Rs 25k cr Tejas won’t be ready before 2015

[Windjammer]

NEW DELHI: At a time when the US is fast-developing hypersonic bombers capable of flying at 20 times the speed of sound, India's largely home-grown Tejas light combat aircraft will 'not be ready to go to war' anytime before 2015.

The latest assessment of Tejas, which has now clocked close to 2,000 flights in its almost three-decade-long saga, holds the light-weight fighter will be capable of firing guns, rockets and BVR (beyond visual range) missiles as well as air-to-air refuelling only by 2015 at the earliest, say defence ministry sources. That is when the single-engine Tejas will become fully combat-ready after getting the final operational clearance (FOC). The review suggests that the fighter is again headed to miss a deadline. The project was started in 1983 to replace Mig 21s.

So far, Tejas has achieved only initial operational clearance-I (IOC-I) to certify it's airworthiness. "The IOC-II for the fighter, which also includes integration of some weapons like laser-guided bombs, was pushed back to December 2012. But now, it will only be possible by July, 2013, or so after over 200 more sorties. FOC will come only two years after that,'' said a source.

India will eventually spend over Rs 25,000 crore in the entire Tejas programme, including the naval variant and trainer as well as the failed Kaveri engine, as reported by TOI. But more than the cost, it's the time taken to develop a fully-tested, weapons-ready fighter that underlines how critical defence projects should not be run.

While it is true that developing a supersonic fly-by-wire fighter from scratch was never going to be easy, the entire project could have been managed much better. IAF, on its part, is supporting the fighter programme since it knows the country's need to have indigenous weapon systems is strategically critical.

Rs 25k cr Tejas won’t be ready before 2015 - The Times of India

Some of the comments on this news make interesting reading.

 

[Nitin Goyal]

i think its time to dump the project...better to invest in JV

 

[Screambowl]

i do agree at some point that, DRDO is famous for 'date research and dating organisation.' but never the less it is a good research project

 

[Kesang]

http://www.defence.pk/forums/indian-defence/4346-lca-news-discussions.html

 

[Banana]

India will eventually spend over Rs 25,000 crore in the entire Tejas programme, including the naval variant and trainer as well as the failed Kaveri engine, as reported by TOI

Well Well Worth it.

So Where does India stand?

Can make a 4th Generation Fighter. Remember We are not a Pioneer but a Very Late Follower.

Naval Variant - How many Nations can create a Naval Fighter which can take off from a Carrier? - US, France, Russia.

Kaveri Failed?

The Thrust of Kaveri is what the West and Russia achieved in the 1980s. So We already closed a 80-90 Year Gap in Jet Engine Technology. The Rest of the World is 100 Years behind. Yeah I am talking about those who did not even Dare to take up a Jet Engine Programme (Turkey, South Korea). We have to start some where off. In the next generation, we would close the gap more.

 

[lightoftruth]

why seperate thread for it? already their is a sticky one.

moderators pls move it.

 

[Arsalan]

Don't confuse Pakistani missiles with Brahmoos. !!!

Ouch....
That hurts...


On topic, even though Tejas have been of much disgrace and embarrassment to India i suppose they must have learn some things from this project, like development of airframe, avionics etc and this will help them going forward!

regards!

 

[alok mishra]

what ever people think about tejas we should ignore it. Tejas is great achievement for indian scientist, whatever we already achieved so far of which not more than 1% is still in developing stage in our neighborhood countries.

 

[UKBengali]

Maybe the Tejas project could have been better handled but the fact is that the project has now given India the experience to start to build a fifth generation fighter to be ready in the 2025-2030 time frame.

It seems that the only area that India pretty much screwed up was the propulsion system but I believe that this was due to the extreme ambition of the Indians in trying to build an engine that was nearly state of the art, rather than the capabilities of the engineers on the project. Remember, China only mastered engines of this technology level in 2010 with the WS-10A and the similar thrust WS-13 is only scheduled to be ready this year or next. The Chinese had much more experience in building engines than the Indians to start off with anyway.

They have done well on the airframe and the avionics, minus the radar. The radar was a minor success with some outside help required.


Overall, it was a decent effort and India now has a base to independently build a fifth generation fighter with the only area that they will have to rely on for foreign assistance being the engines.

 

[1ndy]

It's our money and plane... That's simple

 

[Sergi]

NEW DELHI: At a time when the US is fast-developing hypersonic bombers capable of flying at 20 times the speed of sound, India's largely home-grown Tejas light combat aircraft will 'not be ready to go to war' anytime before 2015.

The latest assessment of Tejas, which has now clocked close to 2,000 flights in its almost three-decade-long saga, holds the light-weight fighter will be capable of firing guns, rockets and BVR (beyond visual range) missiles as well as air-to-air refuelling only by 2015 at the earliest, say defence ministry sources. That is when the single-engine Tejas will become fully combat-ready after getting the final operational clearance (FOC). The review suggests that the fighter is again headed to miss a deadline. The project was started in 1983 to replace Mig 21s.

