'27 airframes of Tejas Mk1A jets ready, but one or two issues yet to be fixed'
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has completed 27 Tejas Mk1A airframes but faces delivery delays due to pending integration tests for radar and missile systems. The company is also advancing development on the Tejas Mk2 and exploring technical collaborations for Russian SJ-100 passenger jets.
Why it matters
The delay impacts the Indian Air Force's modernization timeline and highlights the complexities of domestic defense manufacturing and technology integration.
BENGALURU: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) chairman and managing director Ravi K on Thursday said the aerospace organisation has already made ready “27 airframes of advanced Tejas Mk1A (of the total 180), but there are one or two issues that are leading to delays in the delivery of the first batch of the advanced combat aircraft to the Indian Air Force”.Speaking to TOI in an interview at HAL’s biggest fighter jet complex in Bengaluru, Ravi K said, “We have received 10 engines from GE Aerospace. But there are one or two issues with the first batch of Tejas Mk1A which need further testing, like the integration of AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar. Maybe we are there at 90-95%, but the last 5% is still to be fixed. Another one (problem) is missile integration. A few tests are still pending.
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