LCA Tejas to Receive India-made Brake Parachute
Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra, a wing of India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has transferred technology to manufacture brake parachutes for India’s home-made fighter jet, LCA Tejas to Ordnance Parachute Factory (OPF), Kanpur. The documents pertaining to the technology were handed over in a function held on 20 July 2017, according to DRDO information. The documents have been duly vetted by the Center for Military Air-worthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) which is the certification authority for military aviation in India. The brake parachute for LCA Tejas is made of nylon and Kevlar material. The textile material used in the system has been developed as per ADRDE specifications and is available indigenously. The Indian Air Force will have 123 indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighter jets in its fleet by 2024-25, according to plans of the MoD. The serial manufacture of the LCA Tejas is being undertaken by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The IAF has placed orders for 40 jets in two batches of which the first 20 are in the Initial Operational Configuration (IOC) while the remaining 20 are in the Final Operational Configuration (FOC). Last July the IAF declared operational the first Tejas squadron ‘45 flying daggers’ with three aircraft. The Defence Acquisition Council of India’s MoD has okayed the procurement for 83 aircraft in the Mk-1A configuration with specific improvements sought by the IAF.
