The Tejas fighter will have to cross six milestones in the next 15 months, before the aircraft is given the final operational clearance (FOC). The December 20 initial operational clearance event, ahead of the expected induction of the first series production aircraft into the Indian Air Force by March 2014, would pave way for the IAF pilots to undertake independent flight evaluation of Tejas. Dr K Tamil Mani, Director‐General (Aeronautical Systems), DRDO, and Chief Executive, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification, told that the integration of new missiles identified by the IAF will top the agenda in the FOC phase. “The aerodynamics, structures and the integration of missiles with the radar are important events for Tejas now. We need to evolve the algorithm,” Dr Tamil Mani said. The beyond visual range missiles from Israel ‐‐ Derby and Python with a range of 70 km and each weighing 150 kg ‐‐ have been identified for Tejas.

 Source: Indian Express

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