Navy May Order Small Number Of Naval-LCAs As A Trainer For Naval Aviators, Report Says

The Indian Navy may order a small number of the Naval variant of Tejas, the N-LCA fighter jet as a trainer for frontline naval aviators, reported Livefist.

According to the report, the Navy is currently engaged in internal discussions regarding the potential purchase of 12-15 Naval-light combat aircraft (N-LCA) from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The Indian Navy had earlier rejected the N-LCA due to performance shortfalls. The Navy had instead asked the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to focus its energies on making a more modern and powerful Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF).

In the interim, the Indian Navy will use a foreign fighter, for which the Navy has selected French Dassault Rafale over the American F-18 Super Hornet Block-III, as part of a contest to buy 26 jets, for use on its newly inducted aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant.

“Moving the N-LCA out of the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC) and into the navy proper would mean that the testing ecosystem becomes relatively less insular and ‘incestuous’, with cockpit time spread across many more numbers of naval aviators than just those involved in the NFTC,” the report quoted a senior officer as saying.

The use of the N-LCA from the INS Vikrant's deck will allow the aircraft to experience the full range of operational conditions, and will also facilitate the training of fighter pilots who previously had to go overseas for training.

“It would give the N-LCA a chance to fully stretch its wings in the real world, with the opportunity to train batches of pilots in STOBAR operations, something they currently do abroad,” another officer said.

An additional benefit of using the N-LCA over the aircraft carrier's deck will be the incorporation of users' critical feedback, which will directly help in the development of the TEDBF.