LCA Tejas: News and Discussions

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 Feb 2016 14:53

sankum wrote:When senior leaves for greener pastures the most deserving juniors get a chance and this churning infuses new energy in any organisation.

There should be no hard feeling in the seniors about this.

ROTFL experienced test pilots grow on trees.

sankum · Post by **sankum** » 02 Feb 2016 14:54

Well no one on this earth is indispensable. Well serve with honor and fade away with honour.

A selfless senior passes his knowledge to juniors and in this way knowledge grows or otherwise it becomes stale.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 Feb 2016 14:57

Yagnasri wrote:How we can have such culture when we do not design or develop any aircraft and even if something like Tejas comes up we are saying that there is no plan B and all that. MOD do not care for anything. If MOD wants it can make top brass dance to its good or bad tune. That seems to be the culture MOD and politicos want. Even if some politicos want to make some changes like M.I.I. even at very minor level he will face entire establishment gang. But for MII and lack of funds Tejas would have been killed long back. The drama of wanting Mk2 may also be part of the same efforts.

MOD forcing its way?? Even an op like the Pathankot one saw all shades of political types targeting the GOI.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 Feb 2016 14:58

sankum wrote:Well no one on this earth is indispensable. Well serve with honor and fade away with honour.

And of course the program has to suffer from lack of organizational continuity while you offer these platitudes from some tea leaves..

sankum · Post by **sankum** » 02 Feb 2016 15:00

Then young blood will never grow up.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 Feb 2016 15:04

LOL so for young blood to grow, a vacancy is forced into a program at it its critical phase. Pointless platitudes about selflessness and honor and this and that, program exigencies and national aims be darned.

sankum · Post by **sankum** » 02 Feb 2016 15:05

That is part of any organisation. The result will say whether the decision was right or wrong.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 Feb 2016 15:08

So now its "any" and result will tell..never mind more delays...with such brilliance, no wonder India faces what it does. Egotistic decisions and then excuses found.

sankum · Post by **sankum** » 02 Feb 2016 15:09

It is team work rather than any individual. We in India have a tendency to make a person indispensable.

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 02 Feb 2016 15:27

What is the status of LCA(n)? The existing one based on mark1 - is it only a tech demonstrator or will lead to a mark1 based fighter?

JayS · Post by **JayS** » 02 Feb 2016 15:37

JTull wrote: I could suggest a different point of view in this particular case. Perhaps the pilots who stay with IAF deserve more respect then the ones who decide to hawk their celebrity status.

Are you kidding?? Let alone celebrity, He is hardly a 'well known person' by any standard in India. If he was, he would have enjoyed so much better treatment without even doing zilch. Also he went to CABS which is hardly a "greener pasture" compared to IAF.

We are talking about a test program which is jointly run by DRDO-IAF, as I understand. Its not an all-IAF mission that's there in the consideration. A DRDO pilot has to have equal right to be captain as an IAF pilot if he has required merit. If he is the senior most, most experienced test-pilot available in the team, it only makes sense to have him as the captain of the team. It has to be based on merit and not designation. Is it that IAF pilots consider it to be beneath their level to be under the command of a "civil pilot" despite him being better than them in every respect??

sankum wrote:Well no one on this earth is indispensable. Well serve with honour and fade away with honour.

A selfless senior passes his knowledge to juniors and in this way knowledge grows or otherwise it becomes stale.

No one is indispensable, but here we are talking about a test pilot and not some random programmer, engineer or manager which are dime a dozen in every galli-muhallah in our country. No one is absolutely indispensable, but some people are just very hard to replace.

Some people are important due to their expertise and such people are retained in some way or the other everywhere in the world. You don't become a good organisation by throwing experienced people out just because of their age or their designations. I have seen people in their 80s and 90s being retained as Fellows or consultants in big OEMs. My own company does it. Their knowledge is not thrown out in dustbin after they turn 60 or 65. There are only few in thousands worth retaining at any cost. And test pilots with 5000hrs of experience definitely qualifies for that.

Also you do not replace experienced old guy with a young guy. For young people to come on board, throw the inefficient, usless lot. There are much more of those lot in any organization than the amount of highly experienced old guys. Letting experts go will only cause damage to the organization.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 Feb 2016 15:42

sankum wrote:It is team work rather than any individual. We in India have a tendency to make a person indispensable.

