The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, the pride of the Indian aerospace industry is likely to face more competition in the light single-seat fighter category. The Korean Aerospace Industry (KAI) is working on a single-seat variant of their FA-50, a supersonic advanced jet trainer and a light attack aircraft. This, as more and more nations seek to purchase light-weight cost-effective platforms, especially for nations which are trying to replace legacy Soviet-era fighter jets.
The new single-seat variant of the aircraft will see the replacement of the rear cockpit with additional fuel and avionics. The new variant which is expected to be operational by 2028 will also boast of a domestically developed ground collision avoidance system, such a system could have prevented at least two crashes involving the aircraft. The additional internal fuel capacity of the aircraft will also increase the range of the aircraft by approximately 30%
KAI has dedicated 48 million dollars for the development of a single-seat variant of the aircraft, 140 of which are already flying with the South Korean, Thai, Indonesian, Philippines and Iraqi air forces and has been ordered by Poland and Malaysia. Incidentally, the Tejas was in direct competition with the FA-50 for the Malaysian contract.
Keeping this in mind, India is also taking steps to get a share of the low-cost light fighter market by pitching the LCA Tejas. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is developing the Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer-42 (HLFT-42), a supersonic aircraft that fulfils the same role as the FA-50 and will be a cheaper alternative to the Tejas for this lucrative market.
Both the Tejas and the FA-50 are vying for the United States Navy’s plan to replace its fleet of T-45 Goshawk trainer aircraft, a variant of the Hawk AJT used by India as well, under the Undergraduate Jet Training System.
