Tejas Photos & Videos — Official Gallery

01Mk1A & production

The Mk1A takes shape

HAL’s third Tejas line at Nashik, the first aircraft off it, and the Mk1A on show at Aero India 2025.

Tejas Mk1A LA-5043, the first built at HAL Nashik, parked on the flight line — LA-5043, the first Mk1A built on HAL’s new Nashik line, 17 October 2025.Photo: PIB / Ministry of Defence

Tejas Mk1A taxiing through an arch of water from two fire tenders — A water-cannon salute for the Mk1A after its flight at Nashik, 17 October 2025.Photo: PIB / Ministry of Defence

Tejas Mk1A lifting off the runway at Yelahanka with its landing gear down — A Mk1A lifts off at Aero India 2025, Air Force Station Yelahanka, 10 February 2025.Photo: PIB / Ministry of Defence

Tejas Mk1A fighter and Mk1A twin-seater parked either side of a red carpet, with officials between them — The Mk1A fighter (left) and Mk1A twin-seater on display at HAL Bengaluru, 9 February 2025.Photo: PIB / Ministry of Defence

Officials walking through the Tejas Mk1A assembly hall at HAL Nashik — Inside the Mk1A assembly hall at HAL Nashik on the day the line opened, 17 October 2025.Photo: PIB / Ministry of Defence

02In service & exercises

With the squadrons

The Mk1 with No. 45 “Flying Daggers” and No. 18 “Flying Bullets” squadrons, at home and alongside other air forces.

Two Tejas taking off past the air traffic control tower at Sulur — A pair of Tejas departs Sulur at the commissioning of No. 18 Squadron, 27 May 2020.Photo: Indian Air Force (GODL)

Tejas LA-5018 of No. 18 Squadron banking steeply over farmland — LA-5018 of No. 18 Squadron “Flying Bullets” in a steep bank, 2021.Photo: Ministry of Defence, Govt of India (GODL)

Two camouflaged Tejas of No. 45 Squadron in close formation over fields — Two IOC-standard Tejas of No. 45 Squadron “Flying Daggers” in close formation, 2021.Photo: Ministry of Defence, Govt of India (GODL)

Tejas LA-5020 climbing with white smoke trailing from both wingtips — LA-5020 of No. 18 Squadron trailing smoke during the Air Force Day display, October 2021.Photo: Ministry of Defence, Govt of India (GODL)

A Tejas seen head-on as it banks over a patchwork of fields — An FOC-standard Tejas banks towards the camera, October 2021.Photo: Ministry of Defence, Govt of India (GODL)

An Indian Su-30MKI, a French Rafale and Tejas LA-5026 flying in echelon — Su-30MKI, French Air and Space Force Rafale and Tejas LA-5026 together during Exercise Garuda VII, Jodhpur, October 2022.Photo: Indian Air Force (GODL)

Tejas LA-5022 flying over a palace and gardens in Jodhpur — LA-5022 over Jodhpur during Exercise Tarang Shakti, on the tri-service Vice Chiefs' sortie led by the then Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal A.P. Singh, 9 September 2024.Photo: Indian Air Force (GODL)

Indian Air Force Tejas parked on the apron at the Singapore Airshow — IAF Tejas on the flight line at the Singapore Airshow, February 2022.Photo: Ministry of Defence, Govt of India (GODL)

03Displays & flypasts

On show

Aero India at Yelahanka and the Republic Day flypast over Kartavya Path.

Three Tejas seen from below in a tight vic formation against a blue sky — Three Tejas in formation over Yelahanka ahead of Aero India 2025, February 2025.Photo: PIB / Ministry of Defence

A Tejas in a knife-edge bank showing its delta-wing planform against a blue sky — A knife-edge pass shows off the Tejas’s compound-delta wing at Aero India 2023.Photo: PIB / Ministry of Defence

Four Tejas in diamond formation against a blue sky — A four-ship Tejas formation rehearsing for the Republic Day 2024 flypast, January 2024.Photo: Indian Air Force (GODL)

Tejas lifting off with its landing gear still extended, buildings behind — Take-off at Aero India 2017, Bengaluru, 15 February 2017.Photo: Ashwin Kumar, CC BY-SA 2.0

04Naval Tejas

From ski-jump to carrier deck

The naval prototypes at the Shore Based Test Facility in Goa and aboard India’s home-built carrier, INS Vikrant.

Naval Tejas on the flight deck of INS Vikrant in front of the carrier’s island — LCA Navy on the deck of INS Vikrant after its first landing aboard, February 2023.Photo: Indian Navy (GODL)

Naval Tejas leaving INS Vikrant’s ski-jump with its afterburner lit — Ski-jump launch from INS Vikrant, afterburner lit, 2023.Photo: Indian Navy (GODL)

Naval prototype NP-2 leaving the ski-jump ramp at the shore-based test facility — NP-2 launches off the ski-jump at the Shore Based Test Facility, INS Hansa, Goa, 2019.Photo: PIB / Ministry of Defence

Naval prototype NP-1 at the top of the ski-jump ramp at INS Hansa — NP-1 makes the first ski-jump take-off from the Shore Based Test Facility, INS Hansa, Goa, December 2014.Photo: Indian Navy (GODL)

05Milestones & cockpit

Milestones

Air-to-air refuelling, the glass cockpit, and the next step: the Mk2.

Tejas flying in close formation behind an IAF Il-78 tanker — Tejas with an IAF Il-78MKI tanker during its first air-to-air refuelling trials, September 2018.Photo: Ministry of Defence, Govt of India (GODL)

Tejas cockpit simulator showing the head-up display and three multi-function displays — A Tejas cockpit simulator on display: head-up display and glass multi-function displays.Photo: Udayblr, CC BY-SA 4.0

Computer render of the Tejas Mk2, with canards, climbing through cloud — Render: the Tejas Mk2, released by DRDO in August 2024. The Mk2 is in development, with first flight targeted for 2027.Render: DRDO (GODL)

06Videos

Official videos

From the Ministry of Defence and PIB India YouTube channels. Videos load from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play.

The making of India’s own LCA Tejas Mk1AFrom blueprint to flight line (0:46) · Ministry of Defence on YouTube

LCA Mk1A flight at HAL NashikRaksha Mantri at the Nashik line, October 2025 · Ministry of Defence on YouTube

IAF & JASDF Chiefs fly LCA TejasExercise Veer Guardian 2026, Jodhpur · Ministry of Defence on YouTube

First display of the FOC Tejas at Aero India 2023Aero India 2023, Yelahanka · Ministry of Defence on YouTube

LCA Navy: maiden landing onboard INS VikrantFebruary 2023 · Ministry of Defence on YouTube

First ever mid-air refuelling of TejasSeptember 2018 · PIB India on YouTube

07Credits

Credits & licences

Every image is credited beneath it. Photos from the Press Information Bureau are reproduced under the PIB copyright policy, which permits reuse with credit. Photos from the Ministry of Defence, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy are used under the Government Open Data License – India (GODL), via Wikimedia Commons. Photos marked CC BY-SA are by the named Wikimedia Commons contributors and remain under that licence. Images marked “Render” are computer-generated, not photographs.

Videos are embedded from the official YouTube channels of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India and PIB India.

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