India's Tejas Mk1A Gets an Air Intake Upgrade – Here's Why It Matters

India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas continues to evolve, with the recent Mk1A variant unveiling a significant upgrade to its air intake system. This crucial modification promises to enhance the aircraft's performance characteristics, especially during crucial phases like takeoff and landing.

The Challenge and the Solution​

The engineering team behind the Tejas focused on improving pressure recovery in the Mk1A's air intake. This means ensuring the engine receives the optimal amount of air, especially at low speeds.

To achieve this, they replaced the older single-door Auxiliary Air Intake Door (AAID) with a new 3-door design. Additionally, they carefully optimized the shape of the intake itself (known as the cowl).

Details of the Redesign​

Initial attempts to improve performance focused on adjusting the shape of the 3-door system's openings and its ability to change the amount of air entering.

While this yielded some positive results at low speeds, it was also causing problems at high speeds. This is due to something called spillage drag, where extra air bypassing the engine creates unwanted resistance.

The breakthrough came from optimizing the cowl geometry to better manage airflow near the engine inlet. This, combined with the refined 3-door AAID, is expected to significantly increase pressure recovery.

The Benefit​

The net result of these design changes is a predicted 3% improvement in pressure recovery within the air intake. This translates directly into increased engine efficiency, ultimately giving the LCA Tejas Mk1A a tangible performance boost.

Conclusion​

The upgraded air intake system, initially seen on LCA Navy Mk1 prototypes, represents a key step in the Tejas program. It demonstrates a continued commitment to refining the aircraft's design.

These improvements contribute to solidifying the LCA Tejas as a capable and versatile fighter within India's defense forces.

 

[Pramkumar]

Which other fighters had such systems
We seen such type of air inlets some high speed high end cars 🚙

 

[Ramsses CDXX]

Courtesy: Indranil Roy,

Tracking The Tejas: The Design Evolution Of An Indian Fighter Part-I | Delhi Defence Review

delhidefencereview.com

 

[Instant Karma]

The design is still not aerodynamic. Intake should be larger and angular like F 22 Or KF 21

 

[Aravind Raveendran]

Glad to know about the persistence in making our Tejas a world beater but please pay attention to aerodynamics too.

 

[Hari Sud]

Start calling it block 50, 60, 70 etc. whenever changes are made.

 

[Sandeep]

The design is still not aerodynamic. Intake should be larger and angular like F 22 Or KF 21

A air intake is measured based on the engine power and amount of thrust you want it to achieve. Having a unnecessary large intake makes it easy to hit a bird strike or some other object which would destroy the engine and make the jet crash. The F22 is a very large jet with a much powerful engine.

 

[SK]

I hope that the position of Air-Canon in Tejas-Mk1A is changed to the left-side of Fuselage. This will free a additional hardpoint for Tejas-Mk1A that can be used to mount weapons or Avionics.

 

[Sandeep]

This is good that they are continuing to improve the jet as much as possible but without halting the production lines. At the same time they should increase the indigenous content on parts, equipment and technology after every squadron which will cut down on foreign expensive imports.

 

[kumar]

Excellent news. Our own tejas is getting more refined, day by day.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

A air intake is measured based on the engine power and amount of thrust you want it to achieve. Having a unnecessary large intake makes it easy to hit a bird strike or some other object which would destroy the engine and make the jet crash. The F22 is a very large jet with a much powerful engine.

No dude the bigger the inlet the greater the airflow and better the combustion as a result higher the thrust and speed. You can always use metal screens within the inlet tunnel to prevent FOD ingestion.

Tejas always had a faulty air intake design that was obscured under the wings. Check out any fighter design, be it F-16, Eurofighter, Rafale, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lighting II, MiG-29, SU-30/35 or SU-57, the inlet will always have an unobstructed air flow. Our Tejas has a inlet that's remains obscured under the wing which results in ingesting turbulent air flow thus impacting the overall speed of aircraft.

They seem to have realized this critical drawback with inlet design and this is an attempt to execute an band-aid solution to address critical design deficiency without having to redesign the whole air frame.

 

[Tanishq Bafila]

That's the benefit of having own jet , you can refine it according to the needs of the user time to time, otherwise when you buy a foreign jet then you end up giving 1$ billion for only Indian specific upgrades..

Tejas Mk1A will be refined in the batches to come specially the recent order to 97 jets.. New missiles will be tested , new avionics will be incorporated easily etc etc.

Now the focus should on be LCA Mk2 , make it production ready by 2030

 

[beencensured]

This is good that they are continuing to improve the jet as much as possible but without halting the production lines. At the same time they should increase the indigenous content on parts, equipment and technology after every squadron which will cut down on foreign expensive imports.

They are still going for perfection while Iran has developed low cost warfare blasting Israel with over five hundred drones, missiles, cruise missiles, and etc acting like America, as coward Biden imp0tence spikes.

 

[The_rED_dEVIL]

Start calling it block 50, 60, 70 etc. whenever changes are made.

India could also start numbering jets like US, Russia, China, etc. does.

We already had HF-24 Marut designation. Could have continued with Tejas or devised a new one.

 

[Akshat]

They are still going for perfection while Iran has developed low cost warfare blasting Israel with over five hundred drones, missiles, cruise missiles, and etc acting like America, as coward Biden imp0tence spikes.

And what exactly has Iran achieved so far in real terms? What benefit has the nation derived?

 

[beencensured]

And what exactly has Iran achieved so far in real terms? What benefit has the nation derived?

Quantity is a whole different matter verses quality.

 

[Akshat]

Quantity is a whole different matter verses quality.

Answer the question buddy. (For this discussion) I will agree to everything you are saying about Iran’s products. Cheap, quantity, whatever. Tell me what have they achieved with that. Tell me the results. What has the country earned?

 

[beencensured]

Answer the question buddy. (For this discussion) I will agree to everything you are saying about Iran’s products. Cheap, quantity, whatever. Tell me what have they achieved with that. Tell me the results. What has the country earned?

Parity with USA and Israel. They can do cheap what use too cost too much money, and they can do it creates problems for rest. India will have to adress these issues and develop capability and defense.

 

[Akshat]

Parity with USA and Israel. They can do cheap what use too cost too much money, and they can do it creates problems for rest. India will have to adress these issues and develop capability and defense.

Still didn’t answer the question. Desh ko fayda kya hua ab tak?

 

[Pink Panther]

Which other fighters had such systems
We seen such type of air inlets some high speed high end cars 🚙

Why didn’t ADA/HAL think about this before, why now?.