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Indian <keyword id="6354954" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Force">Air Force</keyword>’s (<keyword id="161906" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="AIF">AIF</keyword>) plan to replace MIG fighter planes with a 'Made in India' combat aircraft isn’t headed towards the right direction. Now <keyword id="6355075" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="IAF">IAF</keyword> need to choose between two aircrafts from <keyword id="23050" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sweden">Sweden</keyword> or the US. 
 IAF's communication to the US and Sweden earlier this month said the force was looking for a modern, proven single-engine fighter aircraft in operational service. IAF didn't offer any details of minimum performance levels, asking only for a "4th generation fighter" - a broad qualification that also fits India's long-under-development light combat aircraft (<keyword id="139633" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="LCA">LCA</keyword>), according to a news report by The Economic Times. 
 
Industry experts, ET spoke to said, IAF's approach so far can get the force into a single vendor situation and, therefore, a recipe for slowdown in decision-making. A single vendor situation often leads to questions over fairness in the selection process. The aim is to make a choice from a multiple vendor situation. 
 
The defence ministry would also require to move ahead with its strategic partnership model if the ‘Make in India’ plan for fighter planes need to be executed.

'Make in India' dream of fighter
plans hit a roadblock

In a major boost to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=indian+air+force&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Indian Air Force</a>, indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA),‘<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=tejas&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Tejas’</a>, was inducted today at an event in Bengaluru. 
 
State-run <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=HAL&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Hindustan Aeronautics Limited</a> (HAL) handed over the first two ‘Made in India’ Tejas aircraft to the <keyword id="15141" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> (IAF), which will make up the 'Flying Daggers' 45, the name of the first squadron of the LCA. 
 
The induction ceremony started early morning at the Aircraft System Testing Establishment in the presence of Air Marshal Jasbir Walia, Air Officer Commanding-in Chief, Southern Air Command. 
 
The squadron will be based in Bengaluru for the first two years before being moved to Sulur in Tamil Nadu. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=arup+raha&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha</a>, who on May 17 took his in Tejas, had termed the aircraft as fit to be inducted. 
 
Stating that LCA squadron should be formed by July, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=manohar+parrikar&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar</a> had earlier this month said, "Next year I think two MiG-21 squadrons are being decommissioned; this will go into initially replacing them." 
 
LCAs are better than the MiGs which are old and their parts are difficult to get, he had said. 
 
All squadrons of Tejas will have 20 planes in total, including four in reserve. 
 
As per the plan, while 20 would be inducted under the "Initial Operational Clearance", another 20 will be inducted later with Beyond Visual Range Missile (BVR) and some other features. 
 
IAF plans to induct over 80 aircraft with better specifications known as Tejas 1A.

