LCA Tejas- Navy flies for the first time

[+ghostrider883 526]

Pics after the first flight(yesterday- April 27,2012) of the HAL LCA Tejas(NAVY)

 

 

 

The indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft Tejas LCA Navy NP1(Naval Prototype - 1) today made its maiden flight in Bangalore when Commodore J A Maolankar, Test Pilot and Wg Cdr Prabhu, Flight Test Engineer completed a 22 minutes flight. During the flight the aircraft was put through various manoeuvers including low speed handling and even undertook a close formation flying at slow speed with another aircraft(an IAF BAe/HAL Hawk Mk.132).

 

Earlier the LCA Navy NP1 had completed various intensive Ground testing regimen including Low Speed Taxi Trials (LSD), High Speed Taxi Trials (HSD), Ground Vibration Test (GVT), Structural Coupling Test (SCT) and extensive system integration tests with power plant using State-of-the-Art facilities at Bangalore HAL airport.

 

With this India has crossed a major milestone in Design, Development, Manufacturing and Testing of a “four plus” generation Carrier Borne Fly-by-Wire STOBAR aircraft.

 

LCA Navy aircraft is the first attempt in the country to provide a complete marine force multiplier that will give unique battle punch to the Naval Aviation Arm of the 21st Century to fulfil national dream of a blue water Navy. LCA Navy is the second STOBAR (Ski Take Off But Arrested Recovery) Carrier Borne aircraft in the world, after the Russian deck based aircraft. However, this will be the only Carrier borne Fighter aircraft in the Light category.

 

Along with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) who are the Principal Partners with Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in association with more than 100 agencies ranging from users, DRDO, CEMILAC, DGAQA, CSIR, PSUs, Private Industrial Sector and academia, spread all over India including Indian Navy and Indian Air Force are involved in the Programme. The key responsibility of LCA Navy design, build, integration and testing is with various Divisions of HAL. ADE has played a lead role in Design and Development of the Integrated Flight Control System in unison with NAL, Bangalore for Testing and Integration of Flight Control Laws to ensure safe functionalities for various phases of flight. AMAGB has been designed and manufactured by CVRDE, Chennai up-to the certification level. NSTL, Visakhapatnam and RCI, Hyderabad has rendered critical support for shock testing of LRUs. Significant Private Industry partnership with ASL (DRDO), Hyderabad for high energy Carbon-Carbon brake pads, and CADES for LEVCON and stub wing design, as examples, has helped maturing of Private Sector of the country. This Project will give us self reliance capability in a true sense and also help in taking up more Naval Aircraft Projects in future. Productionisation of indigenously developed Hydraulic system and Fuel system Line Replacement Units (LRUs) have been assigned to GTTC, Bangalore (Government Tool Room and Training Centre) and CTTC (Centre Tool Room and Training Centre), Bhubaneswar respectively. Above all this, constant support, regular participation, keen observation and continuous guidance from CEMILAC and DGAQA have ensured stringent certification and quality requirements are met on the aircraft.

 

The Design of first indigenous Naval aircraft imposed huge technological challenges to the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) to meet the peculiar requirements of Naval aircraft; starting from saline and humid environment of operation, restricted availability of deck run for launch and recovery and high operating load conditions. Basic design changes required to suit the carrier operations are strengthening of aircraft structure and Landing Gear, Arrester Hook, improved engine, enhanced aerodynamic performance and incorporation of special metal/material. A host of other systems like the Leading Edge Vortex Control (LEVCON) surface fitted at the front end of the aircraft wing operated by a concealed rotary actuator with aerodynamic profiling to ensure low landing speed, good controllability and better vision for the pilot. The feature of launch and recovery onboard Carrier at high sink rate of 7.1 rn/sec, flareless landing with engine to full throttle till arrested by deck cable impose five times of loading on Main Landing Gear as compared to the IAF version. Also such axial load calls for re-certification of all Line Replacement Units (LRUs), components and associated systems of naval version to ensure fail safe operation repeatedly.

