HAL LCA Tejas

“Internship Report”

Submitted by,
Rutuja D Ghavalkar
Department of Aerospace engineering,
Dayananda Sagar University,
Campus-3 Bangalore, 560068.
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

It is a great pleasure for us to acknowledge the assistance and support of many

individuals who have been responsible for the successful completion of this
Internship. First, I take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the LCA
Tejas Division, HAL Bangalore and Dr. Ramakumar Sir, HOD Department of
Aerospace engineering, Dayananda Sagar University Bangalore for providing
us with an excellent opportunity to allow for Internship.

I would like to thank Mrs. Sumati Ma’am, HR LCA Tejas Division who took her
valuable time to allow me in the division and help with all the necessary
requirements. And special appreciation for my guide Mr. M Gandhi Sir, SM LCA
Tejas Division Bangalore for sparing his valuable time to extend help in every
step of my internship, which paved the way for smooth progress and the fruitful
culmination of the internship. I am also grateful to my Instructors who gave us
every requirement throughout the course. I would like to thank one and all who
directly or indirectly helped us with the internship.

Thank you.

With Regards,
Rutuja D Ghavalkar
(ENG20AS0025)

Guided by,
Mr. M Gandhi, SM
LCA Tejas Division
HAL Bangalore
 LCA Tejas

Contents
Acknowledgments

List of Figures

Nomenclature

1. Introduction 4
➢ Introduction to HAL 4
➢ HAL Bangalore 5
➢ LCA Tejas 5
2. Departments in LCA Tejas 7
3. Airframe and Structures 8
➢ Fuselage 9
➢ Wing 9
➢ Fin 9
4. Power Plant System 10
➢ Engine 10
➢ Fuel System 12
5. Hydraulics 13
6. Flight Control System 15
7. Avionics 16
8. Seat and Safety 17
9. Other Important Concepts 18
➢ Composites 18
➢ Black Box (CDR) 18
➢ Weapon Stations 19
10. Conclusion 20

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LIST OF FIGURES

Fig No Name of the Figure Page No.

1 HAL Production 4

2 LCA Tejas 6

3 7
Sketch of LCA Tejas with detailed parts

4 Complete airframe and their production partners 8

5 Turbofan Engine 10

6 3D Model of fuel tank system 12

7 Airplane’s hydraulic system 14

8 Components of Fly by Wire control system 16

9 CSS and Ejection Seat 17

10 Composites in LCA Tejas 18

11 Crack Data Record Boc [CDR] 18

12 Detailed picture of LCA Tejas Weapon Stations 19

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GLOSSARY (NOMENCLATURE/NOTATIONS & ABBREVIATIONS)

Serial Word Notations & Abbreviations

no.

1. HAL Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

2. LCA Light Combat Aircraft

3. LUH Light Utility Helicopter

4. LCH Light Combat Helicopter

5. DRDO Defence Research & Development Organisation

6. PSLV Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

7. GSLV Geostationery Satellite Launch Vehicle

8. ARDC Aircraft Research and Design Centre

9. RWR & Rotary Wing Research and Design Centre

DC

10. FADEC Full Authority Digital Engine Control

11. NAS Network Attached Storage

12. CDR Crack Data Record

13. NAL National Aerospace Laboratories

14. BEL Bharat Electronics Limited

1. INTRODUCTION
3.1 Introduction to HAL

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Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence
company, headquartered in Bangalore, India. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of
the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world today. HAL began
aircraft manufacturing as early as 1942 with licensed production of Harlow PC-5, Curtiss P-36
Hawk and Vultee A-31 Vengeance for the Indian Air Force. HAL currently has 11 dedicated
Research and development (R&D) centers and 21 manufacturing divisions under 4 production
units spread across India. HAL is managed by a Board of Directors appointed by the President of
India through the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. HAL is currently involved in
designing and manufacturing of fighter jets, helicopters, jet engine and marine gas turbine
engine, avionics, software development, spares supply, overhauling and upgrading of Indian
military aircraft.

