IAF to induct six squadrons of Tejas, says Defence Minister Antony

[FOX80]

Defence Minister A.K. Antony
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will induct six squadrons of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas after the multirole supersonic fighter gets the final operational clearance (FOC) by 2014-end, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said on Friday.

"The IAF will induct the first squadron of LCA Mark-1 from 2015 and second squadron from 2017. Production of Mark-1 will start soon.

"Later, IAF will accept four squadrons of Mark-II, while the Indian Navy will induct 40 of the aircraft's naval variant," Antony told reporters here after a function where Tejas received the initial operational clearance (IOC) for flight tests by the air force pilots.

Each squadron will have 20 aircraft and will replace the ageing Russian-made MiG-21 fleet the IAF will phase out gradually. The squadrons will be based at Sulur Air Force Base near Coimbatore in southern Tamil Nadu.

"The IAF requirement will go up to 200. The Mark-1 will be fitted with GE-404 engines and Mark-II GE-414 engine. As this aircraft meets the staff requirement of the IAF, it has accepted it. Improvements to the aircraft have enhanced its flight envelope and its weapon delivery capability," Antony said.

Indian Air Force chief N.A.K. Browne said the IAF pilots will start flying Tejas from Saturday over the next 12 months for its FOC by December 2014.

Noting LCA has become a reality, Antony said that the next 12 months will be critical for all the stakeholders for the FOC.

"They (defence agencies) have to do a lot. If they can do up this, they are capable of producing the most modern fighting aircraft, as only five-six countries have such a capability," he said.

The state-run Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (Cemilac) are the defence agencies which have designed, developed, manufactured and certified the world's lightest and smallest combat jet.

"As we don't have an LCA simulator, our senior and very experienced pilots will fly Tejas over the next 12 months to assess its flying and combat capabilities for FOC and induction into the fleet," said Air Chief Marshal Browne, adding that an LCA simulator was on cards.

As the indigenous Kaveri engine of the state-run Gas Turbine and Research Establishment (GTRE) of the DRDO, which is yet to qualify for certification, HAL, the lead manufacturer of the LCA, will source the GE-404 and GE-414 aero-engines from the US-based General Electric (GE) for Mark-1 and Mark-II aircraft.

"The Kaveri engine is under development. It will take time. At the moment, we are using GE engines. Kaveri project is not abandoned. We can make it. Indigenisation of an aero-engine takes time. We have plan for that. If we can make aircraft like the LCA, warships, tanks and missiles, we can also make aero-engines," Antony said.


Read more at: IAF to induct six squadrons of Tejas, says Defence Minister Antony : Karnataka, News - India Today

 

[Vinayak Tiwari]

Defence Minister A.K. Antony
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will induct six squadrons of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas after the multirole supersonic fighter gets the final operational clearance (FOC) by 2014-end, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said on Friday.

"The IAF will induct the first squadron of LCA Mark-1 from 2015 and second squadron from 2017. Production of Mark-1 will start soon.

"Later, IAF will accept four squadrons of Mark-II, while the Indian Navy will induct 40 of the aircraft's naval variant," Antony told reporters here after a function where Tejas received the initial operational clearance (IOC) for flight tests by the air force pilots.

Each squadron will have 20 aircraft and will replace the ageing Russian-made MiG-21 fleet the IAF will phase out gradually. The squadrons will be based at Sulur Air Force Base near Coimbatore in southern Tamil Nadu.

"The IAF requirement will go up to 200. The Mark-1 will be fitted with GE-404 engines and Mark-II GE-414 engine. As this aircraft meets the staff requirement of the IAF, it has accepted it. Improvements to the aircraft have enhanced its flight envelope and its weapon delivery capability," Antony said.

Indian Air Force chief N.A.K. Browne said the IAF pilots will start flying Tejas from Saturday over the next 12 months for its FOC by December 2014.

Noting LCA has become a reality, Antony said that the next 12 months will be critical for all the stakeholders for the FOC.

"They (defence agencies) have to do a lot. If they can do up this, they are capable of producing the most modern fighting aircraft, as only five-six countries have such a capability," he said.

The state-run Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (Cemilac) are the defence agencies which have designed, developed, manufactured and certified the world's lightest and smallest combat jet.

"As we don't have an LCA simulator, our senior and very experienced pilots will fly Tejas over the next 12 months to assess its flying and combat capabilities for FOC and induction into the fleet," said Air Chief Marshal Browne, adding that an LCA simulator was on cards.

As the indigenous Kaveri engine of the state-run Gas Turbine and Research Establishment (GTRE) of the DRDO, which is yet to qualify for certification, HAL, the lead manufacturer of the LCA, will source the GE-404 and GE-414 aero-engines from the US-based General Electric (GE) for Mark-1 and Mark-II aircraft.

"The Kaveri engine is under development. It will take time. At the moment, we are using GE engines. Kaveri project is not abandoned. We can make it. Indigenisation of an aero-engine takes time. We have plan for that. If we can make aircraft like the LCA, warships, tanks and missiles, we can also make aero-engines," Antony said.


Read more at: IAF to induct six squadrons of Tejas, says Defence Minister Antony : Karnataka, News - India Today

The naval variant of the LCA is gonna be a Mark-1 proto or a Mark-2 proto

 

[trident2010]

I will be much happier if we get 6 squadrons of Tejas as compared to 10 squadrons of Rafale. Waiting for long time for this day

 

[BATMAN]

He is unnecessarily taking it personal!

 

[Chronos]

He is unnecessarily taking it personal!

AK Antony should never have been the Defence Minister.

Send him packing to Kerala

 

[BATMAN]

AK Antony should never have been the Defence Minister.

Send him packing to Kerala

Indeed, he should have broke this news, a day earlier than blk-2 thunder roll-out!

