & Managing Director, BEL, staff and engineers of BEL besides invited dignatories. Mr Dutt also handed over the advanced Gun Fire Control System for the P-28 class of ships for the Indian Navy on the occasion, in the presence of the defence minister.

The DFCC is a state-of-the-art, multiple redundant (improving its reliability, one channel will take over if another fails) Digital Fly-By-Wire Flight Control System of the LCA- Tejas, which controls the maneuvering (pitch, yaw and roll)of the aircraft.

DFCC is a flight critical sub-system to be manufactured as per AS 9100 standards.

To meet this requirement, BEL has set up an integrated manufacturing facility for assembly, inspection and testing of DFCC, all under one roof. The facility includes Thermal Cycling Chamber, Vibration Machine, Dehumidifying Chambers for storing PCBs, high resolution inspection tools for identifying process errors, Automated Test Equipment for rigorous performance testing and Engineering Test Station for testing the DFCC unit.

The Naval Gun Fire Control System(GFCS) is a quick reaction, multi-sensor, multi-weapon, short/medium/long range defence system against air/surface/shore targets on board naval ships.

THE GFCS is designed to provide air/surface/shore defence with 76 mm and 30 mm guns. Its purpose is to locate a hostile target using a radar or video tracker, acting on early warning search radars and to track its approach with high accuracy, in order to obtain reliable target data.

The target data is further processed and used to control the weapons by pointing it in an exact ballistic firing position for eventual destruction of the target. The GFCS continues to track the approaching target, simultaneously pointing the weapon on the target, until destruction of the target is complete.

http://www.defenseworld.net/go/defensenews.jsp?catid=4&id=4088&h=Flight%20control%20computer%20facility%20LCA%20Aircraft%20project%20inaugurated%20BEL

 

[gb009]

LCA has already completed so many flights (1290). Has there been improvements in its AOA, turn rate etc? What do they do in these regular flights?

 

[Agantrope]

LCA has already completed so many flights (1290). Has there been improvements in its AOA, turn rate etc? What do they do in these regular flights?

An aircraft should fly for stipulated amount of time in sky. That stipulated amount of time is not yet achieved for Tejas

 

[gb009]

An aircraft should fly for stipulated amount of time in sky. That stipulated amount of time is not yet achieved for Tejas

Ok what about my 1st question? AOA & turn rate. These are some of the parameters where it has not met the expectations. I know DRDO would be trying to improve these but no related news has come out recently (or I have missed it). Does IOC require the LCA to meet these parameters?

Basically I was trying to think of various parameters that LCA has not been able to meet and how much progress DRDO has done in getting there. Other than the MMR I could only think of these 2. Such information would give a very good picture of how the LCA development is progressing. Though I am not sure if all this would be available in detail in public domain.

 

[s_bman]

LCA project infused with fresh Rs 8,000 crore funding

04 Feb 2010 8ak: Showing solidarity with the development program of indigenous LCA – Tejas, the government has decided to pump additional funding of Rs 8,000 crore in addition to the Rs 4,800 crore it has already spent over the past 27 years.

Defending the move to pump more liquidity into the project, which the experts believe is a total disaster Defence Minister A.K. Antony said, “Today I can assure you with confidence... I can declare at last LCA is going to be a reality,” He further made it clear that the government had the confidence in the developing agencies of Tejas and would go to any lengths to support the project.

Tejas, being jointly developed by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), has also been criticised for not being indigenous as external help has been sought from France, Israel, British Aerospace and Lockheed Martin at each stage to develop the LCA. The developing agencies have also been accused of copying the designs of Multi-Mode Radar (MMR) from the Ericsson and Ferranti Defence Systems, who make such radars.

The defence minister had earlier announced the IAF would procure 140 LCAs for seven squadrons. However, a top IAF official told 8ak that there was no way that the IAF be coaxed into buying so many Tejas aircrafts, if major improvements in the program are not made by the developing agencies. The induction of the much delayed LCA is expected to begin in 2013 if an optimistic view is taken. At the moment the aircraft is undergoing weapon trials to obtain initial operation clearance which is expected to come by 2011.

The induction of Tejas is vital to the IAF as its squadron strength has come down to 32.5 from the sanctioned 39.5. The top brass of the IAF has indicated that the squadron will come down to 29 by 2015 due to phasing out of six squadrons of Mig-21s and two of Mig- 27s. However, the IAF requires 45 squadrons to counter the growing the Chinese threat perception. In spite of a critical shortage, the HAL has declared that they may not be able to manufacture more than eight LCAs a year with existing infrastructure.

The IAF has ordered 20 Tejas aircrafts and was mulling ordering another 20. Sulur-based 45 squadron will be the first to induct the LCA after its Mig-21M fleet has been retired. The second squadron is yet to be decided. The indigenous LCA is attributed to be the lightest combat aircraft in the world. It will also be used by the IAF to train pilots in its twin seated version.

The first LCA Demonstrator I aircraft made a maiden flight in January 2001. The LCA Demonstrator II first flew in June 2002. The second prototype vehicle (PV-II) made a maiden flight in December 2005 and the third in December 2006. In the beginning of 2009, the LCA completed its 1,000th test-flight.

Tejas, a 4.5 generation fighter is equipped with F404-GE-IN20 engine and is expected to cost US$21 million a unit for the air force version, while US$31 million for the naval variant. The Naval variant will replace the grounded fleet of the existing Sea-Harrier, which were procured way back in the 1980s.

Dimensions

Length 13.2m

Height 4.4m

Wingspan 8.2m

Empty Weight 5,450kg

Approximate Take-Off Weight 9,530kg

External Payload More than 4,000kg

Prototype Aircraft 1 x GE F404-GE-F2J3 turbofan engine with after burn

 

[ZOOM]

Here we have two very similar birds, Indian Tejas and Korean T-50 in their trainer version. One is highly successful and join service within three to four years from first test flight in 2002 and one is still languishing for the various needs.

We need to study this very similar aircrafts and conclude the best way to bring Tejas in service as quickly as possible.

 

[RPK]

Store interface box...............

 

[Rahul Singh]

Here we have two very similar birds, Indian Tejas and Korean T-50 in their trainer version. One is highly successful and join service within three to four years from first test flight in 2002 and one is still languishing for the various needs.

We need to study this very similar aircrafts and conclude the best way to bring Tejas in service as quickly as possible.

ZOOM forgive me if i'm rude but i must say wild comparison! In first place T-50 is an AJT or best a CAT hence not even marginally comparable to a fighter jet like HF-XX Tejas. A fighter jet's chemistry is highly complex and require a detailed testing and up gradation to keep it contemporary, same is not in the case of an AJT.

 

[Chota]

Which reminds me of HAL CAT. What happened to this proposed trainer from HAL