Over the years, HAL has designed and developed several platforms like the HF-24 Marut, the
Dhruv, the LUH, and the LCH. HAL also manufactures indigenous products with technology
transferred from the DRDO, in association with Bharat Electronics for its avionics and Indian
Ordnance Factories for the on-board weapons systems and ammunition. HAL supplies ISRO, the
integrated L-40 stages for GSLV Mk II, propellant tanks, feed lines of PSLV, GSLV MKII and
GSLV MK III launch vehicles and structures of various satellites.The HAL HF-24 Marut
fighter-bomber was the first indigenous fighter aircraft made in India.

Figure 1: HAL Production

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3.2 HAL Bangalore

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) based in Bangalore, India, is one of Asia's largest
aerospace companies. Under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence, this
state-owned company is mainly involved in the aerospace industry, which includes
manufacturing and assembling aircraft, navigation and related communication equipment, as
well as operating airports.

HAL built the first military aircraft in South Asia and is currently involved in the design,
fabrication and assembly of aircraft, jet engines, and helicopters, as well as their components and
spares. It has several facilities spread across several states in India including Nasik, Korwa,
Kanpur, Koraput, Lucknow, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The German engineer Kurt Tank
designed the HF-24 Marut fighter-bomber, the first fighter aircraft made in India. Hindustan
Aeronautics has a long history of collaboration with several other international and domestic
aerospace agencies such as Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Sukhoi Aviation Corporation,
Elbit Systems, Israel Aircraft Industries, RSK MiG, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce plc, Dassault
Aviation, MBDA, EADS, Dornier Flugzeugwerke, the Indian Aeronautical Development Agency
and the Indian Space Research Organisation. There are following divisions in HAL Bangalore:

● Aircraft Division Bangalore.

● Engine Division Bangalore.
● Overhaul Division Bangalore.
● Foundry & Forge Division Bangalore.
● Aerospace Division Bangalore.
● IMGT Division Bangalore.
● Airport Services Centre Bangalore.
● LCA-Tejas Division Bangalore.
● Helicopter Division Bangalore
● RWR & DC, ARDC Division

3.3 LCA Tejas

The HAL Tejas is an Indian, single engine, delta wing, light multirole fighter designed by the
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with Aircraft Research and Design
Centre (ARDC) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and Indian
Navy. It was developed from the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, which began in the
1980s to replace India's ageing MiG-21 fighters but later became part of a general fleet
modernisation programme. In 2003, the LCA was officially named "Tejas". It is the smallest and
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lightest in its class of contemporary supersonic combat aircraft. The Tejas is the second fighter
developed by HAL with the intention of supersonic performance, after the HAL HF-24 Marut.
The Tejas achieved initial operational clearance in 2011 and final operational clearance in 2019.
The first Tejas squadron became operational in 2016, as No. 45 Squadron IAF Flying Daggers
was the first to have their MiG-21s replaced with the Tejas.
The Tejas currently has three production models – Tejas Mark 1, Mark 1A and trainer. The IAF
has ordered 40 Tejas Mark 1, 73 Tejas Mark 1A and 10 trainer aircraft. The IAF plans to procure
324 aircraft in all variants, including the Tejas Mark 2 currently under development. The Tejas
Mark 2 is expected to be ready for series production by 2026. As of 2022 indigenous content in
the Tejas Mark 1 is 59.7% by value and 75.5% by number of line replaceable units. The
indigenous content of the Tejas Mk 1A is expected to be 50% and rise to 60% by the end of the
programme.
The Tejas is a single-engine multirole combat aircraft which has a tailless, compound delta wing
design with "relaxed static stability" for enhanced maneuverability and agility. The Tejas is a
multi-role combat aircraft and its flexibility permits it to carry out Interception, air-to-surface and
anti-shipping roles in a single mission.The wind tunnel testing and computational fluid dynamics
analysis have optimised the design of Tejas for minimum transonic and supersonic wave drag, as
well low wing-loading.

