Defence Secretary: First Two Tejas Mark 1A Jets Set for Delivery by September End

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Saturday said that the Indian Air Force will likely receive the first two Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets by the end of September.

"This will include the integration of weapons as well," he said. "The deal with HAL will be linked with the amount of work done on the prior order.”

“Tejas is going to be a replacement for the Indian Air Force. We have got about 40 or 38 of them in service in South India. 10 of them are ready with 2 of them engine-ready. Hopefully, the first two of those will get delivered with weapons integration by the end of September. We'll do the contract signing next month. I have made it clear to HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), that we will sign the contract only after they deliver at least 2 completed weapons, you know complete package from the previous order,” Singh said at the NDTV Defence Summit.

Earlier this month, the government gave its clearance for the purchase of 97 more Tejas Mark 1A fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force at an estimated price tag of Rs 62,000 crore, defence sources quoted by ANI said.

“It is a strategic imperitive that we need to be 'aatmanirbhar' in order to maintain our strategic autonomy. The focus on self-reliance has been unrelenting since PM Modi's government first came in power in 2014,” Singh said.

This is the second large order for the fighter. The first one, worth approximately Rs 48,000 crore, had been ordered a few years back for 83 aircraft. With the current agreement, the IAF's Tejas Mark 1A fleet will increase to 180 aircraft.

“During the last year, we spend about 1 lakh 60 thousand odd crores of rupees in capex, 81% of those spent within the country. That trend will continue, our benchmark is that 75% of our capex will be spnet within our country. Even if we need to tie up technology from abroad, our priority will be to meet India's defence demands first,” he said.

The Mark 1A variant is expected to replace the aging MiG-21 fleet, which is being phased out. Defence officials point out that the indigenous programme complements the Make in India initiative and more than 65 percent of the components used in the aircraft are manufactured domestically along with significant contribution from small and medium enterprises.

“I don't make a distinction between public and private companies. For me, they are welcome to take part in defence procurement. I look at it from two sides, ensuring defence industrial corridors, and ease of doing business. We'll keep up the pace of orders, and hopefully more of domestic orders. We will help expand and diversify our industrial base. Our civilian drone manufacturing system has grown,” he said.

Referring to unmanned platforms, Singh pointed out that indigenous industry had already shown results in the aftermath of recent operations. “Right after Operation Sindoor, we have done many trials with our leading drone manufacturers some of them have passed most of the tests. This was a reality check in many ways,” he said.

HAL is currently supplying 83 aircraft under the earlier Rs 36,468 crore order, with production having started in February 2024. Two squadrons of Tejas have been inducted since the aircraft entered service in 2016. With the increased order, the LCA will become the IAF's biggest fleet of fighter aircraft.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a vocal supporter of the programme. In a symbolic gesture of endorsement, he was the first Indian PM to fly in a Tejas trainer variant. Describing the experience, he stated that the sortie "considerably increased my confidence in our nation's indigenous capabilities, and left me with a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential."

In the future, HAL expects follow-on orders for over 200 Tejas Mark 2 aircraft as well as fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. Combined with the current LCA fleet, these programmes are considered essential towards India's long-term vision of defence aviation self-reliance.