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Friday, Jun 29, 2007
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Israeli knowhow for LCA radar

Ravi Sharma

Concern over delay in developing Multi Mode Radar

Combat aircraft’s weapons integration delayed
ADA seeks aid to fine tune flight control laws

Bangalore: Under pressure from the Indian Air Force and also having realised that any further procrastination would cause even more delay to the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has decided to go in for a technical collaboration with an Israeli company for a Multi Mode Radar (MMR).

The advanced pulse Doppler MMR is the primary mission sensor (eyes and ears in layman’s terms) of a multi role combat aircraft such as the LCA in its air defence role. An indigenous MMR has been under joint development by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Hyderabad division and the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) for over 10 years. However, the radar was experiencing cost overruns and time delays since 2002.

The lack of an MMR has delayed the combat aircraft’s weapons integration programme contributing to the ADA now realistically pegging the LCA’s Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) only for 2010 and Final Operational Clearance for 2011-12, “if all goes well.” With no MMR, the ADA was left to conduct weaponisation tests with a weapon delivery pod that left many critical tests on hold.

According to P.S. Subramanyam, Programme Director of the LCA programme, the ADA will start getting MMR units from Elta Systems Limited (a subsidiary of the Israel Aerospace Industries) within three to four months. “Co-developing a radar with Elta’s help is an immediate solution. But we have not given up on developing our own MMR,” he said.

Mr. Subramanyam said the IAF’s first LCA squadron (20 aircrafts), would be equipped with the co-developed Elta MMR.

According to HAL’s Managing Director, Bangalore Complex, A.K. Saxena the fifth or sixth limited series production LSP aircraft could be integrated with the new radar. With the LSP1 flying last April, the LSP4 could fly a little over a year from now.

The ADA has also decided to seek assistance to fine tune the LCA’s flight control laws. Though the ADA has had consultations with a number of aviation majors with regard to the LCA’s flight tests, it has till now refused to go in for any collaboration in design consultancy. But the ADA has sent out requests for proposals to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Saab, RAC-MiG, BAE Systems, Sukhoi Company (JSC) and the European Aeronautics Defence and Space Company. The last date for the companies to submit their proposals is June 30.

Mr. Subramanyam said collaboration on the LCA’s flight control laws would mean a time reduction.

“We have been very conservative in our flight testing. This collaboration will result in a 15 to 20 per cent reduction in effort.” The collaboration, it is hoped, will hasten the test programme. While the LCA has so far clocked around 370 hours of flying, it is still some distance from the 700 hours required before IOC can be achieved.

With the indigenous Kaveri engine not to be ready till at least 2014, the LCA will shortly get a more powerful power plant. HAL has started integrating the first of the General Electric manufactured GE 404 IN20 engines. The LSP2 will be the first to be powered with the new engine.

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