Finally, LCA planes to get adequate thrust

For years, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has argued bitterly with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) "" which is developing India's Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) "" over who is to blame for the LCA's low engine power.

While the IAF accuses the ADA of failing to develop a suitable engine; the ADA retorts that the IAF's demands for extra combat punch added 2 tonnes to the LCA's original weight of 8 tonnes.

With the promised Kaveri engine nowhere in sight, the LCA makes do with the under-powered General Electric F-404 engine.

But now there's a happy ending in sight. Business Standard has learned that the ADA has a deadline of October to choose between two foreign engines for powering the LCA.

The final choice of engine, which will power several hundred Tejas fighters over the next three decades, is between Eurojet's EJ200 and General Electric's F-414.

The current GE F-404 engine delivers about 82-85 KiloNewtons of thrust, which is adequate for take off and even climbing rapidly, but falls short during combat manoeuvres when the fighter has to turn sharply to fire missiles at enemy aircraft. The EJ200 and the GE F-414 provide 90-95 KiloNewtons of thrust, which the IAF considers adequate.

Both engine manufacturers are lobbying intensively. Which engine is chosen could reverberate beyond the LCA, affecting the selection of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), an $11-billion purchase for which bids have already been submitted.

The Anglo-European Eurofighter, a leading contender, is powered by two EJ200 engines. A single GE F-414 engine powers the Swedish Grippen fighter. Both vendors believe that if their engine were selected for the LCA, that could open the door to the MMRCA contract.

The key factor in choosing an engine will be: which one fits into the LCA with the least re-engineering? Each engine has different dimensions and the inlet and exhaust ports are located differently; this means that the LCA airframe will need changes to accommodate the new engine.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman Ashok Baweja says, "Any change in the basic structure of the aircraft will mean going through the test and evaluation process all over again. This is a time-consuming business."

Selecting the engine will involve difficult choices. IAF sources say the EJ200 will demand less re-engineering; but the GE F-414 will give up to 5 KiloNewtons more of thrust. Re-engineering the LCA to fit in the engine, and obtaining fresh operational clearances could take up to three years.

Meanwhile, HAL will manufacture the first Tejas squadron of 20 fighters with the old GE F-404 engine.

Top Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources confirmed to Business Standard that the IAF will shortly order a second squadron of Tejas, also with the GE F-404. LCA number 41 onwards will be fitted with the new engine.