photo:ADA Indian Airforce officially inducted the first home built Light Combat Aircraft- Tejus, nearly 32 years after the program bega...
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| photo:ADA |
The LCA Tejas Series Production-1 (SP1) was handed over by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to IAF Chief Air Marshal Arup Raha in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The Initial Operation Clearance (IOC) configuration LCA Tejus SP-1 flew for the first time last September and is being delivered with some improvements.
The fourth generation Tejas, is the smallest, light weight, single engine, single seat, supersonic, multirole, combat aircraft in its class in the world, designed to replace the large no of vintage MiG-21 fighters operated by IAF.
Tejus features a tailless, compound delta wing design powered by a single GE F404-GE-IN20 engine rated at 9,163 kg (20,200 lb) thrust.
The quadruplex digital fly-by-wire flight control system ensures acceptable handling qualities while ensuring adequate safety throughout the flight envelope. The advanced Glass cockpit open architecture system complements piloting.
Tejus has a wingspan of 8.2 m, length of 13.2 m and height of 4.4 m. With a maximum weight of 13.2 tonne, including 3.5 tonnes of weapons, Tejus can fly at a speed of 1.6 Mach, undergo +8g to -3.5g and reach service ceiling of 15 km.
IAF has placed order for 20 Tejas fighters in IOC configuration and 20 more in Final Operational Clearance (FOC) configuration.
Tejas achieved IOC in December 2013 and FOC is likely to be achieved by the end of 2015.
The second aircraft will also be ready by March 2015 for maiden flight.
The FOC configuration will add a Russian gun, upgraded software, long-range missiles, mid-air refueling capability, increase the angle of attack, enabling care free handling and an advanced Electronic Warfare suite which was flight tested recently.
Currently LCA Tejus has 60 percent indigenization, major imported content include the engine, the Elta multi mode radar co-produced with Israel and some Line Replaceble Units (LRU).
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will produce six aircraft next year (2015-16) and subsequently scale it up to eight and 16 aircraft per year, delivering the first 20 aircraft by 2017-18.
Tejus is being developed in single seat, two seat trainer and naval variants for land and carrier borne operations.
The program has built 15 aircraft for flight testing including seven in Limited Series Production (LSP), 2 Technology Demonstrators, 3 fighter prototype, 2 trainer prototype and 1 naval prototype.These aircraft have completed more than 2800 flights.
A more capable airforce variant-Tejus Mk2 will follow after the development of Mk1 variant is completed by 2015.
The Mk2 variant will feature a more powerful GE 414 IN20 engine, and would be slightly bigger in size.
