On Thursay, Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat took to the skies in the domestic Light Combat Aircraft named Tejas at the Aero India show in Bengaluru and describes the fighter jet as "wonderfull aircraft" that would add to India's air power.
A day after the HAL-made fighter jet received its final operational clearance (FOC) at Aero India, General Rawat took a sortie sitting behind the pilot in the two-seater trainer variant of Tejas. "Flight in the LCA was a wonderful experience," General Rawat said, after the sortie in the skies above the Yelahanka Air Force Station, north of Bengaluru. "It was an experience of a lifetime", he said after a 30-minute jet ride. Rawat said the avionics in Tejas were good and "it is a wonderful aircraft."
He also said that the targeting systems of the Tejas were good. "If it gets added to the inventory, it will add to air power," said the Army chief. "We did normal manoeuvres. We did not do a loop", Rawat said.
It was on Aero India 2019 on Wednesday that the FOC certificate and release to service document was handed over to the Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa. Initial operational clearance for the Tejas was given in 2013 and IOC standard aircraft were inducted into IAF No.45 Squadron in July 2016. The IAF squadron has since flown over 1,500 sorties successfully on the Tejas.