- Thursday, May 02, 2024
Tejas is a single-seater fighter plane but Modi’s sortie took place in a twin-seat trainer variant operated by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (25) took a sortie on the country’s domestically made light-combat fighter aircraft Tejas in Bengaluru in the southern state of Karnataka. He visited the city-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a defence public-sector undertaking and reviewed the work underway at its manufacturing facility, official sources said.
An elated Modi said the experience left him with “a renewed sense of pride and optimism” about India’s potential.
The prime minister posted on X saying, “Successfully completed a sortie on the Tejas. The experience was incredibly enriching, significantly bolstering my confidence in our country’s indigenous capabilities, and leaving me with a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential,” Prime Minister Modi posted on X.
Successfully completed a sortie on the Tejas. The experience was incredibly enriching, significantly bolstering my confidence in our country's indigenous capabilities, and leaving me with a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential. pic.twitter.com/4aO6Wf9XYO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 25, 2023
Tejas is a single-seater fighter plane but Modi’s sortie took place in a twin-seat trainer variant operated by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew a sortie on Tejas aircraft in Bengaluru, Karnataka, earlier today. pic.twitter.com/TNtWyHHDu9
— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2023
The jet is a 4.5-generation multi-role fighter aircraft and is capable of providing close combat support for ground operations.
It is the smallest and lightest aircraft in its class and has a flawless record of flying.
The air force presently operates 40 Tejas MK-1 aircraft and has 83 Tejas MK-1A fighters on order in a deal amounting to Rs 36,468 crore.
Earlier in November, Tejas took part in the Dubai Air Show and carried out some daring manoeuvres proving its capacity as a potent force.
The jet has been built by HAL and was primarily designed for the air force. A naval variant of the Tejas is also being tested to undertake ground marine operations.
HAL has an order of 18 twin seaters from the air force and is planning to deliver eight of them in the current fiscal. The rest would be delivered progressively by 2026-27.
India and the US signed a historic agreement between HAL and General Electric to manufacture the F414 fighter engines to power Tejas Mark 2 fighter jets, an advanced and powerful variant of Tejas Mark 1A, during Modi’s state visit to Washington in June.
The F404 GE engine powers the Mark 1 variant of Tejas.
