Army chief flies in India-made Tejas fighter jet at Aero India show
Bengaluru: In a first, Army chief General Bipin Rawat took off in Tejas fighter jet for a sortie during Aero India 2019 show in Bengaluru on Thursday.
General Rawat occupied the seat behind the pilot in the two-seater trainer variant of the Tejas.
“It’s a wonderful aircraft. If aircrafts like this get added to the IAF inventory, it will increase our air power,” General Rawat said after taking a sortie in Tejas.
#WATCH Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat after taking a sortie in Light Combat Aircraft - Tejas in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/OOqlAARRWm
— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2019
Rawat said, “Flight in LCA Tejas was an experience of a lifetime. From what I could witness, avionics are very good. Its targeting is very good,” adding, “We were doing normal maneuvres. We did not do the loop.”
LCA Tejas was cleared on Wednesday for induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF) after it got final operational clearance from military aviation regulator as a weaponised fighter jet. Tejas is capable of carrying a range of weapons and fired them with precision at the target.