CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPSC IAS

A Tejas aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near Jaisalmer, minutes after taking part in a tri-services exercise. This marks the first crash of the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas, which IAF began inducting in July 2016.

What is Tejas Mk-1?

• The Tejas Mk-1 is light supersonic multirole jet, capable of doing multiple missions including-
  • air-defence (air-to-air)
  • intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
  • air-interdiction (striking enemy targets deep into enemy territory)
  • maritime strike and reconnaissance missions
• The jet carries, an Israeli laser designating pod, multi-mode radar, helmet mounted display system and self-protection suite.
• The Indian Air Force currently operates 40 Tejas MK-1 aircraft and it has 83 Tejas MK-1A fighters on order in a deal worth over ? 46,000 crore.