'Made in India' light combat aircraft ‘Tejas’ inducted in Air Force

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sir Peter Beck has built Rocket Lab into a $3.5 billion space company and SpaceX competitor.</li><li>The New Zealander didn't go to university and started out building rockets in his spare time.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> dominates space with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-elon-musk">SpaceX</a> — but one of his biggest rivals, who got his start strapping rockets to anything with wheels, thinks that's about to change.Sir Peter Beck, the founder of Rocket Lab, does not have the typical background for the CEO of a billion-dollar company.The New Zealand native <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-impressed-rocket-lab-ceo-beat-jeff-bezos-orbit-2023-5">didn't go to college</a> and spent time working at a dishwasher manufacturer before starting the rocket firm, which now has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/rklb-stock">a market cap of $3.5 billion</a>.In his spare time, he experimented with rockets and jet engines, building rocket packs, bikes, and even rocket-powered rollerblades. "The original plan was to go and work for NASA. But I went on a bit of a rocket pilgrimage and soon learned that a foreign national with no university degree would be highly unlikely to land any kind of position at NASA," Beck said in a recent conversation with Business Insider."Even if I did, I couldn't really see one singular person in that organization affecting any kind of meaningful change," he added.<h2 id="d1848003-7fd3-406d-a777-2cdaad70e6a3">Taking on Elon Musk</h2>Now, Beck has built Rocket Lab into one of the world's most prominent space companies, behind only SpaceX in the number of commercial rocket launches it conducts.The company's small-scale Electron rocket <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.rocketlabusa.com/updates/rocket-lab-successfully-launches-50th-electron-mission-deploys-satellites-for-kineis/">celebrated its 50th launch earlier this year</a>. A new, larger rocket, named Neutron, is expected to be <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.rocketlabusa.com/updates/rocket-lab-completes-successful-first-hot-fire-of-archimedes-engine-for-neutron-rocket/">launched in mid-2025</a>.Beck describes Neutron as a direct competitor to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Like the Falcon, it will be <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon-9-launches-updates-schedule">partially reusable</a> and aims to transport cargo into orbit at a fraction of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/space-launch-costs-growing-business-industry-rcna23488">cost of traditional rockets</a>."Neutron is really important for two reasons. One, we need to bring some balance to the market with the Falcon 9, but we also need a vehicle of our own to launch our own satellites and put our own stuff in orbit," said Beck.SpaceX, which conducts <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-faa-spacex-starship-super-heavy-launches-2024-6">more rocket launches than any other company or country</a>, looms over the rest of the space industry — and its sheer size has sometimes caused tension with rivals.<div type="image" title="Elon Musk" height="683" width="1024" msid="112781111" hostid="261" sizebytes="21386"></div>Beck <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/28/us/politics/elon-musk-space-launch-competition.html">told The New York Times</a> in May that SpaceX sets some of its launch prices below what they cost the company to undermine emerging competitors — a charge that SpaceX disputes.SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment. Speaking to BI, Beck said SpaceX's "monopoly" was no accident, but added that he thinks Musk has pushed the industry forward."They're very good at building rockets and very good business people as well," he said."I think there's probably some questionable practices in there, but it's just business at the end of the day. You either compete or die, and that's absolutely fine. It certainly spurs us along, and if the Falcon line wasn't so dominant, then we may not have even looked at building the Neutron," Beck added.Nevertheless, the Rocket Lab CEO believes adding a rocket that can compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 will offer businesses valuable choices — especially companies building rivals to SpaceX's satellite internet service Starlink but still have had to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60825386">rely on the company to put their satellites into orbit</a>."There is a number of customers that are putting up competing platforms, and you can imagine that's a fairly uncomfortable situation," said Beck.Amazon, which is building a rival satellite internet network called Project Kuiper, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-strikes-deal-with-spacex-for-satellite-launch-partnership-2023-12">struck a deal last year to use SpaceX's rockets</a> to put some of its satellites into orbit.<h2 id="b02b9a69-bbc6-43d2-a22c-9754a613ae71">The new space race</h2>Beck is more skeptical about some of Elon Musk's grandiose plans for SpaceX. The billionaire has frequently discussed <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-plan-colonize-mars-plan-unrealistic-scientists-explain-2023-10">his intention to use Starship, his company's newest giant rocket, to colonize Mars</a>.In July, The New York Times <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/technology/elon-musk-spacex-mars.html">reported</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/technology/elon-musk-spacex-mars.html"> — citing sources familiar with the matter —</a> that SpaceX employees had been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-denies-volunteering-sperm-to-start-a-martian-colony-2024-7">directed to draw up plans for a Martian city</a>. Musk also reportedly suggested that up to one million people could be living on the planet within the next 20 years.Beck said such an endeavor would require "tens of thousands" of Starship rockets, and expressed doubt over its value. "I guess I'm a capitalist at the end of the day. Is there a market to go to Mars? I don't know," he said."Elon wants to go to Mars for his reasons, but I'm focused on building a profitable, enduring space company. So my view of the world is a little bit different. I have no desire to put a footprint on Mars," Beck said.<div type="image" title="SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket on the launchpad." height="1012" width="1678" msid="112781107" hostid="261" sizebytes="24128"></div>Despite the success of commercial companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab in recent years, the space industry is still notoriously difficult to break into, with high-profile companies such as the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/man-accused-of-bogus-200-million-virgin-orbit-bailout-sec-2024-6">Richard Branson-backed Virgin Orbit collapsing</a>.Beck said the ultimate test of a space company was being able to "put something on the launchpad that works."He pointed to the rise of Rocket Lab as evidence that space, once the domain of big governments and large defense contractors, is now there for the taking for smaller firms and startups."The reality of the space industry being once just a completely government-dominated domain where the large defense companies would gobble up the various contracts is over," he said."In the last 10 years, we have really witnessed the democratization of space," he added.

