Dream of fitting indigenous Kaveri engine into LCA-Tejas over

[Sergi]

Is this supposed to a New news ???
It was out like 2 years ago.

 

[fast]

Is this supposed to a New news ???
It was out like 2 years ago.

The article's date is just yesterday. Of course it's news. Everyone else has known it all along but Indians have been deluded themselves with it. As for you, it's good to remind you of this "news" periodically.

 

[Sergi]

The article's date is just yesterday. Of course it's news. Everyone else has known it all along but Indians have been deluded themselves with it. As for you, it's good to remind you of this "news" periodically.

Learn to read and understand "Americananooo".

 

[Liaoning]

Oh it's cancelled what happened ?

 

[SEAL]

Another milestone achieved Kaveri

 

[TakeNoBS]

Another milestone achieved Kaveri

Well, the real mile stone for Kaveri is that it was slated for

trains
ships
UCA
and then

MCA

but not LCA, which it was originally designed for. Best of lock for future of Kaveri. The first thing is to find a partner. If not, cancel the project.

 

[Jayanta]

What's happening here?

Pakistan via China is buying Russian engines, while India's buying American engines..

If in reality the Russians or the French had to help anyone in engine making they would have done that already, don't think they will teach anyone -

why don't Indian government try to attract Indian scientists who are working in companies that make fighter engines...their experience and expertise can be used.

 

[Dandpatta]

why don't Indian government try to attract Indian scientists who are working in companies that make fighter engines...their experience and expertise can be used.

one or two ex-defence-manufacturing-personnel who are now forumers of PDF and other various def. websites, have made it known how govt.of India working mechanism is in such organisations. To lure INDIAN brains working in foreign companies to come back and work in the work ethics that are far too distant from foreign work ethics, is asking for too much.

 

[anant_s]

Important point is to de-link aircraft and engine development project. LCA would long have come to IAF service had the decision of using GE 404 taken earlier. I think more than Single Crystal Blade technology, what our establishment needs in Courage to speak the Truth

 

[Pandora]

I dont deny that i kindov feel good as for the past many years indians kept teaching us lessons of word indigenous. But still i would say failure is key to success.

 

[Ankit_Pujari]

both those who are expressing disappointment & those expressing schadenfreude at this recent report are brothers-in-arm morons

Kaveri Engine And The LCA Tejas Programmes - PUNK'D By The Indian Media - AA Me, IN

Would you express surprised enlightenment today if, during an interview, a freedom fighter mentions that India became independent on August 15 1947?

In 2008, the Government of India performed, what can only be described as a much-delayed course correction - henceforth, the Kaveri engine was to be pursued as an independent programme, unrelated to the Light Combat Aircraft [LCA] Tejas project concurrently under development. Engine for the aircraft would be acquired off-the-shelf, as Sweden did to develop its latest, the Gripen3. For a country embarking on the development of its first fighter aircraft1, that should have been a decision taken at the outset.

"For first 20 Tejas production aircraft will be fitted with imported GE engines. Production is in progress at HAL. The issue of Kaveri Engine has been delinked from Tejas production and will surface again only after the Kaveri Engine undergoes all mandatory development tests. Thus initial lots of Tejas production aircraft will feature G.E. Engine."

- DEFENCE MINISTER’S STATEMENT ON THE STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED IN REPORTS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE

Thus, as should have been the case, Kaveri is the all-important stepping stone for India to acquire competency, building up an Aero-Engine technology domain knowledgebase, held closely by the ones already in possession of it. Yes, when it comes to developing a practical, high performance gas turbine engine for commercial &/or military application, that uses contemporary technologies & materials, the first initiative would involve re-inventing the wheel, first figuring out the Science & then, finding for yourself, ways to turn the Science into Engineering. The status of the Kaveri engine, w.r.t. Tejas, has remained unchanged for the past half decade.

