Military aviation regulator, the Center for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) granted the Final Operational Clearance to the (LCA) Tejas on the sidelines of the Aero India 2019 in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The CEMILAC handed over the “release-to-service” documents to the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa.
“It is a major milestone. The aircraft could fly in many sorties and demonstrated the precision with which it can deliver weapons. It flew several sorties in exercises Gaganshakti, Vayusuakti and performed well in both air-to-air and air-to-ground profiles,” Dhanoa told the media.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Chairman and Managing Director R. Madhavan said HAL has responded to the request for proposal (RFP) floated by the IAF for 83 LCA Mk-1 with weaponisation.
“The grant of final operational clearance is the best moment in the life of every aeronautical engineer,” said DRDO chief Dr G. Satheesh Reddy.
Locheed Martin offers new F-21 jet to be made in India
US aerospace major Lockheed Martin on Wednesday meanwhile pitched its F-21 multirole fighter that it says is configured for the IAF. While it clarified that India has not yet floated a Request for Information (RFI) for the aircraft, the firm said it will manufacture the plane with Tata Advanced Systems in the event it does.
“Our F-21 addresses the IAF’s requirements and integrates India into the world’s fighter aircraft ecosystem,” a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told IANS on the margins of Aero India.
“The F-21 is different, inside and out. It highlights our commitment to deliver an advanced, scalable fighter for IAF,” Lockheed Martin’s Vice President for business and strategy development Vivek Lall said.