Exclusive: Tejas may create history with flying demo at Bahrain air show

[Immanuel]

While for Bhartis it's escape India.

450,000 illegal immigrants in US are from India: Report - Times of India

Funny thing is, if Trump comes to power, Pak bikaris can't go to the US any more

 

[Ahmad Masood]

The project started in 80's and still we are talking about participating in its first air show. It has already created history in 'Laziest development'. If you can't fly a plane in 30 years, you better not defend it atleast with utmost 'besharmi'.

 

[AnnoyingOrange]

The project started in 80's and still we are talking about participating in its first air show. It has already created history in 'Laziest development'. If you can't fly a plane in 30 years, you better not defend it atleast with utmost 'besharmi'.

If some does some reading.. he will get to know that Aero India is a International Air Show and LCA has been flying in it for a long time now...


An old 2007 Video for your dead mind:

 

[knight11]

The project started in 80's and still we are talking about participating in its first air show. It has already created history in 'Laziest development'. If you can't fly a plane in 30 years, you better not defend it atleast with utmost 'besharmi'.

Ahmad Masood -- In 80's it was just project was proposed, and Real funding started from 1993.
And LCA is not just building a fighter Plane, but the whole ecosystem and institution, and create the critical technologies like FBW, FADEED, Turbo Fan Engine, MMR.
To do that and to setup industrial and educational base in a country, 30 years is good time, and its advantage though looks very nominal at present, will be fruitified in the coming years in future.

 

[Ahmad Masood]

If some does some reading.. he will get to know that Aero India is a International Air Show and LCA has been flying in it for a long time now...

Here comes the history professor to defend a bird which was once loaded on a truck in a parade. Just fly it outside India to shut us up.

Ahmad Masood -- In 80's it was just project was proposed, and Real funding started from 1993.
And LCA is not just building a fighter Plane, but the whole ecosystem and institution, and create the critical technologies like FBW, FADEED, Turbo Fan Engine, MMR.
To do that and to setup industrial and educational base in a country, 30 years is good time, and its advantage though looks very nominal at present, will be fruitified in the coming years in future.

You can say whatever you want to comfort yourself. I am afraid it may not work cross borders and vice versa. We started late and made our bird fly with a lot less money. You may argue Pakistan didn't develop most of the parts itself but appears as if it was the right approach. 'Made in China' still counts better as COO as compared to 'Made in India'; in this specific case.

 

[AnnoyingOrange]

Here comes the history professor to defend a bird which was once loaded on a truck in a parade. Just fly it outside India to shut us up.

In short... you just got foot in mouth...

 

[faithfulguy]

My Question?


When Pakistani member ask Indian why Tejas paraded on trucks on national day parade Indian member replies single engine not allowed so why they allow single engine to participate in another country for the same safety reasons, isn’t hypocrisy?

The Indian elite is present in the national day parade. They don't want to risk their life so Tejas stay on the truck. The Indian elite is not going to be at Bahran. So Tejas can fly. So this show that knowledge is the key in making decisions.

 

[Ahmad Masood]

In short... you just got foot in mouth...

Thats what you think. Keep thinking that and developing your plane for truck rides. If it was that smooth a machine in 2007, why wasnt it inducted in IAF then? What does your history say for that? Stop judging me and judge your useless plane.

 

[Water Car Engineer]

The project started in 80's and still we are talking about participating in its first air show. It has already created history in 'Laziest development'. If you can't fly a plane in 30 years, you better not defend it atleast with utmost 'besharmi'.

30 years is the founding of India's defence aerospace R&D wing, to develop some sort of, 'LCA'. It was just a concept 30 years ago, nothing of substance was being developed, no official funding to develop any prototypes, nor was there even a design in place 30 years ago. Hell, the ADA was 1 year old then! It's like saying AMCA project started in 09 because of some windtunnel models of a 5th generation bird is being tested, it's only a concept at the moment. And at that time India didnt have the funds laying around like now to seriously develop such a bird, fact of the matter that it came out at all out India's industry then is an achievement in itself!

 

[SecularNationalist]

A so called indigenous piece of junk which hasn,t secured a single export order or any interest of other nation is going to create history
Yes tejas will definitely create a history of laughter's

 

[knight11]

You can say whatever you want to comfort yourself. I am afraid it may not work cross borders and vice versa. We started late and made our bird fly with a lot less money. You may argue Pakistan didn't develop most of the parts itself but appears as if it was the right approach. 'Made in China' still counts better as COO as compared to 'Made in India'; in this specific case.

