NEW DELHI: Grappling with just 30 fighter squadrons when it is authorised 42 to face the threat from China and Pakistan, the IAF will to wait further for the deliveries of the indigenous Tejas Mark-1A jets to begin.
The first of the 83 “improved” Tejas jets was to be delivered to IAF by March 31 this year, but will only be ready by September now, sources said on Wednesday.
“Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) at best will be able to deliver only half of the 16 jets it was supposed to deliver in the 2024-25 as per the contract,” a source said.
TOI had earlier reported that there had been a major delay in the delivery timeframe of the 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets contracted from HAL under the Rs 46,898 crore contract in Feb 2021. Under it, all the 83 fighters are to be delivered by Feb 2028.
While there has been a delay in delivery of F-404 engines by US firm General Electric to power the Tejas, sources said there were certain developmental issues by the HAL as well.
This comes at a time when another Rs 67,000 crore contract for 97 more Tejas Mark-1A fighters is also being finalized. The Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisitions Council in Nov last year had given the preliminary nod or acceptance of necessity (AoN) for the acquisition of these 97 jets.
Under the first-ever Rs 8,802 crore contract for 40 Tejas Mark-1 jets, HAL was supposed to finish the delivery by Dec 2016. But it has delivered only 35 of the 40 jets so far, with five trainers yet to be delivered.
HAL will need to majorly crank up its annual production rate to deliver all the 180 Tejas Mark-1A jets, which are powered by GE-F404 engines, in time.
The cabinet committee on security in August 2022 had also cleared the over Rs 9,000 crore development of the Tejas Mark-2 fighters, with the more powerful GE-F414 engines. IAF plans to induct six squadrons (108 jets) of Tejas Mark-2, which will have a longer combat range and greater weapon-carrying capacity than the Mark-1A variant.
The first of the 83 “improved” Tejas jets was to be delivered to IAF by March 31 this year, but will only be ready by September now, sources said on Wednesday.
“Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) at best will be able to deliver only half of the 16 jets it was supposed to deliver in the 2024-25 as per the contract,” a source said.
TOI had earlier reported that there had been a major delay in the delivery timeframe of the 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets contracted from HAL under the Rs 46,898 crore contract in Feb 2021. Under it, all the 83 fighters are to be delivered by Feb 2028.
While there has been a delay in delivery of F-404 engines by US firm General Electric to power the Tejas, sources said there were certain developmental issues by the HAL as well.
This comes at a time when another Rs 67,000 crore contract for 97 more Tejas Mark-1A fighters is also being finalized. The Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisitions Council in Nov last year had given the preliminary nod or acceptance of necessity (AoN) for the acquisition of these 97 jets.
Under the first-ever Rs 8,802 crore contract for 40 Tejas Mark-1 jets, HAL was supposed to finish the delivery by Dec 2016. But it has delivered only 35 of the 40 jets so far, with five trainers yet to be delivered.
HAL will need to majorly crank up its annual production rate to deliver all the 180 Tejas Mark-1A jets, which are powered by GE-F404 engines, in time.
The cabinet committee on security in August 2022 had also cleared the over Rs 9,000 crore development of the Tejas Mark-2 fighters, with the more powerful GE-F414 engines. IAF plans to induct six squadrons (108 jets) of Tejas Mark-2, which will have a longer combat range and greater weapon-carrying capacity than the Mark-1A variant.