<p>Hindustan Aeronautics Limited handed over the first twin-seater trainer variant of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas to the Indian Air Force here on Wednesday.<br>The aircraft was handed over in the presence of Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt. </p>.<p>The MoS said the LCA Tejas programme symbolises India’s journey towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Lauding HAL for spearheading indigenous manufacturing in the sector, Bhatt said the development of LCA marked a shift in the country’s approach to defence procurement.</p>.HAL's trainer aircraft for pilots yet to get full certification after 6 months.<p>“It has demonstrated that India has the talent, knowledge and capability to design, develop and manufacture world-class fighters”, he said. The MoS said the development of Tejas spurred growth in India’s defence and aerospace industry and opened opportunities for SMEs, research institutions and skilled workers.</p>.<p>Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said IAF would procure 97 more LCA fighters. He said with these procurements, the IAF eyes an expansion of its LCA fleet to 220. <br></p><p>The LCA Tejas twin-seater is a light-weight, all-weather multi-role 4.5 generation aircraft designed to support IAF’s training requirements and if needed, augment itself to the role of a fighter.<br>The aircraft is “an amalgamation of contemporary concepts” and technologies like relaxed static-stability, quadraplex fly-by-wire flight control, carefree manoeuvring, advanced glass cockpit, integrated digital avionics systems, and advanced composite materials for the airframe.</p>.<p><br><strong>Delivery timeline</strong><br></p>.<p>HAL CMD C B Ananthakrishnan said the company is committed to deliver all the twin-seater aircraft pertaining to the initial and full operational capability contracts with the IAF, in the current financial year. “With this, we are moving one step closer towards achieving self-sufficiency on the fixed wing segment. These trainers also ensure smooth transition for the pilots from trainer to fighter aircraft in this class”, he said.<br></p><p>The defence PSU is expected to deliver seven more trainers to the IAF by March 2024. It is developing, apart from the trainer, single-seater fighters for the IAF and the Navy, and twin-seater trainers for the Navy.</p>
<p>Hindustan Aeronautics Limited handed over the first twin-seater trainer variant of the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas to the Indian Air Force here on Wednesday.<br>The aircraft was handed over in the presence of Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt. </p>.<p>The MoS said the LCA Tejas programme symbolises India’s journey towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Lauding HAL for spearheading indigenous manufacturing in the sector, Bhatt said the development of LCA marked a shift in the country’s approach to defence procurement.</p>.HAL's trainer aircraft for pilots yet to get full certification after 6 months.<p>“It has demonstrated that India has the talent, knowledge and capability to design, develop and manufacture world-class fighters”, he said. The MoS said the development of Tejas spurred growth in India’s defence and aerospace industry and opened opportunities for SMEs, research institutions and skilled workers.</p>.<p>Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said IAF would procure 97 more LCA fighters. He said with these procurements, the IAF eyes an expansion of its LCA fleet to 220. <br></p><p>The LCA Tejas twin-seater is a light-weight, all-weather multi-role 4.5 generation aircraft designed to support IAF’s training requirements and if needed, augment itself to the role of a fighter.<br>The aircraft is “an amalgamation of contemporary concepts” and technologies like relaxed static-stability, quadraplex fly-by-wire flight control, carefree manoeuvring, advanced glass cockpit, integrated digital avionics systems, and advanced composite materials for the airframe.</p>.<p><br><strong>Delivery timeline</strong><br></p>.<p>HAL CMD C B Ananthakrishnan said the company is committed to deliver all the twin-seater aircraft pertaining to the initial and full operational capability contracts with the IAF, in the current financial year. “With this, we are moving one step closer towards achieving self-sufficiency on the fixed wing segment. These trainers also ensure smooth transition for the pilots from trainer to fighter aircraft in this class”, he said.<br></p><p>The defence PSU is expected to deliver seven more trainers to the IAF by March 2024. It is developing, apart from the trainer, single-seater fighters for the IAF and the Navy, and twin-seater trainers for the Navy.</p>