Figure 2: LCA Tejas

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2. DEPARTMENTS IN LCA TEJAS

The LCA Tejas has been built and developed with so many different and unique components.
These components are classified under several departments. Following are the name of the
departments which together for and work as a complete aircraft:

1. Structures
2. Power Plant System
3. Hydraulics
4. Flight Control System
5. Electrical System
6. Seat and Safety

Each department plays a vital and important role in building a complete aircraft. They are
explained in brief throughout the followings

Figure 3: Sketch of LCA Tejas with detailed parts

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3. AIRFRAME AND STRUCTURES

Apart from aluminium-lithium alloys and titanium alloys, carbon-fibre composite materials are
used in the construction of the Tejas. The composite materials constitute 45% of the airframe by
weight and 90% by surface area, the highest among contemporary aircraft. The upper and lower
wing surfaces, wing spars and wing ribs are also made out of carbon-fibre composites, while the
fin tip is made out of glass-fibre. The extensive use of composite materials in the airframe not
only makes the aircraft lighter but also gives high strength. This also reduces the number of
joints or rivets, increases the aircraft's structural integrity and lowers its susceptibility to fatigue
cracks. The tailfin is a monolithic honeycomb structure, reducing the manufacturing cost by 80%
compared to traditional methods. Initially the Tejas prototypes were equipped with a radome
made out of Kevlar which was replaced with a quartz radome in the production aircraft.
The naval LCA has a nose droop to provide improved view for carrier landings. In addition to
the elevons, the naval LCA have wing leading–edge vortex controllers (LEVCON) control
surfaces that extend from the wing-root leading edge, which could be deflected to a downward
angle or an upward angle to increase lift and reduce airspeed during approach. The LEVCONs
also provides better low-speed handling and increase controllability at high angles of attack
(AoA). The naval Tejas also has a strengthened undercarriage, stronger landing gear, and an
arrestor hook system for carrier landings. The two-seat LCA Navy variant (NP-1) has
aerodynamic commonality with the trainer variant.

Figure 4: Complete Airframe and their production partners

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3.1 Fuselage
The fuselage acts as the main skeleton of the aircraft which has a function to shape and provides
necessary aerodynamics to it. The fuselage, or body of the airplane, is a long hollow tube which
holds all the pieces of an airplane together. The fuselage is hollow to reduce weight. As with
most other parts of the airplane, the shape of the fuselage is normally determined by the mission
of the aircraft.

In LCA Tejas the fuselage is divided into three parts: Front Fuselage (1-20 sections) , Centre
Fuselage (20-30 sections) and Rear Fuselage. Front Fuselage consists of nose and cockpit
whereas Mid Fuselage consists of wings structure, fuel tanks along with flight control system
and Rear Fuselage consists of engine and fin.

3.2 Wing
The wing plays the most important role in the structure of the aircraft. Wings are the lift
providing device that helps aircraft to fly an dreamin in air by inducing necessary lift with the
help of Ailerons and Elevators. Ailerons are the primary control devices which produce rolling
action and elevators provide pitching moment. Whereas in LCA Tejas the elevators and ailerons
are combined in one wing structure with Elevons. Elevons provide necessary roll and pitch at the
required operation and time.

LCA Tejas has Delta Wings which is a Tailless Compound Delta configuration. A delta wing
produces very high drag at low speeds, and thus is not favourable for subsonic missions, or at
least until it gets to a comfortable angle of attack. Drop tanks and missiles are attached to the
wing of the aircraft. Delta wing designs are generally considered for efficient high speed/high
altitude performance. A delta wing provides a large wing area and internal volume, lower (wave)
drag in regular flight compared to wider wings of narrower aspect/chord ; however there is a
penalty of higher induced drag , that is higher drag while performing maneuvers. While lift itself
is crucial and desirable for higher maneuverability, it comes with the side effect of drag, and both
lift and drag increase with angle of attack until a point where drag greatly exceeds lift. Delta
winged aircraft tend to have lower sustained turn rate and lesser maximum permissible angle of
attack due to this.

