Delay in Developing Navy's Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter Aircraft Could Again Compel India to Import Rafale |
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Chandigarh: Extended delays in developing the Indian Navy’s (IN’s) Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter or TEDBF, alongside the impending retirement of the operationally underperforming Russian MiG-29K/KUB fleet, are likely to compel it to import an additional 31 Dassault Rafale-M aircraft, according to a series of recent French and local media reports, citing unnamed defence officials.
If realised, this prospective procurement would, once again, underscore the persistent gap between India’s defence ambitions and its industrial ability to plug critical operational shortfalls through imports. It would also mark yet another instance where so-called “intermediate” or “stopgap” acquisitions – often presented as quick fixes to compensate for slow or faltering indigenous programmes – entrench themselves as long-term dependencies.
Originally scheduled for its maiden flight in 2026, followed by series production from 2029 to 2030, the TEDBF – envisioned as the future backbone of the IN’s aircraft carrier aviation – has seen its timelines slip significantly. Revised projections suggest prototype testing will likely be pushed into the early 2030s, with full-scale production unlikely before 2038 and possibly extending into the following decade. Even thereafter, it will take several years to fully equip carrier squadrons, leaving the IN with a prolonged shortfall in its carrier-borne fighter arm, thereby further forcing reliance on imported aircraft, like the Rafale-M.
This constraint is further exacerbated by the projected retirement of the IN’s existing fleet of MiG-29K/KUB fighters by 2034-35, which have long been beset by technical deficiencies and low serviceability, leaving the carrier air arm increasingly stretched and vulnerable in the interim. Delivered between 2009 and 2017, 45 of these fighters – five of which have been lost in accidents – have consistently failed to deliver payloads at full range, suffered frequent engine failures, and necessitated extensive and near-constant maintenance.
CAG had flagged structural and operational shortcomings
Investigations by the government watchdog Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in July 2016 had flagged structural and operational shortcomings – including airframe, engine, and fly-by-wire issues – which continue to compromise these platforms. The CAG further revealed that fighter availability between 2014 and 2016 ranged between 16% and 38%, with multiple instances of single-engine landings. Many fighters also required extensive post-landing repairs repeatedly due to deck-induced stress, stated its report tabled in........