Indian Tejas LSP-5 Makes First Flight

HYDERABAD—India flew the fifth limited series production (LSP-5) version of its Tejas Light Combat Aircraft on Nov. 19, marking a significant milestone on Tejas’s march toward operational status. Although the flight readiness review board had cleared LSP-5 to fly the previous week, poor weather in Bengaluru delayed the mission. The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) termed the LSP-5 an “operational configuration vehicle” for the Indian air force. The aircraft was piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Ankur Jain, an Indian navy test pilot attached to the National Flight Test Center. The Tejas took off at 10:54 a.m. local time and landed at 11:34 a.m. at Old Bangalore Airport, reflecting the colonial name of the city. “It was a dream flight. LSP-5 achieved a maximum speed of 0.8 Mach, did 4g turns, and climbed to an altitude of 11 km. [36,000 ft.] during the 40-min. flight. The mission was uneventful and all systems functioned normally, clearing all the test points,” DRDO’s chief, V.K. Saraswat, told Aviation Week during Aviation Conclave 2010. Wing Cdr. Sreedharan Toffeen, test director, managed the mission. Group Capt. G. Thomas, the chief test pilot, flew the chase aircraft, Tejas PV-3. “With today’s flight, we are getting closer to the initial operational capabilities. We have done all test points,” says P.S. Subramanayam, the Tejas program chief. A DRDO statement declared that the LSP-5 is the culmination of the efforts of all the stakeholders. “This has been a great team effort to get the final standard aircraft in the flight line. LSP-5 is the 11th vehicle to join the Tejas flight line.”