CHENNAI: A Coimbatore engineering institution has developed and delivered automated testing equipment to the Indian Air Force for a trainer aircraft component whose testing and refurbishment had relied on overseas facilities.
The Kumaraguru Aviation Research Centre (KARC), part of the Kumaraguru Centre for Industrial Research and Innovation (KCIRI) at Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore, built the test rig worth nearly Rs 15 lakh. The project head, retired Rear Admiral V M Doss, said the cost was comparable to sending a single actuator abroad for repair.
The actuator raises and lowers the ejection seat, allowing pilots of different heights to adjust their seating position. It is separate from the ejection mechanism itself. Awarded through an open tender, the contract was signed in March. The Air Force received the equipment in September, after about six months of work.
The rig automates the testing sequence, using lasers to measure the actuator’s travel distance and time while recording electrical readings on a touch screen. Doss said the system was first validated against a serviceable reference actuator supplied by the Air Force and then used to test a repaired unit, with the readings expected to match.
He said he had refurbished and validated one actuator by using the system. The Air Force’s quality assurance organisation evaluated the equipment for the subsequent fitment trials.
The delivery included the test equipment, detailed documentation, and training for Air Force personnel, enabling the depot to refurbish in-house.
While mechanical components and connectors are sourced locally, a few electronic components meeting military specifications are imported, Doss said.
The centre draws all available resources from laboratories and faculty across the institution. So far, the centre has delivered solutions for four aircraft types to meet operational requirements, Doss said.