India's Tejas light combat aircraft has completed the first phase of its night flying tests, having conducted a targeting and attack mission under the cover of darkness.
Flown from Hindustan Aeronautics' airport in Bengaluru, the process involved using the Tejas's Israeli-made multi-mode radar and Rafael Litening targeting pod.
"Preliminary results indicate that the integrated systems performed very well, meeting the requirements of night operations," says India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation. "Success of the current phase of trials augur well for achieving the night attack capability for Tejas."
A second phase of night evaluation flights will be carried out within a couple of months, the DRDO says. Clearing the process is a key step before the Tejas can receive full operational clearance for use by the Indian air force.
Source: Flight International