With GE Resolving F404 Engine Delays, HAL Now Poised to Market Its Cost-effective Tejas Mk1A Fighter for Exports

India's state-owned aerospace and defence company, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is set to aggressively renew its international marketing efforts for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A.

This strategic push comes after General Electric (GE) Aerospace committed to an accelerated delivery schedule for the F404-IN20 engines, resolving a two-year delay that had previously constrained production and stalled export discussions.

With the critical engine supply chain now stabilising, HAL is confident in its ability to meet domestic orders for the Indian Air Force (IAF) while simultaneously pursuing foreign sales.

The renewed export drive is bolstered by significant domestic demand, with an existing contract for 83 jets and government approval for an additional 97 aircraft.

This combined order for 180 Tejas Mk1A fighters creates a robust and long-term production pipeline, allowing HAL to expand its manufacturing capacity.

The assurance of a steady engine supply from GE positions the Indian fighter as a reliable and competitive option for nations looking to modernise their air forces, strengthening India's goal to become a major player in the global defence market.

The Tejas Mk1A is a single-engine, 4.5-generation multi-role fighter aircraft featuring advanced systems, including an indigenous Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a modern electronic warfare suite, and an array of sophisticated weaponry.

The aircraft's performance is powered by the GE F404-IN20 engine, a proven turbofan capable of producing 84 kilonewtons of thrust. Production of this engine was temporarily halted due to a five-year gap in orders between 2016 and 2021, which was further complicated by global supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to significant delays from the initially planned delivery date of March 2023.

Under the revised plan, GE has already delivered the first two engines this year and is set to supply a total of 12 by December 2025 by providing two units per month.

Starting in 2026, the delivery rate will increase to 20 engines annually. To meet the large domestic order and cater to potential export clients, HAL is reportedly negotiating to further increase this supply to 30 units per year by 2027.

This resolution has effectively removed a major production bottleneck, allowing HAL to plan its manufacturing schedule with greater certainty.

Reflecting the strength of their long-standing relationship, HAL has chosen not to impose financial penalties on GE for the delays.

This decision underscores the strategic importance of the 40-year partnership, which is set to deepen with a landmark 2023 agreement for the joint production of the more powerful F414 engine in India.

This future collaboration, which includes an 80% technology transfer, will power India's next-generation aircraft like the LCA Mk2 and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), ensuring a self-reliant engine supply for decades.

A key advantage of the Tejas Mk1A on the international stage is its cost-effectiveness, with a price tag estimated between $40 to $50 million per aircraft. This is substantially lower than Western competitors such as the F-16 or Gripen, which can cost between $70 to $100 million.

This competitive pricing has already attracted interest from several countries, including Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria, and the Philippines. Previously, HAL had to pause these negotiations to prioritise deliveries to the IAF, which urgently needs to address its depleting squadron numbers, currently at 31 against a sanctioned strength of 42.

With the engine supply issue resolved, HAL is now able to confidently re-engage with potential international customers. The aircraft is being marketed as an affordable, high-performance solution for nations seeking to replace ageing fleets of fighters like the MiG-21 or F-5.

Its ability to carry a mix of indigenous weapons, such as the Astra beyond-visual-range missile, and integrate with NATO-standard systems makes it a versatile and attractive option.

HAL officials have confirmed that by 2026, production capacity will be sufficient to fulfil export orders without impacting its primary commitment to the Indian Air Force.

 

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[Snowstrike]

Thales developed and began serial production and installation of AESA radars 5 years earlier than the Euroradar consortium with their CAPTOR-E. France has a clear advantage in the development of fighters and key systems for aircraft, Rafale has only 3 drawbacks - it is too compact (Because of which the M88 engines also had to be made compact, although they have considerable potential for increasing power), it has a non-retractable refueling boom and it is very expensive (Although even in this case it is cheaper than Typhoon). France has technologies for radio-absorbing materials, gold-based spraying and others are used for the canopy, stealth geometry was tested during the nEUROn program. But the military budget of France was limited for a long time, because of which the programs were delayed (the Left course also interfered at one time, and even now Macron is quite limited in his capabilities by the Left) and sometimes canceled. Fortunately, even nEUROn became the basis for a new program to develop and produce a loyal wingman using stealth technologies; after all, Trump's pressure is having an effect.

