Aero India 2019: In a first, Bipin Rawat flies in HAL's Tejas

Bengaluru, Feb 21: Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat went on a sortie in the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft- Tejas in Bengaluru on Thursday. This was the first time General Rawat flew in the home-made fighter jet, known for its agility, being the smallest and lightest multirole supersonic fighter jet in its class.

After the sorties, General Bipin Rawat, said, " Flight in LCA Tejas was an experience of a lifetime. From what I could witness, avionics are very good, it's targeting is very good. It's a wonderful aircraft if it gets added to inventory it will increase our air power."

PS Raghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the government, will also fly in the LCA Tejas later today, news agency ANI reported.

Then Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Arup Raha on18th May 2016 had his first sortie in the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), after which he called it a "good aircraft for induction". "It is my first sortie in Tejas, it is a good aircraft for induction into IAF operations," Raha said.

The first squadron was inducted into the Indian Air Force as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited handed over the first two Tejas aircrafts to IAF. In 2017, LCA Tejas made its debut at the 68th Republic Day parade. Three Tejas aircrafts participated in the fly-past.

The logo for Aero India 2019:

The logo for Aero India 2019 is inspired by the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

The Tejas LCA together with its variants, is the smallest and lightest Multi-Role Supersonic Fighter Aircraft of its class. This single engine, Compound-Delta-Wing, Tailless Aircraft is designed and developed to meet diverse needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy (IN).The Tejas LCA programme has achieved the rare distinction of completing over 4000 Successful Test Flights.

The tri-colored silhouette of the Tejas LCA with the Ashok Chakra in the centre is the core motif of this logo, reminiscent of the spirit of New India. The defined outlines of the 'A' in Aero is symbolic of a fighter jet while conveying that Aero India is a premier global aerospace exhibition.