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Tejas grounds Medium Combat
Aircraft project
By NC Bipindra - NEW DELHI
Published: 21st Apr 2013 10:16:44 AM
Troubles in Indias ambitious Light Combat
Aircraft (LCA) project has inflicted gaping
wounds where it would hurt the Indian Air
Force (IAF) the mostthe 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 Organisations (DRDO)
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
The reason for the sudden decision to send the
AMCA projectwhich began in right earnest in
2006 as the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA)
development in 2006to 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 AMCAs 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 Rajasthans
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 LCAs 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
Aircraft project
By NC Bipindra - NEW DELHI
Published: 21st Apr 2013 10:16:44 AM
Troubles in Indias ambitious Light Combat
Aircraft (LCA) project has inflicted gaping
wounds where it would hurt the Indian Air
Force (IAF) the mostthe 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 Organisations (DRDO)
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
The reason for the sudden decision to send the
AMCA projectwhich began in right earnest in
2006 as the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA)
development in 2006to 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 AMCAs 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 Rajasthans
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 LCAs 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
