NEW DELHI: The country’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas developed for Indian Navy has succeeded in its maiden arrested landing which takes the project a step closer to its eventual landing on an aircraft carrier. In an arrested landing, a wire is caught by the hook slung under the aircraft which stops it within a short distance.
“The maiden arrested landing of the Naval Prototype 1 was successfully executed in a textbook condition,” said a DRDO officer. The officials informed that there will be more such landings under different parameters will be executed before the aircraft is approved for landing on an aircraft carrier.
While the team achieved all the parameters, more analysis will be done to be incorporated into the next landing test. While LCA Navy needs about 200 m for take-off, an operated LCA gets about 1,000 m for landing and takeoff.
The LCA Navy prototype was piloted by Commodore. J.A Maolankar, Captain Shivnath Dahiya and Commander JD Raturi were entrusted with the responsibility for test parameters. The Aircraft has been developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency under the aegis of DRDO. The aircraft took off from INS Hansa in Goa at 11.05 am and landed at 1145 pm.
Rs 2,000cr procurement for army approved
Defence Acquisition Council meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved capital procurement of approximately Rs 2,000 crore for the services. DAC approved procurement of DRDO developed, industry manufactured Mechanical Mine Layer (Self Propelled) to improve Army’s automated mine-laying capabilities.