Final nod for ₹62,000 crore deal to procure 97 more Tejas Mk1A jets

The government on Tuesday cleared the Rs 62,000 crore order to procure 97 additional indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A fighter jets from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF), a defence source confirmed.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its final approval — marking the last step before the formal signing of the deal. The jets will be built by Bengaluru-headquartered HAL, a Maharatna public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence.

This will mark the second order for the Mk1A fighter jets, with an earlier contract already placed with HAL for 83 aircraft at a cost of Rs 36,400 crore.

HAL missed the original February 2024 deadline to start deliveries of the LCA Mk1A, primarily due to delays in the arrival of F404-IN20 engines from the American engine maker GE Aerospace. These jets are intended to replace the last of the IAF’s Russian-origin MiG-21s, which are scheduled to retire in September.

Amid the IAF’s mounting challenges, HAL has assured that 12 Mk1A aircraft will be delivered by the end of 2025-26. The company has already built six, which are currently flying with reserve engines — a temporary measure. The second GE engine for the Mk1A was delivered to HAL in mid-July.

The Tejas, an indigenous single-engine, fourth-generation multirole light fighter aircraft, has been developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency. It originates from the LCA programme launched in the 1980s to replace the IAF’s ageing MiG-21 fleet — a goal now pursued through the operational Tejas MkI and the planned induction of the more advanced Mk1A variant.