Background :
- Both fighters belongs to the LCA ( Light Combat Aircraft ) Category .
- Both aircrafts are Single-engine Multirole Fighters.
- Both fighters can carry a wide range of weapons including BVR ( Beyond-Visual-Range) & WVR (Within-Visual-Range) missiles .
- Tejas Mk-1 is a unique Compound Delta wing fighter developed by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL ) while the FA-50 is light combat version of T-50 Advanced trainer which is heavily based on Lockheed Martin’s F-16 and was jointly developed by America’s Lockheed Martin & South Korean Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) .
- Tejas Mk-1 entered active service with the Indian Air Force’s No.45 squadron ‘Flying Daggers’ in July 2016 . T-50 and its armed variant FA-50 entered Active service with South Korean Air Force around 2005 and 2013 respectively .
- Both Jets use Elta EL/M-2032 Multi-mode radar and also use the same GE F404 Afterburning Turbofan engines ( different variants of GE F404).
Let us compare these Two Light Combat Fighters using their known specifications as evaluation benchmarks.
1 | Crew :
Tejas Mk-1 : 1
FA-50 : 2
2 | Unit Price :
Tejas Mk-1 : ~ 29 million USD ( as of 2019 )
FA-50 : ~ 35 million USD ( as of 2019 )
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1 because its significantly cheaper than FA-50.
3 | Air-to-Air Refueling Capability :
Tejas Mk-1 : Available . It has all-weather Day & Night refueling capability.
FA-50 : Not Available
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
4 | Empty weight:
Tejas Mk-1 : 6,560 kg (14,300 lb)
FA-50 : 6,470 kg (14,264 lb)
5 | Max Take-off Weight :
Tejas Mk-1 : 13,500 kg
FA-50 : 12,300 kg
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
6 | Maximum Speed :
Tejas Mk-1 : Mach 1.8 ( 2,205 km/h )
FA-50 : Mach 1.5 ( 1,640 km/h )
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
7 | Ferry Range :
Tejas Mk-1 : 1,750 km
FA-50 : 1,851 km
Advantage : FA-50
8 | Thrust / Weight Ratio ( TWR ) in Clean configuration :
Tejas Mk-1 : 1.02
FA-50 : 0.96
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
9 | Total No. of Hardpoints :
Tejas Mk-1 : 8
FA-50 : 7
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
10 | Max G-limits :
Tejas Mk-1 : +8 G / – 3.5 G
FA-50 : +8 G / – 3 G
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
11 | Service ceiling :
Tejas Mk-1 : 16,000 m (52,500 ft)
FA-50 : 14,630 m (48,000 ft)
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1 because it can fly much higher.
12 | Thrust with Afterburner :
Tejas Mk-1 : 89.8 kN
FA 50 : 78.7 kN
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
13 | Main Guns :
Tejas Mk-1 : 1× 23 mm twin-barrel GSh-23 cannon
FA-50 : 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) General Dynamics A-50 3-barrel
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1 , because it has higher caliber gun with higher firing rate.
14 | Flight Control System (FCS ):
Tejas Mk-1 : Quadruplex digital fly-by-wire
FA-50 : Triplex digital fly-by-wire
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1 . Quadruplex FBW is more Advanced than Triplex FBW which means Tejas will be easier to fly and control compared to FA-50 .
15 | Helmet Mounted Sight ( HMS ) :
Tejas Mk-1 : DASH HMS Integrated
FA-50 : Not Integrated
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
16 | High Off Bore Sight (HOBS) Shoot Capability :
Tejas Mk-1 : Yes
FA-50 : No
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
17 | Beyond Visual Range Combat Capability :
Tejas Mk-1 : Yes with Derby missile Integrated. Astra Mk-1 to be integrated soon.
FA-50 : BVR capable but No BVR missile Integrated as of now .