Enough platitudes please. There are always key folks in a team who are far more clued in than the others by virtue of their contributions to that one program & whose hand is required to steer that program to completion. That is the reason why TPs and specific crew appointed to programs like the Flanker series were kept in the program for a long time, far beyond their original VVS service age and what not. That's also the reason NIIP has distinguished scientists into their 80's and organizations created entire hierarchies for "distinguished fellows" and what not.
Your cookie cutter pronouncements are exactly what plague Indian programs. Irrational decision making & then people jumped into programs they are barely familiar with adding to delays. Arjun faced much the same issue. General after General paradropped into the program suggesting ad hoc changes at the nth moment. And now AEW&C and Tejas are at the cusp of completion, we lose one more experienced hand for no clear reason, but hey, now hes civilian after all his years in the AF and we need an AF guy. Plain egotistical, rubbish.

fanne · Post by **fanne** » 02 Feb 2016 15:48

This also tells you about the attitude towards LCA. Some one indispensable to LCA/Awacs indigenous product counts for nothing, perhaps because in IAF mind these projects count for nothing, a nuisance that them civilian impose on them. Left to their devices, they would be only flying planes that are imported (as the I in IAF) (with valid arguments like these products are more advanced and tested, but are costly and can be compromised quickly during wartime counts for very little).

johneeG · Post by **johneeG** » 02 Feb 2016 15:49

sankum wrote:It is team work rather than any individual. We in India have a tendency to make a person indispensable.

Agreed. But, performers need to be rewarded, so that others would want to perform similarly.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 02 Feb 2016 16:01

johneeG wrote:
sankum wrote:It is team work rather than any individual. We in India have a tendency to make a person indispensable.
Agreed. But, performers need to be rewarded, so that others would want to perform similarly.

In govt service, that usually means a hurried tea party, just before heading home for the day, some platitudinous speeches and a couple of really bad, oily samosas, stale potato chips and some rock hard "cake" for which every body shells out from their own pockets.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 02 Feb 2016 16:02

Karan M wrote:Jtull,
How did either hawk their celebrity status and where were they celebrities, do tell? Do you even have an idea of their contributions to the program?

My point being you have only one side of the story. In the end I'd prefer IAF above any individual. Don't get me wrong, as in the past I've been treated badly in employment, but the organisation always survives, thanks in part to it's culture whether we agree with it or not. If we don't agree then the only option is we leave. Some people may miss you, but the organisation is always bigger than the individual. If we decide to leave then we're just another mercenary who couldn't cope. Will it be my fault or will it be organisation's?

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 02 Feb 2016 16:17

Sid wrote:What a tragedy. In the end IAF top brass could not get past its ego. No wonder no pilot would like to move to test programs knowing it's a carrier ending move.

http://idrw.org/tejas-hero-suneet-krish ... more-86108
Tejas hero Suneet Krishna is no longer IAF face
SOURCE:DECCAN CHRONICLE

The media report something and we swallow it as the truth. And we keep saying "This is the most informative forum"" We are ahead of curve" etc

It is amazing that anything that appears in print is instantly sucked up as gospel by too many of us

Sid · Post by **Sid** » 02 Feb 2016 16:30

In all probability this event did not generate in vacuum. Now Group Captain Suneet Krishna recently moved to CABS most probably to fill in following requirement. At that time as well everyone lamented why IAF cannot provide enough test pilots.

http://www.sps-aviation.com/exclusive/? ... -programme

July 01, 2014: The DRDO is looking for 2 fully qualified test pilots from the private sector to speed up testing on the AEW&C programme.

And this is not the first instance where we heard that test pilots deputed to ADA/DRDO are treated less and their promotion/growth is hampered.

Question is, if the story is true, why IAF wants only a serving pilot to command a prototype plane which has not been commissioned yet?

His departure might not impact LCA, as he already moved to CABS, but sets a precedence for pilots willing to go down this career path.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 Feb 2016 17:25

JTull wrote:My point being you have only one side of the story. In the end I'd prefer IAF above any individual. Don't get me wrong, as in the past I've been treated badly in employment, but the organisation always survives, thanks in part to it's culture whether we agree with it or not. If we don't agree then the only option is we leave. Some people may miss you, but the organisation is always bigger than the individual. If we decide to leave then we're just another mercenary who couldn't cope. Will it be my fault or will it be organisation's?

