Made in India Tejas to join IAF

Bangalore: Indian aerospace experts are set to claim their place in the Sun with the induction of the first made-in-India fighter jet ‘Tejas’ by the Indian Air Force (IAF) here on Friday.

Two senior pilots Group Captain Suneet Krishna and Group Captain Ritu Raj Tyagi will demonstrate the maneuverability of these battle-ready fighters to defence minister A.K. Antony and minister of state for defence Jitender Singh before Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne receives the service documents of ‘Tejas’.

The induction of this fighter marks the fruition of a project which was launched 30 years ago. “We must be proud of our designers and pilots who have overcome many hurdles and the technological embargo announced by the United States, post Pokhran-II tests in 1998. We have proved that we can design and fly a fighter. It has flown almost 2,500 sorties without a glitch, which is definitely a major achievement. We must explore the option of exporting it to South Asia and other parts of the world,” Dr V.S. Arunachalam, former scientific advisor to the defence minister, who initiated the project in 1983, told Deccan Chronicle. 

Sources in Indian Air Force said though it was originally designed as a replacement for MiG 21, it was far superior to the Russian fighters and could be classified as a fourth generation fighter jet.

Meanwhile, Hindustan Aeronautics Lim­ited (HAL) said production facilities have been set up to roll out the fighters beginning 2014. “We have plans to initially produce eight aircraft per year. Further plans are afoot to enhance the production rate to 16 aircraft per year in consultation with IAF and MOD (Ministry of Defence)”, said HAL Chairman Dr R.K. Tyagi.

He said about 500 sorties were flown in 2013, the highest for any particular year right from commencement of the project. Tejas has demonstrated weapon delivery capability during flight trials at Jamnagar, Jaisalmer and Goa. The fighters for two IAF squadrons would be manufactured over the next four to five years, he said in a statement released on the eve of induction of Tejas.