I am not agruing whether Pakistan developed JF-17 or Chinese, because Pakistan did what was the best she could do, looking at the economical constrained, and the weapon package she got after JF-17.

However for your concerned Indian AIM with LCA was altogether different and both the planes took different approach.

The criticisms are not new, the development is slow and they say time is constant here like a black hole circling over India. Many shortfalls and many waivers but still to see the bird on IAF’s hand, yes am talking about HAL Tejas (LCA), will take you back to 1960’s with up and downs in Indian aerospace industry and finally a glimpse of hope with a big order and future development plan.

Major world powers have capability to design, develop and manufacture fighter aircraft indigenously. Technically, this would include all major components - aero-engines, radar, aircraft design, metallurgy, weapons and sensors. Currently only USA, Russia, France and UK have these capabilities and are followed closely by Germany, Italy, China and Sweden.

Background
Good start but poor follow-up has continued to challenge India’s desire to master aerospace technology. India’s desire to build its own fighter jet began well with the HF-24 Marut program. The project was approved in 1957 and the first prototype flew in 1961 - a mere four years later. The first squadron went operational in 1967. However, the program encountered a premature end in 1982 due to the short-sightedness of the IAF, Government and HAL. The political leadership and the bureaucracy displayed inexperience and strategic carelessness during HF-24 Marut development and operational life. The end result was withering away of precious knowledge gained over the development. During the same period, HAL shifted its focus to production of MiG-21s under license.

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) decision was taken in 1983 in order to replace aging MiG-21s manufactured during 1970's and 80's, as most of them were expected to be phased out in the 1990s. The indigenous design and development of LCA was sanctioned in 1983 and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) was constituted in June 1984. IAF issued requirement in October 1985 with a projected requirement of 220 aircrafts (200 fighters and 20 trainers), to be inducted by 1994.

Why LCA, as opposed to MCAs (Rafale, Eurofighter) or HCAs (Sukhoi 30 Mki)?
This concept of LCA has been a source of much study and research to achieve performance requirements at affordable cost. This became more feasible in the jet age as emphasis shifted to getting the same performance with relatively lower thrust engine. The Gnat aircraft, which the IAF flew effectively in 1965 and 1971 wars, was a light weight fighter whose performance in its category was excellent, at minimal cost. This left a lasting impression on IAF and hence the decision for LCA.

What went wrong? Or did anything go wrong, at all?
Prima facie, the perceived delay in the LCA project can be blamed on the lack of co-ordination between user (IAF), designer (ADA), manufacturer (HAL) and the Government, which made it impossible to deliver the LCA project in time. And one wrong was done more over the other – clubbing of Kaveri engine project with LCA. Kaveri engine got delayed because of India’s lack of experience in building turbofan engines. India did tie-ups with unreliable American companies at a time of not-so-good relations, and nuclear tests resulted in sanctions, which pushed back the project by few more years. From LCA decision being taken 1983, till the final operational clearance in Q1 2016 is 33 years – which seems very long. But after removing 4 years for funding gap (from 1989, when project definition was finished, till 1993, no funds were made available to LCA project) and 4 more for sanction issues, LCA project took 25 years. Ideally, world over a fighter jet project takes more than 20 years.

To build a fourth generation fighter aircraft from scratch with a countrywide aerospace ecosystem and research, testing and certification facilities in less than three decades is, by any standards, remarkable technology leapfrog. Anywhere in the world it would draw generous praise but in India, thanks to media attention with questionable intent. Even while mentioning reasons for delays in the program, DM Manohar Parikar agreed in Parliament that lack of trained engineers, infrastructure, including test facilities had played a major role.

How good is HAL Tejas (LCA) and where it headed from here?
Tejas test pilots continue to believe that the aircraft is more versatile than MiG-29 (primarily built for air-to-air combat), MiG-27 and Jaguar (primarily ground strike aircraft), and all variants of the MiG-21. They even say it can take on the Pakistan Air Force’s early F-16 variants and outclass the Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder. Deliveries of combat standard units of Tejas Mk-I began on 17 January 2015, with final operational clearance (FOC) expected Q1 2016. In a major breakthrough IAF recently ordered 120 HAL Tejas. IAF wants the final version should have advanced (AESA) radar, air to air refueling, BVR missiles and electronic jammers to block enemy radars.

