Detailed report soon.
Showing posts with label NP-1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NP-1. Show all posts
Friday, July 3, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
#PlaneCarnival | NLCA taking shape...
Here's a comprehensive report of mine on India's NLCA programme, appeared in the latest issue of Aeromag Asia.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
NLCA NP-1 outperformed our expectations, says ADA
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
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Navy Chief meets NLCA heroes | NP-2 all set for maiden flight
 |
| Navy Chief Admiral R K Dhowan with the heroes of NLCA project Cmde C D Balaji (Retd) Project Director LCA (Navy), extreme left, and Commodore Jaideep Maolankar, extreme right, the pilot who undertook the historic ski-jump of NP-1 from SBTF, Goa. (Below) Balaji and Maolankar. Photos: Tarmak007 |
The Navy Chief interacted with Cmde C D Balaji (Retd) Project Director LCA (Navy) and Commodore Jaideep Maolankar, the pilot who undertook the historic ski-jump of NP-1 from SBTF. Later speaking to OneIndia, Cmde Balaji (Retd) said that the second prototype of NLCA (NP-2) will soon have its maiden flight.
“We are done with most of the tests barring a few. We are hopeful that the NP-2 will have its first flight within a weeks’ time,” Cmde Balaji (Retd) told OneIndia.
Read the detailed story on OneIndia, here: http://bit.ly/1AAZ6vD
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Breaking on Tarmak007: LCA NP-1 gears up for maiden flight; first EGR completed successfully
NP-1 during its first EGR at Old Bangalore airport on September 26.
The naval prototype (NP-1) of the light combat aircraft (LCA) did the first engine ground run (EGR) successfully. According to sources, the first EGR was conducted on September 26 at about 6.30 pm. Tests like engine integration, activation of the various systems like flight control, hydraulics, fuel, electrical and avionics were done successfully. “The aircraft will now go through a phase of refinements followed by a series of final integration checks and taxi trials, before its first flight shortly,” sources said.
The NP-I had its roll-out on July 6, 2010 and Team ADA promised Antony that the first flight would take place before December 31, 2010. Earlier, in an interview to this blog, ADA chief P.S. Subramanyam had said that "tech challenges are delaying" the first flight of NP-1.
The fact that DRDO chose to officially inform the media about a significant development related to NP-1 a day after the EGR clearly shows the levels of enthusiasm the program is generating within. According to insiders, the new NFTC head wants to stay low-key, while dealing with the media!
Promise to Antony has gone with the wind. Let's hope for some good news soon!
Earlier report here
Saturday, July 10, 2010
India Thought Leaders: LCA (Navy) will add punch to Blue Water Vision, says Admiral Nirmal Verma
By Anantha Krishnan M. | Bangalore, |
India | July 09, 2010 | Aviation Week |
India rolled out the naval version (NP-1) of its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) on July 6 in Bangalore with Defense Minister A.K. Antony leading the team. With the air force version of LCA (Tejas) now months away from its much-awaited initial operational clearance (IOC), the NP-1 rollout was hailed as a significant new chapter in Indian aviation. Amidst all the feel-good news stories on NP-1 in India’s media, it was important to check the pulse of the user, who would eventually have the final say on the platform’s worthiness. AVIATION WEEK caught up with Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Adm. Nirmal Verma to learn the significance of the NP-1 rollout and the way ahead.
AW: The LCA Navy was rolled out on July 6 after the project got the Cabinet Committee on Security’s nod in April 2003. How significant is this program for the Indian Navy?
CNS: The LCA (Navy) was sanctioned in March ’03 [following] the success of LCA (AF) in January 2001. They were planned as a possible replacement to our aging fleet of Sea Harriers, which have been in service since the ’80s. The vision of the Navy has always been to be an effective force, and hence LCA (Navy) shall play an important role in our future carrier operations doctrine. The LCA (Navy) design specifically caters [to] the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC1) scheduled to be delivered by Cochin Shipyard Ltd by 2014. The aircraft is expected to have state-of-art sensors and weapons and would be an integral part of our air arm. LCA (Navy) would add punch to the Navy’s blue water vision.
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