Tejas
Maiden trial of Python-5 air to air missile for India's LCA
Tejas, India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, added the 5th generation Python-5 Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) in its air-to-air weapons capability on April 27, 2021. Trials were also aimed to validate enhanced capability of already integrated Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AAM on Tejas.
The test-firing at Goa completed a series of missile trials to validate its performance under extremely challenging scenarios.
Derby missile achieved a direct hit on a high-speed maneuvering aerial target and the Python missiles also achieved 100% hits, thereby validating their complete capability. The trials met all their planned objectives.
Prior to these trials, extensive missile carriage flight tests were conducted at Bengaluru to assess the integration of the missile with aircraft systems onboard the Tejas, like Avionics, Fire-control radar, Missile Weapon Delivery System and the Flight Control System.
At Goa, after successful separation trials, live launch of the missile on a Banshee target was carried out. Python-5 missile live firing was conducted to validate target engagement from all aspects as well as beyond visual ranges. In all the live firings, missile hit the aerial target.
The missiles were fired from Tejas aircraft of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) flown by Indian Air Force (IAF) Test pilots belonging to the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC).
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