The Republic Day 2022 parade at the Rajpath will see the largest flypast ever with the participation of 75 aircraft to mark the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations

Indian Air Force’s (IAF) home-grown TEJAS Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), although has not participated in any Republic Day flypast till now, is a promising aircraft. Last year, the central government approved the purchase of 73 TEJAS fighter jets and 10 trainer aircraft costing Rs 45,696 crore.

On Wednesday, the Republic Day parade at the Rajpath will see the largest flypast ever with the participation of 75 aircraft to mark the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations. The IAF announced that the flypast will conclude with seven jaguar fighter aircraft flying in the Amrit formation to commemorate the 75 years of being a Republic. Some of the notable aircraft that will enthral the audience at the parade are Rafale, Indian Navy’s MiG-29K, P-8I surveillance aircraft and Jaguar fighter jets.

- Although TEJAS is not part of the contingent, we are here to tell you some interesting facts about this indigenously manufactured aircraft:

- TEJAS is India’s first self-made fighter jet. In February 2019, it received the final operational clearance as a fully-weaponised fighter jet for induction into the Indian Air Force.

- Designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the indigenously-developed aircraft has been manufactured at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.

- The TEJAS MK-1A Light Combat Aircraft is designed and manufactured in India. The aircraft is a fourth-generation fighter with critical operational capabilities that include an Active Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) radar, an Electronic Warfare (EW) suite, and is capable of air-to-air refuelling (AAR).

- TEJAS aircraft can carry the same array of modern weapons that can be loaded on bigger warplanes, for example - precision-guided and standoff weaponry to long-range beyond visual range missiles that can take down target planes from a safe distance.

The features of TEJAS are air-to-air refuelling, air-to-ground weapons, and beyond Visual Range Missile capabilities. The aircraft is a fully-weaponised light fighter with a single-engine.