India's indigenously developed light fighter and the aircraft finally replacing its long-serving MiG-21 fleet. A tailless compound-delta design with quadruplex digital fly-by-wire controls, it represents India's most ambitious indigenous combat aircraft program to date. Developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
India's indigenously developed light fighter and the aircraft finally replacing its long-serving MiG-21 fleet. Developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Photo: Rahuldevnath, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSee Specifications for full detail.
The HAL Tejas is an Indian single-engine, delta-wing light combat aircraft built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Development began in 1983 to replace the MiG-21, and the type reached Indian Air Force squadrons in 2016.[1]
India has ordered 83 upgraded Tejas Mk1A aircraft, with a further 97 approved, though deliveries have been delayed by General Electric engine supply shortages - roughly thirty completed airframes were awaiting engines in 2026.[2][3]
The Light Combat Aircraft program of 1983 had two declared goals: replace the vast MiG-21 fleet, and drag Indian aerospace from licence-assembly into design authority - airframe, engine (Kaveri), radar and flight controls, all indigenous. The ambition was the point; the timeline paid for it.[1]
The technology mountain proved alpine: sanctions after the 1998 nuclear tests cut off partners mid-program, the Kaveri engine never matured (GE's F404 stepped in), and the little delta did not fly until January 2001 - eighteen years in. 'Tejas' (radiance) was bestowed by the Prime Minister two years later.[1]
The Tejas is the smallest fighter in its generation: a tailless compound delta with relaxed stability tamed by an indigenous quadruplex digital fly-by-wire system[4] - the program's crown jewel - plus extensive composites (around 45% by weight), an Israeli-then-Indian radar line culminating in the domestic Uttam AESA, and an unusually clean safety record: no crashes in over two decades of testing, a rarity for any new fighter.[1]
The Mk1A standard turns prototype-lineage jets into a service fleet: AESA radar, self-protection jammer, aerial refuelling, Astra and Python missiles, and maintainability fixes the Air Force demanded. Beyond it sits the heavier Mk2 with GE F414s built under a landmark technology-transfer deal - the engine sovereignty the Kaveri never delivered, bought a different way.[1]
No. 45 Squadron 'Flying Daggers' stood up on the Tejas in July 2016, followed by the 'Bulls' of No. 18 - the type patrolling Indian skies, joining exercises abroad, and drawing consistent praise from pilots for its handling even as numbers stayed thin. A naval variant proved arrested landings aboard INS Vikramaditya and Vikrant, seeding the separate Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter program.[1]
The Mk1A order book made the type strategic: 83 aircraft signed in 2021, 97 more cleared in 2024-25 - approaching 350 airframes across variants in the plan - precisely as the last MiG-21 squadrons retired in 2025 and left the Air Force at its lowest squadron strength in decades. The Tejas is no longer an experiment; it is the schedule.[1]
Which is the 2026 drama: GE's F404 line, restarted after years cold, delivered engines late; by mid-2026 some thirty completed Mk1As sat awaiting powerplants, with supply finally steadying - about twenty engines due through December - and HAL targeting first squadron deliveries for August-September 2026, two years behind contract. Three assembly lines now stand ready for the surge.[2][3]
Everything difficult about the Tejas was chosen: an indigenous engine program that failed forward into knowledge, radar and EW suites that matured over decades, and a national supply chain - public HAL plus a widening private tier - assembled around the aircraft. India priced sovereignty in years and paid.[1]
The dividend is the roadmap: Mk1A production at three lines, Mk2 prototypes ahead, the F414 built in India with transferred technology, and the AMCA fifth-generation programme staffed by engineers the LCA trained.[1]
As procurement, the Tejas took four decades from launch to fleet. As a nation-building programme, its record is stronger: India now designs fighters, writes flight-control law, integrates AESA radars and negotiates engine technology transfer from a position no 1983 planner had.[1]
Its next few years will determine deliveries: engines arriving, squadrons forming as the MiG-21 fleet retires, and exports being courted from Southeast Asia to South America.[3]
Tejas aircraft are occasionally visible on Flightradar24 during public airshow appearances (including international air shows such as Bahrain, Dubai and Aero India) where the Indian Air Force flies display sorties; routine operational flights from Indian Air Force bases are typically not publicly broadcast.
| Performance | |
| Max Speed | 1,046 kn (1,204 mph / 1,937 km/h) |
|---|---|
| Cruise SpeedCruise Speed — The economical speed an aircraft sustains for the bulk of a flight - lower than maximum speed, chosen for the best balance of time and fuel burn. Glossary → | ~560 mph |
| RangeRange — How far an aircraft can fly without refuelling. Quoted figures vary with payload, speed and reserves - see also ferry range and combat radius. Glossary → | 1,305 mi ferry range; combat radius of roughly 300 mi on internal fuel |
| Service CeilingService Ceiling — The highest altitude at which an aircraft can still climb at a useful rate (typically 100 ft/min). Above it, the air is too thin to keep climbing meaningfully. Glossary → | 52,000 ft |
| Airframe & Weight | |
| Wingspan | 26 ft 10 in |
| Length | 43 ft 5 in |
| Height | 14 ft 5 in |
| WeightMTOW — Maximum Take-Off Weight - the heaviest an aircraft is certified to be at the start of its take-off run, including fuel, crew, payload and the aircraft itself. Glossary → | empty: 13,955 lb; MTOW: 29,760 lb |
| Power & Payload | |
| Engines | 1 x General Electric F404-GE-IN20 afterburning turbofan, 19,000 lbf thrust with afterburner |
| ArmamentArmament — The weapons an aircraft can carry: guns, missiles, bombs and rockets, whether mounted internally, on wing hardpoints, or in bomb bays. Glossary → | 1 x 23 mm GSh-23 twin-barrel cannon; up to 7,940 lb of air-to-air missiles (Astra, R-73, ASRAAM), precision-guided bombs and anti-ship missiles across 8 hardpoints |
| Crew | 1 (pilot); Tejas twin-seat trainer variant carried 2 |
| CapacityPayload — Everything an aircraft is carrying that isn't the aircraft or its fuel: passengers, cargo, or weapons. Payload and fuel usually trade off against each other. Glossary → | N/A - single-seat fighter; up to 7,940 lb of external ordnance across 8 hardpoints |
| Program & Service | |
| Manufacturer | Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) |
| Origin | India |
| First Flight | January 4th 2001 |
| Service Entry | January 17th 2015 |
| Number Built | 55 |
| Unit Cost | ~$29M (Tejas Mk1A production standard, 2023-2026 dollars; roughly ₹160-241 crore) |
2 notable events involving the Tejas, 2024 to 2025, accounting for 1 deaths. Curated rather than exhaustive.
An IAF Tejas Mk1 crashed during a training exercise near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, reportedly after an engine failure. The pilot ejected safely — the first crash of the type since its maiden flight 23 years earlier.
An IAF Tejas Mk1 crashed during an aerobatic display at Dubai Airshow 2025, entering a low-altitude manoeuvre before losing altitude and striking the ground. The pilot was killed.
| Tejas Mk1 | Initial production standard, delivered in limited numbers to the first two Indian Air Force squadrons. |
| Tejas Mk1A | Improved production standard with AESA radar, electronic warfare suite and aerial refuelling probe, current production version. |
| Tejas Trainer | Tandem two-seat conversion trainer variant, structurally near-identical to the single-seat fighter. |
| Tejas Mk2 (in development) | Larger, re-engined successor with the more powerful GE F414 engine, greater range and payload, planned to enter service later this decade. |
Source: FlightGlobal
Source: FlightGlobal
Numbered as cited in the Overview article. Click a reference to see where it's used.
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