One of SpaceX's biggest rivals on competing with Elon Musk and the new space race

New Delhi, <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="Orion">India</keyword> on Thursday accorded an initial approval to defence acquisition projects worth Rs 2.23 lakh crore that included procurement of 97 <keyword id="6376012" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tejas" source="Orion">Tejas</keyword> light combat aircraft and 156 Prachand combat helicopters, in a major move to significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the armed forces. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, cleared the projects, at a time India is locked in a bitter military standoff with China at a number of friction points in eastern Ladakh for over three years. The defence ministry said 98 per cent of the total procurement worth Rs 2.23 lakh crore will be sourced from the domestic industries and that the move will give a substantial boost to the Indian defence industry in achieving the goal of 'Aatmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence industry. The DAC also approved a proposal of the Indian Air Force to upgrade its Su-30 fighter fleet by state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (<keyword id="68124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="HAL" source="Orion">HAL</keyword>). The DAC further accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) or initial approval for procurement of two types of anti-tank munitions namely area denial munition (ADM) type-2 and type-3. The top body on procurement of military hardware also cleared acquisition and integration of automatic target tracker (ATT) and digital basaltic computer (DBC) for T-90 tanks besides approving another proposal to buy medium range anti-ship missiles (MRAShM) for the Indian Navy. The MRAShM is a lightweight surface-to-surface missile which will be a primary offensive weapon onboard various Indian naval ships. "The DAC accorded AoNs for procurement of Light Combat Helicopter for Indian Air Force and Indian Army and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A for IAF from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category," the ministry said. Though it did not mention the specific numbers, official sources said 97 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (Mark 1A) are being procured for the IAF and 156 Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) are being procured for the Army and the Air Force. In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF. With the additional fleet, the number of indigenously-developed Tejas aircraft being procured by the IAF would go up to 180. "The AoNs have also been accorded by the DAC for upgradation of Su-30 MKI aircraft indigenously from HAL. "While procurement of these equipment will provide enormous strength to the IAF, acquisition from domestic defence industries will take the indigenous capability to a new height," the ministry said in a statement. "It will also reduce dependability on foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) substantially," it added.

