HAL chief flies LCA

Says ‘it is capable of being the backbone of the IAF’s combat power’

HAL CMD T. Suvarna Raju seated in the aircraft with the company’s Chief Test Pilot Group Captain K.K. Venugopal (retired).

T. Suvarna Raju, CMD of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., on Wednesday flew the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas that the company manufactures.

A HAL release said he flew in the twin-seat variant PV5 piloted by Group Captain K.K. Venugopal (retired), HAL’s Chief Test Pilot, from the HAL airport.

Mr. Raju later described the LCA as ‘a wonderful flying machine capable of being the backbone of the IAF’s combat power in the years to come’.

He said the defence PSU had increased the production rate of 20 fighters in the early version for the IAF in association with industry partners. It was negotiating with IAF for a fresh contract to make 83 LCAs in the upgraded Mk1A.

In this sortie, the aircraft climbed to 30,000 feet and accelerated to a supersonic speed of 1.1 Mach.

The pilot demonstrated the fighter plane's ability to hit targets on the ground with a simulated laser guided bomb, HAL said.