IAF LCA Tejas ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Rinju9) Source- Eurasia Review Author- Admiral Arun Prakash, South Asian Monitor On July 1, 2016, No.45 Squadron IAF became the proud recipient of India’s first indigenous 4th generation+ fighter; the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) dubbed Tejas. This marks, not just an historic landmark for our aerospace industry, but a significant step forward in India’s quest for self-reliance in weapon systems and fits neatly into PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign. Not more than a handful of countries can claim the competence to bring a project of such complexity to fruition. It would therefore be appropriate to acknowledge the achievement of our aircraft designers, scientists, production engineers, and the flight-test team for having delivered a state-of-the art combat aircraft to the IAF – although belatedly. It will be a few years before Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) can deliver the squadron’s full outfit of aircraft, but t