Tejas Mk1A — Why the IAF's Smallest Fighter Is Its Most Important Programme

The Indian Air Force is sanctioned for 42 fighter squadrons and operates around 30. MiG-21s have finally retired, the Jaguar and Mirage 2000 fleets are ageing, and the multi-role fighter competition has dragged on for years. Into that gap flies the Tejas Mk1A.

What changed from Mk1

The Mk1A is not a new airframe; it is the Mk1 with the 43 improvements the IAF demanded before ordering in numbers:

• AESA radar — Israeli EL/M-2052 initially, with the indigenous Uttam radar planned from the 41st aircraft.
• Electronic warfare suite with a self-protection jammer and radar warning receiver.
• Air-to-air refuelling probe, tested in 2018.
• Beyond-visual-range missiles — Astra Mk1 and Derby — plus the ASRAAM close-combat missile.
• Easier maintainability: turnaround time and line-replaceable units were the IAF's biggest Mk1 complaint.

The orders

HAL signed a ₹48,000 crore contract for 83 Mk1A in February 2021, and the Defence Acquisition Council cleared 97 more in late 2023, with the contract concluded in 2025. Together with 40 Mk1s already delivered, the Tejas family will exceed 220 aircraft — the largest indigenous fighter fleet India has ever fielded.

The bottleneck: engines

The single biggest risk is not the airframe but the GE F404-IN20 engine. GE's supply chain problems delayed the first engine delivery to March 2025, pushing the first Mk1A deliveries well past the original March 2024 date. HAL has set up a third production line in Nashik to reach 24 aircraft a year, but engines gate everything.

Mk2 and beyond

The Tejas Mk2, a 17.5-tonne medium-weight fighter with the GE F414 engine, canards and a 6.5-tonne payload, is targeted to fly in 2026-27 and enter production around 2029. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) stealth fighter follows in the mid-2030s. The Mk1A is the bridge that keeps squadron numbers from collapsing before then.

Export prospects

Argentina, Egypt, Malaysia, the Philippines and Nigeria have evaluated the Tejas at various points. The realistic export unlock is the Mk1A with a proven service record and a de-risked engine supply — which is why the IAF's induction pace matters far beyond the IAF.

Compare the Tejas with the Rafale and Su-30MKI in our Equipment Compare tool.