Defence min Rajnath Singh to fly in Tejas fighter jet on Thursday

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would be flying in indigenously-built light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas from the HAL airport in Bengaluru on Thursday, senior officials said.

He will be the first defence minister to fly in the aircraft.

A Defence Ministry official on Wednesday said the minister is "taking a sortie" in order to boost the morale of officers who have been involved in the development of "indigenously-made Tejas".

"It will also boost the morale of IAF pilots who are flying these aircraft. The minister will be briefed by IAF officers before taking a sortie on Thursday," he added.

The IAF has already inducted a batch of Tejas aircraft. The naval version of the LCA is in development stage.

Last Friday in Goa, Tejas had successfully carried out an "arrested landing", a key performance demonstrating its ability to land on board an aircraft carrier, making it a major milestone in development of the naval variant of the fighter jet.

"The minister will fly a sortie in the ...