ADA Tejas (LCA) News and Discussions

[abingdonboy]

I dont think that IN is hand holding local industry by spending its precious little budget money on tejas mk2!!!

Other than the Mig-29 right now they have no other option for their carrier fleet, which they hope to expand substantially,

And russians of late are not generous in letting indians integrate whatever weapon system they want .

SO tejas mk2 is a very vital back up option if something goes wrong with mig-29 K, which were all brand new developmental fighters solely used by IN.

But tejas mk2 may end up as a useful little back up fighter at much lesser cost , with hundred percent reliability

There is no merit or logic to this analysis bro, it is very bizzare rhetoric that doesn't reflect common sense.

 

[Shadow]

..................................................

 

[Kunal Biswas]

First Tejas Mk1 in service is numbered LA 5001

Air Marshal Walia said, "It's our baby. It's an excellent aircraft. The Air Chief has flown it earlier. We will be inducting more aircraft in a phased manner. We hope to fly Tejas on Air Force Day, October 8."

 

[Kunal Biswas]

The Commanding Officer of the India Air Force squadron 'Flying Daggers 45', Madhav Rangachari on Wednesday said that the Tejas was the best aircraft that he had flown.

"Easily the best aircraft I've flown," he said.

"It is comparable and on par with any fourth generation fighter aircraft you have in world today," he added.

“I felt on top of the world,’’ said the veteran test pilot with over 3,000 hours of flying experience. “Compared to the Mirage, this is a superior aircraft. A generation ahead of it.”

Source : http://www.newindianexpress.com/sta...-soars-with-IAF/2016/07/02/article3509735.ece

Source : http://www.newindianexpress.com/sta...is-combat-ready/2016/07/02/article3509736.ece

 

[Raj Malhotra]

As per last CAG report in 2015, HAL has neither got formal approval nor funds to ramp up the production line to 16 as it's still a proposal. Further, HAL is still struggling to ramp up production line to 8 inspite of funds allocated in 2001. HAL Has neither constructed all the requisite hangers nor even ordered all the generic / multi purpose machines. HAL is fudging grammar to show 8 LCA are in assembly. It seems only 4-5 LCA are in assembly. I want the production to be ramped up to 24.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Apr 15, 2016

We are ramping up production to 16 aircraft a year. We have recently issued request for quotations to the private players to supply modules like fuselage parts and wings. If we can get this from the private sector, we can increase production to 25 aircraft a year. So, we are looking for capacity augmentation with these private players. We are looking at a concept in which HAL is an integrator that has some 20% (of total) work in the hangers. The remaining 80% of work can be off loaded to the industry. If a private company for example is setting up a shop for composites manufacturing, it will be assured for business for many years.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...hairman-suvarna-raju/articleshow/51834356.cms

===========================

May 20, 2016

"The sanctioned strength of fighter squadrons is 42, but 100 percent is never reached. We have 34 squadrons at present. In next three to four years, four to five squadrons of Tejas will be added; a few more squadrons of Sukhoi will also come. By then two squadrons of Rafale jets will also come," Parrikar said

Source : http://www.business-standard.com/ar...ly-before-diwali-parrikar-116052000390_1.html

===========================

26 Feb, 2016

NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force will induct three to four indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas' this year and a total of eight squadrons in eight years, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said today.

He told the Lok Sabha that a Letter of Intent for procuring 120 Tejas was issued and the first aircraft was inducted by the IAF in 2015 and three to four would be inducted this year

Read more at: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...ofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

============================

Well he is keeping his words, Exciting times ahead ..

As per last CAG report in 2015, HAL has neither got formal approval nor funds to ramp up the production line to 16 as it's still a proposal. Further, HAL is still struggling to ramp up production line to 8 inspite of funds allocated in 2001. HAL Has neither constructed all the requisite hangers nor even ordered all the generic / multi purpose machines. HAL is fudging grammar to show 8 LCA are in assembly. It seems only 4-5 LCA are in assembly. I want the production to be ramped up to 24.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Eye Candy .. ..............................

 

[Prashant12]

‘Tejas’ is the best example of the catchphrase ‘Made in India’

The IAF will demand the best, and we will meet the challenge in terms of modern technology and systems.

