The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Tejas to take part in flypast at Aero India 2009

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Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009
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Tejas to take part in flypast at Aero India 2009

Ravi Sharma

— Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Awaited: The mighty Tejas.

BANGALORE: Four indigenously built Tejas, the Light Combat Aircraft, will be performing a flypast during the Aero India 2009 air show starting at Yelahanka Air Force Station here from Wednesday.

One aircraft will perform aerobatics to demonstrate its handling capabilities. Much maligned over the years, the Rs. 6,000-crore indigenous Tejas is meant to replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing warhorse, the MiG-21. Tejas is the world’s smallest frontline, delta wing, multi-mission combat fighter. Pilots, headed by the Director of the National Flight Test Centre Air Commodore Rohit Verma, will be in the cockpit.

Tejas had its moments last week when the aircraft dropped its first bomb, flying to a nearby test facility and returning without a hitch. Speaking to The Hindu, Project Director of the LCA programme, P.S. Subramanyam, said that at the moment six Tejas were on the flight line. “We have six aircraft — Technical Demonstrator-2, Prototypes 1, 2 and 3, and Limited Series Production 1 and 2 — that are ready for flight.

Two have already landed at Yelahanka, while the other four are parked at HAL Airport,” he said.

Officials said that the handling and manoeuvrability of the aircraft was so good that the chase aircraft (Jaguar and MiG-21 trainers) found it difficult to keep pace or catch up with the Tejas after take off. While the Tejas attained an air speed of 850 kph in just 15 seconds, the chase aircraft were able to do so in 20 seconds.

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