On a familiarisation sortie, India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh today had a Tejas experience in Bengaluru today. With the exercise, the defence minister becomes First Defence Minister to Fly in Indigenous Tejas, ‘Controlled’ Combat Aircraft Briefly on the indigenous fighter aircraft.
Dressed in a G-suit, Rajnath Singh described the experience as “exhilarating”. “It was very smooth and comfortable. I was enjoying it. I want to congratulate HAL, DRDO and several agencies concerned. We have reached a level where we can export fighter planes across the world,” Singh said.
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. pic.twitter.com/jT95afb0O7
— Rajnath Singh (मोदी का परिवार) (@rajnathsingh) September 19, 2019
The Union minister was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal N Tiwari, who is also the Project Director, National Flight Test Centre, ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) in Bengaluru.
Tejas, a single engine, delta wing, multi role light fighter, was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and is produced by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force. The latest test for the Indian Navy variant of Tejas is also being extensively tested in Bengaluru and Goa. The LCA Tejas, had bagged the Final Operational clearance (FOC) recently.
Speaking about the exercise, DRDO chief Dr G Satheesh Reddy said, “The ‘Raksha Mantri’ controlled and flew the Tejas for some time.” In response, Singh said, “Koi problem nahi, jaise-jaise N Tiwari batate rahe, waise-waise mein karta raha (There was no problem. I just followed N Tiwari’s instructions).”
Watch India’s Prestigious Tejas flying
Discussion about this post