New Delhi [India], April 2 : With Israel embroiled in the conflict in West Asia, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's Chief Managing Director DK Sunil on Thursday said that there have been delays in receiving the software for India's flagship fighter program, Tejas.
When asked if there are any impacts on the LCA Mk 1 radar and Electronic Warfare (EW) systems in light of the conflict in West Asia, the HAL CMD told ANI, "We have had delays because of software coming for the radar for some issue. In the previous war, it was also down for a short time, but the plants have worked; they have supplied the equipment to us. Software upgrades also have come, albeit with delay. So, I think that is being well managed."
Referring to the conflict in West Asia and the Gulf region, he said that while it was expected that the supply would be affected, as of now, the equipment is present.
"Currently whatever is happening, we expect it to have some effect on the supplies but right now the aircraft that we have already have, we have the equipment. So, hopefully we will be able to catch up. We hope this war will also conclude quickly and this delay will be taken care of."
LCA Mk1A is the most advanced version of the LCA Tejas.
It is equipped with AESA Radar, EW suite consisting of radar warning and self-protection jamming, Digital Map Generator (DMG), Smart Multi-function Displays (SMFD), Combined Interrogator and Transponder (CIT), Advanced Radio Altimeter and other advances features.
LCA Mk1A comprises of the advanced ELM-2052 radar, developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries ELTA, that utilises solid-state Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology, it supports air-to-air, air-to-ground, and air-to-sea missions while fitting seamlessly into various fighter aircraft nose cone configurations.
Meanwhile, in the conversation with ANI, the HAL Chief said that a committee from Russia has studied details of a partnership between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Russia on supplying fifth-generation stealth fighter jet Sukhoi 57 (Su-57) to the Indian Air Force, with a quotation from the Russian side being awaited about the investment.