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India's LCA flight appearance unlikely this month: Kalam

NEW DELHI: The recent claim of the principal scientific adviser of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, that the Light Combat Aircraft will begin flight trials in January is unlikely to be met.

According to Defence Ministry sources quoted by 'The Asian Age,' this is the third major deadline set for the aircraft's first flight, scheduled originally for May 1998.

According to Defence Ministry officials, the aircraft, which currently undergoing slow speed taxi trials and flight control systems integration, will take at least will March to reach a stage where high speed taxi trials may be completed and an actual flight test can take place. "The aircraft has completed more than 50 hours of slow speed trials, which require it to be taxed around the runway at slow speeds. This is part of the process where the engine is integrated with the airframe," the officials said.

Though the director of the Aeronautical Development Establishment, Dr K G Narayanan, recently announced that the digital flight controls, which make up the aircraft's avionics are complete and have been qualified for integration with the aircraft, sources said at least five months are required for all crucial elements to come together.

The first deadline for the single seat aircraft's flight test was set for May 1998. The avionics are being developed in a collaborative effort with Lockheed Martin. The aircraft's power plant, is to be supplied initially by General Electric in the form of the F-404 engines, the paper said. APP