LCA TEJAS MK1 & MK1A: News and Discussion

[RoaringTigerHiddenDragon]

Per the article below, looks like HAL has a capacity to produce 16 Tejas per year beginning 2020-2021 financial year.

Tejas Fighter Jet to get Third Production Line soon – Indian Defence Research Wing

idrw.org

So 83 jets would take 5 years or so? I think this is a reasonable ask. Should the 83 aircraft deal get signed by April 2021, we could technically have 83 aircrafts by 2026-2027 or so. But the real question is: will the Tejas deal be signed? All talks by IAF indicate a very high likelihood of inking the deal. But I have been disappointed before. So I am adopting a wait and watch attitude.
Any escalation of border wars and the Tejas budget will be diverted for procurement of Rafales I guess as immediate needs to meet national security is a must. Also, the way Bhadauria and Dhanoa both wanted to have their initials as tail numbers of the first few Rafale, IAF probably salivates over having several more squadrons of Rafales. On another note, there is no clamoring by RKB and BSD to have the first squadron of Tejas have their signatures as their initial tail numbers, indicating not much confidence in Tejas as a successful product? Or, would our esteemed air force chiefs would only put their initials on foreign maal?

 

[BON PLAN]

Per the article below, looks like HAL has a capacity to produce 16 Tejas per year beginning 2020-2021 financial year.

Tejas Fighter Jet to get Third Production Line soon – Indian Defence Research Wing

idrw.org

So 83 jets would take 5 years or so? I think this is a reasonable ask. Should the 83 aircraft deal get signed by April 2021, we could technically have 83 aircrafts by 2026-2027 or so. But the real question is: will the Tejas deal be signed? All talks by IAF indicate a very high likelihood of inking the deal. But I have been disappointed before. So I am adopting a wait and watch attitude.
Any escalation of border wars and the Tejas budget will be diverted for procurement of Rafales I guess as immediate needs to meet national security is a must. Also, the way Bhadauria and Dhanoa both wanted to have their initials as tail numbers of the first few Rafale, IAF probably salivates over having several more squadrons of Rafales. On another note, there is no clamoring by RKB and BSD to have the first squadron of Tejas have their signatures as their initial tail numbers, indicating not much confidence in Tejas as a successful product? Or, would our esteemed air force chiefs would only put their initials on foreign maal?

Do I understand well ? 3 lines to produce 83 jets in 5 years ?

 

[RoaringTigerHiddenDragon]

Do I understand well ? 3 lines to produce 83 jets in 5 years ?

looks like it. line 1 = 5 lca; line 2 = 3 lca; line 3 = 8 lca; for a total of 16 LCAs per year. Unless production lines are further increased, this amounts to about 5-6 years for the 83 LCAs.

 

[Bleh]

Has any LCA first flight happened in the last month ?

there was a video of sp23, flying, i think it was in September.

No, only SP-22 flew but not handed over.

23, 24, 25 all 3 lined up. But first flight will commence before formal delivery to IAF... when that will be, is unknown. Not until full maintenance setup is. IAF intends to move than from south to forward bases.

 

[Tang]

No, only SP-22 flew but not handed over.

23, 24, 25 all 3 lined up. But first flight will commence before formal delivery to IAF... when that will be, is unknown. Not until full maintenance setup is. IAF intends to move than from south to forward bases.

This is surely a good news,

Tejas with Astra on LoC will be killer.
I want Tejas to shoot down PAF f16 in the coming war.

 

[johnq]

What's with the sudden anti-Tejas rants on this thread ?

Did one of the Tejas crashed, or did we become $10 trillion economy that we suddenly can afford hundreds of expensive foreign fighters ?

CCP/ISI drones who don't want India to develop a military-industrial complex.

 

[shade]

CCP/ISI drones who don't want India to develop a military-industrial complex.

There is precisely one crypto-Pakistani( ok two if you include Schwifty ) here who keeps shilling for import import.
Rest everyone I think has either a "balanced" perspective or loves fanboying for foreign platforms.

 

[FalconZero]

No, only SP-22 flew but not handed over.

23, 24, 25 all 3 lined up. But first flight will commence before formal delivery to IAF... when that will be, is unknown. Not until full maintenance setup is. IAF intends to move than from south to forward bases.

My bad, i mixed them up.
Here's a video of sp 22.

 

[Maharaj samudragupt]

Do I understand well ? 3 lines to produce 83 jets in 5 years ?

Things here run slow for reasons best known to HAL .
The manufacturing agency .

 

[Tridev123]

"...A role which it will surpass comfortably if produced in sufficient numbers quickly ..."

There, fixed it for you

Yes, it is a mystery as to why the production rate of the Tejas is so low.
Even the Pakistanis produce more JF17 every year.
Anybody have figures on the production rate of the Mig21. I am sure the same HAL produced much more.

I am sure we can do much better than 8 or 12 per year. The Tejas mk1 has reached maturity and is fit for production. There is a suspicion that probably we don't want to depend on US engines what with their reputation for sanctions and embargoes.

I anticipate an spurt in Tejas production once our Kaveri engine or its indigenous replacement comes along. But our GTRE seems to be stuck on the Kaveri programme.

