The Defence Ministry has constituted a high-level committee to address delays in the production and induction of India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A, according to officials familiar with the matter.
The move comes in the follow-up to Air Force (IAF) Chief AP Singh having flagged the delays in the deliveries of LCA aircraft. The IAF seeks to bolster its fighter jet fleet amid concerns over a steady decline in the number of operational squadrons.
The force has been banking on these jets - 83 of which have been ordered - to fulfil a pressing shortfall in its strength of fighter squadrons.
The five-member committee, led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, has been tasked with identifying bottlenecks in the LCA programme and recommending measures to accelerate production.
The panel has been given a one-month deadline to submit its report, officials said on Sunday.
Sources say that the review will explore ways to enhance private sector participation in aircraft manufacturing to expedite deliveries. The Air Force is expected to operate around 350 LCA variants, including Mk-1, Mk-1A, and Mk-2, over the next decade and beyond.
The LCA programme is a critical component of India’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the government's Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative, and the committee’s recommendations are expected to play a key role in ensuring timely delivery to meet the IAF’s operational requirements, sources said.
AIR CHIEF MARSHAL'S REBUKE OVER DELAY
Air chief AP Singh has been vocal about his disappointment over the delay and induction of the LCA aircraft.
While inspecting an aircraft at the recent Aero India show in Bengaluru, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh was heard telling officials of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd that he had "no confidence" in the state-owned aerospace company.
"I can only tell you what our requirements and our worries are. At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen," ACM AP Singh is heard saying in a video that was captured and posted by defence news channel NationalDefence.
While speaking at a lecture earlier in January, the Air Force chief had pointed out how the service had yet to receive all 40 Tejas Mk1 jets ordered in 2010. The Indian Air Force currently operates only 36 Tejas Mk1 jets with deliveries of four pending.
Crucially, the force is waiting for 83 Tejas Mk1A jets -- which are upgraded variants of the fighters currently in service -- that were ordered in 2021.
Following the public rebuke by Air Chief Singh, HAL cited technical issues as the reason, stating that it was "not just laziness".
Acknowledging the concerns raised by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, the state-owned defence manufacturer assured that the aircraft will be delivered soon.
Source: India Today