E-Paper
LCA Mk-2 in spotlight as Cabinet set to take up case for its development
The Mk-2 fighter will be the most advanced variant of the LCA to be designed and developed indigenously by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
The Union government is set to consider a case for the development of the LCA Mk-2 fighter and could accord financial sanction for the project soon to cater to the future requirements of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has already inducted the earlier variants of the light combat aircraft (LCA) and ordered 83 Mk-1A variants, officials familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The Mk-2 fighter will be the most advanced variant of the LCA to be designed and developed indigenously by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). It will be equipped with a more powerful engine, superior radar, better avionics and electronics, and will be capable of carrying a higher weapons payload, said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named.
The Union Cabinet is likely to take up the case for the design and development of LCA Mk-2 on Wednesday, said a second official, also wishing not to be named. The LCA Mk-2 will be a further development of the Mk-1A fighter that has already been ordered by the government.
Last year, the defence ministry awarded a ₹48,000-crore contract to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for 83 LCA Mk-1A jets for IAF. The first Mk-1A aircraft will be delivered to the air force by March 2024, with the rest slated to join its combat fleet by 2029.
After the government approval is in place, the first flight of the LCA Mk-2 aircraft could take place in three to four years although the aircraft would be operationally available only around 2030, the officials said. The IAF could order more than 210 LCA Mk-2 fighters in the long term.
Of the 123 LCA variants already ordered, 20 each are in the initial operational clearance (IOC) and the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC) configurations. The remaining 83 LCA Mk-1A fighters will come with additional improvements over the FOC aircraft. IAF has already inducted some of the earlier LCA variants.
The Mk-1A will come with digital radar warning receivers, external self-protection jammer pods, active electronically scanned array radar, advanced beyond-visual-range missiles, and significantly improved maintainability.
LCA Mk-2 is expected to fill the gap between Mk-1A and the homegrown fifth-generation fighter programme — the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) — which is also being pursued.
