By Dr Anantha Krishnan M
Bengaluru, Feb 09: The first prototype (NP-1) of the Naval Light Combat Aircraft (NLCA), which had a ski-take off from the Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) in INS Hansa in Goa on December 20, 2014, outperformed the expectations of its designers and engineers. In an exclusive interview to OneIndia, his first after the historic flight of NP-1, NLCA Programme Director Cmde C D Balaji (Retd) said that NP-1 gifted a ‘welcome bonus’ at SBTF.
“There are many uncertainties and potential surprises when you attempt something for the first time. We had built in a detail plan after looking into all major possibilities of a failure. Accordingly, we wanted to have a minimum climb angle of 5.7 degrees during the first attempt,” Balaji told OneIndia ahead of the forthcoming Aero India 2015.
With Lady Luck finally giving company to the NLCA designers at Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the NP-1’s performance seems to have lifted the spirits of the entire team.
* There more prototypes to be added to flight-line
* NP-1 to undergo minor changes
* Critical observations from the last trials
* More action lined up in Goa from March
Read the full report on OneIndia that went live on 09 Feb 2015: http://bit.ly/1IA98En
