Tejas goes abroad

Chacko Joseph from Frontier India handed me this very interesting story from Avionews (link).

With India's presence in the Aviation world increasing in leaps and bounds with the MRCA tender, as well as indigenous aircraft programs, its logical that Indian presence at air shows too increase. Confirmation of this came with the news that the shining star of Indian Aviation, the HAL Tejas will be travelling to Germany and will be displayed at the Berlin Air Show, ILA-2008. Read more below.

Avionews, 25th Jan 2008, Friday.

"ILA 2008": India announces strong presence as partner country at the air show

Berlin, Germany - Numerous delegations from politics, business and the military expected to attend

(WAPA) - "India will be the partner country at the ILA2008 and has announced a strong presence at the show. From 27 May to 1 June , in reply to an invitation by Federal Minister of Defence Dr. Franz Josef Jung, representatives of one of Asia’s fastest growing markets will be organising an attractive combined national display at the International Aerospace Exhibition. This was confirmed by India’s defence minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony in talks with his German counterpart.

Some 25 Indian companies will be presenting their displays in an area covering 1,200 square metres. They include Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), companies and organisations such as Bharat, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) and India’s aerospace association SIATI. Among other exhibits, HAL is planning to show a single-jet trainer, the HJT-36 Sitara, as well as a lightweight fighter, and a lightweight civilian and military helicopter, the Dhruv, displaying it on the ground and in the air. The Suryakiran (Sun Ray) aerobatics display team of the Indian Air Force will also be demonstrating their skills. High-ranking delegations from politics, business and the military will also be visiting the ILA.
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The ILA2008 is organised jointly by the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) and Messe Berlin GmbH, and takes place every two years at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport". (Avionews)

So, thats the news folks... our baby, the LCA Tejas is finally going abroad. You may remember the plans to display the Tejas in the Paris Air Show last year. Those plans didn't fructify, much to our disappointment. Of course, DRDO had something else in store for us, conducting intensive flight trials at Dabolim in Goa.

If you're wondering which is this ILA which we've never heard of, its the German name for the Berlin Air Show - "Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Air_Show).

In a way, the LCA's debut in Germany is befitting. After all, it was the great German aircraft Designer, Dr. Kurt Tank, who helped design our first aircraft, the HF-24 Marut.

Unlike last year, when the LCA was still an unfinished aircraft, this time, the LCA goes prepared. It has fired a missile, been integrated with the LITENING targeting pod, and having made a night flight. It will be joined by the HJT-36 'Sitara' and the Dhruv, both wanting to shake off their ill-fated displays at Aero India-2007. They have impressed international audiences before. Let us hope that the Tejas too does that.

In addition, the air show will give an opportunity for IAF Pilots and DRDO Scientists to check out the Eurofighter Typhoon, which will participate in the 126 Aircraft MMRCA tender. Also expected to attend will be the Swedish Gripen, which was also present at Aero India-2007.

MRCA Tender- RFP cleared for Release

MRCA Contract Update- June 29

Over the past week, theres been a flurry of activity on the MRCA scene. Last week, AK Antony said that the Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC) would meet and approve the Request for Proposal (RFP) for release within the fortnight. That report was on the 18th. Luckily, the DAC met the deadline. Yesterday, the DAC met in Delhi and cleared the purchase of the 126 fighter jets.

The big news was reported by various newspapers. Unfortunately, its hard to trust most of these reporters (for reasons well known), and so, an official MoD source was needed. That press release is given below.

An Analysis of this news is on the way. The press release by itself is quite detailed, and a lot can be inferred from it. The most important observation is the name "Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft", which suggests that the IAF is no longer looking for a Mig-21 replacement, but is looking to boost the number of medium weight class (Max. Takeoff Wt. of 20-25 tons) aircraft, which do the bulk of "Earth-mover" work in strike roles. That is, in any mission, these aircraft would be the bomb carriers and the core of the formation, while other aircraft, like the LCA and Su-30 would provide air cover. This class, capable of carrying over 6 tons of weapons (9-10 tons
of load, i.e. Weapons + Fuel), is crucial for the IAF, which has been looking to shore up the numbers and replace the Mig-27s and Jaguars that are getting old.

This also means that the MoD is no longer worried about the progress of the LCA project. Reports before would regularly talk about the MRCA being floated due to delays in the LCA project. But, considering the progress of the Tejas, that doesn't seem to be a worry any more.