India approves defence acquisition projects worth Rs 2.23 lakh cr

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Consumer Reports ranked the best advanced driver-assistance systems on the market. </li><li>Tesla's pioneering Autopilot feature was beaten out by several technologies. </li></ul>Tesla, a pioneer in the world of high-tech cars, fell in Consumer Reports' latest ranking of advanced driver-assistance systems released on Wednesday. The <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-safety/active-driving-assistance-systems-review-a2103632203/">nonprofit organization evaluated 12 technologies</a> that combine adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lane centering assistance (LCA) to aid with highway driving. The systems, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in the auto industry, keep a vehicle in its lane while slowing down and speeding up with the flow of traffic.They don't make vehicles self-driving, of course, but can make driving safer and less stressful. Ford's BlueCruise (ActiveGlide in Lincolns), which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-bluecruise-tesla-autopilot-first-drive-2021-9">allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel</a> on approved highways, nabbed the top spot. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cadillac-escalade-super-cruise-hands-free-road-trip-spoiled-me-2022-6">General Motors' similar Super Cruise feature</a> came in second place. Mercedes-Benz's tech took third. <div type="image" title="Ford BlueCruise." height="1668" width="2500" msid="97324671" hostid="261" sizebytes="173924"></div><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-full-self-driving-drivers-weights-steering-wheel-trick-2023-1">Tesla Autopilot</a> fell to seventh place this year, from second in 2020. That's because Elon Musk's automaker hasn't made significant changes to Autopilot's core functionality in years, Consumer Reports said. It's mainly focused on adding features. "After all this time, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-model-y-first-drive-review-2022-9">Autopilot</a> still doesn't allow collaborative steering and doesn't have an effective driver monitoring system. While other automakers have evolved their ACC and LCA systems, Tesla has simply fallen behind," Jake Fisher, the organization's senior director of auto testing, said in the report. Consumer Reports judged the features based on five criteria: ease of use, capability and performance, keeping the driver engaged, unresponsive driver, and clear when safe to use. Driver-assistance tech isn't the only area where Tesla is losing ground. Though it's still by far the dominant electric car seller in the the US, automakers like General Motors, Ford, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-model-y-kia-ev6-hyundai-ioniq-5-best-evs-2023-1">Hyundai</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polestar-2-vs-tesla-model-3-range-performance-electric-2023-1">Polestar</a> are eating away at its market share as they release <a href="http://businessinsider.com/evs-electric-cars-coming-in-2023-suv-truck-chevy-tesla-hyundai-2022-12">new and appealing models</a>. Tesla accounted for <a href="https://www.coxautoinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Kelley-Blue-Book-EV-Sales-and-Data-Report-for-Q4-2022.pdf">roughly 65% of electric car sales in 2022</a>, down from <a href="https://www.autonews.com/sales/tesla-losing-ev-market-share-sub-50000-rivals">79% in 2020</a>.