3.3 Fin
The fin stabilizer, fin or small wing mounted on a ship or aircraft in such a way as to oppose
unwanted rolling motions of the vehicle and thus contribute to its stability. The term also refers
to the tail protuberances on bombs, artillery shells, and rockets to maintain the stability of these
devices in flight. The fin has Rudder. The rudder controls movement of the aircraft about its
vertical axis. This motion is called yaw. Like the other primary control surfaces, the rudder is a
movable surface hinged to a fixed surface in this case, to the vertical stabilizer or fin. The rudder
is controlled by the left and right rudder pedals.

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4. POWER PLANT SYSTEM

An aircraft engine, or powerplant, produces thrust to propel an aircraft. Reciprocating engines

and turboprop engines work in combination with a propeller to produce thrust. Turbojet and
turbofan engines produce thrust by increasing the velocity of air flowing through the engine.
LCA Tejas has a turbofan single engine. Along with multiple fuel systems.

4.1 Engine
The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft
propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the turbo portion refers
to a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanical energy from combustion, and the fan, a
ducted fan that uses the mechanical energy from the gas turbine to force air rearwards. Thus,
whereas all the air taken in by a turbojet passes through the combustion chamber and turbines, in
a turbofan some of that air bypasses these components. A turbofan thus can be thought of as a
turbojet being used to drive a ducted fan, with both of these contributing to the thrust. The ratio
of the mass-flow of air bypassing the engine core to the mass-flow of air passing through the
core is referred to as the bypass ratio. The engine produces thrust through a combination of these
two portions working together; engines that use more jet thrust relative to fan thrust are known as
low-bypass turbofans, conversely those that have considerably more fan thrust than jet thrust are
known as high-bypass. Most commercial aviation jet engines in use today are of the high-bypass
type, and most modern military fighter engines are low-bypass. Afterburners are used on
low-bypass turbofan engines with bypass and core mixing before the afterburner. The LCA Tejas
has GE 404/414 Turbofan Engine.

Figure 5: Turbofan Engine

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The Secondary Power Plant system plays an important role with various parts and components
constituting several operations. The secondary power plant system involves gearbox AMAGB
[Aircraft Mounted Accessory Gearbox]. AMAGB is a single input and multi output gearbox.
This gearbox has four components fitted on it. On the right and left side bottom IDG [Integrated
Drive Generator] which is the main power source of aircraft with 30-40 kVA. JFS [Jet Fuel
Starter] which has the ability to start the engine on ground is mounted on the forward face of the
gearbox. AMAGB is designed and developed by CVRDE, Chennai. AMAGB was a type
approved in 2010. Manufactured by HAL Engine Division through TOT. This engine has two
spool arrangements with one high pressure (HP) and another low pressure (LP). Front centrifugal
compressor is connected to the axial flow turbine. Above IDG and JFS hydraulic pumps are
present which gives hydraulic power. The starter to start the engine begins to work on its own
then is called a “self sustained” engine. The turbine starts at this condition.

