Defence Project Delays: At the CII Annual Business Summit, India’s Air Chief Marshal A P Singh openly talked about a major problem that the country’s defence system is facing delays in big projects. He said that defence projects in India often don’t finish on time, and that this issue is affecting the readiness of the Indian Air Force.
The Air Chief said, “Many times, we know while signing contracts that those systems will never come. Timelines are a big issue. Not a single project I can think of is completed on time. Why should we promise something that cannot be achieved?” He made these strong comments while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was also present at the event, reports Business Today.
Air Chief Marshal Singh didn’t just speak in general terms. He gave real examples to show how serious the delay problem is, especially when it comes to indigenous or made-in-India projects. He talked about the Light Combat Aircraft project and said that the Tejas Mk1A fighter jets, which are very important for the Air Force, have still not been delivered.
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These fighter jets are part of a big ₹48,000 crore contract signed with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) back in February 2021. According to the plan, the Air Force was supposed to start getting the aircraft by March 2024, but not a single one has been delivered yet.
The Air Chief seemed very frustrated about how late things are running, not only with Tejas Mk1A but also other important aircraft projects.
He said, “Deliveries of Tejas Mk1 are delayed. The prototype of Tejas Mk2 is yet to roll out. There is no prototype yet of the stealth AMCA fighter.” These delays mean the Indian Air Force is not getting the equipment it needs, even though the country is trying to become more self-reliant through the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission.
He also said something very important that shows how urgent the problem is. “We have to be now-ready to be future-ready. In 10 years, we will have more output from industry, but what we need today, we need today. We need to quickly get our act together,” he said. He made it clear that future planning is important, but the Air Force needs the weapons and aircraft now, not years later. “Wars are won by empowering our forces,” he added.
This is not the first time Air Chief Marshal Singh has pointed out delays or showed concern about HAL. In February last year, he made a very honest statement which many people shared online.
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He said, “I can tell you what our requirements and worries are. I was promised that when I come here in February, 11 Tejas Mk1As would be ready. And not a single one is ready. We all have worked there (in HAL). But I find that HAL is just not in mission mode.”
In October 2024, he said something that shows how India has fallen behind in military technology. He said, “Timelines are a major concern. I cannot recall a single project that has been completed on time. This is something we must examine closely.” He also said, “Why should we promise something we know cannot be delivered? Often, even at the time of signing the contract, we are aware that the deadlines are unachievable. Yet, we proceed. This compromises the entire process.” These words show that he believes people knowingly agree to unrealistic timelines, which then hurt the entire project.
