Overview

• HAL Chairman D K Sunil confirmed that six Tejas Mk-1A aircraft are ready and will be delivered to the Indian Air Force by March 2026.
• GE Aerospace has supplied only one of the F404 engines due in 2023, but is now expected to deliver 12 more before the end of the current fiscal year.
• HAL intends to ramp up production to 16 Tejas jets next year, conditional on a consistent supply of F404 engines.
• Negotiations with GE Aerospace are nearing completion on a technology transfer deal to jointly manufacture F-414 engines in India, with an agreement slated by March 2026.
• The Tejas Mk-1A, equipped with advanced avionics, electronic warfare systems and a full missile load-out, is part of a Rs 48,000 crore order for 83 jets and a pending Rs 67,000 crore approval for 97 more.