India test flies naval variant of LCA

NEWDELHI,APRIL 28: With the successful maiden flight of the LCA's naval variant, India joins an elite club of countries capable of designing, developing, manufacturing and testing the fourth generation carrier borne fly-by-wire ski take off but arrested recovery (Stobar) aircraft," said V.K. Saraswat, scientific advisor to the defence minister. The 20-minute test sortie of the advanced fighter's first naval prototype (NP-1) was piloted by chief test pilot of the Indian Air Force's  national flight test centre (NFTC) Commodore T.A. Maolankar and co-piloted by the centre's flight test engineer, Wing Commander Maltesh Prabhu. "The flight performance was outstanding. The naval variant is the first attempt to provide a complete marine force multiplier that will give unique battle punch to the naval aviation arm of the 21st century to fulfill the national dream of blue waters,"  Saraswat told reporters. Though the Indian naval variant is the second Stobar in the world after the Russian deck based aircraft, it will be the only carrier borne fighter in the light category.