Tejas Delays, the 114-Jet MRFA Deal and Theatre Commands: What the IAF Chief Flagged
At a press conference ahead of Air Force Day on 3 October 2026, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, said long delays in delivery of the Tejas Mk-1A fighter are hurting the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The IAF has only 29 fighter squadrons, against an officially sanctioned strength of 42. The chief said the IAF needs 36 to 40 new fighter jets every year for the next few years to stop this decline.
In February 2021, the Defence Ministry signed a ₹48,000 crore deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets. Deliveries were due from March 2024, but no jet had been delivered to the IAF by the time of the press conference. A second deal for 97 more Tejas Mk-1A (₹62,370 crore) was signed in September 2025.
The chief hoped the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) deal, for 114 Rafale jets under a government-to-government route with France, could be signed within this financial year, while noting that negotiations are a two-way process.
He said that if the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme is delayed, the IAF may have to consider another platform. Russia has offered the Su-57, but no decision has been taken.
On theatre commands, he said the IAF is not against them and has been part of the discussions. After Operation Sindoor, the plan is being looked at in a "slightly different direction". The government will decide the structure, sequence and pace.
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas: India's Indigenous Fighter
The Tejas is a small, single-engine fighter jet designed in India by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It is a "light" fighter, meant to replace India's ageing MiG-21 fleet. The Mk-1A is an improved version with a modern radar, better electronic warfare protection and the ability to fire beyond-visual-range missiles. Its engine, the GE F404, is imported from the United States.
The IAF chief said the Tejas Mk-1A delays "hurt" the force because each delayed jet keeps the squadron count low. The Tejas was meant to be the main replacement for retired MiG-21s, so its late arrival widens the gap between 29 and 42 squadrons.
Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) Programme
The MRFA programme is the IAF's plan to buy 114 medium-weight fighter jets that can do many kinds of missions, such as air combat, ground attack and reconnaissance. After years of open tenders, India chose to buy Rafale jets from France through a direct government-to-government arrangement. Most of the jets are planned to be built in India.
The IAF chief hopes to sign the MRFA deal in this financial year, provided price talks with France go as planned. Together with Tejas Mk-1A, the MRFA jets are meant to rebuild squadron strength in the next few years.
Integrated Theatre Commands: India's Military Jointness Reform
An integrated theatre command puts units of the Army, Navy and Air Force under one commander, who is responsible for all military operations in one geographical area (a "theatre") or for one task. Instead of three separate services each fighting their own part of a war, one commander plans and runs the whole fight with all the tools of all three services. Today, India mostly has single-service commands; a theatre command system would change this.
The IAF chief clarified that the IAF is not opposed to theatre commands and has been part of the discussions throughout. He said experience from Operation Sindoor has changed the direction of the talks, and the government will decide what structure to create, in what order, and whether all at once or step by step.
- IAF fighter squadrons: 29 against a sanctioned 42
- IAF needs 36 to 40 new fighters a year for the next few years (IAF chief's estimate)
- 83 Tejas Mk-1A: ₹48,000 crore deal, February 2021; first delivery was due March 2024
- 97 more Tejas Mk-1A: ₹62,370 crore deal, September 2025
- MRFA: 114 Rafale jets, AoN by DAC in February 2026; government-to-government with France
- Russia has offered the Su-57; no decision taken
- Theatre commands plan first announced in 2019 along with the CDS post