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India.com
6 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Operation Sindoor: India begins to operations to punish Pakistan's ally..., Indian Air Force chief reaches
Operation Sindoor: India begins to operations to punish Pakistan's ally..., Indian Air Force chief reaches... Has India's 'operation' started against Turkey, which helped Pakistan during Operation Sindoor? These questions are being raised because Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh has arrived on a visit to Greece. Relations between Greece and Turkey have been very bad and for a long time there was a demand that India should increase military cooperation with Greece to counter Turkey. On reaching Greece, Indian Air Force Chief AP Singh was welcomed by Hellenic Air Force (HAF) Chief Lieutenant General Dimosthenis Grigoriadis. On the surface, this visit may seem to be a part of normal military cooperation, but it has much more political and strategic meaning. India and Greece have multilateral exercises India and Greece have multilateral exercises named 'Iniochos 23' and 'Iniochos 25'. Although there have already been military relations between the two countries with the 'Taranga Shakti' military exercise, the timing and meaning of this visit of Air Force Chief AP Singh must have worried Turkey. This is the same Turkey which remains a strategic partner of Pakistan and has recently become a major platform for anti-India voices. On reaching Greece, the Indian Air Force Chief was briefed about the organisation, mission and operational activities of the Hellenic Air Force (HAF). Apart from this, increasing bilateral cooperation between the two countries in areas like operations and training has been discussed. During his visit to Greece, the Indian Air Force Chief, along with the Chief of HAFGS, is scheduled to visit the Fighter Wing of the Hellenic Air Force as well as the Hellenic Air Force Academy at Dekelia Air Base in Tatoi. Greece is looking at the way the Indian Air Force carried out precise attacks on Pakistan's terrorist infrastructure during Operation Sindoor as a case study. According to Greece City Times, the Greek Air Force has sought strategic information and tactical data from India about this operation, especially the accuracy with which India used advanced platforms like Rafale and Sukhoi. This shows that India has changed its strategy and has made the policy of responding to Turkey in its own language a part of its planning.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
IAF to get at least 6 Tejas jets by March: HAL Chief D K Sunil
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will deliver at least six Tejas Light Combat Aircraft to the Indian Air Force by March 2026. Delays are attributed to GE Aerospace's late engine deliveries, with only one engine received instead of the expected twelve in 2023. Despite this, HAL has six aircraft ready and anticipates producing sixteen jets next year, pending consistent engine supply. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in Defence Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Indian Air Force will get at least half-a-dozen Tejas Light Combat Aircraft by March 2026, the chief of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd , which is manufacturing the cutting-edge fighter jets, has disclosed. He attributes the delivery delays to GE Aerospace missing deadline for supply of its slippage in the delivery schedule for the LCA Mk-1A variant of the jet had become a major issue with Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh raising the matter Chairman and Managing Director D K Sunil said the delay was caused only due to the US firm's inability to supply the F404 engines on an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, the HAL chief said GE Aerospace is expected to supply 12 engines in the current fiscal. This will facilitate delivery of the jets to the IAF."Every company goes through its fair share of criticisms. It does happen. Unfortunately, in the case of LCA Mark 1A, we have built the aircraft. As of today, we have six aircraft lined up," he said."But the engine deliveries have not happened from GE Aerospace. They were to deliver the engines in 2023. Till date, we have got only one engine," he delay from GE side was initially due to production timelines falling behind during the Covid pandemic, and the subsequent departure of many senior engineers from the company, causing cascading supply chain to Sunil, the technical issues with GE Aerospace have been sorted out and HAL