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AMCA Project heading LCA Direction??

selvan33

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AMCA Project heading LCA Direction??

amca.jpg


In recently concluded Aero India 2013, it has emerged that ADA and other DRDO labs are working on final configuration of AMCA which has reached the final stages of its design and ADA in fact showcased a 1:8 model of the AMCA, revealing some of its capabilities via super-graphics.

The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) which is spearheading the AMCA mission is already promising fighter aircraft studded with gennext technologies. AMCA will be a multi-role fighter, which will also have adequate strike capability with emphasis on critical opening day missions like SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense), DEAD (Destruction of Enemy Air Defense) and precision strike.

But Question raised by critics of the project is why similar Lca like approach to the AMCA Project? , Indian Air Force issued the Air Staff requirements (ASR) for the AMCA only in April 2010, prior to that ADA was working on the project with very small team, AMCA which ADA was planning in past and AMCA which Indian air force wants in Air Staff requirements (ASR) for the AMCA are totally different, AMCA has evolved from a Semi- stealth Multirole aircraft to a true 5th generation fighter which Indian air force wants.

But it seems ADA and other DRDO labs are refusing to learn from their past mistakes which it committed on Lca Project, which is still struggling to reach its Final operational clearance after suffering multiple delays and cost overruns, approach for developing AMCA seems to be in lines with Lca.

Two TD AMCA and then 5 prototypes are planned and first flight has been planned in 2020 and first TD aircraft will be rolled out in next 5 years , but the questions remains are we trusting ADA and DRDO to deliver on critical next generation technologies which they have failed to deliver for lca ?? , Lca is still powered by an American engine and has Indo-Israeli radar, Kaveri engine development has already been delinked from Lca project but development of its successors to power AMCA is still in papers, after years of negotiation with French engine maker Snecma to develop a new engine has failed to yield any result and now plans are to make it a open tender asking other engine manufacturers to participate in a joint venture.



It is unlikely that even AMCA Prototypes (Not TD) will be powered by Indigenous or Jv Jet engine post 2020 , HAL on other hand with 3rd Generation production tools is already suffering to manufacture 4th generation Fighter aircraft Lca. Unless major revamping of HAL Production setup takes place and DRDO comes up with better Project management skills to avoid same delays which it likely will face with AMCA project.



DRDO should take outside help to get the project in air has fast has possible, AMCA will be replacing large chunk of Strike aircrafts post 2020, that includes whole fleet of Jaguars and Mig-27, First prototype of Pak-Fa will arrive in India in late 2014, which will enable Indian scientist to have a look into 5th gen aircraft technology. Since India is investing heavily in development of Indian variant of FGFA based on PAK-FA, DRDO should borrow heavily from this project to maintain pace of the AMCA project and also to avoid wastage of resources. Avionics and radar of FGFA can be used in AMCA instead of funding parallel developments of avionics only for AMCA.



LCA Project has already taught us our line of expertises in aircraft technologies, ADA and DRDO has to be realistic and development of technologies should happen where our expertises lies in aircraft technology, instead of inventing everything in AMCA Project, we have to mate current technologies with available technologies to deliver the project in time. Selection of a new engine or even development of new engine should take place before first TD of AMCA had taken its first flight to avoid same mistakes which were committed in LCA for its engine.
AMCA Project heading LCA Direction?? | idrw.org
 
Just to clarify, no I didn't wrote the article, although it sounds very similar to what I often say about AMCA. ;)
@sancho i dnt know why u r not happy with AMCA project but you always strongly recommended indigenous product. ??
Although i always enjoy reading your article.
 
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Making home grown stuff is always a good way to go, but its also good to lay down realistic parameters for stuff that needs to be made. as in be good in making A so that when you try to make AB it has half the work done.
 
@sancho i dnt know why u r not happy with AMCA project but you always strongly recommended indigenous product. ??
Although i always enjoy reading your article.

The fact that ADA/DRDO plan it primarily for IAF to start with, that don't need it since they get FGFA and AURA to cover all 5th gen roles. Therefore one can already predict that they will not commit themselfs to this project and the recent statements of the Air Chief confirms this.
It should be developed as a carrier fighter for IN, since they don't have such NG capabilities but will need it on IAC 2, if they want to fight PLAN in future.

