A day after Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh expressed his unhappiness with the HAL in public, HAL’s CMD Dr D.K. Sunil responded to your channel National Defence that he understands Air Chief’s concerns as delivery timelines not met. He admitted that some factors are beyond HAL’s control particularly the engine. The supplier General Electric was supposed to deliver the engines in 2023 but they pushed the timelines. HAL Chairman and Managing Director assured that HAL is making all out efforts to ensure that the aircraft is ready. HAL has flown LCA Tejas Mk1 A with Cat B engines. Aircraft is being built and as the engine delivered to HAL, the aircraft will be delivered to IAF. He said HAL is working shoulder to shoulder with Indian Air Force to address this issue.
Shailesh Kumar, National Defence
New Delhi, 11 February 2025
The Indian Air Force is facing a serious issue of depleting fighter squadrons against the sanctioned strength of 42 squadrons. Currently IAF operates 31 squadrons but effective strength could only be 29 squadrons as two MiG-21 Bison squadrons will retire soon. Tooth to tail ratio and existing threats from western and northern borders put additional burden on Indian Air Force. IAF chief wants HAL to take drastic measures to deal with the situation. Threats in current security environment are not predictable at all.
Fresh alarm bells rang in Indian security establishment when China tested 6th generation fighter jet prototype recently at Zhuhai air show. HAL has also shown the AMCA prototype at aero india 2025 but this will not be ready for deliveries anytime before 2034.
Moreover, India has yet not decided and made a layout for development of homegrown engines for both AMCA and LCA Tejas. Both aircrafts require indigenous state of the art engines to be fully homegrown.
Air chief Marshal AP Singh expressed hopes that perhaps HAL need to work as a whole to achieve results. National Defence believes that an Air Force has to have fighter squadrons, war of threats can not be neutralized with civilians aircraft in today’s high tech 5 and half generation warfare.
As HAL CMD said The LCA Tejas Mk1A currently utilizes “Category B” engines, which are essentially reserve or previously used engines from earlier deals with General Electric, due to delays in the delivery of the new “Category A” F404 engines required for the aircraft; this allows HAL to continue production and conduct initial flight tests while waiting for the new engines to arrive.
However, HAL has successfully demonstrated four Mk I A aircraft that flew in ‘finger four’ formation called Yodha formation on 09th February in presence of Defence Minister of India and foreign delegates.
According to HAL, the upgrade includes a new sensor suite, new more capable Mission and Digital Flight Control System, new weapons, net centric capability and Astra BVRs apart from Precision guided weapons. IAF has placed 83-aircraft order on HAL. The lead aircraft are poised to get Military Type Certificate and enter service”.
India today has come to a stage where it stands in the league of that building 5th generation aircraft. Both the aircraft have technologies that are fully homegrown. It took decades of hard work and day night perseverance and firm determination of DRDO scientists and HAL engineers and Airforce Pilots at time of technology denial regime that we have developed both aircraft to this stage on our own.
This would not have happened without Private public partnership. Today India has developed a robust industrial aerospace ecosystem where global players also actively seek stakes and ready to not only transfer the technology but urging the full acquisition. It will only be with cumulative efforts of all stakeholders with full Government support that India will achieve a fully secure Viksit Bharat @2047. All Indians need to push their boundaries, break the glass ceilings for a self- reliant Aatmnirbhar Bharat.
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