Tejas @BIAS2016 | More pix from the historic outing

Photos: Deb Rana/ADA-NFTC

Tejas in Bahrain | BIAS2016

 Photos: D Rana/ADA/NFTC

TOP GUN: National honour for Tejas Test pilot Suneet

Express News Service
(City Express)

Grp Capt Suneet Krishna, a city-based Test pilot associated with the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas programme has been selected for this year's Dr V M Ghatage Award. This annual award – tipped as a prestigious one among the flying clan – is being given away by the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI), New Delhi.

Suneet, currently working with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), is a seasoned Indian Air Force (IAF) Test pilot. According to sources in ADA, Suneet was posted to the Tejas programme in 2000. “He flew the chase aircraft when LCA first took to the skies in January 2001,” ADA sources said.

AeSI chose Suneet ahead of others for the award for his long-standing contribution to the Tejas programme. “Suneet has many milestones to his credit, including the first LCA Test pilot to cross 100 hours on various Tejas platforms. He is also among those who have logged maximum number of flying hours on Tejas,” ADA sources said. Suneet will receive the award during the AeSI annual general meeting scheduled to be held at Thiruvananthapuram on June 1.

On deputation from the IAF to the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC) of ADA till recently, sources say that Suneet is now part of ADA as a permanent Test pilot. “The AeSI award is a testimony to Suneet's tireless efforts in making Tejas a world-class flying machine. As a Test pilot, Suneet along with other team members have given many valuable inputs to make Tejas a completely pilot-friendly fighter. He has contributed in bringing out many modifications to the Tejas' cockpit over the years,” ADA chief P.S. Subramanyam told City Express.

According to AeSI officlas, Suneet was commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot in 1989. “He is a qualified pilot attack instructor and completed the Experimental Test Pilots course in 1999, and thereafter has continued to be directly associated with flight test activities as a Test pilot till date. He has had several tenures in various organizations carrying out flight test duties,” sources said.

With over 4500 hours of flying on of 35 types of aircraft, AeSI sources say that Suneet has the unique distinction of carrying out two first flights of Tejas fighter. “The award is to acknowledge his deep involvement in the flight research and development program, testing the prototype digital flight control system hardware and software. Suneet's skill and experience contributed across the realm of fixed wing flight test activities carried out in the country, covering all aspects of prototype, production and operational flight test,” sources said.

Copyright@The New Indian Express

Propel your dreams: When LSP-7 kissed the sky...

Moving snapshots from Old HAL Airport in Bangalore when LSP-7 from Tejas flightline had its first flight on March 9, 2012. Those seen in brown trousers and cream shirts are HAL workforce, who along with ADA and NFTC officials put their best foot forward to make the platform fly. My salutes to HAL's young and energetic workforce, who passionately gave everything for the Tejas project, amidst the mess in the Company. They are the real unsung heroes of Tejas programme, sticking to a national dream, despite being lured by the private industries. Hope the new head in R K Tyagi, who seems to be clueless as of now, will set the record straight and put Tejas project on priority. Photos: HAL

(Tarmak007 welcomes onboard Vinay Kumar, 550th registered blog member.)

Shore-Based Test Facility nearing completion in Goa | NP-1 set for low-speed taxi trials in Bangalore

The above photographs are likely to be the first-time (!!) shots of SBTF at INS Hansa (Goa) made available to public domain. 

By Anantha Krishnan M
Express News Service

Bangalore: India’s first Shore-Based Test Facility (SBTF) is nearing completion. Built at the Naval Air Station, INS Hansa in Goa, the facility would replicate as a static model of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) being built at the Cochin Shipyard. The SBTF would have a 14 deg parabolic profile ski-jump for take-off and an arresting gear for landing.
Sources told Express that all stage design documents of the facility have been received from the Russian side. “The take-off area is nearing completion and the progress of arrester gear structure manufacturing and site work is on schedule. The factory acceptance test (FAT) of all five Russian specialized equipment has been completed at original equipment manufacturer (OEM) premises,” sources said.
The Russians (JSC Rosoboronexport) are executing the design consultancy and supply of specialized equipment work as per a 2009-pact, valued at $60 m. The approximate budget provision for Indian participants is about Rs 175 crore.
The equipment from Russian are expected this year, with the take-off area scheduled to be completed by June this year and landing area by the end of 2012.
The primary objective of SBTF is for certification of LCA Navy aircraft for ship-borne operations. This is the mandatory requirement prior to aircraft operations are taken up from the IAC (INS Vikrant) for carrier compatibility test (CCT). “The facility will ensure timely induction of Naval LCA (NLCA) into naval service and conserve ship-based test flying effort. Apart from the flight testing of NLCA, the SBTF can be subsequently used for training of naval pilots on NLCA and MiG 29K. The SBTF will be the one-of-its-kind facility in the South Asian region. The US and Ukraine have a similar facility.
The SBTF will be a equipped with restraining gear system with ski-jump for take-off, arresting gear system for landing, optical landing system, TV landing control system, light signaling system and other associated auxiliary units, exactly similar to the IAC.
Spearheaded by the NLCA programme office in Bangalore, the complete structural work and system integration of SBTF is being carried out by Goa Shipyard Ltd. The Civil Engineering activity is being undertaken by CCER&D (West), Pune in collaboration with R&DE (Engineers), Pune. A telemetry ground station with the state-of-the-art technology is being setup for flight operations by the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC), Bangalore.
While the SBTF work is probably ahead of the schedule, sources say that the eagerly-awaited first flight of NLCA (Naval Prototype NP-1) is on course. The platform is said to have undergone a trial for nose-wheel checks (70 km) on Valentine’s Day, while a LSTT (low-speed taxi trial) at a possible max speed of 140 km/hour is scheduled for February 18. This would be followed by a HSTT (high-speed taxi trial) at a maximum speed of 200-200 km/hour and then the subsequent first flight.

Copyright@The New Indian Express