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.

PM Modi got a first-hand feel of the Tejas as he co-piloted a trainer version of the fighter jet.

Dressed in a G-suite, PM Modi was joined by an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot when the plane took off from the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Airport in Bengaluru.

“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).

The PM also visited the Tejas hangar at Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Bangalore Complex and appreciated the efforts by the PSU and its team.

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.

The Defence PSU has delivered 33 single-seat fighters, while the first of the twin-seat trainer variants was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in October this year.

The firm has to deliver six more trainers and 83 LCA-Mk1A variant aircraft, for which orders worth Rs 8,802 crore have been placed already.

The Tejas twin-seater is a light weight, all-weather multi-role 4.5 generation aircraft designed to support the training requirements of the IAF and augment itself to the role of a fighter if need arises.