ADA confirms Tejas LSP-3 jettisoned a 1200-litre drop tank over ATR

Team Tejas after returning from the maiden drop tank jettison mission at ATR Chitradurga, pose for shutterbugs at Old Bangalore airport.

(A late-night DRDO release reproduced below)

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Jettisonable drop tanks are carried by a combat aircraft, after completing the mission are required to be dropped from the mother aircraft for a quick get away from the enemy territory and other emergency situations. To ensure safety of flight, clean separation of the tank with adequate clearances from the mother aircraft or neighboring stores need to be established from flight test. This extremely safety critical flight test requires thorough planning and preparation supported by theoretical analysis and a level of verification of the predictions through ground tests on specialized test rigs set up for this purpose.
The theoretical predictions were further verified through what is called ‘Pit drop tests’ conducted on a test specimen using specially designed test rig with part of the aircraft system and high speed photography system integrated with it. The test cases covered a member of conditions such as empty, partial and full drop tanks as well as different Ejector Release Unit (ERU) settings.
The flight test were planned by the National Flight Test centre (NFTC), ADA at certain representative critical release condition.  Considering the safety critical nature of this test, a safety review was conducted at NFTC to ensure all foreseeable safety issues were taken care of before embarking on this important test. To capture the flight data, a dedicated and specialized Airborne Separation Video System (ASVS) is installed on the Test aircraft. The system comprised of very high speed digital cameras installed in a specially designed camera pod and linked to a Multi System Controller (MSC) installed onboard the aircraft. The MSC gets a pulse from trigger to jettison the tank where upon the cameras are switched on in a pre-determined sequence to capture this critical event.
Mr PS Subramanyam, Programme Director (CA) and Director, ADA told “the 1200 Ltr drop tank jettison trial was conducted on 17 December 2010 at a critical point in the jettison envelope on Tejas LSP-3 aircraft piloted by Gp Capt Suneet Krishna. The trial was conducted over the recently commissioned NFTC Air to ground range at Chitradurga. The trial aircraft was escorted by another Tejas PV-2 which captured the external video picture of the drop tank trajectory after release”.

Dr Prahlada, CC-R&D (Ae-SI) – DRDO opined “with such test experiments made by the team, the aeronautical test range facility at Challakere has paved the smooth way for subsequent trials of different natures.  He also said that if this facility were not to be commissioned at Challakere, all such flight tests would have to be carried on either at Hyderabad or Pokran.  In view of the close proximity to Challakere to Bangalore it was more comfortable in conducting the test flights by the dedicated team the process of which could be monitored from Bangalore”.
The successful trial is the result of orchestrated team effort on the part of different organizations and  specialists involved in this prestigious national programme- yet another feather  on the decorated cap of the ‘Team Tejas.’

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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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