Air Force, Army, Navy vice chiefs fly Tejas aircraft

In a rare gesture, the vice chiefs of the Indian Air Force, Army and the Navy on Monday took to the skies in indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas during an ongoing air exercise in Jodhpur.

While Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal AP Singh flew the lead fighter, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani and Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan flew in twin seater aircraft, officials said.

Manufactured by state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, the Tejas aircraft is a potent platform for air combat and offensive air support missions while reconnaissance and anti-ship operations are its secondary roles.

The participation of the three vice chiefs in the Tarang Shakti exercise demonstrated the growing focus on cross-domain cooperation, with land, sea, and air forces working together to face modern challenges, an official said.

This unprecedented joint flight, marking the first time when the three services vice chiefs have flown in one occasion, is a powerful testament to India's advancing integrated defence capabilities, commitment to self-reliance and showcases the seamless integrated approach of the three armed forces, he said.

The Tarang Shakti exercise, organised by the IAF, has been aimed at enhancing interoperability and operational coordination amongst participating friendly foreign countries.

With an array of participants, the IAF-led exercise aims to foster closer ties that strengthen cooperation with a myriad of capacities, the official said.

Inclusion of Tejas in the mission underscores the critical role indigenous platforms are playing in modernising India's defence infrastructure, he said.

Following the sorties, the three vice chiefs interacted with the participating forces both from India and the friendly foreign countries.

Tejas aircraft are set to be the mainstay of the IAF.

The IAF received the first two Tejas aircraft having the initial operational clearance configuration on July 1, 2016, after a wait of over three decades.

The final operational clearance configuration of the aircraft was announced in February 2019.

The FOC involves addition of key capabilities to the IOC aircraft which are beyond visual range missile capabilities, air-to-air refuelling and several other features.

In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for the procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF.

In November last year, the ministry accorded an initial approval to procure an additional batch of 97 Tejas jets for the IAF.

Several countries including Nigeria, the Philippines, Argentina and Egypt have shown interest in procuring the Tejas aircraft.