The push towards the production of ambitious indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is gaining momentum, and if things go right, all stakeholders will be reviewing the production status in three months.
Meanwhile, one of the engines supplied by the United States-based GE faces “some issues”.
The sources said, “We have met and reviewed the status of things, and we plan to meet by September if the integration process goes ahead as per planning.”
While the review of one of the engines was done, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been continuing with the aircraft integration, certification and other important job work needed to be done before delivering the aircraft.
A review meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took place on June 8, with the officials form Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The message was passed that HAL works to meet the contractual deadlines and compensate for the time lost. MoD is also considering penalising HAL for further delays. The delay by now has been of around two years.
Engine Supply Delays
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has got six engines, with the sixth one arriving in May. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has, since April 2025, received six engines from General Electric (GE) Aerospace F404-IN20 engine. A total of 99 F404-IN20 engines will be delivered to HAL for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mk 1A fight jet.
As per the earlier plans, 12 LCA Mk1A fighters were to be made ready, but there had been delays.
Delays in the delivery were initially said to be due to deferrals from GE, the Original Equipment Manufacturer.
The delays have been leading to anxiety for these were part of the plans to stop the deletion in the number of fighter squadrons. As per the sources the IAF has come down to around 30 Squadrons of combat fighter jets whereas as per the government sanctions this needs to be 42 Squadron to meet the requirements of a two-front war.
The IAF Chief Air Marshal AP Singh has expressed his displeasure several times in public highlighting the delays in the delivery of the LCA Mk1As.
LCA Tejas Important Part of IAF Modernisation Plan
Tejas is indigenously manufactured 4.5 generation delta wing multi-role aircraft designed by DRDOs Aeronautical Development Agency.
The first LCA (LCA Mk1) was inducted in 2016 with a plan to induct 40 Units. As of now 38 have been inducted. It was in 2021 that IAF executed the order for procurement of 83 LCA Mk1A at the cost of Rs 46,000cr. The deliveries were expected to begin in February 2024, at an average of eight aircraft delivered by HAL every year.
Induction of a total 180 units of LCA Tejas has been part of the IAF’s modernisation push and it is under this plan that it contracted 83 MK1A in 2021 and 97 MK1As in September 2025 at the cost of Rs 62, 370cr.
Snag in Engine, Being rectified
The OEM has delivered six engines by now. As per the sources “five have been fully operations” with “some issues” observed in one of them told the sources aware of the developments.
As per sources in HAL, “A Standard Operating Procedure is followed in the case of every such delivery. Once the product is delivered the HAL engineers carry out an inspection and review of the delivered product and the same was followed here.”
Whenever some issue is noticed it is brought to the attention of the OEM and “the same was done in this case.” The issue is being resolved, it was not a major one.