The Indian Air Force (IAF), grappling with depleting numbers of fighter jet aircraft, has realised by now that the scheduled delivery of the indigenous Tejas Mk-1A aircraft will not happen on time. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has to deliver 16 x Tejas Mk-1A fighters to the IAF in 2024.
HAL has said the first Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft would be delivered by November. The IAF, however, hopes the delivery will start by the end of 2024. The media quoted an unnamed IAF source saying, “We know that 16 aircraft will not come this fiscal as per contract. We hope HAL is able to deliver at least eight aircraft.”
Tejas Project launched in 1983
When the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme was initiated in 1983, the plan was to unveil the first aircraft by 1994. However, the prototype of the LCA flew only in 2001, 18 years after the project began. In December 2013, Tejas got initial operational clearance, and in 2019, the IAF was given the first aircraft with final clearance. Speculation is that HAL may not be able to deliver the Tejas Mk1A as per its revised schedule, delays being the norm in all projects of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
In developing the Tejas Mk-1A, HAL is still struggling to streamline issues such as standardisation and software iterations, along with likely smaller design shifts. For similar reasons, an earlier order of 10 x Tejas Trainer Aircraft to HAL was also delayed with only five being delivered so far and one taken back for further trials.
In February 2021, MoD signed a deal worth Rs 48,000 crore with HAL for 83 Tejas Mk-1A. In August 2021, HAL signed a $716 million pact with GE Aviation for 99 x F404 engines for the aircraft.
GE has not supplied engines
According to HAL, the main delay is because the US firm General Electric has not supplied any F404-IN20 engine that powers the Tejas Mk-1A. In February 2021, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a deal worth Rs 48,000 crore with HAL for 83 Tejas Mk-1A. Later in August 2021, HAL signed a $716 million agreement with GE Aviation for 99 x F404 aircraft engines and support services for the Tejas Mk-1A. As per the contract, three Tejas Mk-1A were to be delivered to the IAF in February 2024 and 16 aircraft per year for the subsequent five years.
In addition to the 83 x MK-1A aircraft on order, MoD has given preliminary approval for procuring another 97 x Tejas Mk-1A. This would eventually make 180 x Tejas Mk-1 fighter jets and 220 fighter jets of the Mk-1 variant. The combined cost of the 180 Tejas Mk-1As is an estimated Rs 1.15 lakh crore.
In June 2024, a GE Aerospace spokesperson said, “The aerospace industry continues to experience unprecedented supply chain pressures. GE Aerospace is working with our partner HAL and suppliers to resolve constraints and deliver F404-IN20 engines.” According to the contract, GE was to deliver 16 x F404-IN20 engines by September 2024. However, according to a government official, not a single engine has been received yet.
HAL’s alternate plan
HAL has come up with an alternate plan to install used engines on the initial batch of jets as an interim measure. The IAF is also reportedly involved in this process; using Category-2 or used engines as a temporary measure till the new GE engines arrive nothing more on the issue is known.
“We know that 16 aircraft will not come this fiscal as per the contract. We hope HAL is able to deliver at least eight aircraft,” says an unnamed IAF source.
According to an analysis published in April 2024, “Since 2020, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have struggled to obtain adequate quantities of many components essential to aircraft manufacturing, including raw materials, finished castings and forgings, semiconductors, and electronics components. In consequence, production lines have slowed or stopped.” A major reason is the US-led NATO war on Russia using Ukraine as its proxy, plus US-EU sanctions on Russia and China – leading to supply chain constraints and a shortage of raw materials, components, semiconductors, and electronics.
This is the situation despite US officials and the US ambassador to India raving that the GE F404-IN20 engines are being provided to India with 100 per cent transfer of technology (ToT), which itself is suspect because the US is unlikely to share critical technology for the inner core of the engine, going by its past history. All this proves again that the US is a very unreliable partner, who has also backstabbed India by engineering the regime change in Bangladesh. It also underlines the need to accelerate indigenous aero-engine development.
Impact of the delay
For the IAF, this delay is bad because Tejas fighters are going to constitute a bulk of the IAF in the next few decades and a key to preventing the fighter squadron strength from going below 30 squadrons in the near term. By next year, the remaining two MiG-21 Bison squadrons will also be phased out to make way for the new Tejas aircraft, particularly at largely empty bases.
According to government officials, manufacturing Tejas fighter jets is continuing at HAL and while there were other supply chain issues, the primary hold up is the engine delay. Even if some number of engines is delivered in the next few months, a small batch of Tejas Mk1A fighter jets can be delivered within a short timeframe. But these claims need to be fructified on the ground to be believed.
In addition to the Tejas MK-1A, the more capable Tejas Mk-2 is also under development which will be powered by the GE F414 engines. A deal for licensed production of the F-414 engines in India is in advanced stages. The IAF has committed to procuring around 120 Tejas Mk-2 aircraft.
According to news reports of August 10, 2024, the Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO, Deputy Chief of Air Staff held a high-level review meeting of Tejas Mk-2, with all stakeholders in the development programme in attendance. The meeting laid down targets for realisation of the first fly-worthy prototype of Tejas Mark 2, an upgraded version of the existing TEJAS MK-1A. It has a wider array of weapons and a more powerful engine. Tejas Mk-2 will reportedly have a 17-ton all-up weight compared to 13.5 tons of Tejas Mk-1A.
“The aerospace industry continues to experience unprecedented supply chain pressures. GE Aerospace is working with our partner HAL and suppliers to resolve constraints and deliver F404-IN20 engines,” says GE.
Only 80% transfer of technology
The latest update reveals that the US has okayed the transfer of technology of about 80 per cent of the GE F414 engine; not 100 per cent, which includes critical and restricted technologies such as crystal blade coating, laser drilling and polymers, to name a few.
The US, France, the UK and Russia have these elusive technologies. But the wait continues for the GE F414 engines. It was expected that the recent visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to the US would expedite the delivery of the GE F414 engines, but nothing has been heard on the subject.
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The writer is an Indian Army veteran. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
