AMCA - Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (HAL)

[nrj]

Nirbhays would be pointless on MKIs. That's the whole reason why BrahMos has been modified for the aerial version. BrahMos's most lethal advantage that Nirbhay as an ALCM would not have is its demonic speed. Nirbhay's advantage is everything that BrahMos has minus that speed. It will still be best aimed for Army and Navy use rather than ALCM.

Although I really wish we could use some sort of larger modified aircraft (transporter or MRMR variety) which could act as BrahMos launcher. 1 huge airliner armed with 2 dozen BrahMos. Imagine that.. :evil:

MKIs are getting Nirbhay. Its old news...

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gene.../awst/2010/05/10/AW_05_10_2010_p28-224612.xml

Now that Nirbhay ground-launch configuration nears completion, air-launched Nirbhay is climbing the development stage as we speak.

MKI will be carrying 1-2 Nirbhay. one on a pylon in the tunnel between the two engine bays & other could fit under each inboard wing-station.

 

[p2prada]

We don't have any Indian AGMs as yet.

We are working on the Sudarshan LGB. It's not out yet.

 

[RPK]

AERO INDIA: Roadmap revealed for Medium Combat Aircraft
http://www.flightglobal.com/article...dmap-revealed-for-medium-combat-aircraft.html
By Greg Waldron

sectorxx Greg Waldron Bangalore

Roadmap revealed for Medium Combat Aircraft

Standfirst - news. Style for the brief introductions to page lead stories

The head of India's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has revealed key details of the roadmap for developing the proposed indigenous medium combat aircraft (MCA) in an interview with Flight International.

ADA will complete a feasibility study by the end of 2011, which will be submitted to the Indian government and air force, says PS Subramanyam, programme director at the ADA.

The study will consider several areas: the number of MCA prototypes, prototype timelines, funding, and production schedules for the final aircraft. "The MCA will be in flight trials by the end of the decade and it will be inducted by the middle of the next decade," says Subramanyam.

Subramanyam also describes how the MCA will fit into the Indian air force's future structure. It will be a 20t aircraft with a 1,000km (621.4mi) range, fitting between the 10t, 500km range of the Hindustan Aeronautics Tejas and the 30t, 1,500km range of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), an Indian variant of the developmental Sukhoi PAK FA.

Subramanyam says the MCA "does not clash" with the FGFA, and will be comparable to the Lockheed Martin F-35, with the FGFA comparable to the F-22 Raptor. The MCA will be a single-seat fighter. A two-seat version will be developed but primarily as a trainer. A naval variant is not envisaged but Subramanyam foresees a need for a 20t aircraft for India's own future aircraft carriers. A naval variant of the Tejas was rolled out mid-2010 and is likely to have its first flight this year.

In a recent interview with Flight International, IAF Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik said the MCA would be a medium-weight combat aircraft with low observable features and a payload capability of more than five tonnes. It will have swing role capability and "provide greater flexibility in the application of aerospace power".

The ADA said the MCA will have a number of features to increase its stealth.

It will be powered by two Kaveri engines. The Kaveri, still in development, will eventually replace the General Electric engine in the Tejas.

See Aero India show report P20

 

[black eagle]

 

[Anshu Attri]

Embraer deepens ties with India defence market

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/02/21/353459/embraer-deepens-ties-with-india-defence-market.html

Embraer ceremonially unveiled the first of three new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) test aircraft ordered by the Indian government as the Brazilian manufacturer continues to deepen ties with New Dehli.

Separately, Embraer also confirms that a deal is being finalised with the Indian government to acquire nine more intelligence-gathering and target-towing platforms based on the ERJ-145.

The ceremony featured a mock-up of a new phased-array radar currently being developed by India's Centre for Airborne Surveillance (CABS), which will be integrated after Embraer completes flight tests before the end of this year.



Indian air force expects to have all three ERJ-145 AEW&C platforms with the indigenous radar system enter service in 2014.

Indian officials acknowledged during the ceremony that the pressure is on to deliver the new capability on schedule.

"We have a long way to go," says CABS director Sargunaraj Christopher. "Internationally, everybody is looking to us and we must reach the goal on time."

The ERJ-145 AEW&C represents the second of a three-phase strategy for India's airborne surveillance ambitions. Phase 1 involved development and testing of a rotodome antenna aboard two HS 728 prototypes, which both crashed.

In phase 2, CABS is developing a top-hat radar for the ERJ-145 with two side-panel arrays that can each scan between 130-150º, Christopher says.