 

[Star Wars]

AK Antony should never have been the Defence Minister.

Send him packing to Kerala

haha...i heard someone wanted this idiot to be 2014 PM

120 Tejas !!!!

 

[Chronos]

haha...i heard someone wanted this idiot to be 2014 PM

120 Tejas !!!!

When is India going to have an ex-general or Admiral as the Defence minister? Hell someone who worked in the Defence would do.

AK Antony is a lawyer.

 

[graphican]

Good for India. As per report, India would be producing something like 10 aircrafts a year and 120 aircrafts would take 12 years. Starting in 2015 that means induction would complete by 2027.

 

[Sergi]

So Mr. Chandar lied
Few days ago he said IAF is looking to induct 200 LCA mark-2s.

 

[he-man]

Good for India. As per report, India would be producing something like 10 aircrafts a year and 120 aircrafts would take 12 years. Starting in 2015 that means induction would complete by 2027.

its 16 per year dude
sorry to burst ur bubble

critisism is good,rhetoric is not

i would be happy if u found out the problems of paf and play a role as a constructive critic.
chiding india on every issue is just plain stupid,same as indians chiding chinese and chinese chiding usa.

it serves no purpose

So Mr. Chandar lied
Few days ago he said IAF is looking to induct 200 LCA mark-2s.

drdo is pathological liar
i saw browne's interview myself on tv and he clearly mentioned 120 aircraft or 6 squadrons

 

[karan.1970]

Good for India. As per report, India would be producing something like 10 aircrafts a year and 120 aircrafts would take 12 years. Starting in 2015 that means induction would complete by 2027.

Please cite that report..

its 16 per year dude
sorry to burst ur bubble

critisism is good,rhetoric is not

i would be happy if u found out the problems of paf and play a role as a constructive critic.
chiding india on every issue is just plain stupid,same as indians chiding chinese and chinese chiding usa.

it serves no purpose



drdo is pathological liar
i saw browne's interview myself on tv and he clearly mentioned 120 aircraft or 6 squadrons

If you add the Navy requirements of 40 planes, the number is closer to 160

 

[he-man]

Please cite that report..



If you add the Navy requirements of 40 planes, the number is closer to 160

i think navy opting for tejas is a super blunder,nothing else

its too small to be useful by them

 

[graphican]

its 16 per year dude
sorry to burst ur bubble

"The IAF will induct the first squadron of LCA Mark-1 from 2015 and second squadron from 2017.

Whats your learning resource for 16? Article states 2 years period between completion of first squadron and starting induction of the other. There are 20 aircrafts per per squadron.

 

[he-man]

Whats your learning resource for 16? Article states 2 years period between completion of first squadron and starting induction of the other. There are 20 aircrafts per per squadron.

World's smallest combat jet Tejas to get clearance today
India Today Online New Delhi, December 20, 2013 | UPDATED 11:52 IST

Regarded as the smallest and the lightest combat jet in the world, the indigenously-designed Tejas' way to induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be cleared after it gets initial operational clearance (IOC-II) in Bangalore on Friday.

Officials said Defence Minister A.K. Antony will preside over the function where the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), an establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will certify that the Light Combat Aircraft has achieved IOC-II.

The certification will pave the way for induction of "the fourth generation fighter jet" into the IAF.

Tejas has been in the making for the last 30 years and the IOC-II certification is seen as a milestone by the people associated with the project.

Officials said Tejas is a single engine, multi-role supersonic fighter that weighs about 8.5 tonnes and can carry three tonnes of weapons.

Its parameters have been rigorously tested in nearly 2,500 flying hours of the LCA and no accident had taken place.

The IOC-I was achieved in 2011 but the IAF wanted several improvements in the fighter jet before it could be inducted.

"This is the lightest and smallest fighter aircraft in the world in the 10 tonne class," V. Subba Rao, technology director at the Aeronautical Development Agency, said.

He said the fighter plane has undergone improvements since IOC-I in terms of its angle of attack and weapons delivery and has been tested for operation in different weather conditions.

"It has capability of firing missiles with helmet-mounted display system," Rao said.

The final operational clearance (FOC) of Tejas is expected to be carried out by the end of 2014 and the fighter plane will be equipped with mid-air refuelling ability apart from new missiles.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has started producing Tejas Mark I at its Limited Series Production hangar here and the first fighter jet is expected to be delivered to the IAF in March next year.

Officials said HAL plans to initially produce eight LCAs every year and then scale up production to 16.

They said all Tejas Mark I aircraft will be subsequently upgraded to Mark II after obtaining the FOC.

K. Tamilmani, director general at the Aeronautical Systems of DRDO, said Tejas has an altitude of 15 km and speed of more than 1,350 km per hour. It can fly 1,700 km non-stop and has "glass cockpit display system".

"The aircraft is 65 per cent indigenous," he said. The engine, ejection seat and radar are among the components that have been imported.

He said Tejas can be compared to the Mirage 2000, F-16 and Gripen fighter jets.

Tejas is expected to cost about Rs.200 crore per aircraft initially, with the cost coming down as production increases.

Officials said the development cost of the Tejas project has been about Rs.10,000 crore.

Rao, who has been associated with the development of Tejas since 1987, said he felt overwhelmed at the fighter plane reaching the stage of IOC-II.

"It is a lifetime achievement for me. I am very fortunate to have been part of this programme from the beginning," Rao told IANS.

Tejas is expected to replace the ageing MiG fleet of the IAF in the coming years.

HAL officials said the LCA development had taken almost 30 years as the project started from scratch in 1983 and the country had to battle technology denials in the wake of nuclear tests at Pokhran.

DRDO got permission to initiate the programme to design and develop the LCA in 1983.


Read more at: World's smallest combat jet Tejas to get clearance today : North, News - India Today