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HAL Tejas | Updates, News & Discussions-[Thread 2]

HAL has designs on a full LCA for Navy

After playing a prominent supporting role in the Light Combat Aircraft naval prototype’s tricky landing and take-off debuts from a Navy ship last week-end, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd eyes the prospect of fully designing and developing a twin-engine fighter plane for the Navy if or when an occasion comes up.
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Asked what the successful twin acts of naval protytpe NP2 mean for its manufacturer HAL, company Chairman and Managing Director R. Madhavan said the recent ship-based trials will, of course, not translate to business from the Navy unless a twin-engined fighter project formalises from the Force.

Mr. Madhavan said, “It is our desire that the twin-engine Navy project be given to us so that we can design LCA-Navy as required. Such a step will lead to speeding up the project.”

PIC

HAL has already been deeply involved in the ongoing deck trials of the two naval prototypes; it has produced them for the Defence Research & Development Organisation DRDO. The defence public sector company has contributed to designing sub-systems of the LCA project - a plane that was originally started for the Air Force.

The DRDO’s special arm ADA or the Aeronautical Development Agency in Bengaluru is tasked with designing and developing the LCA versions and future indigenous fighter planes.


Vital parts ::

HAL said many critical paraphernalia and support staff for the naval prototype were its contributions, both before and during the recent trials on the ship.

It contributed the arrestor hook system, a redesigned landing gear, a speed controlling device for landings, a drooped nose to give the pilot a good view, a stronger fuselage and the fuel dump.

“We anyway design the LCA structures. Our engineering is proven. If it is possible to extend it to the full project, it would speed up the R&D,” Mr. Madhavan said.

“If a twin-engine naval aircraft project should come up, then HAL can offer the Navy a deck-based aircraft.” With a design house each in Bengaluru and Nashik, he said HAL was up to taking up such a task.

The two Navy prototypes NP1 and NP2, seen as potential trainers, are derived from the IAF version of the indigenous light fighter. A production standard version called NP5 has also been considered.

All these are single-engine while the Navy indicated in 2016 that it needed only two-engined aircraft. With a double-engine LCA being some time away, more so for the Navy, it is an area of interest for its stakeholders.


Rare capability ::

The second LCA-Navy prototype LCA-NP2 achieved two technologically challenging feats. On January 11 it did an arrested landing on the relatively narrow decks of the carrier INS Vikramaditya and took off the next day ìn what is called the ski jump style.

Underlining the achievement, Mr. Madhavan said only 3-4 countries have such a technology to deploy or land their fighters from the limited confines of a carrier.

Currently HAL’s fixed-wing design house is working on the HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft.

About the scope for a naval aircraft fleet an informed person said its current fleet of Russian origin MiG-29Ks are expected to go obsolete around 2028-32. Another opportunity to replenish naval aircraft could arise if the country goes in for a third aircraft carrier around the year 2040 as envisioned for the long term.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hal-has-designs-on-a-full-lca-for-navy/article30579389.ece
 
The above article confirms what I have been saying about ORCA, I think.

My argument was that ORCA is something HAL wants to develop by themselves based on ADA Tejas Mk2, for both Air Force and Navy, like the original ORCA Rafale. I had mentioned their desire to be a design house, after decades of being a production powerhouse. The quotes in the article points to exactly the same.

This will put them in competition with ADA's TEDBF.
 
Hushkit interview with a Tejas pilot:

The best:
  • Auto Low Speed Recovery (ALSR) combined with higher control laws make Tejas the most carefree fighter in the world. An argument he's willing to defend in a debate, and something we hear often.
  • Small size & Sensor package.
  • Flexible avionics.
  • HMDS and LOS modes.
  • FCS.
  • Control and handling in high gain tasks like aerial refuelling.
  • Instantaneous turn rate.
  • High alpha performance. Difficult to enter a difficult situation.
  • Exactly what was asked for: nimble, swift, light and frugal. Capability to absorb new systems in the next 15 years.
  • Checks and procedures before take-off are minimal.

The worst:
  • Inevitable shorter legs due to the small size.

Full interview: https://hushkit.net/2020/01/25/flying-fighting-in-hal-tejas-interview-with-test-pilot-rajeev-joshi/
 
The above article confirms what I have been saying about ORCA, I think.

My argument was that ORCA is something HAL wants to develop by themselves based on ADA Tejas Mk2, for both Air Force and Navy, like the original ORCA Rafale. I had mentioned their desire to be a design house, after decades of being a production powerhouse. The quotes in the article points to exactly the same.

This will put them in competition with ADA's TEDBF.
But I doubt HAL has the necessary funds nor the expertise to design an entire aircraft from scratch even if ADA let's HAL use it's research & test facilities. Neverthless, if this goes ahead...I'm sure ADA would fastrack it's developmental process to ensure their design is selected over HAL's
 
But I doubt HAL has the necessary funds nor the expertise to design an entire aircraft from scratch even if ADA let's HAL use it's research & test facilities. Neverthless, if this goes ahead...I'm sure ADA would fastrack it's developmental process to ensure their design is selected over HAL's
If all this is true and if HAL is serious, it'd be the right time for TASL to swoop in with a letter to ADA. Much better odds than the F16/F21 JV with LM.
 
If all this is true and if HAL is serious, it'd be the right time for TASL to swoop in with a letter to ADA. Much better odds than the F16/F21 JV with LM.
I'm pretty sure IAF nor MoD wouldn't go ahead with the F21 given it's always sanction prone and would force us to withdraw all our contracts with Russians. We've seen how pak was denied additional F16's or AH-1Z's on a later note and the most recent victim is Turkey being kicked outta the F-35 project.

Also, MMRCA 2.0 doesn't make sense at this moment since shortlisting a fighter jet would itself take 3-5yrs and a couple more for price negotiation and stuff. We're also well aware that US wouldn't provide significant ToT either. Even if this goes through, the first jet might roll out in a decade by the time which most countries would've moved to 5th gen and pak might potentially get the J-31 as well.

MWF shouldn't take much time since it's a derivative of the LCA and most of the research & test facilities are already in place. MWF should fulfill our SE jet requirement by heavily outsourcing majority of the components while HAL acting only as the lead integrator while ADA could partner with TASL and other private Indian defence firms to fastrack the development of TEDBF, an AF alternative and also the AMCA
 
The HAL test pilot reporting that Colombia has been considering Tejas to replace their Mirage/Kfir. This time make sure that a proper maintenance contract is signed, to avoid what happened with Ecuador.

Seeing that Colombia likes Israeli weapons, HAL should consider the comprehensive package proposed by Rafael for Tejas. Could easily happen since HAL seems to be close with Israeli lobby.
 

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