Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday became the first Defence Minister of India to fly a Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in Bengaluru on Thursday. Dressed in a G-suit, Singh took to the cockpit of the fighter jet with a pilot in the front seat.
“Flying on ‘Tejas’, an Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft from Bengaluru’s HAL Airport was an amazing and exhilarating experience. Tejas is a multi-role fighter with several critical capabilities. It is meant to strengthen India’s air defence capabilities,” Rajnath Singh tweeted after his sortie.
Flying on ‘Tejas’, an Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft from Bengaluru’s HAL Airport was an amazing and exhilarating experience.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 19, 2019
Tejas is a multi-role fighter with several critical capabilities. It is meant to strengthen India’s air defence capabilities. pic.twitter.com/jT95afb0O7
Speaking to Times Now, Air Marshal PK Barbora called the sortie a proud moment for India.
"Singh is the first Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister) to fly the LCA. National Flight Test Centre Director Air-Vice Marshal N. Tiwari piloted the fourth-generation fighter trainer, with Singh behind him in the tandem seater in the glass cockpit," a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) told IANS.
The fighter jet, a twin-seater trainer aircraft, took off from the airport of defence public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru for a 30-minute sortie at 9.58 a.m.
A senior IAF officer and a ground staff at the airport guided Rajnath as he took the rear seat inside the cockpit after ensuring all safety gear were in place. Singh waved out to the crowds at the Karnataka airport before the fighter jet took to the runway.
Shortly before entering the cockpit, Rajnath posted his pictures on Twitter. "All Set for the Day," he tweeted. On Wednesday, Singh had left for Bengaluru to participate in the programme that has been jointly organised by the HAL and the DRDO.
All Set For The Day! pic.twitter.com/JUUdzafutq
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 19, 2019
Singh's maiden flight on the Tejas comes ahead of the Indian Air Force (IAF) placing an order for 83 jets with the HAL, the manufacturer of the 4-plus generation combat aircraft.
In the first week of September, the pricing-related issue of the 83 jets, which had been hanging fire for long, had been successfully resolved by the Department of Defence Production with the HAL.
The new batch of 83 jets will be in addition to the 40 aircraft that have already been ordered by the IAF.
The Tejas has been designed by India's premier defence research institute, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).
On September 13, the naval version of Tejas LCA had achieved a major milestone with a successful "arrested landing" at the shore-based Test Facility of INS Hansa in Goa. The Indian Navy had hailed September 13 as a "golden letter day" in its history.