470 replies to this topic

[Miroslav]

Photos of LSP-7 first flight.















Whole bunch of pics can be seen here - http://tarmak007.blo...p-7-kissed.html

[Miroslav]

More photos







Miro

[blueazure]

From that first flight in 2001, it took another decade for the LCA, now named Tejas, to reach a partial ‘initial’ operational clearance in January 2011. This clearance appears to be a decorative clearance. By now the 5 prototype vehicles and 6 of the 8 limited series production aircraft have flown. More than one year has gone by since this partial IOC. The project seems to have hit some rough patch. Full IOC is yet to come. Progress appears slow. We have brilliant people working in the ADA, NAL, HAL, ADE, NFTC and the host of other organizations involved with the LCA. But is the Project for the LCA being managed well? That is the question. The long gestation period for this very important national project saddens me. My grand daughter Prakriti was born about a year after the project definition for the LCA was completed. Prakriti will graduate out of the UCLA in a few weeks, while I wait anxiously for the Tejas to collect it’s matriculation certificate!

read complete article at
The Tejas Arrives…… « TKS' Tale


  

[macau boy]

Don't feel bad, LCA is not alone. You'll find similar stories in ground equipments, vessels, missiles etc. In the case of LCA, at least a few copies are actually flying albeit very late and not quite up to par.

[Felicius]

We have the Boring India News thread, and pinned - for all Indian military stuff
We shall rename this thread 'Indian Not Happening But Feel Good Thread'

Indians are allowed another thread, Everything politics Indian; where all non military, LCA, and feel good won't be discussed, so that I may too remain sane!

[saint]

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012

FIRST PHOTOS: LCA Navy Makes Debut Flight

[btruant2002]

http://economictimes...ow/12897738.cms

BANGALORE: India on Friday conducted the maiden flight of the naval version of its Light Combat Aircraft(LCA) over this tech hub under a partially cloudy sky.

"With the successful maiden flight of the LCA's naval version, India has joined another elite club of countries capable of design, development, manufacture and testing of fourth generation carrier borne fly-by-wire ski take off but arrested recovery (Stobar) aircraft," defence minister's scientific advisor V.K. Saraswat said here.

The test sortie of the LCA naval prototype (NP-1) was conducted for about 20 minutes by Air Commodore T.A. Maolankar with Wing Commander Maltesh Prabhu as co-pilot of the national flight test centre.

"The flight performance was outstanding. The naval version is the first attempt to provide a complete marine force multiplier that will give unique battle punch to the naval aviation arm of the 21st century to fulfill national dream of blue waters," an elated Saraswat told reporters here.

Though the Indian naval version is the second Stobar in the world after the Russian deck based aircraft, it will be the only carrier borne fighter in the light category.

"We have flown on the designated flight path up to 30 nautical miles from the base touching a top speed of 450 km from 50 km at take-off and touched an altitude of about 10,000 feet above mean sea level. We also did close formation and slowed down to land smoothly," Maolankar said hours after the test flight.

[Siddharth]

[kmc]

^^ nice pictures

[Miroslav]

^^^ Winter trials at Leh.

[Miroslav]

India's Tejas fighter crossed a very significant milestone by logging the 2000th flight. The much-awaited moment happened 02nd Feb '13 evening, when a LSP-4 aircraft from the Tejas line logged Flight No 2000, during practice sessions for Aero India. The LCAs at Aero India are expected to perform 'multiple aerobatics' for the first time. A formal announcement is expected shortly. Congratulations to Tejas designers, engineers, Test pilots, flight-test engineers, technicians and ground crew.  

[Felicius]

Miroslav, on 03 February 2013 - 11:42 PM, said:

trials

Trials! Isn't it about time that the child stops sucking her thumb?

Miroslav, on 03 February 2013 - 11:45 PM, said:

significant milestone by logging the 2000th flight.

In some 30 years? Emphasis on 30 years, that is is only statistics that is significant.
About time you got her potty trained and she acts her age!

And while at it, post the breaking news too; Tejas engines failed at high altitude LEH trials http://www.defensewo...fter Engine Failure

Delay until 2015 (hearing that since 1983 honestly): http://www.business-...20500426_1.html

Edited by Felicius, 07 February 2013 - 11:08 AM.

[Felicius]

When you guys succeed, it'll be hat's off to you. But until then Miro, please spare us the agony about a chicken that jumps branches!