Dr S. Christopher

Dr S. Christopher, secretary, department of defence R&D, MoD, New Delhi, says that homegrown fighter jet “Tejas” is not only combat-ready, but future-ready. In an interview to B.R. Srikanth, Dr Christopher attributes the cost and time overruns to indigenous development of several cutting-edge technologies, the role of one too many inspection and certification agencies, and an unrealistic delivery schedule set by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Excerpts:

What is the significance of commissioning of the first squadron of “Tejas” combat jets by the IAF?

We are very happy that our aircraft has been accepted by the IAF, and this gives us the confidence and encouragement to design more modern aircraft. It (“Tejas”) is not only combat-ready, but future-ready. The IAF is happy because we have told them that it will match parameters of initial operational clearance (IOC). We will work with pilots of the Air Force to improve the capabilities of this aircraft further based on their feedback. The active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar is being developed by Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), Bengaluru, and the beyond visual range (BVR) missile will be integrated without further delay because the aircraft has been configured for this missile. We are happy as the efforts of my predecessors, beginning with Dr V.S. Arunachalam, have been recognised by top leaders and we will continue to do our best for the IAF. “Tejas” is the best example of the catchphrase design in India and “Made in India”.

But the project has missed many deadlines. “Tejas” ought to have been delivered to the IAF earlier?

Of course, we own responsibility for the delay, but first, we inadvertently promised an early delivery date without realising that we had to develop technologies and design the fighter simultaneously. We also had to get approvals from one too many inspection and certification agencies, but in reality it took us 23 years from the time the project was formally approved in 1993, and it is on par with the time taken for design and development across the world. Even in the case of advanced version of airborne warning and control system (AWACS) of the US, there were delays. In the case of our airborne early warning (AEW), for which we acquired Embraer aircraft from Brazil, the agency within the aerospace company issues a certificate for the first flight, but in our country we have to wait for inspection and approval from many agencies before we fly the first sortie. So going forward we will ensure that we do not repeat these mistakes and also adopt the model in vogue now across the world to constantly update and make changes to the aircraft required by the IAF so that the jet is future ready. Nobody, however, acknowledges that we took only nine years to design and fly the naval variant of “Tejas”. For the next project, we will have the technology ready and then design the aircraft.

Was IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha’s decision to test fly “Tejas” a turning point in formation of the first squadron?

Yes, two deputy chiefs of the IAF had flown “Tejas” earlier, but after Air Chief Marshal Raha flew and made a very positive statement about the feel and capabilities, the Air Force decided it was time to commission the first squadron. So, his flight was certainly the turning point. The credit must go to defence minister Manohar Parrikar who has been giving us advise and care, which proved an enormous push to formation of the squadron.

Will it be possible to meet all combat parameters set by the IAF and deliver the remaining jets on time?

The IAF will demand the best, and we will meet the challenge in terms of modern technology and systems. Besides, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is ready to source big systems rather then components from private industries to meet the delivery schedule and later set up an additional production line to match the orders of the IAF. We will complete modifications for air-to-air refuelling, improve the accuracy of weapons, and firing of guns and missiles to meet the requirements set for final operational clearance (FOC) by March 2017.

With the lessons learnt so far and the confidence gained in the “Tejas” project, will the DRDO design another combat aircraft?

Yes, we are not going to rest on our laurels. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will be our next mission. The defence minister has approved it in principle. A twin-engine fighter jet with stealth technology but slightly lesser in weight than the US F-35, AMCA will be designed and manufactured for use after 2020. We have already carried out an analysis on the gap in technologies so that we do not end up repeating the mistakes committed while working on “Tejas”, and also have a clear idea of how our industries could provide advanced systems, subassemblies and components. The IAF has to take a call on whether the engines should be developed here for AMCA or import ones which meet the requirements for this advanced combat aircraft. Meanwhile, discussions are also on with potential collaborators for design and manufacture of these engines in the country.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/opin...example-of-the-catchphrase-made-in-india.html

 

[Prashant12]

https://www.facebook.com/Tarmak007/

 

[Kyubi]

Yaar , what is that RSS mean which you are discussing about J 10 ?
I encountered it first time .


