Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has assured that at least six Tejas multirole fighters will be delivered to the Indian Air Force by March next year, addressing concerns about delays in the program’s progress.
Under the 2021 agreement, HAL is tasked with delivering 83 Tejas Mk-1A aircraft, with plans to ramp up production to 16 to 24 jets per year starting in June 2025.
HAL attributed the shipment setbacks to supply chain disruptions at GE Aerospace, the American manufacturer of the fleet’s F404 engines, which experienced delays due to COVID-19 and reduced staffing.
According to Sunil, the supply issue has now been resolved, with GE committing to deliver 12 more engines by March 2026.
The Indian government is also in discussions to procure an additional 97 Tejas fighters over the next decade, which will gradually phase out the Indian Air Force’s Soviet-era MiG-21 Fishbed fleet.
