49 years before Tejas, India had its own fighter — Marut

[MilSpec]

Marut was just an AD HOC arrangement and display of self reliance
without any real increase in capabilities in terms of avionics ; FBW or airframe technology

How did you determine that?

 

[Stephen Cohen]

How did you determine that?

You can co relate ALL the information that is available on the
MIG 21 ; HF 24 Marut and the Origins of LCA on the Indian side AND

The corresponding developments around the world namely the
arrival of F 16 and Mirage 2000 which were the KEY to India finally
embarking on LCA journey ( Realising how far behind we had fallen )

 

[MilSpec]

You can co relate ALL the information that is available on the
MIG 21 ; HF 24 Marut and the Origins of LCA on the Indian side AND

The corresponding developments around the world namely the
arrival of F 16 and Mirage 2000 which were the KEY to India finally
embarking on LCA journey ( Realising how far behind we had fallen )

Fallen behind? behind whom US and France.... Do you realize what you are saying...

And thus HF24 needed to be scrapped. Given that fifth generation aircrafts, Fadec supercruise engines, sensor fusions and miniaturized AESA radars have set the stage, should we be doing the same for LCA.

HF24 was our own platform with an import engine, had redundant duplex control system, It should have been developed into the ground attack system and subsequently into a strike platform. We wouldn't need to import the Jaguar at all. and It would have consistently given us a test bed to work on for newer technologies, but then again it was a HAL product and there is good chance it would have suceeded, which would be a big NO NO for the *then" MoD. And I still stand by what I said, killing HF24 was a politically motivated move to facilitate foreign vendors and quite a few got richer by these deals.

 

[Anik101]

RATO on HAL HF-24 (Rocket Assisted Take-Off) Indian Aerospace History
RATO on HAL HF-24 (Rocket Assisted Take-Off) Indian Aerospace History