The Indian Air Force (IAF) will not be getting the first home-grown Tejas Mark 1A jets before mid of 2025 due to the continued delay in supply of engines by US major General Electric (GE).
GE Aerospace has informed the Indian government that it will begin delivery of F4-4-IN20 engines to make 4.5-generation fighters in India by March 2025, two years behind the schedule.
Originally, the American engine maker was slated to commence the engine deliveries in 2023.
Along with the delay of engines, the integration of weapons and the Israeli radar on the Tejas Mark-1A are also currently underway.
Modi, Rajnath flag delay
The delay in delivery of the 99 GE-F404 turbofan jet engines by GE Aerospace was flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh during their recent visits to the US.
As per a report by The Times of India, following this, GE Aerospace promised to begin the supply by March 2025 now.
Promised 16 but IAF to get just 2 Tejas Mark-1A fighters
Quoting sources, ToI report said that defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) will only be able to deliver two to three Tejas Mark-1A fighters as against 16 promised to the IAF in the 2024-25 fiscal, under the Rs 46,898 crore deal for 83 such single-engine jets inked in February 2021.
Media reports in August said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in the LCA Mk1A programme.
Reason for delay in delivery of Tejas Mark-1A fighters
GE Aerospace has cited supply chain issues as the reason for delay in the delivery of the F404 engines.
GE Aerospace has explained that a South Korean firm with which it has a tie-up has not been able to deliver certain engine components because of financial issues.
ThePrint report quoted sources as saying that GE Aerospace’s delay in deliveries was not part of any US “pressure tactics”.
The report quotes a source as saying that as a solution, the Indian government has told GE Aerospace to provide India with the transfer of technology for these components so that they can be made in the country.
HAL could invoke penalty
A report by ToI quoted a source as saying, “As per terms of the $716 million contract, HAL could invoke penalty clauses in the case. But it’s an ongoing logistical issue that can be worked out between GE and HAL.”
HAL, GE negotiating GE-F414 aero-engines co-production in India
As per the ToI, HAL and GE have now been also conducting the final techno-commercial negotiations for co-production of the more powerful GE-F414 aero-engines in India for the planned Tejas Mark-II fighters, with 80 per cent transfer of technology for around $1 billion.
“The contract should be inked within this fiscal,” the report cited a source as saying.
Link to article –
Tejas Mark-1A jet induction delayed by 2 years as GE fails to deliver engines
