At the international aviation and space exhibition Aero India-2021, held in Bangalore, a mock-up of the TEDBF twin-engine carrier-based fighter is presented for the first time.
Earlier it was reported that it will be created on the basis of the already produced Tejas fighter ("Diamond"), however, judging by the photos, the Indian designers decided to thoroughly rework the original. For example, the front horizontal tail is installed, and measures are taken to reduce radar visibility.
At the same time, this fighter is not destined to become a new generation of aircraft - all weapons will be suspended only from the outside.
TEDBF, in addition to the tasks of destroying various air targets, will be able to use anti-ship missiles, and will also be able to hit objects on land.
To increase the radius of combat use, it is equipped with equipment for refueling in the air.
The take-off weight is 26,000 kg, the wingspan when folded is 7.6 meters, when unfolded is 11.2 meters, and the length is 16.3 meters. The maximum speed is Mach 1.6.
The aircraft will be designed for use from the deck of the Indian Navy's existing aircraft carrier Vikramaditya and the new Vikrant.
It is expected that the first instance will take to the skies in 2026, and mass production with the successful completion of the tests will be established in another four years.
The Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF). Can't wait for this to begin landing on Indian Navy aircraft carriers in the future.
It would be the size of Mig-29K, weapons payload of nine tonnes, top speed of Mach 1.6, have folding wings to save space on deck of aircraft carriers pic.twitter.com/R8RFj7erOS
— Nolan Pinto (@nolanentreeo) February 3, 2021
Alexey Brusilov