Problem is IAF and in fact all the services lose far too many valuable individuals every year thanks to stupid policies and internecine politics. That;s the unvarnished truth which the media won't touch - its not masala enough to hard sell and most of the "embedded journos" would gladly carry puff pieces but not such items lest they lose access. India, is not exactly dripping with people with such capabilities. The IAF in particular has very few pilots (just look up their overall numbers) and the number of experienced TP can virtually be counted on fingers. Calling that out is different from stating these people were celebrity types - I mean apart from us, who even knows them? The unlucky ones who saw the politics up close and personal were very disillusioned with it. One can note all large units face these issues, but these challenges then affect huge programs like the Tejas and AEW&C.
Philip Rajkumar's promotion was scuttled by IAF leadership who thought posting to Tejas program was timepass. With such attitudes, our local programs will always suffer.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 02 Feb 2016 18:56

To me, it seems that a tussle on who controls the AEW&C Project in its final stage has been projected as a battle of egos.

But first - it is not a AM Philip Rajkumar redux. For a simple reason that IAF wants their person from ASTE to be the 'pilot-in-command' when the program is in the final stages before induction. So, it is not as if the program is receiving step-motherly treatment or those at the helm from IAF's side is being treated in an unfair manner. On the contrary, you can make a case of IAF being too keen to get their man the driving seat. No TP's career is suffering because IAF looks down on this job.

And Group Captain Suneet Krishna (Retd) could've reverted back to LCA program if he so desired. But he chose otherwise for reasons best know to him. So, to blame IAF for loss of talent is stretching the argument a bit too far.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 02 Feb 2016 19:06

If you force an existing man out to push your own person in, just because he happens to now be rtd or whatever, its Philip Rajkumar redux because that's exactly how he was treated. Not one of ours, no promotion, you had an easy time..
A tussle to control the AEW&C program in the final stage is exactly a battle of egos...one way or the other it just shows how we continue to lose valuable folks to all sorts of trivialities.
And how do we know SK could have returned to the LCA program? What if the IAF insisted that its current ASTE folks all be serving folks and that's the reason he was moved to CABS to keep him around? That;s equally possible.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 02 Feb 2016 19:34

Karan M wrote:If you force an existing man out to push your own person in, just because he happens to now be rtd or whatever, its Philip Rajkumar redux because that's exactly how he was treated. Not one of ours, no promotion, you had an easy time..

A tussle to control the AEW&C program in the final stage is exactly a battle of egos...one way or the other it just shows how we continue to lose valuable folks to all sorts of trivialities. And how do we know SK could have returned to the LCA program? What if the IAF insisted that its current ASTE folks all be serving folks and that's the reason he was moved to CABS to keep him around? That;s equally possible.

'Pushing existing person out' line of argument presupposes that ASTE had no role to play in AEW&C test flight so far. Which does not seem to be the case. The good TP had taken a premature retirement in 2012 - so, comparison to AM Rajkumar is not relevant who was denied promotion when he was serving.

'You had an easy time' is again not substantiated in this case. He is an ex-IAF and this aspect does not hold for him. And if IAF is insisting that only ASTE folks will be working on LCA from now on, that is hardly a case of complaining. On the contrary, it is exactly what people on here have been complaining. That IAF is not integrated enough. Now they possibly are.

And here is a question to you and others - Why did the good TP not consider it OK to continue if he was not given the pilot-in-command position? He did not want to work under a junior? Mind you, that is something which is pretty strong. Whether in or out of uniform.

These arguments here are typical of using instances of bygone era and stereotyping every development.

It's guilty unless proven innocent!

SidSom · Post by **SidSom** » 02 Feb 2016 20:00

rohitvats wrote: And if IAF is insisting that only ASTE folks will be working on LCA from now on, that is hardly a case of complaining. On the contrary, it is exactly what people on here have been complaining. That IAF is not integrated enough. Now they possibly are.

