Jodhpur: Though still basking in the glory of its aerobatic skills performance at Bahrain International Airshow 2016, indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas shall be inching closer towards getting its Final Operational Clearance (FOC) during the forthcoming Iron Fist 2016, the Indian Air Force exercise in the Pokhran deserts here.
LCA Tejas, three of which have reportedly arrived here (two shall be firing weapons and one shall be standby) for the IAF's prime fire-power exercise Iron Fist to be held on March 18, is a single seat, single engine multi-role light fighter aircraft developed indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The aircraft shall be demonstrating its weapon firing skills here.
A Fighter Jet sports the Derby & Python Missiles Aeronautical Development Agency is preparing LCA Tejas to showcase its aerobatic prowess at the upcoming Iron Fist 2016
Sources revealed that two variants of Tejas shall display their fire power skills here. Carrying on the extensive trials, Tejas recently successfully test fired the Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) Derby missile and is expected to soon test the five generation Air-to-Air Close Combat Missile, Python 5 as well. The aircraft shall again reportedly fire the BVRAAM here, part of the FOC consent.
Running behind the initial projected time for FOC, Tejas is now aiming at getting the FOC by mid-2016 and the upcoming fire power show is expected to give the required thrust for the same. IAF officials in Delhi when contacted though confirmed the Tejas arrival but said that its performance at the event is still not certain. Tejas is also armed with a Russian CCM R-73 and Laser Guided Bombs, Griffin and Paveway. Designed to replace ageing MiG fighter fleet of IAF, Ministry of Defence in January announced plans to start full-scale production of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas in 2017.
It is to be mentioned that India will have to make do with the Israeli Derby BVRM till its own Astra which so far has been fired from Su-30 MKI gets the operational status for Tejas. Performance of Tejas here shall be judged by the defence analysts and experts here from all over the world during Iron Fist 2016.