ADA Tejas Mark-II/Medium Weight Fighter

[Lonewolf]

Can you provide source for the above statement as I couldn't find any information regarding side facing radar panel

@BON PLAN posted about it earlier .

Active Stealth is more of a marketing ploy. With active stealth you have RF-emission from your radar or EW suite.
Adversary can detect and approximate you with right technology based on your RF-emission. It not needs to be your adversary's aircraft but any C3ISTAR or C3ISREW assets in the vicinity. Ground based EW and ES assets can also easily do the same. Modern AEW&CS also do posses such capabilities.

but still this is a capability and rafale is better in this regard .

You are underestimating F-21. F-21 can easily take on Rafale or Tejas Mk. 2.
AN/APG-83 is way more powerful than Uttam or RBE2-AA AESA radar.
AN/ALQ-184 ECM Pod, AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system and PAWS combined are as good as Spectra.

as of now it is good but f4 and mk2 will feature GaN ARRAY which will be a change from legacy GaAs of f21 , yeah with future upgrade it will be better , but in present form with comparison to future f4 ,nope .

 

[Dark Sorrow]

@BON PLAN posted about it earlier .

@BON PLAN Kindly provide source for the same.

as of now it is good but f4 and mk2 will feature GaN ARRAY which will be a change from legacy GaAs of f21 , yeah with future upgrade it will be better , but in present form with comparison to future f4 ,nope .

GaN based TR module improve compatibilities of RF power amplifiers but if a radar based on GaAs RF power amplifiers can give you similar or better characteristics then their is no issue with using radar having GaAs RF power amplifiers.

The type of material used in RF power amplifiers should be immaterial. We should only consider final operational characteristic of a radar.

Remember radar are highly complex and sophisticated system made of various parts. RF power amplifiers is just one component. GaN based RF power amplifiers do help but compatibility and integration of these RF power amplifiers with other system is also equally important.

 

[IndianHawk]

Can you provide source for the above statement as I couldn't find any information regarding side facing radar panel.

Active Stealth is more of a marketing ploy. With active stealth you have RF-emission from your radar or EW suite.
Adversary can detect and approximate you with right technology based on your RF-emission. It not needs to be your adversary's aircraft but any C3ISTAR or C3ISREW assets in the vicinity. Ground based EW and ES assets can also easily do the same. Modern AEW&CS also do posses such capabilities.

You are underestimating F-21. F-21 can easily take on Rafale or Tejas Mk. 2.
AN/APG-83 is way more powerful than Uttam or RBE2-AA AESA radar.
AN/ALQ-184 ECM Pod, AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system and PAWS combined are as good as Spectra.

F21 has no development path forward. It's already overweight and no new engine will be developed for it. It's a dead end .

 

[SwordOfDarkness]

Going for the american fighters being offered is a bad idea. They are aircraft nearing the end of thier upgradability. Rafale still seems like it has upgradability in it left.

 

[Whitecollar]

Going for the american fighters being offered is a bad idea. They are aircraft nearing the end of thier upgradability. Rafale still seems like it has upgradability in it left.

Only 4th gen medium weight fighters that will be bought by IAF are of Delta aur Delta derivative design(barring cropped delta). That is because of years of experience, tactics and doctrines built upon M2000 platform.
So in MMCRA 2.0, no Amriki jet offered had a chance of selection. Only Euro Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen were the candidates as IAF had also added they would equally judge both single and double engine jets. Gripen got eliminated the moment MK2 program gained speed. Hence Rafale.

And for people rooting for F-21s, tell me one aspect of this jet that PAF doesn't already know.

 

[Dark Sorrow]

F21 has no development path forward. It's already overweight and no new engine will be developed for it. It's a dead end .

I disagree with the above statement. F21/F-16 has a development path forward. It will get directed energy weapons in future. USAF has decided to continue with 4.5 generation fighters in future and may even place new orders. F-16s production line is still active.
F-16 is continuously getting new avionics inspired from F-35.
F-16s could Be Flying Into The 2070s hence they (LM) will make sure their will always be an upgrade path.
Even F100-PW-229 engine continuous to get updates from F-22 and F-35 program.

 

[Kalkioftoday]

F21 has no development path forward. It's already overweight and no new engine will be developed for it. It's a dead end .

As long as americans are using the platform, it'll never be a dead end for F16.

 

[IndianHawk]

Only 4th gen medium weight fighters that will be bought by IAF are of Delta aur Delta derivative design(barring cropped delta). That is because of years of experience, tactics and doctrines built upon M2000 platform.
So in MMCRA 2.0, no Amriki jet offered had a chance of selection. Only Euro Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen were the candidates as IAF had also added they would equally judge both single and double engine jets. Gripen got eliminated the moment MK2 program gained speed. Hence Rafale.

And for people rooting for F-21s, tell me one aspect of this jet that PAF doesn't already know.

No Americans are talking about developing a new 4.5 gen airfreight borrowing f35 tech.

