The crash of India’s Tejas Mark 1A light combat aircraft during low-level aerobatic maneuvers at the Dubai Air Show last week is a blow to India’s aerospace hopes and ambitions.
The accident, which took the life of a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, occurred in front of representatives of the global defense industry on Friday, leading to negative publicity and potentially reducing the interest of potential arms buyers around the world.
The Air Force has started investigating the accident. This is expected to uncover whether the cause was mechanical failure, pilot error or other factors.
This is not the first accident involving this type of aircraft. In March 2024, a Tejas jet crashed in Rajasthan state during a training flight, but the pilot ejected safely at the time.
A senior Air Force official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told DW that while the crash does not diminish the Tejas’ superiority over older aircraft like the MiG-21, it is less capable than China’s more advanced J-20 and J-16 fighters.
“This underlines that although Tejas is important for the modernization of India’s air force, it still falls short of the state-of-the-art fifth-generation fighter aircraft deployed by rival countries,” the official said.
Delay in delivery of Tejas is hindering modernization of Air Force.
This incident has also eclipsed the efforts to modernize the Indian Air Force.
The single-engine Tejas Mark 1A, manufactured by Indian public sector defense company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is considered important to address the issue of the Indian Air Force’s aging fleet of predominantly Russian and ex-Soviet fighter jets.
It was designed to showcase India’s ability to independently design, develop and manufacture advanced military technology.
But the Swadeshi project, now spanning more than 40 years, has been plagued with delays.
Till now only 38 Tejas Mark 1A fighter aircraft have been inducted into the Air Force.
HAL has blamed the delay in supply of engines from its US partner GE Aerospace for the stuck delivery timelines of the fighter aircraft.
Former Indian fighter pilot Captain Sandeep Bansal told DW that the production and induction program of the Tejas fighter aircraft has been delayed because India still faces significant challenges in the areas of advanced engine technology and overall industrial capacity for defense production.
Bansal said, “Deliveries are slow mainly due to lack of supply of engines from General Electric. This has led to production disruptions, as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has to wait for the engines to be integrated into the aircraft airframe before it can be delivered.”
In June, IAF chief Amar Preet Singh regretted the delays affecting the country’s defense projects and urged accountability.
“Many times, we know at the time of signing the contract that those systems will never arrive. Not a single project I can think of has been completed on time,” Singh said, referring to the timelines agreed upon when signing the contract.
The delay has also given rise to the most serious problem facing the Indian Air Force, which is the declining strength of its fighter squadrons.
The size of a squadron in military aviation varies depending on the country but is typically between 18 and 24 aircraft.
The Indian Air Force is estimated to currently have only 29 squadrons – the lowest ever number and much less than the sanctioned strength of 42.
“The situation is not very good. A further decline in squadron strength is envisaged before the IAF changes its stance,” SK Chatterjee, a defense strategist and former Indian Army brigadier, told DW.
This shortage is due to the retirement of older aircraft such as MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-27 without adequate replacement over the last two decades.
A challenging strategic scenario
The need to strengthen and modernize the Indian Air Force’s combat fleet has become more acute amid India’s strategic challenges with its neighbors Pakistan and China.
Indian and Pakistani forces engaged in aerial combat for several days in May, underscoring the importance of air power in any conflict.
Pakistan reportedly used Chinese-made J-10C fighter planes and PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles against Indian aircraft during the clash.
The Pakistani contingent was also present in large numbers at the Dubai Air Show.
And it revealed the signing of a provisional agreement with a “friendly country” for the supply of JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter aircraft co-developed with China.
Meanwhile, China is making rapid progress toward matching the US in air power.
Bansal said, “China’s induction of its fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) i.e. J-20 into service has increased strategic concerns for India.”
“To counter the J-20 threat, India needs to re-evaluate its air defense capabilities and rethink its strategic planning,” he said.
The expert pointed out that to bridge the gap with China, India is actively working on developing its own fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft, known as the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
However, it is not expected to be ready for induction into the Air Force before 2035.
“But we need to expedite the procurement and the timelines,” Bansal stressed.
Chatterjee also reiterated the same idea.
Pointing out that India lacks a fifth-generation jet despite China developing and inducting the J-20 aircraft years ago, he said, “The situation is disappointing.”
“Add to this the fact that these platforms will also be fielded by Pakistan,” Chatterjee said. “This is further confirmed by the fact that the Chinese are testing two sixth-generation fighters.”
To counter China’s growing air power, the defense expert stressed the need for India to rapidly develop AMCA.
“AMCA will provide the necessary know-how and expertise to the Indian aeronautical industry to rank among the leading players in this sector,” he said.
Defense procurement a big challenge
Slow and cumbersome procurement is another challenge facing modernization efforts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has also stressed self-reliance in defense production, with an emphasis on replacing arms imports with indigenously developed equipment.
Nevertheless, India remains one of the top importers of military gear in the world.
“Development of new aircraft anywhere is fraught with difficulties, and India is trying to compete with other countries with far more experience and technology,” Tara Kartha, a former member of the National Security Council Secretariat, told DW.
“But the path to ‘Make in India’ has been set and there is no going back now.”
But Chatterjee said New Delhi should prioritize air force capabilities rather than focus on domestic production.
“Some tough decisions must now be taken, including considering foreign procurement, to ensure that the Air Force has an adequate capability to meet future challenges.”
Some have also called for greater private sector participation in defense production.
“The bureaucratic monopoly of the Defense Research and Development Organization and HAL stifles innovation. We must bring in the private sector and agility, otherwise we will continue to lag behind in squadrons and technology. The risk is looming and reforms are necessary,” a senior IAF official said.
Edited by: Srinivas Majumdaru