The LCA Tejas is on par if not better, with any other fourth generation fighter aircraft, said Commanding Officer Madhav Rangachari.
With around 3,000 flying hours to his credit, Madhav has flown the Mirage 2000 and MiG-21. Asked about his opinion of the LCA Tejas, he said that it is of a high quality in terms of the fly by wire system and the league ahead in avionics than many aircraft of its kind. “I have been flying the aircraft for the past one year now and it has a lot of potential. It will surely do a great job for the IAF. It is a stepping stone and a milestone in the history of the country,” he said.
Madhav explained that the aircraft could carry a maximum payload of four tonnes and travel at a maximum speed of 1.6 times the speed of sound and at its slowest speed of 120 knots to 100 knots.