Tesla's Autopilot is falling behind as other software catches up

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two fighter jets landed on and took off from India's new aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, this month.</li><li>The jets that landed on Vikrant may not be the jets that India uses on its carriers in the future.</li></ul>On February 6, the Indian Navy <a href="https://indiannavy.nic.in/content/maiden-landing-lca-navy-and-mig-29k-fighter-aircraft-onboard-ins-vikrant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that fixed-wing aircraft had successfully landed on and taken off from India's first domestically built aircraft carrier, <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/features/ins-vikrant-a-profile-of-indias-newest-aircraft-carrier/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">INS Vikrant</a>.The jets involved were the naval variant of the Indian-made <a href="https://www.hotcars.com/underrated-hal-tejas-elevates-indian-air-force/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tejas</a> fighter, referred to as "LCA Navy" for "Light Combat Aircraft Navy" in the <a href="https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1622585639664484352" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a>, followed by a Russian-designed <a href="https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1622594390945587201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1622594390945587201%7Ctwgr%5Ef439a694d93f6794ba5cd34d33c25d14cb5d70bf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aviacionline.com%2F2023%2F02%2Fnaval-tejas-and-mig-29k-tested-aboard-ins-vikrant-indias-new-aircraft-carrier%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MiG-29K</a>. Each jet landed using the carrier's arresting cable and then launched from the carrier's ski-jump ramp.The operations were the latest milestone in New Delhi's "Atmanirbhar Bharat," or "self-reliant India," initiative, which is meant to increase domestic production of military hardware.Adm. R. Hari Kumar, India's Chief of Naval Staff, said in a statement that the operations marked "a momentous step forward towards the realization of our collective vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat" and heralded the integration of the MiG-29K into the carrier's inventory.Vikrant's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-new-chinese-and-indian-aircraft-carriers-compare-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduction</a> and its first jet operations come at an important time for the Indian Navy, which is seeking to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/after-himalayan-clash-india-prepares-navy-to-take-on-china-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase its strength</a> to counter the growing threat from China.<h2>Indian carriers</h2><div type="image" title="India navy aircraft carrier INS Vikrant Tejas fighter jet" height="559" width="840" msid="98192314" hostid="261"></div>Though Vikrant is India's first domestically built carrier, it is actually <a href="https://pib.gov.in/FeaturesDeatils.aspx?NoteId=151135&amp;ModuleId%20=%202" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the fourth</a> to enter service with the Indian Navy. The first two, INS Vikrant (namesake of the current Vikrant) and INS Viraat, were both former British carriers in service with India from 1961 to 1997 and 1987 to 2017, respectively.The third carrier, <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/ins-vikramaditya-aircraft-carrier/#:~:text=The%20ship%20also%20employs%20six,to%2045%20days%20at%20sea." target="_blank" rel="noopener">INS Vikramaditya</a>, is a modified Kiev-class carrier India <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/india-wont-even-think-about-buying-russian-aircraft-carrier-again-196265" target="_blank" rel="noopener">purchased</a> from Russia in 2004. Commissioned in 2013, Vikramaditya brought with it the <a href="https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/mig-29k-carrier-based-multirole-fighter-aircraft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MiG-29K</a>, the carrier version of the famed MiG-29 fighter jet. The Indian Navy previously used the venerable <a href="http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/bae_sea_harrier.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sea Harrier</a>.At about 930 feet long, Vikramaditya displaces about 44,000 tons and can carry 36 aircraft, mainly MiG-29Ks and a combination of <a href="http://www.military-today.com/helicopters/kamov_ka31.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ka-31</a>, <a href="https://weaponsystems.net/system/1288-Kamov%20Ka-27PL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ka-28</a>, and <a href="http://www.military-today.com/helicopters/dhruv.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HAL Dhruv</a> helicopters. It has a crew of 1,600, a top speed of 28 knots, and a range of about 7,000 nautical miles.Vikrant, meanwhile, measures about 860 feet in length, displaces around 43,000 tons, and can carry 30 aircraft. It has a crew of 1,500, a top speed of 28 knots, and a range of 7,500 nautical miles.<div type="image" title="India navy aircraft carrier INS Vikrant MiG-29K fighter jet" height="559" width="840" msid="98192315" hostid="261"></div>Both carriers use a short takeoff but arrested recovery, or STOBAR, system that launches aircraft off a ski-jump ramp rather than from deck-mounted catapults.INS Vikrant is expected to be ready for operations by the end of this year and INS Vikramaditya is expected to return this spring after an extensive 15-month refit. The newer carrier <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/aircraft-carrier-ins-vikramaditya-is-back-on-high-seas-101676775908275.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will reportedly</a> be based on India's East Coast and the older carrier on the West Coast.India's carriers have been extremely valuable for projecting power in the Indian Ocean, where New Delhi has long regarded itself as the most influential actor.Vikrant aided the annexation of Goa from Portugal in 1961 by deterring foreign intervention and was vital to the naval blockade of Bangladesh (then called East Pakistan) during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. Viraat supported India's peacekeeping efforts in Sri Lanka and <a href="https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/041219/operation-talwar-how-the-navy-silently-contributed-to-kargil-win.