Tejas Fighter Jets: India is ready to boost its air force with new Tejas fighter jets as deliveries are expected to start in March 2025. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has confirmed that its Nasik plant will produce these light combat aircraft (LCA) smoothly, helping to strengthen India’s defence power.
Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar announced that the production process has now stabilized, and the supply of General Electric (GE) engines is improving. Before this there were delays due to supply chain problems, but efforts with American partners are making deliveries faster. By 2026, HAL expects to manufacture 16-24 Tejas jets per year.
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“We are working closely with GE to ensure the engine supply is steady by 2025-26,” Kumar said according to India Today. He assured that India is on track to meet its goal of expanding its aircrafts.
The Aero India 2025 airshow, which started today, is the biggest ever. It covers 42,000 square meters and has 931 exhibitors, including 150 foreign companies. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that over 90 countries are participating, with 30 Defence Ministers, Air Chiefs, and top officials from 43 nations attending. This event highlights India’s growing defence industry and global partnerships.
India is also considering buying advanced fighter jets to modernize its air force. The Russian Su-57 and the American F-35, both displayed at Aero India, are being evaluated to complement India’s own Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project.
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh flew in a two-seater Tejas jet along with Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi. Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan praised this as a sign of strong trust in India’s locally made fighter jets.
India’s defense industry is expanding quickly. Rajnath Singh revealed that domestic defence production has already crossed Rs 1.27 lakh crore and is expected to exceed Rs 1.60 lakh crore by 2025-26. Defence exports have also hit a record Rs 21,000 crore, with plans to surpass Rs 30,000 crore in the next two years.
