Denmark tweaks its banned exports list, delivery of critical system for Tejas MK 1A starts

HAL has produced 10 Tejas Mk 1A and is now awaiting further deliveries of engines from American firm GE—delayed by two and half years, so far.

First Aircraft LA5033 of the Tejas MK 1A Aircraft series (Photo/X @HALHQBLR)

New Delhi: The Danish government has rolled back its decision to add a dual-use item in its banned exports, which comes as a relief for India’s Tejas MK 1A programme—earlier dealt a heavy blow by the ban—ThePrint has learnt.

Sources in the defence and security establishments say that Denmark has resumed the delivery of a key component of the Tejas MK 1A aircraft—the engine charge amplifier.

ThePrint first reported in March last year that the delivery of the Tejas MK 1A aircraft faced a delay because its software required iterations, and one of its key parts, which India was to import from a foreign nation, had not arrived yet.

The charge amplifier was the aircraft part ThePrint’s 2024 report had been referring to, without naming it, due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The sources said that they recognised that the charge amplifier would delay the delivery of the aircraft, even after the much delayed GE F404 engines arrived in India.

Assembling the aircraft is Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which has limited pieces of this key part and would have run out of those in due course of time. The Tejas MK 1A aircraft, however, mandatorily needs this component.

ThePrint reported in September last year that India raised the issue diplomatically with the Danish government.

Even as talks were on, HAL started the process of making the charge amplifier locally through a Bangalore-based company.

“We are now getting the part [from Denmark]. But we are also indigenising [the production of charge amplifiers], and will complete the process soon. What this means is that we will not need the [charge amplifier] as imports in the future,” a source explained.

Sources told ThePrint that Denmark decided to undo the ban after India highlighted the issue, paving the way for the restart of delivery.

The Indian Air Force ordered as many as 73 LCA Tejas MK 1A fighter aircraft and 10 LCA Tejas Mk 1 Trainer aircraft, with the tally at 83 aircraft. The deliveries were supposed to start in March last year, but no delivery has yet taken place.

The hope is that two aircraft will be delivered next month. While waiting for those, the Indian government cleared the procurement of an additional 97 Tejas MK 1A, with the contract to be signed soon.

HAL, over this period, produced 10 Tejas MK 1A aircraft and is awaiting further deliveries of engines from the US firm GE—delayed by two and a half years, so far.

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)