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatened to blockade</a> Pakistan during the 1999 Kargil War.<div type="image" title="INS Vikramaditya" height="826" width="1240" msid="98192319" hostid="261"></div>In recent years, Indian concerns have focused on China's increasing presence and activity in the Indian Ocean. China has deployed surface ships to conduct anti-piracy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-navy-growth-and-search-for-overseas-bases-worries-us-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">patrols off the Horn of Africa</a> since 2008, and a Chinese submarine visit to Sri Lanka in 2014 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-border-clashes-could-cause-more-indian-ocean-activity-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised alarm in India</a>.Since then, Beijing has set up <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-chinese-troops-coexist-and-cooperate-in-djibouti-general-says-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a naval base in Djibouti</a> and pursued port projects — which are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-worried-about-chinese-activity-near-maritime-chokepoints-2022-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seen as avenues to advance</a> Chinese economic, diplomatic, and potentially military influence — around the region, including a 99-year lease in Hambantota, a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indias-concern-with-beijing-expansion-grows-with-sri-lanka-port-deal-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategically located port</a> in southern Sri Lanka where India has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-military-survey-ship-docks-sri-lanka-port-2022-08-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">longstanding concern</a> about Chinese military activity. A <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-military-survey-ship-docks-sri-lanka-port-2022-08-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">port call</a> in Hambantota last year by a Chinese tracking vessel raised alarm in India about spying missions off its coasts.By adding carriers — Indian officials are already <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indian-navy-plans-for-another-vikrant-size-carrier-before-vikramaditya-retires/article66529445.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considering</a> buying another Vikrant-size carrier — India's navy can keep them at sea off of both its coasts and around the region in order to monitor activity and potential threats from China's navy, the largest in the world.More carriers would also help India maintain its naval advantage over its longtime rival, Pakistan.<h2>Indian jets</h2><div type="image" title="India navy aircraft carrier INS Vikrant Tejas fighter jet" height="364" width="840" msid="98192320" hostid="261"></div>Though the Tejas and MiG-29K are the first jets India has operated on Vikrant's deck, they are not jets that India plans to use in the carrier's air wing in the future.In 2016, the Indian Navy <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/navy-rejects-tejas-says-overweight-fighter-does-not-meet-its-requirements/articleshow/55756350.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected</a> the naval variant of the Tejas because its single-engine design gives it a low thrust-to-weight ratio, making it unable to launch from a STOBAR carrier with a full load of fuel and weapons. The jet is only being used as a technology demonstrator to inform future operations and development.The MiG-29K, meanwhile, has been <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/land/2017/08/04/indian-navy-wants-russian-mig-29k-jets-to-be-ruggedized/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a headache</a> for India. At least five of the 45 jets it has purchased have <a href="https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/indian-navy-reports-crash-of-fifth-mig-29k-in-four-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crashed</a> in the last four years. A 2016 <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/nation/mig-29k-has-engine-failure-airframe-issues-cag-report-271853" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> by the Indian government said 40 of the 65 MiG-29K engines delivered to India had been withdrawn from service or rejected because of defects and deficiencies.<div type="image" title="Indian navy MiG-29 fighter jet aircraft carrier INS Vikrant" height="1331" width="2000" msid="98192322" hostid="261"></div>Like the rest of India's military, the Navy is dependent on Russia for major maintenance and support, including Russian technicians and spare parts, which may soon <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-technology-business-india-europe-8c2974119783b455f68fdcca6a7b474f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">be in much shorter supply</a> given the toll the war in Ukraine <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/21/ukraine-russia-arms-business-weapons-exports-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has taken on Russia's defense industry</a>.That reliance is exactly what Atmanirbhar Bharat aims to undo. Although the LCA Navy was rejected, India still has plans for a domestically produced carrier-based fighter. That jet, the Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter, or TEDBF, is <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/twin-engine-carrier-based-fighter-for-navy-could-be-inducted-by-2031-32/article66124792.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the early stages</a> of development and is intended to replace India's MiG-29Ks around 2031.India is also looking to acquire 26 new carrier-borne aircraft from another country to use until the TEDBF arrives. The search narrowed to two models: the French-made Dassault Rafale M and the US-made Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet.India's air force already operates the Rafale, leading to <a href="https://www.aviacionline.com/2023/01/india-rafale-m-beat-out-super-hornet-as-the-navys-favorite-for-carrier-operations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that the Rafale M will edge out the Super Hornet.