Sent from my Micromax Q380 using Tapatalk

It means Relaxed Static Stability

 

[Yumdoot]

As per last CAG report in 2015, HAL has neither got formal approval nor funds to ramp up the production line to 16 as it's still a proposal. Further, HAL is still struggling to ramp up production line to 8 inspite of funds allocated in 2001. HAL Has neither constructed all the requisite hangers nor even ordered all the generic / multi purpose machines. HAL is fudging grammar to show 8 LCA are in assembly. It seems only 4-5 LCA are in assembly. I want the production to be ramped up to 24.

The Current CAG is an Ex-Defence Secretary and appointed by the UPA-2 regime. Truth without its context is nonsense.

While you are right that SP-2 to SP-8 were admitted to be in assembly a few months back, with SP-8 being merely started, the fact is that even to hit 8 an year HAL will have to gradually build up scale. You cannot expect all 8 to be in assembly even if the assembly line is ready. Because the vendors may/may not be ready with their supplies. 20% of the indigenous content is outsourced and on top of that the imported content is significant.

Hope you noted how Cobham kept the LCA delayed till its parent company the BAE got the Hawk-132 upgrade contract. So there is more to it then just HAL.

I am not trying to protect HAL which has yet to travel a lot of distance to truly be an integrator instead of being a one stop shop with no focus.

With Parrikar taking interest LCA should see the light of day.

 

[tarunraju]

Reminder for all those who thought JF17 Blunder is bigger than Tejas.

 

[AnantS]

Guys, what being said is the production of LCA is going to pick up speed after SP 3.

 

[Yumdoot]

Guys, what being said is the production of LCA is going to pick up speed after SP 3.

Hope the following quotes help (obviously the 40 IOC standards must be supplied before Mk-1A Production Equipment Standard of Preparation & Drawing Applicability Lists (SOP/DAL) are approved):


.................................................................................................................................................
"The energy levels are high and we are wasting no time in our efforts to step up the production rate. Now, SP-3 is all set to enter the equipping and final assembly and SP-4 is ready to go for coupling. All SP-5 components are already on the jig. And, some of the modules of SP-6 and SP-7 too are entering the jig," says Sridharan. He is confident of loading the components of SP-8 also on to the jig within a month, thereby ensuring an early roll out of the fighters. Our actions will speak now: Sridharan HAL says during the 2016-2017 period it would increase the production rate between 8-12 aircraft.

Read more at: http://www.oneindia.com/india/hal-on-mission-mode-to-ramp-up-tejas-production-2050583.html

By December 2018, the SOP (Standard of Preparation) is likely to be finalised. The Drawing Applicability List (DAL) will also be ready soon. (DAL is a key element of SOP). "We are planning to have four Tejas MKIAs ready by 2018/19 and these platforms will be with slight weight reduction. By June 2016, some concrete plans for Tejas MKIA will be ready," says an official. As per the current plans, by 2025 HAL must hand over 100 Tejas MKIAs to IAF.

Read more at: http://www.oneindia.com/india/hal-on-mission-mode-to-ramp-up-tejas-production-2050583.html

 

[tejas warrior]

Guys, what being said is the production of LCA is going to pick up speed after SP 3.

SP3 should come in July(almost after 3 months from SP2 which came in March)

SP4 should be ready by September(almost after 3 months from SP3)

They target SP6 by this financial year.. means in next 6 months after September, only 2 more will come.

So, production rate during the 2016-2017 period will 4 per year !!

 

[tejas warrior]

By June 2016, some concrete plans for Tejas MKIA will be ready," says an official.

I think it's not yet finalized as ASEA is not yet decided.

 

[Yumdoot]

SP3 should come in July(almost after 3 months from SP2 which came in March)

SP4 should be ready by September(almost after 3 months from SP3)

They target SP6 by this financial year.. means in next 6 months after September, only 2 more will come.

So, production rate during the 2016-2017 period will 4 per year !!

The above report by Ananth Krishnan which said the following about SP-8 was datelined 24.03.2016:

"confident of loading the components of SP-8 also on to the jig within a month"

The following was datelined 27.06.2016:
http://www.oneindia.com/india/iaf-set-first-tejas-squadron-formation-2138469.html

Various stages of work for SP-5 to SP-9 have begun at HAL's LCA Division. The rear fuselage assembly work for SP-9 has also started.

