In a major boost to the IAF’s firepower, the second squadron of indigenously manufactured LCA Tejas will be operationalised at Sulur in Tamil Nadu on May 27 by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria.
According to a statement issued by the Defence Ministry, the No. 18 Squadron ‘Flying Bullets’ of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be equipped with light combat aircraft Tejas and it will become the second IAF squadron to fly LCA Tejas.
The 18 Squadron was formed on April 15, 1965 with the motto ‘Teevra aur Nirbhaya’ meaning ‘Swift and Fearless’.
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The squadron was flying MiG-27 aircraft before it got number plated on April 15, 2016. The squadron was resurrected on April 1 this year at Sulur, the statement said.
It earned the sobriquet of ‘Defenders of Kashmir Valley’ by being the first to land and operate from Srinagar. The squadron was presented with President’s Standard in November 2015.
LCA Tejas is an indigenous fourth-generation tailless compound delta-wing aircraft. It is the lightest and smallest in its group of supersonic combat aircraft.
