‘I Am Just Not Confident In HAL’: IAF Chief's Blunt Criticism Of Defence PSU Over Tejas Delays

Amid delays in the Tejas MK1A deliveries, the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has said he has no "confidence" in the defence PSU.

“I can only tell you what our requirement and our worries are. You have to alleviate those worries and make us more confident. At the moment I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen,” the IAF chief told HAL chairman D K Sunil.

A six-an-a-half minute long video of the conversation, which appears to have been filmed while the IAF chief was getting a brief while seated in the cockpit of an HJT-36 Yashas, was shared on Youtube by a defence news portal NationalDefence.

“HAL is our company; we have all worked there. But I find that HAL is just not in mission mode,” said the IAF chief. “I was promised that when I come here in February, 11 Tejas Mk1As would be ready. And not a single one is ready," he added.

The delay in the Tejas Mk1A, the upgraded variant of the Tejas jet, has been a major cause of discontent for Air Chief Marshal Singh.

Various factors have contributed to the setback, including issues at HAL, now confirmed by this video, and delays in the supply of GE F404 engines from the United States.

HAL faced further criticism from the IAF chief, who pointed out that the LCA Tejas Mk1A jets showcased at the Aero India 2025 show are not Mk1A jets.

“The aircraft that you flew, calling it Mk1A. It is not an Mk1A. It cannot happen just by change of one software or by looks. When the weapons come, and the capability comes, then it’s a Mk1A,” the IAF chief said.

The IAF chief has been quite vocal about the delay in manufacturing the aircraft, which has resulted in the force being down to 31 fighter squadrons against the sanctioned strength of 42.

When the HAL leadership and test team responding by saying that his words were “duly noted” and that they would work on it, the IAF chief said, “I will be the happiest person if I’m proved wrong."

"I feel that only a few are putting in any effort. Or maybe everyone is putting in effort in their own silos without looking at the overall picture. Something has to change. Some drastic change. This needs a magic wand so everything gets aligned. It’s high time," he added.

The IAF Chief pointed out that when he had visited HAL in February, he had been assured that 11 Tejas Mk1A aircraft would be ready.

However, he was disappointed to see that not a single aircraft had been delivered.

“I was promised that when I come here in February, 11 Tejas Mk1As would be ready. And not a single one is ready,” Singh said.

The IAF currently operates with just 31 fighter squadrons, far below the sanctioned strength of 42.

The timely induction of the LCA Tejas, particularly the Mk1A variant, is crucial for strengthening the IAF’s combat capabilities in the coming decade.

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