India HAL Tejas Program

[Bhartiya Sainik]

Hope you stick around and give us the deeper dives on things as you would like. I am enjoying your contribution to AMCA thread so far

I'll definitely share conceptual pics, diagrams collected since my college days in early 2000s like we have seen in documentaries.
There are many YouTubers & journalists. All of them can talk about govt. decisions, contracts, timelines, prices, etc bcoz they are news oriented & their aim is viewership. But very few talk about design & performance by graphs, diagrams, etc.

The following is a small list.

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1826129869844939035

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1831600120153989482

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1833145942314262836

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1839236956690985083

 

[Gessler]

With FA-18 during Tarang Shakti-24

 

[Gessler]

With JDAM-ER:

With Astra BVR missiles & EL/L-8222 SPJ:

Both pics courtesy aviation photographer Praneeth Franklin.

 

[Spitfire9]

Got to make and deliver Mk1A before cracking the champagne open. I read in the Indian online press that GE is hoping to start delivering the delayed engines soon and to accelerate deliveries over the scheduled level to help HAL to deliver Mk1A faster in the future. There should already be quite a few completed frames waiting for engines when the engines turn up

From what I read the old Su-30MKI assembly plant at Nashik was turned over to Mk1A assembly with one completed aircraft to be rolled out in 2024 (or in the 2024/2025 financial year - don't remember). It will be interesting to see how many Mk1A are actually delivered to IAF in the next year or two. And with HAL projecting to build Mk2 on existing Mk1A assembly lines, to see what arrangements are made for Mk2 production. I suspect that Mk2 will not be tested and certified before 2029/2030, so perhaps HAL will be able to produce all 83 Mk1A frames ordered by then.

Of course, HAL could get more orders for Mk1A, in which case I think it's back to the drawing board for Mk2 production!

 

[Gessler]

With Astra BVR missiles & EL/L-8222 SPJ:

View attachment 71388

This is apparently the newer EL/L-8222SB variant with AESA-based EW transmitters.

 

[Gessler]

Found some more renders of the Mk-2 -

The root extension for the canards is fairly obvious here:

Panoramic Wide-Angle Display (WAD) and side-stick controls mark deviation from the Mk-1/1A's centre-stick layout:

13 hardpoints with NGCCM (ASRAAM), Astra, Rudram-II, TARA, LDP (probably Litening-G4), SAAW and two types of drop tanks. Note the dual-rack config of the Astra on the left and quad-rack SAAW on the right.

 

[Bhartiya Sainik]

For Tejas MK2 (MWF), Artist Kuntal Biswas made CAD with dual-rack launcher giving 14 AAMs capability.

After dual racks side by side, perhaps we can try quad rack.

 

[Bhartiya Sainik]

Have a shocking, fainting, LOLing, ROFLing weekend

 

[hugh]

Is Tejas Mk1a still awaiting the engines? Is there any other hold-up for its roll-out?

 

[Spitfire9]

Is Tejas Mk1a still awaiting the engines? Is there any other hold-up for its roll-out?

According to Hindustan Times, other systems are not fully integrated and certified and need to be so before delivery to the IAF:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/hal-to-start-trial-of-new-tejas-fighter-jet-in-january-next-year-101735068257239.html

 

[Bhartiya Sainik]

Geometric shaping came out publicly with USAF's ATF project in 1990.
Many documentaries in 1990s shared interviews of their test pilots, chief designers, engineers, program managers, etc who said geometry alone reduces RCS a lot. Some of those videos are still available on Youtube. So in 30-35 years also MWF didn't get geometric shaping, although TEDBF seems to have some, and RAM paint is ready now. How difficult was this to do in 35 years:

 

[Bhartiya Sainik]

I'm avoiding DSI due to more stealth hence the only other option is of F-22.
- 1 engine of F414 class or AL-31/41/F-100/110 class initially. If USA gives just the F135 engine then nice But still F-35 TWR is not like F-22.
- 2 side intakes to make some IWB & SWB.
- IWB can carry 4 BVR-AAMs or 2 AGMs. Each SWB can carry 1, may be 2 CCMs, depends on size.
- half length all-moving rudder which can be researched into tail-less or rotating rudder-stab.
- Wing shape & size not determined yet.
- Some people might want canards for Naval model.
The 1st/top one's fuselage outline looks like cousin of Su-75 (F-22 inlet cut half width-wise)
The middle one like child of Su-57 + F-22 (F-22 inlet cut half height-wise)
The below one like younger sibling of F-35 (F-22 inlet reduced to 1/4th quadrant)
NOTE: These are notional & not to scale.