The Indian Air Force will get two Tejas Mark-1A fighter jets by next month, informed the officials on Thursday. State-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will deliver the fighter jets, which come as a replacement for the IAF's MiG-21 fighters.
HAL had already received one jet engine from the American defence major GE Aerospace and will receive another engine by the end of this month, which will power the two jets. There has been a delay in the deliveries, primarily due to GE Aerospace missing several deadlines for the supply of its aero engines to power the jets.
"HAL has received the third GE404 engine for LCA Mk1A. One more engine is scheduled to be delivered by the end of September. Engine supply chain improvement will pave the way for LCA Mk1A aircraft deliveries," a spokesperson of HAL said.
In February 2021, the Indian defence ministry signed a deal worth Rs 48,000 crore with HAL for 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets, which will boost the IAF’s fighter fleet. Last month, the Central government approved an additional batch of 97 Tejas fighters at a cost of around Rs 67,000 crore.
The IAF is looking at inducting the warplanes as the number of its fighter squadrons has gone down to 31 from the officially sanctioned strength of 42.
Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments, and has been designed to undertake the air defence, maritime reconnaissance, and strike roles.
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