Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a sortie on a Tejas fighter aircraft in Bengaluru on Saturday (November 25) during his visit to state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. PM Modi is in the city to review the work progress at the manufacturing facility.
According to the sources, the Prime Minister took the flight for nearly 45 minutes in the light combat IAF aircraft.
PM Modi shared the pictures of his flight and said that the experience of sortie in homegrown aircraft significantly bolstered his confidence in the country’s indigenous capabilities.
“Successfully completed a sortie on the Tejas. The experience was incredibly enriching, significantly bolstering my confidence in our country’s indigenous capabilities, and leaving me with a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential,” the Prime Minister posted on X.
Successfully completed a sortie on the Tejas. The experience was incredibly enriching, significantly bolstering my confidence in our country's indigenous capabilities, and leaving me with a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential. pic.twitter.com/4aO6Wf9XYO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 25, 2023
He hailed the Indian Air Force, DRDO and HAL and said that India is not lesser than anyone in the world in the field of self-reliance.
The Prime Minister, on various occasions, has been vocal about indigenisation of defence products and has highlighted his government’s push for their local manufacturing and exports as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Several nations have expressed keen interest to procure Tejas. The US defence production giant GE Aerospace had signed a pact with HAL to jointly produce engines for the Mk-II-Tejas, when PM Modi had made his first state visit to the US earlier this year.