AMAGB needs lubrication so it has an internal oil lubricant along with a charging point. A filter
is present where oil is splashed around the gearbox and then it comes back to the lubrication
sump which has a filter. There is also a chance of blockage so an indicator is present called a
“clogging indicator”. Two MCD’s [Magnetic Chip Detector] are present on the gearbox. Over a
period of operation oil will be heated up so to control the temperature two FCOC’s [Fuel Cooled
Oil Cooler]. Oil will be sent to FCOC. One FCOC will be present on IDG and AMAGB has
another FCOC for lubrication. FCOC is also cooling lubricating/ hydraulic oil. Temperature
monitoring system is also present. Fuel line going from the booster pump to the engine will have
a fuel flow transmitter called Flowmeter. This flowmeter detects the amount of fuel passed and
conducted. A switch in the cockpit is present to start the engine called LP (Low Pressure) cock.
LP cock is present after flowmeter. It will have two sensors namely temperature sensor and
absolute pressure sensor. When the switch is on until then the fuel is allowed once LP cock is
blocked then engine is started. Once the fuel is supplied and finished, the pilot uses JFS starters
to start the engine. Twin spool low bypass turbofan engine is provided with afterburner. It has six
modules. Fan module, HP compressor module, Compressor module, HP turbine, LP turbine and
Afterburner duct. Advantages of having a module concept is interchangeability and ease of
module. Bypass ratio is 0.34 and compressor ratio is 1:27 with max RPM speed 16810. The two
spools have two rotors which are coaxially fitted with five bearings among which three are ball b
earrings and two are roller bearings. There are three sumps in engine A, B and C. Sumps are for
lubrication whereas sump A produces lubrication to the first bearing, B to the second and third
bearing and C to the fourth and fifth bearing. Sumps B and C are interconnected to vent which
opens to atmospheric air. Maximum thrust produced by an afterburner is 1800 pounds. FADEC is
known as the brain of the engine. There are several seniors present for fire extinguisher which
activate if temperature rises. The oil level checks are done which can be understood by the “OK”
displayed on the oil pipe edge. Several inspections are done on the aircraft among which the
Boroscopic Inspection is one which is performed to check engine conditions. There is a scope
probe with camera and led mounted at the edge. This probe is connected to a display screen
which shows in detail as we move the probe inside the engine.

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4.2 Fuel System

Fuel system works as a major factor to the engine when it comes to powerplant system. There are
four internal fuel tanks in LCA Tejas. Namely F1F2, F1A, one on left wing and another on right
wing. F1F2 is the main feeder tank and is non pressurized with fuel capacity of 810 kg in fighter
and 980 kg in trainer aircraft. In fighter aircraft there are four internal fuel tanks and trainer
aircraft have three internal fuel tanks. Along with internal there are external tanks also called
Drop Tanks. The positions at which drop tanks are mounted are Wing board with two tanks each
of 1200 litres, Mid board with two tanks each of 800 litres and one at Belly with 725 litres
capacity. Additives are used if the fuel is not in use for a longer time. Freezing point can be
increased by adding additives. Tests are done to check the quality of fuel like water test and fuel
level test. Water test is done by adding one capsule in 100 ml of fuel, if fuel color turns pink then
water is present if it remains as it is then no water is present. To check any particles we must stir
it and if particles are present they settle down. Specific gravity is checked by using a hydrometer.
NAS should be less than or equal to 5 for LCA Tejas. There are two booster pumps, one id used
for mach and another for emergency. Refueling and defueling can be done using filercaps. There
will be gazing pumps to check fuel and pressure level. F1F2 has seven gazing pumps, each wing
has four. If there are any fire catching ECFMU [Environmental Control Fuel Monitoring Unit].
For defueling first F1F2 and then F1A will be preferred. Some parameters of F1 bottom are:
GRP [Ground Refueling point], MBP1 [Main Booster Pump] which is electrically operated, DC
is a starting pump, EBP2 [Emergency Booster Pump] which is hydraulically operated, DSV
[Defuel Shelter Valve], FDV [Fuel Drain Valve] which works on gravity and is used to drive the
valve, WDV [Water Drain Valve]. There are two PRV [Pressure Refueling Valve] used in internal
drop tanks for adjusting and allowing pressure path. TRV [Transfer Refueling Valve] and FNAV
[Fuel No Air Valve] used in refueling techniques.

In the Air and Venting system, there is a depressurizing cock which is used as a shut off valve.
F1F2 are not pressurized so spending upon altitude it differs. There are several other valves like
PRV [Pressure Relieving Valve], IORV [Inward Outward Relieving Valve] and SRV [Search
Relieving Valve]. The order of use is PRV, IORV then SRV.