So essentially every 2 months they are able to mount 1 Tejas onto the lines very comfortably. If that is the input then you may need to revise your count estimate for the output also.

Hope that helped. The rate of production itself will go up for next sometime for many reasons.

 

[kstriya]

The Current CAG is an Ex-Defence Secretary and appointed by the UPA-2 regime. Truth without its context is nonsense.

While you are right that SP-2 to SP-8 were admitted to be in assembly a few months back, with SP-8 being merely started, the fact is that even to hit 8 an year HAL will have to gradually build up scale. You cannot expect all 8 to be in assembly even if the assembly line is ready. Because the vendors may/may not be ready with their supplies. 20% of the indigenous content is outsourced and on top of that the imported content is significant.

Hope you noted how Cobham kept the LCA delayed till its parent company the BAE got the Hawk-132 upgrade contract. So there is more to it then just HAL.

I am not trying to protect HAL which has yet to travel a lot of distance to truly be an integrator instead of being a one stop shop with no focus.

With Parrikar taking interest LCA should see the light of day.

Why cannot we produce the radome indigenously, is there no way we can produce a quartz part. We need at least 120 radome.

 

[Prashant12]

France offers EUR 1 billion to revive India's combat jet engine project

NEW DELHI:France has offered to invest EUR 1 billion to revive India's combat jet engine project, proposing a joint development plan that could see the stalled 'Kaveri' gas turbine powering indigenous Tejas fighters by 2020.

The proposal is to use offset credits that would come from the planned Rafale fighter jet deal to revive the indigenous jet engine project, people involved in talks between the Indian defence ministry, the Defence Research & Development Organisation and French companies told ET.

Foreign arms companies that sell equipment to India are mandated to invest a portion of the contract cost in the country's defence and aerospace industry. In the case of the Rafale deal, which India and France are negotiating, the offset obligation is 50% of the cost, which would translate to over EUR 3 billion.

Sources said that since January, several rounds of discussions have taken place between Indian authorities and French company Safran, which developed the M88 engine that powers the Rafale as well as the Shakti engine for Indian advanced light helicopters.

French experts who assessed the Kaveri engine — which was more or less abandoned for aviation use in 2014 due to shortcomings on power —indicated that 25-30% more work would be needed to make it flight-worthy.

According to the deal being offered, India would not need to spend any more developmental money on the project and Safran would take on the investment, committing to make the Kaveri flight-worthy within 18 months. The proposal is to integrate the upgraded Kaveri with the Mk 1 A version of the Light Combat Aircraft by 2020.

The air force is committed to buying at least 80 of the LCA Mk 1 A fighters that will meet higher technical requirements than the version inducted this year. It is currently powered by GE 404 engines.

"The proposal is to have the Kaveri ready for the next version of the LCA that would then boast of an indigenous engine as well. The French are confident that this can be done and are willing to put in money into the project," a person involved in the discussion said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...t-jet-engine-project/articleshow/53036894.cms

 

[Prashant12]

Made-in-India Jet Fighter: Big Step in Weapons Self-reliance

On July 1, 2016, No.45 Squadron IAF became the proud recipient of India’s first indigenous 4th generation+ fighter; the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) dubbed Tejas. This marks, not just an historic landmark for our aerospace industry, but a significant step forward in India’s quest for self-reliance in weapon systems and fits neatly into PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign.

Not more than a handful of countries can claim the competence to bring a project of such complexity to fruition. It would therefore be appropriate to acknowledge the achievement of our aircraft designers, scientists, production engineers, and the flight-test team for having delivered a state-of-the art combat aircraft to the IAF – although belatedly.

It will be a few years before Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) can deliver the squadron’s full outfit of aircraft, but the time would be gainfully employed to acquire flying experience and achieve the mandatory 'Final Operational Clearance' for this sophisticated machine. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India’s powerful defence research monolith, usually in the news for its shortcomings, deserves the nation’s compliments on this occasion. However, this is also a good juncture to draw lessons for the future, without yielding, either to euphoria or to negative skepticism.

