CSIO develops LED landing lights for fighter aircraft

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 26

Indigenously developed LED navigation and landing lights for fighter aircraft will soon replace conventional halogen and filament lights. The new lights are not only light, but also consume less power.

The Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) here has developed landing lights, which form part of the aircraft’s nose-wheel assembly and coloured navigation lights that are installed on wingtips and vertical tail fin.

These were developed for indigenous Tejas aircraft, but the technology and specifications can be adapted to meet requirements for other fighter as well as transport aircraft. At present, imported lights are being used in IAF aircraft.

The LED landing light, which illuminates the runway ahead while taxing, take-off or landing, weighs about 2 kg and consumes 150 watts while giving an illumination of 3.5 lakh candela. Conventional lights, on the other hand weighed 5 kg, including a power booster that also consumed extra space and consumed 1,100 watts for giving less than 2 lakh candela, according to scientists associated with the project. These also generated more heat.

The LED wingtip lights weigh 150 gm each with a brightness of 60 candela, while the conventional lights weigh 400 gm each with a brightness of 20 candela, scientists claimed. Under international regulations, navigation lights are mandatory for all civilian and military aircraft on routine flights. These indicate the aircraft’s presence in the skies as well as the direction of its flight as a safety measure for other aircraft in the vicinity.

CSIO said both types of lights were undergoing trials and these were expected to be operational by January. The project commenced in September last year.