“Had there been tangible movement on the programme, the review meeting, which was originally scheduled for this month, would have taken place,” a senior defence official told The New Indian Express — a blunt assessment that helps explain why the HAL–IAF program review for the Tejas Mk1A has been pushed into June 2026 with no firm date set.
AESA EL/M-2052 radar and mission-computer integration
The primary technical hurdle identified in reporting is the integration of the Israeli-origin EL/M-2052 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with the Tejas Mk1A’s electronic warfare (EW) suite and mission computer network. Sources told The New Indian Express that “the radar, electronic warfare suite and weapons architecture” must communicate seamlessly through the mission computer and that “certain performance benchmarks linked to radar range and optimization” have required additional testing and software corrections. The postponed formal review is expected to centre on this radar–EW–mission-computer synchronization and will involve senior IAF test pilots and the Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor.
Astra BVRAAM and weapons-architecture validation
Radar integration is not the only systems problem. Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) integration trials have encountered setbacks and “requiring further refinement,” according to reporting. The formal review will also validate the full weapons package and conduct missile firing-trial assessments to ensure the aircraft’s weapons architecture works in concert with the radar and EW systems.
F404 engine shortfall, parked airframes, and delivery timing
Supply constraints on the F404-IN20 powerplant have compounded integration issues. GE Aerospace has delivered only six F404 engines against the programme’s requirements — far fewer than the 16-per-year cadence originally planned, The New Indian Express reported. HAL has built, flown and tested roughly 30 Tejas Mk1A airframes (fighters and trainers combined) using Category‑B engines for trials, but those aircraft are parked pending combat‑ready F404‑IN20 installations before formal handover to the IAF, per Defence News India.
During HAL’s Q4 FY26 earnings call, newly appointed HAL Chairman and Managing Director Ravi Kota said deliveries are now expected to begin between August and September 2026, but only “contingent on F404 engine supply stabilization,” as reported by Republic World. Kota added that 15–20 additional engines are expected in FY27 and told The Week: “We are hopeful that by August-September we should be able to start the delivery,” and that the programme was “moving in a very positive direction.”
IAF contractual relaxations and the tilt toward induction speed
To accelerate induction, the Indian Air Force has already granted certain contractual relaxations on delivery-linked operational requirements and is considering additional dilutions while maintaining what The New Indian Express described as “core operational requirements.” The Week reported the IAF is willing to accept Mk1A aircraft with certain concessions if HAL can ensure the most important capabilities are in place — a posture the coverage characterizes as prioritizing achievable induction timelines over strict contract compliance.
What this means for HAL, the IAF, and GE Aerospace
- HAL: Must resolve interdependent software and hardware integration problems — radar, EW, mission computer and weapons — while securing a stable flow of F404-IN20 engines to move parked airframes into service.
- The IAF: Will balance acceptance of aircraft that meet “core operational requirements” against the need to bring platforms into service, and will press the June review (involving Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor and test pilots) to validate critical capabilities rather than insist on every contractual parameter before induction.
- GE Aerospace: Faces scrutiny over engine deliveries; HAL’s schedule now explicitly ties initial handovers to a stabilized F404 supply and an expected 15–20 engines in FY27.
The Tejas Mk1A programme is now more than two years behind its original schedule. The initial ₹1.09 lakh crore contract signed in 2021 was for 83 aircraft planned for first deliveries in 2024–2025 but has since expanded by 97 units to a total order book of 180, increasing the urgency of resolving the intertwined integration and supply issues. The postponed review — moved to June with no firm date — will be the next formal test of whether HAL’s revised schedule, presented by Ravi Kota in New Delhi to the IAF chief, can translate into deliveries starting in August–September 2026 or whether further slippage is likely.