They had their chance to support the program from the grass root, while they with their hands under them. After that you dont get to muscle your way into things without having to pay your pound of flesh..... Tejas and AWECS projects are close to completion and now AF in their opportunistic ways are trying to feign father ship of projects they tried many times to scuttle (at least with Tejas).

rohitvats wrote: And here is a question to you and others - Why did the good TP not consider it OK to continue if he was not given the pilot-in-command position? He did not want to work under a junior? Mind you, that is something which is pretty strong. Whether in or out of uniform.

No one worth their salt would ever like to take orders from some one who is not as competent as them. SK I am sure was one of them. Keeping in mind SK's experience its hard to imagine AF would have a TP who is more competant them him....

rohitvats wrote: These arguments here are typical of using instances of bygone era and stereotyping every development.

It's guilty unless proven innocent!

AF and Army have worked to create and maintain an image of Anti Indian equipment with shining examples of their attitude towards Tejas, Awacs, Arjun, NAG, HTT 40, IJT, Marut and AM Rajkumar... We are steeped in their stereotype. Dont blame us for pandering to their predisposition.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 02 Feb 2016 20:32

Seniority matters in govt service.

It may not allegedly matter to a lot of folks but there it most definitely does.

On the basis of very meager information available in the public domain, put out by some donkey reporter, who is probably apple polishing, some preposterous conclusions and even wilder theories are being floated.

Enough IA / IAF bashing, please. It doesn't do this forum any good.

Bihanga · Post by **Bihanga** » 02 Feb 2016 20:34

Frankly speaking, HAL projection of 16 LCA's per year has direct relation to Gripen delivery since its induction in 1998 to present 2016, whereby so far 247 Gripen's has been delivered that say 16 aircraft per year.

So in any case we shall see IAF's full squadron strength getting aligned with projected 42 squadron will take at least 20 LCA squadron's each with 18 aircraft considering timeline of 2030 to be on safer side.

To achieve this scale we need to complete MKI delivery on faster side to field Planned 15 squadron's, however MKI still needs to go through Planned Super-30 upgrade with AESA as major coumponent with recurring limitations in servicing and spare parts to deal with. Plus we have Rafale induction to begin with.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 03 Feb 2016 01:14

^^^The Rafael might conclude price negotiations by June 2016. Even that date is questionable depending on budget constraints. The first couple of Rafales won't even be delivered until 2019 as orders before India must be completed. Until then then at least 2 squadrons of LCA can be delivered without any ramp up. If the Rafale is dumped, that $10 billion over 7 years can be put in to the production and logistics of the LCA, and 16-25/year can be produced. Over 120 LCA can easily show up in the same period and 4 LCA for 1 Rafale is a much better option.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 03 Feb 2016 05:09

shivji, anything from idrw needs a bag full of salt. they have another salvo copying asian diplomat ddm that PLAN plans to rename the Indian Ocean to Chinese Ocean. they would not hesitate to unthink for sensations.

tsarkar · Post by **tsarkar** » 03 Feb 2016 10:07

The posts made here reflect how forum members lacking operational knowledge post opinions based on their pet biases.

Firstly, Group Captain Suneet Krishna (Retd) left the Tejas program in May 2015. So the headline is misleading as he stopped being the face of Tejas in May 2015 itself.

The row was over denying this ace test pilot, the captain’s seat (pilot-in-command) in the ‘Eye-in-the-sky’, the Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), Bengaluru, and undergoing evaluation now ahead of its induction by the IAF later this year.

As I've indicated earlier, members here lack the ability to differentiate between developmental trials and user evaluation trials but whine about "endless trials".

For airframe developmental trials, Brazilian pilots were used to test the radome with dummy loads. Because airframe development was Embraer's responsibility.

For CABS development trials with radar fitted, the developer's pilot hold the captain's seat. In this case, Group Captain Suneet Krishna (Retd) and test pilots at CABS would be responsible for test flights

For user evaluation trials, the user's pilots need to lead instead of the developer's pilot. No two ways about it.

Read AM Philip Rajkumar's article here on IAF's insistence on their own Test Pilots first hand evaluation http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/histo ... ote][b]Air Mshl Katre told the Soviets in no uncertain terms that without a proper flight evaluation by his pilots[/b] of the two versions being offered, Mig-23 MF (air defence) and the Mig-23 BN (ground attack) he would not be able to make any worthwhile recommendations to the GOI.[/quote]

Now, for all aircraft developers, eg Dassault or Lockheed, their TPs are all ex military, and quite senior, but they take the backseat whenever user TPs evaluate.

those at the helm at IAF’s Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Bengaluru, insisting that only their officers could occupy the captain’s seat, although they were junior to Group Captain Suneet Krishna (retired).

