As official media at the DefExpo 2020, the Vayu Aerospace & Defence Review are proud to feature the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft as its lead (cover) story, which will be very widely circulated and read both at the event and amongst the Journal’s vast international readership. This interview will be the lead in this special issue of the Vayu, heralding the 46th year of the publication.
Q1. Over the past many decades, the DRDO has recorded major successes in various areas of defence research and development. Could you kindly enumerate on some of the major break throughs?
Ans: DRDO has played its intended role of indigenous development of weapon systems, platforms and equipment for the tri-services of the country effectively over the past decades. We are on the path to achieve self sufficiency in the field of missiles, radars,EW systems, sonars and torpedoes. Now, we are capable of designing any kind of missile system as per the requirement. The recent success of ‘Mission Shakti’ showcased our capability in designing systems for execution of complex missions. We have gained technological capability in the area of different propulsion systems, avionics and navigation systems, as building blocks so that new systems can be configured based on the available expertise. We have our own Main Battle Tank Arjun with superior firepower, fighter aircraft for multiple roles, AESA radars for different applications, sonars for submarines and EW systems, AEW&C and indigenous towed gun system ATAGS, which are some of the major spectacular technological breakthroughs for the country.
Q2. The LCA Navy programme has recorded significant milestones, with the prototype (NP-2) achieving defined targets to much satisfaction. Will this experience result in a definitive LCA Navy Mk II, which would operate from indigenous aircraft carriers in the near future?
Ans: Recently LCA Naval version has successfully landed on INS Vikramaditya using arrester barrier. The take-off from the carrier has also been smooth, which is a big achievement and is the culmination of all round design efforts. With this milestone we are quite optimistic to complete naval version of Tejas in all respects. Since LCA Navy Mk-1 was an adaptation of the Air ForceTejas, it had limited operational capabilities due to the increased weight and bigger undercarriage. LCA Navy Mk-IIis being conceptualized as an ab-initio design of a Naval Aircraft to meet all the operational requirements of Indian Navy using a more powerful engine. The design utilizes the experience gained through flight testing of LCA Navy Mk-I. Concept design activities of LCA Navy Mk-II have been completed.
Q3. It is understood that ADA is on track to develop the LCA AF Mk II aircraft, also referred to as medium weight fighter (MWF) for the Indian Air Force which has placed much trust on its availability from the early 2030s. Could you please give an overview of the timelines for this important programme in terms of first flight and entry into service?
Ans: LCA AF Mk-IIis conceived as a re-engineered version of LCA AF Mk-I with a more powerful 98 kN class engine. It was also envisaged that LCA AFMk-II would have higher power engine along with improved maintainability, accessibility and interchangeability. Designof existing systems is being improved based on LCA AF Mk-I experience. Maintainability improvements were incorporated in design. While LCA AF Mk-I would be a replacement for MIG 21, IAF now targeted LCA AF Mk-II to be a replacement for Mirage 2000. We are confident that LCA Mk-II development will be completed early and meet the IAF expectations.
Q4. The next gen Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will perhaps be the most vital development programme undertaken in the country. According to ADA, metal cutting of the AMCA is to begin shortly with first flight targeted for 2024-25. Would you consider this as rather ambitious, considering challenges posed in both stealth shaping of the aircraft and identifying appropriate power plants? Concerning the latter, have more modern alternatives been considered beyond the present F 414?
Ans: AMCA is a 5th Generation twin-engine fighter aircraft in the medium weight category with advanced technologies such as Stealth, Serpentine Air Intake, Internal Weapon Bay, Advanced Avionics, Net-centric Warfare, etc. AMCA configuration design is in the advanced stage. The basic building blocks like air frame, avionics, software and design data for a fighter class aircraft have been developed and have matured during LCA development. Now, to get a new configuration rolling out will not take that much time.
Yes, advanced features have been added in AMCA, which were already thought about, during development of LCA. Some work has already been done in those lines for configuration studies.Considering the experience accrued while developing different versions of LCA, we are confident that the challenges posed during AMCA can be effectively addressed, including power plant selection.
Q5. The ASAT missile programme is imperative for the country with obvious strategic implications. Please give our readers a brief on the road map in achieving such cutting edge technologies that will endow India with such critical capability.
Ans: The ASAT test has been a capability demonstrator of the country’s technological advancement. The anti-satellite test, Mission Shakti was conducted to demonstrate the capability of the nation to neutralize enemy satellites. The core technologies for the test have been derived from the Ballistic Missile Defence programme of DRDO. DRDO would continue to work on development of advanced technologies for Air and Missile Defence and some of them would be available for future challenging missions if required.
Q6. At the tactical level, DRDO has recently test fired the quick reaction surface-to-air missile (QRSAM), even as various foreign-origin weapons are being considered by the Services. When could this indigenous system be operationalised?
Ans: QRSAM has completed development trials. It is Air Defense on the move system, which searches& tracks targets on the move and engages multiple targets in 360 deg. The features of the missile system have been tested. The user demonstration is expected to complete by 2021.
Q7. In broad terms, please outline the DRDO’s road map till 2035 for achieving maximum self-reliance in the challenging and vast field of defence technologies.
Ans: DRDO has attained self-reliance in critical technologies in the fields of missiles, radars, sonars, torpedoes, armaments and EW systems.In next five to ten years, our endeavor is to ensure no imports are made by the country in these areas by indigenous development. The thrust would also be to become defence exporter. A lot of our systems should reach the world, paving way for our industries to flourish. The defence corridors would play a major role in transforming our vision into reality. The future battlespace will see a marked change and will translate to challenges in weapons and systems development. Looking ahead into the future, we have already started work on technologies which will be essential for futuristic weapon systems. The day is not far when Indian made defence systems will storm the world market.