Doubts shroud delivery of first LCA Mk-1A jet to IAF

A question mark hangs over the delivery of the first light combat aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A jet to the Indian Air Force by state-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited by the approaching deadline of March 31 as it is yet to make its maiden flight and some key certifications are still not done, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday.

IAF ordered 83 Mk-1A fighters for ₹48,000 crore in February 2021, and plans to buy 97 more Mk-1As at a cost of around ₹ 67,000 crore.

“HAL is trying its level best to carry out the first flight as early as possible. But there are some software iterations that need to get cleared. Sticking to the March 31 deadline seems a bit difficult right now, though efforts are still on,” said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named.

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LCA Mk-1A is an advanced variant of the LCA Mk-1, which has already been inducted by IAF. The Mk-1A will come with digital radar warning receivers, external self-protection jammer pods, superior radar, advanced beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles and significantly improved maintainability.

“The Mk-1A is a totally new aircraft with new systems, software and weapons. Some key certifications are going on right now, with different agencies involved including the Aeronautical Development Agency, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, and foreign OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). All this must fall in place before the first aircraft can be delivered,” said a second official, who also asked not to be named.

The aircraft is in good shape, he said. The delivery of the 83 jets already ordered is expected to be completed by 2028.

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LCA is set to emerge as the cornerstone of IAF’s combat power in the coming decade and beyond. IAF, the world’s fourth largest air force, is expected to operate around 350 LCAs (Mk-1, Mk-1A and Mk-2 versions), with a third of those already ordered, some inducted, and the rest figuring prominently on the air force’s modernisation roadmap and expected to be contracted in the coming years.

In October 2023, HAL handed over the first trainer version of LCA Mk-1 to IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari in Bengaluru, with the twin seater set to fill a key training role and double as a fighter if needed.

The aircraft was part of an earlier order for 40 Mk-1 jets in the initial operational clearance (IOC) and the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC) configurations --- the first variants of LCA. Of the 40 Mk-1s, IAF inducted 32 single seater jets and raised two LCA squadrons. The remaining eight aircraft are trainers and all of them will be delivered to IAF soon.

One of the 32 LCA Mk-1s inducted crashed near Jaisalmer on March 12, minutes after taking part in a tri-services exercise that sought to demonstrate the strides India has made towards self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector. That was the first LCA crash.

The aircraft had flown during the tri-services Bharat Shakti exercise at the Pokhran firing range near Jaisalmer along with another LCA jet before it went down. Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the integrated tri-services ‘live fire and manoeuvre’ exercise, which sought to display how the Indian military plans to leverage its indigenous capabilities for dominating the battlefield and crushing any threat to the country’s security.

In November 2023, Modi flew in the LCA in Bengaluru and described the experience as “incredibly enriching” while also heaping praise on the country’s indigenous military capabilities. His sortie in an LCA Mk-1 fighter jet was seen as a significant endorsement of the LCA programme, and turned the spotlight on the locally produced fighter jet that IAF is looking at inducting in big numbers and India is also seeking to export.

The newer variants, Mk-1A and Mk-2, will come with significantly improved features and technologies over the current Mk-1 aircraft. IAF will deploy some LCAs at forward air bases in the western sector to bolster its combat readiness against Pakistan and fill the gap left by the gradual phasing out of the Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jets.

Timely delivery is a top priority for IAF, which is grappling with a shortage of fighter squadrons.

IAF’s leadership firmly backs the LCA programme. In a review last year, Chaudhari described the fighter aircraft as the flag-bearer of IAF’s efforts towards the indigenisation of its combat fleet.

IAF could order more than 100 Mk-2s, and the aircraft will be ready for production in five years. The world’s leading aircraft engine maker GE Aerospace and HAL signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington in June 2023 to produce F-414 engines in the country for LCA Mk-2, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first state visit to the US.

F-414 has evolved from the F-404 engine that powers the existing LCA variants.

The production of the engines in India will result in the new fighter jet having an indigenous content of around 75% compared to 55%-60% in LCA Mk-1A and 50% in the existing Mk-1 variant.

The LCA project was sanctioned in 1983 as a replacement for MiG-21s. IAF raised its first LCA squadron in Sulur with two aircraft in July 2016. While the existing Mk-1 and Mk-1A variants will replace MiG-21 fighters, the Mk-2 aircraft is planned as a replacement for the air force’s MiG-29s, Mirage-2000s and Jaguar fighters that will start retiring in the coming decade.

The LCA Mk-2 fighter will be equipped with the more powerful GE-414 engine, better avionics and electronics, and will be capable of carrying a higher weapons payload. It will have improved range, enhanced survivability, better situational awareness for pilots, network centric capabilities, and the ability to quickly switch from one role to another.

The 17.5-tonne Mk-2 fighter will have a maximum speed of 1.8 Mach, compared to the 13.5-tonne Mk-1A that has a top speed of 1.6 Mach. The new aircraft will come with a payload capacity of 6.5 tonne (compared to 3.5 tonne for the Mk-1A) and it will carry a mix of weapons including BVR air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, heavy precision guided weapons and conventional bombs.

The other features of the LCA Mk-2 include enhanced fuel capacity, unified electronic warfare suite, indigenous flight control actuators, improved digital flight control computer, better cockpit displays, infrared search and track capability to detect threats at long ranges, missile approach warning systems and countermeasure dispensing systems for self-protection.