is set to receive 12 jet engines by March 2026."I can assure you that as of today, six aircraft are ready. There is no let up from our side. We are building those aircraft and getting them ready and we will be in a position to deliver (by this fiscal)," he plans to produce 16 jets in the coming year provided there is steady flow of engine supplies by GE February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets for the ministry is also in the process of procuring 97 more LCA Mk-1As at a cost around Rs 67,000 single-engine Mk-1A will be a replacement for the IAF's MiG-21 IAF is looking at inducting the warplanes as the number of its fighter squadrons has gone down to 31 from officially sanctioned strength of is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air has been designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike said the Tejas Mk-1A is a world class aircraft comprising a high-quality radar, electronic warfare suites and an array of missiles."It has got a full complement of avionics and weapons which make the aircraft a very potent platform. It will be very good for our Air Force," he said a number of countries have evinced interest in the Tejas jet and the HAL is holding talks with some of them. "We are talking to many countries on Tejas. I hope we will have a breakthrough soon," he said, declining to elaborate further.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Indian Air Force to get at least 6 Tejas light combat aircraft in 2026, says HAL
The Indian Air Force will get at least half-a-dozen Tejas Light Combat Aircraft by March 2026, the chief of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which is manufacturing the cutting-edge fighter jets, has disclosed. He attributes the delivery delays to GE Aerospace missing deadline for supply of its engines. Tejas aircrafts have been designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles.(ANI) The slippage in the delivery schedule for the LCA Mk-1A variant of the jet had become a major issue with Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh raising the matter publicly. HAL Chairman and Managing Director D K Sunil said the delay was caused only due to the US firm's inability to supply the F404 engines on time. In an exclusive interview with PTI Videos, the HAL chief said GE Aerospace is expected to supply 12 engines in the current fiscal. This will facilitate delivery of the jets to the IAF. "Every company goes through its fair share of criticisms. It does happen. Unfortunately, in the case of LCA Mark 1A, we have built the aircraft. As of today, we have six aircraft lined up," he said. "But the engine deliveries have not happened from GE Aerospace. They were to deliver the engines in 2023. Till date, we have got only one engine," he added. The delay from GE side was initially due to production timelines falling behind during the Covid pandemic, and the subsequent departure of many senior engineers from the company, causing cascading supply chain bottlenecks. According to Sunil, the technical issues with GE Aerospace have been sorted out and HAL is set to receive 12 jet engines by March 2026. "I can assure you that as of today, six aircraft are ready. There is no let up from our side. We are building those aircraft and getting them ready and we will be in a position to deliver (by this fiscal)," he said. HAL plans to produce 16 jets in the coming year provided there is steady flow of engine supplies by GE Aerospace. In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a ₹ 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets for the IAF. The ministry is also in the process of procuring 97 more LCA Mk-1As at a cost around ₹ 67,000 crore. The single-engine Mk-1A will be a replacement for the IAF's MiG-21 fighters. The IAF is looking at inducting the warplanes as the number of its fighter squadrons has gone down to 31 from officially sanctioned strength of 42. Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. It has been designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles. Sunil said the Tejas Mk-1A is a world class aircraft comprising a high-quality radar, electronic warfare suites and an array of missiles. "It has got a full complement of avionics and weapons which make the aircraft a very potent platform. It will be very good for our Air Force," he said. Sunil said a number of countries have evinced interest in the Tejas jet and the HAL is holding talks with some of them. "We are talking to many countries on Tejas. I hope we will have a breakthrough soon," he said, declining to elaborate further.
Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh is right. India's defence capabilities are dragged down by systemic issues
With air power acquiring renewed focus because of Operation Sindoor, it is encouraging to note that the first HAL Nashik-produced LCA-Mk-1A is all set to make its maiden flight in mid-July. Concurrently, this is an appropriate time to recall the sage counsel of the Air Chief Marshal (ACM) A P Singh regarding the systemic challenges that constrain India's atmanirbhar effort in this domain. Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry summit recently, ACM Singh expressed concern over the long delays in delivery schedules of major platforms, noting: 'Timeline is a big issue. Not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time. This is something we have to look at. Why should we promise something which cannot be achieved? While signing the contract itself, sometimes we are sure that it is not going to come up, but we just sign the contract.' The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been grappling with the challenge of obsolescence and depleting inventory with its fighter aircraft for decades and this issue has been flagged by successive air chiefs to the government of the day. But no one has been as explicit in belling the cat as ACM Singh; his constructive candour is commendable. The onus for these prolonged delays in delivering combat aircraft to the customer — the IAF in this case — lies with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which has a monopoly in the defence aviation sector. The primary customer has been rendered captive and the most glaring delay is the LCA (light combat aircraft) Tejas. This project began in the early 1980s with the setting up of the ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) under the aegis of the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) to replace the Soviet origin MiG aircraft of 1960s vintage. The design and manufacture of a modern fighter aircraft is a complex and onerous project and most nations that have acquired this capability have taken decades with considerable investment in the ecosystem required for this endeavour. India followed the same track and the first indigenously built aircraft was inducted into the Air Force in 2015 — that is three decades later and the combat efficiency is yet to be proven. However, the IAF has raised concerns over the delivery schedule of the 83 Tejas Mk-1A which HAL had promised to supply and this was flagged by ACM Singh at the Bengaluru air show in February this year. At that time, the CAS expressed his 'no confidence' in HAL and added: 'I was assured that by February, 11 Mk1As would be ready except for the engines. Not even one is ready yet.' At Bengaluru, the CAS also acknowledged that the inadequacies were 'systemic' and not the fault of individuals and held out an olive branch, when he noted: 'I cannot single out anyone because the responsibility falls on all of us.' It is evident that whatever efforts the IAF may have made in the past, it found itself in a catch-22 situation: No credible indigenous fighter aircraft being delivered on time by HAL and no viable option available to import these platforms due to the government push to adhere to atmanirbharta. Yet, to its credit, the IAF rose to the occasion during Operation Sindoor despite these constraints and at the CII Summit, the CAS highlighted the centrality of air power in the composite national military capability. India is woefully inadequate in this domain and the systemic lapses begin at the very top — in the higher defence matrix of the country — represented by the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security). Notwithstanding the stellar success of a modest but indigenously designed fighter aircraft — the HF 24 Marut — that was rolled out from HAL in the early 1960s (thanks to a German designer Karl Tank), the higher defence management lattice was unable to prevail upon the 'system' (represented by the political apex, the defence ministry, the IAF and the HAL) to pursue the indigenous design path, in the manner that the Indian Navy did. HAL marched to its own beat, sans accountability and was unable to forge a synergistic atmanirbhar-oriented relationship with its principal customer, the IAF. The political apex was indifferent to this stasis and the client was driven into a supplier-monopoly cul-de-sac, wherein the import option became the default choice. This ensured that India's combat aircraft were assembled in the main — and this was trumpeted as an indigenous achievement. Progressive manufacturing of imported designs (largely Soviet/Russian origin) took root but genuine indigenous design effort languished. The fact that India is still dependent on an imported aero-engine for its LCA and other platforms is illustrative. R&D lies at the heart of a viable and modern indigenous design capability as the CAS highlighted and needs sustained investment from the government, complemented by private sector and academia. Tangible fiscal support is vital and the Indian investment is well below the median. The Global Investment Index estimated 2023 R&D spending (in US $ billions) as follows: USA: 784, China: 723, Japan: 184, India: 71. The first systemic issue that needs attention is to increase national R&D to reach a more substantial figure and for this to happen — the prevailing strategic culture apropos of national security must undergo a radical transmutation — with lesser emphasis on optics that are driven by electoral politics and an investment in institutional integrity and proven technological competence. India's quest for atmanirbharta will be shaped by its ability to reach world-class design standards in niche high-tech sectors. ACM Singh did his duty — his svadharma — by pointing to the tip of a murky iceberg. The onus is on the rest of the system to heed his sage advice and apply the necessary policy correctives. The alternative is bleak and the much vaunted Indian strategic autonomy will remain a mirage. The writer is director, Society for Policy Studies
Hindustan Times
16-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
First Nashik-produced LCA Mk-1A set for maiden flight in July
