India's Tejas Fighter Aircraft received another major blow to its reputation recently when no less than the Chief Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force (IAF), A.P. Singh criticized it publicly for being unable to deliver the number of Aircraft they ordered a Decade and a half ago.
Quoting Singh himself: "We should go back to 1984, when we conceived that Aircraft. The first Aircraft flew in 2001, 17 years later. The induction started another 15 years later, in 2016. Today, we are in 2024. I do not have the first 40 Aircraft also, so this is the production capability". The IAF Chief then also added: "… Technology delayed is Technology denied …"
I’m sorry to India, but at this Point, I would consider the Tejas as a failure already as a Fighter Aircraft. It actually made its first Flight ahead of its current Rivals, the FA-50 Fighting Eagle and the JF-17 Thunder, but now the FA-50 and JF-17 have over a hundred Aircraft in Service each, and both have been export successes while the Tejas can’t even fulfill its order of 40 Aircraft to its own Air Force.
I think the Tejas was just too ambitious, India wanted their own Design and build every Part of it themselves, but they have been unable to do so. On the other Hand, the FA-50 and JF-17 were made with the collaboration of well established Foreign Aviation Defense Companies.
Moving forward, I think India should abandon plans to build the Tejas Mk 2, or at the very least, introduce a parallel Program with it with the help of a Foreign Company, like Russia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau and their upcoming Su-75 Checkmate, for Example.
Here is the Link to the Article on the “India Today” Website: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/iaf-chief-ap-singh-tejas-fighter-jets-production-delay-china-sixth-generation-aircraft-2661342-2025-01-08
SOURCE: Yet to get 40 Tejas ordered in 2010: IAF Chief as China tests sixth-gen Jets {Archived Link}
