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Lighter and agile LCA PV-1 maiden flight in December: Mohanty
Bangalore, Oct 22: The prototype vehicle-1 (PV-1) of the indigenous light combat aircraft, Tejas, expected to fly in December this year, will have high usage of composites than the earlier two technology demonstrators, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd chairman N R Mohanty said today.
Bangalore, Oct 22: The prototype vehicle-1 (PV-1) of the indigenous light combat aircraft, Tejas, expected to fly in December this year, will have high usage of composites than
the earlier two technology demonstrators, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd chairman N R Mohanty said today.
"There is lot of composites in this aircraft. If you take the surface area, nearly 85 per cent is composites and about 45 per cent of the total weight," Mohanty told reporters here.
He said the use of composites in PV-1 makes it lighter and agile and different than the first two demonstrators TD-1 and TD-2, which have undertaken 117 flights. Major assembly and equipping the PV-1 had been completed and it was planned to have its first flight by 2003-end, Mohanty said.
The indigenous fly-by-wire LCA, with an American GE-404 power plant, first flew in January 2001 and the aircraft was expected to replace the aging MiG-21 fleet from the next decade. Mohanty said the limited series production of Tejas at HAL had begun and the first aircraft would be delivered to IAF by 2006-07.
On the visit by a Russian team to HAL for inquiry on the MiG-21 aircraft crashes, Mohanty said the Russians had given a suggestion to improve the quality of clean fuel and maintain general cleanliness, which was adhered to their satisfaction and that of the IAF.
Bureau Report
He said the use of composites in PV-1 makes it lighter and agile and different than the first two demonstrators TD-1 and TD-2, which have undertaken 117 flights. Major assembly and equipping the PV-1 had been completed and it was planned to have its first flight by 2003-end, Mohanty said.
The indigenous fly-by-wire LCA, with an American GE-404 power plant, first flew in January 2001 and the aircraft was expected to replace the aging MiG-21 fleet from the next decade. Mohanty said the limited series production of Tejas at HAL had begun and the first aircraft would be delivered to IAF by 2006-07.
On the visit by a Russian team to HAL for inquiry on the MiG-21 aircraft crashes, Mohanty said the Russians had given a suggestion to improve the quality of clean fuel and maintain general cleanliness, which was adhered to their satisfaction and that of the IAF.
Bureau Report