LCA Tejas Inducted into IAF

On the Tejas' Red Letter day, the IAF chief's statement that the indigenously built LCA was not yet a "fourth generation" aircraft assumes significance even as the defence establishment continues to push ahead amid concerns over the programme's cost over-runs and its ambitious development schedule.

Pegged to be the country's fourth generation fighter plane, and being developed for over 23 years, Tejas got its initial operation clearance (IOC) here on Monday with Defence Minister A K Antony handing over the 'Release to Service Certificate' to Naik.

But immediately after receiving the certificate, Naik said: "Tejas is not yet a fourth generation aircraft. It can of course come up to that level given the technology, but it needs more work," an indication that the programme's ambitious schedule and technological challenges were raising concerns, especially for the IAF.

Surprisingly, even as Naik was in full flow in exposing the project's shortcomings, neither Antony nor team Tejas countered him, adding authenticity to the IAF chief's assessment.
The LCA programme has so far incurred an expenditure of about Rs 25,000 crore of which Rs 12,000 crore was spent only on development. While eight limited series Tejas fighters have been produced by HAL for testing, only two flew over Bangalore's old airport on Monday. HAL will supply four of the first fleet of 20 fighter aircraft by the end of 2011.
Of these, two will be delivered in June and two other by December this year. But it is doubtful whether the first squadron will be operational by 2012.

Naik said there were some problems related to the LCA that the IAF has discussed with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and other project stakeholders and that it had set a June deadline for them to comply with the requirements.

But overlapping the testing with early production could easily backfire and result in delays and cost overruns should problems in the design or manufacturing arise.

"There are problems with the wake penetration (testing ability to cope with turbulence), all-weather clearance, lightning clearance among others and they (team Tejas) should be able to correct it by June," Naik said.

In this context, it is noteworthy that a low intensity blast, on December 30, 2010, had occurred during a lightning rod testing for Tejas.

The aircraft has part compliance in all these matters, but the IAF is firm on a 100 per cent compliance before induction.

Given the situation, Air Marshal Naik said that the final operational clearance (FOC), the last hurdle before induction, will take place in a couple of years. Antony, however, said the FOC will be scheduled by December this year and HAL will deliver four aircraft by then.

HAL sources told Deccan Herald that the IAF had made the assessments sometime last year after the user tests and that the team was confident of full compliance in time for induction next year.

Bringing some cheer for team Tejas, Air Marhsal Naik described the LCA as a "MiG-21++".
Responding to a query on whether the aircraft, which was being developed to replace the aging MiG-21s, was good, he said: "Having checked and compared the endurance, performance, load carrying capacity, weapons delivering ability, accuracy, avionics and the radars, I think it is a MiG-21++."

Appreciating the team he said that projects of such magnitude were always difficult to execute and the IOC was, after having read and heard about Tejas for over two decades, "a dream come true. The untiring efforts need to be complimented."

He said that the project will help change the research and development scenario in the country and programmes in the future will not have to go through the hardships the LCA went through having to develop everything from scratch besides financial issues and subject to restriction policy of foreign countries.

Category:

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Tags:

• LCA
• TEJAS
• IAF
• INDIAN
• AIR
• FORCE
• DEFENCE
• NEWS
• BHARAT
• MILITARY
• AVIATION
• PV
• NAIK
• TECHNOLOGY
• HAL

[ARKIEX]

better late than never !

[Askywarrior]

LCA has some major problems even after its induction, the most important one being a lack of thrust; the test flights have only reached M1.4 and 4Gs, not exactly impressive for a multi-role fighter. HAL don´t know which engine to fit in the LCA since their "indigenous" Kaveri-engine has failed. Jet-engine companies from both Russia and France have trying to fix it, but it seems to be at a dead end. Any new engine they choose will require major redesign of the fuselage.

[netneo9g]

The problem with DRDO is they never involve air force or army personal in the research and dwvelopment and end up messing up the project

Please anybody can tell me single drdo project successfully asap

[Howard0Hughes]

DRDO chief VK Aatre had said about the LCA Tejas’ “We have developed a fighter aircraft in 30 years and it still have a long way to go”. Air Chief PV Naik’s gave critical remarks at the initial operational clearance (IOC) of LCA that "LCA is just a 3 or 3.5 generation aircraft when it was actually supposed to be developed as a fourth generation one and and it will be used in IAF with limited operational capability", exposes IAF’s dissatisfaction with LCA’s development.

[xcoollynch]

nice one india.... from Pakistan

[MrGhaxaaI]

Twaddi Ammi Da Khussa chud rea si tum pakistani Kanjar ohdi chinta karo...LCA di nai......3% growth si.Bhikh ch mile F-16 to itne na itrao khusreo jado ohna nu istemaal karan da waqt aayega ta tatte muh ch aa jane hai twadde....hahahaha

[pafsbzkhan]

Indians like to brag about making 5th generation plane when they can't even finish 3rd generation (LCA) completely! The famous LCA is cruising towards crossing the milestone of 250 flights (even afterits induction) but the IAF is worried the much-hyped fighter will again fail to meet the already revised deadlines. ”Going by the current progress, it will be a miracle if IAF is able to induct two squadrons of the fully-operational LCA by 2015” says a senior IAF officer.

[MrGhaxaaI]

These Uneducated self glorified porki Bastards doesn't have capability to manufacture railway locomotives by own & claims that they indigeneously produces all missiles & JF-17.....hahaha...lol

Isn't it sounds like a big joke guys???

Porki Formula of Indigenisation is simple:

1) Just Lick Chineese Ass.

2) Collect all crap shit discharged by them.

3) Paint it Green & to say we Made it by own....lol

[bestfighterpilot]

Congratulation to IAF on induction of LCA. But now in IAF there is a divide on LCA. Some want to turn the LCA into a advanced jet trainer due to its failure as multirole fighter, others are still convinced that it could be a success and some want to produce despite its drawbacks and just use it as a point defense fighter like the MiG-21 (which it is suppose to replace).

Now that would be a achievement, producing a 1960´s MiG-21 kind of fighter in 2015.Iaf has inducted it for its face saving.

[Cavisbak28]

@nepaliman because the PAK FA is not indigenous and also because the MCA if and when it comes about would be a quantum leap towards self reliance since it is being designed to become a 5th to beyond 5th generation aircraft