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IAF Commits To Inducting 123 Tejas Mark-1A Fighters, 201 Mark-II Jets Given Conditions Are Met
The Tejas Mark -1A Fighter plane. (Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Indian Air Force (IAF) has ‘firmly committed’ to inducting 123 Tejas Mark 1A fighters and another 201 Tejas Mark-II fighters given the forces expectations from the jet are met, Times Of India has reported.
Given the IAF’s urgent need to induct new fighters into its ranks, the IAF has agreed to induct an additional 83 Mark-1A fighters with several improvements, over the 40 already in the process of being inducted. Only 6 of the 40 jets have however been inducted till now although the initial time frame for the deliveries was supposed to be till December 2016. The force now hopes to induct these from 2019 onwards.
The IAF had an issue with the ‘limited’ endurance and weapon carrying capacity of the Mark-1A fighters, with American F-16s and Swedish Gripen promising triple the endurance and twice the weapon carrying capacity over the indigenous jets. However, the force has realised that inducting large number of foreign jets is not an option and has hence went for the orders.
The force however wants the newer Mark-II version to have better endurance, more powerful engines and better weapon carrying capacities and radars, which are its conditions for inducting the 201 Mark-II fighters.
“The Tejas Mark-II is still on the drawing board. But if DRDO, Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd deliver the required Mark-II fighter, IAF has agreed to have a total of 18 Tejas squadrons,” said a source privy to the developments.
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