Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Rajnath on board of LCA Tejas Mk1A inaugural flight, praises ‘self-reliance’
The New Indian Express Mysuru
|October 18, 2025
DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday inaugurated the third Production Line of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Nashik. The move is aimed at increasing production to fill gaps in IAF combat squadrons left by the retirement of MiG fighters.
"The line operates fully and can produce eight aircraft per annum. With the inauguration of the line, HAL will achieve a total production capacity of 24 aircrafts per year," the Ministry of Defence said. The announcement comes amid concerns over falling fighter strength, with the last MiG-21 squadron retired in September, leaving the IAF with fewer than 30 operational squadrons.
The advanced LCA Mk1A integrates the Uttam active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, Swayam Raksha Kavach, and updated control actuators, with over 64 percent indigenous content and 67 new homegrown components.
This story is from the October 18, 2025 edition of The New Indian Express Mysuru.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The New Indian Express Mysuru
The New Indian Express Mysuru
Bling in the New
There's a different kind of shimmer in the air. This Diwali, Gen Z is going in for jewellery that is ethical, modern, and not exactly investment-driven
3 mins
October 19, 2025
The New Indian Express Mysuru
A River Runs through Their Lives
Johal traces a century-long saga of memory and loss that flows from colonial Punjab to the global diaspora
3 mins
October 19, 2025
The New Indian Express Mysuru
Trump says ready to solve ‘easy’ Pak-Afghan conflicts
US President Donald Trump has yet again claimed that India will no longer purchase oil from Russia, during a media interaction after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday.
1 mins
October 19, 2025
The New Indian Express Mysuru
Avians can Teach Us the Value of the World
The air was cut with birdcalls.
2 mins
October 19, 2025
The New Indian Express Mysuru
The Climate Plot Thickens
From stories about cloud monsters to reimagined fairytales, environmental literature is emerging as a growing trend in children's publishing
3 mins
October 19, 2025
The New Indian Express Mysuru
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM FILMY FRIENDS
THE most radical of creative efforts are often the quietest.
3 mins
October 19, 2025
The New Indian Express Mysuru
Home is Not Always Where the Heart is
It's happening in West Asia currently. But since time immemorial, we have read books and seen movies about people coming home from war and emotionally reuniting with their families and friends.
2 mins
October 19, 2025
The New Indian Express Mysuru
RUSSIAN OIL: INDIA IN AN UNENVIABLE SNARL
1 NDIA international trade is in turmoil as never before.
3 mins
October 19, 2025
The New Indian Express Mysuru
Amid mass surrenders, another Naxal leader asks cadres to lay down arms
THE recent mass surrenders of Maoists at Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) and Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) has led a senior leader of Udanti Area Committee, active along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, to appeal cadres active in the region to lay down their arms.
1 mins
October 19, 2025
The New Indian Express Mysuru
Espresso, Art, and Timeless Streets
In this Italian city, baroque beauty and avant-garde spirit blend into something irresistibly real
3 mins
October 19, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size