“LCA Mark 2 fighter aircraft development project has been cleared by the government. This would pave the way for designers to develop an advanced 17.5-tonne single-engine aircraft. Development of new aircraft is to be completed by 2027,” Aeronautical Development Agency chief Girish Deodhare told on the project.

In a telephonic conversation from Bengaluru, Deodhare said the project would benefit from the progress made in the LCA Mark 1A programme and would help in the development of the fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft project.

He said the government has cleared the development of prototypes of which, the first is likely to roll out in a year and the project is scheduled to be completed by the year 2027 after extensive flying trials and other related work.
The DRDO feels that the aircraft would be in the category of the Rafale class aircraft in terms of avionics and capabilities but lighter in weight.

The government has also cleared that the engines to be used in the aircraft should be Made in India after the initial development phase.

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.

At present, 30 LCAs are in service with the IAF and two are being used by the

The AMCA aircraft development proposal is also with the government and is expected to be approved in near future but with a lot of Indigenisation inputs from the government.

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The Indian Air Force has plans of acquiring 114 Multirole Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) under ‘Buy Global and Make in India’ scheme under which Indian companies would be allowed to partner with a foreign vendor. The Indian Air Force has to rely heavily on these 114 fighter jets for maintaining its superiority over the neighboring rivals Pakistan and China.

Amid a big push for the Aatmanirbhar Bharat scheme by the PM Narendra Modi-led government, the Indian Air Force is planning to acquire 114 fighter jets of which 96 would be built in India, and rest 18 would be imported from the foreign vendor chosen for the project.

As per the plan, after the initial 18 aircraft are imported, the next 36 aircraft would be manufactured within the country and the payments would be made partially in foreign currency and Indian currency. The last 60 aircraft would be the main responsibility of the Indian partner and the government would make payments only in Indian currency. The payment in Indian currency would help the vendors to achieve the over 60 per cent ‘Make-in-India’ content in the project.

Boeing’s F-15EX and F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet, Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen, Lockheed Martin’s F-21 and Dassault Aviation’s Rafale are expected to participate in the tender. Of these, the F 21 and Gripen are single-engine aircraft, while the rest are twin-engines. While the single-engine fighters are cheaper, it is not known whether that will be a consideration for the IAF acquisition.

Interim Plans

The 36 Rafale aircraft procured under emergency orders helped immensely in maintaining an edge over the Chinese during the Ladakh crisis which started in 2020 but the numbers are not enough and more such capability would be required by it. The IAF is highly satisfied with the operational availability of the Rafale fighter jets and wants similar capability in its future aircraft.

The IAF has already placed orders for 83 of the LCA Mk 1A aircraft but it still requires a higher number of capable aircraft as a large number of MiG series planes have either been phased out or are on their last legs.

The fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft project is moving ahead at a satisfactory pace but it will take a lot of time to be able to be inducted in an operational role.

The IAF is also looking for a cost-effective solution for its fighter jet requirement as it wants a plane that is low on operational cost and gives more capability to the service.

Rafale

The main contender is the Rafale fighter which the IAF is already accustomed to, since 36 of these fighters, bought under a  2016 government to government deal and costing Euro 7.8 billion — are already in use by the IAF.

Known as an omnirole aircraft — one which can conduct complex combat assignments, including ground attacks, beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air combats or interceptions, during the same sortie — the Rafale fighter is a ‘4.5 generation aircraft’, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach, nearly double the speed of sound.

It is the most potent aircraft currently in use by the IAF, in terms of range, radar and weaponry.

The Rafale is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multi-role fighter aircraft, fit for varied purposes, such as reconnaissance, providing ground support to troops, in-depth strikes, and anti-ship strikes.

The Rafale has a ferry range of 3,700 km and is equipped with internal and external fuel tanks. In terms of weaponry, the Rafale has 14 hard points to carry different types of missiles, including the the Meteor air-to-air missiles — which come with a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) of about 150 KMs and the deadly air to surface Scalp which has a range of over 500 KMs.

The Rafale has been used by the French Air Force in multiple campaigns across Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria.

