Indian Air Force: News & Discussions

[rohit b3]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

Tejas MK1 fulfills all the requirements made by Airforce...
Improvements and developments in the field of aerospace are endless...
Technology changes in a very short time but development takes its own time does that mean we will always be relying on foreign aircrafts? and will side line our own product which has a very large potential....
We have to strengthen our own base..and that can only b done by showing faith in them..

Apparantly, we are not too good with building fixed wing aircrafts. Tejas mk1 is an inferior aircraft for the 21st century. So buying them in limited numbers makes sense. 46 Tejas mk1 will be delivered between 2014 -2019

Tejas mk2 was to enter service in 2017, but apparantly it wont before 2021. and its delivery will go on till 2030, for about 126 aircrafts.

So basically we are building a 4th gen aircraft in the era of 4++ gen aircrafts, and we would be building a 4.5th gen aircraft in the era of 5th gen aircrafts.

The solution is to invest more in Aerspace industries. India has the required manpower and brains, but they are already bought by international/private companies. Manpower+ R&D + Infrastruction is what we need.
And if things go right, we can see results in the AMCA, in terms of quality and delivery time. Also a Tejas mk3 should be on the cards.

And there should be involvment of Private players too, PSUs are good for nothing.

 

[Pulkit]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

In the generation of 4++ no country can afford all 4++ aircrafts as apart from there production cost the maintenance cost is too high... they need to rely on 4+ or even 4 aircrafts ..... in the time span we are targetting we have a joint venture with Russia turning to reality and even our own program ... they are different role aircrafts but that prospective we will keep upgrading our requirements or We can say demands and neglecting such an great aircraft...
In addition to it if we are so committed to our Tejas mk2 program we can just reduce the number of foreign aircrafts which will also get delievered around the same time frame and keep our assembly lines running till MK2 or any other advanced aircraft come to light... It will improve our manufacturing abilities along with the manpower needed to manufacture such an complex machine.....

 

[Pulkit]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

Apparantly, we are not too good with building fixed wing aircrafts. Tejas mk1 is an inferior aircraft for the 21st century. So buying them in limited numbers makes sense. 46 Tejas mk1 will be delivered between 2014 -2019

Tejas mk2 was to enter service in 2017, but apparantly it wont before 2021. and its delivery will go on till 2030, for about 126 aircrafts.

So basically we are building a 4th gen aircraft in the era of 4++ gen aircrafts, and we would be building a 4.5th gen aircraft in the era of 5th gen aircrafts.

The solution is to invest more in Aerspace industries. India has the required manpower and brains, but they are already bought by international/private companies. Manpower+ R&D + Infrastruction is what we need.
And if things go right, we can see results in the AMCA, in terms of quality and delivery time. Also a Tejas mk3 should be on the cards.

And there should be involvment of Private players too, PSUs are good for nothing.

will agree on involving private players with you but why spend billion of dollars on foreign aircraft when we have our own machine?
you go for around 120+ foreign aircrafts which are superior but too costly in comparison to Tejas... why can't you just reduce the numbers by a bit and invest that money in manufacturing Tejas mk1 hence increasing there number...
one this is sure by this we wil get a equally good product lesser price greater experience and greater number...... and here numbers so matter even if little......

 

[ersakthivel]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

Mk-1 is good enough IAF could have ordered a hundred mk-1 itself. but mk-2 is almost ready so it is a dicey decision to debate.

 

[Pulkit]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

Even if I agree with you on the fact that MK2 is almost ready it will take another 3-4 years to get clearances (its an unlikely scenario keeping in mind the history of DRDO HAL and IAF)... and much more time to get into production ..... so if yes they could have ordered higher number keeping in mind that the assembly lines should be kept running till the time MK2 gets into production and yes if not 100 but 75-80 should have been ordered .... It was not that dicey

Mk-1 is good enough IAF could have ordered a hundred mk-1 itself. but mk-2 is almost ready so it is a dicey decision to debate.