Figure 6: 3D model of fuel tank system

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5. HYDRAULICS

Aviation hydraulic systems are cost-effective to install, relatively easy to maintain, and most
importantly can operate efficiently in even the most demanding in-flight conditions. Because of
this, today’s modern aircraft use hydraulic systems for the operation of many flight-critical
components. In fact, even early aircraft utilized hydraulic brake systems.The components are
typically lightweight, easy to install, and simple to inspect. Furthermore, due to their inherent
design and the use of fluid dynamics, hydraulics are almost 100% efficient with very little
friction-related loss of fluid. The most frequent applications for aircraft hydraulic systems are
flight control surfaces, landing gear, and brakes. Regardless of the size of the aircraft – from
small civilian single-engine propeller-powered planes to massive, multi-engine jet transports –
the fundamentals of aircraft hydraulics are virtually the same. The basic components of any
hydraulic system are essentially as follows:

● Pump – The pump is the power-generating device that pressurizes the system.
● Reservoir – The reservoir is the vessel that stores the hydraulic fluid used by the
system.
● Actuating Cylinder – The actuating cylinder is where the work of the hydraulic
system is performed. For example, the actuating cylinder would be connected to the
flaps of the airplane so that they can be positioned according to the pilot’s control
inputs.
● Pressure Relief Valve – The pressure relief valve protects the hydraulic system
against over pressurization.
● Heat Exchanger – The heat exchanger maintains the hydraulic fluid in the system at
the proper temperature.

The underlying principle of any hydraulic system – the science behind what makes the system
work – is Pascal’s Law. Hydraulic system in LCA Tejas is classified into two operations.
Primary and Secondary operations.The primary and secondary operations takes place using
hydraulics. Primary operations are rudder and elevons. Secondary operations are airbrakes, slats,
extraction and retraction, steering wheel. There are two systems divided into equal and exact
number of components in hydraulics. Namely system 1 and system 2. Both the system has
separate reservoir, pump and other components for each. In case if one system fails another
system carries out the operation. If both the system fails then EDP [Engine Driven Pump] takes
charge. There is another pump driven by hydraulics EMDP [Engine Motor Driven Pump], this
pump is used in emergency situations. As the EMDP is used when there is an engine failure and
seat ejection is required to be performed. When the aircraft is not in straight condition for
ejections then the EMDP is used to stabilize the aircraft and eject the seat. It runs for 2-3 minutes
only.

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The normal pump has a pressure of 280 bar and it pumps 110 litres/ min. Whereas EDP has 260
bar and can pump 30 litres/ min. EMDP has a pressure of 207 bar. There are switches and
transducers present on EDP. Switches indicate presence or absence of pressure and transducers
indicate the amount of pressure present. There are pressure filters at the pump and return filters
at the reservoir. Pump has a different filter called case drain filter. This filter works when some
mechanical part chip is suspended through the port. Hydromobiles are used for external pressure.
Reservoir has a capacity of 9.5 litres. If the leakage takes place in the reservoir there is a cut off
which works as soon as capacity reaches to 4.5 litres. This cut off reciprocates to Isolation Valve
which prevents supply to secondary operations in case of leakage. There are FCOC’s used for
cooling air. There are two selector valves used for normal operation. These selector valves are
present one at the door and another at the undercarriage. Preferential order is door and then
undercarriage. In case of emergency second selector restricts or delays undercarriage or
secondary operations. There are two pistons up and down for the reservoir used to maintain
pressure of 5.5 bar even in case of inverted operation. Titanium material is used for all hydraulic
lines and aluminium material is used for return lines. Each slat has one actuator. Brakes have an
antiskid where only pistons are used to stop. Antiskid brakes work for several intervals of time
(release and break). Nose wheel has brake only steering whereas the rear wheel has brakes.
There is a generator driven by hydraulics called HMDG [Hydraulic Motor Driven Generator].
Fluid use for operating is “MIL H5606E '' which operates at the rate of -54 to 34 degree celsius.