You guys haven't even inducted the 48 Sub-Optimal MK 1 as yet - http://www.indianexp...issile/429935/2

Quote

Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)

StatuS: The fighter may even miss the revised deadline of December 2010 by "one-two years" as DRDO has not been able to generate enough test flights. The present fighter fails to meet requirements set by the Air Force in 1985. Some major requirements that will not be met even after induction include mismatch of aircraft weight to power available from its engines, inadequate turn rates, low supersonic acceleration and achieving maximum angle of attack. The Kaveri engine being developed is nowhere near completion. LCA's weight has increased 900 kg over the original 9 ton.

Way Ahead

•Accepting LCA in its "sub-optimal performance" as LCA Mk I, IAF to induct 48 of these underpowered fighters.

•However, new teams to be formed immediately to develop a Mk II version that will meet the original requirements identified in 1985.

•The laboratory behind the project — the Aeronautic Development Agency (ADA) — be merged with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

•Take up any future military aerospace programme as a joint venture with foreign aircraft design organisations.

•Kaveri engine project to be taken up as a co-design programme with foreign collaborator.

[macau boy]

Aliph Ahmed, on 11 February 2010 - 08:55 PM, said:

LCA will fly to the moon when attached to the GSLV rocket.

The most hilarious post of today!

[pak fighter]

come on india.....grow man.i mean we have hade enough now

[irfan_kashmir]

If LCA could at least if not better than  Mirage 2000 then i believe india did produce a really good air craft remember Mirage is 1980s air craft ...

[Felicius]

irfan_kashmir, on 21 February 2013 - 05:13 PM, said:

If LCA could at least if not better than  Mirage 2000

Is that your wish list or an analogy? LCA hops branches like a chicken, does not even fly yet!

[PakShah]

Felicius, on 21 February 2013 - 07:15 PM, said:

Is that your wish list or an analogy? LCA hops branches like a chicken, does not even fly yet!

Its without a doubt that this LCA plane is a failure. Why is taking so long for LCA to materialize? LOL!

[sobank]

irfan_kashmir, on 21 February 2013 - 05:13 PM, said:

If LCA could at least if not better than  Mirage 2000 then i believe india did produce a really good air craft remember Mirage is 1980s air craft ...

Do you read what you type?

mirage 2000 was 1980 aircraft which is modified gazillion times. Latest update will be indian planes and contract was signed few years ago.

These planes are flying, and proven strike fighters. Your LCA is neither flying nor proven flying piece of sh|t.
Yes we do remember mirage 2000 is 80's fighter. Hey i got a better example. f-16 was 80's fighter................ hell f-15 is 70's fighter. Lets compare lca with them...............

Get your head.................................

[sobank]

PakShah, on 21 February 2013 - 10:39 PM, said:

Its without a doubt that this LCA plane is a failure. Why is taking so long for LCA to materialize? LOL!

The reality is............. go on net and try to find some LCA vs jf-17 topic. Go back as much as 2003-05. You will hear the same BS of  "coming soon in few months". Over 10 years later, it is still coming soon. You watch, this is how its gonna end. 10 or 20 planes of first batch will be made........and then indian will say hey we gonna make a block 2 so back to the drawing board and therefore we are not taking any new orders for IAF.

by the way dont mix the previous story with arjunk tank fiasco

[butterfly]

The two seat naval version is a good looking aircraft.

[Felicius]

sobank, on 22 February 2013 - 05:21 AM, said:

10 or 20 planes of first batch will be made........and then indian will say hey we gonna make a block 2 so back to the drawing board and therefore we are not taking any new orders for IAF.

They have plundered so much funds that they have been "told" to induct 48 of the "obsolete and rubbish" branch hoppers, and they couldn't even make block 0.5 work, yet! http://www.indianexp...issile/429935/2

As of today, our UAV's are superior to the bird that does not fly, Indians call it the LCA

[irfan_kashmir]

i think our old Chengdu F-7is more than enough for Indian LCA ...

[Tipu-786]

Felicius, on 22 February 2013 - 02:52 PM, said:

They have plundered so much funds that they have been "told" to induct 48 of the "obsolete and rubbish" branch hoppers, and they couldn't even make block 0.5 work, yet! http://www.indianexp...issile/429935/2

As of today, our UAV's are superior to the bird that does not fly, Indians call it the LCA

LCA  = Looser indian Call it Airplane  

[Tipu-786]

Congrats  Miro , saint  and  other citizen of rapistan india ,   finally lca  start flying exactly at 12:00  o clock   at undisclosed location   some where in rapistan indian punjab,

[seacad]

irfan_kashmir, on 22 February 2013 - 05:59 PM, said:

i think our old Chengdu F-7is more than enough for Indian LCA ...

