Closer my Lord to Thee!
IOC-2 accorded to LCA but significant work remains
On 20 December 2013, amidst the roar of jet engines and at the facility where it is built and tested, Defence Minister AK Antony handed the ‘Release to Service’ certificate of the HAL Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) to Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, Chief of Air Staff. The occasion marked the ‘beginning of the end’ of an arduous three-decade saga aimed at producing an indigenous fighter aircraft.
Initial Operational Clearance-II (IOC2), thus named owing to an earlier ‘partial’ IOC being granted in January 2011, will begin the final phase of development on the programme, the 15-month journey to Full Operational Clearance (FOC).
The ceremony was attended by a number of heads of industry and technology, including Dr Avinash Chander, SA to the Defence Minister, GC Pati, Secretary Defence Production, Dr RK Tyagi, Chairman HAL, PS Subramanyam, Programme Director of ADA, Dr K Tamil Mani, DG- Aero and CE CEMILAC. Defence Minister AK Antony, MoS Defence Jitendra Singh and Air Force Chief NAK Browne were at the ceremony as well.
Antony appeared visibly happy and noted that the capabilities of the aircraft had been improved significantly over the course of its development to the IOC-2 stage. “The improvements to the aircraft have enhanced the flight envelope and also weapon delivery capability. The performance at Iron Fist, Jaisalmer [see Vayu II/2013] and the recent missile firing at Goa are examples of such improvements. The reliability of the aircraft and serviceability has also been enhanced. The number of flights at 500 within this year provides an indication of this.
Operating from IAF bases namely, Jamnagar, Jaisalmer, Uttarlai, Gwalior, Goa, Leh, Pathankot demonstrate the aircraft’s capability to operate from Air Force bases. There have also been occasions when the same aircraft has flown thrice on the same day, indicating the operational reliability of this home-bred fighter aircraft,” he said. He also addressed the broader Indian defence industrial base when he called IOC-2 an “important milestone” in the long journey towards indigenisation through self-reliance, exhorting the public and private sectors to work in tandem to develop and produce world-class military systems for the nation.
Then Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, said it was indeed “a proud day for the nation and particularly for the IAF; since the grant of IOC acknowledges the capabilities of this aircraft and paves the way for the induction of LCA Mk. 1 from into operational service.” He praised the programme’s safety record, noting that the progress of such a challenging experimental project without any accident or major incident was unprecedented in the history of aviation.
The LCA is designed to ultimately replace the MiG 21 fleet of IAF. The timing of IOC- II for LCA coincides with the iconic Mig 21 FL fighter flying into IAF’s history just a week earlier. Dr Avinash Chander, DG DRDO and SA to the Defence Minister also spoke at the occasion, calling it “the culmination of the ceaseless efforts of the various programme stakeholders.”
He elaborated on some of the “several hundred” design improvements that have been made leading up to IOC-2 that have rendered the aircraft more reliable and easily maintainable, and improved the performance in terms of flight envelope, weapon accuracy and enhancement of sensor functionality. He also stressed upon the pilot-vehicle interface (PVI), which the pilots themselves hail as one of the best.
Miles to go
Looking forward, Dr Chander said that ‘Team Tejas’ would now have to “sprint the last lap towards FOC”, which, he said, will
see Tejas equipped with in-flight refueling probes, beyond visual range (BVR) missiles, a new close-combat missile and Gryazev-Shipunov gun, additional weapons and new drop tanks for supersonic flight.”
He also briefly touched upon the future of the programme, the higher-performance Tejas Mk. 2, which will feature a more powerful engine and further improved avionics.
He closed with congratulations to the teams at DRDO, ADA, HAL, CEMILAC, DGQA, IAF and various industry partners.
The Indian Air Force will begin receiving series production (SP) standard aircraft over the next few months, with an initial order of 40 Mk.1 aircraft. FOC for the type, confirming its readiness for all operational duties in IAF service, is anticipated 12-15 months from IOC-2, and involves a daunting array of tasks to be accomplished, especially given the timeframe involved. The list of key activities to be undertaken before FOC is granted are as follows:
Expand flight envelope to -3.5 to 8G (presently -2 to 6G)
Clear 24° angle of attack (presently 22°)
Add in- flight refueling capability (retractable Cobham probe is already under testing)
Demonstration of BVRAAM (Rafael Derby)
Demonstration of new CCM (Rafael Python-5)
Integration of Gryazev-Shipunov GSh23 23mm cannon
New supersonic drop tanks
New radome for improved radar performance
New brake cooling system
Additional weapons testing, including air-to-ground PGMs
After achievement of IOC- 2, HAL will go ahead with series production of the Tejas. Production facilities for SP-standard aircraft have been set up at HAL and deliveries are expected to commence from mid 2014. HAL has established the structural assembly hangar and the assembly jigs have been calibrated with laser trackers to an accuracy of 80 microns ( 0.08 mm) to meet stringent quality standards. A state of the art CNC drilling machine has been installed to ensure repeatability and reduce cycle times.
“We have plans to initially produce eight aircraft per year. Further plans are afoot to enhance the production rate to 16 aircraft per year in consultation with IAF and MoD. HAL is fully geared up to meet the challenging production schedule and hopes to fulfil the requirements of customers in a time bound manner,” says Dr RK Tyagi, Chairman HAL.