New Delhi, September 25: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday signed a landmark agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to procure 97 Tejas Mark-1A fighter jets worth ₹62,370 crore, excluding taxes. The deal builds on a previous order of 83 jets in February 2021, taking the total number of Tejas Mark-1A aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to 180.
The latest contract includes 68 single-seater fighters and 29 twin-seater trainers, along with associated equipment. Deliveries will begin in 2027-28 and continue over six years. According to the MoD, the upgraded jets will carry more than 64 percent indigenous content and feature 67 new items not present in the earlier batch. Notable among them are the indigenously developed Uttam Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and an advanced electronic protection suite, aligning with the government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision.
The project will involve nearly 105 Indian vendors and is expected to create around 11,750 direct and indirect jobs each year during the production cycle. The 97 jets ordered represent the most advanced variant of the Tejas platform developed indigenously.
The acquisition comes at a crucial time, with the IAF preparing to phase out its ageing MiG-21 fleet in a formal ceremony in Chandigarh tomorrow. The retirement will lower the IAF’s operational strength from 31 to 29 squadrons, far short of the sanctioned 42 required to handle potential two-front threats from Pakistan and China.
Currently, the IAF operates 40 Tejas Mark-1 jets. With the new orders, the force will gradually modernize its fleet, eventually replacing Jaguars, MiG-29s, and Mirage-2000s slated for retirement after 2029. Defence planners estimate that India will need at least 500 new fighters over the next two decades to maintain operational readiness and meet strategic challenges.
