The indigenous fighter aircraft successfully took off from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier during sea trials, and then landed here...

Indian-made aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on Monday achieved a major milestone by successfully landing the first fixed-wing aircraft when Tejas fighter jet landed here.

The indigenous fighter aircraft successfully took off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier during sea trials, and then landed here.

Speaking to NDTV, former Tejas test pilot Commodore Jaideep Mavalankar (Retd), under whose leadership the naval variant of Tejas has been developed, explained the challenges faced in landing a fighter aircraft on an aircraft carrier. come.

Commodore Mavalankar said, "It is difficult to land on a small ship, everything is moving, and not just in one direction, in every direction... The sea was calm today, the Arabian Sea in winter gives ideal conditions, And it has a lake like environment... It has to be prepared for the Arabian Sea which is very choppy during the monsoons... The small aircraft has to ensure that there is no undue stress on any part..."

The former test pilot said, "It's like threading a needle, you not only have to land in the right spot, but also with the right attitude, to make sure no part of the aircraft is subjected to unnecessary stress, and that Everything has to be done at the right speed... It's like avoiding the sides of a very high mountain at very high speed... The back of the ship looks like a high mountain..."

Explaining how pilots land on an aircraft carrier, Commodore Jaideep Mavalankar said, "We try to keep the jet's carrier speed, which is around 130 knots or 240 kilometers per hour... "

He explained, "In exactly 90 metres, we try to bring the speed down from 240 kmph to zero, and that is done in about 2.5 seconds... a very difficult task... once the arresting wire If you grab hold of the tailhook of the plane, you can't go anywhere..."

The pilots also have to face physical challenges in bringing the speed from zero to 240 kmph in just 2.5 seconds while descending on the flight deck.

The former test pilot said that there have been occasions when pilots forgot to lock their harnesses, and a little blood came to their feet.

The plane throws you overboard, and you have no control over your legs for 2-3 seconds.

Commodore Jaideep Mavalankar was part of the team that landed the Tejas aircraft on India's second aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya.

The 45,000-tonne INS Vikramaditya was built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore, and was commissioned in September last year.

Navy Chief Admiral R.

Hari Kumar had already said that the integration of the aircraft with INS Vikrant is likely to be done by May or June, 2023.

In January 2020, the prototype of the naval version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas successfully landed on the deck of INS Vikramaditya, piloted by Commodore Jaideep Mavalankar.

This achievement achieved in the year 2020 made India one of the few countries that can make such aircraft that can be operated from aircraft carriers.

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