LCA Mk II development: The Indian Air Force is facing a serious shortage of fighter squadrons. Because of this, delays in the delivery of the LCA Tejas aircraft have caused concern. The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, has openly spoken about this problem and stressed the need to stick to timelines so the Air Force stays ready for future threats.
Even as the LCA Tejas Mk-1A is slowly entering service, questions have been raised about delivery speed. This has made the future plans of the Air Force very important, especially as older aircraft retire and new ones are needed quickly.
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DRDO Assures AMCA and Tejas Mk-II are on time
Samir V. Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman of DRDO, has now given reassurance. He said that while Tejas Mk-1A induction is still in early stages, the next big fighter projects are moving as planned.
Speaking during an event marking 25 years of the LCA Tejas flight programme, he said, “LCA has been a marvellous journey. Now this aircraft is inducted. Now our focus is on the Mark-II variant of LCA and AMCA. Both these programmes are now on schedule, and we hope to deliver our commitment to the Indian Air Force.”
Kamat shared timelines for these future fighters. He said the first flight of the LCA Mk-II is expected in June. He also said the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft is likely to be rolled out by the end of 2028, with its first flight expected in early 2029. Talking about the importance of AMCA, he said, “It’s a stealth aircraft, so several new technologies will come in with AMCA.”
25 Years of Tejas
The Tejas aircraft has now completed 25 years of flight operations. To mark this milestone, the Aeronautical Development Agency organised a two-day national seminar called ‘Aeronautics 2047’ at the Centre for Airborne Systems in Bengaluru. The event brought together experts from industry, government labs, academics and the aerospace sector to talk about the future of Indian aviation.
The seminar was inaugurated by Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh. While praising the Tejas journey, he reminded everyone about the need to meet timelines. He said, “It is an exceptional milestone that we achieved in 2001, and that has changed the history of our defence aviation and defence designing. We are looking forward very eagerly to the further programmes, Mark II and AMCA, and I’m sure they’re going to be more successful than what Tejas was and with better timelines.”
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Kamat also spoke about India’s long-term goal of self-reliance. He stressed that developing advanced local technology is key to reducing imports and achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. He highlighted that AMCA will bring many new systems because it is a fifth-generation stealth fighter.
The LCA Tejas programme has seen over 5,600 successful test flights. More than 100 organisations, including government labs, colleges and private companies, worked together to build it. Important technologies like fly-by-wire controls, carbon composites, glass cockpit systems and lightweight materials were developed during this journey.
Til now the Indian Air Force has inducted 38 Tejas aircraft, including 32 fighters and six trainers, into two squadrons.
