Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh voiced his displeasure over Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) delay in delivering the Tejas Mk1A Light Combat Aircraft. His comments, captured in a video on Monday, highlighted the Indian Air Force's (IAF) mounting concerns about HAL's ability to meet critical timelines.

“You have to alleviate our worries and make us more confident. At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen,” Singh remarked while seated in the cockpit of HJT-36 Yashas.

The Air Chief noted that he was promised 11 Tejas Mk1A units by February, but none were ready. Singh further criticized the labeling of an aircraft as Mk1A without significant upgrades. “The aircraft that you flew, calling it Mk1A… It cannot happen just by a software change or looks. When the weapons come and the capability comes, then it is Mk1A,” he emphasized.

HAL Chairman D.K. Sunil attributed delays to sanctions imposed after India's 1998 nuclear tests, which forced the country to develop technology from scratch. “Delays cannot be attributed to laziness on the industry's part,” he argued, asserting HAL’s confidence in delivering 11 Tejas Mk1As by March.

Despite these assurances, Singh called for drastic reforms at HAL, citing siloed efforts and a lack of mission mode focus. “This needs a magic wand so everything gets aligned. It's high time,” he said, reflecting the IAF's urgency to modernize its fleet amidst regional security challenges.

HAL is currently working on major contracts, including 97 Tejas aircraft and 156 Prachanda Light Combat Helicopters, but this episode underscores the critical need for efficiency in India's defense manufacturing sector.