India’s air chief warns Tejas delays are weakening fighter fleet
India’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, says delays in receiving Tejas Mark-1A aircraft are affecting the Indian Air Force as its fighter squadrons fall below sanctioned strength. He said the force needs 36 to 40 new fighters annually and hopes planned Tejas and Rafale procurements will improve capacity.
Delays in the induction of India’s Tejas Mark-1A combat aircraft are hurting the Indian Air Force as its fighter fleet continues to fall below authorised strength, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh has said. Speaking at a press conference ahead of Air Force Day on Saturday, Singh said the force needed the induction of at least 36 to 40 fighter jets annually for the next few years.
He said the situation could improve with the delivery of indigenously built Tejas aircraft and the planned procurement of Rafale jets. The air chief said India hoped to conclude its proposed multi-role fighter aircraft deal within the current financial year, provided negotiations with France proceed as planned. India is seeking 114 Rafale aircraft under a government-to-government framework, with price and other issues still being finalised.
Singh also expressed concern over delays by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in supplying Tejas Mark-1A jets. A 2021 agreement covered 83 aircraft, with the first deliveries originally scheduled for March 2024, but the air force has not received any of those aircraft, according to the report. The government later approved another purchase of 97 Tejas Mark-1A aircraft.
Singh said the air force was looking forward to receiving those jets, along with aircraft from the Rafale, Tejas Mark 2 and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programmes. He added that another platform might have to be considered if the AMCA programme encountered delays. Russia has offered Su-57 aircraft, he said, but no decision has been made.
Singh also said discussions on the proposed integration of India’s armed services had taken a different direction following Operation Sindoor. He said the air force was not opposed to theatre commands, while leaving decisions on their structure and implementation sequence to the government. He stressed the growing importance of air power and said India needed an AI-augmented force, while humans would continue to make critical decisions.
He also called for domestic production of a fighter-jet engine.
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