As the Tejas speeds towards IOC-II, it appears that a crucial hurdle may slow it down, the platform needs a new radome. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has sent out an expression of interest to vendors to "design, develop and manufacture radome for LCA". The ADA's Directorate of Avionics & Weapon Systems in the EOI of September 2012 notes that it is "looking for alternative radome for LCA as part of their product improvement activity".
The EoI stipulates that the new radome is "to replace the existing radome with improved electromagnetic performance (EM) and with no change in existing geometry and pitot attachments." Also, the new radome needs to have identical geometry, though surface smoothness needs to be "equivalent or better". The document also suggests that the team testing the Tejas has issues with the lightning protection system of the existing radome and that there is rain water ingress at the radome-fuselage junction in the current structure.
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