F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet

Recently featured in the superhit Hollywood film Top Gun: Maverick — which shows actor Tom Cruise manoeuvering the craft to evade enemy’s surface-to-air missiles whilst fulfilling a seemingly impossible mission — the F/A-18 Bock III Super Hornet is being touted as a “game-changer” for Indian military, if acquired.

The F/A-18 has been the leading aircraft for the US Navy for nearly four decades. It is designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft and Block III is its latest version. Currently, the US Navy has over 700 F/A-18s, which are operational worldwide. The original Block I Hornet was introduced into service in 1984.

The version under consideration by the IAF— the F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet — is a twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft.

Block III comes in two versions, the F/A-18 E which is a single-seater and the double-seater F/A-18 F. Both versions have been built for high-loading and high-stress operations.

A major upgrade in the Block III, from the earlier F/A-18, is its “advanced cockpit system”, which is operated via a customisable 10×19-inch touch screen. Essentially, this system has replaced hard displays in the cockpit with iPad-like features. This enables smoother flight operations and decision-making, giving the pilot more time to assess the battlefield.

Further, to store weapons, Block III has an “enclosed, external weapons pod built to carry up to 2,500-pounds of weapons”. From the pod, various missiles and bombs can be fired, which include the “AIM 9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile, the AIM 120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (an air-to-ground missile), the Small Diameter Bomb and the Mark-84 bomb, among others”.

Block III has a life of approximately 10,000 flying hours. However, the drawback is that the F/A-18s lack stealth capabilities.

Boeing is waiting for the IAF to come out with its technical requirements before deciding whether they will offer the Super Hornet or the F-15 EX.

F-15 EX

The F-15 EX is the upgraded replacement of the F-15C. It is referred to as the “Eagle-II”. The F-15 EX is also developed by Boeing and is another contender from their portfolio for the MRFA.

The original F-15s were first deployed by the United States Air Force in the mid-1970s. Today’s version includes multiple upgrades and enhancements.

Specifically, the F-15EX includes enhancements to “manoeuvrability, acceleration, durability, computing power, and weapons carriage ability of the F-15C”.

According to Boeing, the F-15 EX “includes a best-in-class payload, range and speed”. Payload refers to the carrying capacity of a jet, including cargo, munitions, etc.

An article published in the Air Force Magazine claimed that the advanced specs of the Eagle-II entail “digital fly-by-wire flight controls, a large area display glass-cockpit, and an APG-82 AESA radar”.

Further, the F-15EX is built with an open mission system software, which allows the operating network of the fighters to undergo rapid upgrades and capability enhancements. Ensuring it is never outdated from the latest standards in the industry.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS), a public policy research institute of the US Congress, explains that the F-15EX have “stronger airframes, more powerful processors and advanced flight control systems” than any other fighter operated by the United States Air Force.

The F-15EX is capable of firing AMRAAM. The US Air National Guard conducted a successful firing of the AIM-120D AMRAAM from the F-15EX over the Gulf of Mexico in February 2022.

The F-15 EX also boasts a flying life of 20,000 hours, much longer than the average flying time of fighters, which ranges between 6,000-to 8,000 hours.

F-21

The F-21s are a product of the US defence conglomerate Lockheed Martin.

The F-21 is an adapted and advanced version of the F-16 and is specially tweaked by the manufacturer to cater to the needs of the IAF. The F-16 is commonly called the “Fighting Falcon”. However, the F-21 is a fighter on paper and has not been manufactured yet.

The F-21 has been touted as a multi-role fighter. From the original, the F-21 retains the nose-mounted radar fit, wide-view canopy, and a single-engine installation.

The F-21 comprises both single-seater and double-seater variants. It includes three underwing hardpoints (the area on an airframe that is used to carry external and internal load). Two of these hardpoints are for reserve fuel tanks, which can be used in case travel ranges increase.

Further, the F-21 also comes with wingtip missile hardpoints, which like the F-15EX support the AIM-20D AMRAAM. It also entails a triple launcher to fire these AMRAAM missiles.

The F-21 is equipped with a retractable fuel probe, an essential element for IAF fighters to ensure smooth fuelling at their bases.

Saab JAS-39 Gripen

The Saab JAS-39 Gripen is a light, single-engine, multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by Swedish aerospace and defence company, Saab AB.

