FULL COVERAGE JAN 9-10: Tejas Initial Operational Clearance


I will be in Bangalore from tomorrow for the milestone initial operational clearance (IOC) of India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) on January 10. It’s going to be a big day, the entire programme team will be there. It’s the best possible time get questions answered. Post your questions here, and I’ll try getting them answered. Keep it real, of course.

66 thoughts on “FULL COVERAGE JAN 9-10: Tejas Initial Operational Clearance”

  1. Will/Have they Used the centerline pylon?

    Have the tested the LCA's Gun?

    When will LCA Fly with BVR AAM, LGBs e.t.c?

    Will there be IRST on LCA Mk2?

    When will the In-Flight Refueling Probe be fitted on LCA?

  2. OK here goes :-

    Q1.> Can the Tejas Mk.1 be said to have the most advanced avionics in the IAF after the Su-30 MKI ?

    Q2.> Will the first squadron of the Mk.1 be PERMANATLY based in Sulur, or will it be shifted to Phalodi in Rajasthan ? (as a newspaper report claimed once)

    Q3.> What is the combat radius of the Mk.1 with standard combat load ?

    Q4.> In terms of strike capability, will the Tejas Mk.2 be the equivalent of Gripen-NG and F-16 Block 52 ?

    Q5.> Is an AESA radar definitively planned for the Mk.2 ?

  3. 1.Is the Radar operational? Have
    they fired R73 recently in Goa
    using Radar?
    2. Has the flight control s/w been
    tweaked fully? Dr.Shyam chetty
    said 3/4th of the FCS is
    completed. when will the full
    flight envelope will be
    completed before FOC?
    3. High AOA test is pending. its
    been told lsp-6 will be used
    for that…please elaborate.
    4. please get the inside story
    about the reliability ,
    maneuverability and other
    performance aspects from IAF
    pilots, if not confidential.

  4. Please ask them about the RCS of Tejas in comparison to other fighters like f-16,18 and Su-30 mki. There is little-to-no data available on it and what's available is pretty murky.

    Also, Give them our thanks and love for all the hard work they have put in for defending our home.

  5. Shivji, Please throw some light on the Tejas Mk2 program…Can we expect it to be inducted into IAF alongside MRCA ie by 2014??? Can we expect it to be comparable to SAAB Gripen NG or Chinese J-10 (performance wise)???

  6. hello sir:) i'm very much eager to know as to what sort of design changes are to be made.. and also what measure they are gonna take to improve the AoA of tejas. i heard its aroung 28* presently which is very well low when compared to other aircarfs..

  7. Shiv, I was worried knowing the various deficiencies of tejas such as detrimental high altitude performance, poor rate of turn, teething problems, engine air intake problems, etc…..could u pls clarify which r true & which r not!!!!

  8. In two day time LCA or Tejas get indeucted into the Indian Air force… three cheer to the Maker of this marvelous air craft…But yet I am little apprehensive. What ever the Indian do the Chinese seem to be five to ten year ahead, We need to closed this gap as soon as we could. For example The Chinese J-10 is in service for 6 year now and our only after like 10 year after it first flew. Now the Chinese has a J-20 suppose to be a fifth generation aircraft and our still in drawing broad, They have develop the ARJ21 regional aircraft and our RTA-70 again still in drawing broad. They have send a Man into space and we still figuring out how to… We need to Catch up and I surely think we Can"

  9. presently HAL can only manufacture 08 aircraft per year,so how the will ensure fast delivery of LCA and when the all 40 aircraft will be delivered to IAF .Is there any plan to increase the manufacturing capacity.

  10. I want to know about what HAL,ADA and DRDO people think about china's j-20.Do they think AMCA will be comparable to it.J-20 is going to take its 1st flight this month while we have not finalised even AMCA's desing .what they will say about it?

  11. Hi There Shiv, I have a few Questions Which I hope You could Ask on behalf of me..

    1)What are the Likely Changes On LCA MK-2 and when will it be Inducted?

    2). What will be the rate of production Of LCA???

  12. SHIV its not about LCA but please post some informations about DRDO-OFB'S INSAS excalibur,kalantak micro assault rifle,AMOUGH carbin and MSMC.Are they still in there trial phase or have been rejected by army?there is no clear picture about them.I hope you will try to clear some picture after LCA'S IOC event.

  13. my question :
    is IAF happy with LCA tejas ??
    i mean the air craft is just a replacement for MiG21
    but not a good fighter as compared to other 4th generation fighters

  14. Mr Aroor, please inquire about the trials of BVR AAMs on the Tejas. What types are being considered – Derby, R-77, Mica – and when will firing take place ?

