HAL hands over first LCA trainer to IAF, 7 more to come by March 2024

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has handed over the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) twin-seater trainer version aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

LCA Tejas aligns with the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" vision, positioning India among an elite group of nations with such indigenous aeronautic prowess, news agency ANI reported. Embodying 4.5 generation aircraft capabilities, LCA Tejas boasts features such as relaxed static stability, advanced glass cockpit, quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control, and the use of advanced composite materials. The aircraft's carefree manoeuvring and integrated digital avionics systems further underline its avant-garde attributes.

The Bengaluru-based firm said the twin-seater variant has all the capabilities to support the training requirements of the Indian Air Force and augments itself to the role of fighter as well in case of necessity.

"This historic event today will mark the achievement of a key milestone of producing an LCA twin seater which is designed with a strategic intent of graduating the budding pilots from the twin seater variants to fighter pilots", HAL said.

 

HAL has an order of 18 twin seaters from IAF and is planning to deliver eight of them during 2023-24. The remaining 10 would be delivered progressively by 2026-27.

The aircraft is part of an earlier order for 40 Mk-1 jets in the initial operational clearance (IOC) and the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC) configurations -- the first variants of the LCA. Of the 40 Mk-1s, the IAF has inducted 32 single-seater jets and raised two LCA squadrons. The remaining eight aircraft are trainers.

LCA Mk1A is the most advanced version of the LCA Tejas. It is equipped with AESA Radar, EW suite consisting of radar warning and self-protection jamming, Digital Map Generator (DMG), Smart Multi-function Displays (SMFD), Combined Interrogator and Transponder (CIT), Advanced Radio Altimeter and other advanced features.

LCA-Tejas has 9 hard points and is capable of firing variety of weapons like Long Range BVR & WVR missiles, Bombs, etc. with required precision and accuracy, HAL's website said.

HAL chief C B Ananthakrishnan said seven more twin-seater aircraft will be delivered to the IAF by March 2024.

“The production of the LCA twin-seater variant adds India to the list of very few countries who have created such a capability and have them operational in their defence forces, another feather in the cap of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative,” HAL said in a statement.

The trainer aircraft comes with contemporary concepts and technologies such as “relaxed static-stability, quadraplex fly-by-wire flight control, carefree manoeuvring, advanced glass cockpit, integrated digital avionics systems and advanced composite materials for the airframe,” it added.

Further, more orders are also expected from IAF, the company said.

HAL said the induction of the trainers will allow the IAF to post fighter pilots directly to LCA squadrons after they complete their training on Hawks and will ease the conversion training (to fly Tejas) for pilots coming from other fighter squadrons.

The newer variants - Mk-1A and Mk-2 - will come with significantly improved features and technologies over the Mk-1 aircraft. The indigenous content in the fighter jets will increase progressively.

The different variants of aircraft under production and development are:

• Single-seater fighter for Air Force
• Single-seater fighter for Navy
• Twin-Seater trainer aircraft for Air Force
• Twin-Seater trainer version for Navy

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