The first flight of the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) Mark 1A fighter was completed in Bengaluru by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Thursday, officials said.

The aircraft was airborne for 15 minutes during its first flight, they added.

The Indian Air Force has signed a contract worth over Rs 48,000 crore with the HAL for supplying 83 LCA planes while there is clearance for buying 97 more of them at Rs 65,000 crore.

The HAL has already carried out ground trials including slow taxi runs. The LCA Mark 1 aircraft were inducted into the IAF in 2016 and two of their squadrons including 45 Squadron and 18 Squadron.

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari had termed the clearance of the 97 LCA a “landmark event”.

“We already had 40 LCAs of the original IOC and FOC version. So with this, in the long run, the strength of the Indian Air Force will grow to 220 LCA mark 1As, which will equip almost ten squadrons of the Air Force,” he said after the deal got cleared by the defence acquisition council.The IAF sees the 97 Light Combat Aircraft as an ideal fit to replace the depleting strength of the combat aircraft in the force in view of the phasing out of the MiG-series planes.