DRDO, ADA successfully execute first-ever arrested landing of LCA (Navy)

DRDO and ADA today successfully executed the first-ever arrested landing of Light Combat Aircraft (Navy) at a shore-based facility, INS Hansa in Goa, inching closer to the goal of operating from an aircraft carrier.

The LCA (Navy) is the naval version of indigenously developed Tejas fighter aircraft being developed for the Indian Air Force.

An official statement said that the successful execution of arrested landing will pave the way for this indigenous platform to undertake Aircraft Carrier landing demonstration onboard the Indian Naval Aircraft Carrier, Vikramaditya.

Indian Navy needs several fighter jets for its future aircraft carriers including named INS Vikrant, which is under advanced stages of construction.

On April 20 this year, the then Navy Chief, Admiral Sunil Lanba had said IAC-1 or INS Vikrant will be delivered to Indian Navy by 2021. The Navy hopes to have a third aircraft carrier in the near future to counter China's growing might in the Indian Ocean region.

After several years of flight testing and four campaigns of dedicated testing at Shore Based Test facility Goa, today the LCA (Navy) Flight Test Team led by Cmde J A Maolankar (Chief Test Pilot), Capt Shivnath Dahiya (LSO) and Cdr J D Raturi (Test Director) successfully executed a "textbook" arrested landing.

"This arrested landing heralds the arrival of true indigenous capability and displays the professional prowess of our scientific community Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) embedded with design plus build capability of HAL(ARDC), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and CSIR Labs involved in executing this landmark event," the statement added.

The statement also lauded the support of the Indian Navy through the Navy Project office and Ministry of Defence.