 

[Jagdish58]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

I guess they want European & Russian fighters with TOT , and cost over run , low after market sales service no spares

Upgrade it with Billions :thumb:

on a rough note LCA Mk1 was designed for replacing Mig-21 , i guess LCA is far better & advance than Mig-21 Bison

but IAF is still reluctant :facebalm:

Next govt should first come in and first cancel MMRCA & transfer the funds to Tejas Mk2 & AMCA & Aero engine projects:thumb:

 

[Pulkit]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

I guess they want European & Russian fighters with TOT , and cost over run , low after market sales service no spares

Upgrade it with Billions :thumb:

on a rough note LCA Mk1 was designed for replacing Mig-21 , i guess LCA is far better & advance than Mig-21 Bison

but IAF is still reluctant :facebalm:

Next govt should first come in and first cancel MMRCA & transfer the funds to Tejas Mk2 & AMCA & Aero engine projects:thumb:

This cannot be linked with politics at the moment ... Yes the present govt has not taken care of our forces and its interest but with what ever i have read IAF was not interested in HAL Tejas and had much more faith in the foreign aircrafts ...

Cancelling MMRCA will not help as some immediate replacements are required by the airforce... but yes they could have decreased the number and has increased the number of tejas mk 1 ordered.... that would have given them cost effectivity... although the MMRCA is in trouble as the new govt will form and due to uncontrolled and waste spending of present govt has left them with no great budget when they will come to power....

 

[ersakthivel]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

Even if I agree with you on the fact that MK2 is almost ready it will take another 3-4 years to get clearances (its an unlikely scenario keeping in mind the history of DRDO HAL and IAF)... and much more time to get into production ..... so if yes they could have ordered higher number keeping in mind that the assembly lines should be kept running till the time MK2 gets into production and yes if not 100 but 75-80 should have been ordered .... It was not that dicey

Affordable air power - The Hindu

IAF decisions are a bit strange when it comes to tejas. Despite having a fully evolved fighter built as per their need they are dithering in giving orders!!!

Forget mk-1 even for mk-2 they just gave only an order of around 80 , which is inexplicable.

Mk-1 and mk-2 should be inducted in numbers close to 300 to make any meaningful impact.

Even USAF has close to thousand F-16s, why is IAF stingy in equally capable tejas numbers for both mk-1 and mk2 combined?

When it comes to RAFALE they are ready to pay through the nose. But when it comes to very cost effective tejas mk-1 and mk-2 they are always contemplating.

They can order a hundred mk-1 straight away and once mk-2 s are ready sell the mk-1s to other third world countries . Sure there won't be any dearth of buyers for this cost effective modern 4+ gen fighter in third world countries whose air forces are saddled with older mirage-IIIs and Mig-21s.

The 40 Su-30s which were not up to the IAF specs were exchanged later with more capable Su-30 Mk version from russia.

Russians in turn sold them off to algeria .

But IAF pretends as if they don't know about these option.

 

[rohit b3]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

will agree on involving private players with you but why spend billion of dollars on foreign aircraft when we have our own machine?
you go for around 120+ foreign aircrafts which are superior but too costly in comparison to Tejas... why can't you just reduce the numbers by a bit and invest that money in manufacturing Tejas mk1 hence increasing there number...
one this is sure by this we wil get a equally good product lesser price greater experience and greater number...... and here numbers so matter even if little......

Im not saying spend so much in a foreign aircrafts. I share you concern. I believe that most of that 20bil$ MMRCA should rather be used to invest in the AMCA and a Tejas mk3.

 

[Pulkit]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

The easiest way to decrease the production cost is increasing the number ..... it will also help you to get faster delievry in the later stages........
I am here asking same question ?? at the same price we could have had three times the tejas aircraft for the multirole ......
IAF must have had some issues but it must be clear to us .... for an underdeveloped aircraft countries are already placing orders which is yet to proove or even show it capability .... but here we are not even investing in something which is so clearly AWESOME in its own kind......

Affordable air power - The Hindu

IAF decisions are a bit strange when it comes to tejas. Despite having a fully evolved fighter built as per their need they are dithering in giving orders!!!

Forget mk-1 even for mk-2 they just gave only an order of around 80 , which is inexplicable.

