--- title: "HAL Tejas — OnlyPlanes" description: "The HAL Tejas is an Indian light multirole fighter of the Light Combat Aircraft programme. It first flew in 2001 and entered squadron service in stages." canonical_url: "https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/hal-tejas" locale: en meta: keywords: "aviation, aircraft, airlines, airports, flight" "og:description": "The HAL Tejas is an Indian light multirole fighter of the Light Combat Aircraft programme. It first flew in 2001 and entered squadron service in stages." "og:image": "https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/hal-tejas.webp" "og:title": "HAL Tejas — OnlyPlanes" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://onlyplanes.ru/llms.txt) Fighter aircraft / LCA Tejas # HAL Tejas The HAL Tejas is an Indian light multirole fighter of the Light Combat Aircraft programme. It first flew in 2001 and entered squadron service in stages. ![HAL Tejas aircraft photograph](https://onlyplanes.ru/images/military-aviation/models/hal-tejas.webp) Development ## History The HAL Tejas is an Indian light multirole fighter developed under the Light Combat Aircraft programme. Design work by the Aeronautical Development Agency was combined with manufacturing by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The aircraft was intended to help renew the Indian Air Force fighter fleet and to support a major national engineering effort. The first technology demonstrator flew in January 2001. Many years of tests, corrections, and staged certification lay between that flight and routine squadron use. The Tejas has one engine, a delta wing, and digital flight controls. This arrangement helps make a compact, maneuverable aircraft, but actual performance depends on the engine, weight, external stores, and readiness of onboard systems. Important parts of the programme concerned far more than the airframe. Radar, communications, navigation, weapons, and system integration all required testing. The specifications of different prototypes and production aircraft should not be compressed into one unchanging table. Indian authorities announced initial operational clearance for the Tejas Mk 1 in December 2013. The Indian Air Force's first squadron began operating the type in July 2016. Final operational clearance for the baseline Mk 1 was declared in February 2019. These dates mark different steps: acceptance of an initial set of capabilities, arrival of the first operational aircraft, and completion of a fuller standard. Early deliveries did not mean that every aircraft already met the later configuration. The Tejas is intended for air combat and other tasks according to its version and approved weapons. The programme includes single-seat fighters and two-seat trainers. A training cockpit helps pilots learn the type, but does not by itself define every capability of that version. Operational service requires trained technicians, spare parts, and continual equipment checks. Development of an Indian supplier network has been a significant part of the project alongside flight testing. Following the Mk 1, India began work on the improved Mk 1A. It is a further development, not a new label for all earlier aircraft. Contracts for additional machines and expanded production lines show an intention to grow the fleet, but order dates, manufacturing progress, and actual transfer to the air force must be distinguished. Plans for the larger Tejas Mk 2 likewise cannot simply be applied to Mk 1 specifications. Each version requires its own design and equipment validation. The Tejas history illustrates the difficulty of creating a national fighter over several decades. A successful test flight, an operational clearance, and routine squadron service are separate achievements, often years apart. The aircraft is important as a source of design, manufacturing, and maintenance experience for India's aviation industry. A useful account identifies the exact variant and documented programme milestones instead of mixing current capabilities with plans for future batches. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website","@type":"WebSite","description":"News, stories and rare images from the world of aviation","inLanguage":"en-GB","name":"OnlyPlanes","url":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en","publisher":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#identity"},"translationOfWork":{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en#website"}},{"@id":"https://onlyplanes.ru/en/military-aviation/fighter-aircraft/hal-tejas#webpage","@type":"WebPage","description":"The HAL Tejas is an Indian light multirole fighter of the Light Combat Aircraft programme. 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