The IAF's LCA Tejas fighter aircraft is set to undergo main airframe fatigue testing at a newly established facility, which will demonstrate the capability of the airframe to withstand four times the service life. (HAL)
The Indian Air Force's (IAF's) Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark I aircraft are set to undergo main airframe fatigue testing.
According to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the aircraft will be tested at the newly established Main Airframe Fatigue Test (MAFT) facility at its Ground Test Centre, at the Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC), in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.
Military airworthiness requires the MAFT to demonstrate the capability of the airframe to withstand four times the service life.
“These tests will be carried out on the LCA (Air Force) Mk1 airframe over a period of eight to nine years,” HAL said in a statement on 27 April. “The successful completion of MAFT will qualify the [IAF's] LCA Mk1 airframe for its full-service life.”
Although the initial Tejas Mark I was subject to preliminary airframe fatigue testing at the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), the aircraft has since undergone a transition from lightweight to a medium-weight aircraft. This is because of the addition of a more powerful engine, improved avionics, and composite airframes materials.
According to Janes, carbon-fibre composites increased from 30% of airframe weight in the technology demonstrator 1 and 2 (TD1 and 2) prototypes to 45% in the initial operational clearance (IOC) Tejas. There was a corresponding reduction of aluminum alloys from 57% to 43%.
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