Indian Air Force Tejas Delivered

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited handed over the last two LCA Tejas Final Operational Clearance twin-seat trainers to the Indian Air Force at a ceremony in Bengaluru on 18 September 2026, closing out twin-seater deliveries under the FOC contract. The Press Information Bureau said the two aircraft were handed over alongside the first three HTT-40 basic trainers, with four Dhruv NG helicopters going to the civil operator Pawan Hans. The FOC trainer is the two-seat conversion of the single-seat Tejas, used for type conversion and advanced training while retaining a combat capability. Production now centres on the follow-on Tejas Mk1A, ordered in far larger numbers and built on three lines.