MoD sets up committee to address Tejas delays; HAL plans to involve pvt players for Tejas fuselage

The Ministry of Defence as well as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have focused their attention on the timely deliveries of Tejas, with the MoD setting up a high-level committee while HAL planning to outsource fuselage work to private players.

The delays in delivery of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) have led the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to gear up. The MoD has constituted a high-level committee to address delays in the production and induction, as per sources. 

This news comes on the backdrop of Air Force Chief (IAF) raising concerns over the delays in the delivery of the fighter jet. The IAF seeks to bolster its fighter jet fleet amid concerns over a steady decline in the number of operational squadrons. 

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh will head the 5-member committee, with the main focus to identify identifying bottlenecks in the LCA programme and recommending measures to accelerate production. The committee has a one-month deadline to submit the report. 

A couple of weeks back, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had assured it would soon start delivering the aircraft to the Indian Air Force with the technical difficulties now being resolved. On this backdrop, HAL is also planning to outsource the assembly of Tejas Mk1A fighter jet fuselages to private sector companies to increase production to 30 jets annually by 2027. 

HAL Chairman DK Sunil had announced that HAL is planning to engage private firms to provide fully assembled fuselages, complete with internal components. Companies like Dynamatic Technologies, Tata Advanced Materials Ltd., and L&T are eyeing this deal as they are already a part of HAL’s supply chain base.

This move aims to streamline HAL's final assembly process, allowing them to focus on integrating complex systems, will significantly reduce the workload and time required for final assembly and concentrate on integrating critical systems such as avionics, weapons, and engines.

The LCA programme is a critical component of India’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. IAF is banking on these jets to address the existing shortage of fighter squadrons.