So imagine the surprise when the Indian Mainstream Media [MSM] cried out in "dismay", bestowing hyperbolic, apocalyptic epithet upon the project. What seemed to trigger this "outrage" was a quote from the Director of the Aeronautical Development Agency [ADA], Tejas' nodal agency, in which he just repeated, what has been a 5-year old position. It comes as no surprise, though, that the MSM pulled this stunt, given that sensationalism sells, even if it entails distorting facts. So successful has been their attempt, that search for the term 'LCA Tejas' now ranks these news items higher than the aircraft's own official website, on Google.

Its nobody's argument that GTRE is in no need of restructuring, as are most government-run enterprises, streamlining their operation, infusing new vigour into their pursuits, through capable leadership & infrastructural support, fostering inter-agency competition. Work on developing the engine is being carried out even as the necessary development infrastructure is in the process of being put in place within the country2. It, however, speaks volumes of the ignorance of those who got worked up after reading that piece, given that it is such an old development. Not helping GTRE's efforts one bit was the fact that the Indian Air Force [IAF] decided to redraw their requirement [ASR], demanding more, even as the first iteration of the aircraft [TD-1] made its maiden flight. Despite IAF shifting the goalpost, the Kaveri still managed to fulfil portions of the new requirements4. Admitted, this is of no consolation to the IAF which has specific requirements5.

However, for those on the outside, it helps being aware of the context & underlying challenges faced, to help provide perspective to their "outrage", least they become suckers, once more, to the less-than-honest ways of many in the Indian news & entertainment industry6.



Godspeed

1= the HF-24 'Marut' was primarily an effort lead by German Engineer Kurt Tank & his team of German Engineers.

2= "Boeing will also establish a high-altitude engine test facility as well as a trisonic wind tunnel facility at DRDO for testing and R&D of aeroengines and aerodynamic bodies"

3= France that has one of the oldest history in aviation development, including turbofan engines, too begun its latest Rafale development programme with the U.S. supplied GE-404 engine to power the initial iterations of the aircraft, instead of using anything indigenous.

4= "During this test the Kaveri did well, generating 49.2 KiloNewtons (KN) of “dry thrust”, marginally less than its target of 51 KN. But there was a serious shortfall in “wet thrust”; the Kaveri generated just 70.4 KN, well short of the targeted 81 KN."

5= Some perspective is in order. France's requirement for the Rafale was expressed in the mid-70s. The first Rafale Technology Demonstrator [TD] flew around 10-11 years later in 1986. Not dissimilarly, India's maiden effort, the Tejas TD-1 flew 16 years after its own needs were formulated. Just 5 years more than what it took Rafale. In the 11 years it took France to come up with the TD, never did its Air Force/Navy feel the need to change its requirements. Yet, the IAF found the Tejas not meeting its needs after the TD-1, that was built keeping in view IAF's own laid-down specifications, took to the air with just 5 additional years. Thus, the same Kaveri engine that was being developed to meet original requirements, now had to meet the new ones. Due consideration would lead one to conclude that equal share of what presently ails the Kaveri is due to IAF's myopia in, first, setting requirements [started of as an interceptor. Changes its ASR, asks for a multi-role aircraft with double the weapon carrying capability (2 tonne, increased to 4 tonne)], as also its own inflated requirements in the country's maiden venture, keeping in mind the state of scientific & industrial setup available at that time.

6= For the record, this blog has consistently reflected the position that the Kaveri Engine development programme is independent of the LCA Tejas project,

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

"Decoupled from the development of the aircraft, is the design & development of an indigenous Turbofan engine that is to power the next Advance Medium Combat Aircraft [AMCA], the GTX-35VS Kaveri Engine. Subject to structural compatibility, if things proceed smoothly, it may even power the Mk 2 version of the Light Combat Aircraft that is currently being designed to be powered by the GE F414 engine selected recently."

- India's Light Combat Aircraft [LCA], Tejas [Wallpaper-sized pictures] [Updated]

Monday, February 06, 2012

"In the ensuing period, the Gas Turbine Research Establishment [GTRE], the nodal agency in-charge of the project, has reached the final stages of negotiations before signing an agreement with French Aero-Engine developer, Snecma, to seek their consultancy & assistance in improving the performance of the Kaveri to meet the requirements of the AMCA, possibly even power the Tejas, if things work out smoothly."

