Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has finally flown the first Final Operational Configuration (FOC) upgraded Mirage 2000 aircraft, adhering to the scheduled date.

“We have done it again on time. It proves our capability to overcome obsolescence issues of midlife upgrade of platforms and to enhance the reliability and maintainability of these aircraft,” said T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL.

The FOC design was implemented on an Initial Operational Configured (IOC) aircraft which was received by HAL about eight months ago.

“This significant milestone could be achieved by the dedicated efforts of the HAL’s team of designers and engineers with active support from IAF, RCMA and DGAQA (Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance),” Raju said.

The IOC was designed by Dassault and Thales of France, and later HAL took up the FOC design and development activities.

“The FOC configuration covers the integration of Indian-specific weapons, sensors and EW system. This FOC upgrade on Mirage 2000 gives additional capability of air-to-ground weapon, training and helmet-mounted display,” Raju said.

The total design and development was done by HAL which includes mission computer hardware, OFP software, system design and aircraft modification.

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