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The Indian Air Force (IAF) has placed an additional order for 20 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) with the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and restored its faith on the indigenous fighter. The Indian Ministry of Defence has indicated that the tender for the same in on track.
The indigenous Tejas fighter will be a replacement for the ageing fleet of MiG-21 fighters with the IAF. The new squadron of the fighter plane will be the second order that the IAF has placed with HAL for the Tejas LCA. Although the IAF had decided to evaluate the performance of the Tejas fighter before ordering a second squadron, the need for a replacement prompted the IAF to deploy the LCA with its current capabilities.
The IAF’s current and future fleet position is rather grim. Analysts have indicated that against a sanctioned requirement of 39.5 squadrons, IAF is left with just 32 squadrons. Each squadron has 21 aircraft. It has been projected that by 2015, another six squadrons of MiG-21s and two squadrons of MiG-27s will become redundant. At the rate that HAL is manufacturing and producing aircraft, it is apparent that IAF will have roughly 29 squadrons of fighters in year 2015.
Senior IAF officials said that the current capabilities of the indigenous Tejas fighter is better than the MiG-21. Earlier, IAF was considering an upgraded version of the fighter called Tejas Mark II which would have a new, more powerful engine. The lack of fighters has forced to change the view of the IAF in terms of its requirement. Hence, HAL will now build a second squadron with the GE-404 engine while the Tejas Mrk II finishes testing. The earlier plan was to produce 12 twin-seater Tejas fighters after the first squadron was built. The new order will be for 18 single-seater and 2 twin-seater Tejas fighters to equip the fighter squadron.
The Tejas fighter is currently undergoing weapon trials to obtain its Initial Operational Clearance by 2011, two years after which it will be obtaining the Final Operational Clearance after which it can enter service in early 2013. After that, if HAL can deliver 10 Tejas fighters per year, the first squadron will be ready by the end of 2014.
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