    Also, there are a wide variety of stand-off PGMs in IAF service – the KH-31, Kh-29 etc – will these also be integrated ?

  15. My question:
    1) Any plans to include private sector to ramp up production. Surely the target of 20 aircraft per year seems a bit far fetched.

    2. Is there any end in sight for HAL and Public sector monopoly. ?

  16. Its Great to see that the Tejas has clocked more than 1500 sorties without any incident or an accident. we indeed have come a long way in proving our ability to bank on indigenous technology & production quality.That should be the answers to all the critics.

    I wanted to know that can in-flight refueling be added on the current version as a future upgrade?

  17. Here`s my ques. –
    "Sir, we all are clearly aware of the LCA`s capability but still I would like to know from them that where does this Tejas stands in the competition with other fighters of its class around the world?

    Yes, of course its better than our neighbor`s JF-17 but I`m talking about other US, European and Russian fighters which have an excellent flight record(could it be compared to Rafael, Eurofighter, F-18, F-16 or the Mig-29`s). Could our LCA gain such respect as these fighter posses?

    [I already know the answer but i`m eager to know their opinion on this question]

  18. Questions:

    1. What is the Tejas RCS in m2.

    2. Is the Tejas RCS less or more in comparison to other fighters.

    3. Why Tejas does not have canards when all other fighters with delta wings have.

  19. What is the maximum high altitude speed that Tejas has so far achieved.

    What is the maximum G-force that Tejas has so far achieved.

    Also how much maximum altitude it has achieved in fully loaded and unloaded conditions.

  20. Please Please find out why the centreline pylon of the tejas hasn't been loaded yet ? is it an aerodynamics issue ?

  21. Hi! Thanks for providing this oppurtunity to ease off my pressure!

    1. Why was the Tejas decided to be a delta-winged platform?

    2. What is the solution that the Tejas team has come up with(Or still working on), to increase the turn rate and the alpha in the aircrafts prior to the mk2?

    3. Shiv, finally please ask the team to fly the tejas with smoke on in the upcoming Aero-India so that we would all get a glimpse of the AOA attained by the bird.

  22. Hey Shiv,

    Have a great time when you are with the Tejas team.

    Can you please find out if LCA Mark 2 will have canards? will it take the Gripen route? Coz, to the limited knowledge that i have, it seems to me that the delta configuration has poor Hi-AoA performance.

    Also, if there is an increase in overall size by 15~20%, are they inducting any stealth features to lower RCS?

    Thanks Shiv – Looking forward to your post on that day

  23. Hope you read this before leaving.

    1. How is the radar testing on the LCA going? This is India's first airborne radar. How is it's performance so far.

    2. Would there be a structural changes in MK2? Wing change/ size of aircraft/ increased weapon load/ increase fuel load?

    3. Has datalink on LCA been incorporated/ tested?

    4. Will EW be internal in MK2?

    5. Are there weight reduction plans for MK2?

    6. How is the maintaince experience of composites?

    Finally .. Will IAF release a photo of fully loaded LCA with weapons on all it's hard point?

  24. i would like to know about mass production of LCA mk-1 and mk-2
    currently we can produce only 8 LCA a year.is GOI building new facilities with HAL for production??
    Regards

  25. Status of programs like LCH, LOH, IJT and obviously MK-II. secondly what are the plans to step up production rates and any news for MMR if possible.

  26. I will just pray to God, that India should not receive any setback in IOC, Lets get it done, and focus on MK2 n MCA, China is secretly working on on different project which could poised a challenge to India.

  27. Sriram the ADA has already done its homework. The LCA was indeed tested with canards in wind-tunnel tests, and it was not found to give any substantial improvement in performance. So ADA decided to drop the canards.

    LCA's massive wing area (much larger than Gripen) gives it a greater instantaneous turn rate than Gripen, and a good FBW will give it a very decent sustained rate too.

  28. Shiv,
    Please ask whether their will be any change in the design of the air intakes not for engine change, but anything superior like whatever we have seen in case of F/A-18 E/F Super hornet, evolution from Hornet or like J-10b from basic J-10!

  29. 1) Titanium and Composites both are planned for use in the FGFA, with Tejas can they use Ti where they don't want to use composites?

    2) With Tejas designed even for high altitude operations, is Leh or any of those new bases in Himalayas being considered for deployment?

    3) When can we expect to see the Small Diameter Bomb in service with the Tejas?

    4) Is landing on remote airfields or highways ala Gripen being considered? including hot refueling?

    5) Any near future plans (before FOC) for airshows and exercises replacing Mig-21 & Mig27s in the later?

    6) Are computer simulations for the LSP-6 increasing AoA done? Setting aside the 3/4th flight envelop covered what percent does LSP-6 cover in the remaining 1/4th?

