In a significant development amid the ongoing push for indigenisation of military weapon systems, the made-in-India Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mark1A would be fitted with the 'Uttam' radar and the 'Angad' electronic warfare suite, replacing the imported systems installed previously.
"Today is a momentous day and a matter of pride for me to accept the first two-seater LCA aircraft. This day will go down in history as a really remarkable one that exemplifies the prowess of the Indian domestic aviation industry," Chaudhari said speaking at the ceremony.
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will hand over the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) twin-seater trainer version aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The list of weapon systems and platforms includes the 180 Light Combat Aircraft Mark1A, 156 Light Combat Helicopters, Light Utility Choppers and many other weapon systems which are supposed to form a large chunk of the service in coming times.
For the first time after India cleared the proposal to buy 26 Rafale Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy, a team headed by French defence ministry officials met their Indian counterparts here.
The missile release was successfully carried out from the aircraft at an altitude of about 20,000 ft and all the objectives of the test were met and it was a perfect textbook launch, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari reviewed the status of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme in Air Headquarters, an official statement said on Wednesday.
The Indian Air Force keeps moving its aircraft in both the union territories in the Northern sector including Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to give them the experience of flying there in their unique terrain.
In a significant decision, India and France on Friday decided to extend their ground-breaking defence cooperation in advanced aeronautical technologies by supporting the joint development of a combat aircraft engine