Tejas fighter jet : India's first Light Combat Aircraft

India's own first supersonic multi-role combat aircraft Tejas, meant to replace MiG 21s and MiG 23s, will join the Air Force on Monday for initial operational clearance.

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), considered to be the world's smallest military aircraft with a single seat, will be among top eight aircraft in the world in technological design and performance terms.

Tejas was under devlopment for nearly 28 years and beat sanctions.

TThe LCA has been developed by the state-run Aeronautical Defence Agency (ADA) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in Bangalore. The project was started in 1983 with a budget of Rs. 560 crore and was named 'Tejas' in 2004.

The F404-GE-IN20 engine from the US-based General Electric powers the fighter, as the indigenously developed Kaveri engine is still undergoing advance trials.

ADA director PS Subramanyam said that they are developing a new variant of the present LCA by 2014-15 and the fighter jet will be fully indigenous in five years time.

The HAL is manufacturing eight aircraft for clearance flights and will take up the IAF's initial order to deliver 20 jets to form the first Tejas squadron, which will be based at the Sulur air base near Coimbatore.

The Air Force has also placed an additional order of 20 more Tejas for the second squadron in 2010. It will be raised at Kayathir near Tuticorin. The IAF may finally have around 200 LCAs (10 squadrons) in its fleet

Specifications (HAL Tejas)

General characteristics

§                     Crew: 1

§                     Length: 13.20 m (43 ft 4 in)

§                     Wingspan: 8.20 m (26 ft 11 in)

§                     Height: 4.40 m (14 ft 9 in)

§                     Wing area: 38.4 m² (413 ft²)

§                     Empty weight: 5,680kg (12,522 lb)

§                     Loaded weight: 9,500 kg (20,945 lb)

§                     Max takeoff weight: 13,500 kg (31,967 lb)

§                     Powerplant: 1× General Electric F404-GE-IN20 turbofan

§                                 Dry thrust: 53.9 kN (11,250 lbf)

§                                 Thrust with afterburner: 85 kN (19,000 lbf)

§                     Internal fuel capacity: 3000 liters

§                     External fuel capacity: 5×800 liter tanks or 3×1,200 liter tanks, totaling 4,000/3,600 liters

Performance

§                     Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (2,376+ km/h at high altitude) at 15,000 m

§                     Range: 3000 km (1,840 mi (without refueling))

§                     Service ceiling: 16,500 m (54,000 ft (engine re-igniter safely capable))

§                     Wing loading: 221.4 kg/m² (45.35 lb/ft²)

§                     Thrust/weight: .91

Armament

§                     Guns: 1× mounted 23 mm twin-barrel GSh-23 cannon with 220 rounds of ammunition.

§                     Hardpoints: 8 total: 1× beneath the port-side intake trunk, 6× under-wing, and 1× under-fuselage with a capacity of >4000 kg external fuel and ordnance

§                     Missiles:

Air-to-air missiles:

§                                 Python 5

§                                 Derby

§                                 Astra BVRAAM

§                                 Vympel R-77 (NATO reporting name: AA-12 Adder)

§                                 Vympel R-73 (NATO reporting name: AA-11 Archer)

§                     Air-to-surface missiles:

§                                 Kh-59ME TV guided standoff Missile

§                                 Kh-59MK Laser guided standoff Missile

§                                 Anti-ship missile

§                                 Kh-35

§                                 Kh-31

§                     Bombs:

§                     KAB-1500L laser guided bombs

§                     FAB-500T dumb bombs

§                     OFAB-250-270 dumb bombs

§                     OFAB-100-120 dumb bombs

§                     RBK-500 cluster bombs

§                     Others:

§                     Drop tanks for ferry flight/extended range/loitering time.

§                     LITENING targeting pod 

Avionics
Hybrid MMR radar (Israeli EL/M-2032 back end processor with Indian inputs)