Number-18 - Flying Bullets & HAL Tejas

IN NEWS:

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) formally inducted into service the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1 in Final Operational Clearance (FOC) standard and operationalised its second LCA squadron No. 18 ‘Flying Bullets’.

SQUADRON NO. 18:

• The squadron was formed on April 15, 1965 and used to operate MIG-27 fighter jets. It was formed with the motto "Teevra aur Nirbhaya" meaning "Swift and Fearless".
• The squadron participated in the 1971 War with Pakistan. It was resurrected on April 01 this year at Sulur.
• The Flying Bullets serves as the second Indian Air Force squadron to operate with the modern multi-role fighter aircraft LCA Tejas. The first squadron to operate with the aircraft is the Number-45 Flying Daggers, which is also headquartered at Sulur.

HAL TEJAS AIRCRAFT:

• It is a single-engine, delta wing, fourth-generation, multirole light fighter jet designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• The Tejas is the second supersonic fighter developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after the HAL HF-24 Marut.
• It is the smallest and lightest in its class of contemporary supersonic combat aircraft. It is equipped with fly-by-wire flight control system, integrated digital avionics and multimode radar.
• The IAF has placed an order for 40 Tejas aircraft and is likely to seal a contract with HAL for another 83 aircraft at a cost of around Rs 38,000 crore.

PRELIMS QUESTION:

Q. Consider the following statements regarding the Tejas fighter jet:

1. It is a lightweight combat aircraft developed by Hindustan Aeronautics limited
2. It is India’s first indigenously developed supersonic fighter jet

Choose the correct statements from the codes given below:

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to Prelims question

Source: The Hindu