New Delhi: Amid an ongoing conflict with China along the northern borders, the light combat aircraft (
The LCA Tejas would be the first fleet to be equipped with American JDAMs, which will be one of the mainstays of the force in the future, the ANI said citing the sources. The IAF had recently signed a contract for the JDAM kits.
Tejas is a single-engine supersonic fighter, light, very agile and versatile. It was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with the Aircraft Research and Design Center (ARDC) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy .
Not long ago, the IAF equipped Hammer’s Tejas, the French-sourced air-to-surface missiles, as well as indigenous Astra air-to-air missiles. By adding more and more capabilities to the Tejas aircraft, the IAF is showing its support for the development of the indigenous fighter aircraft program.
How JDAM increase the capacities of the IAF?
The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or “dumb bombs”, into all-weather precision-guided munitions. JDAM kits will allow Tejas fighter jets to destroy enemy bunkers and runways at ranges of 80 km and beyond.
This will give the local plane an extra advantage over opposing fighter planes, as it would be able to destroy targets from a distance.
How does Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) work?
The JDAM “tail kit” includes adjustable tail fins, control computer, inertial guidance system and GPS receiver. This system works well even in bad weather because it gets all its information from satellite signals, which are not blocked by clouds or other obstacles.
In the air, the JDAM’s GPS receiver processes signals from GPS satellites to track its own position. As with other smart bombs, the control system adjusts the flight fins to “steer” the bomb in the right direction.
