According to speculations, the Indian Air Force may have stationed TEJAS Mk-1 aircraft of its own construction at the forward airbase of Awantipura in Jammu and Kashmir. Swarajyamag

The AOC-in-C Air Marshal PM Sinha was spotted at the Awantipura forward airbase examining a TEJAS MK-1 fighter plane, according to a tweet from the IAF’s Western Air Command.

The TEJAS were thought to be based solely at the Sulur Air Force installation in Tamil Nadu until recently, so this is noteworthy.

The IAF’s 45 squadron “Flying Daggers” and 18 squadron “Flying Bullets” are based at Sulur Air Base and are outfitted with the initial operational clearance (IOC) and final operational clearance (FOC), respectively, variants of the TEJAS fighter jet.

Prior to the Galwan conflict in June 2020 and the ensuing border standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), several reports claimed that the IAF had sent IOC TEJAS fighters from the 45 Squadron “Flying Daggers” to a forward air base on the western border.

Their placement shows that the IAF now has complete confidence in the aircraft’s skills and is prepared to place them at a forward airfield facing India’s enemies.

The Indian Air Force has already placed an order for 83 TEJAS MK-1A planes in 2021, totaling more than Rs 48,000 crore, with the first delivery anticipated in 2024, showing even more confidence in the aircraft’s capabilities.

Compared to the TEJAS MK-1, the new TEJAS MK-1A will feature 40 significant enhancements.

They will have a new advanced self protection jamming suite (ASPJ), a digital flying control computer (DFCC), an active electronically scanned array radar for detecting enemy aircraft at greater ranges and resistance to jamming, as well as quicker turnaround times for each aircraft after each sortie.