Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal VR Chaudhari expressed concern over the delay in the procurement of the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas, manufactured by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), at a stakeholder meeting on Tuesday aimed at reviewing the One situation, because of the need to reduce its fighter fleet from the authorized 42 to 31.
A review of the status of the Light Combat Combat (LCA) Tejas program is also necessary as only after the Indian Air Force has revived its fleet strength, a senior Ministry of Defense (MoD) source said.
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Speaking at the meeting at Air Force Headquarters, Chief of Air Staff Marshal Chowdhury said: “Despite project delays during the review process, CAS commends the efforts of all stakeholders and emphasizes the need to incorporate lessons learned from the LCA It is planned to be incorporated into future indigenous design and development projects. With the timely delivery of the more capable variant, the LCA Mk 1A is likely to see increased deployment at forward bases, in addition to participating in international exercises in the coming days,” the ministry said in a statement. said in an official statement.Senior officials from the Ministry of Defense, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) Laboratories, HAL.
While praising HAL, the Air Force chief said that based on these assurances, the LCA Mk 1A could join a newly formed squadron at an IAF operating base early next year, the MoD said. It was revealed that all contracted LCA Mk 1 fighter models have been delivered to the Indian Air Force. Representatives of HAL also assured CAS of timely delivery of the contracted two-seater aircraft in the coming months, the ministry noted. In addition to the LCA Mk 1, the Indian Air Force has also awarded a contract for 83 LCA Mk-1A aircraft in 2021, HAL CB Ananthakrishnan Chairman and General Manager assured those present that the delivery of this advanced model of LCA will be in February 2024 start.
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Speaking at the meeting, Chowdhury said that given the national importance of the project, a collaborative approach must be taken by all stakeholders for it to be successful. He noted that the scheme was a precursor to Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India schemes.
Tejas LSP-7 successfully launches ASTRA
Meanwhile, the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) LSP-7 successfully launched an ASTRA Indigenous Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile off the coast of Goa on Wednesday. The UK Ministry of Defense announced that the missile was successfully launched from the aircraft at an altitude of approximately 20,000 feet and that all test targets were met in a perfectly textbook launch.
The test launch was overseen by test directors and scientists from ADA, DRDO, HAL, and officials from the Military Airworthiness and Certification Center (CEMILAC) and Aviation Quality Assurance Directorate (DG-AQA). The aircraft was also monitored by a Chase Tejas two-seater.
