Tejas to lead Republic Day flypast

New Delhi: At the Republic Day Parade on Thursday, a lot of dreams will take flight when a homemade Tejas Light Combat Aircraft takes to the skies over Rajpath leading a 35-aircraft fly-past depicting India’s Air Force might.

The Tejas has been selected keeping in tune with the stated policy of a strong commitment to indigenise defence production and also perhaps to underscore a long and difficult journey.

Conceptualised in 1970s to replace the aging MIG-21 fleet, with the indigenous design and development of the aircraft first sanctioned in 1983 at a cost of Rs 560 crore which was enhanced up to Rs 10,400 crore, the LCA had become a point of controversy over the inordinate time being taken. Inducted into the Flying Daggers 45 squadron on July 1 last year with the motto ‘Ajeet Nabha’ (victorious in the skies), the Tejas is a single seat, single engine, supersonic multi-role fighter designed for air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-sea combat roles.

It will plug a vital gap in IAF’s might that is suffering from a critical shortage of fighter squadrons.

Designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, a typical Tejas squadron would comprise 20 aircraft, including four in reserve.

Already having made its international debut in the Bahrain International Air Show in January 2016, it will be after two decades that an indigenous aircraft will take to the skies on Republic Day with LCA. The last indigenous fighter aircraft was the Marut.

The Tejas will lead an impressive fleet comprising Mi-17 helicopters, Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets and advanced light helicopters Rudra.