The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to receive at least six Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) by March 2026, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman and Managing Director DK Sunil said. His assurance comes in the wake of public concerns raised by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh regarding delays in the delivery of the indigenous jets.
Sunil attributed the delay to the failure of US defence giant GE Aerospace to meet its engine supply schedule. The F404 engines, which power the LCA Mk-1A variant, were not delivered on time, creating a bottleneck in production, he said. The HAL chief also said GE Aerospace is expected to supply 12 engines in the current fiscal year. This will facilitate the delivery of the jets to the IAF.
HAL has jets ready, but no engines
"Every company goes through its fair share of criticisms. It does happen. 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 added.
The delay from GE side was initially due to production timelines falling behind during the Covid pandemic, and the subsequent departure of many senior engineers from the company, causing cascading supply chain bottlenecks. According to Sunil, the technical issues with GE Aerospace have been sorted out and HAL is set to receive 12 jet engines by March 2026. "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)," he said.
HAL aims for 16 jets next year
HAL plans to produce 16 jets in the coming year provided there is steady flow of engine supplies by GE Aerospace. In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets for the IAF. The ministry is also in the process of procuring 97 more LCA Mk-1As at a cost around Rs 67,000 crore.
Massive orders and future plans
The single-engine Mk-1A will be a replacement for the IAF's MiG-21 fighters. The IAF is looking at inducting the warplanes as the number of its fighter squadrons has gone down to 31 from the officially sanctioned strength of 42. Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. It has been designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles.
(With inputs from PTI)
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