The first Tejas squadron will receive its Initial Operational Clearance, IOC January 10, in the presence of Defence Minister A K Antony in Bangalore. This will catapult India to a select club of nations that built a fighter plane - LCA from scratch.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik will preside over the ceremony and accept Service Certificate to Tejas. After receiving the IOC, hindustan Aeronautics Limited, HAL will manufacture the first 20 Tejas aircraft in two batches of 10 planes each. HAL will continue to upgrade the indigenous fighter as the Indian Air Force plans to induct close to 200 LCAs and 20 twin seater trainer versions in the long run.
The historic first squadron will be stationed at Sulur near Coimbatore. The second LCA squadron will be stationed at Kayathir near Tuticorin, where the IAF is developing a new fighter base.
The mark II version of the LCA with a more powerful engine, better aerodynamics and advance avionics is also under development. The naval version of the LCA, to be used in aircraft carriers, is also under development.
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