The National Aerospace Laboratories has achieved a significant milestone in the Light Combat Aircraft program with the development of a full-scale Radome using advanced quartz–cyanate ester composites. 

This Radome is designed to meet the demanding requirements of the TEJAS MK-2, ensuring electromagnetic transparency while maintaining structural integrity under operational stresses.

The radome represents a critical advancement in indigenous aerospace technology, reducing dependence on imported systems and strengthening India’s self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Its design incorporates high-performance composite materials that provide durability against aerodynamic loads, bird strikes, and environmental erosion, while ensuring minimal interference with radar performance.

In addition to the Radome, NAL has fabricated a composite bypass duct using high-temperature polyimide composites. This component is crucial for managing airflow and thermal stresses within the aircraft, offering improved resilience and efficiency compared to conventional metallic structures.

The use of polyimide composites ensures stability under extreme conditions, enhancing the aircraft’s long-term operational reliability.

NAL has also applied co-curing technology for the centre fuselage composite components of the LCA. 

This advanced manufacturing process integrates multiple composite structures into a single curing cycle, reducing weight, improving structural efficiency, and enhancing corrosion resistance.

The co-curing approach represents a leap in aerospace fabrication techniques, aligning with global best practices in advanced fighter aircraft production.

To support operational safety and longevity, NAL developed a fatigue life test rig for the TEJAS SP Trainer’s In-Flight Refuelling probe. This rig enables rigorous evaluation of the probe’s durability under repeated stress cycles, ensuring safe and reliable performance during extended missions. Such testing is vital for certifying components that undergo continuous mechanical loads in demanding flight conditions.

Further extending its contributions, NAL conducted fatigue testing on the AN-32 transport aircraft’s main landing gear hub. The results demonstrated that the hub’s operational life could be extended by an additional 1,000 landings.

This achievement not only enhances fleet availability but also reduces maintenance costs and improves mission readiness for the Indian Air Force.

These developments collectively highlight NAL’s pivotal role in advancing indigenous aerospace technologies. By focusing on composite innovations, fatigue testing, and structural efficiency, the organisation is strengthening India’s capability to produce advanced fighter aircraft and sustain its existing fleet.

The achievements also align with the broader national objective of self-reliance in defence manufacturing, ensuring that future combat platforms are supported by robust domestic technologies.

Agencies