The Indian Air Force (IAF) is unhappy with the current pace of the TEJAS light combat aircraft (TEJAS MK-1A) program

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is unhappy with the current pace of the TEJAS light combat aircraft (TEJAS MK-1A) program because of the possible risks a delay in the induction of new fighter planes could pose to the air force’s combat effectiveness, and has flagged the hot-button issue to plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), calling for timely execution of the ₹48,000-crore contract for 83 jets, senior IAF officers aware of the matter said on Thursday.

“We have told HAL that delay is unacceptable as it will affect our fighting capabilities. IAF is still waiting for the first MK-1A aircraft that was to be delivered by March 31, 2024,” said one of the officers cited above, who asked not to be named.

The state-run firm is now targeting the first delivery in August after completing the necessary certification requirements, and says it will deliver 16 of these fighters to IAF in the financial year 2024-25 as per schedule. It also hopes to deliver all the 83 aircraft on order by 2028-29, HAL officials said.

Many in the air force are, however, 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. The delivery of the engines is delayed by around 10 months, HT has learnt.

The TEJAS MK-1A made its maiden sortie from an HAL facility in Bangalore on March 28.

“There are some observations relating to the TEJAS MK-1A’s maiden flight and then there is the engine issue. HAL doesn’t have enough engines to deliver the 16 aircraft this year,” said the IAF officer cited above.

The single-engine MK-1A will be a replacement for the IAF’s Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter.

“IAF should have started phasing out the last of its MiG-21s and raising the first TEJAS MK-1A squadron by now. The conversion to new aircraft for pilots, and the training of technicians and maintenance crews will take time. If we don’t get the new aircraft on time, the capability drawdown will be drastic. IAF doesn’t have a Plan B for the MiG-21 replacement,” said a second IAF officer, who also asked not to be named.

To be sure, IAF’s leadership has firmly backed the TEJAS program and more MK-1 aircraft will be ordered. In a review last year, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari described the fighter aircraft as the flag-bearer of the air force’s efforts towards the indigenisation of its combat fleet.

IAF’s endorsement, however, does not absolve HAL of the delays in the project, said a third IAF officer.

TEJAS MK-1A is an advanced variant of the TEJAS MK-1, which has already been inducted by IAF.

“You must cut us some slack as the MK-1A is more or less a new aircraft,” said one of the HAL officials cited above, asking not to be named.

“This means there is a comprehensive certification process for the new systems and that is taking some time. HAL has ramped up its production capacity to be able to meet IAF’s requirements for new fighters. The project is a top priority for us,” he added.

HAL has set up a new production line in Nashik for TEJAS MK-1As to meet IAF’s growing needs. HAL says it can build 16 TEJAS MK-1As every year in Bangalore, and the Nashik line will help it ramp up production to 24 jets.

HAL officials acknowledged the engine delay issue but said that the plane maker was working towards resolving it and has plans in place to ensure that the project doesn’t suffer.

“We are hoping to get some F404 engines to deliver 16 MK-1A aircraft in FY 2024-25. If there is more delay, HAL will still keep building the planes and fly them with Category B engines (reserve ones). When the GE engines come, we will fit those on the aircraft and deliver the planes to IAF. We are confident of sticking to the overall delivery schedule (by 2028-29),” said a second HAL official.

There was no response from GE Aerospace to a set of queries from HT on the reasons for the engine delay till the time of going to print. Engine deliveries are believed to have been delayed because of supply chain challenges.

Even as doubts shroud the delivery schedule of the TEJAS MK-1A jets, more are likely to be ordered soon. In April, the defence ministry issued a tender to HAL for the proposed acquisition of 97 more TEJAS MK-1As to strengthen the air force’s capabilities at a time it is grappling with a shortage of fighter squadrons. The new fighter planes are expected to cost around ₹67,000 crore.

TEJAS is set to emerge as the cornerstone of IAF’s combat power in the coming decade and beyond as it is expected to operate around 350 TEJASs (a mix of MK-1s, MK-1As and the future MK-2).

Forty MK-1 jets operated by IAF are in the initial operational clearance (IOC) and the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC) configurations --- the first variants of TEJAS.

IAF recently relocated its last MiG-21 fighters from their home base at Suratgarh in Rajasthan to the sprawling Nal desert fighter base near Bikaner, where the only other remaining Indian MiG-21s are based, as the world’s fourth largest air force prepares the ground to pull these iconic planes out of service and begins raising its new TEJAS-MK-1A fleet.

Both squadrons operate the MiG-21 Bison, the last variant of the single-engine workhorse.

The TEJAS project was sanctioned in 1983 as a replacement for MiG-21s. IAF raised its first TEJAS MK-1 squadron in Sulur with two aircraft in July 2016. While the existing MK-1 and the new MK-1A variants will replace MiG-21 fighters, the MK-2 aircraft is planned as a replacement for the MiG-29s, Mirage-2000s and Jaguar fighters that will start retiring in the coming decade.

(With Inputs From Agencies)