The arrival of three more F404-IN20 turbofan engines from GE Aerospace is expected to provide some relief to HAL’s Tejas Mk1A production programme. GE had announced that the engines were shipped during August, and they are now scheduled to reach India this week. Two engines are expected to arrive first, with the third following a few days later. Engine availability has been a major issue for HAL, limiting its ability to convert completed Tejas Mk1A airframes into aircraft ready for delivery. For FY27, HAL has set a target of delivering 20 Mk1A fighters. This is significantly higher than its revised FY26 target of five to six aircraft. The original FY26 plan had called for 12 deliveries, but production difficulties forced the company to lower the figure. No Mk1A aircraft had reportedly been handed over to the IAF by the latest update. Under a 2021 agreement, GE Aerospace agreed to supply HAL with 99 F404-IN20 engines for the Tejas Mk1A programme. The contract was valued at about ₹5,375 crore. The requirement later grew with an additional order for 113 F404 engines, supporting plans for a fleet of 180 aircraft. Despite the scale of the requirement, only 10 of the 212 engines ordered under these contracts had been delivered at the time of the latest report. GE had to revive its F404-IN20 manufacturing line after a five-year production shutdown to fulfil the Indian requirement. The company has stated that it intends to complete the original 99-engine commitment by 2029. India’s overall F404 procurement from GE is even larger, reaching 287 engines across multiple contracts. These engines are dedicated to the country’s Tejas Mark 1 and Mk1A fleets. In addition, 75 F404 engines were procured earlier for aircraft development work, including prototypes, demonstrators and the first two Tejas squadrons. The latest shipment is a positive development, but the pace of future deliveries will determine whether HAL can achieve its ambitious FY27 production and delivery objectives.
