For a minute let's forget the fighter in question and move our attention to the foundations. The fighter is a product of this evolving eco system and it's with great pride India can claim a
platform for aircraft generation is in house now because of the Tejas program.
It's important to clearly differentiate between the program and the product, something that our press has failed time and again. Not to mention, users of this forum also. Users of course are either misinformed or have no information since their own country fails to match what India has done with it's program. To reiterate the importance of a program lets take a few examples -
IAF need a trainer. Done! in-house not in another country.
Study of lower landing speeds, more lift, for the navy variant - Done! Levicons suggested. Simulated, built, tested and integrated all in India. Not in another country.
New requirements for mark-2?: Current study on Canards (done previously) being studied. Again in-house!
I remember reading several IEEE papers and other journals on LCA. Indian scientists shared facts on performance, pitfalls on everything from their choice of wings to creation of new software.
The Platform is in place!
- Facilities to test strength of materials and product. Fabrication.
- Successful Flight trials with indigenously designed and qualified Composite Drop Tanks
- Flight flutter tests for Operational Clean and Heavy Stores Flight Envelope expansion
- Onboard Engine Condition Monitoring System provides real time Engine Status in the Cockpit and Logs the Engine Usage Data to Compute Life Usage Indices of Life limited Parts. It also tracks Vibration Monitoring System
General Systems
- Major Mechanical System includes Microprocessor Controlled Brake Management System, Environment Control System, Fuel System, Nose Wheel Steering System, Landing Gear System, Hydraulic System, Secondary Power System, Life Support System, Escape System.
- Major LRUs Developed by ADA are Aircraft Mounted Accessories Gear Box, Filters, Up Locks, QDCs, NRV’s, Depressurisation Cock, Gimble joints, Ten different types of Heat Exchangers. All LRUs have been productionised to facilitate Equipping of Series Production.
Integrated Flight Control System
- IRON BIRD LIGHTNING TEST FACILITY ENGINEERING IN LOOP SIMULATOR 14
- State-of-the-art Full Authority Quadruplex Digital Fly-By-wire Flight Control System
- Fault Tolerant Digital Flight Control Computer with built-in Redundancy Management
- Fail Operational, Fail Operational, Fail Safe DFCS and Fail Operational, Fail Safe Air Data System
- Robust Control Laws for Stability and Command Augmentation, Carefree Manoeuvring, Autopilot Control and Ski Jump Functionalities
- Advanced Flight Control Actuators incorporating both Hydraulic and Electrical Redundancy
- Range of Ground Based Test Facilities for Integrated Flight Control System Development, Handling Qualities Evaluation, Non-Real Time Tests, Real Time Simulation, Hardware-in-loop Simulation, Structural Coupling Tests, Lightning Test, Ground Check out Systems and Flight Test
- Test Facilities equipped with State-of-the-art Flight Dynamic Simulator, Engineering Test Station, Air Data Test Station, High End Projection Systems, Data Acquisition,Analysis and Storage System
Simulator
FLIGHT TESTING
I can go on but hopefully, I made my point. It's imperative India continues to support this infrastructure. The process and product will only continue to improve.