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This is an archive article published on October 4, 2023
HAL hands over first trainer version of LCA Tejas Twin Seater to IAF
During the handing over, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said that the IAF would be going forward to procure 97 more LCAs.
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The trainer version of the LCA had completed its maiden flight on April 5 from the HAL airport in Bengaluru.
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HAL hands over first trainer version of LCA Tejas Twin Seater to IAF
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The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Wednesday handed over the first trainer version of the twin seater Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Bengaluru. Seven more LCA twin seater aircraft will be delivered next year, the HAL said.
The LCA Tejas Twin Seater is a light weight, all weather multi-role 4.5 generation aircraft. “It is designed to support the training requirements of the IAF and augment itself to the role of a fighter in case of necessity. It is an amalgamation of contemporary concepts and technologies such as quadraplex fly-by-wire flight control, carefree manoeuvring, advanced glass cockpit, integrated digital avionics systems and advanced composite materials for the airframe,” HAL said in a statement.
The union Cabinet in 2021 had approved procurement of 83 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft at a cost of Rs 45,696 crore.
On Wednesday, during the handing over, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said that the IAF would be going forward to procure 97 more LCAs.
The trainer version of the LCA had completed its maiden flight on April 5 from the HAL airport in Bengaluru.
Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said, “I am proud to be a part of this historic occasion and salute the spirit of the HAL which has been spearheading swadeshi manufacturing in defence. In all, the development of the LCA Tejas has also brought about a shift in our approach to defence procurement. It has demonstrated that India has the talent, knowledge and capability to design, develop and manufacture world-class fighters.”
C B Ananthakrishnan, chairman and managing director, HAL, said that the company is committed to deliver all the twin seater aircraft related to Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and Final Operational Clearance (FOC) contract to the IAF in the current financial year. He said that these trainers also ensure smooth transition for the pilots from trainer to fighter aircraft in this class.
The LCA project was sanctioned in 1983.
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