Tejas Mark 1A to fly by 2022, if defence ministry issues contract this year

Hindustan Aeronautics executives call for quick decision, say building complex fighter from ground up requires three years.

An advanced version of the Tejas light fighter could fly by 2022, said Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) on Thursday, a day when Army chief General Bipin Rawat and principal scientific advisor to the government Vijay Raghavan both took flights in the fighter at the Aero India 2019 show in Bengaluru.

However, that depends on a crucial step: the Ministry of Defence (MoD) must place the contract for 83 Tejas Mark 1A fighters this year. HAL executives point out that building a complex fighter from ground up requires three years. For each year delay in ordering, there will be a corresponding delay