PM Modi flies on Tejas: 5 things to know about this made-in-India fighter jet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday shared photos of him taking a sortie on a Tejas fighter jet, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), at the firm's site in Karnataka's Bengaluru.

Tejas is a light combat aircraft which was primarily developed to replace the aging squadron of MiG 21 fighter jets from the Indian Air Force. The IAF and defence ministry had signed a contract with HAL to develop a procure a total of 324 Tejas aircraft, including all its variants.

HAL Tejas aircraft: 5 things to know

• Tejas is an Indian-made single-engine fighter jet, which was developed by the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, which commenced in the 1980s. It is a delta wing and light multirole fighter.
• Tejas is a supersonic combat aircraft which is the smallest and lightest of its kind, being the crown jewel of the Indian Air Force. It is also in demand in other countries. The US recently inked a pact with the HAL to manufacture Mark II Tejas aircraft jointly.
• Indigenously developed Tejas is being phased into the Indian Air Force to replace the ageing MiG 21 squadron, which has been dubbed the 'flying coffin' due to a large number of pilot deaths.
• Tejas is capable of air-to-air refuelling (AAR) and is equipped with Active Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) radar, and an Electronic Warfare (EW) suite, making it superior to most of the fighters in its category.
• Tejas is a fully missile-equipped fighter, with Beyond Visual Range missile capabilities and Air to Ground weapons with minimal reloading time.