NEW DELHI: HAL has announced that five Tejas Mk-1A fighter jets are ready for induction after completing weapons trials, but defence sources say delivery to the Indian Air Force (IAF) is likely to be delayed due to pending certification and operational clearances.
Speaking at a press conference in Hyderabad earlier this week, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman and Managing Director D.K. Sunil said, “Five Tejas Mk-1A aircraft are ready. We have completed firing and missile trials. We would be approaching the IAF to take these five fighters in the current financial year.”
However, sources in the defence and security establishment said that although the jets have successfully completed weapons trials, including the firing of two missiles and the release of a laser-guided bomb, final Staff Qualitative Requirements (SQR) certification and mandatory operational demonstrations are still pending, a requirement for formal induction into service.
“SQRs lay down the IAF’s performance benchmarks for induction. Beyond weapons trials, they cover flight envelope validation, avionics and sensor integration, electronic warfare performance, reliability and maintainability parameters and operational suitability checks. Only after these are demonstrated and certified can the aircraft be formally accepted,” a source explained.
The TNIE also reached out to HAL. “We expect to offer the five aircraft for delivery in March, after which the IAF will finalise acceptance and work out the details of the handover,” a HAL official said.
As reported earlier by the TNIE, HAL had announced a revised delivery target of March during the debut flight of the LCA Mk-1A in Nashik in October last year. In September, the PSU had also indicated that the first two aircraft from the 83-aircraft order would be delivered by October, a timeline that was subsequently missed.
Under the Rs. 48,000-crore contract signed in February 2021 for 73 Tejas Mk-1A fighters and 10 trainers (totalling 83 aircraft), the first aircraft was scheduled for delivery within three years. However, the programme has been delayed by nearly three years.
In November 2023, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared procurement of an additional 97 Mk-1A fighters at an estimated cost of Rs. 66,500 crore, with final contract approval issued August last year. Once these aircraft are delivered, the IAF’s Tejas Mk-1A fleet is expected to reach around 180 aircraft.
HAL currently has a production capacity of 24 aircraft per year. At this rate, fulfilling the 180-aircraft order will take more than seven years, with the IAF expected to receive the full Mk-1A fleet no earlier than around 2033.
The continued delays, which have also been linked to disruptions in the supply of GE F404 engines, come at a time when the IAF is grappling with a critical fighter squadron shortfall, with 29 active squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42.5.