The silver lining is that capability enhancements are taking place on the Tejas even while production moves at snails pace. Addition of IFR, Ext JP, SDR, refinement of the control laws, Aesa radar, new Bvr missiles being certified etc.

 

[johnq]

Things here run slow for reasons best known to HAL .
The manufacturing agency .

It's because of the China virus. HAL is just the integrator for many of the sub-systems, which are manufactured by domestic and foreign companies. The economic slowdown due to the China virus has also had an effect, with IAF not fully paying HAL as of yet for even the delivered aircraft. The pandemic was a successful attack by the Chinese Communist government. It has slowed everything worldwide, not just in India.

 

[BON PLAN]

It's because of the China virus. HAL is just the integrator for many of the sub-systems, which are manufactured by domestic and foreign companies. The economic slowdown due to the China virus has also had an effect, with IAF not fully paying HAL as of yet for even the delivered aircraft. The pandemic was a successful attack by the Chinese Communist government. It has slowed everything worldwide, not just in India.

3 lines to assemble 16 or 17 small jet/year... What a waste of energy. What a dupplication of production tools. What the possibility of quality and production hiatus. Except if they are all hand made or nearly.

 

[WarriorIndian]

3 lines to assemble 16 or 17 small jet/year... What a waste of energy. What a dupplication of production tools. What the possibility of quality and production hiatus. Except if they are all hand made or nearly.

Not if you remove the western template and see.

 

[vishnugupt]

IAF not buying my favorite toy, they must be corrupt.

I have repeated this time and again. IAF wants to replace their old migs way more than losers on the forum and corrupt DRDO scientists and PSU workers. If a mig crashes, an IAF pilot loses his life, not the morons here. Some people are just too thick to get this simple fact in their heads.

Tejas, which is designed by corrupt DRDO and manufactured by Corrupt HAL is not crashing but you don't want IAF to buy Tejas so who is wishing more dead pilots here ?? You genius.
A old saying, ना नौ मन तेल होगा और ना राधा नाचेगी।
There is/will no money for your wishful shopping list meanwhile pilots keep dying because you people keep them deprived from relatively superior platforms.

 

[vishnugupt]

Armed forces try each and every trick to derail a local project.
LCA production is slow because now IAF want Tejas should be maintained without help of HAL so instead of IAF train their personnels IAF asked to make some change in Tejas.
Next time IAF could ask to HAL that IAF want Tejas to repair in battle field with one personnel only that too with one eye and one hand tied on back. Who can stop themm?

 

[RoaringTigerHiddenDragon]

Things here run slow for reasons best known to HAL .
The manufacturing agency .

I don’t think it is slow. Any manufacturer will commit to production lines only when the buyer assures a certain quantity. Plus we need to know what they are going to do with SU 30 MKI lines. Once they finish production of sumki (after the 12 replacements ordered), these lines would be retooled to perhaps produce more Tejas? HAL has options but as a manufacturer they need certainty of orders.

 

[no smoking]

3 lines to assemble 16 or 17 small jet/year... What a waste of energy. What a dupplication of production tools. What the possibility of quality and production hiatus. Except if they are all hand made or nearly.

That too, is definitely Chinese fault.

 

[Roland55]

Sorry for the late response, but in all seriousness, tejas is promising (At least for a future export market). Most countries are on the look for a medium/light fighter, a category that its not really "exploited" right now. Options are quite small, Tejas, FA-50, JF-17 (anything else ?).

Its true that consolidating the production line is no easy job and it takes a great deal of time, but once done, HAL could not only produce them for cheaper but also offer for the export market, this may take its time, but could put a great contender for the air forces that are on the look for an accesible light fighter, specially one that has such a good quality.

 

[RoaringTigerHiddenDragon]

That too, is definitely Chinese fault.

Why is that out of the 333 pages of comments here, yours is the lowest IQ one? Not a single other person has stooped to your IQ levels. Your comment’s logic is as non-existent as a girl child in China. It stands out for its stupidity. Why do idiotic CCP bots want to go around forums and portray their country in bad light? Beats me.

 

[johnq]

That too, is definitely Chinese fault.

Why is that out of the 333 pages of comments here, yours is the lowest IQ one? Not a single other person has stooped to your IQ levels. Your comment’s logic is as non-existent as a girl child in China. It stands out for its stupidity. Why do idiotic CCP bots want to go around forums and portray their country in bad light? Beats me.

Brainwashed CCP bots keep defending Chinese Communist government even after they know that Chinese Communist government's denial of person-to-person transmission of the China virus for months led to even more Chinese deaths (ignoring the fake Chinese government data), as well as spreading of the pandemic internationally. It was a few brave doctors in Hong Kong who leaked the truth even after being threatened by the Chinese Communist government; of course by that time it was too late and the pandemic had spread worldwide.
So yes, many of the problems facing the world right now are because of the China virus, and that includes delays in manufacturing worldwide, including India, and that has negatively impacted the Tejas timeline. CCP successfully attacked the world with a biological weapon, and there are several scientists (including Chinese ones) who have verified this.