The Indian Air Force has said engines have been fitted onto LCA Mk-1A fighter jets, with extensive testing currently underway before the aircraft are inducted, as deliveries continue to face delays. Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said the IAF is also “eagerly awaiting the induction of LCA Mk-1A”.
During a briefing on the upcoming multilateral air exercise Tarang Shakti, Dixit said Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd had informed the IAF that the initial delay was caused by difficulties in securing engines. He said a few technical aspects were still being addressed and that the remaining issues could be sorted out within “a month or two”, paving the way for the aircraft's induction.
Asked specifically about the status of the Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A, Dixit said, “HAL has clarified that in the beginning, the delay was from the engine side. We could not get enough engines. Now we have got the engines, and installed them on the aircraft. We are doing proper and thorough testing before the aircraft is inducted.”
He added that two or three components were yet to be fully validated. “I think in a month or two, we should be able to overcome that technical issue. Thereafter, the road is clear for the aircraft to be inducted,” he said. However, Dixit did not reveal how many aircraft had received engines or provide a specific delivery schedule.
The delays surrounding LCA Mk-1A deliveries had earlier drawn public attention after Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh raised concerns over the issue. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also highlighted delays in defence technology programmes at a recent HAL event in Bengaluru, warning that such delays could create gaps in critical defence requirements and increase costs.
“There are some issues on which we need to work. One very important issue is that of delays. For various reasons, including technological, many of our technical projects that are underway also face delays. We will have to take these delays seriously,” he had said.
On January 13, 2021, the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the acquisition of 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 trainer aircraft for Rs 45,696 crore. The approval also covered design and development work as well as infrastructure-related sanctions worth Rs 1,202 crore.
The overall contract is worth nearly Rs 48,000 crore. Designed, developed and manufactured indigenously, the LCA Mk-1A is a modern 4+ generation fighter equipped with systems such as an AESA radar, beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles, an electronic warfare suite and air-to-air refuelling capability. The Defence Ministry has previously said these features would help address the IAF’s operational requirements.
