Overview

• HAL confirmed the Cabinet Committee on Security’s 19 August approval via an exchange filing, naming the company as supplier for 97 Tejas Mk‑1A fighters.
• The new tranche raises Indian Air Force Tejas Mk‑1A orders to 180, building on an earlier 83‑aircraft contract signed in 2021.
• The additional fighters are intended to replace the IAF’s ageing MiG‑21 fleet, with the last units set to retire in September.
• HAL is expanding output across Bengaluru lines and a newly certified Nashik line, targeting roughly 24 aircraft per year after initial deliveries begin this year.
• Programme risks persist, with earlier Mk‑1A deliveries delayed and GE F404 engine supply cited as the main bottleneck, even as 2025 engine shipments resume and the jet’s indigenous content tops 65 percent with AESA radar and electronic warfare systems.