MirageBlue
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Thanks, but I must admit from all report I read including several ones from highly respected and most reliable sources, all say, that NONE of these mentioned Tejas is actually ready and it all depends on what you define on "soon" or "shortly".
Even the report itself says so:
View attachment 635753
SP-17 has been flying. 3 Customer Acceptance Flights were supposed to have happened, before handing over to the No.18 Squadron and that might have already been done.
SP-18 was conducting Engine Ground Trials several days ago as per sources. SP-19 and SP-20 are not yet ready and might take a few more months to be handed over.
I would expect SP-17 and 18 to be the ones that get handed over and begin operations.
There may also be fighters shared or transferred between No.45 and No.18 Squadrons. Both are based at Sulur AFS, so No.45 Squadron could hand over a couple of it's fighters temporarily to No.18 for them to begin ops.
Wing Cmdr Manish Tolani, who is the new CO of No.18 Squadron was the Flight Commander of No.45 Squadron till a few weeks ago.
SP-17 (without the IFR probe this time) coming in to land
Picture courtesy, Grp Cpt HV Thakur (retd.), HAL test pilot