Tejas LCA MkIAs fighter aircrafts
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MURALI KUMAR K
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Monday received the second of twelve F404-IN20 engines from United States-based GE to power Tejas LCA MkIAs fighter aircrafts, sources in defence establishment said.
The Maharatna defence public sector undertaking (PSU), HAL, will receive ten more F404-IN20 engines by the end of December, equipping the same number of LCA MkIAs ready for induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF), sources in the defence establishment added.
Defence officials said it takes only a month to mount engines on the airframes. By the end of FY25-26 , the aircrafts post-complete trials will be in a position for handing over to the IAF, Defence officials explained.Â
The HAL had displayed six LCA MkIAs during the visit of PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to its Bengaluru facility on July 8. Besides that, two LCA M1 trainers were displayed before the visit.
The indigenous fighter aircraft programme is already running late owing to GE’s inability to meet timelines for supply of the engines due to global supply chain disruptions.
The deliveries of LCA MkIAs were supposed to roll out from March 2024 but it has been delayed impacting IAF efforts to replenish its depleting fleet strength.Â
The first of the F404-IN20 engines, tailored to meet the requirements of the IAF including increased thrust of 84 kn and a higher-flow fan, was shipped in April, this year, which was after a delay of more than a year-and-half.Â
Overall, GE has to supply 99 F404-IN20 engines for the LCA Mk1A programme by 2030 as per the ₹5,375 crore-worth contract signed in August 2021. From the next year, HAL is expected to get around two dozen engines annually so that it’s in a position to complete the order for 83 LCA MkIAs.
The IAF issued a request for proposal last December for acquiring 97 more LCA MkIAs after it was cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC).
Published on July 15, 2025