After US Air Force chief General David L Goldfein became the first head of any foreign military power to take a sortie in India’s Tejas, Chief of Staff of the French Air Force General André Lanata became the second to cruise the Tejas on Wednesday. The French Air Force head took a trip in the indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas from the Air Force Station in Jodhpur. The Indian Air Force (IAF) tweeted, “The Chief of the Staff of French Air Force, General André Lanata, while on a goodwill visit to India, flew a sortie in ‘Made in India’ – LCA Tejas Aircraft at AF Station Jodhpur, today.”
Group Captain Rajesh Joshi, the commander of the IAF’s Jodhpur station, briefed Lanata about the air force station, which is strategically located in the western part of the state, the spokesperson said. Other IAF aircrafts were also shown to Lanata, who is in the country to enhance bilateral defence cooperation between India and France. The French Air Force Chief also visited other operational units of the station. He was accompanied by his wife during the tour. On 5 February, the chief of staff of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had met General Lanata and the French delegation in New Delhi.
Tejas is the first advance fly-by-wire (FBW) fighter aircraft designed, developed and manufactured in India. Conceived as a MiG-21 replacement, the aircraft has been designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). As per recent media reports, the incumbent government is planning to export LCA Tejas to other countries and ramp up the production rate of the aircraft from 8 to 16 units per annum progressively by 2019-20. The first squadron of ‘Tejas’ was inducted into the IAF in July 2016.