HAL Tejas | Updates, News & Discussions

[S-DUCT]

LCA Flight test update

From

LCA-Tejas has completed 2132 Test Flights Successfully. (22-April--2013).
(TD1-233,TD2-305,PV1-242,PV2-222,PV3-364,LSP1-74,LSP2-259,PV5-36,LSP3-121,LSP4-72,LSP5-164,LSP7-34,NP1-4,LSP8-2)

to

LCA-Tejas has completed 2134 Test Flights Successfully. (23-April--2013).
(TD1-233,TD2-305,PV1-242,PV2-222,PV3-364,LSP1-74,LSP2-260,PV5-36,LSP3-121,LSP4-72,LSP5-165,LSP7-34,NP1-4,LSP8-2)

 

[sudhir007]

@sudhir007 : any idea when LSP7 & 8 will be handed over to IAF ???

if all goes well, in the last quarter (sept or oct) of this year

 

[selvan33]

Tejas not suffering delays not due to technical deficiency
Recent media reports has been claiming technical deficiency of Tejas, sources close to idrw.org and some close to the program have informed that Tejas program is not suffering from technical deficiency has reported, other sources somewhat confirmed that “Go slow “approach has been adopted on AMCA case but work is moving ahead by small group of scientist has most of focus is still on achieving IOC-2 and to get Tejas MK-II in air by 2015.
Claims of Tejas requiring hours or days of technical checks after each flight was also dismissed by our sources. “It has to happen when TD-1 and TD-2 has to fly but not now” claimed a source, “same aircrafts are available for flights even on same day if they are any schedule test flights “. Aircrafts have successfully operated outside HAL complex (Bangalore) many times for various trials with minimum Ground crew “said same source.

Another source claimed “Tejas is suffering delays due to inexperience of ADA and HAL in getting things done in time frame and its failure to move production of various components from lab to production house”. But there is no denying that HAL is also guilty for not able to put the aircraft in production due to its own deficiency and it lack of trained manpower It takes HAL 9 to 12 months to assemble and make one Tejas aircraft airworthy, HAL is trying to bring it down immediately to 3 months and by 2015 HAL plans to cut it to 1.5 months for each aircraft.

IAF have ordered 40 Tejas MK-1, first 20 Tejas MK-1 will be based on IOC-2 Configuration and next batch will be based on Tejas MK-1 FOC configuration, ADA will be putting together Tejas MK-2 for its first flight by early 2015. In next Two or three years Tejas program has to achieve IOC-2, FOC for Tejas MK-1 and first flight of Tejas MK-2 and its production and certification , Refocus will also be back on testing of Naval Tejas . This has lead to “Go slow “approach on AMCA. And first flight of AMCA will also suffer delays due to this and first flight mostly likely will happen in 2020 or later as per sources.

Source: IDRW.org

Tejas not suffering delays not due to technical deficiency | idrw.org

 

[Jayanta]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHQPz3lbK6E

 

[sudhir007]

FORCE-A Complete News Magazine on National Security-Defence Magazine,Indian Defence,AERO India 2011 Bangalore Bengaluru,magazine on Indian navy,Indian Army,Indian Air Force,Indian Paramilitary forces,Naxalism,Jammu & Kashmir,terrorism,national securi

angalore: The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) designed Light Combat Aircraft (Navy) is a highly ambitious project to develop the world’s smallest and lightest, carrier borne fighter with an unstable delta configuration and digital Fly by Wire (FBW). The LCA Navy must cater for a low approach speed, Ski Jump take off capability, with critical management of Angle of Attack (AoA), and have a structure capable of absorbing high vertical speeds while landing on an aircraft carrier deck. For ADA, with no experience in designing such an aircraft, the task has proved to be monumental and the first flight of the LCA Navy Trainer Prototype (NP-1) has been delayed by over a year. It is expected to take place only in the first half of this year.

The delay cannot be good news for the Indian Navy which, committed as it is to indigenisation, can now realistically expect the LCA Trainer variant to achieve Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) by 2016, with Final Operational Clearance (FOC) expected two years later, by 2018. This would actually be very good going as ADA would have delivered an operational navy trainer with which selected aircrew could begin conversion training aboard an aircraft carrier.