Mk-1 and mk-2 should be inducted in numbers close to 300 to make any meaningful impact.

Even USAF has close to thousand F-16s, why is IAF stingy in equally capable tejas numbers for both mk-1 and mk2 combined?

When it comes to RAFALE they are ready to pay through the nose. But when it comes to very cost effective tejas mk-1 and mk-2 they are always contemplating.

They can order a hundred mk-1 straight away and once mk-2 s are ready sell the mk-1s to other third world countries . Sure there won't be any dearth of buyers for this cost effective modern 4+ gen fighter in third world countries whose air forces are saddled with older mirage-IIIs and Mig-21s.

The 40 Su-30s which were not up to the IAF specs were exchanged later with more capable Su-30 Mk version from russia.

Russians in turn sold them off to algeria .

But IAF pretends as if they don't know about these option.

 

[Pulkit]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

AMCA and TEJAS mk3 and a bit futuristic in nature which will turn to reality one day but as of now we could have surely used that oney to explore our defence sector..... and as @ersakthivel said we could have later sold few as well....

Im not saying spend so much in a foreign aircrafts. I share you concern. I believe that most of that 20bil$ MMRCA should rather be used to invest in the AMCA and a Tejas mk3.

 

[Pulkit]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

But the question still remains open why didnt they opt for larger number of Tejas mk1 for order than relying on foreign supply.... ????

 

[p2prada]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

But the question still remains open why didnt they opt for larger number of Tejas mk1 for order than relying on foreign supply.... ????

Because it doesn't meet requirements. IAF is currently accepting 40 Mk1s at reduced specs and will be used for training.

N-LCA Mk1 will also be inducted for the same purpose.

LCA Mk2 will come with almost all the original Mk1 specs, but with new gen avionics. Basically, performance-wise LCA Mk2 is what the IAF wanted originally since 1985.

The current foreign supplies have nothing to do with LCA anymore. Earlier IAF wanted Mirage-2000 (after Kargil) due to the delays with LCA. After 2004, DRDO promised to bring LCA into production quickly (never happened, but even so). So, new specs were drawn up and introduced in 2007, with a lot of MoD support. So, what was supposed to be 200-300 LCAs was split between LCA and MRCA to cover up for the decade loss in time. From what has transpired, the IAF decision was extremely sound considering LCA and Rafale will be inducted side by side while bringing in more capability.

The foreign fighters coming in will play entirely different roles, so LCA won't fit in. Rafale will replace Mig-27s in CAS and strike. LCA will replace Mig-21s for point defence and escort. MKI will continue with its air dominance role along with deep penetration. LCA can't do what the other two jets can do. But the other two jets can do everything LCA can. So, the only reason we will continue with LCA is only because it is a domestic project. While operational realities dictate we no longer have a real need for LCA, we will still induct it. That alone is plenty of support for LCA, be it Mk1 or Mk2.

 

[Pulkit]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

I do not agree with you.... Tejas MK1 is a combat aircraft and fit for service.... its capabilities are still more than some of the upgraded and costly version for Russian aircrafts ..... LCA MK1 might not be able to compete with a lot of latest aircrafts but if that was the scenario why wasting so much of tax payers money into it...... you might differ with me but no country can maintain all the higher version aircrafts due to cost and to maintain balance they need a good number of medium but good aircrafts and in replacing MIG21 tejas is a great option.... as per the specs .... when IAF went out to shop for MRCA they then also let go alot of there demands and still end up paying a huge amount of tax payers money...

Because it doesn't meet requirements. IAF is currently accepting 40 Mk1s at reduced specs and will be used for training.

N-LCA Mk1 will also be inducted for the same purpose.

LCA Mk2 will come with almost all the original Mk1 specs, but with new gen avionics. Basically, performance-wise LCA Mk2 is what the IAF wanted originally since 1985.

The current foreign supplies have nothing to do with LCA anymore. Earlier IAF wanted Mirage-2000 (after Kargil) due to the delays with LCA. After 2004, DRDO promised to bring LCA into production quickly (never happened, but even so). So, new specs were drawn up and introduced in 2007, with a lot of MoD support. So, what was supposed to be 200-300 LCAs was split between LCA and MRCA to cover up for the decade loss in time. From what has transpired, the IAF decision was extremely sound considering LCA and Rafale will be inducted side by side while bringing in more capability.

