Tejas to make international debut in tactical combat flying exercise in the UK - Broadsword by Ajai Shukla

The IAF’s confidence in the Tejas grows, as indigenous fighter takes part in international exercise

By Vikas Gupta

Defence News of India, 24 February 22

In a sign of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) growing confidence in the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the local fighter is being used for the first time in an international military exercise. While the Tejas has shown its aerobatic skills in flight displays in the past, this will be the first time the native fighter has taken part in an international tactical exercise.

Five Teja fighters will fly from IAF Sulur Base near Coimbatore, to Waddington, UK for the joint India-UK exercise, named Exercise Cobra Warrior. An IAF C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lift carrier will provide transport support for induction and de-induction.

The multinational air exercise is being conducted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) at Waddington from 6-27 March. Alongside the LCA Tejas will participate fighter jets from the RAF and other leading air forces.

“The exercise aims to provide operational exposure and share best practices between participating air forces, thereby improving combat capability and forging bonds of friendship. It will be a platform for LCA Tejas to demonstrate its maneuverability and its operational capability,” a Ministry of Defense (MoD) press release said on Wednesday.

The Tejas fighter is currently being evaluated for purchase by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), as well as an unidentified country in West Asia.

To facilitate export sales, the IAF showcased Tejas’ performance by displaying the aircraft at world defense and aerospace exhibitions. He participated in the Singapore Airshow – 2022 from February 15 to 18.

Previously, he performed aerobatic demonstrations in the Bahrain International Airshow in 2016, the Langkawi International Maritime Aerospace Expo (LIMA) in 2019 and the Dubai Air Show-2021 last November.

HAL officials say they would have preferred to offer customers the sophisticated Mark 1A version of the Tejas, which features aerial refueling, active electronically scanned array radar (AESA), electronic warfare capability ( EW) and the ability to fire BVR missiles. However, with the Mark 1A version still under development, HAL is offering the lesser Tejas Mark 1 instead.