Air Chief RKS Bhadauria reviewed the progress of aerial power projects.
Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria has reviewed the progress of ongoing manned and unmanned air power projects and operational trials in Bengaluru during his two-day visit to various defense installations.
They visited Air Force units and flight test installations and facilities of Defense Research and Development Organization and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited in Bengaluru on August 23 and 24, officials said.
During his visit to the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria was given an overview of the ongoing projects and briefed about the progress of operational trials.
During his interaction with the personnel, the IAF Chief spoke about the unique and challenging role of ASTE, noted its commendable achievements and leveraged its expertise in meeting the requirements of IAF operational units to stay ahead of the curve. re-emphasised the need.
He also visited the Software Development Institute (SDI), a unit working for the development of avionics software.
He said that the continuous focus of the Institute on important projects has contributed significantly in enhancing the operational and functional capability of the IAF.
Officials said Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria outlined his vision of SDI to move towards software indigenization for integration of various weapons on IAF aircraft and to achieve self-reliance in enhancing combat capability.
As part of the visit, he met and interacted with the test crew and engineers from the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), DRDO and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Bhadauria also underlined the important role of both the establishments in furthering the common goal of building indigenous aviation industry capacity to meet our future requirements.
During his visit to Bengaluru, the IAF chief flew in Tejas MK1 the last operational clearance fighter. Last year, the Air Force inducted the first Final Operational Clearance (FOC)-standard Tejas light combat aircraft into squadron service.
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