The Hindu : National : Tejas successfully test-fires close combat air-to-air missile

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Tejas successfully test-fires close combat air-to-air missile

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Preparing for the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC), the Light Combat Aircraft, ‘Tejas,' on Tuesday conducted its last phase of flight trials by successfully test firing air-to-air close combat missile at Goa.

One of the main objectives of the current phase of trials was clearing the firing envelope of the missile from the Tejas. The test firing of R-73 missile was done from the Limited Series Production (LSP) aircraft 4, the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) announced here. The LSP-4 had its first successful flight in June this year and the IOC is scheduled towards the end of 2010.

The R-73 missile is integrated with the on-board Digital Stores Management System and Open Architecture Mission and Display Computer. The missile selection is performed from the high resolution multi-function display pages integrated with the state-of-the-art on-board avionics. All this equipment forms the IOC standard of Avionics, the DRDO said.

The flight test demonstrated user requirement including: safe separation of the missile from the test aircraft; no missile plume effect on the engine operation; avionics and weapon system functionality and safety interlocks; aircraft handling quality assessment during missile release; and effect of missile plume on the composite structure.

More firings of the missile are planned during the current week leading to CCM firing envelope clearance for the Tejas. The test aircraft was accompanied by a chase Tejas and the test was monitored and controlled from the mobile telemetry positioned at the test location. The data and video from the test aircraft were also available at the base station in Bangalore through a dedicated fibre optic link set up for the purpose.

In March 2006, the government signed a Rs. 2,700-crore contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for supply of 20 LCA aircraft.

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