Tejas LCA: Why the Indigenous Fighter Jet Makes a Perfect Case for PM Modi’s Vocal for Local Call

Tejas LCA: Why the Indigenous Fighter Jet Makes a Perfect Case for PM Modi’s Vocal for Local Call

In his recent speech while addressing the country hard-struck by the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that India need to reduce its dependence on goods imported from abroad to boost the economy hit by the pandemic.  Before this speech, PM Modi has said it many times to reduce dependency on foreign weapons and make indigenous weapons in India.  While IAF earlier floated tender from international producers two years ago for 114 aircraft, Indian Air Force now plans to replace its ageing soviet-sourced fighter jets with the locally-manufactured Tejas LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) developed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.  IAF has already made a deal with HAL to supply 40 aircrafts and now, 83 more jets will be procured to boost the strength of IAF. The 123 Tejas fighters are to be followed by the Mark-II variant which are medium weight fighters.  We look at the strengths of the HAL Tejas LCA to understand why it makes a perfect case for PM Modi’s …