LCA Tejas MK-1A Complete First Maiden Flight in Bengaluru

Defense News ,India :-  Officials from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said that they finished the first flight of their own-made light combat aircraft (LCA) Mark 1A fighter in Bengaluru on Thursday. The aircraft, named LA5033, took off smoothly from HAL's facility in Bengaluru for its 18-minute debut flight, which is an important step in developing this advanced fighter jet.

HAL reaching this milestone shows India's commitment to making the Tejas Mk1A fighter jets efficiently. The successful flight happened as part of HAL's plan to design, develop, and produce the aircraft concurrently.

This approach probably meant they carefully managed their supply chain to overcome challenges caused by global politics after they signed the contract in February 2021.

Gp Capt K K Venugopal (Retd), HAL's Chief Test Pilot (Fixed Wing), expertly piloted the first flight. His experience was vital in making sure the test flight went smoothly.

The Tejas Mk1A is much better than the Mk-1, with improved avionics, weapon systems, operational abilities, and radar technology. These improvements make the Tejas Mk1A crucial for the Indian Air Force (IAF) as they upgrade their fleet and strengthen national defense.

The success of this first flight sets the stage for more testing and evaluation of the Tejas Mk1A to make sure it's ready to enhance the IAF's combat capabilities.

During the first flight, the aircraft was in the air for 15 minutes, officials added.

The Indian Air Force made a deal worth over Rs 48,000 crore with HAL to buy 83 LCA planes, and they have permission to buy 97 more for Rs 65,000 crore.

HAL has already done ground tests, including slow taxi runs. The LCA Mark 1 aircraft joined the IAF in 2016, and two of their squadrons include 45 Squadron and 18 Squadron.

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari called the clearance of the 97 LCAs a big event. "We already had 40 LCAs of the original IOC and FOC version. So with this, in the long run, the strength of the Indian Air Force will grow to 220 LCA Mark 1As, which will equip almost ten squadrons of the Air Force," he said after the deal got cleared by the defense acquisition council.

The IAF believes the 97 Light Combat Aircraft will be perfect for replacing the diminishing number of combat aircraft in the force as they retire the MiG-series planes.