IAF Chief flies sortie in IOC LCA Tejas

Bengaluru: Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria flew in an initial operational clearance (IOC) standard Light Combat Aircraft Tejas during his visit to the city, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS) visited IAF units and flight test establishments and facilities of DRDO and HAL at Bengaluru on August 23 and 24, an official release said.

“During his visit to Bengaluru, CAS flew in an IOC LCA Tejas,” it said.

The IAF also tweeted the pictures and said Bhadauria flew a sortie in a Tejas MK1 aircraft.

During his visit to Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), he was given an overview of ongoing projects and briefed on progress of operational trials.

During his interaction with personnel, he spoke of the unique and challenging role of ASTE, noted its laudable achievements and re emphasised the need for staying ahead of the curve in order to leverage its expertise in delivering the requirements of IAF Operational units.

The CAS also visited Software Development Institute (SDI), the unit tasked for undertaking development of avionics software.

During the visit, he noted that the sustained focus on critical projects by the Institute had contributed significantly in increasing the operational and functional capability of IAF.

He outlined his vision for SDI to move towards software indigenisation for integration of various weapons on IAF aircraft and achieving self-reliance in enhancing combat potential, it added.

As part of the visit, CAS met and interacted with the test crew and engineers of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), DRDO and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

CAS underscored the crucial role of both the establishments in furthering the shared goal of building an indigenous aviation industry capability of meeting our future requirements, the release said.