LCA Tejas to be inducted in IAF today

Indian Air Force will raise the first squadron of home-grown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas with the induction of two aircraft into the force in Bengaluru today. State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will hand over the first two Tejas aircraft to the Air Force which will make up the 'Flying Daggers' 45, the name of the first squadron of the LCA.

Officials said, the LCA squadron induction ceremony will be held at the Aircraft System Testing Establishment in the presence of Air Marshal Jasbir Walia, Air Officer Commanding-in Chief, Southern Air Command. The aircraft are likely to perform a sortie during the induction ceremony. The squadron will be based in Bengaluru for the first two years before being moved to Sulur in Tamil Nadu.

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who on May 17 took his maiden flight in Tejas, had termed the



aircraft as good for induction. Air Force has said the idea is to have a total of six aircraft this financial year and about eight in the next. It said, Tejas will feature in combat plan of the IAF next year and will be deployed in forward bases also.

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.

IAF plans to induct over 80 aircraft with better specifications known as Tejas 1A. The upgraded version of Tejas, with Active Electrically Scanned Array Radar, Unified Electronic Warfare Suite, mid-air refuelling capacity and advanced beyond the vision range missiles, will cost between 275 crore and 300 crore rupees.