Figure 7: Airplane’s hydraulic system

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6. FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM

Any aircraft that flies has some principles, equations, laws and theorems following it. The basic
principle on which aircraft produce life is Bernoulli’s principle. Other laws on which an aircraft
functions are Newton’s first, second law of motion and third law of motion. Arichemedis
principle is also one of them along with Pascal’s law and Gas laws.
The FCS [Flight Control system] is divided into three systems: Flight control Surfaces, Air Data
System, and Miscellaneous. Flight Control Surfaces are further divided into primary and
secondary control surfaces. Primary flight surfaces handle primary flight activities like roll, pitch
and yaw.
The aerodynamic configuration of Tejas is based on a delta-wing layout with shoulder-mounted
wings. The control surfaces include three-section slats on the wing's outer leading edge while the
inboard sections of the wings have additional slats to generate vortex lift over the inner wing and
high-energy air-flow along the tail fin to enhance high-AoA stability. The wing trailing edge fits
two-segment elevons to provide pitch and roll control. The only empennage-mounted control
surfaces are the single-piece rudder and two airbrakes, located in the upper rear part of the
fuselage, one each on either side of the fin. Since the Tejas is a relaxed static stability design, it is
equipped with a NAL-developed full authority quadruplex digital fly-by-wire flight control
system and an open architecture digital flight control computer developed by BEL. Its flight
control surfaces are controlled by hybrid electro-hydraulic actuators through the digital flight
control computer. The fly-by-wire flight control system of the Tejas has an advanced feature
called auto low-speed recovery. This enables envelope protection at low speed and high angles of
attack. It prevents the aircraft from entering into uncontrolled flight while maneuvering. Another
feature is disorientation recovery function, once engaged it will recover the aircraft to an optimal
altitude, airspeed and level flight. Some of the flight control laws for these features were
formulated by the IIT Bombay research university.
Control column assembly which is mounted with pilot’s stick with to and fro motion has four
sets of LVDT [Linear Variable Differential Transducer]. LVDT is the transducer which converts
mechanical energy to electrical energy, such as pilot’s to and fro motion of stick into operation of
flight. LVDT will give a signal to DFCC [Digital Flight Control Computer] with four electrical
channel inputs then process and get output from four channels and will be working with evenly
distributed load. If two channels fail, the other two work. If all three channels fail then the other
one works. Left and right is for rolling motion, front and back is for pitching moment. For yaw
we have two rudder pedals connected to AFU [Artificial Feel Unit] and an aerodynamic damping
sensor. AFU will have two sets of LVDT. Among which one set is for yaw moment and another
set is for nose wheel steering on ground. There will be armament, trimming and toggle switches
on the control stick among which a toggle switch is used for steering. DFCC works as the main
system for all signals.

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7. AVIONICS

The avionics of the Tejas Mark 1 is centered around Elta EL/M-2032 radar. Its digital flight
control computer was developed by ADE and manufactured by BEL. It has an electronic warfare
(EW) suite domestically developed by Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE),
which consists of a radar warning receiver (RWR), integrated self-protection jammer, chaff and
flare dispenser system.\The new EW system for the Mark 1A, developed by DARE and known
as the Unified Electronic Warfare suite (UEWS), will have electronic countermeasures and
electronic counter-countermeasure capabilities, digital radio frequency memory based jamming
and deception capabilities.
The Tejas can also carry pod-based sensors such as forward looking infrared (FLIR). Currently
the Tejas is cleared to carry the Rafael Litening III targeting/reconnaissance pod, while an
advanced version named Litening 4I will be integrated on the Tejas. The Litening 4I pod,
developed by the C4I systems division of Rafael, enables the aircraft to carry out reconnaissance,
surveillance and intelligence gathering, in addition to target acquisition. The Tejas has an
integrated health-monitoring system.
The Tejas has a night vision goggles compatible glass cockpit, equipped with a domestically
developed head-up display (HUD), three multi-function displays, two Smart Standby Displays
by Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO). The Tejas has
hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) arrangement to reduce pilot's workload. The displays
provide key information on a need-to-know basis, the pilot interacts with onboard systems
through a multi-functional keyboard and several selection panels. The Tejas has a
"get-you-home" panel coupled with an air data computer developed by Bharat Electronics
Limited to assist the pilot in case of an emergency. The cockpit is equipped with Martin-Baker
16LG zero-zero ejection seat and canopy severance system developed by the DRDO for safe
ejection. For life support, Tejas Mark 1 relies on conventional liquid oxygen LOX system, while
an onboard oxygen-generation system (OBOGS) has been developed for Tejas Mark 1A. The
ADA has developed virtual reality assisted cockpit simulator for Tejas, and N-LCA. Currently
Tejas pilots are flying with Elbit DASH IV helmet-mounted display system.

