Defence ministry looking at ‘penalties on HAL’ for delays in delivery of Tejas jets

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry is looking to impose penalties on defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) over continued delays in the delivery of Tejas Mk1A fighter aircraft, defence sources said on Monday. The delivery issue was reviewed during a meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday. Until now, not a single Tejas Mk1A has been delivered by HAL to the Indian Air Force (IAF).“At least six engines from General Electric (GE) Aerospace have already been received by HAL for Tejas. The structures of 18 aircraft are also ready with it. We can understand the delays in engine delivery on the part of GE, but that is a separate issue. However, as the six GE engines had already arrived, HAL should have delivered at least six aircraft to the IAF by now. Due to the delay, there could be liquidated damages (LD) being applied,” the sources said.The defence ministry’s contract with a vendor includes a delivery period. If the vendor delays the supply, the government applies LD.“At least 18-24 LCA Mk1A aircraft are expected to be ready by the end of the year if HAL is able to make up for some of those shortfalls (Air Staff Qualitative Requirements). HAL has been asked to meet the commitments and timelines,” the sources said.IAF had signed two major contracts with the defence PSU for a total of 180 Tejas aircraft — the first contract was signed in 2021 for 83 Tejas aircraft, and the second was inked in 2025 for 97 jets. Earlier this year, HAL had imposed contractual penalties on GE due to significant delays in the supply of F404-IN20 engines for Tejas Mk-1A jets.On Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offering India the Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, the sources said, “There are discussions, but no decision has been made on Russia’s offer yet.”HAL is negotiating with GE for an advanced GE 414 engine for India’s own stealth fighter jet AMCA project. “Technical negotiations have been completed. Commercial negotiations are going on,” the sources said, adding the advanced GE 414 engine will not only power the upgraded Tejas Mk2 but also the initial variants of AMCA.On the RFP to the three shortlisted companies for the AMCA project, the sources said, “RFP for AMCA was issued 10 days ago. It has a time of 60 days. The responses should come by the end of July. After that, the rest of the process will be done.”