Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has taken a step forward in the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) TEJAS MK-1A program with the receipt of the third General Electric F404-IN20 engine from the United States, as confirmed by defence officials.

A fourth engine is anticipated to be delivered by the end of this month, underscoring that engine supplies, which had earlier faced disruptions, are now gradually stabilising.

HAL is slated to receive 12 such engines before the close of the current financial year, a critical requirement for keeping pace with its production commitments for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The IAF has already placed firm orders for 83 TEJAS MK-1A aircraft, while the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) recently cleared an additional proposal for 97 more fighters — taking total Mk1A numbers towards 180 units in line with the Air Force’s evolving squadron requirements.

The F404 engine supply program itself has had a turbulent history. In 2021, India signed a $716 million contract with General Electric to procure 99 F404-IN20 engines, a contract intended to serve as the backbone for meeting TEJAS MK-1A and MK-1A production deliveries.

However, the effort ran into significant hurdles when a major South Korean component supplier was unable to deliver key parts on schedule, coupled with broader pandemic-related supply chain disruptions.

These setbacks forced a revision of delivery timelines, pushing the original program completion target to March 2025. The arrival of successive consignments in 2025 marks a restoration of confidence in the supply line, essential for HAL’s production cadence.

HAL’s larger production roadmap for the TEJAS series is ambitious by global aerospace standards, particularly given the scale-up envisaged for indigenous fighter manufacturing. The IAF intends to induct approximately 352 TEJAS fighters across MK-1A and MK-2 variants, with the MK-2 featuring the more powerful GE F414 engine.

To meet this demand, HAL is not only modernising its Bengaluru and Nashik assembly lines but is also roping in private sector partners under the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat framework to expand tiered outsourcing and module production.

Current plans project an escalation of manufacturing capabilities to 30 aircraft a year by FY 2026–27 — a figure that would put HAL’s TEJAS production on par with established global fighter assembly rates for comparable aircraft classes.

For HAL, these deliveries also carry strategic and financial significance. The recent ₹62,000-crore order for 97 Mk1As and steady progress on MK-2 and AMCA development programs reinforce its position as India’s premier aerospace integrator. On the operational side, engines remain the single-most critical imported component in an otherwise largely indigenous TEJAS design, accounting for a significant share of unit costs and production risk.

A steady inflow of GE engines in 2025–26 will therefore act as the pacing factor that enables HAL to transition from prototype-level output to regimented, large-scale manufacturing. The government has also initiated a parallel track with General Electric for deeper co-production and technology transfer of the F414 engine in India, a move expected to reduce longer-term dependency.

From the perspective of the IAF’s force planning, the receipt of engines directly translates into assurance of timely squadron formation. With obsolescence steadily reducing the operational fleet strength, the induction of MK-1As from 2024 onwards provides much-needed relief and operational stability, especially as legacy MiG-21s are phased out by 2025.

Once HAL is able to ramp up to 24–30 aircraft per year, the flow of TEJAS MK-1As will more efficiently bridge the shortfall caused by retirements. Alongside, the MK-2 variant scheduled for rollout by late 2026 will create a layered fleet structure capable of replacing Jaguar, Mirage-2000, and MiG-29 aircraft from the early 2030s.

The delivery of the third GE-404 engine, with more lined up in the immediate months, signals that HAL is overcoming earlier bottlenecks and is positioning itself to maintain its commitment to both the IAF and India’s larger indigenous aerospace objectives.

With a firm order pipeline, stabilising supply chains, and production ramp-up potential, HAL is entering a decisive phase where steady engine inflows will act as the linchpin for India’s TEJAS program and future frontline fighter capabilities.

Agencies