What changed
India’s air force chief has warned that fighter shortages and delays in Tejas Mark-1A deliveries are weakening the force. The Indian Air Force currently has 30 fighter squadrons against an officially sanctioned 42, and says it needs 36–40 new aircraft every year for several years.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh also said Pakistan’s collaboration with China on a fifth-generation fighter is “a cause for worry.” India is negotiating a proposed government-to-government purchase of 114 Rafale jets from France and hopes to sign the deal within the current financial year.
Why it matters
This is a production problem before it is a procurement problem. India already has a 2021 contract for 83 Tejas Mk-1A aircraft worth Rs 48,000 crore, but none has been supplied, despite an initial delivery target of March 2024. A second order for 97 aircraft, worth Rs 62,370 crore, was signed last year.
That gap leaves the air force trying to rebuild its numbers while its planned replacements remain late. The target is not merely to stop shrinking from 30 squadrons, but to move back toward 42, and Singh said even that may not be enough.
The Rafale negotiations could provide a faster addition, but they are unfinished and depend on agreement between India and France. The longer-term answer is meant to include Tejas Mark-2 and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme. If AMCA slips, India may examine another fighter, including Russia’s offered Su-57, though Singh said no decision has been made.
The broader concern is timing. Pakistan-China fighter cooperation is developing while India’s own pipeline still depends on contracts, production and programmes that have yet to deliver at the required pace. India has capabilities, Singh stressed, but one aircraft type cannot solve a widening fleet gap on its own.
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