Before Tejas, there was Marut: India’s first indigenous fighter jet designed by former Nazi

The Tejas fighter jet crash at the Dubai Air Show 2025 on Friday has cast a spotlight on India’s decades-long journey in developing indigenous combat aircraft. 

Long before Tejas soared into the skies, India’s first homegrown fighter, the HAL HF-24 Marut, marked a milestone in the nation’s post-independence aerospace ambitions.

Developed in the 1960s by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the HF-24 was christened “Marut”, Sanskrit for “spirit of the storm.”

Conceived as a ground-attack fighter capable of supersonic speeds, the Marut featured swept wings, twin engines, and a durable airframe, engineered to suit India’s varied terrains. For a newly independent India, it represented more than a military asset; it was a declaration of self-reliance.

Designed by a German aeronautical legend

Surprisingly, the Marut was the brainchild of Kurt Tank, a renowned German aircraft designer who had worked with the Nazi Luftwaffe during World War II. After the war, Tank travelled the world seeking opportunities, eventually arriving in India to lead the Marut project. Concurrently, he served as Director of the Madras Institute of Technology, where he mentored students, including Abdul Kalam, who would later spearhead India’s missile and space programs.

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Tank envisioned the Marut as a Mach 2+ supersonic jet, rivalling the best aircraft of the era. However, India lacked the engines powerful enough to realise his design. HAL had to rely on Rolls-Royce Orpheus turbojets, which limited the jet to Mach 0.93, confining it to subsonic performance. Geopolitical restrictions during the Cold War further curtailed access to advanced engines.

Despite its limitations, the Marut proved its worth in combat, flying ground-attack missions during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, particularly in the western sector. Pilots valued its stability, twin-engine reliability, and durable airframe, even as newer aircraft like the MiG-21 eventually superseded it.

The Marut prototype flew on 17 June 1961, with production models entering service in 1967. A total of 147 aircraft were built, all operated by the Indian Air Force. Notably, the Marut played a role in the Battle of Longewala during the 1971 war, cementing its place in Indian aviation history. 

Several factors led to the Marut’s fading legacy

• Engine limitations restricted its supersonic potential
• No export success, as it couldn’t outperform international competitors
• Rapid technological advancement
• Policy gaps hindered long-term aerospace development in India
• Limited public recognition, unlike American F-16s or French Mirages

Although retired in the late 1980s, the Marut program laid the groundwork for India’s modern fighter jets. Many technologies, testing protocols, and institutional expertise gained during the Marut project directly informed the development of Tejas. Today, as Tejas faces challenges like the Dubai crash, it carries forward the ambitions first realised with the Marut.