The indigenously developed naval variant of the Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas' achieved another milestone on Sunday, as it successfully took off from the ski-jump of INS Vikramaditya.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) tweeted saying, "The developmental LCA (N) MK1 achieved another important #milestone today by successfully undertaking the maiden Ski Jump Take-Off from #INSVikramaditya."
"This landmark event demonstrates Professional commitment & synergy between various agencies ADA, HAL, CEMILAC & #IndianNavy in harnessing the potential of our scientists, engineers & naval flight testing community towards meeting the expectations of the nation."
On Saturday, the LCA Tejas (N) Mk1 successfully performed an arrested landing on the deck of INS Vikramaditya.
— DRDO (@DRDO_India) January 11, 2020
Such landings use high-tensile-strength wires to restrain the aircraft as it lands.
The Tejas is the first fighter jet developed by India to land and take-off from an aircraft carrier.
Currently, the Navy operates the Russian Mig-29K fighter on the deck of INS Vikramaditya.
The Navy said that the landing of the naval LCA proves the ability of indigenous technologies for deck-based operations, paving the way for the development of a new twin-engine deck-based fighter.
The Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), also known as the Tejas Mk2, also could see its first flight by 2026, according to Indian Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh, who told The Hindu that the current version of the Tejas, the LCA Mk1, was a technology demonstrator.
The Navy wants to induct a twin-engined fighter instead of the single-engined Tejas Mark 1 as it would allow the aircraft to carry more weapons and fuel.
The Naval Tejas is not expected to be inducted into service on an aircraft carrier for now. In development since 2003, the naval variant was rejected by the Navy in 2016 for being overly delayed and for not meeting requirements.
