Tejomay Tejas... Vinit Vartak ©

 Tejomay Tejas... Vinit Vartak ©

In 1983, the then government set up the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to make India self-sufficient in fighter jets. The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project was then undertaken with the help of Aircraft Research and Design Center (ARDC) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The process of actually landing the aircraft from the drawing board, even with no experience in fighter aircraft construction, was delayed for a number of reasons. For the first time in almost 28 years, the Tejas received initial approval for the flight. After going through many tests and changes, in 2019, Tejas got a certificate of readiness for battle or what is called final clearance. In these 28 years, the Tejas has become even brighter through many changes and by 2022, the same name is being taken in the global market today as an equivalent fighter in its class.

Three categories of Tejas aircraft are being formed today. It includes Tejas M. K. 1, Tejas M. K. 1A and trainer. The Tejas was built by India mainly to replace MiG-21s. Indian Air Force ordered 40 M. K. 1, 70 M. K.1A, and 10 trainer aircraft from H.A.L. is given. While meeting the needs of the Indian Air Force, Tejas is now beginning to make its mark in the international market. India has offered the option of transferring technology while landing its Tejas aircraft at full capacity in the fighter jet market.

As part of this, H.A.L. Has announced plans to open a Tejas aircraft manufacturing plant in Egypt. Egypt is currently looking to buy about 70 aircraft to replace its outdated trainer aircraft. India's Tejas is at the forefront. The issue has been under discussion between Egyptian and Indian officials for the past few months, and in the coming days, senior officials of the Egyptian Air Force will visit HAL in India on the occasion. They will see Tejas Assembly Line on this occasion. They will be shown how the overall Tejas is built and maintained there. H.A.L. has also put forward a proposal to build Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) with Tejas.

India has taken steps to make Egypt it's fighter and helicopter hub. On the one hand, it wants to get orders for 70 fighter jets, and on the other hand, it wants to make Tejas a dominant entity by entering the markets of Middle East and North African countries from Egypt. Although the United States, France, Russia and European countries are leading in the production of fighter jets, not every country in the world can afford them. India is the cheapest but at the same time build world class fighter jet and helicopter. China also offer cheap aircraft but they are not reliable. That is the reason many African and Middle East countries are ready to buy such cheap but reliable aircraft and helicopters from India. Priced at around 42 million, the Tejas is the cheapest fighter in its class. The Tejas has become even brighter with Uttam AESA Radar, DARE Unified Electronic Warfare Suite (UEWS), self protection jammer (SPJ), instrument flight rules (IFR) and its pair of world class missiles like Astra BVRAAM and ASRAAM.

Negotiations for a Tejas purchase agreement between Malaysia and India are also said to be in the final stages. India has offered a complete package deal for Malaysia, including the maintenance of the Tejas aircraft and the maintenance of spare parts for the Sukhoi 30 aircraft. Malaysia needs about 36 light combat aircraft. Main battle is between India's Tejas and Turkey's Hurjet. Turkish aircraft have not yet shown their capabilities. They are on paper. At the same time, India's Tejas has shown its mettle at the Singapore Air Show. Another plus point of the agreement with India is that India will take over the responsibility of maintaining Malaysia's Sukhoi 30 aircraft. India has over decades of experience in maintaining Sukhoi 30 aircraft. Therefore, India will be instrumental in keeping Malaysia's Sukhoi 30 aircraft in the air. India will sell a Tejas to Malaysia for around US 50 million. The entire deal is worth more than 900 million.

Though India has wasted many years in the production of Tejas, the right presentation in the international market is slowly increasing Tejas sell. If the agreement is signed with Malaysia and Egypt, Everyone will be agree that Tejas has made its mark in the international market. The Irrigation Agreements will provide India with a large amount of foreign exchange, but at the same time, it will be another step towards self-reliance. My heartfelt salute to all the engineers, scientists, staff who contributed to the creation of Tejas.

Jai Hind !!!

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