India has joined the select club countries, including the US, Russia and China, having the indigenous capability of deck landing of fighter aircraft. On Thursday, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Naval Prototype (NP2), piloted by Captain Shivnath Dahiya, safely executed the first contact of the arrestor hook system with arresting wire at moderate taxi-in speeds on location at the shore based test facility at INS Hansa in Goa, according to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
"This is the first of a series of engagement planned at proving the arrestor hook capability” says T. Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL.
It is to be noted that the Navy has rejected the naval version of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft after it failed to meet the Navy's qualitative requirements for carrier capability. The Navy claims that single-engine Tejas is too heavy and does not meet the thrust-to-weight requirement to take off with a full fuel and arms load from an aircraft carrier's deck. The Navy, which is operating Russian origin MiG-29 K fighters from its aircraft carrier, is looking for another fighter jet for carrier operations.
Despite rejection from the navy, HAL is still continuing with its naval version of LCA.
According to officials, the HAL’s design wing, Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) has designed and developed the arrestor hook system (AHS) for ship deck operations of LCA Naval version.
"The LCA Naval Prototype 2 has been integrated with this AHS. Having verified in-air operation of arrestor hook system in Bengaluru on July 23, 2018, the aircraft has been operating at INS Hansa Goa, since July 28," HAL spokesperson Gupal Sutar said.
Carrier compatibility trials (CCT) of naval aircraft are slated to be carried out at shore based test facilities, built at Indian naval base in Goa. The CCT involves completion of extensive shore based trials before embarking on actual deck. This trial is the stepping stone towards completion of CCT trials of LCA Navy, HAL claimed in a statement issued on Thursday.