Tejas' length puts a restriction on its optimal aerodynamic design. It happens because of suboptimal web com area ruling because of short length. However, efforts are made to make it more aerodynamic. With aerodynamic improvements, highest speed is going to increase by 2% and Transonic acceleration is going to improve by 20% in MK1A. These are good figures. Shifting of Short range missile to wing tip will reduce drag. Tejas has a good amount of space behind pilot cabin which no more requires to carry oxygen cylinder and hence can be used to add more fuel. If we work further on improvement of this plane, we can reduce weight by atleast 500 KG (When improved MK1 was conceived, a 0.5 meter longer Tejas with weight of 6150 kg was designed), Make it frontal stealth, add few hundred KG more weight and increase payload, we can get a Tejas with far more capabilities and batter mission parameter. Airforce should ask for these improvements while giving additional order. All these improvements can be done and validated in next one to one ands half year. We can have far batter Tejas MK1++ in hand in next order of 93 Tejas.
It is said that next 97 Tejas will have improvements. Let see. I think there won't be much of structural changes. As it would result in delays.
Most likely it will have sensor fusion, single large area display, improved EW suit.
As u said there is potential in increasing fuel capacity in spine as discussed earlier many time here. Also reduction in weight is possible as it still has significant ballast in the frame. It's tail less canard less delta so the correction via fly by wire controls is limited which possessed challenge.
Correct me if I'm wrong Tejas was very initially visioned to have 5.3tons empty wt.
Later it was thought to have 5.8tons.
However in mk1 ioc it went around 7 tons. The landing gears were also over engineered
Despite using 45% composites it had more weight than larger gripen C which had 6800kg empty weight. Which had 20% less composites than Tejas. However it is a canard delta.
During development of mk1A it was said ballast will be reduced by ~800-1000kg.
However it was reduced by around ~500kg.
So the weight is still more at 6560kg.
They should try for weight reduction. Any weight reduction is better. The DDR guy had said we had no experience in developing aircraft so the many components of Tejas were over engineered in fear. As now they would have enough knowledge know how about stress on components so they can opt for weight reduction. But most important if it happens in given time..
If weight reduction happens and it brought down anywhere near it's envisioned number the spine can be re-engineered more fuel can be accomodated.
Even if hypothetically it's weight is reduced by 500kg and we manage to increase its weight by 300,400,500 kgs or even more would be very big boost for a light combat aircraft. It already has highest fuel storage among light combat aircrafts. It's thrust to weight ratio will also be increased which is good. It will very much come close to mca's like mirage 2000. It's combat effectiveness against f16s will increase as it will have more loiter time. Which is where LCA's suck against MCA's.
@MirageBlue am I right brethen,correct me if I'm wrong somewhere.
