The Tejas is a single-engine multirole fighter which features a tailless, compound delta wing and is designed with "relaxed static stability" for enhanced manoeuvrability.
Originally intended to serve as an air superiority aircraft with a secondary ground-attack role, its flexibility permits a variety of guided air-to-surface and anti-shipping weapons to be integrated for multirole and multimission capabilities.
The tailless, compound-delta planform is designed to be small and lightweight.
This platform also minimises the control surfaces needed (no tail-planes or fore-planes, just a single vertical tail-fin), permits carriage of a wider range of external stores, and confers better close-combat, high-speed, and high-alpha performance characteristics than comparable cruciform-wing designs.
Extensive wind tunnel testing on scale models and complex computational fluid dynamics analyses have optimised the aerodynamic configuration for minimum supersonic drag, a low wing-loading, and high rates of roll and pitch.

The maximum payload capability of Tejas is 5,300 kg (11,684 lb).
All weapons are carried on one or more of seven hardpoints with total capacity of greater than 5,000 kg: three stations under each wing and one on the under-fuselage centreline.
An eighth offset station beneath the port-side intake trunk can carry a variety of pods like FLIR, IRST, laser rangefinder/designator, as can the centre line under-fuselage station and inboard pairs of wing stations.
Auxiliary fuel tanks of 725, 800 and 1,200 litres can be carried under the fuselage to extend range.
An aerial refuelling probe on the starboard side of the forward fuselage can further extend range and endurance.
RAFAEL's Derby fire-and-forget missile will serve as the Tejas' initial medium range air-air armament.
The Brahmos NG supersonic cruise missile is being developed for the Tejas.

Stealth features have been designed into Tejas.
Being small provides an inherent degree of visual stealth, the airframe's high usage of composites (which do not reflect radar waves), a Y-duct inlet which shields the engine compressor face from probing radar waves, and the application of radar-absorbent material (RAM) coatings are intended to minimise its susceptibility to detection and tracking.

Tejas uses Martin-Baker 16LG zero-zero ejection seat.
DRDO integrated an indigenous CSS, or canopy severance system, in the Tejas which allows the pilot to eject safely.
The Tejas is a single-engine multirole fighter which features a tailless, compound delta wing and is designed with "relaxed static stability" for enhanced manoeuvrability. Originally intended to serve as an air superiority aircraft with a secondary ground-attack role, its flexibility permits a variety of guided air-to-surface and anti-shipping weapons to be integrated for multirole and multimission capabilities. The tailless, compound-delta planform is designed to be small and lightweight. This platform also minimises the control surfaces needed (no tail-planes or fore-planes, just a single vertical tail-fin), permits carriage of a wider range of external stores, and confers better close-combat, high-speed, and high-alpha performance characteristics than comparable cruciform-wing designs. Extensive wind tunnel testing on scale models and complex computational fluid dynamics analyses have optimised the aerodynamic configuration for minimum supersonic drag, a low wing-loading, and high rates of roll and pitch.
The maximum payload capability of Tejas is 5,300 kg (11,684 lb). All weapons are carried on one or more of seven hardpoints with total capacity of greater than 5,000 kg: three stations under each wing and one on the under-fuselage centreline. An eighth offset station beneath the port-side intake trunk can carry a variety of pods like FLIR, IRST, laser rangefinder/designator, as can the centre line under-fuselage station and inboard pairs of wing stations. Auxiliary fuel tanks of 725, 800 and 1,200 litres can be carried under the fuselage to extend range. An aerial refuelling probe on the starboard side of the forward fuselage can further extend range and endurance. RAFAEL's Derby fire-and-forget missile will serve as the Tejas' initial medium range air-air armament. The Brahmos NG supersonic cruise missile is being developed for the Tejas.
Stealth features have been designed into Tejas. Being small provides an inherent degree of visual stealth, the airframe's high usage of composites (which do not reflect radar waves), a Y-duct inlet which shields the engine compressor face from probing radar waves, and the application of radar-absorbent material (RAM) coatings are intended to minimise its susceptibility to detection and tracking.
Tejas uses Martin-Baker 16LG zero-zero ejection seat. DRDO integrated an indigenous CSS, or canopy severance system, in the Tejas which allows the pilot to eject safely.
HAL Tejas