Some more improvements needed in Tejas for IAF: Antony

Bangalore, Feb 7 (PTI) Defence Minister A K Antonytoday said some more improvements will have to be incorporatedin the home grown Light Combat Aircraft Tejas to meet therequirements of the Indian Air Force.

"The Air Force wants some more improvements to beincorporated and I am sure DRDO (Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation) will be able to address theseconcerns too," he said, inaugurating the eighth edition ofAero India 2011 International Seminar here.

Noting that Tejas has often been criticised for longdelays, he said in most parts of the world, technologicaldevelopment precedes product development.

"However, in case of Tejas, we attempted both at thesame time. The reasons are not far to seek. Due to denial ofsome necessary technologies, we had to find solutions the hardway," he said.

Despite all odds, engineers of DRRO and HAL finallyhanded Tejas over to IAF. Given the technology and timeconstraints, this has been accomplished in a reasonabletime-frame, particularly comparison to other similar class ofcombat aircraft in the developed world, he said.

He said the recent Initial Operation Clearance ofTejas was a "proud moment". Tejas is a system of systemsproduct and it just cannot be developed in isolation ormanufactured without help from others", he said.

On January 10, India joined a select group of nationsmanufacturing war planes with ''Tejas'', moving a step closer toits induction into the IAF after getting its InitialOperational Clearance (IOC) here.