The long awaited and beloved child of indigenous defence aviation industry the LCA Tejas has seen the light of the day. Its first squadron the No.45 Squadron called the "Flying Daggers" is fully operationalized and deployed somewhere along the western frontline. The significance of this event is immense for the Indian Air Force and it depicts the confidence it has vested in the desi indigenous fighter. The operationalization of the fighter means that it has its full range of armaments to deploy which includes air to air and air to ground weaponry and delivery of these weapons has been practiced and proven. The pilots have devised tactics to counter any possible move by the adversary and the probability of the platform to come out victorious from a battle are high. The deployed aircraft are of the IOC ( Initial operational clearance ) standard and the most basic version of the fighter jet with a pulse doppler radar of Israeli origin and air to air missiles from the Russian and Israeli stables.
The exact location of deployment of Tejas along the western border has not been disclosed but if an informed guess is to be made, it will be deployed at the Naliya Air Force Station in Gujarat. The air force station currently houses the legacy Mig-21 fighter jets of the 101 Squadron which are soon to be phased out and the squadron will be equipped with the latest Rafale fighters from France. The LCA Tejas was conceived to replace the Mig-21 fighters squadrons and it is finally doing it now. Tejas is superior to the Mig-21 by a generation in terms of capability and technology as it has more hard points, more load carrying capacity, better range, endurance, avionics and weapons package. We can argue for the sake of the hardy legacy Mig-21that it is faster and more maneuverable than Tejas but it holds little relevance in the Modern air battle. It may have downed an F-16 over Kashmir due to the bravery and grit of the pilot but the fighter has far outlived is utility and its chances of being victorious in an air battle are grim. The Tejas on the other hand brings a paradigm shift in terms of digital fly by wire technology, advanced glass cockpits and multiple new generation wherewithal. The indigenous Tejas fighter is a dream to fly compared to legacy Russian aircraft and equips the Pilot with modern means to shoot the enemy out of the sky with confidence. It has a larger deterrence value than the Mig-21 and far superior air to ground capabilities that Mig-21 cant even dream about. All in all it is a modern, capable and a Multi Role Fighter in its true Sense. The IOC Tejas is way better than the MIg-21 and the forthcoming FOC and Mk-1A variants are only going to further widen that gap.
The real challenge with the Tejas has been its low production rate and lack of funds with the air force to invest more aggressively in the indigenous platform. The Mig-21s in the IAF service are to completely retire by 2024 and in the current scenario Tejas is unlikely to be produced in sufficient numbers by 2024. The first 16 aircraft of its first squadron took 4 years to manufacture. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is currently manufacturing the FOC variant with no sense of urgency. The production rate for the 83 Tejas Mk-1A deal to be signed this year is projected around 12 to 16 aircraft per year with first deliveries commencing around 2022-23. The pace of production is unimpressive and more effort is needed from HAL and more money is needed from the government to be pumped into the program. The production of an additional squadron of FOC Tejas could keep the production lines running till MK-1 comes to fruition. HAL is planning to establish production lines for the Tejas Mk-1A with each line producing 8 aircraft per year but the numbers deficiency in IAF squadrons calls for grave measures. The government needs to execute extreme steps by initiating a third and may be a fourth simultaneous production line to ensure the fighter is produced in record time and high numbers to help fill in the frontline gaps for the Indian Air force. A production rate of 24 fighter aircraft per year will accomplish the order of Tejas Mk-1A in 3 years with the 10 trainer variants coming from a separate production line set up in Nashik. The only way LCA Tejas can fail as a platform is due to poor production rates which will force the air force to import fighter jets to fulfill its requirement. The success of indigenous defence aviation industry relies on this platform and we need to come together as a nation to make it success. The pressure on HAL and the government has to be cranked up to ensure they deliver the dream of a successful indigenous fighter jet to this nation.
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