By IANS
New Delhi : India’s indigenously developed Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) Thursday achieved its “most significant milestone yet” with a “copy-book” test firing of a close combat missile to mark the beginning of the jet’s weaponisation programme.
“The historic event marks the beginning of weaponisation, which is the focus of the current initial operational clearance (IOC) phase of the (Tejas) programme,” a defence ministry statement said.
“The test was conducted from a mobile telemetry vehicle where all the aircraft, systems and weapon data were closely monitored.
“Quick analysis of the data revealed that it was a ‘text book’ launch where the systems’ performance matched the predictions well,” the statement said.
The test firing of the R-73 missile was conducted at an altitude of 7 km at an air-to-air range off the Goa coast, with the aircraft flying at a speed of Mach 0.6.
“Air-to-air missile integration and testing, especially on a fly-by-wire aircraft is a very complex task involving interfaces with aerodynamics, engine air intake, control laws, flight control systems, avionics systems, and electrical and other general systems of an aircraft,” the statement said.
The test firing was meant to validate five parameters:
* Safe separation of the missile from the parent aircraft,
* Effect of the missile plume on the aircraft’s engine air-intake,
* Functionality of the aircraft’s store management system (SMS), including its safety interlocks,
* Effect of the missile plume on the aircraft’s composites structures, and
* Assessment of the aircraft’s handling qualities during the missile launch.
The test firing was conducted from a Tejas prototype vehicle PV-1 flown by Gp. Capt. N. Harish, chief test pilot of the National Flight Test Centre of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) that has designed the aircraft.
A photo-chase Sea Harrier aircraft flown by the Indian Navy’s Capt. Yatish Saxena and Cdr. Dalip Singh monitored the test from the air.
“The (test) has proven the capability of the composite team comprising designers, and production, certification, flight test and user (Indian Air Force) agencies to integrate and flight test an advanced missile on the Tejas,” the statement said.
The Indian Navy’s INS Hansa station in Goa “provided all support for this important flight trial,” the statement added.
D. Banerjee, chief controller (R&D) at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO); P.S. Subramaniam, programme director at ADA; and Air Vice Marshal B. C. Nanjapa, director (LCA) in the IAF, were among those who witnessed the test firing.