Tejas Mk2 Program could be Torpedoed by IAF
Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari since taking office has not been talking about the Tejas Mk2 program when he is talking about future fighter jet procurement plans that even media along with analysts have started to notice these repeated omissions but now credible information coming from people in touch with IAF top Brass says that concerns are well founded and IAF fears that Tejas Mk2 program might be used by Government of India to sabotage or downgrade MRFA requirements for 114 jets.
IAF is keen to fast track Request For Proposal Stage in the
MRFA competition by mid of 2022 and if it manages to secure a Government nod
for 114 jets then the Tejas Mk2 program has fighting chances as IAF Top Brass
seems to be losing patience with the government, while the last tranche of
Rafale is on the verge of being handed over to IAF in coming weeks.
Fears that IAF might jump from Tejas Mk1A a 4.5 generation
fighter directly to the 5th generation AMCA fighter jet is turning out to be
true as IAF Top Brass seems to be more interested in securing orders for a
foreign jet particularly 90 Rafale over Tejas Mk2 that could have emerged
perfect candidate to replace MiG-29, Mirage-2000 and Jaguar fleet.
Many Analysts have also pointed out a flaw in thinking in
IAF, that it is simply not working to get combat squadron strength back to its
sanctioned numbers for possible too front war and instead is obsessing over
Rafale for way too long that is ready to abandon single engine fighter like
Tejas Mk2 that could have brought mix fleet of single and twin engine fighter
jet ratio back as present aircraft procurement by IAF is tilting towards more
Twin engine jets that usually have 30-40% higher operating costs per hour due
to additional fuel consumption by the second engine.
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Aeronautical Development Agency working on Indigenous Radome
for Tejas Mk1A
The Aeronautical Development Agency has started experimenting
and testing a new radome for the LCA Tejas fleet that will eventually replace
Cobham supplied Quartz Radome Nose cone for the upcoming upgraded Tejas Mk1A
fleet. Aeronautical Development Agency already had designed an in-house Radome
Nose cone for the LCA Tejas Program, but in 2012 started looking for
alternative radome for LCA as part of their product improvement activity.
Aeronautical Development Agency back then had confirmed that
the existing Radome Nose cone in Tejas had issues with the lightning protection
system and there was rainwater ingress at the radome fuselage junction in the
current structure. Later British company Cobham won the tender and started
supply of Quartz Radome Nose cone from 2015 onwards and it was first seen on
LSP-3 and later in all the LSP, IOC, and FOC jets that went into production in
later years.
The length of the new radome remains more or less same at
1970mm against Cobham supplied Quartz Radome Nose cone that was 1972mm but the
diameter at the fuselage interface is now 892mm against 883.5mm seen in the
present Nose cone supplied by Cobham. Aeronautical Development Agency already
had developed a pre-production Radome Nose cone for the AMCA program for
testing purposes and it seems technology developed is been adapted for the
Tejas Mk2 and Tejas Mk1A program.
Taking Advantage of LUH, India puts brakes on Kamov-226T deal
India won’t go ahead with building Russian helicopters
locally under a $1 billion deal when President Vladimir Putin visits New Delhi
next week.
Instead, there might be off the shelf purchases of some of
the Kamov-226T military choppers as the Indian Air Force needs to make
immediate replacements to its fleet of over 320 aging helicopters. The military
is currently fortifying its western and northern borders as tensions with China
fester.
India initially inked the deal in 2015 with the Russians for
200 of the Kamov twin engine utility helicopters. Of this, 60 choppers were to
be imported and the remaining would be manufactured locally under a venture
between the Bengaluru defense public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
and Russian Helicopters.
However, the Kamov project had very few backers within a
government that was keen on boosting the local defense manufacturing under
Prime Minister Narendra Modis “Make in India” initiative. Also, helicopters
with coaxial rotors like the Kamov are costlier to maintain in comparison to
the traditional ones.
India’s earlier talks with the Russians on using more locally
manufactured parts were inconclusive and HAL had since developed a light
utility helicopter similar to the Kamov.
Since then New Delhi has gone ahead with ordering 12 helicopters from HAL. These choppers have cleared most of the field tests and will come under a limited series production just as the Karnataka-based manufacturing plant gets online.