The first light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) built at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's new production line in Nashik is set to make its maiden flight in mid-July, and the state-owned plane maker is targeting delivery of the first LCA Mk-1A produced in Bengaluru to the Indian Air Force in July-August after a delay of almost 16 months, officials aware of the matter said on Monday. HAL can build 16 Mk-1As every year in Bengaluru, and the Nashik production line will help it boost production to a total of 24 jets. To be sure, the Bengaluru-produced LCA Mk-1A flew for the first time in March 2024. 'The Nashik production line will roll out four to five Mk-1A fighters this year, followed by eight annually next year onwards. It will help us make up for the delay in deliveries due to factors including US firm GE Aerospace's inability to supply F404- IN20 engines on time and some pending certifications,' said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named. IAF is concerned about the current pace of the LCA Mk-1A programme because of the possible risks a delay in the induction of new fighters could pose to its combat effectiveness. The air force ordered 83 Mk-1A fighters for ₹48,000 crore in February 2021 and plans to buy 97 more Mk-1As at a cost of around ₹67,000 crore. The first of the 83 jets on order was to be delivered to the IAF by March 31, 2024. The last of the 83 jets are to be delivered by 2028-29. 'HAL has so far manufactured six LCA Mk-1As in Bengaluru to execute the 83-aircraft order. One of these, equipped with GE's F404-IN20 engine, is expected to be delivered to the IAF in July-August. We have sufficient capacity to offset the delay once the engine supplies stabilise,' said a second official, who also asked not to be named. GE Aerospace delivered the first of 99 F404-IN20 engines to HAL in March. The second engine is expected to be delivered in July, followed by two every month until December, the officials said, adding that deliveries will be accelerated next year onwards. With no additional engine orders, the production line for F404-IN20 in the US was shut down. However, when HAL ordered an additional 99 engines in 2021 for the LCA Mk-1A, the US firm began the complex task of restarting the production line, which had been dormant for five years, and re-engaging the engine's global supply chain. In May, IAF voiced its frustration over the delays in key projects. The chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh then put the spotlight on the armed forces' agonising wait for new weapons and systems, saying he could not recall a single instance of a project being executed on time, in what was seen as a wake-up call for the country's defence production sector. 'Timelines are a big issue,' Singh said at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025. The air force is grappling with a shortage of fighter jets and operates around 30 fighter squadrons compared to an authorised 42. The armed forces have so far not called 'the black sheep' out, but their 'restraint' should not be stretched to a breaking point, Singh said, issuing a veiled warning to defence public sector units including HAL and the Defence Research and Development Organisation among others. Singh has often publicly flagged concerns about a worrying erosion of IAF's capabilities and called for urgent measures to fix it. In February, he questioned the ability of HAL to meet the air force's critical requirements in the backdrop of the lingering delay in the supply of new Mk-1A fighter jets, saying he had 'no confidence' in the plane maker. HAL chief DK Sunil then responded by saying that his company's focus is on delivering the LCA Mk-1A to the IAF at the earliest rather than spending time on countering criticism of the indigenous programme. The LCA is set to emerge as the cornerstone of IAF's combat power as the world's fourth largest air force is expected to operate around 350 LCAs (Mk-1, Mk-1A and Mk-2 variants) in the coming decades. The Mk-1A, a 4.5 generation fighter, will come with digital radar warning receivers, external self-protection jammer pods, superior radar, advanced beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles, and significantly improved maintainability. On June 11, a top IAF officer said precision weapons, such as the ones used by IAF against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor rendered geographical barriers almost meaningless and altered the relationship between distance and vulnerability. 'Today, precision-guided munitions like Scalp and BrahMos (missiles) have rendered geographical barriers almost meaningless as strikes with beyond visual range air-to-air missiles and supersonic air-to-ground missiles have become commonplace,' said Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, chief of integrated defence staff. Modern warfare -- thanks to technology -- has fundamentally altered the relationship between distance and vulnerability, he added. In March, a top government committee recommended a raft of short and long-term measures to boost the capabilities of IAF and pointed out that it was critical to enhance self-reliance in the aerospace sector through increased participation of the private sector to fill critical gaps. Steps are being taken to boost private participation in the aerospace sector. Last month, India unveiled its long-awaited plan to fast-track the development of an indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter, or the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), announcing that the execution model will be competitive and provide equal opportunities to public and private sector firms to participate in one of the country's most significant military projects. The approval of the industry partnership model by defence minister Rajnath Singh came at a critical moment as HAL --- the sole manufacturer of fighter jets in the country --- was till then believed to be the frontrunner for the project. While the model unlocks new possibilities for the local aerospace industry, including firms like Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Larsen & Toubro, Adani Defence and Aerospace and the Mahindra Group; HAL is still a strong contender for the project, as earlier reported by HT.
