New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF), which is grappling with a depleting strength in fighter jets, is now coming to terms with the fact that the scheduled delivery of the indigenous Tejas Mk-1A aircraft will not happen on time.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said a total of 16 Tejas Mk-1A were to be delivered by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), but none have arrived so far.
They said HAL informed the IAF that the first aircraft would be delivered by November this year. The force hopes that even if the deadline is missed, the planes would arrive at least by the end of this calendar year.
“We know that 16 aircraft will not come this fiscal as per contract. We are hoping that HAL is able to deliver at least 8 aircraft,” a source said.
However, sources privately said that even this was a tall task given that there were multiple issues HAL needed to address.
As reported by ThePrint first in March, and again last month, the delivery schedule of the Tejas has gone for a toss.
HAL sources have said the main issue was that American firm General Electric had not supplied a single F404-IN20 engine that powers the fighters.
Sources however said the “engine is the larger problem behind which all other issues are hidden”.
“GE has said there are supply chain issues and they are working toward delivering the engines starting November. However, there are other issues that have delayed the programme,” a second source said, adding that there were certain developmental problems which would take time.
“The problem is that HAL has committed to a delivery schedule by calculating every single hour that they would take. However, they have not kept in mind certain developmental issues, standardisation and software iterations (changes) along with smaller design shifts that could come up,” a third source said.
Sources also said the earlier order for 10 Tejas trainer aircraft was also delayed with only five being delivered so far and one being taken back for further trials.
By next year, the remaining two MiG-21 Bison squadrons will be phased out to make way for the new Tejas aircraft, particularly at bases which are currently empty.
In 2021, ThePrint reported that the focus was more on timely delivery of the aircraft.
The Tejas Light combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, which is now in its fourth decade, has generated much scepticism.
When the LCA programme was first initiated in 1983, the plan was to release the first aircraft by 1994. But the prototype of the LCA flew only in 2001, 18 years after the project started.
In December 2013, Tejas got initial operational clearance and in 2019, the IAF was given the first aircraft with final clearance.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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Ha ha ha, say our enemies; laughing at our pathetic, socialist state of affairs.