Above the clouds, a fighter jet is soaring. Seated in the cockpit is the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, during his visit to Bengaluru on Saturday. From there, he gestures towards the adjacent fighter jet, named ‘Tejas.’
Tejas is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India’s national defense organization. Modi toured the facility in Bengaluru on Saturday, observing their manufacturing processes. Subsequently, he experienced the Tejas flight in a pilot’s uniform.
Modi shared his experience on social media, specifically on the former Twitter platform. He wrote, “Successfully completed a journey in Tejas. This experience was extraordinary. It has significantly boosted my confidence in the country’s manufacturing capabilities.”
Tejas is a fourth-generation, single-seat, multi-role fighter jet. Typically, it accommodates one pilot, but Modi was in a specially designed Tejas with two seats for training purposes in the Indian Air Force. The Indian Navy also uses a variant of Tejas equipped with two specialized seats.
Currently, the Indian Air Force possesses 40 Tejas fighter jets. To enhance Tejas further, Modi recently signed an agreement during a visit to the United States. Under this agreement, the upcoming versions of Tejas will be powered by F-414 engines manufactured by General Electric, replacing the current F-404 engines.
This upgrade aims to enhance the performance of Tejas, which currently relies on F-404 engines.
