The Tejas Kaveri Issue
Tejas is India's first indigenous built super sonic aircraft, 4.5 Generation. It has now become India's PRESTIGIOUS aeronautical project that aims to find a replacement
for the aging MiG fleet of the Air Force . Currently Tejas which is an
LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) is fitted with engines provided by General
Electric i.e GE F414 as its choice for a Kaveri replacement engine to
power the first two squadrons of Tejas LCA. This is because Kaveri
Engine has repeatedly failed at the high altitude test.
The Tejas LCA is currently being tested with the F404-GE-IN20 engine
which has a maximum thrust of about 80 kilo Newtons (kN), providing a
thrust to weight ratio that is considered inadequate for a modern air defense fighter.
The History: Kaveri
The Kaveri Engine is now called as an ambitious attempt from DRDO to develop its own technology and indigenous engines making India self reliable in manufacturing aircrafts.
The DRDO assigned the lead development responsibility to its Gas Turbine
Research Establishment (GTRE), which had some experience in developing jet
engines. It had developed the GTX37-14U afterburning turbojet, which first ran in
1977, and was the first jet engine to be designed entirely in India. A turbofan
derivative, the GTX37-14UB, followed. The GTRE returned to turbojet technology
with the greatly redesigned, but unsatisfactory, GTX-35. The GTRE again took up a
turbofan design which it designated the GTX-35VS "Kaveri" (named after the Kaveri
River). Full-scale development was authorised in April 1989 in what was then
expected to be a 93-month programme projected to cost 382 crores
(nearly US$82 million at the time).
Current: Kaveri
But even after 19 years and 1,500-2,000 crores($411 million) of spending, in 2005, after insisting for 17 years that it will develop the engine on its own, the GTRE finally threw up its hands and sent out a request for proposal (RFP) from overseas engine houses seeking help. Tejas currently requires an extra 21,000-22,500lb of thrust (93-100kN) that the Kaveri engine is unable to provide.
Solutions to: Kaveri
Currently, the Kaveri Engine has been modified to be included in the
naval fleet of India.Using the core of the Kaveri engine, the scientists
of GTRE have added low pressure compressor and turbine as a gas
generator and designed a free power turbine to generate shaft power for the maritime application.
The Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine (KMGT) as it has been named has been transported to naval dock yard, Vishakapatnam and installed on to the marine gas turbine test bed which is an Indian Navy facility capable of testing the gas turbines up to 25 MW of shaft power through a reduction gearbox and a water brake dynamometer.The Indian Navy has been involved in the development of the engine and participated and supporting the testing phase.
The engine has been tested to its potential of 12 MW at ISA SL 35 degree C condition which is the requirement of Indian Navy for propelling the SNF (Rajput) class of ships,making India self reliant in the technology of gas turbines for ship propulsion and India would enter a new league contending with US,UK,Russia& UKRAINE.
Current: Tejas
Since Tejas were required by the Indian airfore to replace MIG, which were declining in number due to malfunctioning or crashes. They have been included into Indian Air-Force with some modifications as the
engine GE F414 is not powerful enough as what was desired of Kaveri Engine.
But the modifications included according to the engine gives tejas an advantage
of greater manuverability and space for carrying more payload.Tejas has
completed 100 test flights and successfully done the test landing in leh.
But more importantly DRDO wants to include Kaveri engine by December 2009.
The divergent views prevailing over who will help the Gas Turbine Research
Establishment (GTRE) in co-developing India’s first combat aircraft engine
Kaveri have forced the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which is evaluating
the two overseas offers, the French aerospace company Snecma and Russia’s
NPO Saturn — will join the GTRE in developing the engine.
There have been differences as HAL is favouring the Russians,the Indian airfore and DRDO favours the French because they have slightly superior technology to the Russians.
Tejas with an indigenous engine as Kaveri would prove India's metal in the Airforce and self-reliance to the world.
for the aging MiG fleet of the Air Force . Currently Tejas which is an
LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) is fitted with engines provided by General
Electric i.e GE F414 as its choice for a Kaveri replacement engine to
power the first two squadrons of Tejas LCA. This is because Kaveri
Engine has repeatedly failed at the high altitude test.
The Tejas LCA is currently being tested with the F404-GE-IN20 engine
which has a maximum thrust of about 80 kilo Newtons (kN), providing a
thrust to weight ratio that is considered inadequate for a modern air defense fighter.
The History: Kaveri
The Kaveri Engine is now called as an ambitious attempt from DRDO to develop its own technology and indigenous engines making India self reliable in manufacturing aircrafts.
The DRDO assigned the lead development responsibility to its Gas Turbine
Research Establishment (GTRE), which had some experience in developing jet
engines. It had developed the GTX37-14U afterburning turbojet, which first ran in
1977, and was the first jet engine to be designed entirely in India. A turbofan
derivative, the GTX37-14UB, followed. The GTRE returned to turbojet technology
with the greatly redesigned, but unsatisfactory, GTX-35. The GTRE again took up a
turbofan design which it designated the GTX-35VS "Kaveri" (named after the Kaveri
River). Full-scale development was authorised in April 1989 in what was then
expected to be a 93-month programme projected to cost 382 crores
(nearly US$82 million at the time).
Current: Kaveri
But even after 19 years and 1,500-2,000 crores($411 million) of spending, in 2005, after insisting for 17 years that it will develop the engine on its own, the GTRE finally threw up its hands and sent out a request for proposal (RFP) from overseas engine houses seeking help. Tejas currently requires an extra 21,000-22,500lb of thrust (93-100kN) that the Kaveri engine is unable to provide.
Solutions to: Kaveri
Currently, the Kaveri Engine has been modified to be included in the
naval fleet of India.Using the core of the Kaveri engine, the scientists
of GTRE have added low pressure compressor and turbine as a gas
generator and designed a free power turbine to generate shaft power for the maritime application.
The Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine (KMGT) as it has been named has been transported to naval dock yard, Vishakapatnam and installed on to the marine gas turbine test bed which is an Indian Navy facility capable of testing the gas turbines up to 25 MW of shaft power through a reduction gearbox and a water brake dynamometer.The Indian Navy has been involved in the development of the engine and participated and supporting the testing phase.
The engine has been tested to its potential of 12 MW at ISA SL 35 degree C condition which is the requirement of Indian Navy for propelling the SNF (Rajput) class of ships,making India self reliant in the technology of gas turbines for ship propulsion and India would enter a new league contending with US,UK,Russia& UKRAINE.
Current: Tejas
Since Tejas were required by the Indian airfore to replace MIG, which were declining in number due to malfunctioning or crashes. They have been included into Indian Air-Force with some modifications as the
engine GE F414 is not powerful enough as what was desired of Kaveri Engine.
But the modifications included according to the engine gives tejas an advantage
of greater manuverability and space for carrying more payload.Tejas has
completed 100 test flights and successfully done the test landing in leh.
But more importantly DRDO wants to include Kaveri engine by December 2009.
The divergent views prevailing over who will help the Gas Turbine Research
Establishment (GTRE) in co-developing India’s first combat aircraft engine
Kaveri have forced the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which is evaluating
the two overseas offers, the French aerospace company Snecma and Russia’s
NPO Saturn — will join the GTRE in developing the engine.
There have been differences as HAL is favouring the Russians,the Indian airfore and DRDO favours the French because they have slightly superior technology to the Russians.
Tejas with an indigenous engine as Kaveri would prove India's metal in the Airforce and self-reliance to the world.
