Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has sought substantial compensation from the US company for the delay in the timely delivery of Tejas Mk-1A engines.

India's Tejas programme is progressing at a slow pace, one of the main reasons for which is the delay in delivery of the engine. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has expressed displeasure over the delay in the supply of F404-IN20 engines for Tejas Mk-1A. HAL had placed an order for 99 engines with American company GE in the year 2021. However, it has delivered only 6 engines so far. In this regard, HAL has sought compensation under a provision on GE Aerospace. This was announced by DK Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director, HAL. At the same time, he has expressed hope that the delivery of the engine will speed up in the coming days. On engine supply, Dr Sunil admitted that there are challenges in the supply chain, which have come due to Covid and its aftermath. "When the aircraft is designed around this engine, the options are limited. "We are in constant touch with GE. New management has come in the company and automation has been increased in testing. We believe the situation is on the right track. 20 engines are expected to arrive from July to December this year. On the delay in supply of Tejas Mark 1A variant to the Indian Air Force, Sunil said HAL will be ready with more than 20 fighters by December and six of them can be delivered soon as final trials of radar, avionics and missile-firing systems are currently underway. The delay in the delivery of the fighter jets is mainly due to GE Aerospace not being able to meet several deadlines for the supply of F-404 aero engines. Asked about some issues being raised by the Air Force related to the performance of the fighter jets, the HAL CMD said a project review committee is likely to give clearance for the supply of the fighter jets in May.