Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said this was the first time the TEJAS MK-1 took part in such large force engagements and they are proud of its performance

Sulur: The locally built TEJAS light combat aircraft (TEJAS MK-1) proved its mettle in Tarang Shakti 2024, the largest multilateral air combat exercise to be hosted by India, while executing a variety of missions along with bigger and modern global fighter jets, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said on Tuesday.

“TEJAS [the smallest fighter in the drills] showed size does not matter. The aircraft proved its capabilities in realistic combat settings as part of both [friendly] ‘blue force’ and [hostile] ‘red force’,” Chaudhari said at a media briefing on the conclusion of the first phase of the exercise at the Sulur airbase near Coimbatore.

The chiefs of the French and German air forces, General Stephane Mille and Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz flew in the TEJAS MK-1 on Tuesday. Also, Chaudhari and Spanish air force chief Air General Francisco Braco Carbo flew in the Su-30MKI.

The first phase began on August 6 and involved the air forces of India, France, Germany, the UK, and Spain. The aircraft that took part included Rafales, Typhoons, Su-30MKIs, TEJAS, A-400 military transport aircraft, and Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport.

This was the first time the TEJAS MK-1 took part in such large force engagements and “we are proud of its performance,” Chaudhari said. “Tejas is the epitome of our success in the self-reliance campaign. We will use the aircraft more in air combat drills both within and outside the country,” he said.

IAF has around 40 TEJAS MK-1s and all of them are based in Sulur.

Major Alexis Galouzeau, 38, a French Air Force Rafale pilot who flew missions with and against the TEJAS MK-1, was impressed with the capabilities of the Indian fighter jet. “It has fantastic manoeuvrability and can carry out a variety of missions,” he said.

The second and final leg of Tarang Shakti will be conducted in Jodhpur from August 29 to September 14. Just like the first phase, the second leg will also involve the participation of 70-80 aircraft including fighter planes, helicopters, special operations planes, mid-air refuelers, and airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft.

The air forces that are bringing their assets for the second phase include the US, Australia, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore. Russia and Israel, two of India’s main defence partners, are not taking part in the drills because of their preoccupation with the ongoing developments back home.

IAF chief endorsed the capabilities of the TEJAS MK-1 at a time when its advanced variant TEJAS MK-1A is delayed. “If we had adequate numbers of TEJAS MK-1As, the aircraft would have taken part in Tarang Shakti,” Chaudhari said in response to a question.

A question mark hangs over Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) ability to meet the delivery timeline of the 83 TEJAS MK-1As on order. IAF will have to wait longer for the first aircraft that was supposed to be delivered by March 31, 2024.

The first aircraft is now likely to be delivered only in November 2024. After missing the March 31 deadline, HAL hoped to deliver the first aircraft in July but again revised it to a later date in August.

IAF is unhappy with the current pace of the TEJAS MK-1A programme because of the possible risks the 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 HAL, calling for timely execution of the ₹48,000-crore contract, as first reported by HT on July 12.

HAL had then said it will deliver 16 of these fighters to IAF in FY 2024-25 as per schedule. It also said it hoped to deliver all the 83 aircraft on order by 2028-29. The TEJAS MK-1A made its maiden sortie from an HAL facility in Bangalore on March 28.

Many in the air force are 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. Also, the certification of new systems in the aircraft is still pending. The single-engine MK-1A will be a replacement for the IAF’s Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter.

The defence ministry could award HAL a contract for 97 more TEJAS MK-1As to strengthen the air force’s capabilities by the end of the year, as reported by HT on Tuesday. The contract is estimated to be worth ₹67,000 crore. The upcoming deal will be the second order for the TEJAS MK-1A after the ministry awarded HAL the ₹48,000-crore contract for 83 such aircraft in February 2021.

Exercise Tarang Shakti has allowed the country to showcase its indigenous military capabilities to the world, including the Prachand light combat helicopter, Dhruv advanced light helicopter, and its armed version Rudra. The exercise involved within and beyond visual range combat missions, large force engagements, air mobility operations, dynamic targeting, low light operations, high-value aerial asset protection and busting, air-to-air refuelling missions, and combat search and rescue.

Tarang Shakti comes on the back of IAF showcasing its capability to carry out high-tempo operations during Exercise Gagan Shakti 24 from April 1 to April 10, which involved all air force bases and assets scattered across the country. The last of IAF’s MiG-21 fighter planes participated in the pan-India drills, their final participation in a major exercise.

The MiG-21, India’s first supersonic fighter whose induction began in 1963, will be pulled out of service by 2025, and replaced by the TEJAS MK-1A.

Earlier in February, IAF showcased its offensive capabilities by day and night at the Pokhran air-to-ground range near Jaisalmer, during Exercise Vayu Shakti 24, with fighter jets carrying out precision strikes against simulated enemy aircraft and targets on the ground, including runways, bridges, ammunition dumps, radar sites and terror camps, to ensure battlefield superiority.

(With Inputs From Agencies)