New version of Tejas: HAL rolls out 16th LCA for IAF
Bengaluru, Mar 25: The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Monday announced the production of 16th light combat aircraft "Tejas" as per the target.
The city-headquartered public sector company said the customer flights would be completed by the end of this month.
HAL in a statement said it has orders from the Indian Air Force (IAF) for 40 LCAs (16 each in Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and Final Operation Clearance (FOC) configurations and eight trainers) and the 16th LCA was as per the target till March 31.
The aircraft was inducted into the IAF squadron Flying Daggers on July 1, 2016 and given the FOC last month, signalling its combat readiness.
The FOC involves addition of key capabilities to the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) aircraft, which in the main are Beyond Visual Range Missile capabilities, Air-to-Air Refuelling, Air-to-Ground FOC earmarked weapons and general flight envelope expansion.
HAL said LCA production was started in 2014 and in five years, it reached a current production capacity of eight aircraft per annum.
A second production line had been established at the Aircraft Division here which was carrying out structural assembly, final assembly and equipping of the aircraft, it said.
The statement said two LCAs will be flying at the Langkawi International Maritime Aerospace Expo (Lima- 2019) in Malaysia beginning tomorrow.
HAL team will be providing the technical support at the show, the company said.
During the Aero India show here last month, Army chief General Bipin Rawat flew in Tejas and described it as a "wonderful" aircraft.
It was during the Aero India show Tejas MK-I was given the final operation clearance by the defence ministry.
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3 Indians injured after fire breaks out in UAE's Fujairah due to drone attack
Dubai (PTI): Three Indian nationals were injured on Monday after a fire broke out on the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone (FOIZ) in the UAE following a drone strike originating from Iran, according to local media reports.
The relevant authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah confirmed that a fire has broken out in the FOIZ, resulting from a drone attack coming from Iran, the state-run WAM news agency reported.
Fujairah Civil Defence teams immediately responded to the incident and are continuing efforts to bring the fire under control, it added.
Three Indian nationals sustained moderate injuries after the fire broke out on the FOIZ, the Khaleej Times reported, quoting authorities in Fujairah.
The injured were taken to the hospital for treatment, it added.
In a post on X, the UAE's Ministry of Defence said that Iran launched four missiles toward various areas across the country. "Three were successfully engaged over the country's territorial waters, while one fell into the sea," it said.
The ministry urged the public to comply with all public safety procedures when warning messages are issued to the public.
Authorities have urged the public not to circulate rumours and to rely only on official sources for information, Gulf News reported.
