The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to receive at least six Tejas light combat aircraft by March 2026, as confirmed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) chairman and managing director D K Sunil.
HAL is responsible for the production of these single-engine fighter jets, which are suitable for air defence, maritime reconnaissance, and various strike missions.
In a conversation with PTI Videos, Sunil revealed that the delay in deliveries is due to GE Aerospace not meeting their engine supply deadline.
“Unfortunately, in the case of LCA Mark 1A, we have built the aircraft. As of today, we have six aircraft lined up. But the engine deliveries have not happened from GE Aerospace. They were to deliver the engines in 2023. Till date, we have got only one engine,” he said.
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh has expressed his concerns regarding the delay in the F404 engines, which has affected the production timeline for HAL’s Tejas Mk-1A jets.
The production issues at GE Aerospace started during the Covid pandemic and were exacerbated by the departure of key engineers, leading to supply chain challenges.
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By GlobalDataSunil added: “Every company goes through its fair share of criticisms. It does happen. I can assure you that as of today, six aircraft are ready. There is no let-up from our side. We are building those aircraft and getting them ready and we will be in a position to deliver (by this fiscal).”
HAL will move forward with the jet deliveries as GE Aerospace is anticipated to deliver 12 engines within the current financial year.
The Indian aircraft manufacturer aims to manufacture 16 Tejas Mk-1A jets in the next year.
In February 2021, HAL signed contract worth Rs 480bn ($5.5bn) with the Indian Defence Ministry for 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets.
Additionally, plans are underway to procure another 97 aircraft for roughly Rs670bn.
Domestically produced Tejas jets will replace IAF’s MiG-21 fighters.
In December 2024, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and HAL formalised an agreement for the acquisition of 12 Su-30MKI aircraft with related systems.
