© AFP 2017/ STRDEL
03:49 21.12.2017
India has officially launched a program aimed
at creating its own single-engine combat aircraft that will require no
technology from abroad.
New Delhi seeks to procure 83 combat aircraft
produced by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics LTD (HAL) in an attempt
to free its air force from dependence on imported technologies,
Defense One reports.
According to the report, the airplane, designated
LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Mark-1A, is going to be "truly a
fourth-generation fighter," equipped with service-specific Active
Electronically Scanned Array radar, or AESA; air-to-air refueling pods;
self-protection jammers; and improved avionics and core systems.
The procurement program will cost $8 billion and is
currently the largest purchase made under Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's "Make in India" program, which seeks to alleviate
India's dependence on imported products.
The announcement comes months after Indian
authorities attempted to place an order of 105 LCA Mark 2's, a
futuristic aircraft currently under development, which would have costed
$15 billion. The procurement is in an uncertain state since, according
to military experts, the program lacks clarity and immediate priorities.
"LCA Mark 2 is a far-fetched vision. The
service wants improvement on the existing LCA to address all issues
of looms, improvement in performance, interchange ability, improved
US-made GE 414 [engines], improved avionics and missiles to be fitted
on it," a senior Indian Air Force official told Defense News in September.
According to Daljit Singh, a defense analyst and
retired Air Force air marshal, the Mark 2 program "was proposed
by the Indian Air Force to ensure that the aircraft complies
with the majority of air staff requirements. However, that would
involve major design changes of the fuselage to accommodate a more
powerful engine."
The Air Force has already put an order in for 20
improved Mark 1 fighters. After the new planes are certified
for operation, the Air Force plans to place a bid on another 20.
The LCA program began in 1993, but so far HAL
only managed to deliver six planes. Currently, the Indian Air Force relies
on a variety of Soviet and Russian aircraft, as well
as some French Dassault Mirages and UK/France SEPECAT Jaguar attack
aircraft.
Original post: sputniknews.com
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