On Thursday, the inaugural flight of the first Aircraft LA5033 from the Tejas Mk1A series soared into the skies, marking a notable achievement for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at its Bengaluru facility. Lasting a commendable 18 minutes, the sortie was hailed as a success by HAL in an official statement.
Despite facing substantial supply chain hurdles within the global geopolitical landscape following the contract signing in February 2021, HAL managed to reach this significant production milestone through simultaneous design and development efforts. The flight was skillfully piloted by CTP, Group Captain K. K. Venugopal (Retd), as announced by HAL.
Principal Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence, A. Bharat Bhushan Babu, commended HAL's achievement, stating, "Today's successful test sortie of the Tejas Mk1A aircraft signifies a major production milestone for HAL."
The Tejas Mk1A will have an advanced radar, electronic warfare and communication systems, additional combat capability and improved maintenance features,” he said.
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