Spectacular debut by Indian LCA Tejas fighter jet at Malaysian airshow

India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas made a spectacular debut on the first day of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aviation (LIMA) airshow in Malaysia.

The aircraft, piloted by Group Capt. Smarth Dhankar put up an impressive performance for nearly 10 minutes in the skies over Langkawi. Performing maneuvers such as loop, slow speed pass, minimum radius turn, maximum rate turn, negative G turn and point rolls, the aircraft kept the gathered visitors enthralled during the performance.

This is the first time that the LCA Tejas is participating in an international air show after its induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF).

A spokesperson for the IAF team which brought the two LCA Tejas aircraft to Langkawi told this corespondent that the Tejas and the supporting aircraft flow into Langkawi following a refueling stop in Myanmar.

The Tejas, which received its final operational clearance earlier this year, is a possible contender for Malaysia's light fighter jet procurement project. The Indian jet is in competition against the Chinese-Pakistani JF-17, South Korean F-50 and Russian YAK-130. With an initial purchase of 12 units, Malaysia is also looking to have an option for additional 24 units in the future.