IAF Chief Warns: Despite 'Make in India' Push, Tejas Fighter Still Off Track

National News: A big question has been raised by the country's top Air Force officer regarding India's security system and military strategy. Air Force Chief Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Thursday openly exposed the flaws of the defense production system at the CII Annual Business Summit and said that postponing today's needs to tomorrow is no longer in the national interest. His statement has raised a big question not only on the Ministry of Defense but also on the indigenous defense industry.

From Tejas to AMCA, everything is in limbo

The Air Chief revealed that the Air Force is suffering serious losses due to India's much-awaited indigenous projects not being completed on time. He said that 83 Tejas Mk1A aircraft, which were dealt for ₹ 48,000 crore in February 2021, have not yet been supplied by HAL. The main reason behind this is the disruption in the supply of engines by General Electric (GE), which is happening due to disruptions in the US supply chain.

Tejas Mk2 and India's indigenous stealth fighter AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) are also still present only in the design files. Neither their prototype has been made nor the production timeline is fixed.

Question raised in front of Defense Minister

The surprising thing was that Air Marshal Singh raised this issue in the presence of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. He bluntly said, "We should not just talk about 'Make in India'; now is the time to focus on 'Design in India.' Without technological self-reliance, production has no meaning."

The army needs trust and speed, not promises

The IAF chief made a clear appeal to the industry to consider defense projects as a 'national need' rather than a 'corporate deadline.' "We do not have the luxury of waiting for 10 years. The battle is to be fought today, so resources are also needed today," he said. He also added that trust between the army and the industry will be built only when both transparency and commitment are seen.

After Operation Sindoor responsibilities  increased

After the recent ‘Operation Sindoor’ against Pakistan, the government has approved the AMCA project, which will put India in the category of few countries that make their own stealth fighter aircraft. But the Air Force Chief made it clear that approval is only the first step; the real challenge now is to get it on the ground on time.

Air Marshal Singh’s message is clear—if we want to deal with the coming threats, then defense production has to be taken out of the shackles of bureaucracy and made a priority of national security. Otherwise wars will be lost not by policies, but by delays.