Tejas aircraft used by PM Modi for sortie was delivered to Air Force in October

The twin seater trainer Tejas aircraft, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a sortie on Saturday, was delivered to the Indian Air Force (IAF) by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on October 4.

The aircraft used for flying by PM Modi was handed over to the IAF in the presence of Union Minister Ajay Bhatt in October, senior defence officials told India Today.

The handover of the twin seater trainer version of the Tejas aircraft, also known as the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), was done in Bengaluru.

The IAF has two new trainer version twin seater aircraft, along with one twin seater prototype aircraft which was used in the past for flying with VIPs, the defence officials said.

The sortie of the Prime Minister was being looked after by the IAF, which currently has two squadrons of these planes. The IAF has already placed orders for 83 new LCAs which are now named as LCA Mark 1A.

On Saturday, PM Modi flew a sortie on the Tejas aircraft and said the experience has bolstered his confidence in the country’s indigenous capabilities.