Calamitous Kaveri Cancelled

India HAS Admitted defeat and dropped the plan to use Kaveri engine Developed locally in Their LCA (Light Combat Aircraft, or "Tejas") fighter jet. After 24 years and $ 600 million over the Kaveri was Unable to Achieve the performance or reliability Necessary goals required for use in the LCA. The government plan to see if the Kaveri can be used in a fight UAV Being Developed That Is locally, and is not expected That aircraft to fly for another five years or more.

The LCA developers saw this coming a year ago and ordered 99 F414 jet engines American for $ 8.1 million each. These Were to be used for the first mass produced LCAs Being. Eventually, most is of the LCAs Were to be powered by the Kaveri engine, Which has-been in development hell for over two decades. The only substitute to F414s Were Until the Kaveri was ready. The failure of this engine stress is just one of many examples of how the Indian defense procurement bureaucracy misfires. Efforts to fix the mess and even led to calling in foreign experts (from the U.S., Israel and other Western nations).

For example, three years ago India made arrangements with French engine manufacturer Snecma To Provide technical support for the design and manufacturing problems Kaveri. Critics in the Indian air force help from Snecma Asserted That Would not save the ill-fated Kaveri program. Purpose the government was apparently Believed That It Necessary for India to Acquire The ability to design and build world class jet engines, whatever the cost. Only A Few nations can do this and India wants to be one of 'em, soon, no matter what obstacles are encountered. DESPITE decades of efforts the Kaveri never quite made it to mass production. Now the government will continue development Funding of jet engine design and manufacturing capability, with some unspecified order exchange.

There is much to be learned from the debacle Kaveri. When Began work on the Kaveri in the mid-1980s, it was Believed que le LCA Would Be ready for flight testing by 1990. A long list of technical delays put off Until That first flight in 2001. Had to Be Cut Corners to make this happen, for the LCA was designed to use Originally built Kaveri engine the Indian and the engine was never ready.

The Indian Tejas resumes testing

The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas Indian (LCA), which was grounded since August 2012, has finally resumed flight testing in late November. Seven flights have taken place since then without incident ( Source: Business Standard ).

Remained secret for more than three months, stop testing Tejas was due to a problem with the pilot's helmet. It became apparent that the screen integrated into the helmet DASH could hinder propulsion Martin Baker ejection seat and killing the driver. The seat has been modified with a fallback mechanism for blowing the canopy before it is reached by the pilot's head. The ADA has also benefited from this layoff to correct other problems reported by drivers.

The three month delay pushed the operational status of Tejas in mid-2013 that is already two years behind the original schedule. It will be ready for combat missions in 2014-2015 with a naval version for aircraft carrier. To the west, Pakistan has already inducted three squadrons of JF-17 Thunder, the joint development with China yet started 16 years after the Tejas.

India’s Light Combat Aircraft Prepares For Operational Clearance

India’s indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is likely to win its final operational service clearance, following testing as part of an air exercise in February.
The single-seat, single-engine supersonic fighter will be put to the test during the “Iron Feast” exercise to be held in Pokhran in the western Indian state of Rajasthan.

“The Tejas will display its capabilities in the exercise, where its lethality, endurance and precision will be tested, and if the aircraft meets all parameters, its first squadron will be deployed in Bengaluru,” says Air Marshal Anjan Kumar Gogoi, chief of Southwestern Air Command.
The Tejas is designed to carry air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision-guided and standoff weaponry.
As of March, the LCA had undergone more than 1,816 test flights up to speeds of Mach 1.4. Initial Operational Clearance-1 (IOC-1) was achieved in January 2011. According to the Indian defense ministry, the Tejas has undertaken weapon trials, including flights with a laser-guided bomb. Various sensor trials also were conducted early this year. All told, the Tejas program has clocked 1,903 flights, totaling 1,120 hr.

Tejas fighter jet won't be combat-ready before 2015

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 developmental 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 in its convoluted tale that began in 1983 as an endeavour to replace the ageing 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.

