Mk2 is half a generation ahead compared to both the J-10 and Flankers. It's more than sufficient for what it brings to the table.
It's in the same generation as Rafale, Typhoon, KF-21, and Gripen E/F.
Tejas Mk2 (Medium Weight Fighter) - News and discussions
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Mk2 is half a generation ahead compared to both the J-10 and Flankers. It's more than sufficient for what it brings to the table.
It's in the same generation as Rafale, Typhoon, KF-21, and Gripen E/F.
When was the money cleared by the Govt for mk2 project that it should have had a flight by now , even ignoring the design changes part spanning the last decade?
HAL had already outsourced 25% of the work share to the private sector. On September 1, 2022, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared ₹10,000 crore (equivalent to ₹110 billion or US$1.2 billion in 2023) for Tejas Mark 2 that includes prototype development and flight testing.
Just going by wiki here. Considering the money was released in 2022 we should have atleast the first prototype built by now. It's 2025 right now.
Its February of 2025 and money was cleared to be released in Sept 2022, then usually few more months for the file to pass thru necessary signatures and finally money is released so would be near to 2023. Considering that I would say its alright now. There is talk of first flight being with f404 in case as well.
F 404
( dimensions same except inlet diameter) why would they do that , we have few F414 right ?In that case it ll be technology demonstrator.
After Oneria testing , news was that any changes required will be incorporated at later prototypes.
I don't believe we ll certify Mk2 in 3 years.
Even if only Air - Air mode is certified , I ll be satisfied.
From F404, Apache delays , I guess Biden may have delayed many other things .
That part is something I read on twitter off someone, will have to see what actually happens. There is still long time in between.F 404
In that case it ll be technology demonstrator.
After Oneria testing , news was that any changes required will be incorporated at later prototypes.
I don't believe we ll certify Mk2 in 3 years.
Even if only Air - Air mode is certified , I ll be satisfied.
From F404, Apache delays , I guess Biden may have delayed many other things .
Mk2's development can't be stopped by American supplies. We already have the engines necessary for it. We received 8 engines a decade ago.
3 Indian companies are making large area display for MK-2:
SAMTEL avionics:
Medha Servo drives:
Data patterns:
SAMTEL avionics:
Medha Servo drives:
Data patterns:
IRST for Mk-2 & MKI is ready for flight trials:
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The heck was that Dr. Das talking about, a spinning chin-mounted IRST. It looks all welded.
@randomradio, @marich01, @vstol Jockey, @Ashwin, @Parthu
Last time I said that we're working towards full passive ranging from our Dual-band IRST sensor, which means 100% passive engagement of unaware target with Astra 2/3 or ASRAAM Block-6. Since most advance fighters of today have LWS so using LRF of our IRST(it has got that too) would alert them. That's why I think this IRST is going to be a game-changer for us. Also looking at its colour, looks like made of "Zinc Selenide" so it shall work in all three bands(SWIR, MWIR & LWIR) equally.
Finally the cat is out of bag. Look at the last feature
View attachment 32883
Now the cat is "officially" out of the bag @29:40 mark:
@randomradio, @vstol Jockey, @marich01, @YoungWolf, @Bhartiya Naagrik Sainik, @Gautam, @Ashwin, @_Anonymous_, @Parthu, @Aniruddha, @Asterion Moloc, @Sathya, @South block, @Lolwa, @Chain Smoker et al
As I said earlier, full passive ranging & engagement via new gen AI enabled software without alerting the hostile bogey at all beyond 100s of kms away(no need of LRF illumination). Guys our desi IRST is going to be one complete VLO buster and enable our 4+ gen jets to compete with 5th gen jets and beyond.
Also something from me: MKI UPG.'s IRST is going to be one gen ahead of what has been shown here for MK2
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Now the cat is "officially" out of the bag @29:40 mark:
@randomradio, @vstol Jockey, @marich01, @YoungWolf, @Bhartiya Naagrik Sainik, @Gautam, @Ashwin, @_Anonymous_, @Parthu, @Aniruddha, @Asterion Moloc, @Sathya, @South block, @Lolwa, @Chain Smoker et al
As I said earlier, full passive ranging & engagement via new gen AI enabled software without alerting the hostile bogey at all beyond 100s of kms away(no need of LRF illumination). Guys our desi IRST is going to be one complete VLO buster and enable our 4+ gen jets to compete with 5th gen jets and beyond.
Also something from me: MKI UPG.'s IRST is going to be one gen ahead of what has been shown here for MK2
Different wavelengths in the Spectrum are very tricky with their abilities, effects & usage.
Normally in default situation, passive ranging is not possible, be it any wavelngth. Living beings need 2 eyes for passive depth perception, same thing with optical sensors for mapping. If a monocular vision with 1 eye/camera looks at an object like truck/elephant, we can draw a diagram with a cone which we did in school class-9 physics. If we place an exact replica model of that object nearby in that cone, still there is no depth perception.
But beyond normal/default, the only way i can think of passive ranging is DOPPLER EFFECT, based on which Doppler Radar was made, but that required active beam. Later, radar advances might have enabled passive Doppler technique.
"Doppler Beam Sharpening" is used to convert radar returns to an image. Ground mapping & weather radar images are created with DBS & other techniques.
Similarly in the optical spectrum part also active ranging can certainly be done with IR searchlight & IR photography for example. May be now AI enabled computing can do Doppler calculations with passive IR/UV also.
But another thing we hear is that longer wavelengths are suitable to longer ranges. RF wavelengths are longer than optical ones. So passive RF might be better than passive IR/UV for long distances. However, modern deep space multi-spectral telescopes give beautiful images.
But AI-computing comes later. 1st comes gathering the signal/data, means the sensors, particularly the chemicals used.
Physics, Chemistry, Maths can be very tricky. Small atomic/molecular config change results in change of physical & chemical properties, hence so much R&D goes into chemicals for RF & EO sensors for different bands/wavelengths.
I have a feeling that MKI MLU is going to use the same one as the Tejas MK2 (a sizeable upgrade nonetheless). The real next-gen leap in IRST, I believe, will be made with the EO/DAS on the AMCA.Also something from me: MKI UPG.'s IRST is going to be one gen ahead of what has been shown here for MK2
I digress, but do we have any AAMs which we can be cued off an IRST, like the R-27T? With Astra-IR development in cold storage, we could do with an MRAAM of such capability.
Nope. As per Dr. Das himself, MK2's IRST is non-imaging one. Maybe pure IRST only. But MKI's one is going to be 3 into 1 super-advance IRST with Dual-Band IRST, TV camera & LRF channels combined into one single optical window. Its range is going to be substantially more as well.
R-27 can't be cued by OLS-27/30M. Russians just overstated its "passive hunting" capabilities. For passive engagement you need LOAL with datalinks. R-27T/ET lacks that.
For your question, since this IRST is our own system, it shall 100% passively cue all our home-made missiles like Astra series and maybe even ASRAAM Block-6(as it's locally produced now). As of now, only Rafale is able to passively kill any target passively without triggering it. But with our own IRST and missiles, most of our 4+ gen fighters will have this capability.
". Very interesting that project director of LCA mk2 says that if Mk1 has an RCS of x then Mk2 is 1/4th of X "