Article Posted on : - Apr 24, 2010

The Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. A file photo

BANGALORE (PTI): The maiden test flight of the most advanced of the nine 'Tejas' aircraft has been successfully carried out, bringing the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme "very close" to the Initial Operations Clearance.

It is the ninth test vehicle to join the flight line to undertake development flight trials of the LCA Tejas towards operational clearance for induction in the Indian Air Force by the end of the year, the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) said.

"Successful, copy book maiden test flight of Limited Series Production-3 (LSP-3) is significant on many counts," it said in a statement after the flight test on Friday.

"With this successful flight, the LCA (Tejas) programme is very close to the Initial Operations Clearance, which is to be completed by December 2010. The remaining effort is mostly the flight testing and demonstration of sensors and weapon performance," it said.