7 facts about the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas used by Indian military

Tejas is a low-cost aircraft with a simple design. Hence, it is very attractive to cost-conscious nations in Asia.

The Indian Air Force's LCA Tejas aircraft crashed near Rajasthan's Jaisalmer on Tuesday. Following the crash, the pilot ejected safely. The recent crash marked the first incident involving the jet since its inaugural flight 23 years ago.

An Indian Air Force HAL Tejas flies at the Dubai Air Show. (AP)

More about LCA Tejas aircraft

• The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is an indigenous supersonic aircraft used by the Indian military. The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme was started by the Government of India in 1984 when they established the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
• The LCA Tejas, developed by India's HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), succeeded the ageing Mig 21 fighter jets after being designed and developed.
• In 2003, the Light Combat Aircraft program was named as 'Tejas' (which translates to 'radiance' in Sanskrit) by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• It is the second supersonic fighter jet that was developed by HAL (the first one being HAL HF-24 Marut).
• The Tejas is the lightest and smallest multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft in its category, engineered to accommodate various types of air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision-guided, and standoff weaponry.
• The idea behind the LCA programme was to expand and develop India’s indigenous aerospace capabilities. Since the 1970s, the MiG 21 planes were the mainstay of the Indian Air Force. The primary goal of the LCA programme was to replace the ageing MiGs.
• The Tejas boasts a maximum payload capacity of 4000 kg, operating as a single-pilot, single-engine aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 13,300 kg.

Tejas is a low-cost aircraft with a simple design. Hence, it is very attractive to cost-conscious nations in Asia. Although currently, HAL is not sold to other countries, Singapore, Egypt, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Turkmenistan, and Malaysia have expressed interest in acquiring this aircraft.