rohitvats wrote:maitya wrote:
......
"rohitvats" wrote:
......So, the date for LCA Mk-II first flight goes up from 2019 to 2021? Good we have had the LCA Mk-1A
or it would've been another wild goose chase for the IAF.
Wrt the highlighted part above ... the below is what really happened:
Fearful of having to do something with the goose, once it's caught, IAF quite disingenuously dressed up an Falcon as a goose and asked the SDRE scientists to go-fetch.
Oh what an entertainment it was for the TFTA IAF, and it's assorted cheerleaders, watching the wild chase for the Goose by the SDRE scientists, for all these years.
Until ofcourse, the SDREs finally figured out the fast one being pulled on them and trapped the high-flying falcon-dressed-as-a-goose and delivered it to the TFTA IAF - however this did spoil not only the ongoing entertainment but also all hopes of showing-off their mastery over-a-videshi-eagle to all and sundry, that they had been cherishing all along.
Thus, all that is left now is the helpless snide remarks as above and jaziya-collection-spree-from-the-videshi-masters by certain worthies, for all clowning-commentary-sideshow services to the above wild-goose chase spree over the years.
So there ...
All valid points except for one minor details: The scientist promised to deliver a falcon when they'd not been able rear a sparrow! And inspite of the objections to contrary by those whose business is falconry, insisted on calling it a falcon. Finally, one some sense was knocked into the collective head of scientists and production agency, did they end up addressing the actual concerns. And thus, you've LCA Mk1A which ended up addressing IAF concerns which bedeviled the Mk1.
Lesson to scientists and 'patriots' on this forum: Unless you make a weapon system which addresses end-users requirement, it will remain a science project. And if you cannot achieve what YOU promised from the word go, say so rather than blaming the services for asking unobtanium.
Nah!! The actual lesson for the SDREs is to expose the RNI and Kabila-ness of these services, from the word go.
Just because somebody happens to wear stripes and stars on lapels doesn’t really make them automatically wanting good for the country at his/her heart. They can be as mentally enslaved as a RNI, and some more, as well.
This contradiction between the carefully concealed inner self/belief and the outer display of patriotism/professionalism etc is what needs calling out and exposed in public repeatedly.
It has already started happening, albeit in a small way. One can only hope this gets spread and far-and-wide and these worthies get called out repeatedly when the bleat out "no Plan B", "3-legged-cheetah" or "MiG-21++" type nonsenses.
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Now as far as requirement specification etc is concerned, I must admit import-pasand/brown-sahib part of IAF cream/leadership outdid themselves on this one – they deserve kudos for this.
Sample this, the ITR is specified at 20-22deg/s at 8G and ~20-22 deg AoA - copy-pasted from shining M2K brochure*, then – all the while the intended replacement platform would give up approx. at 15-16deg/sec (with virtually no external stores). Now that's a full 30% scale-up.
(
*Note - in an M2K you get it at ~28deg AoA – I’ll leave to the imagination and research of the readers the relation between somehow meeting a higher turn-rate at higher AoA in terms SFC levels etc. Also never mind the replacement platform would not survive those high G in a turning flight with any decent weapon-load).
But that’s not all.
Now since this level of unobtaniumness, didn’t assuage the inner palpitation wrt if SDRE’s somehow are capable of achieving it, by sneaking in some exotic plan-form – what then? Destined to fly-around on desi-maal – Nah!!
So make doubly sure, they fail – ask a complementary requirement of a STR to be of 18deg/sec or so it’s alleged (as 17deg/sec was deemed to be unsatisfactory and not meeting the requirement) – never mind what the intended replacement platform is capable of, in the 1st place - a full 50-60% jump.
As taken separately each would tempt the developers to try every bit of technology to meet each of them – SEPARATELY. And it adds to the glee-quotient when one watches with great amusement (and chorus tut-tuts) from the sidelines while the SDREs go about trying to achieve them - what entertainment it was, while it lasted for years!!
Is there similar jump expected from the other contemporary same-class platforms (e.g. Viggen to Gripen, F-5 to F-16, Mirage-3 to Mirage-2K etc)?
Absolutely brilliant method, of ensuring giving unobtanium requirements – and also the “duplicitous packaging” of various such unobtanium requirements to that of a single platform, is simply outstanding.
So yeah, a great exhibition of the falconry, one must admit.
The fact that this project has transitioned from a science project to a weapon-platform is
not because of, but inspite of, IAF support – their current high khujli-level, of having to fly them in squadron services, is an unambiguous testament to it.
Turned out, it was Cmdr Sukesh Nagaraj, Deputy Project Director of the N-LCA program..I was blown away by this gentleman. Here was one of the top decision makers of the Tejas program and he was warm, friendly, forthcoming and genuinely interested in talking about the program without even asking me what my background was (till much later in my conversation). He was an engineer on the Sea Harrier, having served on the Viraat. Said he was rookie when Cmde Maolankar commanded the squadron. The salient points of the conversation with him were:
Parrikar is giving it a shot. Only time will tell to what extent he's going to to succeed.