Historic formation flight for Indian Chiefs
September 10, 2024
The Vice Chiefs of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force made a historic formation flight in three indigenously manufactured HAL Tejas fighters, marking a milestone in India’s indigenous defence capabilities.
Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) Air Marshal AP Singh flew the lead fighter while Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani and Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan flew in accompanying Tejas two seaters.
Some 40 Tejas Mk 1s equip No.s 45 and 18 Squadrons at Sulur, and new Tejas Mk 1As will replace India’s remaining two MiG-21 Bison units. The first to re-equip will be No.3 Squadron ‘Cobras’ at Nal AFS in Rajasthan, and the second will be No.23 Squadron ‘Panthers’ at
Suratgarh AFS.
Some 73 single-seat and 10 twin-seat Tejas Mk 1A aircraft were ordered for Rs 480 billion in February 2021, and India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) subsequently approved a Rs 670 billion contract for 97 additional HAL Tejas Mk 1A Light Combat Aircraft. This took Tejas Mk 1A procurement to 180 aircraft, and total Tejas orders to 220.
The Tejas Mk-1A is the definitive version of the first generation Tejas (although a Tejas Mk 2 variant is also under development), with an AESA radar, a new electronic warfare suite, and new avionics systems. The new variant will carry a wider range of weapons and should enjoy availability and supportability improvements.
The first 21 Tejas Mk 1As are equipped with Israel’s Elta EL/M-2052 radar as an interim measure, with the remainder due to receive the indigenous Uttam Radar, which will use GaN technology.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited plans a rapid ramp-up to an annual production rate to 16 aircraft per year by 2025, and to 24 by 2027. To facilitate this, the aircraft will be produced by two lines at Bangalore, and by one new line at Nasik.