Thales developed and began serial production and installation of AESA radars 5 years earlier than the Euroradar consortium with their CAPTOR-E. France has a clear advantage in the development of fighters and key systems for aircraft, Rafale has only 3 drawbacks - it is too compact (Because of which the M88 engines also had to be made compact, although they have considerable potential for increasing power), it has a non-retractable refueling boom and it is very expensive (Although even in this case it is cheaper than Typhoon). France has technologies for radio-absorbing materials, gold-based spraying and others are used for the canopy, stealth geometry was tested during the nEUROn program. But the military budget of France was limited for a long time, because of which the programs were delayed (the Left course also interfered at one time, and even now Macron is quite limited in his capabilities by the Left) and sometimes canceled. Fortunately, even nEUROn became the basis for a new program to develop and produce a loyal wingman using stealth technologies; after all, Trump's pressure is having an effect.

Fair points, but that’s a very selective framing. Yes, Thales had RBE2 AESA in production earlier than CAPTOR-E, but the French radar is smaller, less powerful, and with lower cooling margins because Rafale itself is a compact jet – CAPTOR-E has far more growth potential thanks to its swashplate and larger antenna. Rafale is definitely more “self-contained” in French industry, but Eurofighter has deeper multinational industrial strength, and Hensoldt today is arguably ahead of Thales in scalable AESA tech. On stealth, France did gain experience with nEUROn and coatings, but Rafale itself is not remotely VLO – its RCS is reduced, but still closer to Typhoon than to F-35. And the “too compact” point is actually a limitation: M88 is reliable but underpowered versus EJ200, and Rafale’s space constraints cap future upgrades. France is great at making a balanced, fully sovereign fighter, but pretending Rafale is technologically superior across the board ignores where Typhoon leads – raw kinematics, radar aperture, high-altitude performance, and long-term adaptability. Apart from this, I see no response to my previous points on the GCAP, Germany, etc. I wonder what happened? If you can, address those in a rational and intellectual manner, rather than throwing things at the forum.

 

[Snowstrike]

A local production and technology transfer(as offered by Russia) can help India build a decent SU-57. Similar to Super 30 upgrade, by having indigenous Radar, EW suite, Mission computer, IRST, other avionics the 'SU 57MKI' can be chinese independent and in a better shape than today. As for stealth, the AL-51 engine's reduced IR does improve the stealth. It can be improved further based on learnings from other stealth programs. If the design is changed then it can take around 3 more years, but even with moderate changes, the RCS can be brought close to Chinese jets which are not that stealthy when compared with American jets.

I get where you’re coming from, and on paper “Su-57MKI” sounds tempting- take Russia’s airframe, add Indian brains, and make it better. The catch is that stealth isn’t just about bolt-on upgrades. The Su-57’s very shaping, materials, and production standards are the real bottlenecks, and no amount of avionics swapping fixes that. Russia itself is struggling to produce them in numbers, which should tell us something. If India pours resources into this, we’ll just end up patching someone else’s flawed design instead of building long-term strength. That’s why AMCA, despite being slower upfront, is the smarter play: we get full control, clean-sheet stealth, and tech that scales for decades instead of a stopgap “Frankenjet” that will age badly. Going for local production too isnt a good idea- as it risks being further locked into Russian supply chains like we did for the Su-30MKI. We are currently locked into that ecosystem, and frequently have to deal with delays, and sudden price spikes for spares. Btw, I appreciate the effort to research on the info you got- you have a lead, but I just wanted to clear up some misconceptions haha!