A first-of-its-kind fighter jet landing shows India's big ambitions for its growing aircraft carrier fleet

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the highest decision-making body for security issues headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the purchase of 83 Tejas fighter jets for the <keyword id="15141" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> at a cost of Rs 48,000 crore, including infrastructure. The CCS approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about Rs 48,000 crore to strengthen the IAF's fleet of homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Tejas. "This deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing," Union Defence Minister <keyword id="6355121" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajnath-Singh">Rajnath Singh</keyword> said. Giving out details about the Cabinet decision, the <keyword id="43909" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-ministry">Defence Ministry</keyword> in a statement said: "The Cabinet has approved procurement of 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 trainer aircraft at the cost of Rs 45,696 crore along with design and development of infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 1,202 crore." Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A variant is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state-of-the-art modern 4+ generation fighter aircraft. This aircraft is equipped with critical operational capabilities of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile, Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite and Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force, IAF. The LCA-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in the years to come. LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were never attempted in India. The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50 per cent in the Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60 per cent. The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is indigenously designed by the Aircraft Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by <keyword id="86569" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindustan-Aeronautics-Limited">Hindustan Aeronautics Limited</keyword> (HAL). The HAL has already set up second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru Divisions. Equipped with the augmented infrastructure the HAL will steer LCA-Mk1A production for timely deliveries to the IAF. "The decision taken today will considerably expand the current LCA ecosystem and help in creating new job opportunities," the minister said. HAL follows a system integrator model in the LCA Mk1A programme and acts as an umbrella organisation, fostering manufacturing and design capabilities in private industry. The first squadron of the Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas was raised in 2016. The manufacturing of 83 jets will not only be a boost for 'Make in India' or self reliance but help in filling the gaps in the Indian Air Force as its current fleet is down to 30 squadrons, way below the sanctioned strength of 42. Each squadron comprises 18 fighter jets. These 73 Mark 1A jets are in addition to the 40 Mark 1 already ordered by the IAF. Last year in March, the <keyword id="6369097" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-defence">Ministry of Defence</keyword> gave the go-ahead for the purchase of 73 Tejas Mark 1A aircraft for the Indian Air Force. This was a major breakthrough as after cost negotiations for over three years between the Ministry of Defence and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the price for procurement of the advanced variant of the indigenously-made Light Combat Aircraft Tejas was slashed. The IAF has 20 Mark-1 jets of the earlier variant while another 20 are to be delivered. --IANS sk/kr

$6 billion defence deal boost for HAL — Government approves purchase of 83 Tejas fighter jets

<ul><li>The Indian IT industry body <keyword id="6372077" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="nasscom">NASSCOM</keyword> wants the US to relax the post-unemployment period for <keyword id="399506" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="H1-B-visa">H1-B visa</keyword> holders to 180 days. </li><li>This is crucial to Indian employees there as they can not avail the unemployment benefits in the US. </li><li>It also wants the US to ease Labor Condition Application (LCA) norms which allows employees to work from home. </li><li>The US Labor Department reported 3.28 million registrations in a week, claiming unemployment benefits since millions of Americans have already lost jobs in this turmoil. </li></ul>All the software engineers working in the US have been living a dream, until a few months back. Now, not only are they at high risk of contracting <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword>, they are worried about their employment, visa status and their future. The Indian IT industry body Nasscom is asking the US Labor Department to allow Indian IT employees to stay back longer as India closes its borders. As of now, Indians who lose their job in the country can stay a maximum of two months before they need to leave the country. Nasscom wants it extended to six months. "We have requested the Departments of Homeland Service, Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for a 90 day grace period for professionals to depart the U.S. following expiration of their H-1B/ L-1 visas,” Nasscom said. <a href="https://www.immi-usa.com/h1b-visa/">H-1B</a> is a work visa that allows skilled Indians to work in the US for up to six years. This is the most sought after visa among immigrants as it allows to work for multiple employers at the same time. L1 visas are given to the foreign workers who are temporarily transferred to the country. Several Indian employees filed a petition to the White House seeking extension of the post-unemployment period. “Most H-1B workers are from India and cannot travel home with children who are US citizens as many nations announced an entry ban, including India. H-1B workers cater to the economy at large, mainly supporting the IT Industry with high tax contributions,” <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/h1b-workers-seek-180-instead-of-60-day-stay-in-us-post-unemployment-period/articleshow/74905470.cms">the petition said</a>. This is crucial for Indian employees as they can not avail unemployment benefits in the US. They have no social security benefits either. So, if they lose jobs, they will have to return to India along with their families. The US Labor Department said that as many as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/number-of-coronavirus-cases-in-us-news-and-updates/articleshow/74841159.cms">3.28 million Americans registered to claim</a> unemployment benefits in a week, after the pandemic struck. Researchers estimate that as many as 47 million people in the US can go unemployed during the recession — and the H1-B visa holders will be the first to go. Nasscom is also asking employers to allow Indians to work from home. “We have sought ease of Labor Condition Application (LCA) norms to allow for work from home,” Nasscom added. The LCA is submitted by the companies sponsoring the H1-B employees. The employers can not file the petition for the H1-B visa without LCA. Meanwhile, the United States reported over 4,000 Coronavirus deaths so far, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE). That is more than double the count three days earlier — and over 40% of the deaths in the US were in New York. The total number of Coronavirus infections also spiked to 163,000, as on March 31. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/number-of-coronavirus-cases-in-us-news-and-updates/articleshow/74841159.cms">Coronavirus in US: Over 4,000 dead and 40% of them are from New York</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/h1b-workers-seek-180-instead-of-60-day-stay-in-us-post-unemployment-period/articleshow/74905470.cms">H1B workers seek 180 instead of 60-day stay in US post-unemployment period</a>

