Aero India 2025: HAL, GE To Roll Out LCA Tejas In FY26 As Production Stabilises
The much-awaited rollout of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1A is set to begin by the next financial year, as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and General Electric have stabilised their production lines, according to Sanjeev Kumar, secretary of defence production.
Despite the Indian Air Force placing orders for Tejas to replace its ageing fleet, production delays have pushed timelines. HAL's production line is now stabilised for the fiscal ending March 2026, with a capacity to deliver up to 24 aircraft per year. GE has also ensured a steady supply of GE-404 engines for the project.
HAL had contracted GE for 99 GE-404 engines worth Rs 5,400 crore, but deliveries were delayed by two years. The company received an order for 83 Tejas Mk-1A worth Rs 46,900 crore in February 2021, originally slated for rollout in 2023. However, delays in engine supply and production setup postponed the schedule.
The first aircraft will now roll out from HAL's third assembly line in Nashik. An additional order for 97 Mk-1A aircraft at an estimated cost of Rs 63,000 crore has also been placed.
HAL is also set to supply 108 advanced Tejas Mk-2 aircraft, equipped with GE-F414 engines, under a transfer-of-technology agreement with GE for co-production in India.
Indian Air Force currently operates 30 squadrons against a required strength of 42. It is also seeking replacements for ageing Mirage-2000, Jaguar, and MiG-29 aircraft. HAL's Tejas Mk-2 is expected to meet this demand, when GE-F414 engine supplies begins. However, the timeline for the rollout of the next-generation Tejas is yet to be disclosed.
A Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet under covers ahead of the Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru. (Photographer: Sajeet Manghat/NDTV Profit)
During the Aero India 2025 curtain-raiser, Kumar hinted at possible interim acquisitions, including the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 or the American F-35, to bolster India's airpower amid regional threats. Meanwhile, India is advancing its fifth-generation fighter program under the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft project, with a full-scale prototype set to be unveiled at the Aero Show.
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