Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: In what is good news for Indian Air Force (IAF), the indigenously developed LCA Tejas fleet is likely to resume flight operations on Wednesday following a nearly two-month-long grounding. The fleet was grounded in early Feb after a Tejas aircraft suffered a problem during a landing incident.Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) CMD D K Sunil recently said that all 36 Tejas jets are likely to resume flying from April 8 after a software-related issue identified in the aircraft was resolved. “There was a technical issue, which has been discussed and committees are working on it. It was discussed in a local modification committee (LMC). Good news is that Tejas, the LMC is done. So, we expect that by Wednesday the fleet will start flying.”Soon after the Feb incident, HAL had stated that it was “not a crash” but a “minor technical incident on the ground”.Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia and Pakistan’s repeated threats after Operation Sindoor, it is important for India to keep the Tejas squadrons combat-ready. IAF is already facing a shortage of squadrons, whose number has fallen to 29 as against the 42 required for a two-front war with Pakistan and China.The Feb incident was the third one involving a Tejas aircraft since its induction in 2016. In March 2024, the fighter faced its first accident near Jaisalmer, when an aircraft crashed while returning from a firepower demonstration. The pilot managed to eject successfully. The second crash happened in Nov 2025 at an aerobatic display at Dubai airshow. The tragic accident killed the pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal.
