BENGALURU: India has joined a select league of nations after a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) of the armed forces successfully completed a deck landing manoeuvre on Thursday. Apart from India, only the US, Europe, Russia and China have this capability. According to a release by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the feat was achieved by a LCA Naval Protoype-2, which was piloted by Capt Shivnath Dahiya. Dahiya was successful in landing the fighter jet using the arrestor hook system with an arresting wire at moderate taxi-in speeds — a technique used aboard on aircraft carriers by a handful of armed forces around the world. The test was carried out at INS Hansa, the shore-based test facility in Goa.
Following the successful deck landing manoeuvre, T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL, said this was the first in a series of engagements planned at proving the arrestor hook capability. The HAL’s design wing, Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) has designed and developed the arrestor hook system (AHS) for ship deck operations of LCA Naval version. The LCA Naval prototype-2 has been integrated with this AHS. Having verified in-air operation of AHS in Bengaluru on July 23 this year, the aircraft has been operating at INS Hansa, Goa, since July 28.
Carrier Compatibility trials (CCT) of the naval version are slated to be carried out at shore-based test facilities at Indian Naval Base, Goa. The CCT involves completion of extensive shore-based trials before embarking on actual deck. This trial is the stepping stone towards completion of CCT trials of LCA Navy, a release by HAL said.