IAF LCA squadron still awaits first aircraft
29 July 2014 6:45 AM IST
More than seven months after it was cleared for being flown by IAF pilots, the entry of the first LCA Tejas in its newly-raised squadron in Bangalore is still awaited as the project has been delayed yet again.
IAF has raised its 45 Squadron at Bangalore for allowing its pilots to fly the aircraft and was supposed to induct the first Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in March this year.
But the schedule has now been shifted to coming September, sources said here.
The delay is also understood to have pushed backed the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) of the aircraft from December this year to March 2015.Flight manuals, the aircraft manual and other basic documents required by pilots to operate the aircraft are also not yet ready, the sources added. The aircraft received its Initial Operational Clearance last year on 20 Dec after which Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was supposed to supply two Limited Series Production LCA’s to IAF, sources said.
IAF has raised its 45 Squadron at Bangalore for allowing its pilots to fly the aircraft and was supposed to induct the first Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in March this year.
But the schedule has now been shifted to coming September, sources said here.
The delay is also understood to have pushed backed the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) of the aircraft from December this year to March 2015.Flight manuals, the aircraft manual and other basic documents required by pilots to operate the aircraft are also not yet ready, the sources added. The aircraft received its Initial Operational Clearance last year on 20 Dec after which Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was supposed to supply two Limited Series Production LCA’s to IAF, sources said.
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