The Indian Air Force's Tejas light combat jets are poised to return to service after a two-month grounding, marking a crucial step in bolstering India's air defence capabilities amidst ongoing delivery delays.
Key Points
- The Indian Air Force's Tejas fleet will resume flights next week after being grounded due to a software issue.
- HAL has resolved the software glitch that led to the grounding of the 34 Tejas jets.
- Delays in the delivery of Tejas Mark 1A aircraft are primarily due to GE Aerospace's delayed supply of F-404 aero engines.
- HAL anticipates delivering over 20 Tejas Mark 1A jets by December, with initial deliveries soon after final testing.
- The Indian Air Force is inducting Tejas jets to address the reduction in its fighter squadron strength.
The Indian Air Force's Tejas light combat jets are set to return to the skies next week, two months after the entire fleet was grounded following an accident involving one of the aircraft at a frontline airbase.
D K Sunil, the Chairman and Managing Director of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the manufacturer of the jets, said the entire fleet of 34 Tejas will fly most likely from April 8 as the glitch found onaboard the aircraft's software has been resolved.
"All the Tejas jets are set to fly again from next Wednesday," he said.
The fleet was grounded in the first week of February after one Tejas jet sustained damage to its airframe after it overshot the runway at the airbase following a suspected brake failure.
The IAF had also ordered a comprehensive scrutiny of the jets following the accident.
Tejas Mark 1A Delivery Delays
On delays in delivery of Tejas Mark 1A variant to the Indian Air Force (IAF), Sunil said HAL will be able ready to deliver over 20 jets by December and that six of them could be supplied soon as the final tests of radar, avionics and missile-firing systems were currently underway.
The delivery of the jets is facing delays primarily due to GE Aerospace missing several deadlines for supply of its F-404 aero engines to power the jets.
To a question on IAF flagging certain issues relating to performance of the jets, the HAL CMD said a project review committee in May is expected to clear the jets for deliveries.
US defence major GE Aerospace has delivered five jet engines to the HAL and the sixth one is expected to be supplied in the next few days.
It is also learnt that the HAL has imposed penalties under the provision of Liquidated Damages on GE Aviation for delay in deliveries of the engines for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mark 1A.
The penalties are being imposed on GE Aerospace as per the contract. In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with the HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets for the IAF.
The defence ministry in September last year sealed another deal worth Rs Rs 62,370 crore with the HAL to procure 97 Tejas MK-1A light combat aircraft for the IAF.
Tejas Capabilities and IAF Modernisation
Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.
It has been designed to undertake the air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles.
The IAF is looking at inducting the warplanes as the number of its fighter squadrons have gone down to 29 from officially sanctioned strength of 42.
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