India's LCA Tejas Takes Off From Naval Ski-Jump Platform

The naval version of India’s LCA Tejas flew from a Ski-Jump facility of Shore Based Test Facility on December 20 at INS Hansa in Goa.

The naval LCA prototype is the first indigenously designed and developed 4th plus generation combat aircraft to operate from the decks of air-craft carriers.

"With today's copybook flight of LCA-Navy from the land based ski-jump facility we see our own indigenous combat aircrafts soon flying from the decks of our aircraft carriers,” DrAvinashChander, SA to RM, Secretary DDR&D DG DRDO said.

The naval LCA  is designed with stronger landing gears to absorb forces exerted by the ski jump ramp during take-off, to be airborne within 200 m as against 1000m required for normal runways.

It’s special flight control law mode allows hands-free take-off relieving the pilot workload, as the aircraft leaps from the ramp and automatically puts the aircraft in an ascending trajectory.

The Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) has been created to replicate the aircraft carrier with a Ski Jump for take-off and arresting gear cable for arrested landing; by ADA with the participation of the Indian Navy, Goa shipyard, CCE (R&D) West, Pune, R&D Engg (E) Pune and the Russian agencies providing the design support and specialized equipment.

The teams were supported by the certification agency, CEMILAC and the quality assurance agency, CRI (LCA). INS Hansa, the Naval Air Station played the perfect host to achieve this significant milestone.