By Janhvi Ahuja
The Centre has approved ₹62000 crore deal that helps to sanction 97 Tejas MK1A Jets from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This specific variety of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will be sanctioned to the Indian Air Force, mentioned a defence source.
Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), released its final verdict, a nod of approval, that marked the last step before they signed off on the official deal. These Jets will be constructed by the HAL headquarters located in Bengaluru which is deemed as a Maharatna public sector undertaking that falls under the Ministry of Defence.
This approval will be the second in line, as an earlier order for MK1A Jets was already underway. Under this, 83 aircrafts were to be procured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for ₹36400 crore.
However due some setbacks and postponing of the initial supply of the engines, the F404 and the IN20, the HAL missed their first agreed-upon deadline that was set in February 2024. Hence, since the American engine manufacturers weren’t able to provide the Jet engines on time, they weren’t able to deliver the LCA MK1A on the initial proposed date.
The new order of Jets is supposed to replace those MiG -21s that were the Russian orgin Jets that were employed under the IAF. These Jets were scheduled to be retired from the force in September.
Amid the mounting difficulties faced by the IAF, HAL assured that the MK1A Jets will defined be delivered by the end of 2025, latest by the beginning of 2026. The organisation has already developed six such aircrafts that are currently running on the reserve engines as a temporary replacement till the new order of jets is commissioned. GE Aerospace, the American engine manufacturers, will be supplying the second set of GE engines for the MK1As to HAL till around mid-July.
The Tejas Jet is equipped with advanced technology. With the instalment of the new uni-system, the aircraft is a fourth generation jet that has functions on the and multiple role light fighter systems. This jet was originally developed by the ADA or the Aeronautical Development Agency as a newer and better variant of the Tejas MK1. With these new variants of the Tejas MK1A Jets being inducted into the IAF, this step with certainty proved to be useful for the force.