Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent choice to fly in a Hindustan Aeronautics-built Tejas fighter jet has attracted surprise and widespread attention. There are two strong political implications behind this.
First, Modi has been pushing for India's plan to "localize the military industry." Currently, India's Defence Acquisition Board is preparing to order 97 Tejas fighters for the Indian Air Force. However, due to the quality of Hindustan Aeronautics' products and problems with India's military industry, the Indian Air Force has always had a lukewarm attitude towards the Tejas fighter. To facilitate the procurement plan, Modi chose to test fly the Tejas fighter and took the opportunity to express confidence in India's homegrown manufacturing capabilities. This move was intended to pave the way for the procurement of Tejas fighters.
Secondly, Modi's test flight plan is also related to India** in 2024. As the leader of the Hindu bloc, Modi has been pushing for the expansion of Hindu influence, even suppressing and attacking populations of other religions. However, this behavior has caused fierce divisions and regional conflicts in India, with opposition parties banding together to form the "Indian National Development and Inclusion Alliance" to counter the Hindu bloc. Faced with this challenge, Modi needs to create a topic and increase his support and rate to keep his position. Therefore, the choice to fly on the Tejas fighter jet is a move by Modi at all costs to improve his image and win the support of voters.
In this test flight, Modi put the perspective in the back seat, with rhythm on the net, and deliberately hid the position of the front seat, giving the illusion that he was driving alone. This is somewhat similar to Russia's ** Putin's previous similar behavior, but Putin really knows how to fly planes and has experience in dealing with emergencies, while Modi is purely a gamble this time, which is completely different.
The "Tejas fighter" is an advanced fighter manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics, and its engine, ** system, cockpit ejection system, air refueling tube, radar and radio systems, and cockpit avionics equipment are all provided by several major international powers. The United States provided the F404 aero engine, Russia provided the ** system, the United Kingdom provided the cockpit ejection system and in-flight refueling pipe, Israel provided the radar and radio systems, and France provided the cockpit avionics. It can be said that this fighter has condensed the scientific and technological strength of many countries and has received international attention and praise.
However, despite the attention and admiration of the Tejas fighter, the Indian Air Force has long been indifferent to it, mainly due to the credibility and product quality of Hindustan Aeronautics. In fact, the Indian Air Force has always avoided the use of Tejas fighters, jokingly calling them "flying coffins". As a result, Modi chose to test fly the Tejas himself in an attempt to change public perception of the fighter and increase the approval rate of his procurement plan.
Looking back at the political implications behind Modi's choice to fly on the Tejas fighter, as well as the technical problems and challenges faced by the fighter, we can see the significance and impact of Modi's test flight.
First of all, from the perspective of promoting the localization of the military industry, Modi's test flight of the "Tejal" fighter reflects India's confidence and determination in local manufacturing capabilities. While the quality of the products manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics has been controversial, Modi's move to test the flight expressed support for the Indian military industry and hope for a solution to technical problems. This is an important step for India to promote the development of local industries and reduce its dependence on imports**.
Secondly, Modi's test flight of the Tejas fighter also means that his position in India** in 2024 is precarious. Modi has been using Hindu sectarian political power to push for religious expansion in India and lead to domestic conflicts and conflicts. However, this practice has led to a coalition and confrontation between other religions and opposition, and Modi's position has been threatened. By flying the Tejas fighter and creating a buzz, Modi sought to increase voters' support for him and maintain his political position.
To sum up, although Modi's choice to fly the Tejas fighter jet has caused surprise from the outside world, this move has obvious political significance and technical challenges. Whether it is to promote the localization of the military industry or to cope with the 2024**, behind Modi's test flight is his thinking and efforts as the role and responsibility of the Indian Prime Minister. For India, whether it can overcome technical difficulties, completely solve the problems of the military industry, and improve local manufacturing capacity is the key factor in promoting India's development and enhancing its international status.