The MoD Press Release:
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=28894

DEFENCE ACQUISITION COUNCIL CLEARS PROCUREMENT 126 MMRCA

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has cleared the process for the procurement of 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force. During its meeting here today, the DAC debated various issues related to the initial purchase, transfer of technology, licensed production and life time maintenance support for the 126 MMRCA and gave the final go-ahead for the project.

In pursuant to the recent assurance given by the Defence Minister for an early issue of the much awaited Request for Proposal (RFP) for the 126 fighter jets, the Ministry of Defence and Indian Air Force officers have been working overtime to scrutinize all aspects of the RFP. In view of the size and operational importance of the likely purchase, the criteria for selecting the final MMRCA contender from amongst some of the best combat aircraft offered by American, Russian and European companies, has been fine tuned. The RFP would contain a selection model that would involve an exhaustive evaluation process as detailed in the Defence Procurement Procedures — 2006.

The proposals from the likely contenders would first be technically evaluated by a professional team to check for compliance with IAF’s operational requirements and other RFP conditions. Extensive field trials would be carried out to evaluate the performance. Finally, the commercial proposal of the vendors, short-listed after technical and field evaluations, would be examined and compared. The aircraft are likely to be in service for over 40 years. The vendors are required to provide a life time support and performance based warranty for the aircraft. MoD officials have confirmed that great care has been taken to ensure that only determinable factors, which do not lend themselves to any subjectivity, are included in the commercial selection model. The selection would be transparent and fair.

The DAC has approved that a majority of the MMRCA would be produced in India under transfer of technology. The vendor finally selected would also b e required to undertake offset obligations in India. It is expected that the ToT and offset contracts would provide a great technological and economic boost to the indigenous defence industries, which would include DPSUs, RURs and other eligible private sector industries. Foreign vendors would be provided great flexibility in effecting tie-up with Indian partners, for this purpose.

There are three guiding principles for this procurement scheme. First, the operational requirements of IAF should be fully met. Second, the selection process should be competitive, fair and transparent, so that best value for money is realized. Lastly, Indian defence industries should get an opportunity to grow to global scales.

With the decks finally cleared, the RFP is planned to be issued in the near future.

Sitanshu Kar

An earlier report by the Indian Express, dated 18th June is given below.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/33998.html

PANEL MEET SOON TO DECIDE ON IAF’S 126 FIGHTERS CONTRACT

New Delhi, June 18: The decks have been cleared for India’s biggest ever global defence tender to acquire 126 multi role combat aircraft. Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said the Defence Acquisition Committee (DAC) will meet within a fortnight to finalise the tender document.

“The DAC will meet within a fortnight and decide on the RFP. All negotiations are over and now it is a question of formalities,” the Minister told media persons after inaugurating a two-day annual Unified Commander’s Conference.

He indicated that issues like factoring in life-cycle costs and clauses of the offset policy have been resolved by saying that the final Request for Proposals would be issued within “one or two months”.

Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal F H Homi left on Monday for a five-day France visit. He will attend the Paris Air Show that will showcase contenders for the contract like the American F-16 and F/A 18 Super Hornet, the French Rafale, Russian MiG 35 and the Swedish Gripen.

Speaking on the LTTE threat, ... (unrelated issues continued).

More Reports:
(note- links shown here may have been shortened. If you're not able to see, right click and copy link location.)
http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/29/stories/2007062954320900.htm
http://www.indiaprwire.com/businessnews/20070628/23165.htm
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/India_to_buy_126_fighter_jets
CNN Money Report
International Herald Tribune Report
Reuters India Report
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/77788.html
For more reports, see Google News. A Collection of reports like the ones above can be found here.

A flicker of 'Radiance'

President Abdul Kalam in a lecture in 2005 had spoken about his fond desire to see the LCA 'Tejas' ("Radiance") achieve greater heights and international recognition.

And what better way to do this than display our very own bird at the biggest aviation fair in the world- The Paris Air Show, a biennial show held on odd years at Le Bourget Airport in Paris.

It was this desire that Kalam articulated in the following verse, entitled "Soaring Dream", which he wrote in 1990.

Fabulous air show of Paris in motion

My thought too in flight and yearns for my Nation

When will the planes designed in my land

Pierce the sky as lightening in action

And gracefully land as angels in full boom

All to the envy of spellbound spectators

Yes we can !!

