RAS question
Tejas Mark 2 is being developed as:
Correct answer: (D) A medium-weight single-engine fighter to replace MiG-29 and Mirage 2000.
Tejas Mark 2 is being developed as a medium-weight, single-engine multirole combat fighter intended to replace the Indian Air Force's MiG-29 and Mirage 2000 aircraft.
Explanation
Tejas Mark 2, also called the Medium Weight Fighter, is not a transport or rotary-wing platform but a 4.5-generation, single-engine, canard delta wing, multirole combat aircraft being developed by HAL and ADA. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), reporting a parliamentary panel's account, describes LCA Tejas Mk2 as under design and development as a day-and-night, all-weather multirole combat aircraft with self-defence capability for dense and hostile air-defence environments. It is therefore a medium-weight fighter. Its intended replacement role is also clear: the ageing MiG-29 and Mirage 2000 fleet, and LCA Mk2 is intended to replace Mirage-2000, MiG-29 and Jaguar aircraft of the IAF.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) A transport aircraft is meant for carrying personnel or cargo, whereas Tejas Mark 2 is a multirole combat fighter.
- (B) A helicopter is a rotary-wing aircraft, but Tejas Mark 2 is a fixed-wing, single-engine fighter with a canard delta wing.
- (C) A naval submarine is an underwater platform, while Tejas is an aircraft programme and Tejas Mark 2 is being developed for combat aviation.
Concept
This tests indigenous defence technology under Science and Technology, especially aircraft development and IAF modernisation. It recurs in RAS because Tejas links defence R&D, public-sector aerospace institutions and current national-security capability.