After years of delays, the first two of 83 new jets will finally replace India’s ‘flying coffin’ MiG-21s – but production challenges remain
Defence Secretary RK Singh announced the coming delivery on Saturday during a summit in New Delhi, describing it as part of a broader effort to build indigenous defence capabilities. The aircraft are manufactured by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
“Tejas”, Singh said, “is going to replace the MiG-21 and become a workhorse for the Indian Air Force [IAF].”
Replacing the ageing MiG-21 fleet, long known as the “flying coffin”, with the Tejas Mark-1A is far more than a simple hardware upgrade, according to Gaurav Kumar, a researcher at the United Service Institution of India, a defence and security think tank.
“This isn’t just about adding planes to the fleet; it signals that India is serious about building operational credibility and producing indigenous platforms rather than relying on imports,” Kumar told This Week in Asia.
