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Final Operational Clearance for LCA TEJAS Next Year: Antony | idrw.org

The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony today expressed optimism that the country’s indigenously developed fighter aircraft- LCA TEJAS- will get Final Operational Clearance of the Indian Air Force by the end of next year. Speaking at the Annual Awards Functions of DRDO here, he said, all stakeholders including the DRDO, IAF and HAL must put their energy together in a focused manner to achieve this objective.

Shri Antony said countries that depend on imported arsenals cannot become great nation. Shri Antony said we continue to be the largest importer of Defence equipment. The share of indigenous content in Defence procurement is low. “Our experience has been that foreign vendors are reluctant to part with critical technologies. There are delays in the supply of essential spares. There are exorbitant price increases. The Services too realize that we cannot be eternally dependent on foreign equipment and platforms”, he said.

Referring to the expansions of domestic defence industry, Shri Antony said this has to be achieved through public and private sector initiatives. He said there is ample scope for joint ventures also. “All the stakeholders in the defence sector- DRDO, Armed Forces and the industry must work in tandem and develop trust and confidence in each other’s capabilities.” Cautioning against time and cost over runs in projects Shri Antony said Indian Companies must compete with global players in developing state- of- the art technologies of acceptable commercial parameters and must meet customer satisfaction.

The Minister complimented DRDO for their magnificent achievements in 2012. He referred to the first flight of Agni-V, two successful tests of our Ballistic Missile Defence programme in February and November 2012, first flight of LCA Navy, establishment of a cyber-forensics laboratory, initiation of production of NBC systems, ToT for composite armour for helicopters and investment casting of aero engine components and said these are just some of the many accomplishments.

He, however, asked the scientists not to be complacent. “The DRDO must keep its focus trained on the areas of core competence and not fritter away its energy and resources. In today’s world of cut-throat competition, the choice is very clear-‘perform, or perish’. From designing stage to the stage of final production, timelines must be strictly adhered to and satisfaction of the end user is the litmus test of achievement”, he said.

He said, the security environment in our neighbourhood; civil strife and turmoil in the Middle East; terrorism and threats to cyber security; piracy; illegal seabed mining in Indian Ocean and space-based threats present complex challenges to our defence capabilities. These require both conventional, as well as latest technological responses.

Expressing happiness the Minister said, it is heartening to note that a large number of major systems are under production and the cumulative production value of all the DRDO developed systems has crossed Rs. 1,55,000 crore. ‘I am sure in the coming years, this figure will go even higher. DRDO must make relentless efforts to accelerate the pace of self- reliance’, he further said.

The function was attended among others by the Minister of State for Defence, Shri Jitendra Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral DK Joshi and Director General DRDO Dr. VK Saraswat.

On the occasion, Shri Antony gave away DRDO Awards to several scientists, technologists and DRDO laboratories in fourteen categories for their outstanding contributions in different areas.
 
He, however, asked the scientists not to be complacent. “The DRDO must keep its focus trained on the areas of core competence and not fritter away its energy and resources. In today’s world of cut-throat competition, the choice is very clear-‘perform, or perish’. From designing stage to the stage of final production, timelines must be strictly adhered to and satisfaction of the end user is the litmus test of achievement”, he said.

That's the point for the whole Indian industry and only then we will improve our capabilities!
 
LCA Flight test update

from

LCA-Tejas has completed 2174 Test Flights Successfully. (25-May-2013).
(TD1-233,TD2-305,PV1-242,PV2-222,PV3-364,LSP1-74,LSP2-273,PV5-36,LSP3-132,LSP4-76,LSP5-172,LSP7-37,NP1-4,LSP8-4)

to

LCA-Tejas has completed 2178 Test Flights Successfully. (28-May-2013).
(TD1-233,TD2-305,PV1-242,PV2-222,PV3-365,LSP1-74,LSP2-273,PV5-36,LSP3-132,LSP4-79,LSP5-172,LSP7-37,NP1-4,LSP8-4)
 
LCA Flight test update

from

LCA-Tejas has completed 2174 Test Flights Successfully. (25-May-2013).
(TD1-233,TD2-305,PV1-242,PV2-222,PV3-364,LSP1-74,LSP2-273,PV5-36,LSP3-132,LSP4-76,LSP5-172,LSP7-37,NP1-4,LSP8-4)

to

LCA-Tejas has completed 2178 Test Flights Successfully. (28-May-2013).
(TD1-233,TD2-305,PV1-242,PV2-222,PV3-365,LSP1-74,LSP2-273,PV5-36,LSP3-132,LSP4-79,LSP5-172,LSP7-37,NP1-4,LSP8-4)
Changes are now highlighted.
 
