Watch: Why India must celebrate the Tejas

The No. 45 Flying Daggers Squadron of the Indian Air Force formally inducted two Tejas aircraft last week.

20 aircraft are being procured under the current configuration, while a 100 more may be inducted after an upgrade.

It is said that Tejas has many drawbacks.

The useful combat radius of the Tejas is around 300km, lesser than its foreign counterparts.

There are 53 shortfalls in performance

It is already a generation too old - thanks to a 30 year development cycle.

But here’s why India must celebrate the Tejas

India has developed a fourth-generation fighter from scratch

The technology used in it has found its way to other IAF planes, including the MiG 21, and MiG 27

With an Indian-made aricraft, the IAF can modify aircraft without prior vendor approval.

In the process, India has developed manufacturers and suppliers that can contribute to future projects

It will help India in hostile situations where foreign countries might have stopped selling military equipment

With an ecosystem in place for building fighter jets, development of the next generation aircraft will be a smoother journey.