The foreign fighters coming in will play entirely different roles, so LCA won't fit in. Rafale will replace Mig-27s in CAS and strike. LCA will replace Mig-21s for point defence and escort. MKI will continue with its air dominance role along with deep penetration. LCA can't do what the other two jets can do. But the other two jets can do everything LCA can. So, the only reason we will continue with LCA is only because it is a domestic project. While operational realities dictate we no longer have a real need for LCA, we will still induct it. That alone is plenty of support for LCA, be it Mk1 or Mk2.

 

[p2prada]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

I do not agree with you.... Tejas MK1 is a combat aircraft and fit for service...

No it is not. This was clearly explained by ADA also. That's why LCA Mk2 was started.

its capabilities are still more than some of the upgraded and costly version for Russian aircrafts .....

No it is not. The cost vs capability that Russian aircraft provide is in a different ceiling. LCA doesn't compare. MKI will pretty soon carry Brahmos-A. Mig-29K and Mig-29UPG will carry Brahmos-M. LCA won't. It is as simple as that.

There are some critical capabilities LCA simply won't have.

LCA MK1 might not be able to compete with a lot of latest aircrafts but if that was the scenario why wasting so much of tax payers money into it......

Because it is indigenous. And we are short on numbers which is a very critical problem for us.

you might differ with me but no country can maintain all the higher version aircrafts due to cost and to maintain balance they need a good number of medium but good aircrafts and in replacing MIG21 tejas is a great option.... as per the specs .... when IAF went out to shop for MRCA they then also let go alot of there demands and still end up paying a huge amount of tax payers money...

We can. We aren't buying aircraft to fly around in parades like other countries do. We are buying it for a very real threat. Look up the budgets of western countries during the Cold War. That will give you an idea on why we are still behind. You are confusing the current post-Cold War budgetary problems of the west with India. If IAF is given the chance, they will simply dump all the LCAs overnight.

And what demands did the IAF "let go?" Explain.

Look up an interview of an ex-Canadian pilot on Youtube that was recently posted. He explains why a single engine aircraft isn't a good option for a country that deals with dangerous areas like the frigid north. There is a very real need for us to fly twin engine aircraft.

We had over 400 Mig-21s when MKIs started coming in. Overtime, the Mig-21s are to be replaced with 270 MKIs. The remaining 120 odd Bisons are being replaced by 120+ LCAs. It is as simple as that. We are pretty much going for a one to one replacement of aircraft. The MKIs will replace its quota of Mig-21s in time while LCA won't. That's why there is a humongous shortfall of squadrons between 2015 and 2022 which shouldn't have happened in the first place. That's when we will be adding 12 new squadrons of LCA and Rafale to make up for it. With parallel build times, we will cover up the shortfall in squadrons at twice the speed.

As for your original post, LCA Mk1 is not a war-ready aircraft. That's why the orders for it are only in the capacity of fighter-trainers and hence the small number of orders.

 

[Pulkit]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

Hi Here is the information I got i was referring to ...
Quote by Defense minister:
In its indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, India has found an ideal replacement for the MiGs which have for decades been the mainstay of the country's air defence, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said after handing over the Release to Service Certificate of the country's own LCA to the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne at a function in Bangalore.

The event marked the fruition of three decades of efforts to make a fighter aircraft of international standards. The Initial Operational Clearance-II of Tejas, the LCA has come barely a week after the flying of the iconic Mig 21 FL fighter into IAF's history.

Speaking to the media at the grant of Initial Operational Clearance-II to the LCA MK-I, that has been designed and produced by Aeronautical Development Agency along with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said "this aircraft meets the staff requirement of the Indian Air Force and so they have accepted it."

