HAL Tejas | Updates, News & Discussions-[Thread 2]

[Pakistan First]

From 1990 to 2016, it took Indian 26 years from design initiation to first maiden flight.

Is it really something to be proud of?

 

[Lord Of Gondor]

From 1990 to 2016, it took Indian 26 years from design initiation to first maiden flight.

Is it really something to be proud of?

First flight was in the year 2001.
This is the maiden flight of the SP3.
And yes it's an achievement worth being proud of.

 

[Skull and Bones]

Like I said, sputnik news is far from reality

 

[ranadd]

From 1990 to 2016, it took Indian 26 years from design initiation to first maiden flight.

Is it really something to be proud of?

Please do not twist the words. Maiden flight of the program was TD-1 in 2001.

From an engineering perspective, Yes it is a huge accomplishment. Many were not hopeful or were banking against it.

The amount of countries that have tried to do the 100% component things are less than 5 or so. They are all in the UNSC. One of them, China is lagging behind in several areas comparing to its western or northern partners. But they will close the gap in 5 or 7 years for sure. India created a supply chain that didn't exist before. It literally created new businesses. The amount of IP registered itself is commendable(I have first hand experience in this). If the program was NOT linked to kaveri, this would have been a hallmark development program. Instead of the same project Tejas-Kaveri should have been two different projects. Just like now.

The biggest drawback of this program and still is, the program management side. (2001 to 2016 only 18 or 19 frames completed.)

 

[wiseone2]

From 1990 to 2016, it took Indian 26 years from design initiation to first maiden flight.

Is it really something to be proud of?

it depends upon how much resources were allocated to the project
without trying you do not know where you stand

 

[sudhir007]

As i read lca can carry 3.5T weapon. but is it possible to for lca to carry 3.5T weapon on 7 hardpoint

 

[My-Analogous]

It is better than rafale leave tejas. U forgot your Chinese made jets also have mard e momin tag. AndI think u forgot 1jf thunder=10tejas

But question is we have 100+ JF17 and didn't find your even 10 LCA (Least Combat ready Aircraft). For 100+ you guys need 1000 atleast.

 

[Allen Iverson]

But question is we have 100+ JF17 and didn't find your even 10 LCA (Least Combat ready Aircraft). For 100+ you guys need 1000 atleast.

Anywhich ways, now that all the testing and evaluations are done, and the first squadron is complete with then inclusion of SP-4, it is only a matter of time before we can churn out in numbers..

 

[RPK]

The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas undergoing Trials with New Weapons

Getting ready for the Takeoff with a live CCM.

From the 2013 Trials in Goa

 

[ayesha.a]

From 1990 to 2016, it took Indian 26 years from design initiation to first maiden flight.

Is it really something to be proud of?

The maiden flight was in 2001. The start of the design phase, IIRC, was in 1993. Quite a worthy feat for a country with no aviation industry or experience or expertise at the time. (In development; HAL was a manufacturing powerhouse in Asia even then.)

"Be proud about" is a difficult concept. That depends on the person, what she chooses to be proud about. If you are somebody who cannot be proud of anything less than the best, then you cannot be proud of anything other than designing and operationalizing an F-22 Raptor, in this day and age. Anything else is sub-par.

But question is we have 100+ JF17 and didn't find your even 10 LCA (Least Combat ready Aircraft). For 100+ you guys need 1000 atleast.

Oh but we have manufactured 1000s of fighter aircrafts, for the 100 that you have. (Actually it's less than a 100.) LCA is something India is trying to develop by herself, and that's a lot different from manufacturing something that was designed, prototyped and flight tested elsewhere. It's a whole different level of complexity.

HAL has manufactured much more complex jets than JF-17; was doing so for decades. But designing in-house, flight testing for years to worm out every niggle, and putting forth a finished product that can be competitive in contemporary times, is a whole different endeavor. You will understand that the day you try to design your own aircraft - until then, you can take pride in Chinese gifts.

 

[Penguin]

From 1990 to 2016, it took Indian 26 years from design initiation to first maiden flight.

Is it really something to be proud of?

1983 DRDO obtained permission to initiate a programme to design and develop a Light Combat Aircraft
1986 Government allocates 575 crores for the LCA programme.
1986 Programme to develop an indigenous powerplant (engine) launched at GTRE.
1987 Project definition commenced in October 1987 with French Dassault Aviation as consultants
1990 Design of LCA was finalised as a small delta winged relaxed static stability aircraft.
1993 Full funding started from April, full-scale development work for phase 1 started in June.
1995 First technology demonstrator, TD-1, rolled out on 17 November 1995
1997 Multi-Mode Radar (MMR) for LCA design work started at HAL Hyderabad and the LRDE
1998 Second technology demonstrator, TD-2, rolled out

Technical problems in flight control systems and structural deficiencies plagued the prototypes and they remain grounded.

