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DRDO eyes EADS role in Tejas

Consultant status sought

By Aharon Etengoff in San Francisco
January 29, 2009

The DRDO and HAL are reportedly eyeing a prominent role for EADS in the development of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA).

The organisation's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has considered offering the company $20 million to help increase the aircraft's flight envelope and attack vector.

"We have proposed to award the contract to the EADS to help us in carrying out the flight trials of the aircraft and see how its flight envelope can be increased," a DRDO official told Indopia.

The official explained that EADS had significant experience in the development of aircraft for its member partners and could help evaluate the Tejas "without endangering it".

The Tejas is constructed of aluminium-lithium alloys, carbon-fibre composites and titanium. The LCA integrates modern design concepts with advanced technology, including relaxed static stability, flyby-wire flight controls, multi-mode radar, digital avionics and a flat rated engine.

The LCA is equipped with eight external hardpoints to carry stores, with three under each wing. A 23mm twin barrelled GSh-23 gun capable of a 50 round-per-second burst rate is located under the starboard air intake. In addition, the Tejas can be armed with air-to-air, air-to-ground and anti-ship missiles, as well as precision-guided munitions, rockets and bombs.