It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh said IAF was mostly outward looking when it came to procurements but a 'rap on the knuckles' made it look inwards, adding that 'atmanirbharta' is key.
Air Chief Marshal Singh took over from incumbent V.R. Chaudhari Monday afternoon. His top priority will be strengthening the fighting capability of the IAF, it is learnt.
India is in talks with Denmark over the engine charge amplifiers, while HAL has contracted a local firm to indigenise them, it is learnt. HAL was supposed to start the delivery in March.
The first Tejas will be delivered with Category B engines, reserve engines which may have been used before or came in and remained unused as part of earlier deal with GE for Tejas series.
HAL has informed IAF that the first aircraft will only be delivered by November. A total of 16 Tejas Mk 1A were to be delivered by the state-run company but none have come in so far.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the second production line for Tejas Tuesday. His ministry is set to sign a contract worth Rs 48,000 crore with HAL.
Premier David Eby, the leader of the minerals- and gas-rich province of British Columbia, spoke with executives at Tata Steel and Reliance Industries on a trade mission to India.
The 77th Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path will showcase India’s operational synergy and self-reliance, highlighting combat readiness, indigenous weaponry and joint military operations.
No nation other than China can negotiate one-on-one with Trump on an equal footing. That’s why the middle powers who so far formed the core of multilateral bodies now feel orphaned.
Accepting 10 – 15% below the ideal is a luxury the armed forces cannot afford. They face Pakistan to the west, its military capabilities augmented, sometimes fused, by China. On the northern frontier, a PLA that benchmarks itself to the Pentagon.
More of the typical sab chalta hai attitude. 10-15% can be the difference between life and death for a pilot and victory and defeat for the nation.
Accepting 10 – 15% below the ideal is a luxury the armed forces cannot afford. They face Pakistan to the west, its military capabilities augmented, sometimes fused, by China. On the northern frontier, a PLA that benchmarks itself to the Pentagon.