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India developing more light combat aircraft prototypes |
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India is developing more prototypes of a home-grown jet fighter, the test programme for which has entered its second phase.
Rajeev Srivastava of the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) told a session of the Indian Science Congress that three prototypes of the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas were being developed for the second phase of test flights.
The LCA, designed to replace the Air Force’s MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-27 jets, weighs less than 10 tonnes and is among the lightest and smallest aircraft in its category, Srivastava said.
Its closest competition comes only from Sweden’s JAS-39. The LCA’s first supersonic flight was carried out in August 2003 and since then, over 200 flights have been made by the jet.
“The aircraft has shown smooth operation. There have been emergencies but the aircraft has behaved as it should behave under the circumstances,” Srivastava said.
The programme’s second phase will involve creation of facilities for achieving limited series production of eight aircraft a year, he said.
The LCA programme was started to meet the Indian Air Force’s requirements for a multi-role fighter and to bridge the gap in combat aircraft technology, Srivastava said.
With an overall estimated cost of Rs.54 billion ($1 billion), it is the largest research and development programme undertaken in India, he said.
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