The primary flight of the improved Tejas Mk2 fighter developed or the Indian Air Power been delayed by two years, following a protracted and constant historical past of great delays which have significantly undermined the Tejas program all through its improvement. Native media have reported that though the Indian Defence Council permitted this system on the finish of 2022, the precise allocation of funding and the finalisation of worldwide cooperation have been later postponed till to the top of 2023. The Tejas Mk2 is a considerably extra complicated and complex plane than the presently operational Tejas fighter, in any other case known as Tejas Mk1, with alarger fuselage, canards for improved manoeuvrability, and a extra highly effective U.S.-supplied F414 engine to interchange the older F404.
After U.S. engine provider Basic Electrical encountered provide chain issues, inflicting delays within the supply of the F414, there was appreciable hypothesis that another powerplant may very well be thought of for this system. A main challenge anticipated to delay the event of the brand new Tejas variant is the requirement that at the least 80 p.c of its elements be produced in India, with the sturdy tendency of home applications to face appreciable delays, and the restricted range of the commercial base, anticipated to make this extremely difficult to attain. The Tejas Mk2 is anticipated to supply a complementary light-weight counterpart to the Su-30MKI ‘4+ technology’ air superiority fighter that presently types the spine of the fleet, and is a a lot smaller plane with lower than half the engine energy and far decrease upkeep wants and operational prices.
The Indian Defence Ministry in September 2025 signed the biggest procurement contract within the historical past of the Tejas program, ordering 97 Tejas Mk1A light-weight fighters for $7 billion. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2027–2028, with the brand new variant of the Tejas having barely improved avionics over prior fashions. Though the Tejas has been below improvement for near 40 years, it has but to enter service in significant numbers, with the plane having made its a lot delayed first flight on January 4, 2001, whereas getting into service in restricted numbers solely 18 years later in February 2019. At roughly $72 million per plane, the fee effectiveness of the fighters has repeatedly been dropped at critical query.
The Tejas MK2 is considered one of a number of fighter applications that are presently underway in India, and by far essentially the most conservative by way of its fight potential. In February 2026 it was confirmed that the Defence Ministry was transferring forward with plans to comprehensively improve its Su-30MKI heavyweight fighters with Russian help, below a program that can first give attention to enhancing 84 of the over 270 fighters by integrating a variety of latest subsystems. The design is seen to have very appreciable potential for modernisation with fifth technology applied sciences. After it was confirmed in February 2025 {that a} license manufacturing deal for the Su-57 fifth technology was being thought of, the Indian Defence Ministry in January 2026 confirmed that these talks had reached a sophisticated technical stage, with the Russian Defence Ministry having made an unprecedented supply to supply full entry to its supply code as a part of a deal. India can also be growing its personal fifth technology fighter below the AMCA program, though this isn’t anticipated to carry an plane into service till near 2040. The difficulties which have sat again home applications are anticipated to additional improve curiosity in superior Russian fighters that may be provided far more rapidly.