The area in which the LCA project has attracted most criticism is the successive time and cost overruns that it experienced. The obvious cause of these was over-estimation, of its own competence, by the DRDO. This led to the ambitious claim that they had the capability to develop, not just the airframe and engine, but also the radar as well as a complex fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system required for an ‘agile’ fighter.

This miscalculation was, perhaps, based on the premise that since India had earlier designed and built the HF-24 Marut, we possessed the design skills and manufacturing expertise. The Marut, putatively, India’s first indigenous fighter aircraft had in actual fact been designed by a contracted German team led by Kurt Tank, designer of WW II fighters. Inducted into IAF in 1965, the Marut was only a qualified success; its advanced airframe being mismatched with a pair of under-powered Orpheus engines. The assumption that the LCA would benefit from the expertise acquired from Marut project was fallacious because technology had moved far ahead in the 3 decades that elapsed.

The second contributory cause was the decision of the DRDO to pursue this strategic project without ensuring total involvement of the end-user. The IAF, understandably, more concerned with existing problems of meeting its operational roles and missions took a rather detached view of the LCA and remained focused on looking abroad for its needs. This lack of active interest and involvement by the intended end-user of the LCA, which persisted for many years, arguably, deprived the project of impetus, moral support and of funding.

The most crippling impediment for the project was, however, posed by denial of crucial technologies by the West. Starting in 1974, after Pokhran I, America had started shutting the technology tap for India. However, post-liberalization, finding a window of opportunity, advice and consultancy in certain key areas of the LCA design, notably the FBW system, was obtained from US and UK, but the post-Pokhran II sanctions brought this to an abrupt halt. This is where our scientists showed their true mettle and went on to develop and qualify the complex flight control algorithms, almost entirely on their own.

The sophisticated software for flight control, weapon-aiming, air-data and other computers carried by the Tejas, as well as the carbon-fibre composite technology for its fuselage are the pride of our scientists. Apart from this, a large percentage of the fighter’s major systems have been developed by scientists working in dozens of DRDO laboratories, and produced by industrial units, right across the country. The government must realize that the seeds of an aerospace ancillary industry have been planted, and will, hopefully, be nurtured by a long production run of the Tejas.

However, for all its good work and achievements, there remain two critical areas in which the DRDO has disappointed. One is, of course, its failure to deliver the fighter’s primary sensor; a multi-mode radar, which, eventually, had to be imported. The other is the long-awaited Kaveri aero-engine, which has remained, for 40 years, in limbo. It consistently failed to attain its promised performance parameters, and seems to have been kept alive to justify the existence of its parent Gas Turbine Research Establishment. Consequently, the US origin General Electric F-404-IN-20 turbo-jet has been contracted to power the Tejas.

Six decades after independence, 80%-90% of our military hardware remains of foreign origin, and India has the dubious distinction of being amongst the top arms importers in the world. The comprehensive capability to design and undertake serial-production of major weapon systems is an imperative that has, so far, eluded us. Not only is this a serious flaw in our national security, but our claims to major-power status will ring hollow as long as we remain dependent on imports for major weapon systems.

With globalisation, the quest for attaining autarchy in every aspect of technology has become a redundant activity. A conscious and early decision must be taken in every R&D project regarding the technologies we need to develop in-country and those that we can acquire from abroad. The recent approval of 100% foreign direct investment in defence production could well transform our military-industrial scene; making India not just self-sufficient, but also a major exporter of weaponry. With the best of intentions, this process could take decades to fructify, and the government must be quite clear that foreign investment will only materialize if it can do away with the bureaucratic impediments and corruption that frighten away reputed companies.

For all the criticism that is often, justly, heaped on DRDO and defence PSUs (like HAL), the fact remains that, properly restructured and synergized with India’s innovative private sector, both these national institutions have the capability to rescue India from the unending arms-dependency trap. For a beleaguered, under-strength IAF, the Tejas should not only come as a ray of hope, but must also receive full backing of the service – now and for its future versions.

http://www.indiastrategic.in/Made-in-India_Jet_Fighter_Big_Step_in_Weapons_Self-reliance.htm