Indian Air Force (IAF) will get six squadrons of India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas by 2022.
"It is planned to induct six LCA squadrons by the end of 13th Plan (2017-2022)," the parliament has been informed.
However, the government admitted that there has been a delay in the manufacturing of the LCA.
Tejas is a design and development project and the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is the nodal organization for the development of the LCA.
The government said Tejas achieved the Initial Operational Clearance-1 on January 10, 2011. "Presently, LCA development activities leading to final operational clearance are in progress," it said.
Initial Operational Clearance allows IAF pilots to use the LCA, a single engine combat plane that has already completed over 1,800 flight tests. The deliveries of the LCA, first 40 to be powered by 80 KiloNewton GE F404 engines and the rest 100 by GE F414 engines that provide 90 KiloNewton power, are scheduled to begin in the 12th plan period.
The first LCA squadron will be raised after the plane gets its final operational clearance that has been delayed by a year till December 2013. The first squadron will be based in Sulur air base near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu sometime in early 2014.
The naval variant of LCA too has achieved a milestone by carrying out its first flight on April 27 this year, almost two years after it was first rolled out in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, the government also informed parliament that the review of the Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme by the government is an ongoing process.
After signing of the inter-governmental agreement in November 2007 for design, development and production of MTA, the government's approval was conveyed for signing the shareholders agreement between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and the Russian partners on August 30, 2010 and it was signed on September 9, 2010.
The memorandum of association and articles of association was signed on November 25, 2010.
For implementing the programme, a joint venture company has been incorporated between Indian and Russian partners on 50:50 funding basis in December 2010.
The investment for the MTA programme has been worked out to be $771 million at 2012 price level.
The joint venture has since appointed a chief executive officer for the company and for implementing the programme.
India intends to get about 45 to 50 MTAs in its service in a decade. |