Tejas Mark-1A jets: As the Indian Air Force (IAF) continues to operate with fewer fighter aircraft squadrons than required, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has requested Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to deliver 18 Tejas Mark-1A fighters by March 2025.
The HAL plans to build 180 Tejas Mark-1A aircraft in total for the next ten years in two phases. These are meant to fill the current void left by the IAF’s phase-out of its older aircraft and raise numbers.
In Bengaluru, the MoD holds a significant stake in the Rs 48,000 crore business HAL. The corporation placed an order for 83 planes in February 2021, but not a single one has arrived as of yet. Delivery was expected to begin by March of this year, approximately three years after the contract was signed.
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According to Tribune India, together with the 83 already bought, the MoD invited the HAL to make a commercial offer in April to build an extra 97 Tejas Mark-1A jets, increasing the total number of aircraft ordered to 180.
In March, the Tejas Mark-1A carried out its first flight. The HAL had then declared, “It was a successful sortie with a flying time of 18 minutes.”
Following a review meeting, the MoD has requested that HAL deliver the 18 jets by March 2025. According to sources, HAL is counting on its new Nashik production line to start up in November to support the numbers.
The supply chain issue that HAL experienced is currently being resolved. Suppliers have been contracted to produce the jets’ parts and assemblies. According to sources, the MoD and HAL are committed to delivering on the agreed-upon 18 planes by March 2025.
The IAF now possesses 31 squadrons (16–18 planes each) of fighter jets, short of the 42 required to counter a collusive two-front threat from China and Pakistan. This makes acquiring more fighter jets crucial.
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The Soviet-era MiG 21 fighter jets will retire in all (two) squadrons over the following year. The fleets of Jaguar, MiG-29, and Mirage 2000 jets, which were all introduced gradually throughout the 1980s, are scheduled to be retired in batches after 2029–2030. There are over 250 of these four types of jets in use today, and they have an extended life cycle.
According to the plan, beginning with this fiscal year, India must develop 390 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force domestically over the next 14–15 years, or until 2038–2039.
The IAF already possesses 40 Tejas Mark1 planes. The aircraft is now an upgraded Tejas Mark-1A.
