DRDO hunts for a supersonic Flying Test Bed

By Anantha Krishnan M

https://twitter.com/writetake

Bengaluru, March 16: A Sukhoi for India’s Aviation Capital -- Bengaluru? If the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has its way, an aircraft that can reach supersonic speeds would enter Bengaluru’s celebrated list of fighters enjoying permanent residency. 

Sources confirm to OneIndia that the DRDO has already moved a paper to acquire a supersonic aircraft that will act as a FTB (Flying Test Bed). 

A committee has already been set up to look into the possibilities of acquiring the FTB. In addition to members from the DRDO, the committee has representatives from the Indian Air Force and HAL. While Sukhoi is leading the fray, the advantages of MiG 29 are also being considered by the committee.

DRDO officials say that the modification work on Sukhoi done for launching the air version of BrahMos will come handy for DRDO. 

“The BrahMos missile weighs around 2.5 tonnes while a Kaveri engine is around 1.22 tonnes. There are two pilots in a Su-30 MKI and one can easily monitor the engine and independently operate it,” the official said.

Photos: Basani Satheesh Kumar, MoD

Read the full report on OneIndia, here: http://bit.ly/1MEG11g