New Delhi: D K Sunil, chairman and managing director, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), on Friday, reaffirmed the robust safety features of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and said that it is “absolutely safe”.
The crash at the Dubai Air Show was an “unfortunate incident” which will have no impact on the future use of the aircraft, Sunil said.
“There is absolutely no problem with the Tejas, it is absolutely safe, and its safety record is the best in the world. What you saw in Dubai was an unfortunate incident,” the HAL chairman said while speaking at ANI’s National Security Summit.
Reaffirming the effort of research and development put into the aircraft, Sunil said that it is a matter of pride that India has indigenously developed a 4.5 generation aircraft with the latest capabilities.
“I think as countries evolve and develop their own technology we go through phases. We had this 4.5 generation aircraft with the latest capability . It is a resounding success and we s
hould all be proud of it. I think there will always be naysayers raising questions, but it will not deter us from going from strength to strength. I can absolutely assure you it is an absolutely safe aircraft and the crash will have no impact on the future of Tejas,” the chairman added.
He spoke on how HAL is focusing on export and on becoming a global player. The Tejas is the lightest aircraft in its class in the world and has a marvelous safety record. There have only been two crashes in the aircraft’s 10-year history with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
“It is the policy of the government that we should become global. The exports are an outcome of the outreach of the Government of India and the company. It is a logical extension of the capacity we are building,” Sunil said.
Wing Commander Namansh Syal lost his life after the Tejas which he was flying during an low-altitude aerobatic display during the air show at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai last Friday.
The Tejas Mk-1 aircraft had been executing an eight-minute aerobatic routine when it failed to recover from a low-altitude “negative G-turn,” resulting in a fatal descent and explosion in front of spectators.
The IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry to determine the cause of the crash. The previous incident involving a Tejas occurred near Jaisalmer in March last year. The pilot had then ejected safely.