 

[智子 伊瀬]

Fair points, but that’s a very selective framing. Yes, Thales had RBE2 AESA in production earlier than CAPTOR-E, but the French radar is smaller, less powerful, and with lower cooling margins because Rafale itself is a compact jet – CAPTOR-E has far more growth potential thanks to its swashplate and larger antenna. Rafale is definitely more “self-contained” in French industry, but Eurofighter has deeper multinational industrial strength, and Hensoldt today is arguably ahead of Thales in scalable AESA tech. On stealth, France did gain experience with nEUROn and coatings, but Rafale itself is not remotely VLO – its RCS is reduced, but still closer to Typhoon than to F-35. And the “too compact” point is actually a limitation: M88 is reliable but underpowered versus EJ200, and Rafale’s space constraints cap future upgrades. France is great at making a balanced, fully sovereign fighter, but pretending Rafale is technologically superior across the board ignores where Typhoon leads – raw kinematics, radar aperture, high-altitude performance, and long-term adaptability. Apart from this, I see no response to my previous points on the GCAP, Germany, etc. I wonder what happened? If you can, address those in a rational and intellectual manner, rather than throwing things at the forum.

Compactness has always been the Rafale's biggest weakness. The RBE2 can be scaled up without problems, but the Rafale's cone simply cannot accommodate a larger radar. Even in its current size, the M88 can develop higher thrust, but it began to finance the program only recently, although Safran proposed it back in the 00s (Peace Dividends).

Germany has not produced a single serial production fighter aircraft on its own since 1945. The Typhoon is based on the BAe EAC, the Tornado traces its roots to the Anglo-French AFVG project, the engines for the Tornado and Typhoon are based on the RR Pegasus and XG-40. France is superior to Germany in aircraft technology.

The roles and work in GCAP have already been distributed among the participants, the company was established with its head office in UK. UK and Italy invited India to the project when it was called Tempest, Japan has not officially proposed joining GCAP(It was just Nikkei's opinion). The Indian and Japanese defence ministers didn't discuss GCAP during their last meeting; Ishiba and Modi didn't talk about it today either.

 

[SandeepGupta]

For Tejas Single Crystal Blade Oxy Glow OBOGS Need to be protected as my technologies. So also Uttam AESA and Virupaksha AESA Radars and RF Dispenser in Tarang RWR need to be protected again based on my technologies. They are some of critical technologies and not to be misused for exports.

 

[Snowstrike]

Compactness has always been the Rafale's biggest weakness. The RBE2 can be scaled up without problems, but the Rafale's cone simply cannot accommodate a larger radar. Even in its current size, the M88 can develop higher thrust, but it began to finance the program only recently, although Safran proposed it back in the 00s (Peace Dividends).

Germany has not produced a single serial production fighter aircraft on its own since 1945. The Typhoon is based on the BAe EAC, the Tornado traces its roots to the Anglo-French AFVG project, the engines for the Tornado and Typhoon are based on the RR Pegasus and XG-40. France is superior to Germany in aircraft technology.

The roles and work in GCAP have already been distributed among the participants, the company was established with its head office in UK. UK and Italy invited India to the project when it was called Tempest, Japan has not officially proposed joining GCAP(It was just Nikkei's opinion). The Indian and Japanese defence ministers didn't discuss GCAP during their last meeting; Ishiba and Modi didn't talk about it today eith

Ah yes, the “Rafale is compact, and therefore doomed!” hot take. Because apparently aircraft design is just about how big your nose cone is. By that logic, the B-52 must be the pinnacle of military aircraft design. Every platform has trade-offs: Rafale sacrificed growth margins for size/weight efficiency; Typhoon sacrificed range and strike flexibility for altitude/supersonic optimization. Acting like this is some earth-shattering flaw unique to France just screams “I skimmed a forum once and never let it go.”

Then there’s the “Germany hasn’t made a fighter since 1945” gem. You do realize it’s 2025, right? Nobody in Europe is building solo fighters anymore- that’s literally the point of multination programs. Germany didn’t just show up with bratwurst and beer; Airbus Germany designs and manufactures the Typhoon’s entire center fuselage, does the flight control software, and MTU was critical in the EJ200 program. Not to mention they are major partners in developing the Typhoons' EW too. That’s not “dead weight,” that’s the backbone.

