The Indian Air Force is all set to place additional orders for the single-engine fighter jet TEJAS. to replace its Mikoyan MiG-21s. The TEJAS is a single-engine, multirole light fighter jet designed and developed in India. The IAF already has two squadrons of TEJAS jets, and the first squadron was raised in Sulur, Tamil Nadu reported India Today.

The TEJAS MK-1 is currently operational with the Indian air force’s 45 and 18 squadrons.

The first squadron of TEJAS was raised in Tamil Nadu's Sulur. Currently, the Air Force operates two squadrons of homegrown fighters. In the show, you will hear about the capabilities of the TEJAS fighter from the ex-IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria.

The IAF has already ordered 83 TEJAS MK-1A fighter planes, and deliveries are expected to begin in February–March 2024. The IAF is also planning to order around 100 more TEJAS MK-1A fighter jets. The total orders for both batches will exceed 110,000 crores, with almost 60–65% going to the defence sector industry.

HAL has integrated a wide range of air-to-air missiles with TEJAS such as the Vympel R-73E, Rafael Python and Derby, MBDA ASRAAM and the locally developed Astra BVRAAM. The type is also cleared to carry precision munitions such as the Safran AASM Hammer, JDAM, Israel Aerospace Industries Griffin laser-guided bomb and indigenously developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW).

The TEJAS MK-1A is the definitive version of the TEJAS, equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an electronic warfare (EW) suite, a mid-air refuelling probe, new mission and avionics systems, a greater range of weapons and sustainment improvements demanded by the air force.

The TEJAS has a technical life of 3,000 hours, with major servicing scheduled around every 1,000 hours. The IAF is also upgrading about 84 of its 260 Su-30MKIs for ₹630 billion.