'Made in India' light combat aircraft ‘Tejas’ inducted in Air Force

In a major boost to Indian Air Force, indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA),‘Tejas’, was inducted today at an event in Bengaluru.

State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over the first two ‘Made in India’ Tejas aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which will make up the 'Flying Daggers' 45, the name of the first squadron of the LCA.

The induction ceremony started early morning at the Aircraft System Testing Establishment in the presence of Air Marshal Jasbir Walia, Air Officer Commanding-in Chief, Southern Air Command.

The squadron will be based in Bengaluru for the first two years before being moved to Sulur in Tamil Nadu.

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who on May 17 took his in Tejas, had termed the aircraft as fit to be inducted.

Stating that LCA squadron should be formed by July, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier this month said, "Next year I think two MiG-21 squadrons are being decommissioned; this will go into initially replacing them."

LCAs are better than the MiGs which are old and their parts are difficult to get, he had said.

All squadrons of Tejas will have 20 planes in total, including four in reserve.

As per the plan, while 20 would be inducted under the "Initial Operational Clearance", another 20 will be inducted later with Beyond Visual Range Missile (BVR) and some other features.

IAF plans to induct over 80 aircraft with better specifications known as Tejas 1A.