Indian Air Force's Tejas Fighter Grounded Due To Rain

Indian Bhoj airport’s ground staff in Bhopal rushed to cover the cockpit of a Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) on Tuesday to prevent water leakage into the plane.

The fighter jet was one of the first two Tejas aircraft that were handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) for formation of the new ‘Flying Daggers 45’ squadron. The jet was on its way from Pathankot to Bangalore, and landed at the Bhopal airport in the morning for re-fuelling.

After refueling, it did not take off as it began to rain. Further it was pulled to the hanger at 4.21 pm. The light combat aircraft was grounded because of bad weather, an airforce official was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. 

Rain started minutes after the aircraft’s landing in Bhopal. The airport ground staff and some IAF staff rushed to the aircraft immediately and tried covering the cockpit with a yellow tarpaulin.

When the rain stopped, the two pilots of the LCA stood near the aircraft and ensured that the cockpit canopy was dried properly. However, they appeared nervous as it suddenly started raining heavily.

The two pilots insisted on another layer of tarpaulin to cover the cockpit. Later, another dark green tarpaulin was placed over it, as everyone had to ensure proper safety of the cockpit.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials refused to comment on the grounding of the LCA. “We don’t know. Only the IAF officials can reply to your questions,” an AAI official said.