Figure 8: Components of Fly By Wire control system

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8. SEAT AND SAFETY

The Canopy Severance System (CSS) is a life-saving device that helps in the safe ejection of a
fighter aircraft pilot in a time of distress. CSS comprises two independent subsystems. The first
one being the In-flight Egress System (IES) for in-flight emergencies, which is integrated with
the seat ejection operation and rescues the pilot in case of emergencies when the aircraft is in
flight mode. The second one is the Ground Egress System (GES) for on-ground emergencies,
which rescues the pilot in case of ground emergencies without initiating the ejection seat. CSS
works with the two critical components, MDC for cutting canopy bubbles and Explosive transfer
line (ETL) for transmission of explosive shock from one point to another without affecting
surroundings. MDC and ETL operate with a velocity of detonation of 6000 metres per second,
ensuring the cutting action of the canopy occurs in less than 5 m/sec from the time of initiation.
Further, CSS works on the tenet of controlled propagation of detonation with the help of
explosive mechanical energy. It consists of critical mechanical and explosive components
qualified to military-grade requirements and demonstrating high reliability. The seat ejection
trials of CSS for LCA Tejas were tested successfully at M/s Martin Baker Co., London, UK and
for trainer aircraft at M/s. Zvezda, Moscow, Russia. The design of CSS design has been done by
Certifying Agency RCMA (AA), Pune and CEMILAC, Bangalore has issued Type Approval.
ARDE and HEMRL are now capable of developing CSS for any fighter jet aircraft as required
by Indian Air Force (IAF).
Tejas has GSH 23mm gun which is GASHA with 23mm diameter of gun. The Gun system has a
amniton tank which is stored with 200 bullets. It has a speed of positive or negative 750 m/s.
Rate of fire is 3000-3400 rounds/minute. It has an automatic fire system with twin barrel gun,
which works on kinematic operation of sides. Weight of the gun is 50.5 kg.

Figure 9: CSS and Seat Ejection

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9. OTHER IMPORTANT TOPICS

9.1 Composites
Apart from aluminium-lithium alloys and titanium alloys, carbon-fibre composite materials are
used in the construction of the Tejas. The composite materials constitute 45% of the airframe by
weight and 90% by surface area, the highest among contemporary aircraft.

Figure 10:Composites in LCA Tejas

9.2 Black Box [CDR]

A black box is a flight data recorder that must be in every air vehicle. All flight information is
recorded into the black box with a specific algorithm. This makes the recorded flight data
accessible to authorities when needed. Contrary to popular belief, the black box is mostly bright
orange, not black.

Figure 11: Crack Data Record Box

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9.3 Weapon Stations

Figure 12: Detailed Picture of LCA Tejas Weapon Stations

BVRM: Beyond Visual Range Missile CCM: Convention on Cluster Munition

LGB: Laser Guided Bomb

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11. CONCLUSION
The internship turned out to be the most useful part of my career. All the things learnt in the
classroom and comparing it to a practical extent provide better exposure.

So far Light Combat Aircraft or LCA is a fighter aircraft that is on the lower side of weight, cost,
and other features. Also known as light fighters, the aircraft provides cost-effective design and
performance by selecting specific features according to requirements. A well-designed LCA can
also match heavier jets and that too at a lower cost. LCAs are thus considered as strategically
valuable assets.

In India, state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has produced India’s first self-made
LCA, Tejas. It is a single-engine, 4th generation, multirole light fighter designed by the
Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with HAL’s Aircraft Research and
Design Centre (ARDC) for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. The fighter development
started in the 1980s to replace India’s ageing MiG 21 fighter jets.

Currently, Tejas Mark 1 and Tejas Mark 1A are at various stages of production and induction. By
2025-26, HAL is expected to be ready with Tejas Mark 2 for series production.

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