The HAL Tejas Mark 2 (lit. "Radiance"), or Medium Weight Fighter (MWF),[2] is an Indian single-engine, canarddelta wing, multirole combat aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC)[3] of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). It is a further development of the HAL Tejas, with an elongated airframe, close coupled canards, new sensors, and a more powerful engine. The roll-out of the first prototype is expected by 2025, first flight within 2026 and mass production by 2029.[4][5]
Dr. V. Madhusudana Rao is the Project Director of the Tejas Mark 2.[10] The development of Tejas Mark 2 or MWF was initiated to address all the shortcomings in the Tejas Mark 1 and Mark 1A, and to meet the original air staff requirements set out for the LCA programme by the IAF. The development of the Tejas Mark 2 was authorised in November 2009 as a continuation of LCA programme, under the phase 3 of full-scale engineering development (FSED) process.[N 1][11] The FSED phase 3 consisted of design, development and manufacturing of two prototypes.[12] Initially planned as an upsized Tejas, with a 0.5 m fuselage plug to accommodate more fuel and a more powerful engine, the Tejas Mark 2 design has evolved over years into a completely new medium-weight class fighter.[12]
The preliminary design studies for the Tejas Mark 2 was completed in 2014 and was in the detailed design phase as of 2015.[12] The redesigned fighter was first unveiled at the Aero India air show 2019, it was a 17.5-tonne-class fighter with close-coupled canards and integrated IRST system.[13] Metal-cutting for the Tejas Mark 2 started in February 2021. The "roll out" of the first prototype was scheduled for August 2022, but has been postponed to end of 2022. Its first flight was expected to be in late 2023. In total, four prototypes are being planned initially.[14]
The ADA completed its critical design review on 15 November 2021, with a total of 20 subsystems for the aircraft cleared by IAF for production. From 62% in Tejas Mark 1A, the plan is to touch the 70% mark in indigenization for Mark 2. More foreign components are replaced by locally developed ones that are sufficiently matured as ADA and DRDO will carry forward some of the critical technologies from the LCA programme. Private suppliers of line-replaceable units also increased from 344 during Tejas Mark 1A development to 410. HAL had already outsourced 25% of the work share to the private sector.[15]
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.[16] The cost of fighter jet development will take ₹6,500 crore (equivalent to ₹69 billion or US$810 million in 2023) in addition to ₹2,500 crore (equivalent to ₹26 billion or US$310 million in 2023) sanctioned previously through internal funding.[17] HAL planned high speed taxi trials from 2023 and limited series production from 2025.[18] The entire development process will be completed by 2027 with serial production from 2030.[19] Tejas Mark 2 will become operationally available from 2028. Apart from current commitment of 110-120 aircraft that will form six squadrons, expectations include an additional order of 210 aircraft.[16]
16 countries has shown interest in Tejas MK2 at DefExpo 2022. Indian government plans to identify Indian private sector companies to become program partner with HAL rather than suppliers of components to increase the production rate and decrease the cost for exports under “special purpose vehicle” (SPV) scheme.[20] HAL is planning to form its own consortium to fast track the manufacturing process.[21] It was maintained in 2022 and as late as June 2023 that despite previous delays the first prototype would roll out by December 2023[22] and the first flight would happen by December 2024 with four prototypes expected to be completed by 2027 for testing purpose.[23] However, in December 2023 a revised schedule with a fresh four-year delay was announced due to waiting upon the government to provide development funding for the program and the government increasing the requirement for parts indigenization from 65% to 80%, these factors resulted in the first aircraft rollout now not being expected until late 2026 or early 2027 and the first test flight now not expected to occur until 2028.[24]
