IAF to get at least 6 Tejas jets by March 2026: HAL Chief D K Sunil

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force will get at least half-a-dozen Tejas Light Combat Aircraft by March 2026, the chief of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which is manufacturing the cutting-edge fighter jets, has disclosed. He attributes the delivery delays to GE Aerospace missing deadline for supply of its engines.

The slippage in the delivery schedule for the LCA Mk-1A variant of the jet had become a major issue with Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh raising the matter publicly.

HAL Chairman and Managing Director D K Sunil said the delay was caused only due to the US firm's inability to supply the F404 engines on time.

In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, the HAL chief said GE Aerospace is expected to supply 12 engines in the current fiscal. This will facilitate delivery of the jets to the IAF.

"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," he said.

"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 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.

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 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.

Sunil said the Tejas Mk-1A is a world class aircraft comprising a high-quality radar, electronic warfare suites and an array of missiles.

"It has got a full complement of avionics and weapons which make the aircraft a very potent platform. It will be very good for our Air Force," he said.

Sunil said a number of countries have evinced interest in the Tejas jet and the HAL is holding talks with some of them. "We are talking to many countries on Tejas. I hope we will have a breakthrough soon," he said, declining to elaborate further.