Speculation rife as indigenous aircraft spotted at Awantipur during Western Air Command chief's visit

The Indian Air Force may have deployed indigenously built TEJAS Mk-1 aircraft at Awantipura forward airbase in Jammu and Kashmir reports Swarajyamag

The IAF's Western Air Command shared a tweet about the AOC-in-C Air Marshal PM Sinha visiting the Awantipura forward airbase, where the Air Marshal Sinha could be seen inspecting a TEJAS MK-1 fighter jet.

This is interesting since until now, it was believed that the TEJAS was only based at the Sulur Air Force base in Tamil Nadu.

Sulur Air base is home to the IAF's 45 squadron 'Flying Daggers' and 18 squadron 'Flying Bullets', equipped with initial operational clearance (IOC) and final operational clearance (FOC) versions of the TEJAS fighter jet, respectively.

Earlier in August 2020, various reports said that the IAF had deployed IOC TEJAS fighters belonging to the 45 Squadron 'Flying Daggers' to a forward air base on the western border in the aftermath of the Galwan clash in June 2020, and the resulting border standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Their deployment suggests that the IAF now fully trusts the aircraft's capabilities, and is now ready to deploy them at forward airfield opposite India's adversaries.

In a further display of trust in the aircraft's capabilities, the Indian Air Force has already ordered 83 TEJAS MK-1A jets in 2021, valued at over Rs 48,000 crore, with the first deliveries expected in 2024.

These new TEJAS MK-1A will have 40 major improvements compared to the TEJAS MK-1.

They will have an active electronically-scanned array radar for detecting enemy aircraft at greater ranges and resistance to jamming, a new advanced self protection jamming suite (ASPJ), a digital flying control computer (DFCC), as well as, faster turnaround times for each aircraft after every sortie.