Maiden flight of upgraded Jaguar aircraft 'Darin III' successful

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) successfully carried out the maiden
flight of avionics upgraded Jaguar aircraft “Darin III” here on Wednesday.

R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL, while stating that it is a significant moment for HAL, said: “This will result in major operational improvement with regard to all weather air-to-ground, air-to-sea and air-to-air capabilities through incorporation of multi mode radar.”

The Darin III upgrade, with re-engining and change over to higher capacity alternators can make Jaguar one of the most potent aircraft in the arsenal of IAF with an extended lifespan.
The total design from system requirement capture, specification preparation, software, hardware, electrical, mechanical design and development has been done indigenously by HAL at its Mission and Combat System Research and Design Centre (MCSRDC) and aircraft trial modification was conducted by HAL’s Overhaul Division. 

The fleet compliance will also be carried out by HAL. SDI of IAF is the design partner for display software development, while the Aircraft System Testing Establishment (ASTE) takes care of system specification preparation, data analysis and flight testing, along with Flight Test Centre of HAL.

The upgrade incorporates new state-of-the-art avionics architecture including Mission Computer (MC), Engine and Flight Instrument System (EFIS), Solid State Digital Video Recording System (SSDVRS), Solid State Flight Data Recorder (SSFDR) and additional functions in inertial global positioning system (INGPS), autopilot, radar and RWR.
The upgrade covers modern navigation, electronic warfare and weapon delivery system.