HAL Tejas Resumes Operations After Grounding

The HAL Tejas fleet, which was grounded in February 2026 following a landing mishap, is scheduled to resume operations on April 8, 2026. HAL chairman DK Sunil confirmed that all Tejas jets are set to fly again from next Wednesday.

Prior to the grounding, the Indian Air Force (IAF) operated 32 to 34 HAL Tejas Mk1 fighter jets across two operational squadrons. The Tejas program, however, has faced significant challenges, including delays and increased costs over the years.

One of the primary issues affecting the Tejas Mk-1A program has been delays in engine deliveries from GE Aerospace. HAL has imposed penalties on GE Aerospace for these delays, as the company has only supplied six out of a contracted 99 F404 engines, with the first engine delivered in March 2025.

Despite these setbacks, HAL expects to receive another engine delivery by the end of April 2026, which is crucial for the program’s progress. The Tejas Mk-1A program aims to deliver over 20 aircraft by December 2026, as India has ordered a total of 180 Tejas Mk1A variants to replace aging MiG-21s.

The indigenous Kaveri engine was delinked from the Tejas airframe in 2008 due to its failure to deliver the required thrust, leading to reliance on foreign engines. This decision has had long-term implications for the program’s development.

Experts have noted that the Tejas is compatible with modern missiles, laser-guided bombs, and helmet-mounted displays, enhancing its operational capabilities. However, the program’s prolonged timeline and budget overruns have drawn criticism.

Sandeep Unnithan remarked on the financial aspects of the program, stating, “India spent relatively modest sums on the programme and abandoned it too early, while China poured in tens of billions of dollars with a national-level push.” This highlights the competitive landscape in military aviation.

Philip Rajkumar, an aviation expert, emphasized the complexity of jet engines, saying, “The jet engine is one of the most complex pieces of machinery that you can ever think of.” He also defended the Tejas’s performance, asserting, “Utter rubbish. In performance, in sheer performance, LCA Tejas is better.”

As the Tejas fleet prepares to take to the skies once again, the focus will be on overcoming the challenges posed by engine supply issues and ensuring that the program meets its delivery targets.

Details remain unconfirmed regarding the exact timeline for future engine deliveries and the overall readiness of the Tejas Mk-1A program as it moves forward.