New Delhi: The Indian Air Force’s Tejas light combat jets are set to return to the skies next week, two months after the entire fleet was grounded following an accident involving one of the aircraft at a frontline airbase.
D K Sunil, the Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the manufacturer of the jets, said the entire fleet of 34 Tejas will fly most likely from April 8 as the glitch found on board the aircraft’s software has been resolved.
“All the Tejas jets are set to fly again from next Wednesday,” he said.
Addressing pending deliveries of Tejas Mark 1A jets, the HAL Chairman said 20 jets are ready, with final tests of radar software and missile-firing systems underway.
He said that the HAL is awaiting engines from US plane maker General Electric, with only five delivered so far. A project review scheduled in May will clear the jets for deliveries. The IAF has ordered 180 Tejas Mark 1A jets, though deliveries are currently two years behind schedule.
Meanwhile, the grounded Tejas fleet underwent exhaustive checks, which revealed that the February 7 accident was caused by a glitch in the jet’s onboard computer software.
The software has since been corrected, and an upgraded version was successfully tested on the aircraft, according to sources. The software upgrade was carried out jointly by the IAF and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The IAF had ordered ‘exhaustive checks’ following the mishap, in which a Tejas jet veered off the runway into a mud-ditch while taking off from a forward base along the western front. The pilot of the single-seat aircraft survived, but sustained injuries. The IAF is also conducting a Court of Inquiry into the incident.
The subsequent exhaustive checks included a review of the metallurgy of the undercarriage, the electro-magnetic braking system, and the onboard software.
The February incident was the third accident involving Tejas jets since their induction in 2016. The first crash occurred near Jaisalmer in March 2024, when the aircraft crashed while returning from a firepower demonstration. The pilot ejected safely.
The second accident happened in November 2025 during an aerobatic display at the Dubai Airshow, resulting in the death of Wing Commander Namansh Syal.
