<p>The Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally given its approval for the initial version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas for induction, 30 years after the project was sanctioned. The project is at present estimated to have cost around Rs 25,000 crore. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The initial version of the LCA (Mark -I) is now squadron-ready, operations-ready and combat-ready. The single-engine light weight fighter aircraft is a reality and will fly in the Air Force, signalling a thaw between scientists and the IAF who differed on the LCA’s airworthiness. <br /><br /> It will replace the ageing fleet of MiG 21s from the IAF and will be fully operational after attaining the ‘Final Operational Clearance’ (FOC) by 2014 end.<br /><br />The LCA flight display was held on Friday at the HAL airport and was witnessed by Defence Minister A K Antony and India’s aeronautics community. No less than Air Chief N A K Browne, who had strong reservations over the airworthiness of the aircraft in January 2011 when IOC-I was grudgingly granted by IAF, hailed the LCA. “IOC-II is a remarkable achievement. The test flights of the LCA did not have single incident or accident, unprecedented in military aviation”.<br /><br />Browne said the IAF was “fully satisfied” with the 2013 LCA because the required changes in design and combat capabilities had been effected. “I am about to put my uniform down, I would have gone home very disappointed if the initial clearance was not achieved.” Defence Minister Antony remarked later: “It is not which generation the aircraft is, but that it has met all the requirements of the IAF. The IAF had not accepted it last time, but this time they have accepted everything. LCA is a reality now.” <br /><br />The Air chief said the road to IOC-II though was not smooth. “There were impediments which threatened to stall the project from time to time.” The IAF, he said, was integral to the aircraft design and that he himself as deputy air chief held monthly review meetings on the LCA since 2007. <br /><br />Differences in perception between scientists and IAF about LCA have not completely disappeared as Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) (designer of the aircraft) Director P S Subramanyam’s remarks showed. “We would ask the pilots, how many times are you asking us to do the same thing, but later we developed a very pilot-friendly aircraft due to their inputs. I know that the IAF is not completely happy about the maintenance friendliness of the aircraft. But we will handle that.”<br /><br />Subramanyam, asserting that scientists in India were fighting heavy odds, said: “Foreign industry always remained sceptical about us. They said India can’t get there. But we have done it now. We have laid doubting Thomases to rest.” The scientist recalled harrowing times: “The 2007-08 period was turbulent for the LCA programme. We were in transition. Many changes happened. But the defence minister believed in us and the then Air Chief steered us in the right direction. So in 2009, we had a rebirth when the government gave us Rs 8,000 crore to continue with the programme. That meant they had confidence in us.” Making a veiled attack on critics, Subramanyam said: “People who perform are always asked to perform more. That we will.”<br /><br /> Antony articulated IAF’s tough outlook for LCA certification. “Don’t think LCA is completely achieved. IOC is the semi-final. The final is yet to come. If you can come from qualifying rounds up to semi-finals, to get to finals will be easy. I asked Subramanyam whether he is ready for final clearance of the aircraft by December 2014, he said, I’m ready. The success is not 100 per cent, but we are nearing success.” <br /><br />Antony, who hailed the IOC-II as historic, a milestone and a great day for India, said the LCA programme saw frustrations. “There were setbacks, criticism, people said why waste money, people asked us to abandon it, but with all this we moved forward over 30 years. For the last seven years, I’ve had my share of criticism too.” On differences between the IAF and the scientists, Antony clarified: “Look, what the IAF has been doing is to provoke the scientific community to be more active, careful and effective.”<br /></p>
<p>The Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally given its approval for the initial version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas for induction, 30 years after the project was sanctioned. The project is at present estimated to have cost around Rs 25,000 crore. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The initial version of the LCA (Mark -I) is now squadron-ready, operations-ready and combat-ready. The single-engine light weight fighter aircraft is a reality and will fly in the Air Force, signalling a thaw between scientists and the IAF who differed on the LCA’s airworthiness. <br /><br /> It will replace the ageing fleet of MiG 21s from the IAF and will be fully operational after attaining the ‘Final Operational Clearance’ (FOC) by 2014 end.<br /><br />The LCA flight display was held on Friday at the HAL airport and was witnessed by Defence Minister A K Antony and India’s aeronautics community. No less than Air Chief N A K Browne, who had strong reservations over the airworthiness of the aircraft in January 2011 when IOC-I was grudgingly granted by IAF, hailed the LCA. “IOC-II is a remarkable achievement. The test flights of the LCA did not have single incident or accident, unprecedented in military aviation”.<br /><br />Browne said the IAF was “fully satisfied” with the 2013 LCA because the required changes in design and combat capabilities had been effected. “I am about to put my uniform down, I would have gone home very disappointed if the initial clearance was not achieved.” Defence Minister Antony remarked later: “It is not which generation the aircraft is, but that it has met all the requirements of the IAF. The IAF had not accepted it last time, but this time they have accepted everything. LCA is a reality now.” <br /><br />The Air chief said the road to IOC-II though was not smooth. “There were impediments which threatened to stall the project from time to time.” The IAF, he said, was integral to the aircraft design and that he himself as deputy air chief held monthly review meetings on the LCA since 2007. <br /><br />Differences in perception between scientists and IAF about LCA have not completely disappeared as Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) (designer of the aircraft) Director P S Subramanyam’s remarks showed. “We would ask the pilots, how many times are you asking us to do the same thing, but later we developed a very pilot-friendly aircraft due to their inputs. I know that the IAF is not completely happy about the maintenance friendliness of the aircraft. But we will handle that.”<br /><br />Subramanyam, asserting that scientists in India were fighting heavy odds, said: “Foreign industry always remained sceptical about us. They said India can’t get there. But we have done it now. We have laid doubting Thomases to rest.” The scientist recalled harrowing times: “The 2007-08 period was turbulent for the LCA programme. We were in transition. Many changes happened. But the defence minister believed in us and the then Air Chief steered us in the right direction. So in 2009, we had a rebirth when the government gave us Rs 8,000 crore to continue with the programme. That meant they had confidence in us.” Making a veiled attack on critics, Subramanyam said: “People who perform are always asked to perform more. That we will.”<br /><br /> Antony articulated IAF’s tough outlook for LCA certification. “Don’t think LCA is completely achieved. IOC is the semi-final. The final is yet to come. If you can come from qualifying rounds up to semi-finals, to get to finals will be easy. I asked Subramanyam whether he is ready for final clearance of the aircraft by December 2014, he said, I’m ready. The success is not 100 per cent, but we are nearing success.” <br /><br />Antony, who hailed the IOC-II as historic, a milestone and a great day for India, said the LCA programme saw frustrations. “There were setbacks, criticism, people said why waste money, people asked us to abandon it, but with all this we moved forward over 30 years. For the last seven years, I’ve had my share of criticism too.” On differences between the IAF and the scientists, Antony clarified: “Look, what the IAF has been doing is to provoke the scientific community to be more active, careful and effective.”<br /></p>
