Navy rejects Tejas, says 'overweight' fighter does not meet its requirements

 

Home-grown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas became part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) family in January 2016. (TOI file photo)

NEW DELHI: The Navy has rejected the naval version of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft , holding that the "overweight" fighter cannot optimally operate from aircraft carriers, and is now looking to induct an alternative fighter from abroad in the next five to six years.

"We will continue to support Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) but the naval LCA in its present form unfortunately does not meet our qualitative requirements for carrier capability," said Admiral Sunil Lanba on Friday.

The single-engine Tejas, which is "too heavy", does not meet the "thrust-to-weight requirement to take off with a full fuel and arms load" from an aircraft carrier's deck. At present, the Navy has inducted over 30 of the 45 MiG-29K fighters acquired from Russia for $2 billion.  

Both the MiG-29Ks and the naval Tejas were supposed to operate from the 44,400-tonne carrier INS Vikramaditya as well as the under-construction 40,000-tonne INS Vikrant, which will be ready by 2019-2020.

"In addition to MiG-29Ks, we now need an alternative aircraft to operate from these two carriers. If you look around the world, there are not too many options available and we need this carrier-capable aircraft sooner than later. So, I am looking at next five to six years," said Admiral Lanba.

inducted the first two Tejas fighters in the 45 "Flying Daggers" Squadron+ , which will be fully constituted with 20 jets only by 2018.

IAF had earlier ordered 40 Tejas jets, with the defence ministry in November giving the initial approval for procurement of another 83 Tejas Mark-1A fighters from HAL for Rs 50,025 crore. The Mark-1A version, which is the one IAF really wants, will be ready only by 2020 or so. It will have an AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar and advanced electronic warfare (EW) suite, as also be capable of mid-air refuelling and firing advanced BVR (beyond visual range) missiles.
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