India has joined the select club of US, Europe, Russia and China after the light combat aircraft (LCA) Navy proved its capability of deck landing.

The LCA Naval Prototype 2 (NP2), piloted by Captain Shivnath Dahiya safely executed the first contact of the arrestor hook system with arresting wire at moderate taxi-in speeds at INS Hansa in Goa.

This is the first of a series of engagement planned at proving the arrestor hook capability, says HAL, CMD T Suvarna Raju.

The HAL’s design wing, aircraft research and design centre (ARDC) has designed and developed the Arrestor Hook System (AHS) for ship deck operations of LCA naval version. The LCA NP2 has been integrated with this AHS. Having verified in-air operation of arrestor hook system in Bengaluru on July 23, 2018, the aircraft has been operating at INS Hansa Goa, since July 28, 2018.

Carrier compatibility trials (CCT) of naval aircraft are slated to be carried out at shore based test facilities, built at Indian Naval Base in Goa. The CCT involves completion of extensive shore based trials before embarking on actual deck. The trial is the stepping stone towards completion of CCT trials of LCA Navy.