 

ADA has set a world class Telemetry and Monitoring facility at the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC) to enable conduct of flight test activities at Bangalore. Intuitive on-line monitoring and control of the aircraft are carried out by the Test Director and various System designers. To facilitate proving the aircraft for carrier borne applications, a Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) is being set up at the Naval Air Station, Goa replicating an aircraft carrier with a ski-jump for launch and arresting gear for deck recovery. Take off area is ready, with landing readiness scheduled for end of 2012. This test facility readiness is as per schedule.

 

The Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma in a communication to the Scientific Adviser to the Raksha Mantri, said, “… I express my appreciation and congratulations to all members of the ADA, HAL and DRDO teams for the first successful limited test flight of the LCA (Navy) aircraft… We must ensure that today’s accomplishment leads to the timely fructification of the operational requirements for carrier borne operations….”

 

[MigBuster 2,884]

Nice Jet that

[MAKO69 186]

When will their conventional carrier be ready?

[+streakeagle 871]

Nice looking plane! I am surprised to see a delta for a carrier aircraft though, especially without a canard. That makes me wonder about the aircraft's angle of attack for landing and/or landing speed. I wish they would have succeeded in providing their own engine. Hopefully, their multimode radar ultimately makes it into production aircraft. I love to see a country able to fully develop its own front line supersonic jet fighters instead of relying on the usual suspects.

[Stick 773]

Excellent question that-the darn airplane is already out-dated; that Commodore you see posing for the photo op started with the project as a lieutenant twenty years ago- we are excellent testers us Indians; as good as they come!

Edited April 28, 2012 by Stick

[+whiteknight06604 935]

I don't know if it's out of date or not but it's still a beautiful aircraft to look at.

[+ghostrider883 526]

Instead of being so negative and sarcastic,Stick, may be it would be better to applaud the efforts of our scientists? Do you even know of the difficulties HAL/ADA/RDRO had to face?? You don't, I am sure, yet you insult the aircraft!!!!! Inspite of all the negativity, not a single one has crashed so far, has it?

 

Yes, it has taken time and it will take more time, but it needs to be supported, not mocked at!!!!! Not many countries can boast of indigenous supersonic fighters. Count them- USA, Russia France, Sweden, UK/Germany/Italy/Spain, Pak/China(sort of). While it may easy to curse the aircraft, which has sadly become a fashion today, no one realises how much of work and effort has gone into bringing the LCA to its current standards.

 

The LCA now has Israeli EL/M-2032 MMR( ok, its not an AESA), not long before it becomes capable of firing BVR missiles, has already dropped LGBs. yet you call it dated? You don't need friggin' F-22s to take on the pakistan!!!! Maybe you forget, it is supposed to be "light", like what the Gnat's role was in the 1960s and 70s.

 

The Indian Air Force or the Navy are not a bunch of idiots to bank so heavily on the LCA, are they? I suggest you read Air Marshal Phil Rajkumar's book on the LCA. In spite of all the odds, the LCA flies today and hopefully it will one day in its Mk.1 or Mk.2 variant, serve in frontline IAF/IN squadrons. No. 45 Sqdn has already been earmarked to be the first LCA squadron. Hopefully, more MiG-21 squadrons will convert to LCAs soon.

 

Edited April 28, 2012 by ghostrider883

[Stick 773]

While your optimism is truly commendable ghostrider883, I cannot count our meagre successes to bulwark against our greater failures.

'You don't need friggin' F-22s to take on the pakistan!!!!'

Enemies aren't chosen by whom we are comfortable waging war with, ol chap. A real time threat assessment would indicate the real adversary is China-not a rag tag bunch of keffiyeh swathed mujahideen.(Against whom we haven't claimed all that many victories either!) Your information, on the contrary, seems as dated as our government and it's home-made aircraft.

''The LCA now has Israeli EL/M-2032 MMR( ok, its not an AESA), not long before it becomes capable of firing BVR missiles, has already dropped LGBs. yet you call it dated?'

So how come we aren't designing this sort of stuff ourselves, like Israel?The answer is right there-we simply don't have the capability. We are among the best rip-off artists in the world, next to China, the problem is we don't know how to attract the right talent where we need it. The difficulties you cite HAL/ADA/RDRO had to face were the result of asinine and constipated foreign policy. I see this sort of thing everyday in the course of my profession as a lawyer, that's why your ill-concealed exuberance is a tad difficult to digest.

