All You Need To Know About Tejas: India's Most Advanced Homemade Fighter Jet

Tejas Aircraft:  The HAL-made Tejas aircraft is currently the world’s Lightest supersonic aircraft, and it is India’s first supersonic fighter jet. Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) grounded the entire Tejas fleet after three crashes took place over a period of two years. The most recent Tejas fighter jet crashed in early February due to a technical issue. Many people have heard the name ‘Tejas’, but they’re not aware of its capabilities. Therefore, here is all you need to know about Tejas: India’s most advanced fighter jet.

Tejas Fighter Jet: What Is It?

The Tejas is a multirole 4.5-generation aircraft made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The Tejas made its first flight in 2001, and it entered into service with the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy in 2015. While it is the first homegrown supersonic fighter jet, it is still the lightest supersonic fighter jet in the world.

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Tejas Fighter Jet: Capabilities

The Tejas fighter jet has mainly three variants: the Mk1, the Mk1A, and the Mk 2. A twin-seat trainer and a Naval carrier-capable version are also part of the Tejas family. We can understand the Tejas better by segregating its capabilities into three main categories: Combat Role, Weaponry, and Performance.

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Combat Role

The Tejas can perform specialised maritime strikes, offensive air support, and interception.

Performance

As informed earlier, the Tejas has different variants, and each of these can perform differently. Let’s take a look:

1- Tejas Mk1 Fighter Jets:  These variants have a payload capacity of 4000 kg with a range of more than 1700 kilometres, along with a top speed of Mach 1.6

2- Tejas Mk1A Fighter Jets:  These variants have a payload capacity of 3,500 kg with a range of 1,850 kilometres and a top speed of Mach 1.8

3- Tejas Mk 2 Fighter Jets: These variants have an increased payload capacity of 6,500 kilograms with a range of more than 2,200 kilometres and a top speed reaching more than Mach 1.8

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Weaponry

The Tejas fighter jets feature eight carry points, meaning that they can carry a wide array of weapons such as Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles, precision-guided bombs, anti-ship missiles, and air-to-air missiles.