Good news for Indian Air Force! Flight clearance for Tejas MK1A at HAL Nashik paves way for ramped-up production

Tejas fighter jet AFP

In a key milestone that will accelerate the production of Tejas Mk1At, the Hindustan Aeronautics on Monday received flight clearance for the combat jet manufactured at its Nashik Unit in Maharashtra. As per the official statement released on Monday, the Office of the Additional Director General in Nashik, a regional arm of the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance, officially granted flight clearance for the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas Mk1A, produced at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Nashik division.

This is a critical step for HAL as it will help in decentralising aircraft manufacturing and boosting India’s indigenous aerospace capabilities.

The Flight Clearance Document was formally presented by the Additional Director General, AQA, to the Executive Director of HAL’s Nashik division.

With a long-standing reputation for building and supporting fighter aircraft, Nashik has now emerged as a vital centre for indigenous aircraft production.

The city hosts the third LCA production line outside Bengaluru, providing greater operational flexibility and supporting India’s larger objectives of defence readiness and strategic self-reliance.

The OADG in Nashik was instrumental in successfully absorbing the Transfer of Technology for LCA manufacturing.

Like the two production lines in Bengaluru that manufacture eight aircraft each, the Nashik Unit also boasts of similar annual production capability. There were reports that HAL may also set up the fourth production line in Nashik. However, this is linked to regular supply of GE engines.

The development is a good news for the Indian Air Force, which has often flagged the delivery delay. In May, speaking at a CII event in New Delhi, India's Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Sing had quoted Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill and quipped, “Why promise what you can't deliver?” Churchill had famously said, “To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”

Stressing on the delayed deliveries, the IAF Chief extensively spoke about how the force is still waiting for the Tejas Mk1 despite years of promises and claims of strict deadlines. He said that the Tejas Mk2 prototype has not been rolled out yet. Air Chief Marshal Singh made the statement at the CII Annual Business Summit, where Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered the inaugural address.