World-Class & Cost-Effective Tejas Mk1A Ready to Soar in Global Fighter Jet Market, Says Ex-Air Chief

Former Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria has given a resounding endorsement to the export potential of India's indigenously developed light combat aircraft, the LCA-Tejas Mk1A.

The former Air Chief, who also has experience as a test pilot on the LCA-Tejas program, believes that the Tejas Mk1A, with its world-class capabilities and competitive pricing, is poised to make a significant mark in the global fighter jet market.

Bhadauria has described the LCA-Tejas Mk1A as a state-of-the-art fighter jet that stands out in its class, ranking among the top two aircraft globally in terms of technology and capabilities.

The multirole fighter, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has been designed to perform a wide range of missions, from air-to-air combat to ground attack, demonstrating its versatility and capability.

His confidence in the Tejas Mk1A stems from his firsthand experience as a test pilot, where he has witnessed the aircraft's evolution and its exceptional performance capabilities.

He emphasized that the Tejas Mk1A is not only technologically sophisticated but also cost-effective, making it an attractive proposition for many countries looking to upgrade their air forces.

The former Air Chief Marshal pointed out that the Tejas Mk1A's modern design, indigenous development, and cost-effectiveness contribute to its strong export potential. He believes that the Tejas Mk1A is well-equipped to meet the defence needs of several countries, particularly those seeking a capable yet affordable fighter jet.

Several countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa have already expressed interest in the LCA-Tejas Mk1A, and India’s defence export policy is aligned with promoting indigenous platforms like the Tejas to friendly countries. This, coupled with Bhadauria’s call for increased focus on exports, suggests that the Tejas Mk1A is set to take flight in the international market.

 

[sanket]

former Air Chief Marshal very please & satisfied with Tejas MK1A HAL have done great Job

 

[Anant]

Sure... we don't have enough Tejas Mk 1As for our needs, we can't produce them at anything near the required speed, but yeah, let's focus on exports.

No offence to the honourable ACM, but there are better aircraft out there available for export at comparable prices with far better delivery schedules. Moreover, not every air force in the world is in the position of the IAF, where they can't source from different vendors. HAL can afford to be as incompetent as they are partly because the IAF can't go elsewhere, and some bright sparks in the MoD still feel that HAL will deliver.

As such, let's focus on getting the Mk 1A into service and delivered at something remotely resembling a decent pace rather than start fishing fot non-existent export orders.

 

[Anant]

former Air Chief Marshal very please & satisfied with Tejas MK1A HAL have done great Job

Nonsense. HAL is yet to deliver the first Mk 1A. They are over half a decade behind on the Mk 1 trainer deliveries. Let HAL actually get their house and supply chain on order before they start fishing for export orders.

Oh, and there are plenty of comparable and better aircraft available for export. Absolutely no one will buy the Tejas as long as the manufacturing is in the current abysmal state. After all, why would you buy an aircraft if you don't know when it will be delivered?

 

[sanket]

Nonsense. HAL is yet to deliver the first Mk 1A. They are over half a decade behind on the Mk 1 trainer deliveries. Let HAL actually get their house and supply chain on order before they start fishing for export orders.

Oh, and there are plenty of comparable and better aircraft available for export. Absolutely no one will buy the Tejas as long as the manufacturing is in the current abysmal state. After all, why would you buy an aircraft if you don't know when it will be delivered?

Full Backing From IAF for Tejas MK1A thats very Good support needed to develop Indigenous Fighter jets in Future too Its acknowledgement second its GE fault for not delivering Engines on Time , Even Apache choppers are too delyaed One Thing is clear Tejas MK1A has Tech & capabilies on its class

 

[abhinav srivastava]

We are dependent on engines. US also competes where ever requirement for such jets is there.

 

[Anant]

Full Backing From IAF for Tejas MK1A thats very Good support needed to develop Indigenous Fighter jets in Future too Its acknowledgement second its GE fault for not delivering Engines on Time , Even Apache choppers are too delyaed One Thing is clear Tejas MK1A has Tech & capabilies on its class

GE is partly to blame, but the lion's share of the blame is with HAL. Their incompetence is a far larger reason for delays in Tejas deliveries.

As for the Apache, the reason for delays, as highlighted, is the checks being done on the Apache following a number of crashes recently.

 

[Bhishma]

1.Integrate Kaveri into it and export
2. Privatize the export part

 

[Bikramjeet Goswami]

Not a single MK 1A has been delivered till date. No clarity on production and delivery timelines. Who is going to buy such a product?

 

[Sanjay Gupta]

Sir we donot have the own engine . Depend to other nation for engine and other equipment. We have poor govt policy. There is also we donot have proper road map for develop the fighter planes.

 

[Shanker]

Though I'm happy to hear the former IAF' Chief's appreciation of Tejas aircraft, I don't share his idea that Tejas' export be promoted. This is for the simple reason, IAF itself is in dire need of Tejas to a minimum of 180+ at the earliest. Additionally, the Engine maker GE is a dampener for even a paltry 24 aircrafts/year. Unless this bottleneck is removed, and HAL rapidly increases the delivery to 50+ aircrafts annually, the talk of Tejas export is ridiculous!😳

 

[Sandeep]

While the jet is a very advanced and capable jet the problem is that we have a heavy fighter jet requirement for 200 Tejas MK1A, 200 Tejas MK2, and 300-400 AMCA jets. Then we have a heavy helicopter requirement of 150 Prachand, 200-400 IMRH, 50-100 Dhruv. Then we need 100 basic trainers, 150 intermediate trainers and 150 HLFT advanced trainers. Then we need 200 stealth UCAV Ghatak, 100 MALE and HALE, 100-200 swarm drone sets, 100 cargo drones. 500 loiter/kamikaze drones.

In all of that we can start more production lines exclusively for exports but even then we have a huge number of products that need making. Without the private sector getting licences from HAL to make these products then there will always be a huge backlog of products that we need.

 

[Nvs rao]

His thought is great but the dependence on foreign engine is major set back to LCA Tejas
some of the components like seat ejection system and other aviation sensors,and components must be from indegenius localised supliers including engine then only
tejas complete IAF need then only there is a chance to export

 

[Akshat]

1.Integrate Kaveri into it and export
2. Privatize the export part

1. Kaveri is dead.
2. No private company will take the license for just exports. They will need domestic orders first.

 

[Tapas Kumar Ghosh]

Please be sure that we have enough 404 engine will be supplied by US for your own requirement of 83+97 crafts. Then we should think about exploring.

 

[Foxbat]

I am very proud finally India has produced Tejas a impressive fighter aircraft. But the problem it faces in the highly competitive market is the confidence to potential customers. The fighter programme has failed to progress with time in the development of specification to suit the current requirements. Even third world country's like Philippines and African countries are still undecided but contemplating chinese fighters instead. Walk the talk.

 

[R. Singh]

First ADA HAL upgrade Tejas with powerful engine to attain Mac 2+ speed increase its endurance in air 75% mission availability rate !

 

[linus52]

Rakesh former Sir chief is either smoking cannabis or drinking jingle juice. Why is he promoting Tejas when we don't have engines to fly? He should have forced HAL & DRDO to finish developing Kaveri

 

[potka11]

This Anant is an anti-national guy may be a pakisthani in disguise commenting here against Tejas and HAL with stereotype narratives to malign Indian defence forces. Govt should take strong actions against these anti nationals immediately to give a strong message that nobody would be spared to malign the country with fake narratives any more.

 

[linus52]

LIES, LIES,LIES Kaveri must be developed