HAL eyes beginning delivery of LCA Mk-1A to Air Force by year-end | Exclusive

The Indian Air Force has placed two orders for 180 Mk-1A fighter jets worth a combined ₹1.1 lakh crore.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) expects to begin delivering the light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) to the Indian Air Force by the end of this year, with the state-run aerospace major working to resolve the final radar and weapons-integration issues, its chairman and managing director Ravi K said in his first interview since taking charge on May 1.

The LCA Mk-1A is central to the IAF’s push to shore up its fighter fleet, which faces a worrying shortfall. (PTI/Representative)

“The last-mile corrections are underway,” he told HT on Thursday. “There are a few radar issues that we need to address. Also, the final weapons integration testing is still pending. We should resolve these issues within a month or so and get the aircraft ready for delivery.”

The LCA Mk-1A is central to the IAF’s push to shore up its fighter fleet, which faces a worrying shortfall. The IAF has placed two orders for 180 Mk-1A fighter jets worth a combined ₹1.1 lakh crore. The first contract for 83 aircraft was signed in February 2021, followed by a second for 97 fighters in September 2025. The deliveries, which are likely to begin in December, are under the first contract.

The first Mk-1 aircraft, ordered in 2021 order, was due for delivery in March 2024. That deadline was missed due to a combination of factors, including US firm GE Aerospace’s inability to supply the F404-IN20 engines on time and delays in securing key certifications. HAL aims to execute the order in three to four years if engine supplies are uninterrupted.

“We should be able to deliver within that timeline, given our capacity to produce 24 Mk-1As every year. We are not stopping production, irrespective of engine availability. We are building airframes so that aircraft can be rolled out as the engines arrive,” Ravi said.

The fighters to be built under the 2025 order will feature a higher degree of indigenous content than the 83 aircraft contracted in 2021, he said. “A range of indigenous systems will be there in the 97 Mk-1As, including the Uttam AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar, and Swayam Raksha Kavach (electronic warfare suite). Around 40 imported systems in the first 83 aircraft will be indigenised as we execute the second contract.”

The more advanced LCA Mk-2 programme is also beginning to take shape. HAL has built the structure and coupling has been completed. “The front, centre and rear fuselage sections have been joined, and the airframe is ready. We are targeting the first ground run by March 2027, with the maiden flight expected later that year. The contract is yet to be signed. The IAF is now moving the case forward,” he said.

HAL is negotiating a deal with GE Aerospace for the joint production of the more powerful F414 engines in the country for the LCA Mk-2 programme. India has a few F414 engines (bought by the Aeronautical Development Agency) for the Mk-2 prototypes, he said.

“As far as the joint production of the F414 is concerned, all technical issues have been resolved. We are awaiting a commercial proposal from GE Aerospace and then we will start negotiating the terms and conditions for that.” The F414 deal will involve 80% technology transfer.

The LCA is set to emerge as the cornerstone of IAF’s combat power as it is expected to operate around 350 LCAs (Mk-1, Mk-1A and Mk-2 variants) in the coming decades. The IAF is wrestling with a shortage of fighter jets --- it operates around 30 fighter squadrons compared to an authorised 42.5.