A close look at cockpit of TEJAS (SP-21) production unit at HAL's LCA manufacturing facility

With the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) MMRCA program getting serially delayed and recast more than once, there was a feeling in various quarters that the Tejas Mk2 design should perhaps evolve further than what was initially envisaged to provide an indigenous option for the IAF’s requirements. IAF, in its assessment of vulnerabilities after the retaliatory attack by Pakistan post-Balakot airstrikes in February wants to fast track the development of both the Tejas and Medium Weight Fighter (earlier nomenclature Mk2), thus, the IAF and the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) sat down to redefine the Tejas-Mk2 with more elaborate modifications such that it could function as a medium weight fighter for ground attack roles while continuing to be nimble in the air to air (A2A) role. In fact, the version of the Tejas Mk-2 currently envisaged has been rebadged as the Medium Weight Fighter or (MWF) and is being designed as a replacement for the Mirage-2000 with a view to surpassing its capabilities in almost every respect.

Here is the first look at the advanced Cockpit configuration of HAL's new Medium Weight Fighter

The Medium Weight Fighter (MWF), the gen-next variant of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas – LCA MK-II, will enter the Detail Design phase next month.

The configuration for this advanced single-engine fighter will be frozen this month end along with sub-system level Preliminary Design Reviews (PDRs).

It is now confirmed that the most-critical ‘aircraft-level PDRs’ will be held at the end of this month.

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