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Indigenous LCA makes its maiden flight

The first technology demonstrator of the indigenously built multi-role Light Combat Aircraft, which has faced considerable delay in its development, took to the skies on Thursday.

The white plane took off majestically from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited airport in Bangalore at 1020 IST and landed after a twenty-minute flight, accompanied by two Mirage 2000 fighters.

Defence Minister George Fernandes witnessed the maiden flight while the chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis, sat in one of the two-seater Mirages to observe the LCA's performance. Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, scientific adviser to the central government, also witnessed the flight with several top scientists and Indian Air Force officers.

Though the media was not allowed inside the airport, several journalists and television crew lined up at vantage points outside to witness the event.

Hundreds of people had also gathered for the momentous occasion and cheers rent the air as the LCA took off and landed elegantly.

After a helicopter reconnoitred the area around the airport, the two Mirages took off. As they positioned themselves in the skies, the LCA took off flawlessly and, in no time, the three fighters disappeared from normal vision in single formation.

What followed was a twenty-minute anxious wait for the journalists. Finally the three aircraft returned to view as they approached the runway in formation. The Mirages, flying low, escorted the LCA, which touched down effortlessly.

Thunderous applause greeted the landing. The Mirages then completed another round and landed one after the other.

It had been a painful wait for the maiden flight of the first fly-by-wire technology demonstrator, which rolled out of the HAL hangers in November 1995 in the presence of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.

The Centre gave financial clearance for the LCA project in 1993, though the project itself was conceived as far back as in 1985.

With the Aeronautical Development Agency being made the nodal agency for developing the LCA, the initial phase involved building two technology demonstrators at a cost of Rs 21.88 billion.

As many as seven technology demonstrators have been planned before the LCA goes into production and is inducted into the IAF. Though the first batch of the LCA was to have been inducted in 2002, it could take another five to 10 years, according to IAF sources.

The fully computerised aircraft is designed for deep-strike capability and is the largest research and development programme undertaken by the country involving 40 disciplines, 100 major work centres and 200 smaller industries. Virtually all the states, except Jammu & Kashmir, contributed to the programme.

The LCA has integrated modern design concepts and state-of-the-art technologies such as relaxed static stability, fly-by-wire flight-control system, advanced digital cockpit, multi-mode radar, integrated digital avionics system and advanced composite materials. It is powered by a General Electric engine.

The LCA has a wingspan of 8.2 metres and an overall length of 13.2 metres. It stands 4.4m high and its weight at take-off was 8.5 tonnes. The aircraft can carry up to 4 tonnes of armaments.

The only other comparable aircraft is the JAS-39 Grippen built by the Swedish company SAAB.

UNI

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