LCA Tejas Sports Python & Derby

India’s LCA Tejas twin-seat trainer mock-up on display at Aero India 2013 for the first time shows it alongside a Rafael Python-5 IR short-range air-to-air missile and a Rafael Derby BVRAAM. The latter is a stopgap in the event that the Astra isn’t delivered on time, and also for testing requirements. Also on the mockup are the R-73 and the Astra.
Journalist Tamir Eshel over at Defense Update reports, “Assuming the Astra missile currently developed for the aircraft not meet the full flight envelope performance goals, the IAF and Indian Naval Aviation are integrating the Derby and Python 5 missiles on the aircraft, along with Russian R73 that was slated for the aircraft from the beginning, to meet the required full-operational capabilities level for the fighter. These weapons will be needed primarily to meet the Indian Navy requirement for carrier air defense, as the LCA will begin to replace the Sea Harriers that currently carry those missions with these weapons.”

13 thoughts on “LCA Tejas Sports Python & Derby”

  1. Shiv, your blog has been malfunctioning today – not loading up completely and also not showing links to previous posts.

    Pls check

  2. What is the use of the missile if the fighter keeps running through trial phase for 3 decades. Whilst DRDO is finding it difficult to induct a gen3++ fighter LCA Tejas MK-1 into the air force…it is making the public fool proposing white elephant projects like the AMCA, Aura, Rustam etc. Get the bsics right…LCA has been postponed till 2015 so has indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-1 and 2)..it seems the best engineers and scientists immigrate to USA and other countries whilst the good for no one stays back…and wastes billions of tax payers money in their dream projects…and finally do not yield anything. Its time to retain the best brains in India and not let them immigrate.

  3. I would have thought that Aero India 2013 was the perfect opportunity to communicate on the progress being made on Tejas Mk2.

    In this context, I find the almost complete lack of (new) information on Tejas Mk2 so far to be very "disturbing".

  4. We need to keep plugging away in missile development otherwise years of hard earned knowledge will wither away. Israel is a great partner but not sure if it has resources to support India in a full scale war effort.

    No more missile or radar imports. Full Stop!

  5. Dear Shiv,
    I am a great fan of your blogs. I was wondering if you have any pictures of LCA Tejas Cockpit which shows the throttle. I tried to google it out. but rarely saw any pictures that shows the left hand side inside the cockpit.

    It would be really great if you could upload a cockpit view of Tejas.

    Thanking you.

    Jyo

  6. Dear Shiv,
    I am a great fan of your blogs. I was wondering if you have any pictures of LCA Tejas Cockpit which shows the throttle. I tried to google it out. but rarely saw any pictures that shows the left hand side inside the cockpit.

    It would be really great if you could upload a cockpit view of Tejas.

    Thanking you.

    Jyo

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