In Pictures: PM Modi Becomes First Prime Minister To Fly In LCA Tejas, Completes Sortie In Trainer Version Of Fighter Jet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made history on Saturday (25 November) after becoming the first PM to fly India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.

“Successfully completed a sortie on the Tejas. The experience was incredibly enriching, significantly bolstering my confidence in our country’s indigenous capabilities, and leaving me with a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential,” PM Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Tejas is a homegrown indigenous aircraft designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lab in Bengaluru and manufactured by HAL, headquartered in Bengaluru.

So far, HAL has orders for 40 LCA-Mk1, of which seven were to be trainer aircraft.