Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF)
- Thread starter Gautam
- Start date
Now, looks more like Rafale from front.
New Slide
IDK why but I feel the Indian Navy got cheated on this. They could have gone for proper stealth aircraft i.e. 5th gen fighter but now they have 4.5th gen Rafale class fighter for 2035. TEDBF could have been a stealth fighter from start.
No. Naval aviation requires 2 engines for safety reasons, not to mention other capabilities.
Instead of transferring IN's Mig-29Ks or buying more Mig-29s, the IAF has decided to buy more LCA Mk1As (it's better), so that's sufficient to buy time for Mk2 and MRFA. There's always the option of extending the life of existing Mig-29s. So the new LCAs and extension of Mig-29s will give us anywhere between 5-8 additional squadrons. It will give us as much as 35 squadrons in total by 2032 or so.
Ease of maintenance on deck would be handy imo.
In a way the f414 engine deal was hindering both amca and tedbf if both use this existing engine.
5th gen was immature. The only option still is, perhaps not available either. Carrier compatibility is also a problem.
IN didn't want to complicate ADA's life with 5th gen, a carrier jet is hard enough as is, and a bit of an overkill for our current crop of carriers. Hence the simpler objectives of STOBAR performance and non-stealth design. Hell, it increasingly looks like a carbon copy of the Rafale. The idea is ADA learns through both TEDBF and AMCA before becoming more adventurous. It's also why AMCA has quite the conventional airframe.
I'd actually like to see a JV between India and France for a next gen naval jet. We can't afford a 50-50 R&D workshare, but 80-20 would be fine, with over 70% ToT for production.
Navy is the most realistic service among three. Current design is most practical.
Not exactly. The IAF is actually more realistic. What the IN asked for is meant to meet their operational requirements in the early to mid 2030s, the IAF's goal is late 2030s to mid 2040s.
IAF didn't make ASQR for LCA, DRDO made their own. Kinda like ATAGS. IAF asked for hydraulics instead of FBW and a radar that can track 2 and target 1. DRDO changed that to digital quadruplex FBW with radar that tracks 10 and targets 2. They took 20 years to deliver the former, and never delivered the latter.
MMRCA wasn't the IAF's fault. They chose 2 jets, finished their job. HAL killed it with their shenanigans.
No. DRDO could have delivered an LCA with hydraulics before 2000 itself. We wouldn't have had a squadron shortfall. They took over a decade to develop the FBW instead, which is why it's taken so long.
Had we bought 200+ between 2000 and 2015, we would have upgraded all of them with FBW, an Israeli AESA radar and Derby ER by now. We would have even had export customers a decade ago.
IIRC, Navy wants to induct around 90 of these jets. If the Navy is able to induct the first TEDBF by 2033 then by 2040 it can induct all the jets and replace the Mig-29K.
@randomradio do you think by then will the IN transfer the Rafale to IAF or use it for along with TEDBF?
@randomradio do you think by then will the IN transfer the Rafale to IAF or use it for along with TEDBF?
Rafale will be transferred to a future CATOBAR carrier. Which I hope will be ready by 2040, or at least half way there.
Sudarshan project was closed a decade ago.
Why do people still harp on it? Is it the name ?