HAL expects cabinet nod for 83 tejas aircrafts by December

Coimbatore: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is expecting a cabinet sanction for 83 indigenous Tejas Mk 1A light combat aircraft by December end.
HAL chief managing director R Madhavan, who was in Sulur air force station on Wednesday, said that they were hoping for the cabinet clearance by August, but there was a delay. “We expect the sanction by the third quarter,’’ he told reporters. He said three months have been lost because of the Covid situation. Vendor and supply chains were disrupted and there were raw material issues, he said.
A part of the existing order for 40 Tejas flights has been delivered to IAF, while remaining are under various stages of production.
“Four more FOC variants are in advanced stages of production and testing and are expected to join the squadron soon,’’ Madhavan said. The FOC variant comes with air-to-air refuelling capability, close combat gun, additional drop tanks, BVR missile capability updated avionics and flight control software. Tejas Mk-1 FOC is a single engine, light weight, highly agile, all weather multi role fighter. “ It is going to add to our fighting capabilities,’’ said Air Marshal Amit Tiwari, Air Officer Commanding in Chief of the Southern Air Command.
Once the 40 Tejas Mk 1 flights are handed over, HAL would move to production of Tejas MK 1A. HAL said once the clearance is given, they would be able to deliver the first aircraft in 36 months from that date. Tejas Mk 1A will have certain other modification over and above FOC version.
Madhavan said there were few countries that showed interest in Tejas adding that export was a possibility in future.
Aeronautical Development Agency director Girish S Deodhare, who was also present at the joint press interaction, said after Mk 1A, they would focus on Tejas Mk 2 that would be inducted into the IAF. It is in design stage and ADA has finalised and frozen the designs now, he said. “Mk2 is a bigger version with bigger engine which will be altogether a different aircraft.,’’ he said.
“By 2022, we hope to have a test flight of Mk 2’’ he said.