However, I don't mean to detract from your apparent pride. I shall refrain from trodding on your sentiments, fellow patriot, but do remember, one sparrow doesn't make a summer.

[+ghostrider883 526]

<Self Deleted>

Edited April 29, 2012 by ghostrider883

[+ghostrider883 526]

When will their conventional carrier be ready?

 

Realistically not before 2018(INS Vikrant under construction). Though the INS Vikramaditya( ex- Soviet Navy Adm Gorshkov) would be ready for commissioning by December 2012.

 

It will be interesting to see what the single seat Naval Tejas looks like. Comparing the Air Force & Navy Tejas Trainers, they look almost same. However, I expect the single seat AF/Navy varinats to be different(looks wise).

 

Navy Tejas(Trainer):

 

Air Force Tejas(Trainer)

Edited April 29, 2012 by ghostrider883

[+Julhelm 266]

I think it looks like an attractive little jet. If it is outdated, it is in good company.

[+Stary 2,428]

Nice little kid of Hornet and Mirage

 

@Stick: chill out my friend

[JediMaster 451]

Personally, my beef is with that 2nd picture. You call that a ladder??!? The plane may be fine, but I'd be scared of that narrow, dinky thing collapsing while climbing in or out of the cockpit!

 

You'd think after all these years of testing someone would've raised their hand and pointed out they could make a better ladder for another few bucks...

 

BTW, as a plane that hasn't had much foreign press compared to Western designs, as an outsider I seem to recall the problems with the LCA have been two-fold. In addition to the standard technical difficulties all new planes face, especially one that is breaking new ground for the builders as the LCA is, hasn't there been a ton of political crap it's had to deal with as well? Changing requirements, uncertain funding levels, lackluster political support by some, overzealous support for problematic areas by others, that sort of thing? If so, I'm frankly amazed they were ever able to get the project this far. Sounded more likely to implode under its own confusion while the imported planes had (relatively) easier times of it.

[+ghostrider883 526]

 

 

[Atreides 144]

Personally, my beef is with that 2nd picture. You call that a ladder??!? The plane may be fine, but I'd be scared of that narrow, dinky thing collapsing while climbing in or out of the cockpit!

 

 

HAL/DRDO is addressing the ladder issue, they intend to develop an automatic ejection system in case the pilot slips. This system will launch the pilot to a minimum altitude for parachute deployment.

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

HAL/DRDO is addressing the ladder issue, they intend to develop an automatic ejection system in case the pilot slips. This system will launch the pilot to a minimum altitude for parachute deployment.

lol

 

The best ladder is a truss work like that. I like that ladder. I used to climb 300ft to 450ft ladders like that -- guy wired towers.

 

I hate pegs though, everybody does. Ever seen the pic of the NAVY pilot trying to navigate the pegs on the side of the Demon fleet interceptor?

[Stratos 3,192]

Excuse my ignorance, but when you talk about a NAVY version, are you talking about a hook equipped, catapult launcheable plane? Will India have a new carrier for them?

[+logan4 848]

Excuse my ignorance, but when you talk about a NAVY version, are you talking about a hook equipped, catapult launcheable plane? Will India have a new carrier for them?

 

Naval Tejas is designed around Skijump take off and arested recovery. Will have hook, but not catapult launched, in the line like MiG-29K/Kub and Su-33. Fits the planed and upcoming carriers for India.

[Slartibartfast 153]

I think the designers should be applauded on what they have managed with this especially as it took the Western Nations to start fielding their designs F-22 Eurofighter and Rafale over 20 years to get their from the design phases... Yes it may not be as capable as an F-18 or a Rafale etc but for what Indian is up against it is more than adequate and remember that you have to start with small steps to build bigger things the Western Nations and Russia etc have been building Warplanes for over a 100 years...

[Stratos 3,192]

Very interesting plane. Thanks for the info.

[JediMaster 451]

You don't start off building JSF's and Eurofighters. You have to start before that, figuring things out as you go, or you wind up spending a lot of resources on something that will never work right.

China didn't send its first man into space in a shuttle.