Days before the March 31 deadline to deliver its first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A jet to the Indian Air Force, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Thursday carried out its maiden flight successfully in Bengaluru, officials said.
"The first Aircraft LA5033 of the Tejas Mk1A Aircraft series took to the skies from HAL facility in Bengaluru today. It was a successful sortie with a flying time of 18 minutes," the HAL posted on X.
LCA Mk-1A is an advanced variant of the LCA Mk-1, which has already been inducted by IAF.
The Mk-1A will come with digital radar warning receivers, external self-protection jammer pods, superior radar, advanced beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles and significantly improved maintainability.
The Indian Air Force, the world’s fourth largest, is expected to operate around 350 LCAs (Mk-1, Mk-1A and Mk-2 versions).