Hindustan Aeronautics Limited expects to hand over the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1A jets to the Indian Air Force before the end of this year, HAL Chairman and Managing Director Ravi K told Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview.
According to the report, HAL has built 27 Mk1A airframes and received 10 F404-IN20 engines from GE Aerospace, though the completed airframes are not yet equivalent to aircraft cleared for induction. Ravi K said the aircraft are in the closing stages of radar and weapons integration, with a round of flight tests still pending before that work can be signed off. He put the AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar at roughly 90 to 95 percent operational readiness, with the remaining radar corrections and weapons integration trials expected to be resolved within about a month.
The HAL chief described the ongoing work as “last-mile corrections” and said the company aims to deliver around 10 Mk1As during the 2026-27 financial year, according to the Hindustan Times report.
Two big-ticket orders
The Indian Air Force has placed two separate orders for a combined 180 Mk-1A jets worth roughly ₹1.1 lakh crore. The first order, signed in February 2021, was valued at ₹48,000 crore for 83 aircraft. A second contract for 97 more Mk-1As was signed on September 25, 2025, worth ₹62,370 crore excluding taxes, comprising 68 single-seat and 29 twin-seat variants. A defence ministry document has since indicated that deliveries under this second order will commence in September 2027 and be completed by September 2033.
Boosting production capacity
To meet the expanded order book, HAL has scaled up manufacturing. A third LCA production line was set up at HAL’s Nashik facility, with capacity to build eight aircraft a year, adding to the company’s existing lines in Bengaluru.
Why it matters
The Mk-1A programme is central to the IAF’s efforts to rebuild squadron strength. The Air Force currently operates 29 fighter squadrons against an authorised strength of 42.5, a gap that has widened following the retirement of the MiG-21 fleet. The upgraded Tejas variant is equipped with an AESA radar, electronic warfare systems, beyond-visual-range weapons and air-to-air refuelling capability, marking a significant capability jump over earlier Tejas versions.
The programme has faced repeated delays over the years — the first Mk-1A order, originally expected to see deliveries begin around 2024, was pushed back largely due to a slowdown in engine deliveries from GE Aerospace. HAL’s latest year-end target, as reported by Hindustan Times, would mark the first tangible movement on that long-delayed timeline.
