Editorial: Tejas crash casts shadow over HAL’s credibility

The Dubai Air Show tragedy deepens doubts over the aircraft’s combat readiness, operational robustness and export viability of India’s indigenous fighter programme

The crash of the ‘Tejas’ fighter aircraft during a demonstration flight at the Dubai Air Show came as a major setback for the indigenous defence project that is already bogged down by inordinate delays and quality standard issues. The tragedy has cast a shadow over the credibility of public-sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the maker of the Tejas Mk1 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), which will now find it tough to establish itself as a dependable global player in combat platform manufacturing. The mishap came at a time when HAL was making a foray into the international market, having convinced buyers in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Unfortunately, the crash has abruptly halted that momentum, neutralising years of marketing gains. Instead of reinforcing confidence, the incident has reignited old doubts over HAL and Tejas, raising a question mark over India’s indigenous fighter aircraft’s international prospects. This was the second crash involving Tejas, after a similar mishap occurred during a training sortie near Jaisalmer in March 2024, when the pilot ejected safely. The Friday crash, which resulted in the death of its pilot Wing Commander Namansh Syal, came at a time when the HAL was preparing to deliver 180 upgraded Tejas Mk1A jets to the Indian Air Force (IAF), with enhanced radar and electronic warfare capabilities. Already, the defence forces are unhappy over excruciating delays in delivering the indigenous weapon systems.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, in its report submitted in December last year, wanted the Defence Ministry to sensitise HAL to augment production of Tejas, a single-engine, fourth-generation multirole light fighter aircraft, so that the operational role of the Air Force is not affected due to depletion in squadron strength. The Tejas Mk-1A programme was delayed due to design and development issues, challenges with aero engine availability, and HAL’s difficulty in maintaining the required production rate. The LCA saga holds hard lessons for the defence PSUs, which need to pull up their socks and step up their efficiency levels to meet the growing requirements of the armed forces. Conceived way back in 1984 as a replacement to the ageing MiG-21 fighters, the LCA project was marred by inexplicable delays, with the first Tejas jet flying only in 2001 and its induction began 15 years later, in 2016. The crash during a demonstration deepened doubts over the aircraft’s combat readiness, operational robustness and suitability for frontline service. Adding to these challenges is Tejas’s fundamental vulnerability: despite being promoted as an indigenous fourth-generation fighter, many of the Mk 1’s high-value systems – including its US-origin engine, Israeli radar, assorted missile systems, avionics, and electronic warfare packages — were imported, constraining both its performance and export potential. Tejas’s formidable multi-origin weapons inventory — a mix of indigenous and foreign systems designed to enhance battlefield versatility — also has the potential to introduce multiple layers of external approvals, export controls and long-term support uncertainties.

---