Turbulence ahead for Indian fighter jet: analysts

NEW DELHI — India's homegrown fighter jet, the Tejas, has finally been cleared for operations but analysts say any celebration of India's entry into an elite club of military hardware producers is premature.

Initial operational approval for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has taken 26 years -- the result of endless developmental delays, technological hiccups and massive cost overruns.

First conceived as a direct replacement for the Indian Air Force's (IAF) ageing fleet of Russian-made MiG-21s -- tagged "flying coffins" for their abysmal safety record -- the LCA was hyped as a milestone in India's bid to reduce its dependency on military imports.

Although conceived, designed and assembled in India, its "indigenous" label is somewhat misleading as 40 percent of its components are foreign-made, including the radar and US-built engine.

Formal induction of the Tejas is still two or three years away, and questions remain over its eventual suitability.

"Only after the aircraft is put in use by the pilots will its strength and limitations become clear," said Ajey Lele, a Research Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.

"India's peculiar security requirements demand a very capable air force with state-of-the-art platform and weapon systems. Naturally, the Tejas will have to fulfil major expectations," he added.

"Its too early to pop the bubbly," warned military aviation specialist Kapil Kak, saying procuring engines for a second generation of Tejas could become a headache for India.

Accepting the LCA's operational clearance certificate last week, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik seemed less

Better work faster if they want to keep up with the neighbors. Have you seen the video for China’s new J20?

There is a J20 commercial around 2:22 in the video with translated captions:

“Chinese fourth generation”

“In the past, the tallest building in China was the Shanghai International Hotel (24 stories).”
“Now, many people live in buildings that are dozens of stories tall and some live in buildings that are over 100 stories tall. “

“In the past, we were extremely proud of the Wuhan River Bridge.”
“Now, how many large bridges have the Chinese people built? These construction projects are simple matters.”

“In the past, remember how trains in China used to run on coal?”
“Now, China’s high-speed train is the best in the world, not only in speed.”

“You can say that we are great at inventing and improving new technologies.”
“You might say that we are [section not yet translated].”

“Do you know “Volvo”? It now belongs to the head of the biggest carmaker in China.”
“Do you know “Thinkpad?” It now belongs to our “Uncle Liu.”

“You might say that construction of buildings, bridges and speedtrains are not very hi-tech.”
“Do you know our Tianhe-1A? It is the world’s fastest supercomputer.”

“Believe in our Chinese people!”
“Who’s afraid? Who doesn’t want this to be true?”

Impressive prototype they’ve got there. Big. Kinda like a stealthy F-111. Now, what would they need something like that for?

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