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BANGALORE (PTI): The naval variant of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) made its maiden flight successfully on Friday and it would become operational in 2014.

Congratulating the team of scientists and defence personnel for the successful test flight, Defence Minister A K Antony hoped that the aircraft will achieve all its developmental milestones.

Congratulating the team of scientists and defence personnel for the successful test flight, Defence Minister A K Antony hoped that the aircraft will achieve all its developmental milestones.

In a message to the LCA team, DRDO, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and HAL personnel, he said, "I am confident that the Light Combat Aircraft will achieve all its developmental milestones."

Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma also appreciated the effort put in by ADA, HAL, DRDO and team LCA and highlighted the requirement of timely fructification of the project.

"We must ensure that the accomplishment leads to the timely fructification of operational requirements for carrier borne operations," Verma said.

Vice Admiral Satish Soni expressed confidence that the LCA NP-1 variant would be operational in 2014, but urged all the agencies concerned to work hard towards this end.

"There have been delays in LCA programmes which we are not particularly happy about, but I am certain if we can concentrate we can overcome the hurdles and we will be able to get operationalise in 2014. For this we all have to work very hard," he said.

Soni also said the Navy plans to induct 40 LCA variants and was keen on Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) opening a second production line so that it could be given as much importance as the Air Force in terms of getting LCA orders.
"After fine-tuning of LCA Naval Prototype-1 profile, which would go on for the next two years, we are confident of the aircraft getting operational in 2014," Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister V K Sarawat told reporters after witnessing the event at HAL airport here.

Saraswat, also Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation, said one of the reasons for the delay in the maiden flight of LCA NP-1 was that the industrial support structure in terms of production and development of aircraft in India was not same as advanced countries.

Given the kind of infrastructure and technology the country has, India has made a LCA in 16 to 17 years compared to 22 to 25 by advanced nations."There is no aircraft in history which has been made in about 16 to 17 years, he said.

Moreover, aircraft making is a very complex subject, Saraswat added.

Earlier, the first LCA NP-1 flight lasted for about 20 minutes within the designated flight envelope. It was carried out with landing gear extended as routine practice.

The development plan of the Naval version envisages building two prototypes -- a two seat trainer (NP-1) and a single seat fighter (NP-2) -- as technology demonstrators to carry out carrier suitability certification and weapons integration.