NEW DELHI – After a 40-month hiatus India’s state-owned AeronauticalDevelopment Agency (ADA) has resumed flight trials of the Light CombatAircraft (Navy) – LCA Navy – for the Indian Navy (IN).
A prototype of the naval LCA successfully carried out its first ‘arrestedlanding’ trial on 13 September at the IN’s shore-based test facility at INSHansa in Goa on the country’s southwestern coast, the Indian government’sPress Information Bureau (PIB) said in a statement, adding that thisaccomplishment will eventually pave the way for the naval LCA eventuallyundertaking ‘landing demonstrations’ on aircraft carrier INS *Vikramaditya* .
IN sources told *Jane’s* that the Mk 1 prototype of the naval LCA, whichfeatures a reinforced undercarriage to absorb the stresses exerted bytaking off and landing on an aircraft carrier, was airborne after rolling200 m on the test facility. The aircraft conducted the arrested landingafter a 40-minute flight.
Development of the naval Tejas Mk 1, which is a variant of the Indian AirForce’s (IAF’s) Tejas LCA Mk 1, was initiated in 2004-05 but the aircraftonly conducted its maiden test flight in 2012, more than three years behindschedule.
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Thereafter, two prototypes (NP1 & NP2) carrying two Russian Vympel R-73(NATO AA-11 Archer) air-to-air missiles each, validated four ski-jumptrials between them from the Goa test facility, which replicates the deckof an aircraft carrier. Also successfully tested was the ‘hot refuelling’capability, which entails replenishing the platform with the pilot in thecockpit and its engines running, with the aim of facilitating an immediateturnaround.
The Mk 1 prototypes are fitted with the same engine as the IAF’s Tejas Mk1: the US General Electric F404-GE-IN20 afterburning turbofan engine, whichgenerates 80-85 kN of thrust. This engine will also power the proposed 6-8follow-on limited series production (LSP) of naval LCA platforms. -IHSJanes
