5th generation fighter aircraft will fly in march next: Adviser

Bangalore, June 14: The country's 'ambitious' fifth generation fighter aircraft will fly during March next, the information to this effect was given by M Natarajan, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister on Saturday. Efforts were on to identify a Russian company to provide weapons and electronic warfare systems, Natarajan, who is also the secretary, Defence Research and Development Organisation, said while participating in the inauguration of the Defence avionics research establishment's new campus here. Conceptualisation studies have begun on Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) he said. "We are in the process of evolving a design for MCA", Natarajan said. LCA has great potential notwithstanding problems, he said and added they were being attended to. DRDO director R P Ramalingam, in his welcome address, said it would be Field-testing the fourth generation electronic warfare systems in about 18 months for Mig 27 and LCA. There was also a possibility of extending the tests to fifth generation fighter aircraft, he said.