Tejas will not be ready for war before end-2015

NEW DELHI: Defence minister A K Antony last week expressed the hope that the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft would finally get the final operational clearance (FOC) next year. But a hard-nosed ``internal assessment'' shows Antony's dream will be shattered.

The single-engine Tejas, already 30 years in the making, will not become fully combat-worthy anytime before end-2015. "The reality is that the around dozen Tejas prototypes are barely flying a couple of sorties a day. The initial operational clearance ( IOC)-II has again already been pushed to November this year from the earlier June-July deadline. It will take at least 18 months from IOC-II to FOC,'' said a source.

In fact, the foremost challenge before the new DRDO chief-cum-scientific advisor to the defence minister, missile scientist Avinash Chander, is to ensure the long-running, meandering Tejas project firmly heads towards completion because it's absolutely critical for India to have its own home-grown fighter.

The Tejas LCA project was first sanctioned in 1983 at a cost of Rs 560 crore to replace the ageing MiG-21s. The overall programme will now cost upwards of Rs 25,000 crore if the naval variant, trainer and the failed Kaveri engine are also taken into account.

It was in January 2011 that Tejas got IOC-I, which was initially heralded as the ``full and final IOC'' by the combine of DRDO, Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd till better sense prevailed. The fighter can be certified as fully airworthy only after it passes the IOC-II stage.

But there are still ``several basic problems'' — leave alone complex issues — that continue to dog the fighter despite it having clocked over 2,000 flights. ``Tejas still cannot taxi back after a sortie since its brakes have to be first cooled with compressed air. It has major fuel gauge inaccuracies. Moreover, its radome (radar cover) is defective with large electromagnetic signal losses,'' said another source.

The light-weight Tejas will be ready to go to war only after the FOC, which will include integration of all weapons and other systems to ensure it can fire guns, rockets, laser-guided bombs and BVR (beyond visual range) missiles as well as undergo air-to-air refuelling.

IAF has earmarked the Sulur airbase in Tamil Nadu, near the Bengaluru HAL facilities where the fighter is being built, to house the initial Tejas squadron inducted in the IOC-II configuration to resolve ``the expected teething problems''.

The force has so far ordered 20 Tejas in IOC-II configuration, with the American GE-404 engines, and another 20 in FOC. As per current plans, IAF will order six Tejas Mark-II squadrons (16 to 18 jets each), with the more powerful GE F-414 engines, once the fighter is combat-ready.
 
Moreover, its radome (radar cover) is defective with large electromagnetic signal losses,''[/B] said another source

Which would explain the competition for a new radome design, but is another blow for ADA/DRDO too.

The light-weight Tejas will be ready to go to war only after the FOC, which will include integration of all weapons and other systems to ensure it can fire guns, rockets, laser-guided bombs and BVR (beyond visual range) missiles as well as undergo air-to-air refuelling.

So mid air refuelling from LCA MK1 FOC standard, not only MK2.
 
flight update

From

LCA-Tejas has completed 2182 Test Flights Successfully. (31-May-2013).
(TD1-233,TD2-305,PV1-242,PV2-222,PV3-365,LSP1-74,LSP2-273,PV5-36,LSP3-133,LSP4-80,LSP5-173,LSP7-38,NP1-4,LSP8-4)

to

LCA-Tejas has completed 2185 Test Flights Successfully. (05-June-2013).
(TD1-233,TD2-305,PV1-242,PV2-222,PV3-365,LSP1-74,LSP2-273,PV5-36,LSP3-134,LSP4-80,LSP5-174,LSP7-39,NP1-4,LSP8-4)
 
QRT to achieve IOC-2 in four months for Tejas

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Avinash Chander conducted a day-long review of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas programme on Friday. To pull out the programme from delays, the DRDO chief has now decided to form a quick reaction team (QRT) for achieving the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC-2) by September this year.

