IAF : LCA Programme- India's Rs 10,397Crore Disaster May Finally Be Handed Over to the Private Sector

SOURCE:
http://www.msn.com/en-in/news/national/lca-programme-indias-rs-10397-crore-disaster-may-finally-be-handed-over-to-the-private-sector/ar-AAcMDYq






  IAF : LCA Programme- India's Rs 10,397Crore Disaster May Finally Be Handed Over to the Private Sector



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More than three decades after it was initiated, the Indian government's Light Combat Aircraft programme continues to flounder in uncertainty. The Economic Timeson Friday reported that the government is considering whether to hand over the project to the private sector. The cost of the project was initially slated to be Rs 575 crore but has since escalated to Rs 10,397 crore.

The Aeronautical Development Agency's (ADA) delays in delivery have only served to frustrate the government and the Indian Air Force. The CAG had also slammed the execution, saying that the Tejas MK I was unsafe. The claims that the first LCA Mk 2 prototype -- which will have the more powerful General Electric F414-GE-INS6 engines -- will conduct its maiden test flight in 2018-19 and go into series production three years later have also been treated with suspicion by the IAF.

According to a report in the IHS Jane's 360, "IAF officers question this timeline, as the LCA Mk 2's rear fuselage will need re-engineering to accommodate the heavier engine, thereby altering the fighter's air dynamics. They said this would necessitate time-consuming and technologically complex alterations to the platforms avionics and related systems to stabilise it, which could involve overseas consultants."

Series-production aircraft may cost India 1.6 billion rupees (US $25,220,512) each still a fraction the price of a Western fighter -- the 36 Rafale's would cost $4.5 billion -- but whether they will be the answer to the IAF's requirements is another issue altogether.

The ADA's delays have also meant that India have needed replacements in flyaway condition. A few days back, the IAF has informed the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that it needs an additional 44 Dassault Rafale fighters to supplement the 36 Rafales that India is negotiating to acquire.

The Indian Air Force's combat readiness is being severely affected by the delays. According to the latest Parliamentary Defence Committee report, the IAF's combat squadrons will total 25 by 2022, down from the authorised strength of 45 squadrons.

Here is a timeline of events leading up to this situation:
1983: In a bid to replace the ageing Russian-designed MiG-21 aircrafts, the government launched the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme. The programme was to be completed in eight to ten years.

1984: The government set up the Aeronautical Development Agency as the nodal agency to develop the LCA.

1986: An allocation of Rs 575 crores was made for the programme.

1987: The phase of project definition began, with French aircraft major Dassault Aviation as consultants.

1990: Design of LCA programme's aircraft was completed

1993: First full scale engineering development phase was sanctioned.

1995: LCA missed deadline for rollout of first aircraft by six months.

2001: First flight of the first aircraft was conducted in January. It missed the deadline of December 1996 by a long way.

2002: Second flight was conducted in June, misses deadline of September 1997.

2003: In November, first Prototype version (PV I) took off, misses deadline of December 1999.

2009: LCA aircraft Tejas completed 1000 flights.

January 2015- Defence minister Manohar Parrikar handed over Tejas aircraft to Indian Air Force.

May 2015- CAG report criticized project for delays and technical shortcomings.


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SOURCE:
http://www.janes.com/article/52873/india-expects-first-engines-for-tejas-mk-2-to-arrive-by-year-end

Air Platforms

India expects first engines for Tejas Mk 2 to arrive by year-end

Rahul Bedi, New Delhi - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

 

 

 

08 July 2015

India will receive the first of eight General Electric F414-GE-INS6 engines for the Mk 2 version of its Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) by the end of 2015, according to officials. Source: IHS/Patrick Allen

India's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will receive the first of eight General Electric F414-GE-INS6 engines for the Mk 2 version of its Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) by the end of 2015, officials said.

The F414 engine, which generates 90-98 kN thrust, will replace the LCA Mk 1's General Electric F404-GE-IN20 powerpack, which generates 80-85kN thrust.

The Indian Air Force (IAF), which has 40 single-engine LCA Mk 1s on order from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), maintains that the F404 engine constricts the fighter's manoeuvrability, angle of attack, and weapons load.

The F414 engine was designed for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, but has become the engine of choice for growth versions of the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen, and the Tejas. Selected over the Eurojet EJ200 engine in 2010-11, it will eventually also power the navy's LCA when it enters service in several years, programme director Commodore C D Balaji (retd) told IHS Jane's on 8 July.
Until then the F404 engine will power LCA (N) prototypes and limited series production (LSP) platforms, he said.

ADA agreed to buy eight F414 engines in 2012 for an undisclosed amount, while HAL "initialled" an agreement for 99 additional engines for around USD800 million.

The latter deal will be signed once the LCA Mk 2 programme is advanced. It envisions the initial import of a limited number of engines, with the remainder being delivered in kit form for assembly by HAL in Bangalore.

HAL ultimately plans to licence-build the F414 engine, as it expects to require 500-600 units, based on orders of around 100-110 LCA Mk 2s from the IAF and 40 from the Indian Navy.
Fighter aircraft like the LCA average around 3.5 engines during their service life of around 3,000 hours, IAF officials said.
The ADA claims that the first LCA Mk 2 prototype will conduct its maiden test flight in 2018-19 and go into series production three years later.

However, IAF officers question this timeline, as the LCA Mk 2's rear fuselage will need re-engineering to accommodate the heavier engine, thereby altering the fighter's air dynamics. They said this would necessitate time-consuming and technologically complex alterations to the platforms avionics and related systems to stabilise it, which could involve overseas consultants.

Meanwhile, the IAF has informed the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that it needs an additional 44 Dassault Rafale fighters to supplement the 36 Rafales that India is negotiating to acquire in flyaway condition.

Official sources said Air Headquarters told the MoD in June that the additional Rafales were necessary as by 2017-18 the IAF would begin to retire 10-11 squadrons of 180-200 MiG-21 and MiG-27 variants.

According to the latest Parliamentary Defence Committee report, the IAF's combat squadrons will total 25 by 2022, down from the authorised strength of 45 squadrons, if no new platforms are imminently acquired.

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