Bengaluru: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) confirmed on Thursday that five Tejas Mk-1A light combat aircraft are fully ready for delivery to the Indian Air Force (IAF), meeting key contractual specifications under the Rs 48,000-crore deal inked in February 2021 for 83 jets.
Air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons firing trials, as well as software fixes have been completed on the advanced variant of India
’s indigenous fighter jet, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1A.
An additional nine aircraft have been built and flown, and will be made ready for delivery once their F404-IN20 engines are received from American manufacturer GE Aerospace, an official release by the defence public sector undertaking said.
The indigenous, single-engine multi-role Tejas excels in high-threat zones for air defence, maritime reconnaissance, and precision strikes. It plugs critical gaps as IAF squadrons dwindle to 30 against a sanctioned 42 strength, amid retiring legacy fleets.
A May 2026 IAF review will scrutinise timelines for the full 83-jet batch, plus a potential 97 more.
HAL’s push underscores India’s self-reliance drive, offsetting foreign supply risks while bolstering frontline combat readiness.