On Friday, in what has been hailed as a "shining symbol of India’s growing Aatmanirbharta in defence", the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A took to the skies at the Nashik facility of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh inaugurated the 3rd LCA Mk1A production line & 2nd HTT-40 line at HAL Nashik and flagged off the first Tejas Mk1A (LA-5043) from the new facility. With this, HAL has achieved a total LCA production capacity of 24 aircraft annually — a major boost… pic.twitter.com/z8B8RFI2EG
— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) October 17, 2025
HAL has also operationalised the third LCA Mk1A production line—first outside Bengaluru—in Nashik, fully equipped with 30 structure assembly jigs for all major modules of the aircraft, including centre fuselage, front fuselage, rear fuselage, wings and air intake. The production line is expected to deliver eight aircraft annually, and with this, HAL will be able to produce 24 fighter jets per annum, to address the fighter squadron shortage of the Indian Air Force (IAF) created by MiG-21 retirements.
The delays
There have been reports that said the delivery of LCA Tejas Mk1A will begin by the end of October. However, there is much to do before the delivery begins, including final flight trials of the aircraft and weapons integration, and some media reports and defence experts claim that the delivery is not likely to happen in October.
Besides, there is also the delay in GE F404-IN20 engines from the US. Only four engines have been delivered by the US company, out of the initial order for 99. The delivery of the engines has been delayed due to component shortages in the GE supply chain.
HAL hopeful of timely delivery
HAL, nonetheless, is confident that the delivery of 180 fighter jets to the IAF will be completed by 2033, although HAL CMD D.K. Sunil confirmed that Tejas Mk1A is still in the testing phase. He said the weapon integration of the aircraft has been done, but testing needs to be completed.
"... We are doing the weapon trials. The results are positive. I expect that in the coming months, we will be able to complete this task, and then we will be in a position to deliver the aircraft. Today, the aircraft is ready structurally... So, whatever changes are going to come are going to be software changes. Whether it's the weapon aiming, the radar, or EW, it's going to be software-related."
According to Sunil, it will be quite easy to quickly upgrade the software to the latest standard and deliver. He said, "The key issue here is we have built the capacity, we are building the aircraft, and if we do the weapon trials successfully, then the deliveries will fall quite easily..."
“This is the first aircraft from our third facility and the 10th aircraft overall. We have already received four engines from GE, and these have been fitted. We are working on it, and very soon we will have 12 jets ready," Sunil has been quoted as saying on Friday.
There are also the concerns raised by IAF Air Chief Marshal A.P Singh in February that need to be addressed. “The aircraft that you flew, calling it Mk1A. It is not Mk1A. It cannot happen just by changing one software or by looks. When the weapons come and the capability comes, then it is a Mk1A,” he had said on the sidelines of the Aero India event in February.
The inauguration of the new production line does offer some hope as Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar said, "The event marks a new chapter in HAL’s journey, one that enhances our nation’s production capacity and strengthens the foundation of a robust, self-sustaining aerospace ecosystem."