The missile man said that the country’s long-awaited dream to have a desi-built fighter jet officially don the Squadron colours is now at a striking distance.

“I have not come to Bangalore with a magic wand. I wanted to see that the design agency (Aeronautical Development Agency) and the production unit (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd) work closely to see that IOC-2 is achieved at the earliest. The QRT is being formed to handle all concerns without any more delays,” Chander told Express.

Confirming that the project has entered the IOC-2 mission mode, Chander said that HAL and ADA are left with no option but to sit together and sort out all issues across the table.

“I told both teams that they will have to be like battlefield soldiers. They will have to anticipate the problems and be alert all the time. I am a strong believer in transparent action and ADA will spearhead the QRT with efficient members drawn from all constituents of Tejas project,” the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister said.

He said the idea of QRT was to ensure that no Tejas aircraft from the current test line should be idle for want of attention, a term technically called as AOG (Aircraft on Ground). He said a Chief Controller at the DRDO HQ would monitor the progress of Tejas as it achieves IOC-2. “I have decided to make available all knowledgeable resources in DRDO so that the September deadline is met,” he said.

Satisfied with the new production facilities being set up in HAL for Tejas, Avinash said the jig fixtures and documentation process are almost in place.

“HAL is definitely making an effort to improve their processes. I saw a commitment from both ADA and HAL to step up their work philosophies and approach in dealing with delays. It took 30 years for Akash Missile Systems to be inducted but today we have a work order worth Rs 30,000 crore. Technologies need to matured, and there’s no short-cut to it,” he said.

When asked about the widespread allegation and media reports that cracks have already appeared in ADA-HAL combine, the DRDO boss said: “So far, I have been making missiles to destroy aircraft. And, now I am focusing on technologies to make an aircraft fly the fighter way, even evading the missiles. Let me stay focused. Problems are there, but we need to overcome them.”


'QRT to achieve IOC-2 in four months for Tejas' - The New Indian Express
 
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TRISHUL: Demanding The Impossible
 

The usual nonsense, he didn't even understand that Antony supported IAF and the Air Chiefs statements, with his own once and that the aim was to put more pressure on DRDO. So these lenghtly article completely missed the topic and actually have no value at all, the random use of pics, even though they have no importance to the article shows that as well.
 
The usual nonsense, he didn't even understand that Antony supported IAF and the Air Chiefs statements, with his own once and that the aim was to put more pressure on DRDO. So these lenghtly article completely missed the topic and actually have no value at all, the random use of pics, even though they have no importance to the article shows that as well.

I pretty much never read his entries, but I like the pics he shows.
 
New DRDO Chief pushes emergency button on Project Tejas

The DRDO’s new Director General, Dr Avinash Chander, has activated Code Red on Project Tejas, and has called for an immediate emergency plan to get the lumbering programme back on track. Top sources at DRDO and the Aeronautical Development Agency informed SP’s that Dr Chander, over the last three days, has held video-conference discussions with all top scientists and visited Bangalore for one-on-one meetings with the team leading the second phase of the initial operational clearance (IOC-2) mission. Things have been distinctly difficult for the programme over the last two years. Following IOC-1 in January 2011, it has been slow-moving.

On May 29, two days before Dr Chander took over as his scientific advisor, Defence Minister A.K. Antony declared that the Tejas would, at all costs, be delivered to the IAF by the end of next year, fully certified and cleared by all agencies concerned. That one announcement has put a huge amount of pressure on the new DRDO Chief, who is now understood to have put together a team of eight persons, including two of his own appointees, to oversee on literally a day-to-day basis functional progress on the Tejas programme, including all aspects of certification and compliance. Dr Chander, sources say, will receive an official update either verbally or in report form every alternate day to keep himself abreast of what he considers to be the most crucial and pressing programme in the DRDO pipeline.

A top official of Dr Chander’s newly formed team informed SP’s, ”The other programmes are progressing satisfactorily. The LCA requires special attention. It is for this reason that Dr Chander felt the need to allocate additional resources to supervise this final stretch of the prestigious project. We will be giving it our all to deliver a fine fighter to the customer.” Dr Chander’s team will similarly continue and oversee the Tejas Mk.2 programme once the Mk.2 final operational clearance is in the bag.
 
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