In the third phase, the CABS will develop a triangle-shaped, phased array capable of searching 360º nearly simultaneously, says Vijay Kumar Saraswat, director of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

That system will match the capabilities that India has already acquired with a 360º-scanning Elta Systems phased-array.



The delivery ceremony also marks a positive new step in the growing relationship between Embraer and the Indian government, Saraswat says.

Indeed, Acir Padilha, vice president of marketing and sales for Embraer's defence unit, confirms the company is finalising a deal for a new aircraft designated the MA-1, which will install signals and electronic intelligence payloads on seven ERJ-145s and target-towing equipment on two others.

Saraswat also noted that the DRDO and Embraer "is going to join hands" as his organisation pursues a broad range of new aerospace projects, which include a 90-100-seat regional airliner and medium combat aircraft that aims to introduce an indigenous fifth generation fighter by around 2020.

"Dialogue [with Embraer on these projects] is ongoing," Saraswat says.

 

[black eagle]

Navy keen on AMCA Project


Not to be left out of the countries 5th generation fighter program, Indian navy has asked for a briefing on the AMCA project which ADE is heading and they were briefed on AMCA project by the ADE which was attended by Navy's high ranked officers.

Navy earlier had shown interest in American made F-35 for their 5th gen platform requirements but it seems that Navy has decided to stick with Indigenous program. Navy will join the program once AMCA begins its Technological demonstration phase after its first flight somewhere near end of this decade.

Navy is keen that N-LCA program is successful so that they can move to N-AMCA project soon after its completion. N-LCA had some issues with its landing gear which needed to be redesigned to operate on an aircraft carrier and survive hard deck landing .N-LCA NP-1 is almost ready for its first flight and will have its first flight in mid or end or March if Ground and taxi trials are conducted in time.

Our sources have confirmed that Navy has received a Briefing and also a copy of ASR (Air Staff Requirements) issued by Indian air force on AMCA aircraft , Navy is also working out how N-AMCA will fit its doctrine and into its plans of operating larger aircraft carrier from IAC-2 onwards .

 

[charlie]

I dont get some of you guys who are saying reduce the number of LCA or MMRCA because of MCA


MCA has just been started now, It is going to take a decade to get just an prototype flying, no matter what the HAL claims and its going to take around 3 more years after that if everything goes well in the project to induct it into the airforce.

 

[nitesh]

http://frontierindia.net/drdo-to-co...r-indian-stealth-fighter-project-in-18-months
DRDO to complete feasibility study for Indian Stealth fighter project in 18 months

"Based on the feasibility study, ADA would be able to define technologies required for the aircraft along with the timelines for design and development and subsequent manufacturing. The feasibility study is expected to take about 18 months," he said.

 

[anoop_mig25]

http://frontierindia.net/drdo-to-co...r-indian-stealth-fighter-project-in-18-months
DRDO to complete feasibility study for Indian Stealth fighter project in 18 months

do we seriouslly think DRDO can complete feasibility study for Indian Stealth fighter project in 18 months ???????

 

[plugwater]

I thought they will freeze the design before the end of this year. 18 months for feasibility study and i dont know how long they will take to build and fly one !!

 

[p2prada]

Design of the AMCA will start by end 2011 or early 2012. First prototype is set to fly only after 2018. AMCA is not even on the drawing board yet.

 

[nitesh]

do we seriouslly think DRDO can complete feasibility study for Indian Stealth fighter project in 18 months ???????

Then what do you think?

 

[Armand2REP]

do we seriouslly think DRDO can complete feasibility study for Indian Stealth fighter project in 18 months ???????

Making a feasibility study is easy, making one that is really feasible is another question.

 

[plugwater]

