It will be the first time that two service chiefs will fly in the single-engine fighter plane, the officials said, asking not to be named.
Singh will also fly in a formation of three LCA Mk-1s on Monday, the opening day of Aero India 2025, which is Asia’s biggest airshow. The air force has already inducted the LCA Mk-1s.
The development comes at a time when State-run plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is set to begin critical trials on the LCA Mk-1A (an advanced variant of the Mk-1 aircraft) involving the testing of the indigenous Astra beyond-visual-range missile, the aircraft’s locally made electronic warfare suite and the Israeli Elta radar, as it targets a March 31 deadline to deliver the first fighter jet to the IAF after completing the necessary certification requirements.
The LCA Mk-1A will also take part in the aerial display during the five-day airshow.
The IAF is concerned about the current pace of the LCA Mk-1A programme because of the possible risks a delay in the induction of new fighter planes could pose to the air force’s combat effectiveness. The air force ordered 83 Mk-1A fighters for ₹48,000 crore in February 2021 and plans to buy 97 more Mk-1As at a cost of around ₹67,000 crore.
HAL is in talks with US firm GE Aerospace to expedite the delivery of the F404 engines for the Mk-1A aircraft. GE has not committed to a delivery schedule for the 99 engines on order, but the US engine maker has indicated to HAL that the production issues have been resolved and the supply of the first units could begin soon.
The first few LCA Mk-1As are expected to be delivered to the IAF with reserve F404 engines that will be replaced with new ones as and when GE begins supplying them.
The first Mk-1A aircraft was to be delivered to the IAF by March 31, 2024, but that didn’t happen due to a combination of factors including delays in some key certifications and GE’s inability to supply the engines on time. The US firm should have delivered six engines to HAL in the financial year 2023-24.
Nari Shakti (women power) will also be on display on the opening day of the airshow. Women fighter pilots will be part of the three-aircraft Shakti formation involving a Rafale and two Sukhoi-30s on Monday, the officials added.
