Delivering LCA Mk-1A key, not countering criticism: HAL chief
His comments came a week after Air Chief Marshal AP Singh questioned the firm’s ability to meet the air force’s critical requirements on time.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) chief DK Sunil on Monday said that the state-run aircraft maker’s focus is on delivering the new light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) to the Indian Air Force at the earliest rather than spending time on countering criticism of the indigenous programme, which is running behind schedule due to several reasons including delay in the supply of engines by US firm GE Aerospace.
His comments came a week after the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, questioned the firm’s ability to meet the air force’s critical requirements in the backdrop of a lingering delay in the supply of the new fighter jets, saying he had “no confidence” in the plane maker. Singh’s remarks came during the air show, Aero India 2025, held in Bengaluru last week.
“Our focus is not on getting into a debate on this. I’d rather channelise the energy of my teams on delivering the aircraft. ‘Tu tu main main se kuch nahin hoga’ (squabbling will not serve any purpose),” Sunil said.
The IAF chief also tore into HAL for calling the aircraft the firm showcased at the five-day airshow “LCA Mk-1A” without upgrading its capabilities.
“Everything is [driven by] ‘ho jayega (will happen) and ‘karenge’ (we will do it)... You (have started) calling it Mk-1A. It is not Mk-1A. Mk-1A is only after the capability comes in, not just by change of one software to other software. When the weapon comes in, when the capability comes in, then it is Mk-1A. ‘Mazza nahin aa raha hain’ (it’s not working out),” Singh said on February 10 in an interaction with HAL officials that was recorded by someone.
Sunil said the IAF chief’s concern likely stems from the declining number of fighter squadrons and the air force would like to get the Mk-1A as quickly as possible.
“We have built three Mk-1A fighters and flew them with ‘Category B’ (reserve) engines at the airshow. The aircraft are fully ready in hardware --- equipped with a more capable radar, the jammer is there, the electronic warfare suite is there, it has a new mission computer and a smart multi-function display. All the stuff that we had promised is there and fully integrated. Now we are in the final stages of firing the indigenous Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. We will do it in the next 15 days,” the HAL chief said.
The rest of the hardware and software is the same as in the LCA Mk-1, which the IAF has already inducted, he said.
“When we carry out the Astra firing, then what the IAF chief is insisting... the kind of capability that the IAF chief is asking for will be achieved. The point is if you fire the missile, then the capability has come in. Once we finish firing the missile and it is okay, then the SOP (standard operating procedure) is final. After that, wherever the engines come, we are ready to deliver,” Sunil said.
The IAF is deeply concerned about the current pace of the LCA Mk-1A programme because of the possible risks a delay in the induction of new fighters could pose to the air force’s combat effectiveness. The air force ordered 83 Mk-1A fighters for ₹48,000 crore in February 2021 and plans to buy 97 more Mk-1As at a cost of around ₹67,000 crore.
The first aircraft was to be delivered to the IAF by March 31, 2024, but that didn’t happen due to a combination of factors including GE Aerospace’s inability to supply the F404 engines on time and delays in some key certifications. HAL unveiled the LCA Mk-1A at the airshow, attempting to allay concerns about its readiness for induction into the IAF after delays.
“Supply chains constraints are holding us back. We have been after GE Aerospace for the engines for a long time. We placed the order for the engines before the main contract for 83 LCA Mk-1As was signed in February 2021. We got board approval and placed an order for the engines to get them faster,” the HAL chief said.
HAL is hopeful that engine deliveries will begin soon, and it will execute the contract for the 83 Mk-1As over the next three-and-a-half years. The follow-on contract for 97 more fighters is likely to be signed in three to six months, and HAL hopes to execute it by 2031-32.
“One more point I would like to add is that we were required to integrate the software defined radio on the Mk-1A much later under the contract, but we have already done that,” Sunil said.
HAL has set up a new production line in Nashik for Mk-1As to meet IAF’s growing needs. The firm says it can build 16 Mk-1As every year in Bengaluru, and the Nashik line will help it ramp up production to 24 jets.
The Mk-1A is an advanced variant of the Mk-1. The LCA is set to emerge as the cornerstone of IAF’s combat power as the world’s fourth largest air force is expected to operate around 350 LCAs (Mk-1, Mk-1A and Mk-2 variants) in the coming decade and beyond.
“I can only tell you our requirements and what 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 said last week, putting the spotlight on the indigenous fighter programme. Singh said he would be the “happiest person” to be proved wrong.
The IAF chief was talking to a group of HAL officials while sitting in the cockpit of the locally produced Hindustan Jet Trainer (HJT-36), whose name has been changed from ‘Sitara’ to ‘Yashas’ following extensive modifications that fixed lingering problems.
