SPEAKING FREELY
Anyone want an obsolete Indian fighter?
By David Nguyen

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing.

In March the "Tejas" completed its 500th flight test. Flying at Mach 1.4 and capable of carrying weapons on seven hard points, the Tejas is the flagship in India's long struggle to develop an indigenous light fighter aircraft. But while the technology represents a major achievement for India's aviation industry,



questions remain whether the effort is worth the money that is being poured into it.

It is by no means certain that even the Indian Air Force, which needs to replace its aging fleet of Russian-made MiG-21s, will buy the plane over the several other light fighters it could obtain from abroad. Nor are export prospects certain given the glut of superior US, French, Swedish and other light fighter aircraft now on the world's armaments market.

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program began in 1983 out of the rising need to replace the MiG-21s, which even then were becoming obsolete but still constituted the most numerous type of aircraft in the Indian Air Force's inventory. By 1990, the design for a new plane was finalized, with the aircraft adopting a cranked delta wing and tailless configuration powered by a single turbofan engine.

Five years later the designated manufacturer, Hindustan Aeronautical (HAL), unveiled two prototypes. However, because of difficulties with its flight-control system, the aircraft's first test flight was delayed another five years, until January 2001. Since then, two more prototypes have been produced, with a naval variant currently undergoing development.

Yet more than two decades since its conception, the Tejas has yet to reach production status. Instead, it continues to perform endless flight tests. Difficulties with flight controls were eventually resolved, but its power plant, the indigenous Kaveri engine, continues to be plagued with technical difficulties, the worst of which was the collapse of the engine during high-altitude tests performed at a Russian base in 2004.

The Tejas demonstrators and prototypes continue to be powered by a General Electric F404 engine, similar to the one used in the US F/A-18 and the Swedish Gripen. As a result of numerous setbacks with the Kaveri engine, India has began seeking assistance from foreign engine manufacturers, including General Electric, Pratt & Whitney and the French company Snecma.

While difficulties with its power plant could be easily resolved simply by abandoning the local engine and settling on a foreign onet, the Tejas continues to suffer from one key drawback that HAL is unlikely to overcome - its extremely limited airframe. At just 5,500 kilograms and 13 meters long, the Tejas is smaller and lighter than other lightweight aircraft such as the Gripen and the United States' F-16.

Its small size gives the aircraft a smaller radar cross-section, but at the same time limits the amount of fuel (and thus range) and room for additional avionics.

When completed, the Tejas will be comparable to the Gripen in its capabilities. But the Gripen has been operating in Swedish squadrons for nearly a decade and has already seen a new upgraded variant, the Gripen-C, being produced. Similarly, another light combat aircraft, the F-16, has been in service for nearly three decades while offering similar capabilities and numerous upgraded variants.

The capabilities the Tejas offers do not provide anything new or significant over existing light fighters that have already been flying in foreign air forces for years. In short, it is already obsolete.

Rising development costs due to continuing deficiencies in the program will ultimately produce an expensive aircraft that may only be built in limited numbers. India says it intends to export the Tejas, which would offset some of the development costs and lower overall unit costs. However, any exports would have to come after the Indian Air Force has received enough aircraft to replace the aging MiG-21 fleet and would also depend on when the Tejas could actually be produced in large numbers.

Priority in replacing the MiG-21s is high because both Mikoyan-Gurevich and HAL ceased producing new models decades ago. In the export arena, the Tejas will have to compete with established rivals such as the Gripen and both new and used F-16s, which exist in the thousands and will continue be available for export when the F-35 begins replacing them in the US and Europe.

Elsewhere, nations unable to acquire the Swedish or US aircraft because of export restrictions could easily buy the Russian MiG-29 or the larger Su-30, both of which are sold at prices well below their Western counterparts'. Most air forces using the MiG-21 have already begun replacing their fleets with the aforementioned aircraft. There is very little incentive for customers to acquire the Tejas, as better options exist.

While the potential for exports may seem dim for the Tejas, so do the prospects of placing it in service of the Indian Air Force. There is no doubt that the Tejas is superior to the aircraft it is intended to replace; however, the air force generals are not just waiting around until the Tejas comes into full production.

India has already acquired MiG-29s and Sukhoi Su-30MKIs from Russia and Mirage-2000s from France. The MiG-29 and Mirage 2000 are considered lightweight combat aircraft, and the former is renowned for its agility. It performed exceptionally well during the Kargil conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir. The larger and more sophisticated Su-30MKI employs top-of-the-line French, Israeli and Russian avionics.

With the exception of the US F-22, the Su-30MKI is perhaps the world's most capable fighter aircraft currently flying. To make matters worse for the LCA program, the Indian Air Force is seeking to acquire as many as 126 additional new aircraft from foreign manufacturers to replace the MiG-21. They include upgraded versions of the Mirage2000 and MiG-29, and other aircraft such as the French Rafale and the Gripen.

US companies have also presented their bids, which include the F-16 and F/A-18E that features advanced ActiveElectronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars. As India continues to ponder the bids, and as the air force continues to acquire second-hand Mirage 2000s from France and Qatar, there is increasingly less incentive for India to continue the Tejas program.

New Delhi should swallow its pride and cancel the program before any more money is wasted. Cancellation should have minimal impact on the air force, as the number of aircraft that will be acquired from the recent bids should be more than enough for MiG-21 replacement. The funding and experience can be applied to India's other ambitious program, the Medium Combat Aircraft. Ultimately, it is up to the government to cut its losses before the Tejas makes its 1,000th "test" flight.

David Nguyen is a University of Hawaii alumnus with a degree in political science and Asian studies.

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing.

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