Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ performing at the Aero India event in Bengaluru. PTI file photo

Bengaluru, June 30

The Indian Air Force will raise the first squadron of homegrown Light Combat Aircraft Tejas with the induction of two aircraft into the force here on Friday.State-run HAL will hand over the first two Tejas aircraft to IAF which will make up the ‘Flying Daggers’ 45, the name of the first squadron of the LCA.The LCA squadron induction ceremony will be held at the Aircraft System Testing Establishment here in the presence of Air Marshal Jasbir Walia, Air Officer Commanding-in Chief, Southern Air Command, officials said.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook and Twitter @thetribunechd)The aircraft are likely to perform a sortie during the induction ceremony.The squadron will be based in Bengaluru for the first two years before being moved to Sulur in Tamil Nadu.Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who on May 17 took his maiden flight in Tejas, had termed the aircraft as “good” for induction.IAF has said the idea is to have a total of six aircraft this financial year and about eight in the next.Tejas will feature in combat plan of the IAF next year and will be deployed in forward bases also, it has said.Stating that LCA squadron should be formed by July, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier this month said “next year I think two MiG-21 squadrons are being decommissioned; this will go into initially replacing them”.LCAs are better than the MiGs which are old and parts are difficult to get, he had said.All squadrons of Tejas will be made up of 20 planes in total, including four in reserve.As per the plan, while 20 would be inducted under the “Initial Operational Clearance”, another 20 will be inducted later with Beyond Visual Range Missile (BVR) and some other features.IAF plans to induct over 80 aircraft with better specifications known as Tejas 1A.The upgraded version of Tejas, with Active Electrically Scanned Array Radar, Unified Electronic Warfare Suite, mid-air refuelling capacity and advanced beyond the vision range missiles, will cost between Rs 275 crore and Rs 300 crore.While the idea to have an indigenous fighter aircraft was conceptualised in 1970s, actual work started on the aircraft only in the 1980s and the first flight took place in January 2001. — PTI

China accuses US of ignoring facts over India’s NSG bid

US Under-Secretary Tom Shannon on Wednesday had said that India failed to get entry into NSG due to China-led opposition.

Beijing, June 30

China on Thursday accused the US of ignoring facts over India not getting entry into the NSG and claimed that the plenary meeting of the elite grouping in Seoul did not discuss the accession of any specific country.China’s assertion came in response to the remarks by US Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Tom Shannon on Wednesday that India failed to get entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) due to China-led opposition.Shannon had said one country could break consensus in the 48-nation atomic trading bloc and insisted that such member should be held accountable.“With regard to the US official’s comments on the NSG we want to point out that this official shows no regard to facts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry official Hong Lei told a media briefing.“In the plenary meeting in Seoul India’s accession was not on the agenda of the meeting. It did not discuss the accession of any specific country into the group,” Hong said.“The news release of the plenary meeting said the meeting discussed the technical, legal and political questions concerning the accession of relevant countries,” he said.On Shannon’s comment that China’s motives in the South China Sea (SCS) were intended towards Indian Ocean, Hong said “we are strongly dissatisfied with that” remark.Shannon had said, “What China is doing in the South China Sea is madness.”“China’s intentions and positions on the SCS are very clear. First is to maintain our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights. Second, to resolve dispute through dialogue and consultation,” Hong said.“The remarks made by the US official try to drive a wedge among the regional countries, confuse the right from the wrong and are extremely irresponsible,” he said.“We ask the US side to honour its commitments of not taking side on the SCS issue. Play a constructive role in the SCS, not the opposite,” he said. PTI