Admiral Nirmal Verma speaking at the roll out of NP-1 stated that “The LCA Navy aircrew should have carried out conversion flying on the LCA Navy Trainer by 2014, as the indigenous aircraft carrier presently under construction in Kochi would also enter service at the same time.” As per a report by the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) last year, as of December 2009, only 35 per cent work on the indigenous carrier had been completed. Compared to NP-1, the LCA Navy Fighter Prototype (NP-2) will feature revised air intakes for better engine performance at low speeds, full navy-specified avionics suite and increased internal fuel. The programme, as it stands today, needs more than a decade of design, development and flight testing before being able to trap on deck as an operational, all weather fleet defence fighter, flying off an aircraft carrier. Former chairman (HAL) Ashok Nayak had requested an early order for Limited Series Production (LSP) production of the LCA Navy Trainer, as a lead time of three years is required, to manufacture the aircraft. These orders would then be dovetailed into HAL’s existing orders. As it stands now, the LCA Navy Trainer will have only limited operational relevance.

 

[RPK]

Air Force audit says pact for LCA parts unauthorised


Air Force audit says pact for LCA parts unauthorised
Chethan Kumar, Bangalore, April 24, 2013, DHNS:
The Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), one of the agencies working on light combat aircraft — Tejas had struck an agreement with BAE Systems Overseas Inc for supply of 15 ship sets of integrated flight control systems line replacement units costing US$3,06,00,000, without the approval of competent authority, states the audit of the Office of the Director of Air Force Audit.

BAE Systems Overseas Inc was to have delivered the units by March 2009. “Under the contract, ADE received 14 shipments. The consignment containing the 15th set consisting of actuators (total 15 numbers) valuing US$21,27,215 (Rs 10.63 crore) in one case weighing 206-kg was sent via shipper number 54151 dated December 17, 2008 by British Airways. However, the consignment was not received by ADE,” the report, completed in 2010 reveals.

Bringing this to the notice of Defence Minister A K Antony, Javed Abbas Technical Officer ‘B’, retired, in a letter said there are several other irregularities going on at ADE, a lab under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), regarding appointments, promotions and transfers.

The audit report, annexed in to the letter, further states: “as per documents provided by BAE Systems, USA, the consignment was received by British Airways and the aircraft left the John F Kennedy International Airport (New York) for Heathrow Airport, London on December 12, 2008 by flight number BA 114.”

While 40 per cent of the value of these products had already been paid to BAE, payment for balance, amounting to 60 per cent of value was effected in October 2009, well after the deadline for delivering of the units was passed, and, the consignment had not reached ADE.

The auditors point out that as per para 7.2 of Purchase Management procedure, 2006, stores costing Rs 2.5 crore might be insured against loss or damage in transit and that insurance cover will invariably be obtained from the insurance agency before dispatching the consignment by the supplier.

“However, the consignment was not insured by DRDO in contravention of the regulation. On reasons for non-insurance, the ADE stated that the clearing agent Air Consolidation Agent — Balmer & Lawrie & Co did not advise the establishment to do so,” the report adds. Observing that the excuse is not tenable, the audit said, onus of deciding on whether the consignment should be insured or not rests with ADE and not the clearing agent.

“Thus, by not insuring the consignment by ADE, as provided in the regulation, the State had to bear loss of Rs 10.63 crore,” the report concluded.

DRDO sources said the consignment, eventually never reached the organisation, and it was lost in transit!

 

[black_jack]

what happened to LSP-6 ?

 

[ejaz007]

Latest Update:

April 21/13:

Tejas a lemon? The Sunday Standard reports that the Tejas is much farther away from viability than anyone is admitting, and says that DRDO’s notional stealth AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) has been put on hold until the LCA project can be made to work. A stealth FGFA/SU-50 is already in co-development with Russia, so AMCA’s value is unclear anyway. With respect to the Tejas LCA, the Sunday Standard’s unnamed sources say:

“The plane cannot fly on its own. It needs a lifeline in the form of support and monitoring of its systems from the ground by technicians…. The common man thinks the plane is doing fine, its engine sounds great and the manoeuvres are perfect. But those flying and weapons firing displays are done with ground monitoring and support. The plane is still not ready to flying on its own”…. the sources noted that LCA was grounded for three months between September and December 2012 following problems with its landing gear. “Normally, a combat plane is ready for its next sortie following a 30-minute [servicing]. In the case of LCA, after a single sortie of about an hour or so, it needs three days of servicing before it can go for its next sortie,” they said.”

