India on Monday unveiled its newest indigenous fighter jet at Aero India, attempting to allay lingering concerns about its readiness for induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF) after delays.
Four Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1As performed in the inaugural flypast, demonstrating their capabilities before an international audience that included defence ministers from 30 countries among officials from 80 nations at the Yelahanka airbase.
The fighters flew in the ‘Yodha’ formation, also known as ‘finger four’ — with one aircraft on one side of the leader and two on the other.
State-run manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is yet to complete critical trials involving the indigenous Astra beyond-visual-range missile, locally made electronic warfare suite and Israeli Elta radar.
“The lead aircraft are poised to get military type certificate and enter service,” HAL said in a statement, adding that the Mk-1A is “a significantly upgraded variant of the Mk-1 aircraft and is slated to be a part of the IAF in the coming months.”
The debut came a day after Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and army chief General Upendra Dwivedi flew in a two-seater trainer version of the operational LCA Mk-1, demonstrating jointness in the armed forces and the air force’s support for the indigenous fighter program.
The IAF has expressed concerns about potential delays in the LCA Mk-1A program affecting its combat readiness. The air force ordered 83 Mk-1A fighters for ₹48,000 crore in February 2021 and plans to acquire 97 more at approximately ₹67,000 crore.
The first aircraft’s delivery, originally scheduled for March 31, 2024, was delayed due to certification issues and US manufacturer General Electric Aerospace’s failure to deliver F404 engines on time. The company was supposed to supply six engines in financial year 2023-24, but the first delivery is still pending. The Mk-1As that participated in Monday’s display used reserve F404 engines.
“The Mk-1As debuting at Aero India 2025 is an encouraging development as it indicates that the fighters are ready for induction and are just waiting for the new engines. I hope the deliveries begin soon. HAL must ramp up production of the Mk-1As to address the delay,” said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), former director general of the Centre for Air Power Studies.
While GE hasn’t committed to a specific delivery schedule for the 99 engines on order, it has indicated to HAL that production issues causing the delay have been resolved, with initial deliveries possibly beginning in March. HAL plans to deliver the first few LCA Mk-1As with reserve engines, which will be replaced when GE starts supplying new ones.
To meet the IAF’s requirements, HAL has established a new production facility in Nashik. The company says it can manufacture 16 LCA Mk-1As annually in Bengaluru, with the Nashik line increasing total production capacity to 24 jets per year.
The LCA is poised to become central to IAF’s combat capabilities in the coming decades. The air force, ranked fourth largest globally, is expected to operate approximately 350 LCAs across variants (Mk-1, Mk-1A and the future Mk-2). A third of these aircraft have already been ordered or inducted, with the remainder featuring prominently in the air force’s modernisation plans and likely to be contracted in the coming years.
HAL is targeting March 31 to deliver the first fighter jet to the IAF after completing necessary certification requirements.