IAF still insists on Indigenous kaveri-MK2


Indian air force as per our sources is still insisting that GTRE Proposed joint venture with France's Snecma Moteurs on re-design and re-development of Kaveri-MK2 to be done locally by GTRE it self ,which will help the company and india master new generation of turbo fan engine technology .
GTRE which has proposed to carry out a joint venture with France's Snecma Moteurs for development of Kaveri MK-2 which will be based on current Kaveri K-10 and French M-88-3 engines ,while Indian air force is clearly opposing such move , Kaveri MK-2 will be powering ADA's AMCA 5th Generation fighter jet program .
GTRE has build nine prototypes of Kaveri and four prototypes of Kaveri's core (Kabini) have been built. About 1,975 hours of ground-testing and altitude-testing has been conducted on the Kaveri and its cores. currently Kaveri K-9 has been doing flight trials on a modified IL-76 test bed aircraft in at Russia's Gromov Flight Research Institute.
Kaveri engine has already been delinked from the Tejas fighter jet program , when GTRA failed to rectify Problems associated with the engines , Kaveri was supposed to power LCA PV-1 way back in 2003 ,but repeated failures in ground test and in high altttiute test in Russia forced ADA and IAF to look out for American engines .
But GTRE is pushing for Kaveri engines to be used in Tejas MK-1 when engine change is due for the fighters ,but sources have told idrw.org that air force is not keen on them since air force is still to begin inducting Tejas MK-1 in their fleet and it will be more then 10 years for the engine change to occur which occurs in normal course of time in every jet .
GTRE after successful rounds of test flights on IL-76 test bed aircraft wants to integrate it with Tejas Prototypes aircrafts ,first flight of Kaveri powered Tejas will not happen before end of 2012 as per source , and Tejas MK-2 will be powered by more power full Ge F-414IN engines which have higher thrust of 98kn , while Kaveri in its current form with after burners can hit 81kn because of which it cannot be integrated with changed requirements of Indian air forces requirements for Tejas aircraft which lead to development of Mark-2 Variant .
While in other end ADA is not quite sure if GTRE will be able to deliver Kaveri Mk-2 in time , to integrate it with AMCA TD aircrafts which will be rolled out in 2018 and proposed first flight later in a year , ADA seems to be banking on Ge's F-414IN engines which it will be working with to integrate it with Tejas MK-2 ,AMCA will be requiring a 90 to 100 kn thrust engines with thrust vectoring nozzles .
It seems like History will repeat it self all again , Vinayak shetti (admin of www.lca-tejas.org) is confident that AMCA TD and Prototypes will be powered by American Ge Engines , he also added that not every one is convinced on the Joint venture and main opposition is coming from customer it self , failure of GTRE to force head with the joint venture which MOD is still negotiating the commercial aspects of a contract will not make it impossible for test and verification of the engine in time for AMCA TD aircrafts .
GTRE under this new joint venture will be using M-88-3 core and K-10 to co-develop a 100 kn thrust engine to power AMCA , GTRE has already carried out Research on TVC Nozzles and plans to integrate them in this new engine too with the help of French , while all agency working on AMCA Project doesn't seems to be working on perfect synch.


http://idrw.org/?p=1518

 

[p2prada]

I hope the Kaveri Mk2 with M-88-3 is only in the interim. I have no qualms if GTRE works on an entirely new engine design in 2 or 3 years(after Kaveri Mk1 is ready for testing) and complete it in another 10 years to fit production models after 2025.

 

[plugwater]

IMO We should start developing MK-3 with thrust around 140KN, If we finish it by 2025 then we can use it for FGFA.

 

[p2prada]

140KN is too less for FGFA. Even the 117S variant with 147KN and being uprated to 152KN is less for PAKFA.

FGFA will exclusively have 175KN engines being designed today at Saturn.

AMCA needs 100 to 120KN. Even 120KN is on the higher side, but it really depends on what IAF require.

 

[plugwater]

140KN is too less for FGFA. Even the 117S variant with 147KN and being uprated to 152KN is less for PAKFA.

FGFA will exclusively have 175KN engines being designed today at Saturn.

AMCA needs 100 to 120KN. Even 120KN is on the higher side, but it really depends on what IAF require.

The point is we should develop a fully indigenous engine which has equal thrust of FGFA engine.

Kaveri Mk-2 is for AMCA and MK-3 for FGFA

We can use kaveri Mk-3 for LCA Mk-3(If we develop a stealth variant like F-35 in future) as well.

 

[SATISH]

The point is we should develop a fully indigenous engine which has equal thrust of FGFA engine.

Kaveri Mk-2 is for AMCA and MK-3 for FGFA

We can use kaveri Mk-3 for LCA Mk-3(If we develop a stealth variant like F-35 in future) as well.

Kaveri is not an heavy class engine It is a smaller engine. You cant compare AL 31 with the RD-33 can you? They belong to different classes and Kaveri has it's limits. We can just use what we learnt from Kaveri and use it to develop a new engine of the heavy class.

 

[SATISH]

140KN is too less for FGFA. Even the 117S variant with 147KN and being uprated to 152KN is less for PAKFA.

FGFA will exclusively have 175KN engines being designed today at Saturn.

AMCA needs 100 to 120KN. Even 120KN is on the higher side, but it really depends on what IAF require.

As AMCA is going to be twin engined I dont think each engine must have 120 KN. But having 120KN will help when they make rectangular exhausts for IR signature reduction.