During the last three years, he said, the capabilities of the aircraft have been improved significantly and the Indian Air Force has thus decided to grant it the higher IOC for induction into service. "The improvements to the aircraft have enhanced the flight envelope of the aircraft and also its weapon delivery capability."
Source :Tejas an ideal replacement for MiG, says Antony - The Hindu
Also referring to IAF will buy 14 Tejas squadrons, lowering costs | Business Standard link for the same....
When i was referring to IAF let go few demands i meant GE F-414 100KN whereas it is available in 120KN while saying That kaveri doesnot produce enough thrust they could have opted for higher version of the same engine..... It might be little more technical but from outside it appears to be double standards,,,,I meant MiG-21 Bison program.....


they are planning to as you said to introduce around 120 Tejas MK1 + MK2 but when you see your neighbour going for same category lower version aircraft trying to build pressure by producing higher numbers and keeping in mind your depleting squads and budgets restrictions you can easily opt for a higher number ..... instead of upgrading the obsolete aircrafts .....

No it is not. This was clearly explained by ADA also. That's why LCA Mk2 was started.



No it is not. The cost vs capability that Russian aircraft provide is in a different ceiling. LCA doesn't compare. MKI will pretty soon carry Brahmos-A. Mig-29K and Mig-29UPG will carry Brahmos-M. LCA won't. It is as simple as that.

There are some critical capabilities LCA simply won't have.



Because it is indigenous. And we are short on numbers which is a very critical problem for us.



We can. We aren't buying aircraft to fly around in parades like other countries do. We are buying it for a very real threat. Look up the budgets of western countries during the Cold War. That will give you an idea on why we are still behind. You are confusing the current post-Cold War budgetary problems of the west with India. If IAF is given the chance, they will simply dump all the LCAs overnight.

And what demands did the IAF "let go?" Explain.

Look up an interview of an ex-Canadian pilot on Youtube that was recently posted. He explains why a single engine aircraft isn't a good option for a country that deals with dangerous areas like the frigid north. There is a very real need for us to fly twin engine aircraft.

We had over 400 Mig-21s when MKIs started coming in. Overtime, the Mig-21s are to be replaced with 270 MKIs. The remaining 120 odd Bisons are being replaced by 120+ LCAs. It is as simple as that. We are pretty much going for a one to one replacement of aircraft. The MKIs will replace its quota of Mig-21s in time while LCA won't. That's why there is a humongous shortfall of squadrons between 2015 and 2022 which shouldn't have happened in the first place. That's when we will be adding 12 new squadrons of LCA and Rafale to make up for it. With parallel build times, we will cover up the shortfall in squadrons at twice the speed.

As for your original post, LCA Mk1 is not a war-ready aircraft. That's why the orders for it are only in the capacity of fighter-trainers and hence the small number of orders.

 

[p2prada]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

Hi Here is the information I got i was referring to ...
Quote by Defense minister:
In its indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, India has found an ideal replacement for the MiGs which have for decades been the mainstay of the country's air defence, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said after handing over the Release to Service Certificate of the country's own LCA to the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne at a function in Bangalore.

The event marked the fruition of three decades of efforts to make a fighter aircraft of international standards. The Initial Operational Clearance-II of Tejas, the LCA has come barely a week after the flying of the iconic Mig 21 FL fighter into IAF's history.

Speaking to the media at the grant of Initial Operational Clearance-II to the LCA MK-I, that has been designed and produced by Aeronautical Development Agency along with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said "this aircraft meets the staff requirement of the Indian Air Force and so they have accepted it."

During the last three years, he said, the capabilities of the aircraft have been improved significantly and the Indian Air Force has thus decided to grant it the higher IOC for induction into service. "The improvements to the aircraft have enhanced the flight envelope of the aircraft and also its weapon delivery capability."
Source :Tejas an ideal replacement for MiG, says Antony - The Hindu

Generic information. It is meant for people to accept it at face value and lap it up. Many major requirements for Mk1 were lowered, mainly TWR, and quality of avionics.

When i was referring to IAF let go few demands i meant GE F-414 100KN whereas it is available in 120KN while saying That kaveri doesnot produce enough thrust they could have opted for higher version of the same engine..... It might be little more technical but from outside it appears to be double standards,,,,I meant MiG-21 Bison program.....

