The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fleet of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has been cleared to resume flight operations after a temporary pause for technical evaluation, with full operational deployment expected this week.
Confirming the development, D K Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), said the Local Modification Committee (LMC) has completed its review and approved the aircraft for return to service.
“Good news is that the Local Modification Committee (LMC) process is complete. We expect clearance by Wednesday, after which the fleet will start flying. Some one-time checks have been mandated, which will be carried out before operations resume. All 36 aircraft will return to service,” he said.
According to HAL, the final clearance for all 36 aircraft is expected by Wednesday, paving the way for their phased re-induction into active duty.
Officials said the resumption of operations will follow a structured safety protocol jointly overseen by HAL and the IAF. As part of this process, all aircraft will undergo mandatory “one-time checks” before take-off – standard preventive inspections aimed at ensuring compliance with updated safety benchmarks.
The clearance applies to all 36 operational Tejas aircraft currently in service, restoring the full strength of both No. 45 Squadron (Flying Daggers) and No. 18 Squadron (Flying Bullets).
The development marks a swift return for India’s indigenous fighter jet programme, reinforcing the IAF’s operational readiness and the reliability of the domestically developed platform.
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