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New Delhi, January 4
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has got permission to produce the next version of Tejas fighter jets. Dubbed final operational clearance (FOC) version, 20 of these are to be produced by HAL before it graduates onto the next version called the Tejas Mark 1A.
The Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) has given the green signal to start manufacturing of the Tejas FOC version, sources in the HAL said. The IAF has ordered 123 Tejas, of which 20 are the initial operational clearance (IOC) version while another 20 are the FOC version. The remaining 83 are Mark 1A.
The first FOC plane will be produced by the year-end. The CEMILAC clearance was needed as it would take some 10 to 12 months to start ordering various components. About 10 to 11 IOC-configured Tejas have been inducted by the Air Force.
The next version will have mid-air refuelling, AESA radar, electronic warfare suites, a variety of bombs and weapons, among other facilities. The CEMILAC had accepted the design documents submitted by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which had designed and developed Tejas. — TNS
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