LCA MK-1A TO TAKE 1ST FLIGHT BY MAR, SAYS HAL CHAIRMAN

NEW DELHI: State-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has set a March 2022 deadline to carry out the first flight of the LCA (light combat aircraft) MK-1A jet after wrapping up the necessary design activities, HAL chairman R Madhavan said on Thursday. HAL will also next week announce a multimillion-dollar engine deal with US firm GE Aviation for 99 F404 engines to power India’s latest indigenous fighter, he said. The developments come six months after the defence ministry awarded a ₹48,000-crore contract to HAL for 83 LCA MK-1A jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The first MK-1A aircraft will be delivered to the air force by March 2024, with the rest slated to join its combat fleet by 2029. “The preliminary design review is over and so is the critical design review for several systems, including mission computer, digital map generator and digital flight control systems. We are integrating the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and the electronic warfare suite on the final operational clearance (FOC) version of the LCA. After it is proven there, we will integrate it on the final MK-1A version,” the HAL chairman said. AESA radar provides superior detection, tracking and targeting capabilities. The contract for the 83 MK-1A jets took the total number of LCA variants ordered to 123. The 40 LCAS already ordered by IAF are in the initial operational clearance and the more advanced FOC configurations. The MK-1A will come with a raft of additional improvements over the FOC aircraft, making it the most advanced LCA variant so far. Madhavan said HAL was working with Aeronautical Development Agency, a principal partner in the fighter jet project, on software development for the MK-1A jet and the effort was progressing smoothly. “This is for all the software that has to be changed in the MK-1A aircraft because of new systems coming in. We plan to carry of out the first flight of the aircraft by March 2022 and get the certification from the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMELAC) by mid-2023 before kicking off production,” he said.