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
18 | Radar System :
Tejas Mk-1 : EL/M-2032 Pulse-Doppler Multi Mode Radar
FA-50 : EL/M-2032 Pulse-Doppler Multi Mode Radar
Advantage : TIE . Both uses the same radar .
19 | Wing Loading :
Tejas Mk-1 : 259 kg/m²
FA-50 : 378 kg/m²
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1’s Lower wing loading allows it to turn tighter than FA-50 during Dogfights.
20 | Internal Fuel Carrying Capacity :
Tejas Mk-1 : 2,458 kg
FA-50 : 2,220 kg
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
21 | External Fuel Carrying Capacity :
Tejas Mk-1 : Total 3125-litres in 3 Fuel Tanks
FA-50 : Total 1,710 litres in 3 Fuel Tanks
Advantage : Tejas Mk-1
22 | On Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) :
Tejas Mk-1 : Available
FA-50 : Available
Advantage : TIE
23 | NVG Compatible Glass cockpit :
Tejas Mk-1 : Yes
FA-50 : Yes
Advantage : TIE
24 | ALSR (Automatic Low Speed Recovery) System :
Tejas Mk-1 : Available
FA-50 : Not Available
Advantage : Tejas .
ALSR enables Tejas pilot to do extreme Dogfighting maneuvers without worrying about losing control of the aircraft.
25 | Disorientation Recovery Function (DRF) :
Tejas Mk-1 : Available
FA-50 : Not Available
Advantage : Tejas , because DRF makes it much safer to fly .
Pilots may get disoriented at times while flying into clouds or while flying over the sea. In such situations, DRF helps them recover the aircraft safely.
26 | Capability to go Supersonic at ALL Altitudes :
Tejas Mk-1 : Yes
FA-50 : Supersonic at High altitude Only .
Advantage : Tejas , because supersonic flight capability at low altitude makes it harder to target Tejas by enemies on ground .
28 | Hot-refueling Capability :
Tejas Mk-1 : Available
FA-50 : Not Available
Advantage : Tejas , because it gives Tejas quick turn-around capability.
Hot refueling is a complex procedure which involves a single point pressure refueling of the aircraft on ground with the engine in operation. It enables the fighter to quickly return to the skies without wasting more time on ground for refueling . Its specially helpful during war time .
29 | Short Take-off & Landing Capability :
Tejas Mk-1 : Available
FA-50 : Available
Advantage : TIE
30 | Total No. of Accidents :
Tejas Mk-1 : None in 4000+ flight hours .
FA-50 : 1 Friendly fire Accident involving FA-50 , 4 Accidents involving T-50 Trainer variant as listed below . Total 7 casualties including 5 pilots .
- On 15 November 2012, a T-50B of the South Korean Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team crashed shortly after takeoff, killing the sole pilot on board. The cause of the crash was due to faulty maintenance.
- On 28 August 2013, a T-50 of the South Korean Air Force crashed during a training mission near Kwangju city, killing both pilots on board. Investigation results revealed that the pilot deaths resulted from failing to eject at a sufficient altitude, while the crash itself was caused by faulty maintenance.
- On 20 December 2015, an Indonesian Air Force T-50i Golden Eagle crashed killing its 2 pilots.
- On 12 July 2017, a Philippine Air Force FA-50 was involved in a friendly fire incident during the Battle of Marawi when a bomb landed approximately 250 meters off target, killing two Philippine soldiers and injuring 11 more.
- On 6 February 2018, a T-50B of the South Korean Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team flipped over after one of its tyres burst on take off.
CONCLUSION
From the above comparison , HAL Tejas seems to have better performance and safety record compared to the LM/KAI FA-50 in most of the benchmarks in their current configuration.
Please note that the future upgrades and variants can change the outcome of similar comparison.
Please Note :
This was a basic specification comparison between the HAL Tejas Mk-1 & FA-50 .
The data has been derived from the manufacturer websites and other media sources.
In case of any question/suggestion , please drop us a comment down below.
Written By – V Ahuja ( Guest Writer )
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