- Know your Rafale: India's latest Fighter Aircraft acquisition [MMRCA winner, most likely] - UPDATE [2012.02.07]

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

"Many of these technologies could also find their way into the Light Combat Aircraft Mk. 3 that is to be more stealthy than the current Mk. 2 version, which is due to fly in the next two years with the General Electric F414 engine and be ready for operational trials in 2016. The Mk. 3 is to have up to 70% composite content, almost double the current version's level, and could be powered by India's Kaveri turbofan, if that troubled program gets back on track."

- Stealth version of India's Light Combat Aircraft [LCA] Tejas, Mk. 3 on the cards

anyone with an iota of interest in this subject would know you build an aircraft around an engine, which is not a plug-an-play concept. The 2008 decision to proceed with GE's powerplant itself was the indication

 

[TakeNoBS]

both those who are expressing disappointment & those expressing schadenfreude at this recent report are brothers-in-arm morons

Kaveri Engine And The LCA Tejas Programmes - PUNK'D By The Indian Media - AA Me, IN



anyone with an iota of interest in this subject would know you build an aircraft around an engine, which is not a plug-an-play concept. The 2008 decision to proceed with GE's powerplant itself was the indication

LCA is now designed around the GE engine. And unfortunately, this engine failed the high altitude test. So LCA is delayed yet again.

 

[janon]

LCA is now designed around the GE engine. And unfortunately, this engine failed the high altitude test. So LCA is delayed yet again.

No it didn't fail in the high altitude test. Its thrust is enough for all the parameters it was designed for. The MK1 performs better than half the IAF fleet of today. But they want a more powerful engine for Mk2, to further exploit the advantages of the airframe.

Also, the higher thrust is primarily a naval requirement, as was explained in Aero India 2013. They need it so that the N-LCA can take off with maximum load from the short aircraft carrier decks. The Mk2 and the naval version will therefore have a common engine.

 

[Black Widow]

Dream of fitting indigenous Kaveri engine into LCA-Tejas over
BANGALORE: The dream of fitting Kaveri engine being developed indigenously into the home-grown Light Combat Aircraft LCA-Tejas appears to be as good as over.

"Kaveri engine as such will never come into LCA", P S Subramanyam, Director of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), a DRDO lab, which is the nodal agency for the design and development of LCA with HAL as the principal partner, told PTI here.

Noting that LCA-Mark 1 and Mark 2 will have engines from GE, he, however, said the LCA would support Kaveri engine's flight tests and demonstrations and certification.

"As and when there is support required by the Kaveri engine, LCA will give support of its flying test facilities", Subramanyam said.

He expected flying tests of Kaveri engine to lead to its fitting into unmanned air systems.

Subramanyam said Kaveri engine-fitted LCA would not go into the Services. "In the production aircraft (LCA) going into the Services, Kaveri engine will not be there".

Kaveri engine, originally intended to power the LCA, was taken up for development by Bangalore-based Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) about two-and-half-decades ago but the project has been dogged by delays, with the DRDO lab not being fully able to overcome technical challenges and development snags.

Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and DRDO Director General V K Saraswat said unmanned air systems would see the integration of Kaveri engine for different applications.

Kaveri engine will be demonstrated on board an Indian origin aircraft, added Saraswat, also Secretary in the Department of Defence (R&D).

Meanwhile, Subramanyam said the first LCA produced by HAL would be ready in the third quarter of this year.
Dream of fitting indigenous Kaveri engine into LCA-Tejas over - The Economic Times

Is it a new NEWS???

 

[kurup]

LCA is now designed around the GE engine. And unfortunately, this engine failed the high altitude test. So LCA is delayed yet again.

Nothing new ......Most aircrafts when operating from leh experience these kinds of problems and all they require is just some minor modifications.

Livefist: Four MMRCA Contenders Fail Leh Trials!

Browne said delays do take place in a development project such as the LCA. "Recently we went for high-altitude trials. The engine (of LCA) did not work at that altitude because it is a different cup of tea. Even the Su-30 when it was taken to Leh, it had to be modified. So, the LCA will have to be modified. It has to do the retrials," he said.

And LCA taking off from Leh.