Radar hurdles, engine delays and missed deadlines put HAL’s January 2027 Tejas Mk1A delivery target to the test

Nearly three years after its first delivery was due, the Tejas Mk1A could finally be handed over to the Indian Air Force in January 2027. Yet unfinished radar functions, weapons trials and engine supplies leave Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facing a bigger test than delivering its first aircraft.

The first one or two Tejas Mk1A fighters could be handed over to the IAF in January 2027, ahead of Aero India, scheduled for February 8-12 in Bengaluru, according to an exclusive report published by the Print on Friday. The proposed delivery timeline has not been officially confirmed by HAL, the IAF or the defence ministry. The report also suggests that the IAF may consider temporarily relaxing certain outstanding requirements, provided these are fulfilled within an agreed timeframe.

HAL’s delivery record raises further concerns. The final two Tejas Mk1 trainers, ordered in 2010 and originally due by December 2016, were handed over only in September 2026. Although the Mk1 and Mk1A are different programmes, the prolonged delays underline why HAL’s latest commitments must be judged against actual deliveries rather than revised timelines.

Israeli radar integration remains a major hurdle

The principal technical challenge concerns the fighter’s Active Electronically Scanned Array (Aesa) radar, designed to track multiple targets using electronically directed beams.

The first order envisaged a mix of Israeli ELTA EL/M-2052 radars and DRDO’s indigenous Uttam. HAL reportedly chose Israeli radars for the initial batch in 2025 after Uttam’s certification took longer than anticipated. But the change did not eliminate integration challenges.

The Israeli radar must operate with the mission computer, beyond-visual-range missiles and the Angad electronic warfare suite. Recent reporting identified remaining radar functions and trials requiring resolution, followed by certification from the military airworthiness agency CEMILAC.

These problems should not be confused with Uttam’s separate certification delay. The indigenous radar is planned for the subsequent order.

GE engine delays compound production challenges

Engine deliveries created another bottleneck. GE Aerospace’s F404-IN20 supplies were originally expected in 2023, but the first arrived only in March 2025.

GE said its September 2026 shipments brought the total to 14 engines against the initial contract for 99. HAL has reportedly pursued contractual damages over the delays.

In September, HAL chairman Ravi K said 27 airframes had been prepared, but only 10 engines had arrived. He estimated the aircraft was 90-95 per cent ready while acknowledging that radar and missile-integration tests remained.

An assembled airframe is not a certified fighter. Equipment integration, flight trials, airworthiness clearance and IAF acceptance remain essential.

Can HAL deliver 180 aircraft on schedule?

The February 2021 procurement package, valued at nearly ₹48,000 crore, comprised 73 Mk1A fighters and 10 Mk1 trainers.

Another ₹62,370-crore contract in September 2025 added 97 Mk1A aircraft, including 68 fighters and 29 twin-seaters. That brings the total to 180 aircraft across two contracts.

HAL’s stated manufacturing capacity of 24 aircraft annually does not automatically translate into equivalent deliveries. By September, 27 airframes had been prepared, but only 14 GE engines had been shipped. Even if one or two aircraft are handed over in January, achieving the reported target of 10 deliveries by March 2027 would require a considerably faster pace of final integration, certification and acceptance over the following two months.

Deliveries under the second contract are expected to begin in the 2027-28 financial year. Meanwhile, HAL is targeting the delivery of its first 10 Tejas Mk1A aircraft by March 2027, according to a Friday report by Business Standard.

January handover is only the first test

For an IAF operating roughly 29 fighter squadrons against a sanctioned 42.5, the distinction between a first handover and sustained production is consequential.

The retirement of the MiG-21 fleet has increased pressure to induct replacement fighters, making timely Tejas deliveries important to the IAF’s modernization plans.

January could mark meaningful progress if the remaining technical requirements are resolved and the necessary approvals secured.

However, proving that the programme is back on schedule will require sustained deliveries of fully accepted aircraft, rather than another optimistic milestone.