Metal-cutting job for Tejas to begin in Feb

NEWDELHI:METAL cutting, the first step in the start of commercial production, of the of indigenously made single-engine fighter plane Tejas (MK-II) is scheduled for February 2020, according to Dr Girsh S Deodhare, director of the Aeronautical Development Agency and head of the Tejas programme.

The MK-II will have advanced sensors including a powerful radar, empowering the fighter for operations beyond the visual range, and improved avionics. The fighter will be able to fly with more weapons and fuel than its predecessors Mk-1 and MK-1A. The IAF is buying 123 Mk-1 and MK-II fighters.

The Tejas MK-II will be heavier and is designed to fit into medium weight categories of fighters.

Recently, the IAF told the government that it is ready to buy more indigenous fighters to replace its aging fighter fleet.

The Tejas (MK-II) are slated to replace the existing French-made Mirage -2000 and Russian -made MIG-29 class of fighters. “The detailed designing stage is over,” Dr Deodhare said.

Both the Indian Air Force and the Defence Research and Development Organisation are looking at the Tejas as a replacement for the Mirage-2000 class of fighters, around a dozen of which were pressed into action on February 26 to bomb a Jaish-emohammed terrorist camp in Balakot, Pakistan, in reprisal for the February 14 terrorist attack in Pulwama that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers.

The prototype of the Tejas (MK-II) is expected to fly in about two years.

The metal cutting will take about a year to 18 months. Tejas Mk -II, which will be fitted with a GE-414 engine, is scheduled to make its first flight in 2024.