"beautiful" LCA, page 4

Originally posted by engineer
LCA is proving to be a little ambitious at this point, the IAF should rethink it's philosophy on indiginous systems and focus on getting the AC through tests and into production. Upgrades and changes can come later when the bugs are sorted out with the engine and avionics packages.

Well, from the start, the LCA was made to be an ambitious program. Not only is it a true 4th+ generation light multirole in design, but the goal of it was not just to operationalize such, but to literally develop the entire gamut of advanced aeronautics technologies and industries in India. The program has launched India's own aeronautical military-industrial complex.

The technologies themselves developed in this program have been significantly applied to literally every aircraft in the IAF inventory, such as development of advanced materials and technologies for MKI, in-house advanced upgrade of Jags and -27s, superfast development of Intermediate Jet Trainer, development of Dhruv (Advanced Light Helicopter), Lancer upgrade for IAF helos, Bison upgrade on the -21s, development on Light Combat Helicopter, etc., etc., etc... In this respect, the Tejas is already a huge success.

Mastering advanced jet engines using single-crystal engine blade technology is no small step, and it will of course meet with its share of problems, as all new technologies do. I mean, you don't want to develop a brand new airframe around a brand new engine unless you have a stomach for disaster. The Rafael flew with the F404-400 for over 4 years before the M-88 engine was ready. The Su-27 initially flew with the AL-21 because the AL-31F was far from ready.

But its significant that India is committed to the long run of mastering this technology from the ground up, gaining skill not in the manufacture, but in the intricacies of engine design. In the interim, the first tranche of Tejas will be equipped with an upgraded version of the GE-F404 engine called F404-IN20, and retooled with the Kaveri when it matures.

Originally posted by COWlan
To say the truth, I think the LCA is a really ugly plane. In the pictures I can see RUST, that shows how good the project is going.

That's not rust, bro. That is fluid of some sort, colored for the purposes of testing, used in the design phase. The aircraft are painted that way so that the fluid shows clearly. The ADA had specifically addressed this point after certain sections of the normally self-flaggelating Indian press went to hysterics about that very point. The method hardly uncommon. If you look at pictures of test flights of the F-35 in its development, you see the same 'rusting.'

As for beauty, I personally think its a very good looking aircraft. Here's an artist rendering of the aircraft painted in the IAF low-viz paint scheme, equipped with an assortment of weapons the Tejas is going to carry:

Another nice pic showing weapon load:

Originally posted by W4rl0rDI'm sorry,but they are "pathetic copies

You say "pathetic copies", I say "pathetic attempt at insult on a subject you obviously know zero about."

The ONLY thing in common with the Mirage is that ADA consulted with Marcel Dassault some 20 years ago when the LCA idea was in idea phase on the infrastructure path that India was to follow for the LCA's development.

Apart from that, there is NOTHING in common, except for the fact that both aircraft's wings are roughly triangular. Unlike the traditional delta in the Mirage, Gripen and even J-10, the Tejas employs a cranked delta wing a bit similar to that of the F-16XL:

Furthermore, the Tejas design includes extensive wing-fuselage blending, shielded air intakes and a host of aerodynamic features in contrast with the Mirage's (& Gripen's, J-10's) design which is far more conventional.

BUT if you want to extend your inane comparison, then, take the canards off of all the 4+ generation aircraft (EF2000, Gripen, J-10), and whoh! they all look like Mirages! Interestingly, with the Tejas, the original design called for canards as a possible configuration, however, once the cranked, compound hybrid delta design was optimized, ADA was extremely happy with the result, and canards were dropped, as they did not even offer any advantage or enhance manoverability the Tejas's design configuration.

And even furthermore, compared to the Mirage, the Tejas is composed of much more advanced materials and more sophisticated indigenous avionics, etc. Even with it being smaller, way lighter, and carrying a smaller fuel load, the Tejas's range exceeds that of the Mirage, and it has a more efficiant and more powerful engine (be they the F404 or the eventual Kaveri, the latter which would make it capable of supercruise, as is planned) giving it a bigger thrust-to-weight ratio, and its wing and structural design, etc. allows it to carry a larger, more diverse and, with the weapons to be inducted with it, a more advanced weapons load.

Even in its technology demonstration phase, IAF test pilots (from the Mirage sqns. no less) flying the Tejas are absolutely gaga over the plane, saying it significantly outperforms the Mirage and Gripen in every single aspect, and, mind you, IAF pilots have flown both the M2K-5 and Gripen. And even purchised the former.

Really, the comparison between the Mirage and Tejas is itself dishonest. Tejas is literally a generation ahead of the Mirage. At one-third the size of the F-22 and half the size of the EFA or Rafale, the LCA will have smallest radar cross section of any non-stealth fighter aircraft in the world (due mainly to materials composition -- 45% composite by weight, the highest of any jet fighter today.)

The Tejas in production will carry more advanced systems and weapons, is longer range, more manoverable, and lighter than Gripen, at half the total project development costs of the latter ($1+billion v. $2.5+billion), and, here's the most significant figure: the Tejas will cost less than half as much as the Gripen whilst being significantly more advanced.

When you factor in the types and numbers of aircraft the Tejas is going to be up against, its definitely an awesome aircraft.

Anyway, development of the aircraft seems to progress exponentially every month. It recently crossed the 300th flight sortie mark, and the fourth prototype vehicle, designed for weapons testing, will be operational by Feb. Its been disclosed that eight more Limited Series Production prototypes, to comprise IAF's evaluation squadron, will be ready by 2007. The aircraft is expected to enter full service by 2009. Over 400 are eventually to be procured.

In conclusion, to paraphrase GWB:

Don't mess with Tejas

-Raj

[edit on 1-12-2004 by rajkhalsa2004]