Lok Sabha MP from Bengaluru and BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on Thursday took a sortie on an LCA Tejas aircraft at the ongoing Aero India show in Bengaluru. The country's premier Defence and aerospace show had begun on Wednesday amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the twin ideas of "Aatma-Nirbhar Bharat" and "Make in India". Dubbed as Asia's largest military aviation exhibition, the three-day Aero India event combined both physical and virtual exhibition this year. The 13th edition of the biennial international event is said to be the world's first hybrid aerospace show.
"The LCA Tejas is a symbol of Atmanirbhar Bharat. It is a beacon of scientific excellence and capabilities of India. I am extremely delighted today that I got an opportunity to fly in this wonderful fighter jet. LCA Tejas is Bengaluru's gift to India," Surya was quoted as saying after his flight.
He also shared a series of photos of his trip on his Twitter handle.
Tejas, manufactured by the HAL, is a single engine and highly agile multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.
Incidentally, the first day of Aero India had also seen the government formally seal the Rs 48,000 crore deal to procure 83 Tejas light combat aircraft from state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The contract was handed over by Director General (Acquisition), Ministry of Defence, V L Kantha Rao to Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, R Madhavan, at the inaugural ceremony of Aero India-2021 in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
(With inputs from agencies)