It was introduced into the Swedish Air Force in 1996 and is described as an “affordable non-stealth aircraft”. According to an article published in The Express, UK, the Swedish Air Force currently operates between 1,000 to 2,000 of these fighters.

The JAS-39 was the first fighter to be loaded and capable of firing the Meteor air-to-air missile, a beyond visual range (BVR) weapon, capable of striking targets up to 150 kilometres.

Different variants of the Gripen can carry different loads of meteor missiles. The Gripen-C can carry four, whereas the Gripen E can carry seven.

Alluding to the modern operating system that the Gripen runs on, Saab’s website explains, “Gripen’s unique avionics architecture is the definition of smart. It means we can reconfigure the inside of Gripen without affecting the airframe. Or put another way, we can rapidly upgrade Gripen’s avionics whenever new technology becomes available.”

Beyond Sweden, the Gripen is currently operational in the Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa, and Thailand.

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Ultimately, the aim is indigenisation. A Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) is being developed but it will take some time. In the interim, the Navy is looking for an aircraft from among the two to meet their requirements.

The procurement size was earlier 57 twin-engine carrier fighters, which is now set to be downsized to around 26, including a few twin-seater trainer variants.

IAF’s MRFA Acquisition

On the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft acquisition for the Indian Air Force – the IAF has already received responses from multiple vendors to its RFI. The top contenders for the multi-billion dollar deal include Lockheed Martin’s F-21, Boeing’s F/A-18, Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Russian aircraft MiG 35 and Swedish aerospace giant Saab’s Gripen jet.

In April 2019, the IAF issued an RFI (Request for Information), or initial tender, to acquire 114 jets at a cost of around USD 18 billion.

The winner of the Indian Air Force’s mega project to procure 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) will have to ensure the transfer of technology as it would be implemented under the framework of the ‘Make-in-India’ initiative

The entire process will be executed under the provisions of the DAP (Defence Acquisition Procedure) 2020, the selected OEM (Original Equipment Maker) will have to comply with India’s requirements of transfer of technology and Make-in-India that would add to our indigenous fighter aircraft manufacturing capability.

The number of squadrons of the IAF is going down gradually because of the phasing out of old aircraft. The IAF is not going to reach the sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons in the next 10-15 years. Hence, a two-pronged strategy has being adopted towards maintaining the IAF’s strength that involves induction of new generation platforms and up-gradation of the existing fleet.

Procurement of 114 jets under the MRFA project and acquisition of 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will help the IAF significantly enhance its combat prowess.

India is also working on an ambitious USD 5 billion project to develop a fifth-generation medium-weight deep penetration fighter jet to significantly bolster its air power capability.

IAF’s Current Fleet

Presently, India operates six kinds of fighter aircraft – Su-30MKI, Rafale, Tejas, MiG-29, Mirage 2000 and MiG-21. Considering MiG-21’s frequent accidents, the IAF is expected to decomm-ission the ageing aircraft by 2025. So effectively, we have five types of fighter jets.

Among all, Sukhoi Su-30MKI is the largest and primary fleet of the Indian Air Force. With a total of 284 operational numbers, the Russia-made Sukhoi is an air superiority fighter with additional air-to-ground strike capability.

Next is the Jaguar (Shamsher). IAF has 139 Jaguars. Attached with EL/M-2052 AESA radars and new avionics, Jaguar is considered a ground attack specialized fighter jet.

Dassault Mirage 2000 (Vajra), is the fourth generation single-engine multi-role fighter jet. Currently, about 50 different variants of Mirage are being operated by IAF. In February 2019, Mirage-2000 fighter jets were used to hit terror camps in Balakot inside PoK. Attached with Israeli laser-guided SPICE bombs, the Mirage-200 is a highly reliable aircraft for India.

With all these fourth-generation fighter jets, India now has inducted 36 Dassault Rafales – A French twin-engine canard delta wing multirole fighter jet is capable of performing air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike, and nuclear deterrence missions.

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India has been making concerted attempts to boost the capability of its armed forces as the country faces what is seen as two-front war threats from China and Pakistan.

While the more superior fighters in the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet were flying around, over and near the Eastern Ladakh sectors, the light combat planes had assumed the role of a watchdog against Pakistan along the Western region.

