India's first full-rate production LCA Tejas Mk.1 fighters for the Indian Air Force will roll out from HAL's production facility ...
By September, the LCA Tejas will achieve initial operation clearance 2 (IOC-2) and begin moving towards production, according to DRDO Chief Avinash Chander.
DRDO Chief also revealed that approximately 140 hours of test-flying remained to sort out the residual test-points. To achieve the target of getting combat ready, more than 1,200 parameters still need to be met. Chander told TOI that Tejas has flown 62 sorties in June this year and should get IOC-2 (initial operational clearance) by the end of September if “weather permits”. “We are endeavoring to get the clearance for production by 2014 beginning,” said Chander.
The Tejas project recently came up for review at a high-level meeting which was chaired by Defence Minister A.K. Antony in the New Delhi. It was decided at the review meeting that the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) would ramp up the production capacity of LCA to 16 aircraft a year. The meeting decided that efforts should be made to attain Initial Operational Clearance-II by November this year and Final Operational Clearance (FOC) by December 2014.
Mr. Antony stressed upon the necessity to adhere to schedule and asked all stake holders for avoiding further slippage on the programme. He also directed the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to make the LCA as its number one thrust area.
As of 24 June, LCA-Tejas has successfully completed 2228 test flights.
The most crucial issues include getting a new radome for the aircraft as the quality of the previous one was found to be hampering radar performance.
DRDO is also planning to roll out first prototype of Tejas MK-2 by mid of next year and first flight by end of next year, they are also plans to put Naval Tejas back in air soon, aircraft has been going through intensive redesign to its landing gear and undercarriage under assistance from european EADS, single seater variant of Naval Tejas is also likely be ready by end of this year.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has placed order for 20 Tejas in IOC-2 configuration, with the American GE-404 engines, and another 20 in FOC. As per current plans, IAF will order six Tejas Mark-2 squadrons (16 to 18 jets each), with the more powerful GE F-414 engines, once the fighter is combat-ready.
