SP-3 warming up for first flight

HAL hoping to have have 1st flight of SP-3 soon, just in time for #TejasSqn formation.

#TejasSqn: A symbolic event now

IAF to set the ball rolling by forming the first #TejasSqn. More Sqns to follow when more SPs fly out of HAL hangars.

Finally, Tejas Sqn at striking distance

Finally, finally India's #Tejas set to enter #IAF Sqn. July 1 is what we hear. Watch this space.

#PlaneCarnival: IAF will get 36 Tejas in FOC format: ADA Chief

By Dr Anantha Krishnan M

https://twitter.com/writetake

Thrilled by the assurance given by the Chief of Air Staff Air Cheif Marshal Arup Raha, Team Tejas is on Cloud 9 as the curtains are drawn on 10th edition of Aero India 2015.

Putting an end to all speculations, Raha had categorically stated at Aero India that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has full faith in Tejas and its capabilities.

In an interview to OneIndia, P S Subramaniam, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) Director overseeing the Tejas project said that the Chief ‘s statement has rejuvenated the team.

IAF Chief's remarks lifted the team's morale

"We read it in the newspapers and it has lifted the morale of all entire teams in ADA, HAL, DRDO and NAL. In a development programme, delays are natural and we are now ensuring that the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) is achieved as planned in December," Subramaniam said.

As reported by OneIndia earlier, the IAF will start inducting Tejas series production (SP-3) aircraft onwards into IAF.

As per the contract, HAL will have to deliver a total of 20 Tejas series production aircraft in the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) format and another 20 in the FOC mode. The IAF also needs 80 Tejas Mk-2s, which are being powered by the GE 414 engine.

This report appeared on OneIndia on 22 Feb 2015. Full report here: http://bit.ly/1DJCEmw

SPOTTED: Amidst the crowd, ADA master silently watches the Tejas display!

Aeronautical Development Agency boss P S Subramanyam watching the
Tejas display on the last day of Aero India 2013. Photo: Jithendra M

By Anantha Krishnan M
Express News Service

Bangalore: For Pinjala Siva Subramanyam, the boss of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the just-concluded Aero India 2013, was in many ways an emotional one. The soft-spoken aerospace brain took some time out on the last day of the show at the Yehalanka Air Force Station on Sunday -- to be part of the crowd, unnoticed. When City Express spotted the white-bearded man amidst the plane-crazy visitors, he was on the phone speaking with his ground crew on the opposite side of the runway.

“In another 10 minutes Tejas will take-off. It’s in many ways a special moment for me,” Subramanyam said, amidst ear-splitting noise of an American transport aircraft, which landed after finishing the display. In couple of minutes a Limited Series Production (LSP-2) aircraft from Tejas flightline took to the skies. When the commentator screamed ‘India’s Tejas’, the visitors went berserk in unison, adding more madness to the plane carnival. But P.S., as he is fondly known among his close circles, was cool. His eyes locked on to the skies watching Tejas perform some stunning maneuvers.

He said ADA captured the imagination of the visitors by exhibiting the technologies that were developed in the last two decades for the Tejas programme. “We have arrived and the people have experienced our strengths. It’s not an overnight exercise,” Subramanyam said. The simulated environment of terrain inside the ADA hall floored the visitors, including Defence Minister A K Antony, who is said to have asked his men to have the same script for an exhibition in Kerala.

He said the youngsters and students were impressed by the Tejas simulators at the show. “Our main aim this time was to give maximum exposure to the student community. Special teams were formed to explain the salient features of combat fighter technologies. We hope some of these talented brains will join our future programmes,” Subramanyam said.

As Tejas touched down, the ADA captain was ready to get going for the day’s last appointment. “During the 2015 show, I am confident that a production variant of Tejas will fly here. Tejas will be in IAF Squadron colours, then,” he said, adjusting his beard and disappearing into the crowd.

Copyright@City Express, The New Indian Express

Tracking the Tejas: LSP-7 will fly in August: ADA chief

Tejas formation flight photo by B. Satheesh Kumar, SPO (Defence), Chennai 

By Abraham V. Kuruvilla

P.S. Subramanyam

The 7^th Limited Series Production (LSP-7) platform of India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will now take to the skies in August 2011. Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) head Mr P.S. Subramanyam confirmed to Tarmak007 in Bangalore on June 14 that the programme is well on track, despite the delays.

