The induction of LCA Tejas today has launched India into an exclusive club of nations that include the US, Russia, France and Britain that can produce combat aircrafts. IAF plans to induct two squadrons in IOC mode by the middle of 2011. The IAF has already placed the orders for 40 LCAs in March 2005. The first 40 LCAs are powered by the American General Electric GE-F404 engines. The value of these 40 aircraft is estimated around Rs. 7,000 crore.

Posting this just in case people here on ATS missed this. Congratulations to the Indian Air Force for acquiring their latest supersonic fighter jet.

Looks a lot like the Mystere'.

Good for them.

I have seen one fairly up close, they are actually quite small. But it is a very delayed program, at least it was a first for them, I am sure their next one will not take as long

Its good that they managed to finish it, but its concept is at least 30 years late. What is important is that the India wanted almost everything domestic to support the industry, so lets hope, that the experience will be successfully used in the future in other projects. No matter how successful will the LCA be.

Originally posted by matej
Its good that they managed to finish it, but its concept is at least 30 years late. What is important is that the India wanted almost everything domestic to support the industry, so lets hope, that the experience will be successfully used in the future in other projects. No matter how successful will the LCA be.

Thats been my thoughts too, it would have been pretty good if it had came out in 1994. Now its just basically an experience builder for HAL and India in making a fighter aircraft.

I was once sitting in plane on a ramp in Bangalore right by HAL, and a LCA got towed right next to us. Wish I had my camera ready, although photography is quite illegal on Indian airfields. And if I had only had a camera ready when an Su-30 MKI went down the runway on fire into a crash barrier too.

Originally posted by matej
Its good that they managed to finish it, but its concept is at least 30 years late. What is important is that the India wanted almost everything domestic to support the industry, so lets hope, that the experience will be successfully used in the future in other projects. No matter how successful will the LCA be.

I'm sure you mean 20 or even 10. Expecting this to come out in the 1980s from a country with a fledgling a/c industry is quite flattering really.
And then you say 'at least 30' .. What's the matter now?

Originally posted by Daedalus3
I'm sure you mean 20 or even 10. Expecting this to come out in the 1980s from a country with a fledgling a/c industry is quite flattering really.
And then you say 'at least 30' .. What's the matter now?

No, I mean exactly what I said - that its overall concept is at least 30 years old, it belongs to the early 80s at best. And once again no, I dont expect this to come out in the 1980s from the India, I expected that now, in 2011, the brand new light fighter, just introduced in the operational service, will be much progressive than LCA. Just take a look what other countries were able to produce in the comparable category: Alenia M-346, KAI T-50/F-50, Yak-130, SAAB Gripen NG... not to count the unrealised projects like the EADS MAKO HEAT or SAAB FS2020. You can modernise the radar and avionics with the state of the art equipment, you can integrate the new weapons, even do a hard change and replace the entire engine (if you have enough funds to do so), but you cant completely change the airframe, aerodynamics and overall concept as such. Just take a look at the Romanian MiG-21s - they are packed with the latest equipment, but it cant change the hard fact, how obsolete they are compared to the current fighters.

Originally posted by matej

Originally posted by Daedalus3
I'm sure you mean 20 or even 10. Expecting this to come out in the 1980s from a country with a fledgling a/c industry is quite flattering really.
And then you say 'at least 30' .. What's the matter now?

No, I mean exactly what I said - that its overall concept is at least 30 years old, it belongs to the early 80s at best. And once again no, I dont expect this to come out in the 1980s from the India, I expected that now, in 2011, the brand new light fighter, just introduced in the operational service, will be much progressive than LCA. Just take a look what other countries were able to produce in the comparable category: Alenia M-346, KAI T-50/F-50, Yak-130, SAAB Gripen NG... not to count the unrealised projects like the EADS MAKO HEAT or SAAB FS2020. You can modernise the radar and avionics with the state of the art equipment, you can integrate the new weapons, even do a hard change and replace the entire engine (if you have enough funds to do so), but you cant completely change the airframe, aerodynamics and overall concept as such. Just take a look at the Romanian MiG-21s - they are packed with the latest equipment, but it cant change the hard fact, how obsolete they are compared to the current fighters.

Exactly
These birds are older than their pilots
And for those that don't know Yak.



Or T-50


And the M-346



The Hungdu wongFu K-8


The MiG ATB


EADS MAKO HEAT


And my favorite, The SAAB Grippen NG It will smoke everyone of these, well, maybe not the T-50

Your last picture is Dassault Rafale M. Probably you would like to correct it.