Vishal Yadav
The most awaited Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LAC) is all set to enter Indian Air Force (IAF). Today i.e. on 1st of July, 2016 there was demonstration of Tejas LAC, at present there are two Tejas LAC serving in the IAF and they are handed over to “Flying Daggers” 45, the name of the first squadron. Tejas is said to be the world’s smallest lightweight, multi-role single engine tactical fighter aircraft. It entered the IAF at such a critical time when there was a serious need of replacing IAF’s aging MiG 21s. It’s the first homegrown fighter aircraft developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). And with its superb performance IAF plans to include 14 more Tejas into IAF. Tejas is considered to be the threat to its counterpart JF-17 aircraft built by China and Pakistan and encountered no accident in its 3000 hours of flying.
Features of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft:
- Tejas is said to be the world’s smallest lightweight, multi-role single engine tactical fighter aircraft
- It’s highly advanced aircraft which include fourth generation technologies and has intentionally been made longitudinally unstable to enhance its free movement
- Tejas is equipped with a quadruplex digital fly-by-wire flight control system to ease handling by pilot
- It is single pilot aircraft
- Tejas can carry air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons, anti-ship missiles, bombs and rockets
- Harder to detect on radar
- 45% of its airframe, including in the fuselage (doors and skins), wings (skin, spars and ribs), elevons, tailfin, rudder, air brakes and landing gear doors is made of CFC materials.
- The aircraft’s structure is composed of 42% carbon fibre composites, 43% aluminium alloy and the remainder titanium alloy.
- The aircraft can travel at a maximum speed of 2,205 km/hr for FOC version and 2,000 km/hr for IOC version.
