While the Indian Air Force has received final operational clearance for its LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Mk 1 Tejas jet, talk at Aero India 2019 centred around the next iteration of the type.
Manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Tejas Mk 1A has four main enhancements over the earlier Mk 1, incorporating an active electronically scanned array radar, EW system, air-to-air refuelling capability and 1,000kg in weight savings (total down to about 5.5t). It also has a data link.
The LCA has been a problematic programme since the early 1980s. On display at this year’s show was the two-seater Mk