with the design and development of LCA while HAL was chosen as the principal contractor. The government's "self-reliance" goals for the LCA included the three most sophisticated and challenging systems: the Fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system, multi-mode pulse-doppler radar, and afterburning turbofan engine. The project definition phase was commenced in October 1986 with France's Dassault-Breguet Aviation as consultant. Dassault-Breguet's expertise was mainly utilised in the design and system integration of the Tejas. In 1988, Dassault offered a hybrid fly by wire flight control system for the LCA, consisting of three digital channels and one analogue channel, with a redundant analogue channel as a back up in case the digital channels fails. But the ADA was in favour of a quadruplex digital FBW flight control system. The design of the Tejas was finalised in 1990, as a small tailless compound delta wing design with relaxed static stability. To provide enhanced manoeuvrability it would be a control configured vehicle incorporating a digital FBW flight control system. Kota Harinarayana was the Programme Director and Chief Designer of Tejas. In 1992, a dedicated National Control Law (CLAW) team was set up by the National Aerospace Laboratories to develop India's own state of the art FBW flight control system for the Tejas. According to FlightGlobal, Lockheed Martin's consultancy was sought earlier, but following a US embargo in response to India's second nuclear tests in 1998, India was forced to complete the software independently. This delayed the programme partly by about 18 months. The CLAW team completed the design and integration of the flight control laws with the flight control system software, with the aid of an Iron Bird test rig. The quadruplex digital fly-by-wire flight control system conducted over 50 hours of pilot testing on Technology Demonstrator TD-1. On 4 January 2001, on its maiden flight, the TD-1 successfully flew with an indigenous quadruplex digital FBW flight control system. Another critical technology needed for LCA was the multi-mode radar (MMR). Initially, the Ericsson/Ferranti PS-05/A I/J-band multi-function radar, also used on Saab's JAS 39 Gripen, was intended to be used. However, DRDO decided to develop an indigenous multi-mode radar for the Tejas. HAL's Hyderabad division and the DRDO's Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) laboratory were selected to jointly lead the MMR programme, and work commenced in 1997. The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) was responsible for the MMR's test programme. An HAL-748 airborne surveillance aircraft