India's New Fighter Planes

[Guest guest]

Vikram Chobe

LCA: Another step towards a self-reliant India

 

 

"Development of a modernized fighter plane is no small feat and only

a handful of countries have this capability."

 

The LCA's (Light Combat Aircraft) successful flight on January 4th,

2001 was the result of fifteen years of hard work and perseverance by

India's scientists and engineers. The LCA project has been riddled

with adversities and challenges throughout these fifteen years, but

India has been able to successfully overcome each and every

challenge. When the project was approaching its final stages in 1998,

the USA imposed an embargo on technology transfer forcing India to

develop and deploy indigenous technology into the aircraft. The

result is that among other domestically developed features the LCA

will be powered by a indigenously built state-of-the-art "Kaveri"

engine and it will be guided by the fly-by-wire flight control system

being developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE).

 

The LCA is fully automated and is designed for deep strike

capability. This fighter plane makes use of the latest technologies

and concepts such as relaxed static stability, advanced digital

cockpit, multimode radar, fly-by-wire flight control system,

integrated digital avoinics system, microprocessor based utility,

brake management systems, and advanced composite materials. The

aircraft's armament consists of internally mounted GSh-23mm twin

barrel gun with 220 rounds of ammunition, seven external hardpoints

which can carry air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-

ship missiles, rocket launchers and ECM pods. The utilization of

these concepts and technologies in the aircraft ensures that the

Indian Air Force will receive the world's smallest, light weight,

multi-role combat aircraft which can be utilized to accomplish

missions with deadly accuracy.

 

The LCA project is the largest ever research and development program

undertaken by the country. It involves 40 disciplines, 100 major work

centers, and 200 small industries. Every state except for the

terrorist infested state of Jammu and Kashmir has directly

contributed to the development of the LCA in one way or another. Thus

in every aspect this fighter plane is an indigenous creation.

 

Development of a modernized fighter plane is no small feat and only a

handful of countries have this capability. Indians should be

extremely proud of this achievement as they have shown to the world

that with determination and by working together they can accomplish

even the most daunting tasks.

 

Currently, India is on a massive drive to modernize its military as

past 50 years of neglect and corruption by past administrations have

left it woefully ill-equipped. The current administration is

following a two-pronged approach in order to accomplish this goal.

The first task is to equip the military with modern armaments and

other equipment (purchased from foreign countries if necessary), so

that it is fit to effectively tackle any misadventures by enemy

nations. The second task is to be self-reliant. Self-reliance is

extremely important as the country can easily procure arms and

equipment which cost less and are also of better quality.

 

Successful development of the LCA is a step towards attaining self-

dependency in procuring fighter aircrafts. India has also begun

construction on the indigenously designed stealth destroyers for the

navy. The destroyers have been designed as attack vessels and

submarine hunters. They are smaller than the indigenous INS Delhi

destroyer built for the Navy at Mazagon Dock shipyards in the mid-

1990s. The destroyers will be inducted into the Indian navy in 2007.

In addition, successful development of missile systems such as Agni,

Prithvi, Trishul, and Nag proves that India has already achieved self-

reliance in developing ballistic missiles.

 

The task which is of immediate importance-modernization of India's

military for tackling short-term threats is progressing in parallel

with the development of indigenous systems. India is in the process

of acquiring modern defense equipment from friendly countries like

Israel and Russia. Some of the equipment acquired by India's defense

establishment is already in use. For example, the Indian Army has

deployed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS), remote sensing detectors

and sensors on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. General S.

Padmanabhan has confirmed that the installation of these sensors and

utilization of the UAVs has made the Pakistani army's task of sending

across Islamic Jehadi terrorists to India extremely difficult.

 

A small improvement in India's infrastructure and political

environment in the past two years has made it possible for our

scientists and engineers to innovate with speed unmatched by any

other developing nation. These innovations have come not only in the

field of defense, but also in the commercial arena. If India

continues on this path, she will surely attain self-dependence and

with it supremacy over other nations.