  30. 1) Will it have STOL capabilities?
    2) Are there any plans to build or develop a twin engined version of Tejas in future?

  31. Hey, Shiv Aroor,I bet you are a Malayalee (because you are smart). Any way, what matters is that you write good. Maybe once in a while you falter, and this is one! What is the fanfare about this nonsense Tejas. At this juncture when things are so complicated(technologically) what is the big hullabaloo when a wheel has been reinvented! Wake up man, be serious, this game has been going on for some time, I wonder why you have fallen into this trap. We who are smart know that this Tejas is nothing but a kit that has been assembled. Everything in it is 'phoren'. Our valuable resources have gone into this black hole and this will never end till people like you write! Crores and crores of Rupees gone into this 'mother of all dupes'. This HAL, DRDO, NAL, etc; are robbing you and me and our children and you don't care, or maybe you are just naive. We need to let the TATAS, MAHINDRAS, RELIANCES etc; to make great warplanes. And the Government to serve the people not to make warplanes. Shiv I hope you got the point. The last 50 or more years the Government destroyed the nation and they will never let India rise, by hampering or reigning in free enterprise. They are so corrupt and selfish, I wonder why you, are happy?

  32. 1. Has the tejas fired the cannon
    2. the r-73 firings that took place were they integrated with the radar
    3. highest AoA achieved
    4. Is/when tejas will be equipped with datalink
    5. tejas trainer has been flown with dual pilot controls ? in other words is it ready to be used as trainer
    6. maintenance details like MTBF for the aircraft
    7. will there be greater orders for tejas mk1. will production be ramped up for mk1 from the present 8-12
    8. details of all ordinance tested
    9. has training of iaf technicians to handle maintenance started
    10. manpower resource constraints at ada/nal if any. rewards for personnel announced to all orgs involved if any ?

  33. Thanks everyone. Some good questions. Some platitudes that you should probably google. Will do my best to get as many of these answered as I possibly can.

    @mathew: no, i'm not a malayalee. yours is an extreme view that a lot of people who read this blog share. and while i don't see any "trap" here (certainly not for me!), i do believe we need to continue asking the tough questions.

  34. Hey !! maththews from dallas, so instead of facing it, you ran away to dallas and working in a mall outside NASA?Wake up man!!! if you feel HAL,NAL,DRDO are robbing you, then IAI,sukhoi,Boeing will be looting you!!hope robbery and looting makes difference to you!!!

  35. @ genius mentioning ARJ 21
    it bears a strong resemblance to the DC-9 family of aircraft, with an identical cabin cross section, nose profile and tail (wiki)
    Engine GE CF34
    the wing is a new one…(Designed by Antonov)

  36. @anonymous.Since you are anonymous I cannot address you in the first instance. Well, as of me I do work outside NASA in a mall and I am from INDIA. I would rather be robbed or looted by any company(pvt of course) than these Socialists the Baboos. I presume that you are not of Indian origin and hence unaware of things Indian. Let me be clear, this Tejas is just a hogwash, this is just a way of making a living(luxurious) for the people at DRDO, HAL, NAL etc; and we know it. As long as the Government is involved in making planes the public is being robbed, it is taxpayers money. It needs to go to the people of India not to the Baboos and their Swiss accounts. I don't have to mention the Bofors the army flats scandal the HDW scams etc; etc; The Government should not be involved in MAKING planes but rather let the Private Industry do it. India cannot afford this, no, no more! there are millions of mouths to feed children to be educated mothers and sisters to be supported. You are naive to believe that Tejas is the way, in the times of BVR missiles and High altitude loitering UCAVs and Space based precision kill weapons. Let good sense prevail, and let the youth of India decide what they need for their future instead of us destroying that, with our past…Jai Hind!

  37. Shiv, why do you call for such comments when you know that you will never answer them? About six months back, you asked for similar questions that you promised you will blog about. None of the questions raised by the contributors were answered.

    The least you could have done last time was to explain why you couldn't answer any of the questions your readers had asked. Even just a short line saying you didn't have time to ask those questions would have been sufficient. Instead, you just ignored everyone. Now, you are doing the same thing again. You are not alone in this though. Ajai Shukla similarly asked for questions he would ask ADA/HAL/DRDO folks in Bangalore, and when people bombarded him with questions, he too forgot to blog about it.

    Maybe there is too much food and booze and idle gossip at these events that real issues don't come up, eh?

  38. hey guys,when we r trying/struggling to make a gud battle tank,folks of other parts of the world have started to work on INVISIBLE TANKS!check it out''www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/8247967/Invisible-tanks-could-be-on-battlefield-within-five-years.html''

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