it will be exciting to see what new goodies LSP-2 will be carrying to be flown soon ,for god sake which fighter aircraft in the world was able to carry all it weapons in its first batch it self ??

Indian Light Combat Aircraft Tejas successful in hot weather trials

The Tejas Light Combat Aircraft underwent hot weather flight trials at Air Force Station, Nagpur from 28 May to 04 June 2008. The trials were planned at Nagpur because of the high ambient temperature conditions prevailing there during this period. The aim of the trials was to check operation of the aircraft systems under high ambient temperature conditions of over 40 deg C, representative of the stringent conditions the aircraft would be expected to operate in, after induction into the Indian Air Force. The Team which carried out the triaIs is a composite team with members from IAF (AF), ADA. HAL. CEMILAC, DGAQA. with support from Air Force Station, Nagpur and Maintenance Command, IAF.All aircraft systems, specifically the avionics system, flight control system and air conditioning system were tested extensively during the trials and all systems were seen to operate satisfactorily on ground as well in flight. A total of seven flights amounting to four hours were flown at Nagpur on two prototype aircraft PV2 and PV3. The tests included flights at 200m above ground and speeds up to 1000 km/h after ‘hot soaking’ the aircraft on tarmac for 2 to 4 hours, where the aircraft skin temperature reached values in excess of 70 deg C. The test flights were monitored in real time using a mobile telemetry station of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), positioned at Nagpur for this purpose.

This was the first time that the Tejas aircraft had flown to a distance of about 1000 km from Bangalore non-stop. This was possible due to the presence of external fuel tanks (drop tanks) on the aircraft which were integrated recently. This was also the first time that the Tejas aircraft had been flown at such high ambient temperature conditions. A first look at the test data indicated that all the trials objectives were met satisfactorily. A large amount of data bas been collected and is under detailed analysis by the aircraft designers at ADA and HAL. The aircraft is next planned for operations over the deserts of Rajasthan, delivering precision guided bombs, later this year.

http://frontierindia.net/indian-light-combat-aircraft-tejas-successful-in-hot-weather-trials

India to invite bids for indigenous LCA engines

BY : IANS

India will soon invite bids for developing a more powerful engine for the homemade Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas as the development of the indigenous Kaveri engine is yet to be completed, an official said Wednesday. Tejas, meant to replace the ageing MiG-21 fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF), is currently under development in Bangalore for the last couple of decades.

“A committee has been constituted and it is in talks with international players for developing a more powerful engine for Tejas. A RFP (request for proposal) in this regard will soon be issued,” an official of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) told IANS on condition of anonymity.

The Aeronautical Development Agency of the DRDO is developing the supersonic combat aircraft along with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL).

“Currently, two international companies are in the fray but the contract will be issued through due process and the company will be required to develop the engine under a joint venture with India,” the official told IANS.

The IAF has placed an order for 20 Tejas lightweight multi-role planes, India’s second indigenous fighter aircraft, and is inclined to increase the number to 40.

Earlier, it was planned that a turbofan engine, the GTX-35VS Kaveri, being developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), would be fitted to the production aircraft. But delays in development led to the purchase of General Electric engines, which even got through rough weather due to the sanction imposed post 1998 nuclear tests.

The IAF had expressed reservations about the GE engines as it increased the plane’s weight from 8,000 kg to 10,000 kg. This delayed the production of the aircraft and it will be ready for delivery only by 2011.

Nick news of Tejas LSP-3 to carry radar is not new it was mentioned in 2005 reports ,even PV-2 carried a non performing model of MMR , Tejas going to Jaisalmer for weapons Trial in August-September will be worth the wait