IAF inducts improved LCA

Four more aircraft expected to join squadron soon

The Indian Air Force (IAF) formally inducted into service the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1 in Final Operational Clearance (FOC) standard on Wednesday and operationalised its second LCA squadron No. 18 ‘Flying Bullets’.

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal (ACM) R.K.S. Bhadauria received the first FOC standard LCA from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in a function held at Air Force Station Sulur, near Coimbatore.

“We are proud to deliver a much lethal aircraft than the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) block. Apart from all the capabilities of IOC aircraft, the FOC variant additionally comes with air-to-air refuelling capability, close combat gun, additional drop tanks, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile capability, updated avionics and flight control software suite,” HAL chairman R. Madhavan said in a statement.

A ‘Sarva Dharma Pooja’ (inter-faith prayer) was performed before the induction of the new fighter into the force. Before the ceremony, ACM Bhadauria flew a sortie on an IOC aircraft from the No. 45 squadron ‘Flying Daggers’.

The handover and induction of the LCA in FOC standard got delayed due to COVID-19 and the lockdown restrictions. Four more FOC aircraft in advanced stages of production and testing are expected to join the squadron soon, HAL said. The FOC certificate for the LCA was handed over during ‘Aero India’ at Bengaluru in February last year.

The first LCA squadron with IOC standard aircraft was operationalised in July 2016. IAF has so far placed orders for 20 IOC standard aircraft and 20 FOC standard aircraft including eight twin seater trainers. The trainer variant of LCA has not been handed over to the IAF yet.

The No. 18 Squadron was originally formed on April 15, 1965 and got number plated on April 15, 2016, after the Mig-27 aircraft it was flying then, were retired. The Squadron was resurrected on April 01 this year at Sulur. The N0. 18 squadron saw active combat during 1971 war and Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon was posthumously awarded the highest gallantry award ‘Param Vir Chakra’.

There is also an order for 83 LCA in Mk-1A configuration with four major and several minor upgrades which ACM Bhadhauria termed a ‘high priority’ in a recent conversation with The Hindu. The deal estimated around ₹38,000 crore is expected to be signed in the next three months.

HAL is setting up a second assembly line in collaboration with the private industry to increase the production rate of the LCA from current eight to 16 to meet delivery timelines.

Praising the latest LCA as ‘best-in-class’, ACM Bhadauria said that combat capabilities of the aircraft and the two squadrons will become the core strength of the Air Force.

Mr. Madhavan said that the HAL was expecting Cabinet clearance for the deal of 83 LCA Mk-1A fighters by the third quarter of this year. The clearance was expected by August but got delayed due to COVID-19 situation. The HAL was looking at exports of LCA and some countries had expressed interests.

Girish S. Deodhare, Programme Director (Combat Aircraft) and Director of Aeronautical Development Agency, said that LCA Mk-2, a bigger variant aircraft with bigger engine, was in the design stage and test trials of the aircraft were expected by 2022.

“Already a lot of designing has been done and all the specs have been frozen. Air Force requirements have now been included. With that we are continuing the detailed design and realising the aircraft,” he said.