Defence Research and Development Organisation's Aeronautical Development Agency and the Indian Navy are jointly working on it at the design stage. The aircraft would operate from the Indian Navy’s current and future aircraft carriers. Anish Singh reports

Aiming to replace the Russian-origin fighter aircraft MiG-29Ks from the Indian Navy, DRDO is working to develop twin-engine deck based fighter jet and the first prototype is expected to be rolled out by Defence Research and Development Organisation's Aeronautical Development Agency and the Indian Navy are jointly working on it at the design stage. The aircraft would operate from the Indian Navy’s current and future aircraft carriers

TEJAS Navy MK-1 Project Director P Thangavel said, "We have successfully conducted the first flight test of LCA and last year it was also landed on INS Vikramaditya. The Indian Navy has a requirement of twin-engine and advanced medium combat aircraft. We have been working on these projects for 6 months. It would be a big jet but with medium weight. The aircraft would be having wing folding capacity so it can be taken to the hangar for maintenance and storage."

Aiming to replace the Russian-origin fighter aircraft MiG-29Ks from the Indian Navy, DRDO is working to develop twin-engine deck based fighter jet and the first prototype is expected to be rolled out by 2026. 

Defence Research and Development Organisation's Aeronautical Development Agency and the Indian Navy are jointly working on it at the design stage. The aircraft would operate from the Indian Navy’s current and future aircraft carriers. 

"It designs would be such that it can operate from INS Vikramaditya and indigenous aircraft carriers. Without folding, its wings would be of 11.2m but its size gets reduced to 7.6m when it folds," Thangavel said.

India is constructing its first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at the Kochi shipyard. The aircraft carrier is expected to join the service next year.

Sea trials should have begun by now but due to Covid-19 pandemic, the progress was stalled. Its trials are most likely over by 2021 and it will be inducted into Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Naval Command in 2022.