Tejas takes flight, but will the US let it soar

India's indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas was envisioned as a cutting-edge multirole fighter to replace the Indian Air Force's large fleet of Soviet legacy platforms, including the MiG series of fighters. These old workhorses, such as the MiG 21, MiG 23, and MiG 27, have rendered their fair share of yeoman service to the nation since their induction in the 1960s and 70s and proved pivotal in operations executed by the IAF. However, as the new millennium approached, these machines began showing signs of obsolescence and were marred with maintenance issues.

These factors, compounded by the lack of quality spares from the splintered Soviet Union, eventually led to hundreds of crashes and mishaps. The most ill-famed was the MiG 21, which earned the infamous moniker of the 'Flying Coffin', owing to its record of over 400 crashes and more than 200 pilots killed during its six-decade service.

The Tejas was a product of the light combat aircraft programme, started in 1983 jointly by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The first test flight was conducted on January 4, 2001, and the aircraft gained its final operational clearance (FOC) on February 20, 2019 during the Aero India airshow. A significant milestone was the development of the Tejas MK 1A variant, which incorporates advanced radars, enhanced weapons capability and improved operational range, thanks to a better engine.

The jet engine selected for the aircraft is the General Electric F404, being sourced from the US. The agreement for supply was arrived at during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in the summer of 2023.

However, the delayed supply of this very engine has brought the IAF's induction schedule to a standstill since the first engines slated for delivery in 2023-end are now expected around April 2025.

The manufacturer, General Electric (GE), has attributed this roughly one-and-a-half-year delay to supply chain issues from a Korean partner. This hold-up has adversely impacted the IAF's operational preparedness, compelling the Indian Ministry of Defence to levy penalties on GE.

It remains to be seen if this delay is really a supply chain issue or something far more calculated and deliberate. The US is well known for its focus on technology denial to ensure and maintain its own leading position amongst the comity of nations.

The Government of India's emphasis on the Make-in-India Mission and defence exports to friendly, like-minded nations has resulted in a leap in India's defence development and production capacity.

The Tejas has been aggressively marketed at various international air shows, validating its performance and capabilities to the world. Furthermore, the Tejas is now seen as a capable, cost-effective, multi-role, 4.5 Generation fighter by many prospective nations seeking to replace their older fighter aircraft.

It is this very challenge to the dominance of American fighter aircraft, such as the F-16, in the international market that makes the engine delays in the Tejas programme seem more suspicious.

In the past few years, the US has pitched Lockheed Martin F-16s to multiple countries looking to purchase fighters. In the case of Argentina, the F-16 won the contract, competing with the Tejas and the Chinese JF-17. Some see these attempts by the US as a means to counter the growing challenge posed by China and other possible contenders.

Though the Tejas has an overall edge compared to the JF-17 and matches the F-16's capability while being comparatively cheaper, the lack of a foreign customer so far has led many defence lobbyists to cast doubts on the Tejas programme.

These attempts to deter nations from inducting the aircraft, compounded by the delays of the GE F404 engines, could further harm the Tejas programme's image. This development also minimises competition to the US Military Industrial Complex and ensures its continued hegemony in global defence markets.

The US repeatedly resorts to the use of technology denial as a means to exercise its will and preserve its interests in the world. India is one of the nations affected by such policies in the past.

The US efforts at ensuring that India remained a 'nuclear pariah' after its 1974 peaceful nuclear explosion are well known to the world and remain fresh in Indian minds.

Even though the Indo-US nuclear deal of 2008 during the Bush presidency was aimed at recognising India as a responsible nuclear state, with which others could enter into nuclear trade and although Indo-US ties have come a long way since then, we cannot forget that there were plenty of naysayers to the Bush administration's carve-out for India in the nuclear field.

Are these naysayers back at work when the transfer of jet engine technology is round the corner?

Even though the Government of India and the US administration have over the recent decades worked hard at building trust and confidence in each other, there may be some other mavericks at work.

We do hope this subject was clarified during US National Security Adviser Sullivan's recent visit to New Delhi.

While the supply of the GE F404 engines will take place sooner rather than later, the entire question of the transfer of jet technology will rest in nimble, persistent and solid diplomacy by both India and the US. If successful, India's ties with the US will strengthen immeasurably.