Now, there might be more to it then it appears, as it always is. But if it was User Evaluation phase, then ASTE has the right of way. Having said that, in the absence of full facts, any opinions, including mine, are incomplete.

nits · Post by **nits** » 03 Feb 2016 12:50

Is Naval LCA going to fly as part of International Fleet review ?

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 03 Feb 2016 13:55

I'm glad this debate is taking place as far too often a single nugget of such news is taken as gospel for inherent malaise. Unless multiple sources are reporting it, I'd claim such news represents only the vested interests who wish to undermine their target.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 03 Feb 2016 15:14

It is important to support continuation of LCA program rolled over to AMCA.

We want to see 70% commonality on homegrown products.

Delaying user acceptance can be politically motivated with vested interests. We have to be careful

fanne · Post by **fanne** » 03 Feb 2016 15:59

Ya I am going to edit my post as it could be a hit job on iaf.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 03 Feb 2016 16:50

SidSom wrote: They had their chance to support the program from the grass root, while they with their hands under them. After that you dont get to muscle your way into things without having to pay your pound of flesh..... Tejas and AWECS projects are close to completion and now AF in their opportunistic ways are trying to feign father ship of projects they tried many times to scuttle (at least with Tejas).

Did you think for a moment before your wrote the above?

Who is going to employ Tejas and AEW&C aircraft? Martians? And what is this nonsense about muscling in? IAF has been full fledged part of Tejas since 2007. And there is nothing to say that IAF had a hand's off approach on AEW&C except unsubstantiated whines of forumites like you.

And put your money where your mouth is - please prove with example that IAF tried to scuttle the Tejas program. If you don't, I call you out as a liar. Period.

No one worth their salt would ever like to take orders from some one who is not as competent as them. SK I am sure was one of them. Keeping in mind SK's experience its hard to imagine AF would have a TP who is more competent them him....

And what information exactly do you have pass this certificate? Unless IAF sent him abroad for his TP training, he would have been trained at the Test Pilot School of IAF. And here you're passing judgement on the quality of those who train TP's like him?

AF and Army have worked to create and maintain an image of Anti Indian equipment with shining examples of their attitude towards Tejas, Awacs, Arjun, NAG, HTT 40, IJT, Marut and AM Rajkumar... We are steeped in their stereotype. Dont blame us for pandering to their predisposition.

Pandering to predisposition is the easy way out. It is equivalent to 'nothing goes my fathers' because one can always shoot and scoot.

Akshay Kapoor · Post by **Akshay Kapoor** » 03 Feb 2016 18:02

T Sarkar sir,

+ 1000

Akshay Kapoor · Post by **Akshay Kapoor** » 03 Feb 2016 18:04

rohitvats wrote:
SidSom wrote: They had their chance to support the program from the grass root, while they with their hands under them. After that you dont get to muscle your way into things without having to pay your pound of flesh..... Tejas and AWECS projects are close to completion and now AF in their opportunistic ways are trying to feign father ship of projects they tried many times to scuttle (at least with Tejas).
Did you think for a moment before your wrote the above?

Who is going to employ Tejas and AEW&C aircraft? Martians? And what is this nonsense about muscling in? IAF has been full fledged part of Tejas since 2007. And there is nothing to say that IAF had a hand's off approach on AEW&C except unsubstantiated whines of forumites like you.

And put your money where your mouth is - please prove with example that IAF tried to scuttle the Tejas program. If you don't, I call you out as a liar. Period.

No one worth their salt would ever like to take orders from some one who is not as competent as them. SK I am sure was one of them. Keeping in mind SK's experience its hard to imagine AF would have a TP who is more competent them him....
And what information exactly do you have pass this certificate? Unless IAF sent him abroad for his TP training, he would have been trained at the Test Pilot School of IAF. And here you're passing judgement on the quality of those who train TP's like him?

