Aerospace Engineering Department at Amrita University, Coimbatore Campus, acquired a MiG-23, a fighter-aircraft, from the Indian Ministry of Defense. With this acquisition, students are able to better study the functions and workings of various subsystems of an aircraft. They have an opportunity to lay hands on a real-life aircraft and its subsystems; they get a first-hand experience. The majority of its subsystems are already in place. The Aerospace Engineering Department was started at Amrita in 2007 and over 190 students are currently enrolled in the Aerospace B-Tech program. The department has set up state-of-the-art labs, including an Aerodynamics Lab, Aerospace Structures Lab, Propulsion Lab, and Flight Dynamics and Control Lab.
MiG-23
It is part of the Aircraft Design Lab. The MiG-23, manufactured by the Soviet Union in the 1970s, used to be a prized possession of the Indian Air Force. Now there are newer generation fighter-aircraft’s like the MiG-27 and MiG-29.
Kamov – 25
It is an anti-submarine, shipboard helicopter developed from its predecessor Kamov – 20 by the Kamov Bureau of Russia. It is powered by two turbo-shaft engines that drive the two contra-rotating rotors. The main design feature of this helicopter is the folding three-blade coaxial rotors requiring no tail rotor along with the triple tail fins ensuring compact stow overall dimensions on board ship. Another conspicuous design feature of this aircraft is the flat bottom under nose radome that houses the search radar, an integral part of anti-submarine operations. The Kamov–25 acquired by Amrita was operated by the Indian Navy.
