The Defence Ministry has set up a 5-member panel to resolve the delays in the production and induction of light combat aircraft (LCA)-Mk1A. The development comes weeks after Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh flagged delays in delivering the LCA-Mk1A.
The committee, led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, has been asked to identify the bottlenecks in the Tejas programme and recommend measures to accelerate the production of the fighter aircraft.
The panel has been given a deadline of 1 month to submit its report, India Today reported citing officials. The panel will reportedly explore ways to amp up the participation of private sector in aircraft manufacturing to expedite deliveries.
The IAF is expected to operate around 350 variants including Mk-1, Mk-1A, and Mk-2 over the next decade and beyond.
Speaking at Aero India in Bengaluru, the IAF chief said he was “just not confident” in state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL’s) ability to meet the timelines and called it a “very wrong” situation.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh’s exasperation, however, was not unfounded. He said when he came to Bengaluru, he was promised that 11 Tejas Mk1As would be ready but not a single LCA-Mk1A is ready yet.
The Air Chief further dismissed attempts to rebrand existing models without notable upgrades, saying: “The aircraft that you flew, calling it Mk1A. It is not Mk1A. It cannot happen just by change of one software or by looks.” He then added: “Mazaa nahin aa raha.”
Speaking at a lecture last month, the IAF chief said that they were yet to receive all the 40 Tejas fighter jets ordered in 2010. The Indian Air Force currently operates 36 MK1A jets with deliveries of 4 pending.
The IAF has hedged its bets on the LCA Mk1A — the orders for 83 of which have been placed — to fulfill a shortfall of fighter jets in its squadrons. The IAF has inducted only 36 Rafale jets, part of the 4.5-plus generation fleet necessary to counter threats from China and Pakistan.
After the Air Chief Marshal’s public rebuke, HAL chairman and managing director DK Sunil pointed to supply chain disruptions involving General Electric (GE) engines as a key factor but not “laziness of the industry”.
(With inputs from Shivani Sharma)