City
Epaper

Rajnath's maiden sortie on Tejas LCA in Bengaluru

By IANS | Updated: September 19, 2019 10:20 IST

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh undertook a maiden sortie on a Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), fully dressed in a G-Suit, from Bengaluru on Thursday.

Open in App

Singh, who became the first Defence Minister of the country to fly in a Tejas, took to the cockpit of the fighter jet with a pilot in the front seat.

The fighter jet, a twin-seater trainer aircraft, took off from the airport of defence public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru for a 30-minute sortie at 9.58 a.m.

A senior IAF officer and a ground staff at the airport guided Rajnath in taking the rear seat inside the cockpit ensuring all safety gear were in place. Singh waved out to the crowds at the Karnataka airport before the fighter jet took to the runway.

Shortly before entering the cockpit, Rajnath posted his photographs dressed in a G-suit on Twitter. "All Set for the Day," he tweeted. On Wednesday, Singh had left for Bengaluru to participate in the programme that has been jointly organised by the HAL and the DRDO.

Singh's maiden flight on the Tejas comes ahead of the Indian Air Force (IAF) placing an order for 83 jets with the HAL, the manufacturer of the 4-plus generation combat aircraft.

In the first week of September, the pricing-related issue of the 83 jets, which had been hanging fire for long, had been successfully resolved by the Department of Defence Production with the HAL.

The new batch of 83 jets will be in addition to the 40 aircraft that have already been ordered by the IAF.

The Tejas has been designed by India's premier defence research institute, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

On September 13, the naval version of Tejas LCA had achieved a major milestone with a successful "arrested landing" at the shore-based Test Facility of INS Hansa in Goa. The Indian Navy had hailed September 13 as a "golden letter day" in its history.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Tejas LcaHALsinghiafindia
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalIranian President Calls for Constructive Role of Brics to Halt West Asia Conflict During Talks With PM Modi

LifestyleEid 2026 Date: When Will Saudi Arabia, UAE and India Celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr?

MaharashtraMaharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Unfurls 200-Foot National Flag at Nagpur’s Kasturchand Park

NationalAhmedabad Traffic Update for India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup Final: Check Road Closures and Alternate Routes Near Narendra Modi Stadium

AurangabadLocal industries feel heat of Global conflict

National Realted Stories

NationalJamiat’s remarks against us are ‘deeply unfortunate’: AIMIM

National‘I dedicate my life to him’: Anoop Antony on PM Modi's praise

NationalHeroin valued at Rs 2.10 crore seized in Assam; three held

NationalNHRC member Priyank Kanoongo seeks probe into FSSAI document leak, role of accused

NationalHimachal CITU chief slams move to discontinue 10% annual hike for SEHB workers