Light Combat Helicopter will be ready by next year: Baweja

Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: The first prototype of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), being designed and developed by State-owned aviation major, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will be ready for its maiden flight between October and December next year, according to HAL Chairman Ashok K. Baweja.

On the sidelines of a seminar on “Helicopter Technology” here on Tuesday, Mr. Baweja said, the detailed design drawing of the LCH would be completed by December this year. “We will be then releasing the drawings to make parts. The first prototype should be ready between October and December 2008,” he told presspersons. Eventually, the LCH would fit into the IAF’s attack helicopter squadron.

Elaborating on the HAL’s current project to develop a 10-tonne attack helicopter, Mr. Baweja said the HAL was now looking for co-development partners for the project. “We are at the stage of firming up specifications with the customers and finding partners. Work is in that preparatory mode. The helicopter will have to be configured for Indian conditions, very high altitudes and very hot temperatures. Most machines in the world are a little short on that,” he explained.

The 10-tonne copter would be in the same class as the Mi-17. The helicopter, which will augment the current fleet of the three-tonne class observation choppers and the six-tonne class Dhruv, would initially be made as a military version.
Hawks coming soon

The first four of the Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) aircraft, Hawk, ordered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to replace its ageing Kiran aircraft, would land at the Air Force Station, Bidar, within the next 15 days, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major told the journalists. “They should be here by November 15 or 16,” he announced.

India had ordered 66 trainers from BAe Systems, the UK-based manufacturers of the aircraft. Twenty four of the aircraft were scheduled to come in a ready to fly configuration, the rest to be built under license at HAL’s Bangalore complex.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/31/stories/2007103162031000.htm

I am getting a bit confused here.It seems to suggest that the LCH would be in the 10 ton category which is not “light”[falls in Apache ,Mi-28 ,Ka-50 ,Mi-35 category as opposed to the Tiger/Mangusta] then again confuses the issue by saying it would augment the lifters.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071030/85919342.html

Same news but what is that aircraft shown on top?

Front portion seems like a Mig-29 but the rear portion seems to show outward canted tailfins?

Really great paint job!

IAF Red Flag drill with USAF okayed
26 Oct, 2007, 0250 hrs IST, TNN

NEW DELHI: In a move that is certain to ratchet up the UPA-Left confrontation, defence minister A K Antony, brushing aside the reservations expressed by the ruling combine’s most vital prop, on Thursday gave his “in principle” go-ahead to the Indian Air Force to participate in a joint exercise with the United States Air Force.

The proposed exercise, Red Flag, is considered the most powerful, and important, fixture in the calendar of the US Air Force. The invitation extended by it to its Indian counterpart is demonstrative of the closer defence ties between the two countries.

The Left, expectedly, saw red in the Manmohan Singh government’s decision. “What the government is doing is wrong,” asserted CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, adding, “We cannot be a partner to such plans.”

The CPI leader’s remarks held out ominous portends for the fate of the Manmohan Singh government. Given the Left’s avowed anti-Americanism, the move is certain to add to the simmering tension between the two “secular” groupings.

The government, however, stood its ground, and has decided to go ahead with the exercise, notwithstanding the Left opposition. Justifying his stand, the defence Minister said, “We have to follow the trend all over the world.

The trend all over the world is modernisation of equipment and also technology and better training. We are comparing what action other countries are undertaking with ours. We also want to follow the best practices. Military interaction with the US will continue.”

The move has wider ramifications for the Indo-US defence ties, and signals the Congress-led alliance’s determination to press ahead with its plans.

Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, interestingly, has been waiting for the defence ministry’s clearance for going ahead with the joint air exercises with the US. Speaking to TIMES NOW, the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, Admiral Sureesh Mehta has also confirmed that Indo-US military co-operation will continue unabated.

The CPI general secretary is clearly not amused. “What the government is doing is wrong. American war plans are aggressive and are always against smaller nations. We cannot be a partner in such plans,” he said. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Having tasted blood in stand-off with the Manmohan Singh government over the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Left parties are now clearly determined to have their way in seeking the scrapping of the proposed joint exercise.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/IAF_Red_Flag_drill_with_USAF_okayed/articleshow/2491596.cms

Also remember the lack of a good intermediate trainer between the basic jet trainer and the supersonic fighter,that too an aircraft as unforgiving as the Mig-21.

Tejas fires its first missile

Written on October 25, 2007 – 6:53 pm | by FIDSNS |

The Light Combat Aircraft ‘TEJAS’ program achieved the most significant milestone yet when it successfully test fired the Close Combat Missile R-73 today at the air to air range off Goa coast. The historic event marks the beginning of weaponisation, which is the focus of the current initial operational clearance (IOC) phase of the program. Air to Air missile integration and testing especially on a fly by wire aircraft is a very complex task involving interfaces with aerodynamics, engine air intake, control laws, flight control system, avionics system, electrical and other general system of aircraft. Today’s successful test firing is the culmination of preparatory work under the guidance of Mr. JJ Jadhav, DPD (Weapon Systems) and Mr. Balasubramanyam, AGM (HAL). Accordingly the main objectives of test firing were to validate:

•Safe separation of the missile from the parent aircraft.
•Effect of missile plume on engine air-intake
•Functionality of store management system (SMS) including safety interlocks
•Effect of missile plume on composites structures
•Handling quality assessment during missile launch

The historic flight was done on Tejas prototype vehicle PV-1, piloted by the Chief Test Pilot of the National Flight Test Centre ADA, Gp Capt. N. Harish. The test firing was done at 7 km altitude and 0.6 Mach. The flight test was conducted from the mobile telemetry vehicle where all the aircraft, systems and weapon data were closely monitored. Quick analysis of the data revealed that it was a ‘text book’ launch where the systems performance matched the predictions well. The event has proven the capability of the composite team comprising of designers, production agency, certification agency and Flight Test and the user agency (IAF) to integrate and flight test an advanced missile on an advanced fighter aircraft Tejas.

INS Hansa of Indian Navy provided all support for this important flight trial. Photo chase aircraft Sea Harrier was flown by Capt. Yatish Saxena and Cdr. Dalip Singh. The successful missile firing was witnessed by Chief Controller (R&D) Dr. D. Banerjee, Programme Director ADA Mr. P. S. Subramaniam and Director LCA (IAF) AVM B. C. Nanjapa.

http://frontierindia.net/tejas-fires-its-first-missile/

Blurry pix but excellent news!:cool: