Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Tuesday hailed India's indigenously-built multi-role light combat aircraft Tejas as "very very capable".
As the first foreign civilian to fly on Tejas, Ng took a half-an-hour flight in the two-seater plane piloted by Air Vice Marshal AP Singh at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.
"It is a very very capable plane," Ng told reporters here after flying on Tejas.
Hailing Tejas as "very impressive", Ng said, "This is the reason why our air force trains with your air force. Pilots are superb, planes are pretty good."
Praising Air Vice Marshal Singh as a "superbly confident and supremely professional" pilot, Ng said he felt as if he was riding a car and not flying in a fighter aircraft.
"In fact, the plane ride was so smooth that despite the G-turns and manoeuvres, I managed to even take some selfies," Ng said.
Asked whether Singapore is interested in buying the Tejas fighter aircraft, the minister said he was not a pilot and it was up to the technical people to take a call on it.
Indian defence sources, however, said Singapore has evinced interest in Tejas.
During the Bahrain air show, where Tejas aircraft was showcased, some Middle Eastern countries had also shown interest, the defence sources told PTI.
Two Tejas aircrafts were flown in from Bangalore so that the Singapore defence minister can have a look at the aircraft.
Tejas aircraft was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force and the Navy.
Our Bureau