New Delhi: State-run defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will deliver the last four light combat aircraft (Tejas Mk-1) trainers to the Indian Air Force by March 31, 2025, with the twin-seater jet filling a key training role and doubling as a fighter if needed, officials aware of the matter said.
These aircraft are part of an earlier order for 40 Mk-1s in the initial operational clearance (IOC) and the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC) configurations — the first variants of Tejas.
Delivering the four remaining trainers at the earliest is a priority for HAL, the officials said. The Tejas Mk-1 program moved at a sluggish pace — the IOC contract for the aircraft was signed in 2006 for completion by 2011 and the FOC one for another 20 aircraft was inked in 2010 for completion by 2016.
In October 2023, HAL handed over the first trainer version of Tejas Mk-1 to IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari in Bengaluru, and three more trainers were delivered to the air force thus far. To be sure, at the time of delivering the first trainer, HAL said all the remaining seven trainers would join IAF’s fleet by March 2024. The first Tejas orders were for 32 single-seater jets and eight trainers.
One of the 32 fighters crashed near Jaisalmer on March 12, minutes after taking part in a tri-services exercise that sought to demonstrate the strides India has made towards self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector. That was the first Tejas crash.
HAL plans to complete the delivery of the trainers at a time when the Tejas Mk-1A (an advanced variant of the Mk-1 aircraft) program appears to be delayed and IAF is concerned about the possible risks this could pose to its combat effectiveness.
The issue has been flagged to HAL, which has been nudged to execute the ₹48,000-crore contract for 83 fighters on time, by 2028-29. The defence ministry could award HAL a contract for 97 more Tejas Mk-1As worth ₹67,000 crore by the year-end to strengthen the air force’s capabilities.
Many in the air force are sceptical about the Tejas Mk-1A deadlines being met, and one of the main reasons for that is the lingering delay in the supply of the F404 engines to HAL by US firm GE Aerospace. GE Aerospace has conveyed to HAL that it will start delivering two engines per month November 2024 onwards for the Tejas Mk-1A project. The single-engine Mk-1A will be a replacement for the IAF’s Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter.
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