Not to mention that ADA/DRDO are going for this project, mainly because they hardly have any involvement in FGFA and to claim to develop an indigenous NG fighter. So the same wrong reasons, promises and mistakes that made LCA suffer so much.

Btw, I am generally considered as an indigenous hater and was recently even accused of being a lobbyist for foreign arms manufacturers. ;)
 
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Thx for bringing AURA into pic.Havent heard anything new on this project or will it go down the lines of Arihant.

By the way I liked the name Aura so much that i decided to name my furniture and home design business to AURA HOME INTERIORS.Due to open in may.
 
I consider LCA project a huge success ... its the plane which built the foundations of fighter aircraft industry in India. It did what the Marut or even Su-30MKI couldn't do.

But LCA achieved just that for us.

AMCA is on the right track .... IAF made the right decision for laying out the requirements of a full fledged 5th Gen aircraft, not a semi-stealth one.

ADA / HAL / DRDO will deliver the technologies; the achievements of LCA project and the technologies built from scratch under this proejct give ample evidence.

:tup:
 
Probably.

But India has to be commended for going along with such a big project, even when Tejas turned out to be such a big flop.

I dont care if you think Tejas is flop......Even if tomorrow Air force reject LCA.... learning and experience from the development of LCA is priceless ......Even ISRO had failures initially...now world respect ISRO and its success.....
 
The fact that ADA/DRDO plan it primarily for IAF to start with, that don't need it since they get FGFA and AURA to cover all 5th gen roles. Therefore one can already predict that they will not commit themselfs to this project and the recent statements of the Air Chief confirms this.
It should be developed as a carrier fighter for IN, since they don't have such NG capabilities but will need it on IAC 2, if they want to fight PLAN in future.

Not to mention that ADA/DRDO are going for this project, mainly because they hardly have any involvement in FGFA and to claim to develop an indigenous NG fighter. So the same wrong reasons, promises and mistakes that made LCA suffer so much.

Btw, I am generally considered as an indigenous hater and was recently even accused of being a lobbyist for foreign arms manufacturers. ;)

The GOI seems to have released some initial funds for this project in some recent news i don't remember correctly. Does this mean there is no synergy between DRDO and armed forces, i mean there would be somebody who would be pushing this other than just DRDO ???
 
I consider LCA project a huge success ... its the plane which built the foundations of fighter aircraft industry in India. It did what the Marut or even Su-30MKI couldn't do.

But LCA achieved just that for us.

AMCA is on the right track .... IAF made the right decision for laying out the requirements of a full fledged 5th Gen aircraft, not a semi-stealth one.

ADA / HAL / DRDO will deliver the technologies; the achievements of LCA project and the technologies built from scratch under this proejct give ample evidence.

:tup:

I have full faith that DRDO/ADA will deliver the required technologies needed for developnig AMCA. But I doubt DRDO ability in developing fifth gen engine when they couldn't successfully design 4th gen engine for LCA.
 
@sancho Sir,

x8b2PnS.jpg


From the above picture, even an amateur eye can make out that what was envisioned as an article incorporating certain 5th gen elements has been converted into a project aiming at proper VLO. Not even LO but VLO. While the above model is not rich in details nor particularly high quality it clearly shows a very complex edge alignment, chining and disciplined shaping but that's just the surface when it comes to VLO. Hell even the aft and lower fuselage has been shaped for LO.

Once such a "VLO" airframe is up and running, how will the DRDO/ADA provide for extensive robotic surface coating treatment or appliqué laminate tech, VLO/LO rated antennas, radome with incorporated frequency selective multilayer laminate tech, etc.? Even at best we'll just end up with a shell with 4th gen LRUs, no proper engine or AESA radar. What are these fellows smoking?
 
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Why not consult or ask for JV with any aviation firm outside india? why it is an ego issue? If you are facing difficulties or you don't have the prior knowledge or base, get help from someone and achieve your objects.
 
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