Twelve Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will be ready to be rolled out by December this year, of which six have already been lined up, government officials privy to the latest developments have said.
Officials confirmed to The Indian Express that the second GE F404 engine from US defence major GE Aerospace has already landed in India as of Monday and would be taken to the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facility in Bengaluru, where they will be integrated with the indigenous Tejas Mk 1 A aircraft.
In August 2021, HAL placed an order worth Rs 5,375 crore for 99 F404 engines with GE Aerospace to power the indigenously made Tejas Mk-1A. The first of these jet engines was delivered to HAL after a delay of nearly a year and a half, in April this year.
The Indian Air Force has placed an order to procure 83 Mk 1 A fighter jets. The defence ministry is also in the process of procuring 97 more LCA Mk-1As at a cost of around Rs 67,000 crore
Officials said that GE Aerospace has said it will deliver 10 engines by the end of this year.
“It takes about a month to integrate the engines and do the tests. The process first involves building the fuselage, then getting the lobing and piping done, followed by combining the landing gear,” an official explained.
“After integrating the engines, the ground runs, including the high-speed runs, are carried out for all thorough checks,” the official added.
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The deliveries of LCA Tejas Mk 1A were scheduled to begin in March 2024, but were delayed by over a year.
Last month, HAL Chairperson and Managing Director D K Sunil attributed the delay to GE Aerospace missing the deadline to supply the aircraft engines to HAL for Tejas Mk 1A.
The development came weeks after IAF Chief Air Marshal AP Singh expressed concerns over delays in the delivery of the jets.
The timely induction of the indigenous fighter jets, including Tejas Mk 1A, is crucial to hold the IAF’s dwindling squadron strength. The IAF has phased out most of its MiG-21 squadrons, and early next decade, it is likely to begin phasing out other ageing fighter squadrons.
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According to officials, HAL plans to produce 16 fighter jets next year, provided the engine deliveries from the US are on schedule. The original plans were to produce 16 aircraft every year and complete deliveries of all jets by 2030.
The Tejas Mk 1 A jets have multiple upgrades over the Tejas Mk 1 version, including integration of the AESA radar, Advanced Electronic Warfare Suite with a jammer, and Beyond Visual Range (BVR) capabilities with integration of Derby and the indigenous ASTRA missile.
Officials said testing for the indigenously-made ASTRA missile firings from the aircraft is underway at present.
Earlier this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asked US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to expedite the deliveries of GE F404 engines that will power the Tejas Mk 1 A. The engine deliveries from GE Aerospace were originally scheduled to begin in 2023, but were delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues.