F16 has already evolved over 40 years and is now far streched then the original airframe. You can't modify its frame anymore neither could you accomodate any bigger engine.

If it was possible they wouldn't be looking to develop a new airframe.

 

[IndianHawk]

As long as americans are using the platform, it'll never be a dead end for F16.

And Americans are looking at replacing it with f35 and later brand new 4.5 gen design which will be far lighter faster and stealthy.

 

[Kalkioftoday]

And Americans are looking at replacing it with f35 and later brand new 4.5 gen design which will be far lighter faster and stealthy.

Hot gas speculated by some exfarts and F35 haters nothing else. Neither USAF nor source close to it confirmed the news

 

[Whitecollar]

No Americans are talking about developing a new 4.5 gen airfreight borrowing f35 tech.

F16 has already evolved over 40 years and is now far streched then the original airframe. You can't modify its frame anymore neither could you accomodate any bigger engine.

If it was possible they wouldn't be looking to develop a new airframe.

What if I told you future iterations of MK2 with possibly 110kN engine would borrow latest tech from AMCA and Rafale?? Maybe DAS, Radar inbuilt EW and Jamming capability, desi SPECTRA etc?
Maybe the 110kN engine will have TVC control allowing for much better WVR and dogfighting capabilities(similar to J-10)...

 

[MirageBlue]

F21 has no development path forward. It's already overweight and no new engine will be developed for it. It's a dead end .

First off, the F-16 Block 70/F-21 is not overweight, not by any means. It is still an out and out 9G fighter, which would not be possible if it's structures were not able to withstand 9G loads.

As long as there is money to be made by LM through upgrades, there will be a development path available to the F-16 Block 70/F-21. That too for a fighter with ~9000 hours of service life that will be entering service in several air forces in the 2020s, there has to be a way to keep it relevant, with technology insertions.

Radar upgrades, RWR, MAWS, IRST, EW suite, Mission computer, avionics upgrades are all possible with software upgrades and that can be done without any major structural changes and definitely without any major weight gain.

GE can, if required, develop higher thrust variants of the F110-GE-129D or PW can develop higher thrust variants of the F100-PW-229EEP if needed. Ideally the USAF would be the customer that would bankroll such developments, but if need be it can be done by other customers that are willing to fund it.

IMO, the F-21 is a superb 4th gen fighter, one of the best single engine ones there is. If the PAF were getting it's hands on F-16 Block 70 upgrades or new build F-16 V's I'd be a lot more worried than I am with them getting J-10Cs.

It's another matter that the IAF has always considered the F-16 from an adversary POV which has meant a certain bias against it.

 

[MirageBlue]

And Americans are looking at replacing it with f35 and later brand new 4.5 gen design which will be far lighter faster and stealthy.

Which brand new 4.5 gen design? There is none being considered as of now. The Boeing T-7A will likely be developed into a light fighter but the USAF won't be a customer except to use it as an Aggressor type. The primary aim for the T-7A derived light fighter would be export, to nations that still use F-5 variants and cannot afford the F-35 and it's massive logistics and infra needs.

 

[IndianHawk]

What if I told you future iterations of MK2 with possibly 110kN engine would borrow latest tech from AMCA and Rafale?? Maybe DAS, Radar inbuilt EW and Jamming capability, desi SPECTRA etc?
Maybe the 110kN engine will have TVC control allowing for much better WVR and dogfighting capabilities(similar to J-10)...

It will ofcourse get all those upgrade with time . Because it keeps the possibility open to accommodate a bigger engine later.

 

[IndianHawk]

Hot gas speculated by some exfarts and F35 haters nothing else. Neither USAF nor source close to it confirmed the news

Which brand new 4.5 gen design? There is none being considered as of now. The Boeing T-7A will likely be developed into a light fighter but the USAF won't be a customer except to use it as an Aggressor type. The primary aim for the T-7A derived light fighter would be export, to nations that still use F-5 variants and cannot afford the F-35 and it's massive logistics and infra needs.

Oh yes hot gas coming directly out of the mouth of USA airforces chief!!

Perhaps no one told him to consider how marvelous f21 is .

The Air Force May Build a 4.5-Generation Fighter Jet to Replace the F-16

This wasn't supposed to happen.

www.popularmechanics.com

 

[THESIS THORON]

 

[Kalkioftoday]

Oh yes hot gas coming directly out of the mouth of USA airforces chief!!

Perhaps no one told him to consider how marvelous f21 is .

The Air Force May Build a 4.5-Generation Fighter Jet to Replace the F-16

This wasn't supposed to happen.

www.popularmechanics.com

Watch it-

 

[THESIS THORON]

are dual rack pylons for mk2 coming ??

 

[Lonewolf]

are dual rack pylons for mk2 coming ??

Already developed for Astra mk1

 

[Lonewolf]

are dual rack pylons for mk2 coming ??

@porky_kicker posted it earlier