Future Developments
ADA is also working on an improved version, HAL Tejas Mk-II, with greater capability based on Indian Navy’s prolonged requirements. Looking into higher drag on water surface HAL Tejas Mk-II will be powered with GE F-414 engines that produce 98kN of peak thrust. Apart from engine, Tejas Mk-II will feature upgraded avionics, more advanced radar and longer combat radius.

Meanwhile a nation surrounded with two aggressive neighbors can’t afford to have just fourth generation fighter. The Chinese today are flying two fifth generation fighter prototypes, one of the fighter J-20 going to be in series production from next year onwards and intended to export to friendly nations. While India realized the situation back in 2008 and started a JV with Russia to develop fifth generation fighter (FGFA) but lack of co-ordination between the nations stalled the project sometime back and IAF now wants to buy Russian version of FGFA T-50 on Government to Government agreement.

Meanwhile IAF with his local partner ADA wants to develop an indigenous fifth generation fighter (AMCA). At the moment the project is out of definition phase and entering to funding phase. AMCA is a much bigger program compared to LCA, in LCA the country leapfrogged from nowhere to fourth generation fighter aircraft. In case of AMCA while the LCA platform will help us, however, our scientist needs to crack number crucial technology like advance radar, Stealth technology and high power engine, currently USA and Russia possesses the technology and China somehow successful. To make the project successful we need larger Research and development base with serious funding upfront.

Now, the good news
In the process of building an indigenous fighter aircraft, India has almost solved the puzzle of fighter aircraft building. With favorable conditions, and proper planning, the successor of Kaveri engines will hopefully be ready by the time India is ready to produce the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The LCA project has built India’s capabilities in fighter aircraft production from ground up. India can repeat the same success story with AMCA, only this time faster. As they say, it is only hard the first time!


INDIA's Indigenous fighter aircarft programme: what we learnt from Past

 

[AnnoyingOrange]

Thats what you think. Keep thinking that and developing your plane for truck rides. If it was that smooth a machine in 2007, why wasnt it inducted in IAF then? What does your history say for that? Stop judging me and judge your useless plane.

Well ...we are happy that our engineers have created something worthwhile...
And for your information the plane is already with IAF: Parrikar gets tech taste; IAF gets first Tejas - Oneindia

Tejas Platform has now conducted more than 3000 test flights...Page Title

An achievement if you notice that it has been a crash less fight history.

Thats' 1926+ hrs ...

 

[Immanuel]

This is your cheap Chinese made bird, that's what happens when you induct birds that aren't fully tested yet

Nuff Said.

 

[Mrc]

New breaking news: tejas will make history by flying.........

 

[AnnoyingOrange]

New breaking news: tejas will make history by flying.........

For some blindoos..

Team LCA gears up for increased orders - The Times of India

From imported robotic machine to drill holes to Bengaluru based 3D printing of components, Team LCA is gearing up for increased orders for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas for the Indian Air Force.

With IAF increasing its order of LCAs forcing HAL to manufacture 108 aircraft for six squadrons, the defence PSU is scaling up quality and speed.

A robotic drilling machine in the final assembly hangar has reduced the time taken to drill a hole on the wing skin to just over a minute from 25-35 minutes it took manually.

The machine, which needs to drill around 8,000 holes, can manage 66% with the remaining done manually. "That will change soon; we'll soon have more efficiency," LCA division general manager V Sridharan told TOI. HAL is using Bengaluru-based 3D printing for some components. "A proposal to acquire such a printer is being prepared but now, we're outsourcing it," he said.

Sources in HAL said given the Centre's Make in India campaign and to save on time, outsourcing some manufacturing has happened and a few other projects are in the pipeline. The wing assembly has been outsourced to L&T, while 10 vendors will be in the fray for the centre and rear fuselage, for which tenders will be floated soon. "Outsourcing of 33 electrical panels, six mechanical assembly projects making of fin and rudder, etc is under way," they said.

Stating that the second Series Pro duction Tejas is in the final stages of assembly and will be ready for IAF in the next 45 days, Sridharan said: "By the fourth or fifth aircraft, we should be able further reduce the time."

Earlier this year, HAL handed over an aircraft to the IAF, which is undergoing some changes. The second in the series is almost ready . To enhance the rate of production, HAL had late last year sent a proposal to the defence ministry for setting up a second production line.A senior official said the ministry is likely to clear it by February .

HAL has invested Rs 150 crore for capacity augmentation. According to the proposal, HAL is expected to invest 50% of the Rs 1,200-crore estimated cost, while the IAF and the Navy will invest 25% each.