“18 Tejas Fighters, 10 Without Engines”: HAL Image Exposes India’s Deepening Tejas Mk1A Crisis

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — India’s most ambitious indigenous fighter programme has entered its most politically dangerous phase after a promotional image released by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited appeared to show 18 Tejas Mk1A fighters assembled on a factory apron, with roughly 10 lacking engines.

The photograph, published through HAL’s 2026 calendar and circulated during late March and early April, immediately triggered criticism because India is attempting to present the Tejas Mk1A as the centrepiece of its future airpower posture.

For the Indian Air Force, the timing is strategically damaging because the service is already struggling with declining squadron numbers while attempting to retire ageing MiG-21, MiG-29 and Jaguar aircraft faster than replacements arrive.

Several defence analysts examining the image concluded that only about eight single-seat Tejas Mk1A aircraft in the displayed formation carried installed GE F404-GE-IN20 turbofan engines, while the remaining airframes remained incomplete.

The same image nevertheless revealed that many of the unfinished aircraft already carried advanced external features associated with the Mk1A configuration, including dual ASRAAM missile rails and an Advanced Self Protection Jammer pod.

Those visible upgrades created a more damaging perception problem because the aircraft appeared externally close to operational readiness despite lacking the single imported component that determines whether the fighter can actually fly.

The resulting criticism rapidly spread across Indian and foreign defence forums, where several commentators described the Tejas as the world’s only supposedly combat-ready fighter programme still waiting for its engines.

That characterisation is exaggerated because HAL has not claimed these specific aircraft were operationally ready or formally delivered, yet the viral reaction nevertheless exposed growing scepticism surrounding India’s aerospace manufacturing credibility.

More importantly, the controversy has highlighted a structural vulnerability within India’s defence-industrial strategy, where a heavily localised fighter programme remains critically dependent upon a foreign propulsion supplier beyond New Delhi’s direct control.

Unless GE Aerospace rapidly restores delivery schedules during the second half of 2026, India’s wider effort to rebuild frontline airpower could face another year of operational delay and escalating political embarrassment.

READ: GE Misses March 2026 Engine Deadline, Triggering Fresh Tejas Mk1A Crisis as India’s Fighter Fleet Modernisation Falters

HAL’s Production Strategy Has Created A Visible But Incomplete Fighter Fleet

HAL’s assembly approach is not unusual within the global aerospace industry because manufacturers frequently complete fuselages, wiring, avionics and weapons integration before installing a delayed propulsion system.

The difference in the Tejas case is that HAL has continued accelerating visible production despite the absence of engines, creating a factory floor increasingly populated by fighters that cannot progress further.

According to programme updates issued through February and April 2026, five Tejas Mk1A aircraft are now fully assembled with contracted avionics, electronic warfare systems and mission software already integrated.

Those five aircraft reportedly include the Uttam active electronically scanned array radar, upgraded cockpit displays, advanced data links and the revised defensive suite required under the Mk1A standard.

HAL has also indicated that another nine or more aircraft have completed substantial assembly and, in some cases, ground or limited flight activity before becoming effectively stranded awaiting engines.

By late March and early April, the combined total of advanced Tejas Mk1A airframes displayed at HAL’s facilities had reportedly reached between 15 and 18 aircraft.

The company has simultaneously expanded production infrastructure by activating a second Tejas assembly line at Nashik, where the first locally assembled Mk1A completed its maiden flight during October 2025.

HAL’s target remains to complete between 16 and 24 aircraft by the end of the 2025-26 financial year before eventually increasing output toward approximately 30 fighters annually.

The GE F404 Engine Has Become The Single Critical Weakness In India’s Fighter Modernisation Plan

The Tejas Mk1A depends entirely upon the American-built GE F404-GE-IN20 turbofan, an engine derived from the broader F404 family but modified specifically for India’s indigenous fighter programme.

HAL ordered 99 F404 engines during 2021 through a contract worth approximately US$716 million, equivalent to roughly RM2.72 billion, to support the first batch of 83 Mk1A aircraft.

A second follow-on requirement covering another 97 Tejas Mk1A fighters subsequently increased India’s future engine demand beyond 200 units, further intensifying dependence upon GE Aerospace.

Despite those contractual commitments, GE had reportedly delivered only six engines by early April 2026, far below the quantity originally required to sustain HAL’s planned production tempo.

The sixth engine reportedly arrived only recently after additional transport and logistics delays, reinforcing the perception that supply problems extend beyond ordinary manufacturing shortfalls.

GE has attributed the disruption partly to wider global supply-chain instability and partly to the ongoing conflict across West Asia, which continues affecting transportation networks and industrial components.

HAL has responded by imposing liquidated damages and contractual penalties upon GE Aerospace, signalling unusually visible frustration inside a programme previously expected to symbolise Indian industrial self-reliance.

The engine shortage therefore represents more than a technical production problem because it directly challenges the credibility of India’s broader ambition to become an autonomous aerospace manufacturing power.

