Unmatched Agility: LCA Tejas Marks 22 Years Since First Flight
On January 4, 2001, Wg Cdr Rajiv Kothiyal flew the first LCA Tejas (TD-1). 22 years on, Tejas Mk1 holds FOC and HAL continues to expand production.
On January 4, 2001, Wing Commander Rajiv Kothiyal took to the skies in Technology Demonstrator TD-1, marking the first flight of what would become the LCA Tejas. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee bestowed the name "Tejas" — Sanskrit for "Radiance" — upon the aircraft.
The Tejas Mk1 received its Final Operational Clearance (FOC) on February 20, 2019, a watershed moment in India's indigenous fighter development. HAL has since expanded manufacturing capacity to accelerate deliveries to the IAF.
Twenty-two years on, the Tejas stands as India's most visible symbol of aerospace self-reliance — a 4.5-generation, lightweight, all-weather, multi-role combat aircraft.
Source: Financial Express