And GCAP… this is where your argument properly trips over its shoelaces. “They didn’t invite India because roles are already distributed”? Hate to break it to you, but roles in GCAP are still being negotiated between the UK, Italy, and Japan, and the project has repeatedly stated that workshare will evolve as new partners are added. India wasn’t left out because it’s “too late”- India hasn’t joined because it’s juggling AMCA, MRFA, and F-414 engine production. The whole invitation to GCAP happened back in APRIL this year. Why would Modi and Ishiba talk about something ALREADY rejected months before? So no, it’s not “they didn’t invite India,” it’s “India hasn’t RSVP’d.” There’s a difference- one requires reading defense journals, the other just requires scrolling Reddit.

France has a great aerospace base, yes. But turning that into a sermon about how Germany is useless and GCAP is a fantasy doesnt make you sound like a defense analyst.

 

[智子 伊瀬]

Ah yes, the “Rafale is compact, and therefore doomed!” hot take. Because apparently aircraft design is just about how big your nose cone is. By that logic, the B-52 must be the pinnacle of military aircraft design. Every platform has trade-offs: Rafale sacrificed growth margins for size/weight efficiency; Typhoon sacrificed range and strike flexibility for altitude/supersonic optimization. Acting like this is some earth-shattering flaw unique to France just screams “I skimmed a forum once and never let it go.”

Then there’s the “Germany hasn’t made a fighter since 1945” gem. You do realize it’s 2025, right? Nobody in Europe is building solo fighters anymore- that’s literally the point of multination programs. Germany didn’t just show up with bratwurst and beer; Airbus Germany designs and manufactures the Typhoon’s entire center fuselage, does the flight control software, and MTU was critical in the EJ200 program. Not to mention they are major partners in developing the Typhoons' EW too. That’s not “dead weight,” that’s the backbone.

And GCAP… this is where your argument properly trips over its shoelaces. “They didn’t invite India because roles are already distributed”? Hate to break it to you, but roles in GCAP are still being negotiated between the UK, Italy, and Japan, and the project has repeatedly stated that workshare will evolve as new partners are added. India wasn’t left out because it’s “too late”- India hasn’t joined because it’s juggling AMCA, MRFA, and F-414 engine production. The whole invitation to GCAP happened back in APRIL this year. Why would Modi and Ishiba talk about something ALREADY rejected months before? So no, it’s not “they didn’t invite India,” it’s “India hasn’t RSVP’d.” There’s a difference- one requires reading defense journals, the other just requires scrolling Reddit.

France has a great aerospace base, yes. But turning that into a sermon about how Germany is useless and GCAP is a fantasy doesnt make you sound like a defense analyst.

The Rafale is so compact because it was supposed to be based on aircraft carriers, although the Navy initially wanted to buy the F/A-18 instead. Extensive development of the radar on this modification (F4) is impossible, therefore only improvement of technological processes and intensive development remain, for example, the transition to GaN and the like.


This does not prevent Dassault from producing the entire aircraft, Safran from producing engines, and Thales from producing a full range of avionics and electronic warfare. Formally, France is capable of producing missiles and other weapons for aircraft without Germany's help, and Germany cannot refuse French components from the French part of MBDA, but fortunately, such idiocy has not come to pass and MBDA includes components and developments from all participants of the concern. Therefore, France and Spain are capable of completing FCAS (especially with increased funding), but Germany and Spain are unlikely to.

So Germany did not build a single serial fighter of its own design in 1955, 1985 or 2005. Even Britain built its Hunter and Lightning in the 50s and 60s. Again, Rafale and Gripen are still being produced by Dassault and SAAB (not multinational consortiums) and have orders for years to come. And this is despite the fact that France and Britain were forced to develop strategic bombers, among other things, when Germany simply did not need such expenses and had more free resources. The B-52 was certainly ahead of its time, since it has served for so long and requires much less money for maintenance, while providing good performance 70 years after production ceased.

The Japanese Ministry of Defence never confirmed the information about the invitation to India when BAE officially invited India back in Tempest.

As we can see, all three parties received equal shares and distributed their roles. Although it is clear that the informal leadership in the program is for Britain and the participants recognize this, unlike Germany and Airbus .

The GCAP Program: A Step Toward Europe’s Military Autonomy and Interoperability

A new study by the Italian Institute for International Affairs examines GCAP’s organization and the three partners’ approaches, offering recommendations

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