MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

India prepared to eliminate UK components from Tejas jet fighter, of interest for Argentina

A potential contract for 12 LCA Tejas could be curtailed given the British embargo on arms sales to Argentina

On Monday's piece on the visit of Indian External Affairs minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to Buenos Aires we reported the interest of Argentina to strengthen bilateral defense links and cooperation, and at the same time its interest in the fully made Tejas jet fighter to equip the Argentine Air Force.

However the potential contract could be curtailed given the British embargo on arms sales to Argentina, which has so far frustrated a couple of deals, particularly for those aircraft with Baker's pilot ejector seat. Nevertheless Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, HAL, is making an effort to replace all British components of the Tejas jet fighter, with Indian made components.

According to Indian media the LCA Tejas is a single engine, delta wing, light multirole fighter. Currently, HAL is set to export the Mark 1A variant of the Tejas that features a new avionics suite, including an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, DARE Unified Electronic Warfare Suite (UEWS) and an Onboard Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) developed by the Defense Bioengineering and Electro medical Laboratory (DEBEL) among other upgrades.

“A radome is an electromagnetically transparent protective shield that encloses mmWave Radar sensors and the antenna. It protects the mmWave antenna and electronics from external environmental effects such as rain, sunlight, and wind, providing a structural, weatherproof enclosure. The LCA Tejas featured a radome from Cobham Limited, a UK aerospace manufacturer. The indigenous Uttam radars will most likely replace it,” Girish Linganna, Aerospace & Defense Analyst explained.

According to Girish Linganna, “Another culprit is Dunlop, the Scottish brand that makes the tyres for the LCA Tejas. Indian manufacturer MRF Tyres is reportedly replacing Dunlop. Over 15 LRUs were sourced from various British manufacturers for the LCA Tejas. Currently, HAL seems to be calling upon the Indian industry, including various Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) like Bharat Electronics Ltd.,(BEL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL), for innovative indigenous replacements to secure the Argentine contract.”

Ejector seats are a vital component and safety feature of fighter jets. Worldwide, the British manufacturer, Martin Baker, provides ejection seats for over 90 air forces. The LCA also sports a Martin-Baker ejection seat. The company has pioneered the ‘zero-zero’ ejection seat that ensures the safe extraction and landing of the entire crew from zero airspeed and zero altitude. Finding an alternative without compromise is an arduous task that HAL must do to ensure the finalization of the order from Argentina.

“HAL is currently in talks with NPP Zvezda, a Russian manufacturer of ejection seats. Their K-36 ejection seat is a competitor to Martin Baker. In fact, NPP Zvezda was close to clinching the contract for even the American fighter F-22 Raptor and the Joint Strike Fighter. Currently, the K-36 sports various variants used in Russian fighters, such as the MiG-29, Su-27, Su-30 and Su-57. K-36 is also a zero-zero ejection seat at par with Martin Baker,” he added.

The price range for the Tejas jet fighter stands at between US$ 30/33 million, a reasonable sum for Argentina short in funds but desperate to have an operational air force. Indian sources say that some 40/45 Tejas models have been built so far for the Indian Air Force and Navy. Argentina's interest would be for twelve jets.