On 9 August 2024, a high-level review meeting chaired by Dr. Samir V. Kamat, Chairman of DRDO was held at DRDO Bhawan to review the progress of the prototype development. The meeting was attended by Indian Air Force Deputy ChiefAir MarshalAshutosh Dixit, Director Generals of all the DRDO labs which are a part of the programme, the Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC) and National Flight Test Centre under Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). It was concluded that the project is on track. The only delay factor is the delivery of the F414 engines.[25] The prototype fabriation, overseen by Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) of the IAF, is set to begin in September 2024 as most of the small equipment along with the fuselage section has reached the assembly facility in Bengaluru. Rigorous trials at every stage will be carried out by ASTE test pilots.[26]
The first flight is now scheduled by fourth quarter of 2025.[27] In a press conference in early October 2024, the then newly appointed COASAir Chief MarshalAmar Preet Singh revealed that the first flight of the Tejas Mk 2 is expected by October 2025 while the Research & Development of the aircraft is to be completed by December 2027.[28]
Design
Apart from design commonalities and a few critical systems from its predecessor Tejas Mark 1A, most of the technologies are to be borrowed from whatever has been developed so far for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme. Several radar cross-section-reducing measures will be incorporated in the airframe design so that a degree of frontal stealth can be achieved, including radar-absorbent material coating and composites making up its skin and twisted air-intake ducts. It has a tail-less compound delta-wing configuration with a single vertical stabilizer and close-coupled canards to provide static instability and high manoeuvrability, and is equipped with fly-by-wire systems to control instability.
It will have an infra-red search and track (IRST) system and a missile approach warning system.[33] An increase in payload capacity to 6,500 kg (14,300 lb) and internal fuel capacity to over 3,400 kg (7,500 lb), will allow it to carry more weapons with a longer range.[34]
The Tejas Mark 2 will have a night vision goggles-compatible glass cockpit dominated by a touch-sensitive wide area display placed in panoramic orientation and a wide-angle holographic head-up display system.[39] The Tejas Mark 2 will have hands-on throttle-and-stick arrangement with right-hand-on-stick and left-hand-on-throttle settings to ease the pilot workload.
Propulsion
In 2008, HAL issued a fresh request for proposal for the procurement of 95- to 100-kilonewton (kN) (21,000–23,000 lbf) thrust-class engine to power the Tejas Mark 2.[40] In 2010, after extensive evaluation of both the Eurojet EJ200 and the General Electric F414, GE's F414 INS6 afterburning turbofan engine was declared as the lowest bidder. The deal covered the purchase of 99 GE F414 engines, with the initial batch supplied directly by GE, while the remainder is to be manufactured in India by HAL under a transfer-of-technology agreement.[41][42][43]
The GE F414 INS6 engine has a maximum thrust output of 98 kN and also offers improved specific fuel consumption over the F404 IN20 engine selected to power both Mark 1 and Mark 1A variants of Tejas.[44] The aircraft is designed keeping in mind that GE's F414 will be replaced once an Indian powerplant is available.[45][46] Therefore, the future engine replacement should make minimal changes in the configuration.
By 2023, 8 units of F414 has been delivered as a part of 99 engine deal.[47][48]
On 22 June 2023, HAL and GE signed a Memorandum of Understanding that clarified the joint production of jet engine in India.[49] On 18 November 2023, Dr. Samir V. Kamat of DRDO announced that the United States has provided the necessary permits, opening the door for GE Aerospace and HAL to jointly produce the General Electric F414 engine in India for Tejas Mark 2 and HAL AMCA.[50][51] As of August 2024, the negotiations for technology transfer for licensed production is to start soon which will be followed by signing of final contract within six months. Production of indigenous engines in a new Bengaluru facility is to start within 2 years of signing the deal and delivery within three years of the same.[52] As of September 2024, the Government of India is to form a negotiating committee for finalising the deal with representatives from Ministry of Defence, HAL, ADA and GTRE. A majority of the workshare maybe outsourced to the private sector.[53]
^The FSED process of the LCA programme was begun in 1993 with first two phases completed so far, which resulted in the development of Tejas Mark 1, Mark 1A, LCA trainer, LCA Navy Mark 1 and LCA Navy trainer variants
