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India’s ADA To Develop Medium Combat Aircraft

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India’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has proposed the Indian Air Force (IAF) offer its services in the area of design and development of the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA).

The MCA has been conceived by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

ADA officials revealed that their agency is conceptualising the technology to be used in the MCA ten years from now since it needs to set itself apart from the current generation of fighter planes. As for the other ambitious project for the fourth-generation Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), India has already entered production using the current state-of-art technology. However, the MCA will not compete with the fighter India selects for the MMRCA project.

In December 2007, India had floated a tender for the acquisition of 126 fighters whose selection will take place in 2010 involving international majors like Boeing and Dassault besides others.

The MCA will have air-to-ground and air-to-air capabilities and will enable suppression of enemy air defence, precision strike and close combat missions. The 20 tonne design will incorporate a low radar cross-section, “serpentine-shaped” air intakes, internal weapons bays and advanced stealth features. Radar-absorbing composites and paints will supplement the design, and there will also be an on-board micro-electro-mechanical system.

The MCA will use an advanced version of the indigenous Gas Turbine Research Establishment’s (GTRE) Kaveri engine which aims to deliver “supercruise” performance, thrust-vectoring control and low infrared capabilities, and a projected top speed of Mach 1.6.

It will also include integrated modular architecture avionics and data fusion sensor capabilities, plus a decision support system, advanced sensors, flush/body conformal antennas and pods, and advanced communication and net-centric warfare capabilities. The aircraft will further have the capability for internal weapon release in supersonic flight, high asymmetry control, and a re-configurable flight-control system.

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