The absence of an attack helicopter capable of operating at high altitude was driven home during the Kargil conflict and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-built light combat helicopter is to plug this gap in capability, but progress has been slow.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is poised at a very crucial stage in its glorious history. The induction of current generation transport aircraft and helicopters have brought about far reaching changes in airlift capability. The acquisition of the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) and the light combat aircraft (LCA) will move the IAF into a different league, but it is predicted, that the next decade will find its fighter squadrons reduced to an all-time low and the trend reversed only around 2022. The replacement for the MiG-21 fleet by the LCA Tejas has been in the planning phase for over two decades and it now appears to be reaching a satisfactory conclusion. The absence of an attack helicopter capable of operating at high altitude was driven home during the Kargil conflict and the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL)- built light combat helicopter (LCH) is to plug this gap in capability, but progress has been slow.

The LCA Tejas

The LCA project was launched in 1983 with two major objectives. The main purpose was to develop an indigenous replacement for the MiG-21, the then premier air defence fighter of the IAF. The IAF had projected that the MiG-21 would reach the end of its life by 1990 and by 1995 the combat squadrons would have reduced to 60 per cent of IAF’s authorised strength, unless augmented by a new fighter aircraft.

The other objective of the LCA programme was more ambitious and envisaged the coming together of Indian industrial and scientific entities to design and produce a stateof-the-art fighter aircraft from scratch. The scientific community saw the LCA project as a great opportunity to build a modern aero-industry capable of covering the full gamut of designing and making a new fighter aircraft. India needed this technological capability if it was to break into the big league of aircraft manufacturers. The government and the IAF appreciated the risks involved as India had very little home-grown experience of any of the disciplines required for the development of the LCA and were skeptical of the potential and capabilities of the scientific community.

Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) was designated the nodal agency to manage the project and HAL to be the primary contractor for design and system integration, assembly, manufacture, flight testing and technical support during the service life of the aircraft. National Aeronautics Laboratory (NAL) and Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) and Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) were responsible for the design of the flight control system, the airborne radar and the Kaveri engine, respectively.

The IAF had reservations about the capabilities of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and HAL to design the LCA and more importantly to meet the production timelines; but in 1989, a Government Review Committee decided that DRDO had acquired much of the technological competence needed to undertake the project. As a matter of prudence, it was decided that full-scale engineering development would be done in two phases. Phase I would entail building two technology demonstrator aircraft (TD-1 and TD-2) and two prototypes (PV-1 and PV-2). Phase II would include a production model (PV-3), a naval version (PV-4) and a two-seat trainer version (PV-5).

The first flight of the Tejas LCA TD-1 took off on January 4, 2001, with Squadron Leader Rajiv Kothiyal at the controls and till date, various versions of the LCA have completed almost 2,000 flights. Ten years after the first flight, the initial operational clearance (IOC) was granted on January 10, 2011, and pilots from the IAF are now permitted to fly the LCA. Recently, three Tejas aircraft completed weapons trials at the air-to-ground firing range in Pokhran which involved the carriage and release of 1,000 lb laser guided bombs and also dumb bombs. The aircraft is yet to test fire the Raphael Derby or the Russian Vympel R-77 BVR missiles.

In August last year, Defence Minister A.K Antony, informed Parliament that the LCA would be inducted into the Air Force by March 2012 but that deadline slipped like many before. The LCA programme has been plagued by delays, however 2012, was to be a watershed year with the Tejas MK I obtaining FOC. But this deadline has also slipped and it is possible that FOC may now be accorded only in late 2013 after the LCA meets all design parameters and capabilities.

In April 2012, the Ministry of Defence and senior IAF officers made a presentation to the Parliamentary Standing Committee informing them of the severe shortage of fighter aircraft, support infrastructure and other requirements. The IAF stated that if squadrons of MiG-21s being phased out were not matched with equal number as replacements, the IAF combat squadron strength may hit an all-time low of 29 fighter squadrons in the next five years. Till the deal for the 126 MMRCA is inked, there is no assurance of getting the French Rafale any time soon. The delay in finalising the contract gives the other competitors a faint glimmer of hope to renegotiate the deal.

The Defence Minister informed the Parliament in May 2012 that the IAF will get six squadrons of the LCA by 2022 comprising 40 aircraft which will be the Tejas Mk I with the GE F-404 engine and the other 80 aircraft will be Tejas Mk II with the new GE F-414 engine. The Indian Navy is also committed to purchasing 40 Tejas Mk II.

The Tejas Mk II is being developed by HAL with the GE-F414-GE-INS6 engine which will incorporate fifth generation fighter technology. The preliminary design and configuration of the Tejas Mk II has been completed, this version will be a metre longer than the Tejas Mk I for incorporating a stretched nose, a larger section behind the cockpit for housing avionics components and is designed to carry an extra 1,000 kg of external stores more than the 4,000 kg carried by the Mk I version. The prototype is to roll out in 2013 and the first flight is scheduled for 2014. These are optimistic claims considering that the FOC for the Tejas Mk I is yet to be accorded and the current production line can roll out only eight-ten aircraft per year.

The induction plan promises the IAF a high technology fighter in the near future but till the promises translate into “fighters on the tarmac”, the IAF will be left in the lurch. The MiG-21s and the MiG-27s are to be phased out in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Five Year Plan period (2012–22) and replaced by Su-30 MKI, 126 MMRCA, Tejas Mk I & Mk II and the fifth generation fighter aircraft. If these inductions are delayed, the IAF will have to reckon with extending the use of its current fighter assets till the new aircraft take to the skies. The next 10 years are very crucial for the combat fleet of the IAF.