HAL Agrees To Indian Air Force’s Requirement: LCA Tejas To Get A New Thicker Canopy For Better Protection

Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) are working on redesigning the Tejas’ canopy after the Indian Air Force requested a thicker 24 mm canopy in place of existing 16 mm one, Times of India has reported.

The report quoted a senior member privy to developments as saying, “The IAF has said that they now want the canopy to be able to negotiate a 40gm bird-hit as opposed to the 20gm that Tejas offered earlier. We will have to achieve (this) as part of the FOC.”

A team of ADA and HAL has already started work on redesigning of the canopy and is putting it on the test bed, the report cited sources working on the project as saying. The team has also reworked the frame to accommodate the new canopy.

“The existing canopy lining could only hold a 16mm glass, which had to be changed to accommodate 24mm. Now the challenge would be to procure fresh glasses, as HAL had already made some purchases of the 16mm glasses for the canopy, which is of no use now,” a person working on the LCA project was quoted in the report as saying.

As the structure of the Tejas has been modified, it will have to get certification from the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC). However, a senior official of the project said that it will not be a problem as the reworked canopy has tested well on the test bed. According to the report, the same canopy will be used in the more advanced Tejas Mk-1A fighter jet.