India has been attempting to develop a variety of indigenous technology and weapon systems in order to increase defense sector self-reliance, especially for its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.

Order for 83 LCAs

In February 2021, HAL was awarded the contract to manufacture 83 LCA for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at an estimated cost of Rs 48,000 crore at the 13th edition of Aero India in Bengaluru, bringing the total number of LCA versions ordered to 123. The 40 LCAs that the IAF has already ordered are in the initial operational clearance (IOC) and advanced operational clearance (FOC) variants.

Deliveries to the IAF will begin in 2023 and end in 2024. The indigenous fighter will be outfitted with a locally-developed flight control computer and an air data computer, both of which will be provided by BEL under this deal. Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bengaluru’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) have collaborated to develop both of these systems.

The LCA Mk-1A will have a number of enhancements over the FOC aircraft, making it the most advanced LCA variant to date.

The Mk-1A variant includes digital radar warning receivers, external self-protection jammer pods, AESA radar, enhanced beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles, and greatly better maintainability. The indigenous component of the fighter is estimated to be around 60%, compared to 50% in earlier models.

On 16 December 2021, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed a a five-year deal with Bharat Electronics Limited for the development and supply of 20 types of systems for the Tejas Mk1A light combat aircraft (LCA) program. The deal, which runs from 2023 to 2028, entails supplying crucial avionics Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), Flight Control Computers, and Night Flying LRUs in what is called the biggest ever order that the state-run company has placed on any Indian company boosting ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign.

After completing the requisite design efforts, HAL has set a March 2022 timeline for the first flight of the LCA Mk-1A fighter, according to HAL chairman R Madhavan.

The LCA Tejas and its two variants in the pipeline have become the flag-bearers of India’s indigenous defense manufacturing. The new HAL contract is expected to not only give the requisite push to self-reliance but also boost the capability of the Tejas which is now being pitched to friendly countries.

Indigenous AESA Radar

The development of a indigenous AESA radar, which will be installed in the Tejas, is a big step forward and is aimed at creating a balance of power with China.

These AESA radars will be installed in all 83 Mk1A Tejas Aircraft which will boost its capability significantly. These radars, like the current avionic systems, are also largely indigenous with about 95% local component.

The AESA radar includes an electronic warfare (EW) suite with a jammer, the Combined Interrogator and Transponder (CIT) – an IFF plus system – and a digital map generator.

Hammer Missiles

Additionally, India is also procuring Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (HAMMER) missiles from France to integrate them with the LCA Tejas aircraft after its success with the Rafales.

They are being procured under the emergency route granted to the military in the backdrop of continuing Chinese aggression. These missiles are expected to enhance the firepower of these LCAs and allow them to strike bunker targets deep inside the enemy territory.

Tejas Mark 2 Design Cleared

The LCA) is now evolving from its current, single-engine, Mark 1 avatar to a more sophisticated, twin-engine, fifth-generation fighter. On 15 November 2021, Deputy Chief of Air Staff (DCAS), Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, accepted the comprehensive design review (CDR) of the LCA Mark 2.

A CDR is a multi-discipline, technical review that is a critical step in designing an aircraft. It involves examining the air frame design to ascertain that the aircraft is ready for fabrication and testing and it would achieve its stipulated performance within cost, schedule and risk.

The IAF’s acceptance of the CDR clears the way for HAL to start releasing drawings for fabricating the Mark 2’s first prototype.

Alongside building the Mark 2 prototype, HAL and the ADA – the DRDO agency that oversees the entire Tejas programme – must still resolve a few glitches that remain in the Mark 1 fighter; and also complete delivery of the IAF’s order of 40 Mark 1 (two squadrons) and 83 Mark 1A (four squadrons).

Status of the Indigenous Fighter Project

The first two Mark 1 squadrons are already operational in Sulur, near Coimbatore. Each of them is authorized 20 fighters, including four twin-seat trainers. The trainers’ specifications were finalised late, so they will be built along with the 10 trainers of the four Mark 1A squadrons.

The IAF has cleared the “FOC for the Mark I fighter, even though that involved granting 25 concessions – or performance shortfalls from the IAF’s specified requirements. HAL, ADA and the IAF are working together to resolve these shortfalls.

