SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Tejas MkII, India’s advanced light combat aircraft, continues to rely on a traditional splitter plate design for its air intake system rather than adopting the Diverterless Supersonic Inlet (DSI) seen in modern stealth fighters like the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF). A former employee of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), speaking anonymously to idrw.org, revealed key reasons behind this design choice and its implications for the aircraft’s performance.
The primary function of an air intake system in a fighter jet is to deliver clean, stable airflow to the engine, ensuring optimal performance and preventing issues like unstarts, surges, or even engine damage. The Tejas MkII employs a splitter plate—a physical barrier that separates turbulent boundary layer air, which forms along the fuselage or wing, from the clean airflow entering the engine. This ensures the engine receives air in good condition, critical for smooth combustion and sustained performance.
In contrast, a DSI uses a carefully designed “bump” on the aircraft’s skin to slow down and redirect turbulent air away from the intake. This eliminates the need for a separate splitter plate, potentially reducing weight and radar cross-section (RCS) while partially occluding engine blades to enhance stealth. Aircraft like the F-35 and China’s J-20 utilize DSI for these benefits. However, the former ADA employee noted that the Tejas MkII’s splitter plate design, combined with its “Y”-shaped intake configuration, achieves similar airflow management while maintaining compatibility with the aircraft’s overall design.
The decision to retain splitter plates in the Tejas MkII stems from a combination of engineering practicality and performance requirements. According to the source, the splitter plate effectively isolates turbulent boundary layer air, ensuring the engine receives clean, high-quality airflow. The “Y”-shaped intake further aids in shielding the engine blades from direct exposure, reducing the risk of radar detection while maintaining aerodynamic efficiency.
While DSI offers advantages like reduced weight and a smoother integration with the aircraft’s skin, it requires significant redesign and testing to integrate into an existing platform like the Tejas MkII. The splitter plate, a proven technology used in aircraft like the F-22 Raptor, provides a reliable and cost-effective solution for the Tejas program, which prioritizes incremental upgrades over radical redesigns at this stage.
The splitter plate and “Y”-shaped intake design ensure the Tejas MkII’s engine operates efficiently, avoiding disruptions caused by turbulent air. This is critical for maintaining engine performance during high-speed maneuvers or in demanding combat scenarios. By preventing messy airflow from entering the intake, the system minimizes the risk of engine unstarts or surges, which could compromise mission success or safety.
While DSI could enhance stealth by reducing RCS and occluding engine blades more effectively, the Tejas MkII’s current design strikes a balance between performance, cost, and development timelines. The splitter plate, though less advanced than DSI, aligns with the aircraft’s lightweight, agile configuration and supports its role as a multirole fighter for the Indian Air Force.
In contrast, India’s next-generation programs, the AMCA and TEDBF, are designed with DSI to meet stringent stealth and performance requirements. The former ADA employee highlighted that these platforms, built from the ground up with fifth-generation technologies, can fully leverage DSI’s benefits, including reduced weight and improved RCS. For the Tejas MkII, however, the splitter plate remains a practical and effective choice, ensuring the aircraft meets its operational goals without necessitating extensive redesign.
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