IAF Chief Flags Delays in Indigenous Aircraft Programmes: Why Fewer Projects and Faster Delivery Matter
At the annual press conference before Air Force Day (8 October), the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, said delays in indigenous (made-in-India) defence programmes are hurting the Indian Air Force (IAF).
He said India should run fewer aircraft programmes at the same time and hold makers to a tighter delivery schedule.
The programmes running in parallel include the Tejas Mk-1A, Tejas Mk-2, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (for the Navy's aircraft carriers) and the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) purchase.
He explained that the same design teams at the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) work on several projects at once, so their time is split and each project slows down.
The IAF needs about 36 to 40 new fighters every year to stop its squadron numbers from falling further. The plan counts on about 24 Tejas, 12 MRFA and 12 extra Sukhoi jets a year.
He said indigenous programmes will fill capability gaps in the long run, and the IAF may look at other options if the AMCA is delayed. No specific decision was announced.
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas: India's Indigenous Fighter
The Tejas is a small, light fighter jet designed and built in India. It has one engine and a triangle-shaped "delta" wing, and it can fight other aircraft in the air as well as attack targets on the ground. It was designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and is built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It is the main symbol of India's effort to make its own fighter jets instead of buying them from abroad.
The Tejas Mk1A is the jet the IAF is counting on most, about 24 a year, to stop its squadron numbers from falling. Its repeated delays, mostly due to late engines and slow certification, are exactly what the IAF chief meant when he said "delays hurt us" and asked for fewer parallel projects.
Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Programme
The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is India's own fifth-generation stealth fighter that is now being developed. It is designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under DRDO. It will be a twin-engine jet built to be very hard for enemy radars to detect. It is meant to be the IAF's top-end fighter for the coming decades.
The IAF chief listed the AMCA among the programmes competing for the same ADA design teams. He said the IAF may look at other platforms if the AMCA is delayed, which shows how a late programme can force costly stop-gap purchases.
Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) Programme
The Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme is the IAF's plan to buy 114 modern medium-class fighter jets. A multi-role fighter can fight enemy aircraft, strike ground targets and gather information on the same mission. The MRFA is meant to fill the gap until Indian-made jets arrive in large numbers.
The IAF chief named the MRFA as one of the three streams, along with Tejas and extra Sukhois, that must together deliver 36 to 40 fighters a year. Any delay in signing or delivering the MRFA would widen the squadron gap further.
- Air Force Day: 8 October
- Chief of the Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh
- IAF need: about 36 to 40 new fighters a year (plan: about 24 Tejas, 12 MRFA, 12 Sukhoi)
- Programmes named: Tejas Mk-1A, Tejas Mk-2, AMCA, Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter, MRFA
- IAF sanctioned strength: 42 fighter squadrons; about 29 after MiG-21 retirement (26 September 2025)
- Tejas Mk1A orders: 83 (2021) + 97 (2025) = 180 jets
- 97-jet contract (25 September 2025): over ₹62,370 crore; deliveries September 2027 to September 2033
- Tejas engine: GE F404-IN20; Tejas Mk2 engine: GE F414
- MRFA: 114 Rafale; AoN by DAC on 12 February 2026 (18 fly-away, 96 made in India)
- AMCA: fifth-generation stealth fighter; first flight targeted about 2028–29; induction about 2034–35