There was never any requirement for 120 KN engine. The requirement was for 90-100KN engine and IAF got the 98KN F-414.

There were no double standards. The Rafale requirements are far, far higher. Turn rate requirement for LCA is 17deg/s, MRCA requirement was 24deg/sec.

they are planning to as you said to introduce around 120 Tejas MK1 + MK2 but when you see your neighbour going for same category lower version aircraft trying to build pressure by producing higher numbers and keeping in mind your depleting squads and budgets restrictions you can easily opt for a higher number ..... instead of upgrading the obsolete aircrafts .....

If you neighbour jumps into the gutter, will you follow him?

Pakistan is not replacing their air force on a one on one basis. They are replacing their older aircraft with something a bit better (modern low end aircraft), and at lesser numbers. In comparison we are replacing our air force on one on one basis with high end aircraft and increasing numbers of new inductions on top of that. Basically, we are doing everything the Pakistanis think is the worst case scenario.

Mirage-2000 and Mig-29 are not obsolete airframes. Mirage-2000 will see new sensor fused avionics while Mig-29 will see new engines and airframe upgrades like addition of CFTs. It is cheaper to upgrade Mirage-2000s and Mig-29s than buy new LCAs. You are forgetting something important. M-2000 and Mig-29 come with cost of maintenance, training and basing included. LCA's rates are flyaway costs. If you include basing, maintenance and training costs, the actual program costs will increase significantly. Mig-29 already comes with an EW suite that is better than what LCA will have in the future. It is Electronicca's Virgilius solid-state suite with internal AESA jammer. So don't get fooled by costs. Also, just because LCA is cheaper in fly away costs doesn't mean it is also a better aircraft. If things had gone normally, LCA should have been undergoing MLUs with both Mirage-2000 and Mig-29. We should actually have been talking about LCA UPG.

In terms of capability, Mirage-2000 and Mig-29 offer far more capability than LCA. Look up the specs for range, payload, dash speed and number of pylons, wet points etc for both aircraft and compare to LCA.

Also, Pakistan hopes to manufacture and induct around 150 JF-17s whereas India plans to manufacture 178 LCAs. So, we beat them in the numbers game.

 

[p2prada]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

@Pulkit

Btw, in the same period as Pakistan plans on making 150-250 JF-17s, IAF is planning on inducting 123 LCA, 189 Rafale, and 200-300 FGFA apart from finishing inductions of 270 MKIs. So, who is pressuring who again?

What we have planned to date is enough for what we require.

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

Apparantly, we are not too good with building fixed wing aircrafts. Tejas mk1 is an inferior aircraft for the 21st century. So buying them in limited numbers makes sense. 46 Tejas mk1 will be delivered between 2014 -2019

Tejas mk2 was to enter service in 2017, but apparantly it wont before 2021. and its delivery will go on till 2030, for about 126 aircrafts.

So basically we are building a 4th gen aircraft in the era of 4++ gen aircrafts, and we would be building a 4.5th gen aircraft in the era of 5th gen aircrafts.

The solution is to invest more in Aerspace industries. India has the required manpower and brains, but they are already bought by international/private companies. Manpower+ R&D + Infrastruction is what we need.
And if things go right, we can see results in the AMCA, in terms of quality and delivery time. Also a Tejas mk3 should be on the cards.


...............
refer to wikipedia, tejas is 4+ gen and mkII will be 4++ cause of aesa radar

 

[laughingbuddha]

Re: Why is Indian Airforce is not accepting Tejas mk1 completely ?

Tejas is indian pride and is being inducted in limited numbers for the sake of it. It is more of a glorified jet trainer at the moment.
Yes, one day we hope to see a modern desi aircraft take to the skies and we have our bets on the AMCA for that purpose. One only hopes it does not follow the route of the LCA.
The LCA was conceptualised in 1984 for a specific role but has taken so long that now in 2014 30 years later it has outlived its purpose before it can even join the airforce.
The AMCA is also being designed for a specific role and will hopefully make it this time.
Let us not dream or talk about numbers of AMCA or Tejas mk-3 or mk-4 because they are just that..dreams for now.