Bangalore:
In what is being hailed as a landmark for Indian Air Force, the indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft
(LCA), ‘Tejas’ , was inducted
today at an event in Bangalore.
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.
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
squadron will be based in Bangalore for the first two years before being moved
to Sulur in Tamil Nadu. Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha had earlier termed the
aircraft as fit to be inducted.
Stating
that LCA squadron should be formed by July, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikarhad
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.
IAF plans to induct over 80 aircraft with better specifications known as Tejas 1A.
IAF plans to induct over 80 aircraft with better specifications known as Tejas 1A.
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.
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