The Defence Ministry must take note of the frustration voiced by Air Chief who has rightly questioned HAL’s commitment to meet the timelines

Indian Air Force (IAF) chief AP Singh’s sharp criticism of the lackadaisical approach of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) reflects growing frustration over inordinate delays in the delivery of indigenous weapon systems by public sector defence manufacturers in the country. The IAF chief has flagged the tardy pace of manufacturing the ‘Tejas’ fighters and rightly raised questions over HAL’s professionalism and its commitment to meet the timelines. Though HAL had promised to deliver 11 Tejas Mk-1A fighters last month, not a single combat aircraft is ready and the weapons firing trials are yet to be completed. This is a matter of serious concern for the armed forces in light of the challenging geopolitical environment. The Defence Ministry needs to take note of the frustration voiced by the Air Chief who called for drastic change in the work culture and wondered whether a magic wand was needed to see that everything gets aligned. The public sector aerospace and defence company is pursuing two major contracts — 97 Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) and 156 Light Combat Helicopters (Prachanda). The programme was initiated in 1984 but has been delayed due to various reasons including sanctions imposed on the country after the 1998 nuclear tests. The fighter jet programme should be expedited to ensure IAF’s operational role is not compromised by the declining squadron strength. Against the sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons, the IAF is down to a mere 31 and that too on paper.

Long-term solutions, including Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) and Tejas Mk-1A induction, and projects like LCA Mk-II and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), are facing delays, underscoring the need for immediate measures to address this critical shortfall. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, in its report submitted in December last year, wanted the Defence Ministry to sensitise HAL to augment the production of Tejas, a single-engine, fourth-generation multirole light fighter aircraft, so that the operational role of the Air Force is not affected due to depletion in squadron strength. The number of fighter squadrons has declined in recent years due to the phasing out of ageing MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-27 aircraft. The report has highlighted that the Tejas Mk-1A programme was delayed due to design and development issues, challenges with aero engine availability and HAL’s difficulty in maintaining the required production rate. The IAF has contracted 83 LCA Mk-1A aircraft at a cost of Rs 36,468 crore. The issues flagged by the Air Chief Marshal assume significance, given China’s rapid pace of air force modernisation. The LCA saga holds hard lessons for the defence PSUs which need to pull up their socks and step up their efficiency levels to meet the growing requirements of the armed forces. There is also an urgent need for an increased role for private partnerships in developing defence products.