Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has completed Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) on 20th December 2013 and the first Series Production Aircraft has been handed over to Chief of Air Staff by Raksha Mantri on 17th January 2015.
The aircraft performance trials, for operational clearance, involves cold weather and hot weather evaluation. Aircraft has successfully completed hot weather trials at an ambience of 45-47 degree Celsius and cold weather trials at an ambience of -15 degree Celsius.
The Government has sanctioned Rs. 2188.00 crore for Full Scale Engineering Development (FSED) – Phase-I Programme to design and develop two Technology Demonstrators (TDs), and Rs. 5777.56 crore for Full Scale Engineering Development (FSED) – Phase-II Programme. The objectives of Phase-II are fabrication of three Prototypes Vehicles (PVs), establishment of production facility at HAL for production of eight aircraft per year and manufacturing and delivery of eight Limited Series Production (LSP) aircraft.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Smt Sasikala Pushpa in Rajya Sabha today.