Medium Weight Fighter (MWF) / Tejas Mark 2

The Tejas Mk2 was rebadged in early 2019 as the Medium Weight Fighter or (MWF), designed as a replacement for the Mirage 2000 with a view to surpassing its capabilities in almost every respect. The most eye-catching change is the addition of canards. MWF-Mk2 which is the third fighter jet program to be taken up by India will be replacing the bulk of Medium category fighter aircraft like Mig-29, Mirage-2000 and Jaguars. The project for design and development of Tejas Mk2 was sanctioned in November 2009 at a cost of $370 million. The project has suffered because of the delay in finalization of the engine contract. Tejas MK2 aimed to have home-developed Active Electrically Scanned Array (AESA) radars, unified EW suites, on board oxygen generation systems and upgraded avionics.

Featuring more powerful General Electric F414-GE-INS6 engine with 98Kn thrust and refined aerodynamics. The Mark 2 is being developed to meet the Indian Air Staff requirements. Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) negotiation with US-based Lockheed Martin, which had qualified for the consultancy of the LCA Tejas, had failed by 2010. At that time it was suggested that European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) would be brought in to advise it on the program. ADA would get in an aerospace expert to resolve issues on weight of the aircraft, location of the arrester and other such technical issues in the Tejas Mark-2. India is a strategic country for EADS with its large domestic market for commercial aviation, defense and security and space, as well as its dynamic local industry offering numerous opportunities for sourcing and partnerships.

In the defence and security sectors, the EADS Cassidian Division positioned itself as an important contender for the delivery of platforms, systems and subsystems for the military and the public safety forces. As a major success Cassidian inaugurated India's first ever defence and security focused Engineering Centre owned by a foreign company in 2011. Cassidian has received 2 consultancy contracts to support 2 key R&D programmes of DRDO, i-e the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) development and the AEW&C aircraft program. In both cases, Cassidian is supporting DRDO to achieve quality & milestones with expertise from Europe.

The U.A.E. Air Force & Air Defence (U.A.E. AF & AD) and Military Aircraft of the EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company had teamed in the Mako program since the Dubai Air Show in 1999. The partners predict a bright future for Mako due to the unique family concept offering the optimum solution for future fighter pilot training and the light combat aircraft (LCA) role. Airframe, general systems, core avionics and the engine concept will have a very high degree of commonality for all Mako roles. E.g., the avionics will be of modular design which enables ample growth potential for the LCA version and special features for the trainer version, such as in-flight simulation. Below this high-end aircraft category there were no new dedicated fighters in the LCA area, except the Mako.

The Mark 2 variant will include a more powerful engine, optimisation of the aerodynamic qualities and weight of the aircraft and “dropping and replacing” certain parts to take care of obsolescence. The project is currently moving from planning to the design phase. It is expected that a working aircraft will be flying in 2013 before returning for further tweeking. A second round of test flights would hopefully take place in 2014. The Mark 2 was expected to enter sevice with the Indian Air Force and Navy in 3Q 2015.

The new Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) project was a dramatic shift in plans by the DRDO-administered Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which until as recently as February 2019, had been fine-tuning design changes on the LCA Navy Mk.2. DRDO didn’t switching tracks willingly, but was forced into pursuing a twin-engine design by the Indian Navy. After years of studies on the LCA Navy and the proposed LCA Navy Mk.2, the navy made it clear it doesn’t want a single engine fighter. The decision to curtail plans on the LCA Navy Mk.2 and instead pursue a twin-engine design wasn’t surprising. The Indian Navy, while consistently supportive of the LCA Navy program, made it clear it needs twin-engine fighters for its carrier decks. The new design will be a twin-engined version of the LCA Navy Mk.2. While this would clearly involve major airframe changes, it almost definitely won’t go the AMCA way. The latter is a heavier (and purpose built stealth) fighter design, and while a naval AMCA had been part of overall plans, the new twin engine jet will likely seek to only incorporate twin-engine configuration studies gleaned on the AMCA program. While the LCA Navy Mk.2 effectively ended with this proposal, plans for a navalised AMCA theoretically continue.