India HAL Tejas Program

[Spitfire9]

Too many approvals needed for anything to progress.

HAL chief on Tejas Mk1A - "The only thing awaited now is the approval for some software changes in the Astra missile."

Indian bureaucracy is a millstone around the neck of Indian fighter projects. If the Astra/Tejas Mk1A combination now works, the aircraft should be delivered, not languish in hangars waiting for bureaucrats to clear it for delivery. It might be the Indian way of getting things done but in reality it is a good way of not getting things done.

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1969663243913236991

 

[Spitfire9]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1969663243913236991

Mk2 rollout probably H1 2026?
FF probably H2 2026/H1 2027?
Testing complete 2029/2030?

I wonder where the Mk2 will be assembled. In 2030 the 2 HAL plants in Bengaluru will be busy assembling Mk1A. Nashik will be busy assembling Mk1A and possibly Su-30MKI.

Will there be a gap of a year or two between certification and start of production?

 

[Nilgiri]

The kind of thing the HAL Chairman was mentioning swapping around the existing 404's

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1970148964239290581

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1979075988513235204

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/what-hal-chief-test-pilot-told-ndtv-after-flying-new-lca-tejas-mark-1a-9476441

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1979194562762674195

 

[Ripley]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1979075988513235204

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/what-hal-chief-test-pilot-told-ndtv-after-flying-new-lca-tejas-mark-1a-9476441

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1979194562762674195

Congratulations HAL.

 

[Nilgiri]

HAL signs deal with GE Aerospace to procure 113 jet engines for Tejas fighter jets

Under the deal, HAL would receive the F404-GE-IN20 engines for the indigenous jets, the delivery of which will begin in 2027 and continue till 2032. | India News

www.hindustantimes.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1986778170297835716

 

[Ripley]

HAL signs deal with GE Aerospace to procure 113 jet engines for Tejas fighter jets

Under the deal, HAL would receive the F404-GE-IN20 engines for the indigenous jets, the delivery of which will begin in 2027 and continue till 2032. | India News

www.hindustantimes.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1986778170297835716

This is a big deal really

 

[Pokemonte13]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1991815112530047097

My Condolences to the pilot and the aircraft

 

[IC3M@N FX]

It was probably too late for the poor pilot to eject.
This was hardly good publicity for the Tejas aircraft, regardless of whether it was pilot error or a mechanical fault.

 

[Sanchez]

It was probably too late for the poor pilot to eject.
This was hardly good publicity for the Tejas aircraft, regardless of whether it was pilot error or a mechanical fault.

Looks to be pilot; even if aircraft gave in midway through, too low. RIP.

 

[dronie]

Curse of the marut continues

 

[IC3M@N FX]

Can someone recheck the plane number if is the plane they crashed.

 

[Sanchez]

3 days ago was this discussion...

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1990725266100928705

Aircraft can leak oil, I vividly remember the US aggressor F-18s leaking oil on the ramp like drunkards. Some say that was not oil but water instead, also possible.

Regardless, it's an active duty aircraft of the air force without known issues. Tejas is many things, but it doesn't just lock up and crash. This looks like a very clear case of pilot error to me.

Was the APU smoking? Or was that smoke for the show?

APU exhaust should be up top. Smoke generators are on the wing pylons as fake missiles. Interesting.

 

[Ripley]

Sad loss. RIP.
Tejas program was gaining some speed recently. Hope they get back on track quickly.

 

[Afif]

Aircraft can leak oil, I vividly remember the US aggressor F-18s leaking oil on the ramp like drunkards. Some say that was not oil but water instead, also possible.

Regardless, it's an active duty aircraft of the air force without known issues. Tejas is many things, but it doesn't just lock up and crash. This looks like a very clear case of pilot error to me.


APU exhaust should be up top. Smoke generators are on the wing pylons as fake missiles. Interesting.

There is another video from a different angle where it seems something poped inside the engine right before it start rolling down. Maybe a bird strike...Idk. but seemed like a little explosion.

 

[Sanchez]

There is another video from a different angle where it seems something poped inside the engine right before it start rolling down. Maybe a bird strike...Idk. but seemed like a little explosion.

But there's nothing to indicate any loss of power from the aircraft.

I kind of agree with general's statement:

"Today's HAL Tejas Mk1A crash in Dubai. Sadly, the pilot lost his life. RIP.

It's a situation similar to the crash in Poland. Meanwhile, our F-4 pilots narrowly escaped disaster in Cyprus. Air shows are endlessly beautiful to watch, but they're no joke. A very high level of flight discipline is required. You can't do this job without careful planning and training... The pilots selected for this job are special pilots. They all have to be experienced. The Indian pilot was also very experienced, but accidents can still happen.

