By – Aditi Gupta
The Indian Air Force need to possess 42 squadrons, but only holds 31 given possible threats from China and Pakistan. There are 16–18 aircraft each squadron. Over the next two years, two squadrons of Russian MiG-21 fighter jets will be retired.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been asked by the Defense Ministry to supply 18 Tejas Mark-1A aircraft by March 2025. In order to help the Indian Air Force fulfill its fleet shortage by eventually reducing its antiquated fighter jets, HAL must build 180 Tejas Mark-1A in two stages over the course of the next ten years. Within the next ten years, Tejas will take the place of the Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG-29, and MiG-21 aircraft. HAL received Tejas orders worth approximately Rs 48,000 crore thus far. Not a single jet has been delivered from the initial order for the supply of 83 Tejas, which was placed in February 2021; nevertheless, the delivery was expected to start three years after the contract was signed or by march this year.
The Indian Air Force asked that HAL submit a commercial offer in April of this year to build an additional 97 Tejas Mark-1A jets, raising the total number of Tejas to 180. From the date the tender was released, HAL has three months to reply to the Defense Ministry. According to sources, HAL intends to construct a new production line in Nashik by November in order to meet the demand for the new Tejas. Following this, the organization’s annual manufacturing capacity will go up from 8 to 16 aircraft. HAL will start manufacturing 24 aircraft annually at the same time in 2025.
The Indian Air Force need to have 42 squadrons, but only holds 31 given the potential threats from China and Pakistan. There are 16–18 aircraft each squadron. Over the next two years, two squadrons of Russian MiG-21 fighter jets will be retired. Furthermore, certain fighter aircraft from the 1980s, such as the Jaguar, MiG-29, and Mirage 2000, will be abandoned by 2029–2030. There are about 250 MiG-21, Jaguar, MiG-29, and Mirage 2000 fighters in service, and the Indian Air Force has been continually improving them to extend their service life at great financial expense. In the next 14 to 15 years, the Indian Air Force would need 390 fighter jets, according to sources.