India’s Air Force Cannot Afford Another Delay While Squadron Strength Continues Declining

The Indian Air Force has not yet accepted any Tejas Mk1A aircraft into operational service because the service intends conducting a full operational evaluation during May 2026.

That review is expected to determine whether the fighter satisfies all contracted performance requirements, including radar functionality, electronic warfare capability, weapons integration and overall mission reliability.

Even if the evaluation proceeds successfully, the continuing absence of engines means the first Tejas Mk1A squadron is now unlikely entering service before late 2026.

That delay matters because India’s frontline fighter strength has already fallen significantly below the official requirement of 42 combat squadrons needed for simultaneous regional contingencies.

The Tejas Mk1A was specifically ordered to replace legacy MiG-21 interceptors, older MiG-29 variants and ageing Jaguar strike aircraft approaching the end of their operational lives.

India has already committed to purchasing 180 Tejas Mk1A fighters through two major orders covering 83 aircraft initially and another 97 subsequently.

If the current engine shortage continues beyond 2026, India could face a widening capability gap exactly when Pakistan and China are accelerating their own fighter modernisation efforts.

The delay also increases pressure upon India’s remaining Su-30MKI, Rafale and Mirage 2000 fleets, which may require higher operational tempos and accelerated maintenance cycles.

The Existing Tejas Fleet Remains Operational, But The Mk1A Has Become A Different Programme Entirely

The controversy surrounding the engine-less Mk1A lineup should not obscure the fact that the earlier Tejas Mk1 variant is already operational within the Indian Air Force.

India has previously received 32 single-seat Tejas Mk1 aircraft, which currently equip No. 45 Squadron “Flying Daggers” at Sulur and No. 18 Squadron “Flying Bullets” at Naliya.

Those operational fighters already carry the same F404 engine family and are considered fully combat-capable under the final operational clearance configuration.

The existing Tejas Mk1 fleet can employ beyond-visual-range missiles, conduct aerial refuelling and undertake normal peacetime air-defence and strike missions.

The operational fleet was recently grounded temporarily because of a software-related issue, although flying activity reportedly resumed during early April following corrective measures.

The Tejas Mk1A nevertheless represents a substantially different aircraft because it introduces upgraded sensors, a more advanced electronic warfare package and improved survivability systems.

The fighters visible in HAL’s factory image also appeared configured with dual ASRAAM launch rails, giving the Mk1A a more lethal short-range air-combat capability.

Several aircraft additionally carried an Advanced Self Protection Jammer pod, highlighting HAL’s intention to present the Mk1A as a far more survivable platform than earlier variants.

The Viral Image Has Become A Symbol Of India’s Wider Dependence On Imported Military Technology

Many of the online posts mocking the Tejas programme originated from foreign accounts and Pakistani defence pages seeking to portray India’s indigenous fighter effort as fundamentally hollow.

Those criticisms often described the Tejas Mk1A as the only combat aircraft programme anywhere in the world capable of being declared ready without propulsion.

Such claims remain misleading because HAL never described the photographed airframes as completed or formally combat-ready aircraft awaiting immediate induction into operational squadrons.

Nevertheless, the image has resonated so strongly because it illustrates a genuine contradiction at the centre of India’s defence-industrial strategy.

India has successfully localised much of the Tejas airframe, radar, cockpit architecture and mission electronics, yet the programme still depends upon a foreign supplier for propulsion.

That contradiction has intensified domestic criticism that New Delhi moved too slowly developing an indigenous fighter engine capable of replacing the imported F404.

India is now pursuing a more powerful F414 engine for the future Tejas Mk2, but that programme will create another period of continued foreign dependence.

GE has promised to accelerate deliveries by supplying approximately 20 engines during the second half of 2026 before increasing annual output toward between 24 and 30 units.

Whether those commitments are fulfilled will determine not only the future of the Tejas Mk1A, but also the credibility of India’s wider ambition to emerge as a genuine aerospace power.

The controversy has therefore become strategically larger than a delayed fighter programme because it increasingly influences how foreign governments and defence industries assess India’s reliability as a future aerospace partner.

Several countries across Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East have previously examined the Tejas as a potential low-cost multirole fighter, making visible production delays particularly damaging for future export campaigns.

For New Delhi, the image also risks weakening a central political narrative that India can rapidly transition from one of the world’s largest arms importers into a globally competitive defence manufacturer.

The episode has further strengthened arguments within India’s strategic community that future indigenous combat aircraft programmes require parallel investment in domestic propulsion technology rather than continued dependence upon overseas suppliers.

Unless India succeeds in reducing that vulnerability before the Tejas Mk2 and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programmes mature, similar supply disruptions could repeatedly undermine future force modernisation plans.

The Tejas Mk1A therefore remains both a symbol of India’s growing aerospace capability and a warning that strategic autonomy cannot be achieved while the most critical component still arrives from abroad.