‘We’re just not confident of HAL’: Air chief’s lament
The IAF chief was talking to a group of HAL officials while sitting in the cockpit of the locally produced Hindustan Jet Trainer
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, has questioned the ability of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to meet the air force’s critical requirements in the backdrop of a lingering delay in the supply of new fighter jets, saying he has “no confidence” in the state-run plane maker, shows a video of a conversation between Singh and HAL officials during an event at Aero India 2025.
“I can only tell you our requirements and what our worries are. You have to alleviate those worries and make us more confident. At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen... Everything is [driven by] ‘ho jayega’ (will happen) and ‘karenge’ (we will do it) !” Singh is heard saying in the clip shot on Monday and posted by on YouTube.
Singh said he would be the “happiest person” to be proved wrong.
The IAF chief was talking to a group of HAL officials while sitting in the cockpit of the locally produced Hindustan Jet Trainer (HJT-36), whose name has been changed from Sitara to Yashas following extensive modifications that fixed lingering problems.
The development was first reported on Tuesday by defence news website Livefist.
IAF and the defence ministry did not comment on the air chief’s rare assessment.
The air force is deeply concerned about the current pace of the light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) programme because of the possible risks a delay in the induction of new fighter planes could pose to the air force’s combat effectiveness. The air force ordered 83 Mk-1A fighters for ₹48,000 crore in February 2021 and plans to buy 97 more Mk-1As at a cost of around ₹67,000 crore.
The first aircraft was to be delivered to IAF by March 31, 2024, but that didn’t happen due to a combination of factors including US firm GE Aerospace’s inability to supply the F404 engines on time and delays in some key certifications.
HAL unveiled the LCA Mk-1A, at the airshow on Monday, attempting to allay concerns about its readiness for induction into the IAF after delays.
“I was promised when I come here in February that I will see 11 Mk-1As ready minus the engines. That is what I was promised. Not a single [fighter] is ready... You [have started] calling it Mk-1A. It is not Mk-1A. Mk-1A is after the capability comes in. Then only it is Mk-1A. (Not) just by change of one software to other software...the weapon comes in, when the capability comes in, then it is Mk-1A. But ‘maza nahi aa raha hai’ (it’s not working out ) ,” the air chief said.
Four Mk-1As performed in the inaugural flypast at the airshow, demonstrating their capabilities before an international audience that included defence ministers from 30 countries among officials from 80 nations at the Yelahanka airbase.
However, HAL is yet to begin critical trials on the LCA Mk-1A, involving the testing of the indigenous Astra beyond-visual-range missile, the locally made electronic warfare suite and the Israeli Elta radar. HAL is targeting a March 31 deadline to deliver the first fighter jet to the IAF after completing the necessary certification requirements.
In the video, Singh is heard saying, “HAL is our own company. We all have worked there. I have also served in HAL as a temporary pilot...But I find that we are just not in mission mode.”
An unidentified HAL official is heard saying “I can assure you that no stone will be left unturned. Your directions are noted.”
To which the IAF chief responds by saying, “’Please... I am an outsider in your system. In your system, I am nobody...I feel only a few are putting in effort or may be everyone is putting effort in their own silo and that the overall things are not working out. I don’t know what. Something has to change. Something drastic has to change...And I find it ridiculous that when I say something, the media take the negative part of it.”
When asked a question on the concerns flagged on multiple occasions by the IAF chief on the delay, HAL chief DK Sunil said on Tuesday the chief’s concern is understandable as the air force’s fighter strength was going down. “We have now promised that we will have all the (Mk-1A) structures ready and have conveyed this to the IAF during multiple meetings at various levels. Once the engines are available, the Mk-1As will start rolling out,” Sunil said at a media briefing.
To be sure, he was not specifically asked to comment on Singh’s latest remarks, and the question was general in nature.
Sunil also said that two separate deals worth ₹1.3 lakh crore for 97 more Mk-1As for the IAF and 156 light combat helicopters for the air force and the army were likely to signed in “three to six months”.
He said the issue related to engine supply was being resolved and HAL would execute the first order for 83 Mk-1As in three-and-a-half years, and the upcoming follow-on order for 97 more fighters by 2031.
The IAF chief was sharing the agony of a service that is responsible for defending the nation and needs to upgrade its operational capability urgently, said strategic affairs expert Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd).
“The problem is that there are significant delays in the Indian fighter programme and we are postponing the acquisition of foreign aircraft as the focus is on self-reliance. HAL must produce fighters for the IAF on time,” Chopra added.
The Mk-1A is an advanced variant of the Mk-1, which has already been inducted by IAF. The LCA is set to emerge as the cornerstone of IAF’s combat power as the world’s fourth largest air force is expected to operate around 350 LCAs (Mk-1, Mk-1A and Mk-2 versions) in the coming decade and beyond.
