‘Absolutely no problem; Tejas is among safest aircraft in the world’: HAL chief after Dubai crash
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Absolutely no problem; Tejas is among safest aircraft in the world’: HAL chief after Dubai crash")
HAL Tejas fighter jet Photograph: (AFP)
HAL Chief DK Sunil highlighted that the state-owned enterprise currently holds orders for 180 Tejas jets and will be looking to foreign markets once production scales up
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chief and Managing Director DK Sunil on Friday (Nov 28) reaffirmed that there is "absolutely no Problem" with Tejas light combat aircraft, adding that the recent crash at the Dubai airshow, which claimed life of wing commander Namesh Sayal was an "unfortunate incident" and will not have any impact on the future on the Tejas Programme.
Speaking at the ANI security summit, HAL chief stressed that the aircraft's safety record is "the best in the World."
"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. It will have no impact on the future of Tejas," he said.
He dismissed any alleged conspiracy surrounding the crash and reaffirmed the confidence the armed forces have in the HAL. He cited the defence manufacturer's record in building a variety of equipment for the Armed forces.
Also Read: After Tejas, HAL's stock crashes but brokerage see over 20% upside in fighter jet maker! Here's why
"Social media is quite prevalent today, and everybody has an opinion, and everybody considers themselves an expert also. We have built the HTT-40, a ground-up trainer. We have built all these helicopters, which are all flying all over the country. We have built the Prachand. Where is the question that the capability is not there, or there is self-doubt? There is no self-doubt in the armed forces or the industry. It's perhaps in the public, but there's no doubt that we can do it and we have the capability," he said.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
On export plans
Sunil highlighted that the state-owned enterprise currently holds orders for 180 Tejas jets and will be looking to foreign markets once production scales up, aligning with the government's priority to make India a significant player in defence exports.
"Exports are a logical extension of the capacity we are building. The government wants us to become global, and we will have an export market for this," Sunil noted.
Tejas is an indigenously developed 4.5-generation multi-role combat aircraft capable of offensive air support, close combat, and ground-attack missions. It can conduct ground and maritime operations with high precision. The Tejas platform includes single-seat variants for both the Air Force and Navy, as well as twin-seat variants for each service.
