Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which has struggled to deliver the new TEJAS MK-1A on time, must stick to its promise of producing 24 jets every year to offset the delay, while stressing that lessons learnt should guide critical future projects, including the TEJAS MK-2 and the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), a stealth fighter.

In his first press briefing as IAF chief, Singh also said China was ahead of India in technology and production rates – areas where the country needs to catch up fast, called for ramping up indigenous manufacturing capacity to support intense fighting in the context of Iran recently launching a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israeli targets, and articulated the air force’s vision of deploying locally produced weapons and systems by 2047.

“It is a known fact that TEJAS MK-1A has been delayed. There is also a promise by HAL that the production rate will be increased to 24 aircraft per year. If that promise is kept, I think the delay can be caught up with,” Singh said at the customary annual briefing ahead of IAF Day on October 8.

His comments come at a time when the TEJAS MK-1A program is moving at a sluggish pace and IAF is concerned about the possible risks a delay in the induction of new fighter planes could pose to its combat effectiveness. It has flagged the hot-button issue to state-run HAL, calling for timely execution of the ₹48,000-crore contract for 83 fighters.

On how India stacks up against China, Singh, who took over as IAF chief on September 30, said as far manpower and training go, IAF is way ahead of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) but lagging in technology and production rate.

“As far as technology is concerned, we may not be so good as of now. We were better than them in technology till some time back, but we have lagged and need to catch up. We are way behind them in production rates and need to catch up. This will happen only over a period.”

The country’s private industry needs to step in to help overcome production challenges, he said in the context of IAF’s growing requirements, including TEJAS MK-1As, TEJAS MK-2s and AMCA.

“As far as TEJAS MK-2 and AMCA are concerned, we all need to draw lessons from what happened in the case of TEJAS MK-1/1A, what has caused the delay and ensure these things are ironed out right in the beginning. Private players need to step in. I don’t think we can continue relying on one agency because HAL will also have its own limitations in terms of what it can do in a timeframe,” Singh said.

Ensuring that the number of its combat squadrons doesn’t fall below 30 is a top priority for IAF (although it has a sanctioned strength of 42), and that will require timely execution of new projects. The defence ministry could award HAL a contract for 97 more TEJAS MK-1As worth ₹67,000 crore by the year-end to strengthen the air force’s capabilities.

“As certain fighter aircraft are reaching obsolescence, new aircraft must be inducted parallelly so that the squadron count does not fall below 30. HAL has to keep the promise they will build 24 TEJAS MK-1As every year.... Also, if TEJAS MK-2 goes into production by 2028, and the MRFA (multi-role fighter aircraft) is done parallelly, we are not too badly off. But if these timelines are pushed, we must look at alternatives.”

IAF is looking at inducting 114 fighter jets, to be made in India by a foreign original equipment manufacturer and a local partner, under the MRFA program.

TEJAS is set to emerge as the cornerstone of IAF’s combat power in the coming decade and beyond. IAF, the world’s fourth largest air force, is expected to operate around 350 TEJASs (MK-1, MK-1A and the future Mk-2), with a third of those already ordered, some inducted, and the rest figuring prominently on the air force’s modernisation roadmap and expected to be contracted in the coming years.

In March, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the highly anticipated project for the design and prototype development of an indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter, or AMCA, at a cost of around ₹15,000 crore.

The project involves the design and development of five twin-engine AMCA prototypes, with the stealth fighter likely to go into production only after a decade. IAF’s modernisation map envisages the deployment of around 120 stealth fighters (six squadrons) 2035 onwards, with the advanced planes forming an important element of future air combat.

Responding to a question on capacity building in the context of Iran firing a missile salvo at Israel, the air chief said this required the local manufacturing agencies to step forward and increase their production rate.

“When it comes to conflict situations, if you are relying on getting your weapons from outside, there will always be different and changing interests that can create a choke point. If you need to fight a war, in a scenario where 200 missiles are being fired in a day, you must have them being manufactured in India. You cannot afford to have them being bought and rely on that supply chain,” he added.

Agencies