Tejas Dilemma |
The tragic crash of Tejas at Dubai Airshow 2025 holds serious strategic repercussions for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), a multi-purpose 4.5 generation jet, is not only viewed by India as a manifestation of its technological and strategic autonomy but also as a symbol of national pride. Nevertheless, HAL and IAF showed up at the Dubai airshow under considerable pressure after facing some unprecedented losses in the May 2025 conflict. For IAF, what further compounded the pressure was the presence of the combat-proven JF-17 Thunder at the Dubai Airshow. At this high-profile event, India wanted to project Tejas as the crown jewel and a hallmark of its defence indigenisation ambitions.
The Tejas LCA programme started in 1984 under HAL, with the initial aim of replacing the obsolescent MiG-29 and MiG-21 fleet. Initially, India aimed to induct 180 Tejas Mark-1A over a period of 15 years. However, its sluggish development has taken decades, and India was only able to induct 36 Tejas aircraft in 40 years, one per year, unable to catch up with global progress. During this period, countries have inducted fifth and sixth-generation fighter jets, while India is lagging far behind. Thus, despite massive expenditure, the IAF has suffered from a deficit of squadrons. Tejas was believed to fill these operational gaps and serve as a backbone of New Delhi’s........