HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) and GE (General Electric) are collaborating to ramp up the production of TEJAS Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) for the Indian Air Force (IAF), with deliveries of GE aero-engines expected to start in March.

HAL aims to progressively increase production to 20 TEJAS jets per year and then to 24, with a third production line now functional in Nashik, in addition to the two existing ones in Bangalore.

HAL is planning a fourth assembly line at its Nashik facility to expedite production once GE begins supplying engines regularly. The timeline for setting up this new line is approximately 1.5 years.

The first TEJAS aircraft from the Nashik facility is expected to roll out by March, this year.

HAL is also sub-contracting private companies to build wings and fuselages, which could potentially increase TEJAS production to 30 per year.

The first TEJAS MK-1A should roll out of the Nashik line in a month or two. HAL will have five TEJAS MK-1A jets and four trainers ready by March-April 2025.

The establishment of a fourth assembly line at HAL's Nashik facility is projected to increase the annual production rate of the TEJAS LCA. This move aims to address the Indian Air Force's (IAF) demand and ensure a consistent supply of indigenous fighter jets, strengthening India's defence capabilities.

With the new assembly line, HAL aims to increase the annual production rate to 30 units. HAL currently operates three assembly lines for the TEJAS. Two are in Bangalore, and one is in Nashik. Each line has an annual capacity of 8 aircraft.

HAL proactively put up a third production line in Nashik, increasing the capacity to 24 aircraft per year. HAL is also sub-contracting private companies to build wings and fuselages, which could potentially increase TEJAS production to 30 per year.

Depending on the supply of engines, HAL contends it can progressively scale up production to 20 TEJAS per year, and then to 24 per year. The new assembly line is expected to be operational by mid-2026. To set up the new facility, HAL estimates needing 1.5 years.

Engine Delivery

The supply of GE's F-404 engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the TEJAS MK-1A light combat aircraft is expected to begin in either March or April 2025. This is part of a ₹5,375 crore contract between GE and HAL, originally signed in August 2021, for 99 F404-IN20 engines.

The delivery of 99 GE-404 engines, which HAL contracted for ₹5,375 crore in Aug 2021 but has been delayed by almost two years, is all-important.

The engine deliveries were initially scheduled to begin in March 2023 but have faced delays due to supply chain issues. GE has "promised" to deliver 12 engines in 2025-26, starting in March 2025, and 20 engines per year from 2026-27 onwards. Originally, GE was to deliver the first engines by September–October 2024 at a rate of up to two per month. As of October 2024, the delivery of the first F404-IN20 engines was again delayed until April 2025.

IAF And TEJAS

The IAF has received 38 of the first 40 TEJAS MK-1 fighters ordered for ₹8,802 crore under contracts signed in 2006 and 2010.

The first "improved" TEJAS MK-1A jet, out of the 83 contracted from HAL under the ₹46,898 crore deal in Feb 2021, will now hopefully be delivered in a couple of months.

An order for another 97 TEJAS MK-1A fighters for ₹67,000 crore is also in the pipeline.

These 220 jets, along with 108 TEJAS MK-2 variants with more powerful engines, are critical for the IAF, which is currently operating with only 30 fighter squadrons, while the authorized strength is 42.5.

The TEJAS MK-1 is intended to replace the aging MiG-21 fleet, while the TEJAS MK-2 will replace aircraft like the Mirage-2000, MiG-29, and Jaguars.

TEJAS MK-2

HAL and GE are currently negotiating a co-production agreement for the more powerful GE-F414 engines, which will be used in the TEJAS MK-2

The Indian government has already cleared the development of the TEJAS MK-2 with a budget of ₹9,000 crore, and prototype testing is expected in the coming years.

Agencies