Many chinks in IAF’s armour

Depending on what media you access, the price of the Rafale, the new “bird” of the Indian Air Force (IAF), ranges between $10 billion and $18 billion. Clearly, while the IAF will fly the Rafale, the media is flying kites! However, for the IAF there is plenty of turbulence to deal with.

The deal has been delayed, even though it was trumpeted as the fairest in India defence procurement history, thanks to earlier objections raised by Rajya Sabha MP, Mr M.V. Mysura Reddy. It took the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the IAF well over five years to initiate final negotiations. These negotiations will take a further year to close if all goes off well with the inquiry the Defence Minister has ordered.

In this one-year period, the cost could rise by at least 25 per cent, combining inflation and the depreciating rupee. Thus, a seemingly fair procedure has come at a very high cost. Meanwhile, Rafale has developed new radar and added some avionics and airframe capabilities.

WHAT ABOUT TEJAS?

Maintaining its fighter squadron strengths to the minimum mandated level is the biggest challenge for the IAF. Even with the addition of the proposed SU 30s and the Rafaels, the strength of the fleet is unlikely to reach the desirable 42 squadrons that it plans by 2020. The IAF will retire more aircraft (such as the Mig 21s and the Jaguars) over this period than it will induct. Thus, the air force is likely to be short of optimum strength in fighter planes well into the next decade.

The lack of squadrons is directly related to war preparedness and results in a domino which includes lesser sorties flown in peacetime, constrained war wastage reserves and a bigger part of the fleet in overhaul and maintenance.

India, US Deal for LCA Engines Soon

For enhancing the capabilities of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) India and the US are close to signing a deal worth over $600 million for supplying 99 jet engines manufactured by American giant General electric (GE) corporation.

Around two years ago, India had selected the American company General Electric over its rival European Eurojet 2000 for the LCA Mark II programme expected to be ready around 2014-15.

Negotiations with the US firm over various issues involved in the deal, including price and transfer of technology, have been held and it is hoped that the deal for these engines to be fitted on the LCA Mark II would be signed soon, Defence sources said here.

As per the contract, the order could be for 99 engines initially but India will have the option of order for another 100 engines in the future.

The engine on offer for the LCA Mark II is GE F-414 engine, which are more powerful that the GE F-404 engines fitted in the first batch of LCAs that the Indian Air Force would receive in near future.

Tejas completes advanced weapon trials

Three platforms of India’s Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ successfully completed advanced armament trials at Pokhran Ranges. Military sources confirmed to Express that this time the focus of the trials was locked on to specific modes of releasing various weapons. The current campaign saw Tejas testing various altitude and speed combinations of ‘critical nature.’
 
“During the just-concluded weapon trials at the forward areas of Pokhran Ranges,  practice, dumb and live bombs were released.  A laser-guided bomb (LGB) was also tested. The trials are important as the platform is now being tested for its conversion as a fighting machine from a successful flying platform,” sources said.
 
Different trials of sensors included testing of radio-altimeters, baro altitude, radars and laser. “Tejas’ limited series production (LSP) variants LSP-2, LSP-3 and LSP-5 are part of the current campaign. All modes of weapon releases and all types of sensors were tested at various points in flight envelope. The campaign team is now heading for sea trials,” sources said.
 
The Tejas variants flew at speeds between 900-1000 KMPH during the weapon trials, logging in total of 25 flights. In September 2011, Tejas had conducted weapon trials in Chandan and Pokhran Ranges, looked into accurate positions and target parameters.
 
With all the platforms put together, the Tejas programme has to its credit 1903 flights, cloaking 1120 hours, so far.  Its makers in Bangalore will have to catch up with the lost time in the programme, especially after its Initial Operational Clearance  (IOC-1) held in January 2011. “Currently we are looking into the major segments of IOC-2. We are hopeful of completing the IOC-2 parameters by the last quarter of this year,” sources said.