2001 4 January - LCA’s maiden flight successfully completed by Technology Demonstrator TD-1
2002 6 June - TD-2 makes a successful maiden flight
2003 25 November - Prototype vehicle PV-1 makes a successful maiden flight.
2005 1 December - PV-2 makes a successful maiden flight.
2006 1 December - The PV-3 flew for the first time
2007 25 April - The first Limited Series Production LCA (LSP-1) made its first flight
2008 16 June – Tejas second Limited Series Production LCA (LSP-2) made its first flight
2009 26 November - Two seater (Trainer) version of Tejas (PV-5) made its maiden flight [PV-4 therefore sometime between 1 December 2006 and 29 November 2009]
2009 15 December - Indian government sanctioned Rs 8,000 crores to begin production of the fighter jet for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
2010 23 April - LCA Tejas LSP-3 Makes Maiden Flight. LSP-3 is almost the final configuration.
2010 2 June - LCA Tejas LSP-4 Makes maiden flight. The flight marks the first time for a Tejas aircraft flying in the configuration that will be finally delivered to the Indian Air Force.
2010 19 November - LCA Tejas LSP-5 Makes Maiden Flight.
2012 9 March - LCA Tejas LSP-7 Makes Maiden Flight [LSP-6 therefore sometime between 19 NOvember 2012 and 9 March 2012]
2012 27 April - 1st Naval LCA prototype NP-1 makes maiden flight
2013 31 March - LSP 8 had a successful maiden test flight at Bangalore
2013 28 September - The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas successfully completed the maiden engine relight test on Friday—a critical parameter the programme needs to achieve for the Initial Operational Clearance 2 (IOC-2).
2015 17 January – IAF gets first indigenously built light combat aircraft Tejas - The LCA Tejas Series Production-1 (SP1)
2015 7 February – First flight of the Naval prototype (NP-2)
2015 30 September – Decision was taken to start mass-production of the Tejas Mk-1A
2015 1 December – Indian Government announced it will order 100 Tejas Mk-1As for the IAF
2016 1 July - Tejas SP (Mk. 1) formally inducted into IAF. First squadron at Bengaluru, to be fully equipped by 2018.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_HAL_Tejas

 

[Carbonated]

2001 4 January - LCA’s maiden flight successfully completed by Technology Demonstrator TD-1
2002 6 June - TD-2 makes a successful maiden flight
2003 25 November - Prototype vehicle PV-1 makes a successful maiden flight.
2005 1 December - PV-2 makes a successful maiden flight.
2006 1 December - The PV-3 flew for the first time
2007 25 April - The first Limited Series Production LCA (LSP-1) made its first flight
2008 16 June – Tejas second Limited Series Production LCA (LSP-2) made its first flight
2009 26 November - Two seater (Trainer) version of Tejas (PV-5) made its maiden flight [PV-4 therefore sometime between 1 December 2006 and 29 November 2009]
2009 15 December - Indian government sanctioned Rs 8,000 crores to begin production of the fighter jet for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
2010 23 April - LCA Tejas LSP-3 Makes Maiden Flight. LSP-3 is almost the final configuration.
2010 2 June - LCA Tejas LSP-4 Makes maiden flight. The flight marks the first time for a Tejas aircraft flying in the configuration that will be finally delivered to the Indian Air Force.
2010 19 November - LCA Tejas LSP-5 Makes Maiden Flight.
2012 9 March - LCA Tejas LSP-7 Makes Maiden Flight [LSP-6 therefore sometime between 19 NOvember 2012 and 9 March 2012]
2012 27 April - 1st Naval LCA prototype NP-1 makes maiden flight
2013 31 March - LSP 8 had a successful maiden test flight at Bangalore
2013 28 September - The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas successfully completed the maiden engine relight test on Friday—a critical parameter the programme needs to achieve for the Initial Operational Clearance 2 (IOC-2).
2015 17 January – IAF gets first indigenously built light combat aircraft Tejas - The LCA Tejas Series Production-1 (SP1)
2015 7 February – First flight of the Naval prototype (NP-2)
2015 30 September – Decision was taken to start mass-production of the Tejas Mk-1A
2015 1 December – Indian Government announced it will order 100 Tejas Mk-1As for the IAF
2016 1 July - Tejas SP (Mk. 1) formally inducted into IAF. First squadron raised at Bengaluru, to be fully equipped by 2018.

16 years since first flight but still not operation with IAF? 30 plus years old design original intended engine was a failure, even indigenous radar is not ready 60 to 70% imported parts another failure, landing gear developed by India but still have many snags. Auditor general pointed out 87 points against Tejas and it will be the first jet to have MKII version without the success of first version.

 

[ayesha.a]

16 years since first flight but still not operation with IAF? 30 plus years old design original intended engine was a failure, even indigenous radar is not ready 60 to 70% imported parts another failure, landing gear developed by India but still have many snags. Auditor general pointed out 87 points against Tejas and it will be the first jet to have MKII version without the success of first version.

Yea, we could not develop a cutting edge engine in time. Modern, FADEC engines are extremely complex to design and manufacture, and in hindsight, maybe we erred in coupling the development of an engine and the development of an aircraft together. ADA and HAL should have designed an airframe around an existing engine.

But you know, "Something attempted, something done." The work on "Kaveri" will be the stepping stone to the work on "Kabini".

The rest of our post is...BS, for lack of a suitable alternative word.

BTW, could you please list out the "many snags" in the landing gear? In bullet points, preferably.

 

[Carbonated]

BTW, could you please list out the "many snags" in the landing gear? In bullet points, preferably.

Google it don't act like the cave girl in your D.P

 

[Ankit Kumar 002]

16 years since first flight but still not operation with IAF? 30 plus years old design originfrontended engine was a failure, even indigenous radar is not ready 60 to 70% imported parts another failure, landing gear developed by India but still have many snags. Auditor general pointed out 87 points against Tejas and it will be the first jet to have MKII version without the success of first version.

Do you know the time it took for Gripen or F16 or FA18 to obtain FOC from their respective Airforces after the first flight ?

The CAG report from 2013 had data from the time when IOC2 was obtained. Of course IOC2 won't fulfill the need.

As for 30 year old design ,its just 26 years old.

Engine was failure ? Did it burn or blasted ? Try counting the number of nations who can boast of a engine of their own.

There are few nations in list if top populous nations without a 100c.c. Engine built in house.

Radar ? That's not far away , atleast for us.

And for being a failure , might be for some who have never done anything more than painting, but certainly not for us.


@WAJsal @waz @Oscar please merge the thread to sticky one and warn the OP about repeatedly opening multiple threads for LCA despite having a sticky thread. Thanks.