When we are united in action and addicted to deeds

Sky can't be limit for my nation in action !!

An ambitious dream it would have been when he wrote it. And impossible it would have seemed in 1999, when the LCA was on the verge of being shut down. Now, those difficulties are far away; the LCA is a reality, and a beautiful and powerful aircraft as well. Seeing it fly on foreign shores wouldn't be a surprise.

A lot of people were hopeful that this would happen this year, especially after the amazing displays at Aero India. Mutterings of the LCA flying were all around. Airshowtrips had a tentative list of aircraft being displayed at Le Bourget this year, and, guess what, the LCA was on it- both Static and Flying display as well. That wasn't confirmation enough, since they themselves stated that it was a tentative list. Even then, the prospects of an LCA flying over foreign shores was mouth watering. India-Defence and Bharat-Rakshak both latched onto this news with gusto and came out with these reports ([1] [2]). Then, the Paris Air Show Official Website released an 'Official' list (download the Excel sheet here...) of aircraft taking part, and I was overjoyed to see the LCA on it- both on static and flying display.

Alongside the LCA would have been our very our very own ALH Dhruv, which made a splash at Farnborough last year, along with the HJT-36 'Sitara' and the Lancer upgrade for the IAF Cheetah helicopters. Unfortunately, this years accident at Aero India ruled out the Sitara, after only one more aircraft was left.

Of Course, considering that the LCA has not yet made a night flight, nor been equipped with drop tanks as yet, there was a tingling sensation in the back of my neck that suggested that this was too good to be true. Mails to both HAL and ADA didn't bring any replies. Apparently, others felt the same tingling. Shiv Aroor spoke to the HAL guys, who denied that the LCA was taking part. If that wasn't enough, the Show organisers released an updated list of aircraft (excel sheet) taking part, which removed the Tejas from the list. Even the Airshowtrips.be site shows the LCA as cancelled. Well, the bubble did finally burst. One wonders why the LCA was cancelled from the show. Well, I'm pretty sure it was cancelled, for the Le Bourget guys could scarcely have made any mistakes in their list.

For those who want to share the dream, heres the screenshot of the previous version, showing the LCA. It shows 2 aircraft taking part- Static Display, and flying Display. =>

When I check out books about the latest aircraft, its painful to see even the chinese aircraft discussed, but not a word about the LCA. Thats probably because its till now been a quiet, local project that has not garnered much attention. Most of the talk has only started after the Aero India showing this year. As for the Chinese aircraft, we have to admit, they do have a larger base than ours. Hell, they have exported their aircraft to other nations (third world or not), and that does earn them some attention.

The Tejas, with its excellent performance and handling characteristics, as well as small size and cost is something that should catch some eyeballs. And, as the flagship venture of our aerospace industry, it must be shown to the world. The best way to do that is at the Air Shows. Lets hope that the LCA does fly next year, at Farnborough. That would certainly be a fitting end to Kalam's dream, and the collective wishes of the nation.

Side note:
The news about the LCA is not all bad or disappointing. Apparently, the reason the LCAs were pulled from the show was because PV-2 and PV-3 are undergoing rigorous sea-level trials at INS Rajali in Arakkonam (Bharat-Rakshak report, India-Defence report). Arakkonam has the country's longest runway (4100 m) and is the second largest naval base in Asia. It is also home to the Navy's Tu-142 'Bear' aircraft.

Apparently, these two aircraft are being put through a gruelling series of tests that would hasten the Initial Operating Clearance for the LCA. Its heartening to see the program steaming ahead as planned. The tests will not only test reliability of the LCA systems under the hot and humid conditions, but will also test low level flight characteristics, as well as maritime navigation.

This is probably the first time that the Tejas is flying outside Bangalore, and given the Maritime security role that the IAF envisages for it initially, these test flights are vital. Given the Navy's commitment to the LCA-N program, that too makes these flights important, since they would help give the mariners an idea of the Tejas capabilities. the IAF had formed a core of pilots and engineers into an "LCA Induction Team", which has really helped the LCA induction along, as well as creation of tactics and maintenance plans for the aircraft engineers.

Side note 2:
Lots of pictures from Paris-2007 can be found at these sites: futura-sciences.com, militaryphotos.net, airshowtrips.be and many many more places. I'll try to add as many links as I can.