Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has given a Rs 100 crore order to Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratories for delivering critical composite air-frame components needed in the upcoming advanced version of the indigenous Tejas combat jets.
The material would be required for making Tejas Light Combat Aircraft in the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) configuration in which the homegrown fighter jet would be fully armed with all its weapons and sensors.
Composite technology is one of the critical technologies that make the LCA a fourth generation fighter aircraft. The technology and necessary tools required to use the material on an industrial scale were developed at NAL during the time of technology denials and sanctions from other countries.
“Use of this co-curing technology in LCA has resulted in 40% reduction in the part count, 50% reduction in the number of fasteners, and 30% reduction in the assembly time when compared to a conventional metallic air-frame,” CSIR director general Girish Sahni says in a statement.
The usage of composites led to an overall weight reduction of about 20% in the airframe, he said, adding that LCA’s percentage deployment of composites is one of the highest among contemporary aircraft of its class anywhere in the world.
NAL, one of the laboratories under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, has identified Tata Advanced Materials Limited, Bengaluru, as a production partner.
The homegrown technology would be used in primary air-frame components of LCA like fin, rudder, wing spars and fairings, centre fuselage and main landing gear components.
Out of the initial order of 20 LCA in IOC (initial operational clearance) configuration, HAL has so far delivered only nine aircraft to the IAF so far with the programme running several years behind the schedule.