These revelations come against a backdrop of pressure from India’s defense minister Antony and India’s government to buy designed-in-India items unless there’s no other choice. He’s selling changes to India’s Defence Procurement Policy as an anti-corruption effort – but what do you call spending billions of dollars on politically-allied state organizations, who don’t deliver on the critical defense projects assigned to them, and never pay any serious penalties for it? Their competitors in China and Pakistan are consistently faster and often better – while doing a better job developing their industries. See also India PIB .

https://www.defenseindustrydaily.co...10-but-foreign-help-sought-with-engine-01901/

 

[Gentelman]

Tejas grounds Medium Combat
Aircraft project



By NC Bipindra - NEW DELHI
Published: 21st Apr 2013 10:16:44 AM

Troubles in India’s ambitious Light Combat
Aircraft (LCA) project has inflicted gaping
wounds where it would hurt the Indian Air
Force (IAF) the most—the future plans for an
Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has “put on
hold” the AMCA project that is being
spearheaded by Defence Research and
Development Organisation’s (DRDO)
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
The reason for the sudden decision to send the
AMCA project—which began in right earnest in
2006 as the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA)
development in 2006—to cold storage is to
help ADA to focus all its energies to first work
on completing the much-delayed LCA project.
“The AMCA has been put on hold for the
moment. This decision was taken recently to
let the ADA focus on the LCA project,” top
Defence Ministry sources told The Sunday
Standard. The AMCA project, for which the IAF
provided the final Air Staff Qualitative
Requirements (ASQR) in April 2010, may be
taken up at a later date, sources said. But that
will still be far away in the future.
India will buy Rafale planes from the French
Dassault Aviation as part of its 126 Medium
Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA); in the
tender there is a provision to buy another 63
as a follow-on order. That apart, India is
working on the Fifth Generation Fighter
Aircraft (FGFA) in collaboration with Russia.
With the final agreement on the design and
development of the FGFA three months away,
India will get at least 140 FGFAs for induction
by 2027. Considering that most of the
capabilities of AMCA will be covered by the
MMRCA and FGFA planes, the revival of the
AMCA will be a well thought-out one, sources
said.
The AMCA’s envisaged features include stealth,
multi-role operations, adequate precision strike
capabilities, including critical first-day
missions such as Suppression of Enemy Air
Defence (SEAD) and Destruction of Enemy Air
Defence (DEAD).
The much-touted Tejas has taken 30 years
already, at an escalated project cost of Rs
5,489 crore. Since the LCA project was
sanctioned in 1983 at a cost of Rs 560 crore,
the time overrun has resulted in a 10-fold
increase in the project cost. The plane is yet to
get even its Initial Operational Clearance (IOC)
so that the IAF could take the plane for a spin.
But sources pointed out that the LCA still lacks
certain critical capabilities, including a reliable
radar, and is deficient in at least 100 technical
parameters. “The plane cannot fly on its own.
It needs a lifeline in the form of support and
monitoring of its systems from the ground by
technicians,” they said.
The LCA, in fact, gave creditable flying displays
during the AeroIndia show in Yelahanka in
Bangalore in February this year, and followed
it up with weapons firing to hit both ground
and aerial targets during the Iron Fist fire
power display by the IAF in the Rajasthan’s
Pokhran ranges, again in February this year.
“The common man thinks the plane is doing
fine, its engine sounds great and the
manoeuvres are perfect. But those flying and
weapons firing displays are done with ground
monitoring and support. The plane is still not
ready to flying on its own,” sources stressed.
Their guess is the LCA may not meet its
schedule of obtaining the IOC before July this
year and it could take till December this year
or early next year before it is ready. To give an
example of LCA’s troubles, the sources noted
that LCA was grounded for three months
between September and December 2012
following problems with its landing gear.
“Normally, a combat plane is ready for its next
sortie following a 30-minute attention from
ground service personnel soon after it has
returned from a mission. In the case of LCA,
after a single sortie of about an hour or so, it
needs three days of servicing before it can go
for its next sortie,” they said.
At present, the IAF has placed an order for 40
LCAs Mk1 to raise two squadrons by 2016-17
with HAL which is the nodal agency for
production of Tejas. But these will be delivered
with the American General Electric F404
engines which provide only 80 Kilo Newton
power.
Later, 80 more LCAs of its Mk2 version will be
ordered for raising four more squadrons. The
LCA Mk2 will be powered by the GE F414
engines that provide a 90 Kilo Newton thrust.
The Sunday Standard

 

[S-DUCT]

It looks like, Shore based test facility at INS Hansa is completed.

 

[kurup]

It looks like, Shore based test facility at INS Hansa is completed.

Cannot see the image . Please fix it.

 

[Sergi]

Cannot see the image . Please fix it.

Image is fine. It's clear even in your quote. Try reloading.

 

[sancho]

It looks like, Shore based test facility at INS Hansa is completed.

Couldn't see it either in the post:

 

[kurup]

Image is fine. It's clear even in your quote. Try reloading.

Reloaded , still cannot see the picture.

 

[RPK]