India Tests its own Ejection System for Fighter Jets
India has successfully conducted high-speed tests of a fighter ejection system at 800 km/h.
The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) reported that the tests were conducted on the Rail Track Rocket Sled.
During the test, the cabin was accelerated to a speed of 800 km/h using solid rocket engines, after which the system successfully ejected a dummy pilot.
The test was conducted in cooperation with the Aeronautics Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
This complex dynamic test puts India in the elite club of countries with advanced in-house capabilities for testing pilot evacuation systems.
Dynamic ejection tests are much more complex than static ejection tests and are a realistic means of evaluating the performance of the ejection seat and cockpit.
Ejections from military aircraft are rare, usually in the event of serious malfunctions or damage during combat operations.
During an ejection, the pilot flies out of the aircraft with the seat using a special explosive device located under the seat.
Sensors on the seat determine the moment the parachute opens. The entire process takes about four seconds and requires the coordinated work of many elements to ensure the safety of the pilot.
In the event of a critical situation on board, the pilot or co-pilot usually repeats the words “eject” or “abandon aircraft” and then pulls a handle or lever that starts the ejection process, activating an explosive device under the seat.
It throws the pilot out of the aircraft and simultaneously resets the cockpit light. When the pilot is at a safe distance, the seat detaches and the parachute opens, ensuring a safe landing.
In May this year, a similar system saved a Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilot who suffered an abnormal malfunction while repelling a Russian attack.
Manufacturers
The ejector seat is a high-tech system that is produced in only a few countries.
Full-fledged ejection seats are mass-produced: Great Britain, the United States, Russia, China, France, India, and Sweden.
The British company Martin-Baker is the world leader in this field. Their seats are installed on dozens of aircraft types: F-35, F-16 (partially), Eurofighter Typhoon, Hawk, Gripen, Mirage, etc.
After the 1982 Falklands War, the British government imposed an arms embargo on Argentina, and the supply of British ejection seats and pyro-propellants for the catapult was blocked, so the Argentine Air Force could not receive Super Etendard combat aircraft.
All other countries, in most cases, are developing this technology for installation on locally produced aircraft.
In particular, Sweden’s Saab has its own ejection systems for JAS 39 Gripen aircraft (partly in cooperation with Martin-Baker), which are to be supplied to Ukraine.
