Tejas Back In Air After Setbacks, But Reliability And Delays Raise Fresh Questions

India’s Light Combat Aircraft programme is once again under the spotlight, not because of a breakthrough, but due to a familiar cycle of setbacks, scrutiny, and recovery. Months after a Tejas fighter suffered a hard landing that led to the grounding of over 30 aircraft, the fleet is now set to return to operations. The incident, one of several in recent years, has raised concerns about reliability at a time when the Indian Air Force is already operating below its sanctioned squadron strength. Yet, the story of Tejas is more layered than its recent setbacks suggest. The programme has faced delays, cost overruns, and structural inefficiencies. At the same time, it was developed under significant constraints, including technology denial regimes following India’s 1998 nuclear tests. Despite these challenges, Tejas has achieved key milestones, from its first flight in 2001 to full operational clearance in 2019, and has built a domestic aerospace ecosystem in the process. The aircraft also represents a generational upgrade over the MiG-21 in capability. However, gaps remain most notably the continued reliance on imported engines after the Kaveri programme fell short, impacting production timelines. Tejas today represents neither failure nor complete success. It is a long-term capability project still evolving reflecting both the cost and necessity of building indigenous defence technology.