Dude, it's been proven in earlier threads that our K-8 trainer can take out the LCA

[seacad]

Tipu-786, on 27 February 2013 - 03:10 PM, said:

Congrats  Miro , saint  and  other citizen of rapistan india ,   finally lca  start flying exactly at 12:00  o clock   at undisclosed location   some where in rapistan indian punjab,

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

[Simpleton]

http://newindianexpr...icle1554240.ece
Troubles in India’s ambitious Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project has inflicted gaping wounds where it would hurt the Indian Air Force (IAF) the most—the future plans for an Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has “put on hold” the AMCA project that is being spearheaded by Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).

The reason for the sudden decision to send the AMCA project—which began in right earnest in 2006 as the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) development in 2006—to cold storage is to help ADA to focus all its energies to first work on completing the much-delayed LCA project. “The AMCA has been put on hold for the moment. This decision was taken recently to let the ADA focus on the LCA project,” top Defence Ministry sources told The Sunday Standard. The AMCA project, for which the IAF provided the final Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (ASQR) in April 2010, may be taken up at a later date, sources said. But that will still be far away in the future.

India will buy Rafale planes from the French Dassault Aviation as part of its 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA); in the tender there is a provision to buy another 63 as a follow-on order. That apart, India is working on the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) in collaboration with Russia. With the final agreement on the design and development of the FGFA three months away, India will get at least 140 FGFAs for induction by 2027. Considering that most of the capabilities of AMCA will be covered by the MMRCA and FGFA planes, the revival of the AMCA will be a well thought-out one, sources said.

The AMCA’s envisaged features include stealth, multi-role operations, adequate precision strike capabilities, including critical first-day missions such as Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) and Destruction of Enemy Air Defence (DEAD).The much-touted Tejas has taken 30 years already, at an escalated project cost of Rs 5,489 crore. Since the LCA project was sanctioned in 1983 at a cost of Rs 560 crore, the time overrun has resulted in a 10-fold increase in the project cost. The plane is yet to get even its Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) so that the IAF could take the plane for a spin. But sources pointed out that the LCA still lacks certain critical capabilities, including a reliable radar, and is deficient in at least 100 technical parameters. “The plane cannot fly on its own. It needs a lifeline in the form of support and monitoring of its systems from the ground by technicians,” they said.

The LCA, in fact, gave creditable flying displays during the AeroIndia show in Yelahanka in Bangalore in February this year, and followed it up with weapons firing to hit both ground and aerial targets during the Iron Fist fire power display by the IAF in the Rajasthan’s Pokhran ranges, again in February this year. “The common man thinks the plane is doing fine, its engine sounds great and the manoeuvres are perfect. But those flying and weapons firing displays are done with ground monitoring and support. The plane is still not ready to flying on its own,” sources stressed. Their guess is the LCA may not meet its schedule of obtaining the IOC before July this year and it could take till December this year or early next year before it is ready. To give an example of LCA’s troubles, the sources noted that LCA was grounded for three months between September and December 2012 following problems with its landing gear. “Normally, a combat plane is ready for its next sortie following a 30-minute attention from ground service personnel soon after it has returned from a mission. In the case of LCA, after a single sortie of about an hour or so, it needs three days of servicing before it can go for its next sortie,” they said.

At present, the IAF has placed an order for 40 LCAs Mk1 to raise two squadrons by 2016-17 with HAL which is the nodal agency for production of Tejas. But these will be delivered with the American General Electric F404 engines which provide only 80 Kilo Newton power.Later, 80 more LCAs of its Mk2 version will be ordered for raising four more squadrons. The LCA Mk2 will be powered by the GE F414 engines that provide a 90 Kilo Newton thrust.

[Magnus]

The plane cannot fly on its own.

It needs a lifeline in the form of support and monitoring of its systems from the ground by technicians

Edited by Magnus, 22 April 2013 - 01:30 PM.

[Simpleton]

If I were an Indian I shudder to think at what the sorry state IAF would have found itself in if it had gone with the American f-35 instead of the rafale, in the near future at least.  then again the two would make good bedfellows--spending most of the time in hangers undergoing "servicing"

[blueazure]