Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a sortie on an indigenously-built Tejas light combat fighter aircraft on Saturday.
His flight came as part of his visit to Bengaluru-based defense firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to review its ongoing work.
“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," Modi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Tejas, a 4.5-generation multi-role fighter aircraft built by HAL, is a single-seater aircraft, however Modi took a sortie in the twin-seater trainer variant operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
It is the smallest and lightest aircraft in its class and dimensions which has a wonderful saftery track record of accident-free flying.
As of now, the IAF operates 40 Tejas MK-1 aircraft and has 83 aircrafts on order out of which eight are expected to be delivered by HLA during 2023-24 while the remaining will be delivered by 2026-27.
The aircraft also took part in the Dubai Air Show earlier this month and was part of static and aerial display. It also performed some daring manoeuvres proving its capability as a formidable fighter aircraft.