In historic first, Tejas successfully performs critical test for naval deployment

New Delhi, Sep 13: India's indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas on Friday successfully carried out an "arrested landing" in Goa, a major milestone in development of the naval variant of the jet.

Officials said the test demonstrated the aircraft's ability to halt at a short distance after landing on board an aircraft carrier.

The test was carried out at a shore-based test facility of the Indian Navy. The naval version of the aircraft is in development stage.

The Indian Air Force has inducted a batch of Tejas aircraft. Initially, an order was placed with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for 40 Tejas aircraft.

Designed by the ADA and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Tejas is a fighter jet for the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF). It belongs to the LCA programme, which began in the 1980s to replace the ageing MiG-21s. It got its official name 'Tejas' in 2003.

Last year, the IAF issued the request for proposal (RFP) to HAL for the procurement of another batch of 83 Tejas at a cost of over Rs 50,000 crore.