So far, Tejas has achieved only initial operational clearance-I (IOC-I) to certify it's airworthiness. "The IOC-II for the fighter, which also includes integration of some weapons like laser-guided bombs, was pushed back to December 2012. But now, it will only be possible by July, 2013, or so after over 200 more sorties. FOC will come only two years after that,'' said a source.

India will eventually spend over Rs 25,000 crore in the entire Tejas programme, including the naval variant and trainer as well as the failed Kaveri engine, as reported by TOI. But more than the cost, it's the time taken to develop a fully-tested, weapons-ready fighter that underlines how critical defence projects should not be run.

While it is true that developing a supersonic fly-by-wire fighter from scratch was never going to be easy, the entire project could have been managed much better. IAF, on its part, is supporting the fighter programme since it knows the country's need to have indigenous weapon systems is strategically critical.

Rs 25k cr Tejas won’t be ready before 2015 - The Times of India


Some of the comments on this news make interesting reading.

hahahaha
1. Many so called genious in last few decades were saying Indian investment on space program is waist of money. Everybody know the fact now
2. LCA is delayed. No problem. IAF isn't going to run out of fighters. We have money we can buy more but we couldn't buy the experience we get from LCA. It will definatly help in next development. So be it. Better management would have come handy but we can't do anything about it
3 25K cr isn't big amount for India atleast
4. Those who cring over failure and missed dates here , have your country ever tried to do it ??? China is developing engine and I am not talking about WS-10. We all know what it is. So let alone Kaveri.
5. The Kaveri JV is giving India some fine tech which we don't have yet. So it win win
6. The last thing that can happen due to delayed LCA .... More Rafales I hope this isn't the likening of OP here

 

[OrionHunter]

At a time when the US is fast-developing hypersonic bombers capable of flying at 20 times the speed of sound...

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/indian...-won-t-ready-before-2015-a.html#ixzz21LStGaGf

20 times the speed of sound?? Really? What kinda twaddle is this? The author of this article needs to wake up from his sexual fantasies!

 

[SQ8]

hahahaha
1. Many so called genious in last few decades were saying Indian investment on space program is waist of money. Everybody know the fact now
2. LCA is delayed. No problem. IAF isn't going to run out of fighters. We have money we can buy more but we couldn't buy the experience we get from LCA. It will definatly help in next development. So be it. Better management would have come handy but we can't do anything about it
3 25K cr isn't big amount for India atleast
4. Those who cring over failure and missed dates here , have your country ever tried to do it ??? China is developing engine and I am not talking about WS-10. We all know what it is. So let alone Kaveri.
5. The Kaveri JV is giving India some fine tech which we don't have yet. So it win win
6. The last thing that can happen due to delayed LCA .... More Rafales I hope this isn't the likening of OP here

Seems more like a sheepish rant rather than an actual reply..
1. ???
2. Sure, thats all great.. but it doesnt take away from the fact that this project is now becoming too little too late for the IAF's needs
3. Right.. so no Indian tax payer is upset about losing that amount.. again..sounds like a angry whine rather than an intelligent argument.
4. I will infrac you the next time you drag Pakistan or China into this in your cheap, pathetic attempt to throw trash on somebody else for your country's own problem to divert the topic.
5. Yet the engine has been publicly declared as unfit for the purpose it was originally thought out for. Basically, it did not make the grade.
6. Again another whiny rant.

20 times the speed of sound?? Really? What kinda twaddle is this? The author of this article needs to wake up from his sexual fantasies!

Darpa Hypersonics - If At First (or Second) You Don't Succeed

Apparently more than one glass house has been cracked..
but we Indians cannot be seen faltering.. its not possible humanly.

 

[Windjammer]

The bizarre attitude of some Indian members is astonishing, you post an article, they ask for a link, if the source is there, they take out their frustration on Pakistan and China or at best the OP.
Some how the digression, smileys and other icons seems to end up in bringing out their desperate effort to grab onto straws.
Wonder if the link was from a Pakistani or Chinese source...what the reaction would be. !!

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

Maybe the Tejas project could have been better handled but the fact is that the project has now given India the experience to start to build a fifth generation fighter to be ready in the 2025-2030 time frame.

It seems that the only area that India pretty much screwed up was the propulsion system but I believe that this was due to the extreme ambition of the Indians in trying to build an engine that was nearly state of the art, rather than the capabilities of the engineers on the project. Remember, China only mastered engines of this technology level in 2010 with the WS-10A and the similar thrust WS-13 is only scheduled to be ready this year or next. The Chinese had much more experience in building engines than the Indians to start off with anyway.

They have done well on the airframe and the avionics, minus the radar. The radar was a minor success with some outside help required.


Overall, it was a decent effort and India now has a base to independently build a fifth generation fighter with the only area that they will have to rely on for foreign assistance being the engines.

The bolded part is incorrect, India has zero experience with stealth.

Being part of the PAK-FA can give some experience, but not enough to build one of its own in such a short timeframe.