Tejas Mk-1A Delivery Date: Just a few days have passed since the war between India and Pakistan, the situation of tension with the neighboring country continues. The Indian government is focusing on indigenous weapons to strengthen the army. On the other hand, the supply of weapons has raised concerns. For the last several years, the Indian Army has been struggling with the shortage of fighter and training jets. To meet this shortage, two separate deals were made with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for 180 jets. According to this deal, HAL was to deliver 10 fighter jets and 12 trainer jets by the end of the financial year 2025-26. According to Hindustan Times (HT), now among its new delivery targets, HAL has promised to provide 5 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) and 3 HTT-40 Basic Trainer to the Air Force. Let us tell you that because of this lateness, Air Force Chief AP Singh had reprimanded HAL in February this year. He had said that he does not think that HAL is in mission mode right now.
How much was the deal? So far, the Air Force has placed two separate orders for LCA Mk-1A Tejas. That means a deal worth Rs 1.1 lakh crore was signed with HAL for a total of 180 Tejas jets. The first deal was for 83 jets in February 2021, the second for 97 jets in September 2025. Under the first contract, 5 LCA Mk-1A will be delivered by March 2026, the entire deal is likely to be completed in the next 4-5 years.
LA5033, the first aircraft of Tejas Mk1A aircraft, is set to take off from the HAL facility in Bengaluru on Thursday, March 2024. It was a successful sortie with a flight time of 18 minutes. (PTI photo)
Know why there is delay
The second contract will start from 2027-28 and will last for 6 years. Note, the first aircraft of the 2021 contract was to be delivered in March 2024 itself, but was delayed. There was a supply disruption of American GE Aerospace’s F404-IN20 engines, affecting the first batch. GE has now delivered 5 engines, 20 more will be delivered next year and 20+ engines will be delivered annually from 2027.
Tejas fighter jet.
What was said by HAL?
An officer said, ‘Weapon trials of Tejas LCA Mk-1A are going well, the next round will take place at the end of December. HAL will be able to compensate for the delay by improving engine supply. New manufacturing facilities will accelerate. In October, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the production line of LCA Mk-1A and HTT-40 in Nashik. HAL can make 16 LCA Mk-1A annually in Bengaluru, taking the total to 24 from Nashik. For HTT-40 also, 20 jets will be manufactured annually in Bengaluru-Nashik.
12 trainer jets were to be delivered by the end of 2025
A deal worth ₹6,800 crore was signed between the Indian Air Force and HAL in 2021 for 70 HTT-40. 70 trainer jets were to be delivered in the next 2 years. However, its delivery was delayed due to a delay in the supply of American Honeywell’s TPE331-12B turboprop engines. The first engine will be available in January 2026. 5 jets will be delivered by March next year. This time 2 jets will be delivered every month. HAL has flown 2 HTT-40 with used engines for the prototype. The first 12 trainers were to be delivered in September 2025.
How do pilots train now?
Currently, ab initio (Stage-I) flying training of all new pilots is conducted on Swiss-original Pilatus PC-7 MkII basic trainers. Stage-I training is common for all pilots, after which it is divided into three parts – fighter, transport and helicopter streams. Those selected for the fighter stream are sent for Stage-II training on PC-7 MkII and Kiran Mk-1A jet trainers. After this, the British-origin Hawks undergo Stage-III training on advanced jet trainers, after which they can fly the supersonic fighter plane. Pilots of the remaining two streams undergo their Stage II and III training on different types of transport aircraft and helicopters.
