Tejas LCAs likely to fly again from next week after regulatory checks, HAL's pending tests delay delivery of advanced jets

New Delhi: The grounded Tejas LCA fleet of the Indian Air Force is likely to fly again by as early as next week following a round of regulatory checks, a top official said on Thursday, nearly six weeks after the IAF suspended flying of its two squadrons of home-grown fighter jets.

“The local modification committee (of the certifying authority) detected the problem and issued a one-time check. By next week, the planes should fly after carrying out the check,” D K Sunil, chairman and managing director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited said here.

As many as 34 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1 of the IAF were put under a “routine maintenance check” in the wake of an accident at a forward base in February injuring the pilot. HAL officials said the problem was related to the braking system of the home-grown aircraft.

The IAF’s wait for the more advanced Tejas LCA Mk-1A, however, gets longer as HAL needs to first finish two pending tests and subsequently work out a new delivery timeline in consultation with the force, taking into account new engine delivery commitments from General Electric.

The manufacturer has so far received only six F-404 engines from GE, but the US major promised supplying 20 more in the second half of 2026. The sixth one was handed over on Thursday in Chicago.

The aviation major has readied 20 Tejas LCA Mk-1A so far, but more are in the pipeline. It also carried out a series of trials including firing the Astra beyond visual range missile and the advanced short-range air-to-air missile from a single pod.

But two critical pending tasks are firing two ASRAAMs simultaneously from the launch pod and “some improvement” on the radar. Both are likely to completed this month.

The delay on GE's part in supplying the engines as per contracts, sources said, was not due to the ongoing war between the USA, Israel, and Iran.

Because of the delay in engine delivery, India has invoked the penalty clause in the contract under which a liquidated damage charge is imposed on every delivery made after the contracted supply schedule.

The contract, according to sources, includes a provision under which if there is a delay in the delivery of F-404 engines for the LCA, liquidated damages will be imposed on GE Aviation.

“The cost is being imposed as per the contract. HAL will also pay similar damages to the IAF for delayed delivery of the combat jets,” sources said.

Sunil said HAL would be out of contention for developing the fifth-generation fighter aircraft, but it is ready to offer its Su-30 MKI production line for the manufacture of Russian Su-57 jets if the government decides to buy the Russian fifth-generation fighter jets.