Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) will deliver the first batch of 8 Tejas Mk1A fighter jets in the next 24 to 36 months, said a Moneycontrol report. The report added that the production is expected to remain slower in the first 2-3 years and will ramp up in the later phase as HAL’s production line gains momentum.
FinancialExpress.com could not independently confirm the news
In September, Hindustan Aeronautics signed a contract worth Rs 62,400 crore with the Defence Ministry for the supply of 97 Tejas Mk1A fighter jets. For the same, the public sector company signed a contract with the American company General Electric for 113 units of F404-GE-IN20 engines.
HAL delivery timeline
According to the Moneycontrol report, after delivering the first eight aircraft within the next 24-36 months, HAL plans to ramp up deliveries, with a target of delivering a batch of 24 jets in month 37 from the contract signing date.
Further, the company is targeting to deliver the next batch of 24 aircraft in the month 49 and another batch of 24 aircraft in the month 61, the report added. HAL is expected to deliver the last batch of 12 jets in months 73 and 84. Thus, the final deliveries are expected to be completed by late 2032.
Why are deliveries late?
The report said that the primary reason for the slow delivery of the first batch of 8 aircraft is due to HAL’s slow production line in the first phase. As the company stabilises its production line in the next 3 three years, the production and deliveries are expected to speed up in the second phase.
The second reason for slow production in the first phase, as per the report, is the delayed closure of the engine contract with General Electric due to cost negotiations. HAL has ordered an additional 16 engines for 97 Mk1A jets for lifecycle replacement.