Issues Resolved

Issues which have already been resolved include equipping the Tejas to re-fuel in-flight, by day or night. This was proved by refuelling into internal fuel tanks or external drop tanks, from IL-78 refuellers or from Sukhoi-30MKI acting as “buddy refuellers.

The capability to monitor fuel levels in the Tejas through an integrated Environmental Control and Fuel Management (ECFM) system has also been resolved.

The Gasha 23 mm gun has been integrated into Tejas Mk 1 but live firing was pending. The same has also been done. 

The indigenous Astra air-to-air missile and Safran’s HAMMER air-to-ground bomb are waiting to be integrated onto the Tejas. HAL is doing the mechanical and electrical integration, while the DRDO is handling the software and the weapons algorithm.

Fatigue tests remain to establish the fighter’s service life span. These tests involve taking an aircraft from the production line and subjecting it to repetitive loading. As more and more hours are logged and the data accumulates, the manufacturer increases the designated life-span proportionately. It takes about nine years of testing to establish 3,000 hours of service life.

The digital map generator, designed by HAL’s Mission and Combat Systems R&D Centre (MCSR&DC), carries the complete map data of the country and neighbouring areas. Depending upon the Tejas’ mission, it extracts the digitised map of the current mission area and transfers it to the pilots’ display, where he can easily access it.

HAL is also integrating the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) onto the Mark 1A. The ASRAAM, which has a range of 60-70 kms was bought by the IAF from MBDA UK, for upgrading its Jaguar fighters. Now each Tejas too will carry two of these missiles on its outboard stations.

Another modification involves reshaping the cockpit floor to enable bigger pilots – with shoe size up to 10, which includes 95 per cent of all IAF pilots – to fit into the cockpit and fly the aircraft comfortably.

What Will the Tejas LCA Mk 2 be Like?

The Tejas Mark 2 is will be significantly larger and more capable than the Mk 1, with a higher thrust engine and a 1.5-metre increase in length. While there is no change in the size of the wings, they have been pushed outwards, effectively increasing the fighter’s wingspan by 300 mm.

Ahead of the wings, a canard has been added, creating a resemblance with contemporary fighters such as the Rafale, Eurofighter or the Sukhoi-30MKI. The canard provides an additional control surface that creates a vortex, increasing the lifting capability and agility of the aircraft.

The Mark 2 has increased payload capacity to integrate more weapons and sensors. It will carry the indigenous Astra Mark 1 and Mark 2 missiles, Rudram anti-radiation missiles, developed by the DRDO’s Defence R&D Laboratory (DRDL) (tested on 9 October).

DRDO is developing the Tara (high speed, low drag) bomb that is mounted on the pylons. It will also have the option of carrying laser guided bombs (LGBs), fitted with laser-guidance kits. Mark 2 may be integrated with the SCALP missile that has been procured along with the Rafale fighters.

Tejas Mark 2 will have 11 hard points, including one on each wingtip for the ASRAAM air-to-air missile. There will be three under-wing pylons on each side, one wet station on each side for fuel drop tanks, while the other three hard points are for long-range missiles such as the Astra and Rudram.

Fitted with significantly more powerful General Electric (GE) F-414 engine, the Mark 2 would have its internals rearranged, to make them more accessible and maintenance friendly. Line replacement units will be optimally rearranged to improve space utilisation, accessibility and make maintenance easier and reduce turn-around time.

Aeroengines

HAL had signed a $716 million deal with American company GE Aviation earlier this year for 99 F404 aircraft engines and related services to power the indigenous Tejas LCA Mk-1A. On top of that, it is now building its own indigenous engine that is expected to power its Tejas variants as well as its Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) aircraft.

The current GE F-404 power pack will be replaced with F-414, whose peak thrust of 83 KiloNewtons (kN) is considered inadequate. The GE F-414 engine will deliver 98 kN of peak power. The new engine will enable the Mark 2 to take off with a maximum all-up weight of 16.5 tonnes, which will include the 10-tonne weight of the fighter and 6.5 tonnes of external payload.

The Tejas Mark 2 can carry 3.5 tonnes of fuel in external drop tanks, in addition to 3.3 tonnes in its internal fuel tanks, while still carrying three tonnes of weapons and sensors.

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