Bangalore: For 20 minutes, Group Captain Suneet Krishna, Group Captain K.K. Venugopal and Commodore Jaideep Avinash Maolankar, all ace test pilots, carried out virtual air-to-ground and air-to-air strikes over Bangalore’s skies on Friday morning to demonstrate that indigenous jet ‘Tejas’ is combat-ready, marking India’s entry into an exclusive club of countries with the capability to design and manufacture advanced fighter aircraft.
As defence minister A.K. Antony and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne looked on, these pilots took off with fighter jets fitted with laser guided bombs (LGBs), 1000-pound bombs and close-combat air-to-air missiles, picked up targets on the ground, intercepted aerial threats and simulated strikes, streaming every bit of action in the sky to mega screens on the ground.
The combat-readiness display and the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC-2) an hour later marked the fruition of a project which was launched 30 years ago.
Antony declared later that pilots of Indian Air Force (IAF) could start flying the ‘Tejas’ from tomorrow, signaling that it is ready for induction by the air strike wing. “It is a great day for India today. We need more fighters for the air force and the navy, and we should think of exporting them after some time,” he added.
21/12/13 Deccan Chronicle
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
As defence minister A.K. Antony and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne looked on, these pilots took off with fighter jets fitted with laser guided bombs (LGBs), 1000-pound bombs and close-combat air-to-air missiles, picked up targets on the ground, intercepted aerial threats and simulated strikes, streaming every bit of action in the sky to mega screens on the ground.
The combat-readiness display and the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC-2) an hour later marked the fruition of a project which was launched 30 years ago.
Antony declared later that pilots of Indian Air Force (IAF) could start flying the ‘Tejas’ from tomorrow, signaling that it is ready for induction by the air strike wing. “It is a great day for India today. We need more fighters for the air force and the navy, and we should think of exporting them after some time,” he added.
21/12/13 Deccan Chronicle
