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Why did the Tejas program fail?
Everyone blames HAL for Tejas' failure. However, the real culprit is the Indian Air Force. The biggest mistake of the Air Force is that they try to do more than they can handle. As a result, he was caught in such a way that he could not do as much as he could in the end.
When the Tejas program began in 1960, the Air Force asked the company to add features to the Tejas that were impossible for India to do. It's a lot like building a Taj Mahal with ordinary masons. For example, they want to add 3axis digital fly by wire (FBW) flight control system to Tejas. It is not a moya in the hands of any mother, the best technology of the time. Basically, third and fourth generation fighters were differentiated on the basis of FBW presence or absence.
At that time, America and Russia were the first fighters in the world to use FBW in F-16 and Su-27. No other country has been able to acquire this sophisticated technology. Everyone has seen the consequences of India's excesses with such sophisticated technology. It has taken ages to make Tejas.
Indian Hal Tejas Fighter Jet Crashed
In addition, HAL did not have the capacity to build the quality aircraft that the Air Force wanted. Of these two, HAL would later make a prototype of the Tejas each year and show it to the Air Force, and it would be rejected each time because it could not meet Air Force requirements. In this way 16 prototypes of Tejas were made, which is a rare record in the world of aviation. Spending 35+ years developing an aircraft was also the record for the longest aircraft project in history.
Hal Tejas Vs JF-17 Thunder:
Consider the Tejas contemporary fighter JF-17. Pakistan has been using FBW F-16 technology since 1973. But when they started the JF-17 program in 1998, they did not go as far as India. Originally the Pakistan Air Force's plan was to make the JF-17 look like an empty box of universal size. The latest technology will be available at any time so that it can be installed on JF-17. In this method they upgrade JF-17 step by step.
In Block-1 JF-17, they started mass production in 2006 using 1axis FBW technology. Meanwhile, India is still developing Tejas in the hope of 3axis .....
For the next 7 years, Pakistan used Block-1 to find out the shortcomings and upgraded them to Block-2 in 2013. This version includes more long range radar, air refueling, onboard oxygen generators, new EW, weapons and much more. But Tejas is still developing, it is going on .......
In 2016 the JF-17 project made a big jump and the JF-17B (Bravo) version was built. In this version JF-17 gets the desired 3axis FBW technology. In addition more composite material is used in the airframe which reduces the RCS. Installed Onboard Electronic Warfare (EW) suite. Thus step by step the JF-17 project tends to mature. What is Tejas doing then? Developing ... Developing ...
Tejas Vs IDAIDC F-CK-1
This is a light fighter made in Taiwan. Like the Tejas, work on the project began in 1980 and the fighters entered service in 1994. But at first these were very simple quality aircraft. At that time it did not have long range radar, advanced sensor, BVR capability.
But in 2006, new versions of the F-CK-1 fighter began to be built, adding new radar, BVR missiles and more modern technology. In 2013, Taiwan upgraded the old version of the fighter to the new version. So far, a total of 136 F-CK-1 fighters have been built. And this is how the aircraft gets modernized over time and provides service successfully.
FA-50 Gold Eagle Vs Indian Tejas
It is a light fighter made in South Korea with the help of America. The project started in 1990 and came into service in 2004. At first it was just a trainer plane. There were no modern weapons in it. But with the gradual upgrade, it can now fire BVR missiles like the AIM-120. About 200 FA-50s have been built so far and this is also a successful project.
As can be seen in the case of the above three projects, at first they were not very ahamri. But with the passage of time, it has become fully advanced and mature. Each of them is successfully providing services and even foreign buyers are buying them.
On the contrary, the Indians have eaten the Tejas program rather than killing the elephants at the first push. After that effort started in 1960, in 2016, under government pressure, the Indian Air Force was forced to purchase 16 Tejas. What many do not know, however, is that the Air Force has only purchased Tejas, not inducted it into service. In other words, it was not given any operational rule, it was not deployed in any combat squadron. The Air Force only occasionally flies Tejas experimentally. That's it.
Obstacles of HAL:
Another major hurdle in the Tejas project is the company. Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) is a government company. And you must know the quality of government institutions in this subcontinent. Boundless corruption, the basic feature of low quality work.
You must have heard the story of installing old and low quality parts in the current MiG-21 and Sukhoi-30. The current officials think of their own pockets. That's why he puts the Air Force in danger by throwing nonsense every time. In the case of Tejas too, he did not go astray.
In contrast, the rival Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) is owned by the Air Force. The Air Force runs it itself. All PAC officers, directors, inspectors are all Air Force officers.
- Anirban Page