As the retirement of ‘Flying Coffin’ MiG-21 nears, the Indian Air Force is gearing up to receive its replacement – the Tejas Mark 1A fighter jet – soon. Months after IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh raised concerns over delays in defence projects, a timeline on HAL’s Tejas delivery to the IAF has finally been shared.

When will new Tejas fighters join the Air Force?

Two indigenous Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets are likely to be delivered to the Indian Air Force by the end of September 2025, Defence Secretary RK Singh has revealed. The aircraft, built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), are expected to replace the ageing MiG-21s and emerge as a frontline workhorse alongside the Sukhoi fleet.

About 38 Tejas jets are already in service, another 80 are in the production pipeline. Defence Secretary Singh shared that 10 are ready, and 2 engines have been delivered so far. “The first two with weapons integration should arrive this September,” Singh said at the NDTV Defence Summit.

Leading defence PSU HAL now has enough visibility and orders for the next four to five years to perfect the platform.

Tejas order: What is the status?

The government had previously signed a contract worth Rs 48,000 crore for 83 Tejas jets in February 2021. According to the defence secretary, HAL “will have an order book for four to five years.” In recent developments, the government approved the procurement of an additional 97 Tejas fighters, amounting to Rs 67,000 crore.

Singh expressed optimism about HAL’s ability to improve the Tejas platform, saying it could become a workhorse along with the Sukhoi.

Why does self-reliance in defence matter?

Singh underlined that self-reliance in defence production is no longer just an economic goal but a strategic necessity. “It is a strategic imperative now that we need to be self-reliant to maintain our strategic autonomy,” he stressed.

Since 2014, the government has pushed relentlessly on indigenisation, setting a benchmark of spending 75% of capital expenditure domestically. Foreign manufacturers, he noted, must now invest and produce in India to qualify for major defence contracts.

How is India addressing the drone challenge?

The Defence Secretary admitted that Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory strike after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, was a wake-up call in terms of drone warfare. While India’s air defence systems, including older legacy ones, performed well, Singh said drones remain a weak spot.

“Our civilian drone ecosystem has grown significantly. But to get to military-grade drones, we need much more effort. Manufacturers are aware of this gap,” he underlined.

What about research and development?

Singh was candid about the limits of depending on foreign technology. “Critical technology will not be shared, or shared at very high costs. We must focus on Indian designs and development. At the same time, our approach must be pragmatic. We cannot allow our forces to fall behind while we wait endlessly for R&D breakthroughs,” he explained.

What was it like during Operation Sindoor?

Asked about his own role in overseeing Operation Sindoor, Singh admitted to being “a little bit tense on the first day.” Yet, he maintained his daily tennis routine to stay calm. “I got regular updates. Thankfully, we hardly had any losses, while we inflicted most of them. We were confident of escalating if required and dominating the situation,” he said.