The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : After LCA it’s Medium Combat Aircraft

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Thursday, Feb 05, 2009
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After LCA it’s Medium Combat Aircraft

Staff Reporter

ADA to develop MCA in association with IAF
‘MCA will have stealth features’

BANGALORE: Even as the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas, completed its 1011th flight successfully on Tuesday, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which has developed the LCA with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. as the principal partner, is planning to develop a Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA).

Disclosing this to presspersons here, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Director-General and Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister M. Natarajan said the MCA will be developed in association with the Indian Air Force (IAF), to suit its requirements. Mr. Natarajan was briefing journalists at the Aero India 2009 international seminar.

ADA Director P.S. Subramaniam later said that the MCA will have stealth features and the IAF has come forward to evolve the specifications of the aircraft, which could be described as the next generation fighter aircraft. He said the MCA is likely to be in the 20-tonne category, with a twin-engine aircraft, powered by the Kaveri-Snecma engine.

Weapon trials on Tejas have been going on after the LCA crossed 1,000 flights, according to Mr. Subramaniam. He said by March, integration of radars on Tejas would be completed.

“Once that is done, the system development activity (of LCA-Tejas) will be completed,” he added.

He said ADA was confident of delivering the LCA in Initial Operational Clearance configuration to the IAF by December 2010. Seven LCA prototypes — two technology demonstrators, three prototype vehicles and two LSP vehicles — are undergoing trial at various places across the country.

Young scientists, who earlier shied away from joining Government research agencies, appear to have changed their minds.

Mr. Natarajan said more than 50 per cent of the 7,000 scientists working for DRDO across the country are youngsters.

“We have a bright future with these youngsters,” said Mr. Natarajan.

“Every one need not be a gold medallist to be a researcher. What one needs is patience to see the product getting ready. Many who had left DRDO and went overseas wrote to us indicating their eagerness to rejoin. They were getting money but no work for their mind,” he said.

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