“Productionisation is a gradual process. The LSP-7 and LSP-8 aircraft will be very close to the final version, not just in terms of the design, but also in terms of how they are manufactured. As things stand now, the LSP-7 will fly in August and the LSP-8 in November,” the ADA chief said. Tejas LSP-5 first flew on November 19 2010. (LSP-6 will be an experimental vehicle specifically for high Angle of Attack. LSP-7 will be the 12th aircraft joining the Tejas flight-line, spanning over 10 years.)

ADA-HAL had earlier said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) would have the LSP-7 and LSP-8 for user evaluation trials by March 2011. In the meantime, the IAF has already begun the process of squadron formation.

Justifying the reasons for the slight delay for the last two LSPs to join the flight-line, Mr Subramanyam said: “The first phase was to show that the product was good and we have demonstrated this. Everything is performing well. Now, the focus is on creating world-class facilities for productionisation, induction, and product support. So far, we have been on a ‘suit-on-assembly mode’, fit for prototypes as the designers would often alter sub-components to maximize the performance of the aircraft.  Now that the design parameters have been proven, the programme is moving on to a type of production mode that will optimize time and cost savings.”

Assuring that the availability and serviceability of Tejas would be ‘world-class,’ the ADA chief said that it is not enough just to create a great product alone.  “The facilities for maintenance and operations –- be it the ground-handling equipment, the tools, the testers, the documentation –- all should be the best in the world. The reason why Embraer [the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer] has a great reputation is because the availability of its fleet is so high — about 80-90%. Similarly, the availability and serviceability of the LCA should be world-class and we are heading in the same direction,” he said.        

Mr Subramanyam said that a team of technicians and ground-support personnel would assist the IAF in establishing the Tejas Squadron at the Sulur Air Base (near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu). “For proper product support, personnel have to be identified and trained.  Labs and maintenance facilities have to be set up.  During the transition phase, we will be involved with all of this,” he said.

The Tejas platforms (all combined) have logged over 1,650 flights so far, clocking close to 1,000 hours. “After we cross the 1,000-hour mark, we will have a small celebration,” the ADA boss said, smiling and stroking his trademark well-trimmed beard. 

(Posted by the author, a Tarmak007 intern from Madras University.

Limited updates on the blog till July first week.)
FOLLOW TARMAK007 HERE

IAF on Tejas Squadron formation mode; LSP-7&8 will join flight line soon: ADA

 

Tarmak007 Special: No. 45 Flying Daggers will be Tejas first Squadron

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has begun the preparations for formation of the first squadron of Tejas in Bangalore. The No 45 Squadron will be known as Flying Daggers (same as  MiG-21/MiG-21 Bis Sqn). Air Cmdr B.R. Krishna, Chief Test Pilot, Aircraft Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Bangalore, who spoke to a select-group of journos at Aero India Media Centre, confirmed that the ASTE has identified 2 pilots to fly the Tejas as part of the IAF’s user-evaluation. The squadron will be first raised in Bangalore, before moving to Sulur in Coimbatore.

Air Cmdr Krishna said that a lot of inputs from his boys have gone into the Tejas program (cockpit design, improvements), considering some of the Tejas test pilots at NFTC are already from ASTE. The LSP-7 & 8 platforms will be released to IAF for user-evaluation (the much-awaited) following the initial operations clearance (IOC-1 as termed by IAF). The AoA@22 is a critical phase for Tejas program now.

ASTE hopes to get the LSP-7 & 8 platforms in the next 3-4 months, following which the ADA-HAL team would have to really step on the gas to make the changes (as suggested by the IAF pilots) and get going with the final operational clearances (FOC) and series production.

The 2 pilots from ASTE will also undergo Tejas simulator flying at ADE and work closely with the current team (IAF-PMT, ADA, HAL, NFTC, CEMILAC & ADE). “The preparations for the squadron formation (including ground equipment) are on as planned,” Air Cmdr Krishna added.
Sources confirm to Tarmak007 that Wg Cdr Paranjal Singh (a Test pilot with ASTE) and Wg Cdr Manish Kumar (a Flight Test Engineer with ASTE) are the chosen ones from IAF (outside NFTC) to fly LSP-7 and LSP-8. "Manish has to fly the trainer since he is an engineer and until then he will be involved in ground-test duties. Paranjal has already flown an LCA and we are ensuring their transformation to the new platform is smooth," sources said.