Defence Secretary and DRDO chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Sunday that the planned Rafale procurement will help India establish a second production line of combat aircraft, even as the indigenous TEJAS MK-1A program will continue, Times of India reported.

He also said that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is likely to deliver one squadron of TEJAS MK-1A by year-end.

Speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit, Singh said Rafale is a proven aircraft and bids from MMRA for 114 Rafale jets have come from the French side. He noted that India has good relations with France and they have agreed to the mandate that the jets be made in India with significant levels of indigenisation.

This would enable India to create a second production line for fighter aircraft in the country, which is why the procurement is going through.

He clarified that the procurement of additional Rafale aircraft will not come at the expense of India's indigenous fighter program. The indigenous TEJAS MK-1A program will continue under a spiral development model where it is increasingly perfected, fitting in indigenous radars that are better than global peers alongside indigenous weapons.

Giving an update on TEJAS MK-1A's development, Singh said HAL has 27 air frames ready, 11 engines from GE have come, and the other 16 air frames have been fitted with canopy engines and flown. GE has promised four engines per month during this year, so India will get 12 engines in the rest of the year.

He said India will be able to induct at least one squadron of TEJAS MK-1A at the end of the year, with only some residual issues left. Weapon integration is almost done, but with the radar there are still performance-related issues being tackled. HAL has promised 24 TEJASs every year thereafter, and India hopes to get 83 TEJASs and 97 jets as part of the second order by 2033.

On problems faced by the IAF when he came to the defence ministry, Singh said the Air Force had three major concerns: depleting size of the fighter fleet and multipliers like AEW&C aircraft and refuelers. All three gaps are on the way to being filled, though it will not happen overnight; once contracts are signed, delivery expectations are locked in.

On the AMCA project, Singh said the first prototype of AMCA will fly in September 2028, hopefully.

The push for a second fighter jet production line reflects a broader strategy to avoid dependence on a single production facility and strengthen domestic defence manufacturing. Defence officials have indicated that India should eventually have at least two, and possibly three, fighter aircraft production lines to prevent the country from being held hostage by only one line.

Recent reporting also highlights that the TEJAS MK-1A program has faced hurdles, including issues with GE F404-IN20 engines failing acceptance parameters and integration challenges with the Israeli AESA radar, contributing to delays. HAL officials have acknowledged that while progress is at 90–95%, the last 5% still needs to be fixed, particularly around radar integration.

India's defence exports have reached ₹38,000 crore and could hit ₹50,000 crore before 2030, underlining the momentum behind the "Make in India" push in defence manufacturing that the Rafale deal is expected to reinforce.

Agencies