The Union government is going to look at a case for making the LCA Mk-2 fighter, and it could soon give financial approval for the project. This is to meet the future needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has already taken delivery of the earlier versions of the light combat aircraft (LCA) and ordered 83 Mk-1A versions, officials with knowledge of the situation said on Tuesday.
The Mk-2 fighter will be the most advanced version of the LCA that the Aeronautical Development Agency will design and build on its own (ADA). One of the officials who asked not to be named above said, “It will have a more powerful engine, better radar, better avionics and electronics, and it will be able to carry more weapons.”
A second official who did not want to be named also said that the Union Cabinet is likely to talk about the design and development of LCA Mk-2 on Wednesday. The government has already ordered the Mk-1A fighter, which will be improved into the LCA Mk-2.
Last year, the defence ministry gave Hindustan Aeronautics Limited a 48,000-crore contract to make 83 LCA Mk-1A jets for the IAF. The air force will get its first Mk-1A plane in March 2024, and the rest will join its combat fleet by 2029.
After the government gives its approval, the first flight of the LCA Mk-2 could happen in three to four years, but the plane wouldn’t be ready for use until around 2030, according to officials. Over time, the IAF could order more than 210 LCA Mk-2 fighters.
Out of the 123 LCA variants that have already been ordered, 20 are set up for initial operational clearance (IOC) and 20 are set up for the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC). The remaining 83 LCA Mk-1A fighters will be better than the FOC aircraft in more ways. Some of the earlier LCA versions have already been used by the IAF.
The Mk-1A will have digital radar warning receivers, self-protection jammer pods on the outside, an active electronically scanned array radar, advanced missiles that can hit targets that can’t be seen, and it will be much easier to maintain.
The LCA Mk-2 is meant to fill the gap between the Mk-1A and the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), which is a homegrown fifth-generation fighter programme that is also being worked on.
-
-
-
-
