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One month deadline for training, maintenance for fighter jets Tejas

by IBNS 16 Feb 2015, 11:19 pm

New Delhi, Feb 17 (IBNS): Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar set a deadline of a month for training and maintenance manuals to be shared with pilots for the home-made light combat aircraft Tejas, media reports said.

Manufactured in the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) based in Bangalore, the first Tejas was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) last month.

It is intended to replace the ageing Russian-made MiG-21 jets now used in the IAF.  The Russian-made fighter jets were to be decommissioned by 2017 but pushed to 2025 owing to the delay in supplying the Tejas, sources said.

According to reports, the design, development, production and induction of about 170 Tejas fighter jets, 120 for the Air Force and 50 for Navy, would cost India over Rs. 50,000 crores.