HAL chief’s confirmation comes weeks after the Indian Air Force raised concerns over the delay in the delivery of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft.
“I can assure you that as of today, six aircraft are ready. There is no let up from our side. We are building those aircraft and getting them ready and we will be in a position to deliver (by this fiscal),” Sunil told PTI.
He said that the delay in delivery is due to US defence major GE Aerospace missing the deadline for supply of its engines, F404 engines, to power the fighter jets. Sunil told the news agency that GE Aerospace was expected to supply 12 engines in the current fiscal.
He said that the issue has been resolved and HAL is set to receive 12 engines from GE Aerospace by March 2026. HAL plans to produce 16 jets in the coming year provided there is steady flow of engine supplies by GE Aerospace, he said.
The delay from GE side was initially due to production timelines falling behind during the Covid pandemic, and the subsequent departure of many senior engineers from the company, causing cascading supply chain bottlenecks.
All About Tejas LCA Mk-1A
Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. It has been designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles.
The single-engine Mk-1A will be a replacement for the IAF’s MiG-21 fighters.
The IAF is looking at inducting the warplanes as the number of its fighter squadrons has gone down to 31 from officially sanctioned strength of 42.
(With inputs from PTI)
