Air Chief Marshal AP Singh of the Indian Air Force has expressed his dissatisfaction with military PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for failing to address delivery and upgrade delays for the light combat aircraft Tejas.
“You have to alleviate (our) worries and make us more confident. At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen,” Singh said in a video taped on Monday, coinciding with the launch of Aero India 2025 in Bangalore.
“I can tell you (HAL) what our requirements and worries are,” he is recorded saying, apparently referring to the PSU.
His comments on the PSU’s efficiency have sparked a controversy.
Although this is not the first time the IAF commander has chastised HAL for failing to meet deadlines, his comments on the defence PSU’s efficiency have sparked outrage.
HAL has blamed the delays on the sanctions imposed on India following the 1998 nuclear tests. CMD D K Sunil stated that the PSU will meet the timetables established for the project, which began in 1984, as well as the extra orders it anticipates.
HAL, which has also faced criticism from former IAF chiefs, stated on Tuesday that it is sure of “delivering at least 11 Tejas-Mk1A aircraft to IAF by March-end.”
This is part of a deal for 83 aircraft. Several persons involved with the project have stated that HAL regards the aircraft as the Aeronautical Development Agency’s baby.
The claim is that the latter conceived and developed the fighter, whereas HAL began working only following a push for Make-in-India after 2014.
Sunil explained how the HAL leadership perceived the air chief’s frequent criticism, saying, “I have to put it in context. You know that we (India) faced sanctions after our nuclear test in 1998, so we had to build things from the ground up. A lot of work has gone into it. The delays are not simply attributable to, you know, laziness”
He stated the technological concerns had been handled.
“The concern of the air chief is understandable as his squadron strength is reducing. We have promised that we will have all these structures ready. And we have conveyed this during multiple meetings at different levels,” the CMD said.
He stated that HAL was urging American firm GE to pursue an 80% transfer of technology (ToT) agreement for the GE-414 engine, which will power improved Tejas versions and maybe India’s fifth-generation aircraft, AMCA, which is now in development.
Sunil stated that HAL’s order book has grown significantly, reaching more than Rs 1.3 lakh crore as of December 2024, as a result of several major contracts signed in the past year, including orders for 12 Su-30MKI aircraft for the IAF, 240 AL31FP engines, and multiple helicopter orders for various defence forces.
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