LCA-TEJAS MARK-II TO BE INDUCTED IN IAF FLEET

 The IAF wants the existing Tejas to have Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, new electronic warfare suite and an array of beyond visual range missiles; all the features that were planned to be part of Tejas Mk II, A fresh agreement, setting the LCA programme on a new course, was signed on September 23 by all the stakeholders, including Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, AeronauticalThe IAF wants the existing Tejas to have Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, new electronic warfare suite and an array of beyond visual range missiles.

The Indian Air Force will now induct 120 home-grown LCA instead of the 40 planned earlier.But an order jump, based on a complete rethink on the enormously delayed programme, rides on expectation that the current version of Tejas in the making, which lacks key features of a fourth generation fighter jet, will be packed with a power punch to overcome its outdatedness.Sources said the F-414 engines, which were to be used in Tejas Mk II replacing F404, can be used for the naval variant of Tejas which anyway requires a bigger power plant for carrier operations.

Having settled the problem of potency of the aircraft, the delivery continues to remain a major challenge.

HAL at the moment can produce only ght aircraft in a year. To fulfil IAF's new order it will have to double its capacity which will require herculean effort.

 The IAF hopes to have its maiden Tejas squadron with four aircraft by March 2016 while gradually incorporating the improvements.With a limited endurance and range of only 300 km, Tejas was conceived for operations only on the western border. But the whole orientation changed after 2009 when capacity building for a two front war scenario started.Officials hope that with the proposed additions, the existing version will be comparable to one of the best fighters in the world in its category.

The government feels that instead of concentrating on Tejas Mk II, all the energies for design and development could be focused on the indigenous fifth generation fighter Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). It has been proposed that a foreign consultant is hired on the AMCA project right from the beginning to avoid glitches later in the development programme. The feasibility report on AMCA is going to be finalised soon, said sources.