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Sunday, January 16, 2011

Light Combat Aircraft [LCA] Tejas: the people & their pursuit (weekend reading)

India, this week issued the Release to Service certification [more commonly called Initial Operational Capability (IOC)] to the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft, LCA Tejas, making it one amongst only around 8 eight countries to have been able to design, develop and operate its own combat aircraft. For a project that has had to face opposition at all stages of its development - both on the varied Technological front, political vested interests & lack of proper understanding amongst the decision-makers, the project having come this far is indeed a stupendous, near miraculous, achievement. Technology capabilities & knowledge data built up through the course of this project would go on to serve India's interest in the years to come, that would in turn add to knowledge and Technology gained till now - a cumulative effect.

India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas

image courtesy Photoyogi

Some of the best articles capturing the trials & tribulations faced by the people involved in this project have been written by Defence journalist Anantha Krishnan Muralidharan Nair. His articles give us a brief glimpse into the works of the scores of Scientists, Engineers & Test pilots in India's R&D labs, most of whom would otherwise remain unknown outside their immediate circles, who have been working on the project with single-minded, dogged determination, overcoming Technological challenges, overlooking personal disadvantages, undeterred by naysayers & cynics, to help India realise its ambition of operating an indigenous combat aircraft - the path ahead remains long and torturous but so has been the path traversed.

  1. Happy New Year: Takeoff 2011 with Tejas' fireworks! Countdown for IOC begins & ADA says 'all set for Jan 10'

  2. Tejas@10: Are we a Nation who don't care for our heroes?

  3. For 18 years, despite all odds, they chased a dream called LCA!

  4. Media invites for Tejas IOC out

  5. Tracking the Tejas! 10 years; 11 platforms; 1,510 sorties; 894 hours; 0 incidents (Touch Wood)

  6. Tough nuts to crack, but here comes a safe Tejas

  7. 3. Surviving Sanctions only to become World-Beaters: Tracking the fly-by-wire FCS story from ADE (Part-III-A)

  8. World-Beaters: The fly-by-wire FCS will take India to new heights (Part-III-B)

  9. Tejas Pilots' Hall of Fame: Meet the stars who touched the skies with glory; IOC for LCA today

Some photographs from the IOC certification ceremony.

  1. MasCom student joins Tarmak007's Tejas IOC party!

  2. Part-II: Celebrating Tejas IOC: Postcards from Garden City

  3. Part 3: Celebrating Tejas IOC: When shutterbug Rahul went on a shoot-at-sight-spree to capture some sensational stills

An earlier post about the Light Combat Aircraft: Dr. Kota Harinarayana: Development of Complex Systems – Issues and Challenges

Godspeed