Tracking the Tejas: LSP-5 gearing-up for first flight; lit cockpit for night flying & new com set onboard; will fly on autopilot mode for first time

LCA LSP-4 during the June 2, 2010 maiden flight. LSP-5 is now gearing up for first flight. Photo: DRDO
| By Anantha Krishnan M. | AVIATION WEEK |

Bangalore |  India | October 28, 2010 |

India’s fifth limited-series production (LSP-5) Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is ready for its first flight.

Indian sources confirm to AVIATION WEEK that a flight readiness review meeting was held recently and the LSP-5 will fly “soon,” weather permitting. LSP-4 had its first flight in June. 

“Two more high-speed taxi trials are remaining and after that we will be ready for the first flight,” says a senior official associated with the program. “It will have internal cockpit lighting for enabling night flying, with all corrections being done. We are also testing a new communication set, similar to that on the Dhruv chopper. This would again ensure commonality of inventory in the country.”

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CEMILAC set to complete Tejas' certification by Dec 27; it will signal the start of a key phase, ADA chief P.S. tells BDAJF

| By Anantha Krishnan M. | AVIATION WEEK |

Bangalore |  India | September 14, 2010 |

India has set a Dec. 27 deadline to complete the certification process for its Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)

According to P.S. Subramanyam, director for combat aircraft at the Aeronautical Development Agency, the deadline was set to make sure Tejas enters its much-awaited initial operational clearance phase. The certification process is monitored by the Center for Military Airworthiness and Certification.

“We are at it, and close to 400 scientists and engineers are currently working on the certification program,” he says. “We need to consolidate all that we have done in the last 20 years and put it to the scrutiny of the certification agency. We have set ourselves a target to complete the certification process and December 27 will be a significant day for India’s military aviation program.”

Subramanyam spoke before a select group of defense correspondents during the official logo launch of the Bangalore Defense and Aerospace Journalists’ Forum.

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