New Delhi: The Make in India momentum is on. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on August 31 cleared the development of LCA Tejas Mark 2 fighter aircraft. The CCS clearance is a major boost to the indigenous fighter aircraft development initiative as LCA Tejas Mark 2 will be a more capable version of the indigenous Tejas Mark 1 light combat aircraft (LCA). It would be a replacement for the Mirage 2000, Jaguar and MiG-29 combat aircraft in the Indian Air Force.
The Committee sanctioned Rs 6500 crore for design and development of the LCA Tejas Mark-2 fighter jet with prototypes, flight testing and certification. The allocation comes in addition to the existing Rs 2500 crore sanctioned to HAL. The development of the new 17.5 tonne single engine LCA Tejas Mark 2 fighter is expected to be completed in next two years and ADA’s ambitious plan is to conduct its first flight by 2025 and be ready for the production version by 2030. The entire project, including a small number of prototypes for flight testing will require a budget of Rs 10,000 crore (estimated). And with the certified production-ready version, IAF is expected to induct at least six squadrons (110-120) of Tejas Mark-2, as per sources.
As the government pushes for the indigenisation of defence forces, approval for Tejas Mark-2 project will boost IAF’s both air defence and offense capabilities. According to DRDO, the aircraft (still on the drawing board) would be in the category of the Rafale class aircraft in terms of avionics and capabilities but lighter in weight. The DRDO would be developing the aircraft with a GE-414 engine which is the advanced version of the GE-404s that power the existing LCAs in service and the 83 LCA Mark 1As which would start getting inducted into IAF in the next couple of years. The government has also cleared that the engines to be used in the aircraft should be Made in India after the initial development phase.
LCA Tejas Mark 2 will incorporate numerous additional capabilities that the IAF and Indian Navy want. It will be equipped with more powerful and sophisticated GE F-414 engines to provide adequate power needed in the modern battlefield. Indian Navy has demanded for development of twin-engine fighter for carrier deck operations, powerful engines are essential for the LCA (Navy) to get airborne from an aircraft carrier’s deck with short runway.
The first F-414 engines for the Tejas Mark 2 has already been supplied by GE and are being accommodated, along with larger air intakes, in the extra fuselage space available in the expanded Mark 2 fighter. Additionally, with rearranged internals LCA Tejas Mark 2 will be more accessible and maintenance friendly. It will improve space utilisation, accessibility, and make maintenance quicker, reducing the turn-around time between operational missions.
LCA Tejas Mark 2 will feature upgraded avionics that are faster, lighter and smarter to improve combat performance and operational security. It will be fitted with indigenous Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and will be major upgrade from the current ELTA EL/M-2032 multi-mode radar. Over the preceding decade, the transformation of the LCA Tejas Mark 2 has taken place incrementally. The LCA Tejas Mark 2 with 4-4.5 tonnes of payload (mainly weapons load and external fuel) which will be a full tonne more than the maximum payload of 3-3.5 tonnes in the existing version of LCA Tejas Mark 1.
Another mega project led by ADA for the development of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft will see the development of a fighter jet with stealth features as well as ‘super cruise’ capabilities. With CCS expressing interest in the project, it’s expected that the mega project will get the approval of Rs 15000 crore in the coming months.