Indian software engineers in US need a lease of life and extension of H1-B visa grace period, says Nasscom

Bengaluru, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria flew the home-grown <keyword id="158152" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Light-Combat-Helicopter">Light Combat Helicopter</keyword> (LCH) over this aerospace city for an hour, an official said on Friday. "Bhadauria flew the twin-seater LCH for a hour, taking off around noon from our airport in the city's eastern suburb, with our deputy chief test pilot Wing Commander (Retd) S.P. John," a Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (<keyword id="68124" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="HAL">HAL</keyword>) official told IANS here. The Air Chief, who is in the city to unveil the 59th annual conference of the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine, undertook the sortie in the HAL-made LCH for the first time, as a co-pilot, dressed in a fighter pilot suit. Designed and developed by the city-based state-run defence behemoth (HAL), LCH is the world's multi-role lightest attack helicopter, with a highest flight ceiling. "The LCH has been certified by the relevant agency for induction into the IAF and the <keyword id="6354416" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Army">Indian Army</keyword> soon," said the official. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the proposal for initial batch of 15 LCHs. The IAF issued Request for Proposal (RFP) for 15 limited series production of the helicopter, including 5 for the Army. Bhadauria, who took over as the <keyword id="15141" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> (IAF) in September 2019, also flew the HAL-made Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas on May 27, 2020 when it was inducted into the IAF's 18 Squadron (Flying Bullets) at the Sulur air base near Coimbatore in the neigbhouring Tamil Nadu state. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/mumbais-massive-power-cut-last-month-may-have-been-the-work-of-hackers/articleshow/79318282.cms">Mumbai’s massive power cut last month may have been the work of hackers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/vodafone-idea-shares-jump-after-selling-stake-in-indus-towers-for-3760-crore/articleshow/79316662.cms">Vodafone Idea soars nearly 5% on fund infusion from Indus Towers stake sale</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/pubg-mobile-india-was-supposed-to-launch-today/articleshow/79315462.cms">PUBG Mobile India was rumoured to launch today — but there is no official update from the company</a>

You Searched For "lca" and got 9 results

'Make in India' dream of fighter plans hit a roadblock

BI India Bureau

'Made in India' light combat aircraft ‘Tejas’ inducted in Air Force

BI India Bureau

One of SpaceX's biggest rivals on competing with Elon Musk and the new space race

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India approves defence acquisition projects worth Rs 2.23 lakh cr

PTI

Tesla's Autopilot is falling behind as other software catches up

Tim Levin

A first-of-its-kind fighter jet landing shows India's big ambitions for its growing aircraft carrier fleet

Benjamin Brimelow

$6 billion defence deal boost for HAL — Government approves purchase of 83 Tejas fighter jets

IANS

Indian software engineers in US need a lease of life and extension of H1-B visa grace period, says Nasscom

Prerna Sindwani

Indian Air Force chief flies HAL's home-grown Light Combat Helicopter ahead of its induction into the armed forces

IANS

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