The first comment on this accident has come in: they say there was an oil leak. However, oil leak malfunctions that could cause a plane to crash without sudden structural damage (collision, etc.) do not occur instantly. They develop slowly. The pilot would cancel the mission at that point and land safely. There would be no problem. Therefore, I do not believe the cause of this accident is as simple as "there was an oil leak."

Based on the 3-5 second footage, there was no attempt to save the aircraft. There was no strong descent. There is also no footage expected from an exit maneuver that should normally occur at 4-5G. There does not appear to be a pilot-induced situation either. There must have been a control malfunction preventing a safe exit, or the pilot was "mesmerized" by something on the ground, his focus remained there, and he did not give the exit command sufficiently and in time. There is a "lazy" situation... Whatever happened, unfortunately, it did not end well."

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1991878335341777235

 

[Afif]

But there's nothing to indicate any loss of power from the aircraft.

I kind of agree with general's statement:

"Today's HAL Tejas Mk1A crash in Dubai. Sadly, the pilot lost his life. RIP.

It's a situation similar to the crash in Poland. Meanwhile, our F-4 pilots narrowly escaped disaster in Cyprus. Air shows are endlessly beautiful to watch, but they're no joke. A very high level of flight discipline is required. You can't do this job without careful planning and training... The pilots selected for this job are special pilots. They all have to be experienced. The Indian pilot was also very experienced, but accidents can still happen.

The first comment on this accident has come in: they say there was an oil leak. However, oil leak malfunctions that could cause a plane to crash without sudden structural damage (collision, etc.) do not occur instantly. They develop slowly. The pilot would cancel the mission at that point and land safely. There would be no problem. Therefore, I do not believe the cause of this accident is as simple as "there was an oil leak."

Based on the 3-5 second footage, there was no attempt to save the aircraft. There was no strong descent. There is also no footage expected from an exit maneuver that should normally occur at 4-5G. There does not appear to be a pilot-induced situation either. There must have been a control malfunction preventing a safe exit, or the pilot was "mesmerized" by something on the ground, his focus remained there, and he did not give the exit command sufficiently and in time. There is a "lazy" situation... Whatever happened, unfortunately, it did not end well."

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1991878335341777235

I agree that we didn't see any apparent power loss. But see this one. Dunno what is it.

2,8 Mio. Aufrufe · 8.552 Reaktionen | Watch the spine-chilling video of the exact moment when the Indian fighter jet, Tejas, crashed in Dubai during an air show on Friday, November 21. #HALTejasCrash #TejasCrash #TimesNow #dubaiairshowcrash #Times

Watch the spine-chilling video of the exact moment when the Indian fighter jet, Tejas, crashed in Dubai during an air show on Friday, November 21. #HALTejasCrash #TejasCrash #TimesNow...

www.facebook.com

 

[Nilgiri]

Aircraft can leak oil, I vividly remember the US aggressor F-18s leaking oil on the ramp like drunkards. Some say that was not oil but water instead, also possible.

Regardless, it's an active duty aircraft of the air force without known issues. Tejas is many things, but it doesn't just lock up and crash. This looks like a very clear case of pilot error to me.


APU exhaust should be up top. Smoke generators are on the wing pylons as fake missiles. Interesting.

Yup pretty much open shut case of severe pilot error at low altitude if you ask me.

It bears uncanny resemblance to the Polish F-16 crash at an airshow rehearsal a couple months ago. Again what looks to be major pilot misjudgement in that one.

Sad.

Shoreham aircrash also comes to mind, that was again a loop with too little altitude for the thrust the old warbird (Hawker Hunter) was capable of. What was wild was the (blacked out) pilot survived the impact (being thrown out of canopy during impact) and was prosecuted for manslaughter of the casualties on the ground. I think he was acquitted.

But really pilots, however well trained they are, shouldnt let rush of blood get too much....its not worth it.

 

[Ahlatshah]

Aircraft can leak oil, I vividly remember the US aggressor F-18s leaking oil on the ramp like drunkards. Some say that was not oil but water instead, also possible.

Of course aircraft leaks oil. But there are limits for that, depending on engine. I remember maintanence guy counted the drops, if it is (lets say) under 15 drops a minute while the engine running idle, the aircraft is good to go for (lets say again) 2 hours of flight and inspect further after that, over 15 drops no go.

It can not be water btw. If it was there was no can to collect. Because while water is harmless, oil is however, clear FOD (Foreign Object Damage) and can be very harmful even dangerous when sucked into engines. So leaked oil has to be removed and cleaned from the apron. In civil airports, airlines have to call the airport authority when leaked on the ground and pay for the oil cleaning service, if you dont there is severe penalty for leaving oil build up. For the military airports (in our AF case), there are always airport maintenance crew to take care of such FODs.