AF and Army have worked to create and maintain an image of Anti Indian equipment with shining examples of their attitude towards Tejas, Awacs, Arjun, NAG, HTT 40, IJT, Marut and AM Rajkumar... We are steeped in their stereotype. Dont blame us for pandering to their predisposition.
Pandering to predisposition is the easy way out. It is equivalent to 'nothing goes my fathers' because one can always shoot and scoot.

Good points Rohit.

Khalsa · Post by **Khalsa** » 03 Feb 2016 23:38

Guys

I am going OT briefly. Admins, I offer my apologies in advance.
I am pretty sure that 99.9 % of you are not high schoolers. Lets get over this that the face of Tejas was betrayed or not looked after.
We have no idea how the man charts out his career path but being a pilot of a aircraft under development and testing I am sure he is more strategic planner than me and most of us all on this forum.

Let me give you an example, a friend of my father was in the Navy , decided to further his career by volunteering for the Nuke Sub design, (naturally he had all the skills and background) and was placed there.

Found himself bypassed as his peers climbed up the engineering ladders and went on to the highest echelons of the Naval ranks (but well short of chief).
Was almost a bit ticked off but after the design era ended and construction began, found himself invited to a eastern shipyard as a civilian where he would play a very important role in the next design and construction of ships and sub components. He had choices from management to pure engineering, seriously the man has never been happier and thanks his stars.

Despite being a Khalsa he finds himself at home , living right next to the moist sea salt laden airs of the bay of bengal and he has made it his home.

One man leaves or transfers out of the Tejas programme and it seems to set a cat amongst us, please we are bigger than this , we are better than this.
We are bharat-rakshaks.... a band of thinkers .... Let us think well

Now on with the good news of Tejas Mark 1a or 1b ... whatever its called.

nirav · Post by **nirav** » 04 Feb 2016 00:02

+108 post, Khalsa ji.

Next milestone for the LCA is BVR firing in a couple weeks time.looking forward to it.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 04 Feb 2016 00:43

nirav wrote:+108 post, Khalsa ji.

Next milestone for the LCA is BVR firing in a couple weeks time.looking forward to it.

So what is expected here?
1) LCA can fire the BVR?
2) BVR goes and hits the target?
3) LCA (radar) locates target at x km and fires at y km and intercept happens at z km?

member_28397 · Post by **member_28397** » 04 Feb 2016 00:43

Mort Walker wrote:^^^The Rafael might conclude price negotiations by June 2016. Even that date is questionable depending on budget constraints. The first couple of Rafales won't even be delivered until 2019 as orders before India must be completed. Until then then at least 2 squadrons of LCA can be delivered without any ramp up. If the Rafale is dumped, that $10 billion over 7 years can be put in to the production and logistics of the LCA, and 16-25/year can be produced. Over 120 LCA can easily show up in the same period and 4 LCA for 1 Rafale is a much better option.

10 Billion USD can speed up LCA production above 20+ every year, only problem is IAF is not interested to get the fighter in numbers only guess I have is the Light Combat Fighter is just a little Light in category not much range which is really shortening its respectability for IAF.

LCA Mk2 should be more like MCA with more legs more composites, low RCS that will really be ideal before AMCA fills the ranks.

nirav · Post by **nirav** » 04 Feb 2016 00:53

ramana wrote:
nirav wrote:+108 post, Khalsa ji.

Next milestone for the LCA is BVR firing in a couple weeks time.looking forward to it.
So what is expected here?
1) LCA can fire the BVR?
2) BVR goes and hits the target?
3) LCA (radar) locates target at x km and fires at y km and intercept happens at z km?

Successfull "all weather trial" expected Saar

I remember aroors tweets @ air force day presser of air chief..
Aroor repeatedly mentioned mk1A is contingent on "bvr" and "IFR" being Proved..

MaharathiArjun wrote:
10 Billion USD can speed up LCA production above 20+ every year, only problem is IAF is not interested to get the fighter in numbers only ..

10 Billion USD ~ 67,000 crores.
HAL will spend about 1,200 crores to hike its production capacity to 16/yr from current planned rate of 8/yr.

20+ rate shouldn't need such a big infusion. There is talk of a second production line anyway. But all depends on confirmed order numbers. Theres no way MoD will sanction a second production line for 8/yr to 16/yr if the order numbers are a grand total of 100 only !