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Tejas’ Flight
IAF powers LCA’s induction into service
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The Indian Air Force under Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major is giving an extraordinary support to the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft. A month after taking over command of the air force, ACM Major deputed a 12-member team under AVM B. C. Nanjappy in May 2007 to get embedded with ADA as the ‘project monitoring team.’ The deputy chief of air staff reviews the programme each month, and the Air Chief himself is apprised of the progress every quarter. ‘This has improved the pace of the programme,’ says project director, Dr P.S Subramanyam, who is confident of the IOC by December 2010 and an additional order of 20 aircraft from the air force by October. Considering that both the IAF and ADA are for the first time working so closely, it is evident that results will ensue. There are, however, a few issues that need ironing out.
Probably, the first is about the number of flying hours. While, the LCA has done about 500 hours so far, traditional wisdom is that 2,000 flying hours should be done before the aircraft enters service. Dr Subramanyam is dismissive about this thinking. ‘I need to demonstrate the test points rather than garner flying hours,’ he says. What is important is that the air force has accepted this approach. Another issue concerns the angle of attack; the LCA has demonstrated 20 and needs to reach 22, which Dr Subramanyam feels can be accomplished without outside assistance. He says that unlike scientists who are conservative, the test pilots are bold, and having achieved 20 angle of attack, it is a matter of time before they reach 22 by themselves.
Yet another issue concerns the IOC. It is generally accepted that the aircraft maintenance, reliability and its Multi-Mode Radar data can only be gathered after the IOC. Dr Subramanyam says he is doing it already, and with the next test flight of Tejas LSP-2 slated for October, he will have the MMR on the aircraft. Then why does he have to wait for the IOC till December 2010? Why cannot he accomplish this earlier? Because he needs to validate about 3,000 test points to the air force, he replies. According to ADA, the FOC is slated for December 2012. The navy has already selected Israeli Derby BVR for the navalised LCA, while the air force has still to decide its BVR. Considering that Israel is helping the programme in weapons integration, Derby should make a good choice.
Probably, the only issue where Dr Subramanyam sounds less sure is the LCA engine. The problem with the indigenous Kaveri being developed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment in Bangalore is that it has never flown. Worse, it has not even done the necessary hours on static test bed before it can be certified for flying. The Russians at one stage had offered to test-fly the Kaveri in their aircraft, but they insisted on the mandatory static test-hour runs. The engine used in the recent Tejas LSP-2 test flown on June 16 was GE 404 IN20 which is more powerful that the engine used in earlier test-flight. Yet, it has drag and does not meet the Air Staff Requirement. Dr Subramanyam is clear that a new engine would be needed to meet the ASR, even as the first 40 Tejas powered with GE 404 IN20 and GE 404 F2J3 can be given to the IAF. He told FORCE that he can validate all systems of Tejas within six months of powering the aircraft with a new engine. This however sounds too optimistic as aviation experts opine that it would take up to three years to make the new engine compatible with the aircraft. A new engine like GE-414 or EJ 2000, that powers the Eurofighter, may require a redesign of the rear fuselage, and the corners of the flight envelopment would need to be explored fully. What is clear is that Tejas powered with the new engine would be a different programme. The IAF would need to be satisfied with the present Tejas with GE 404 IN20 engines, and the numbers that ADA wants to give in Mark I configuration would be 80 more aircraft after the 40 that it hopes to clinch by October this year. The good thing about this programme is that it has provided state of art technologies as a spin-off, and whenever the Kaveri finally comes about, it will be a boost to Indian aviation.
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