The India Air Force, which has been facing a severe shortage of fighter squadrons, has been concerned about the slippage in the delivery schedule of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, with Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh raising the issue publicly.
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Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development, and Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Samir V. Kamat, has now assured that even as HAL Tejas LCA Mk-1A is in the early stages of induction into the IAF, both the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and LCA Tejas Mark-II are on schedule.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event to mark the 25 years of the LCA Tejas flight programme, Kamat said, "LCA has been a marvellous journey. Now this aircraft is inducted. Now our focus is on the Mark-II variant of LCA and AMCA. Both these programmes are now on schedule, and we hope to deliver our commitment to the Indian Air Force."
The first flight of Mark-II, according to him, is expected to happen in June, and AMCA is likely to be rolled out by the end of 2028. The first flight of the aircraft may happen by early 2029.
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He said AMCA, being a fifth-generation aircraft, will have several new technologies. "It's a stealth aircraft, so several new technologies will come in with AMCA," he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, speaking at a two-day national seminar 'Aeronautics 2047', organised by Aeronautical Development Agency on Sunday to mark 25 years of LCA programme, Kamat underscored the importance of developing indigenous cutting-edge technologies to reduce import dependence and realise the vision of developed India by 2047.
