The aircraft crashed at the air show, causing severe damage to exports! What hurts Modi most is that the Indian Air Force also doesn't want it.

India's "Tejas" Fighter Jet Crashes at Dubai Air Show

Despite over 40 years of development, India's "Tejas" fighter jet remains immature. Recently, it crashed during the Dubai Air Show in front of global arms buyers, once again damaging India's image. India had hoped to build an international image for the Tejas through the air show, but the crash under public scrutiny has cast a shadow on its efforts. Douglas Berkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies at the Air Force Association, said, "The crash footage is shocking." The Dubai Air Show is the third largest air show in the world after Paris and Farnborough, and such major events experiencing accidents are extremely rare.

Berkey believes the crash event is not likely to cause a fatal blow to exports, as fighter jet exports are highly driven by political realities. However, few experts share this view. Most analysts believe that the accident at the air show has basically ruined the export prospects of the Tejas. In the future, it will only be able to maintain the role of a domestic display item, relying on orders from the Indian Air Force. A former executive of Hindustan Aeronautics also pointed out that after the Dubai crash, exports of the Tejas can be ruled out in the short term, and in the next few years, it will mainly meet domestic demand.

Previously, India had ambitious plans, positioning the Tejas as an export aircraft for the Asian, African, and Latin American markets. In 2023, Hindustan Aeronautics even set up an office in Malaysia to actively promote the aircraft and performed flight demonstrations at the Lankawi Defense Exhibition. At that time, the public's evaluation of the Tejas' maneuverability, climb rate, and acceleration performance was generally average.

India's "Tejas" Fighter Jet

Even within the Indian Air Force, there is no optimism about the future of the Tejas. In 2021, the Indian Ministry of Defense procured 83 Tejas Mk1A aircraft; in September 2024, it added another 97, bringing the total to 180, with a total cost of approximately $13.8 billion. However, many key systems of the aircraft, especially the engine, rely heavily on foreign supply. Due to supply chain issues with the General Electric F404 engine, the 2021 order has still not been delivered.

At this Dubai Air Show, India sent two Tejas jets: one for a flight demonstration and one for static display. The result was that the one used for the flight demonstration crashed, and the static display aircraft was also photographed showing signs of oil leakage, which caused significant embarrassment for India. Internal dissatisfaction within the Indian Air Force erupted: why would the country purchase a model that even overseas customers do not favor? Moreover, the domestic price per unit is $76 million, far higher than the export price of $41 million. Indian Air Force pilots must also bear higher risks.

General Vivek Ram Chaudhary Singh, Chief of the Indian Air Force, then issued a public letter, directly stating that the Tejas, after more than 40 years of development, still performs poorly in terms of reliability, high maneuverability stability, and availability. He recommended using this opportunity to turn to purchasing advanced aircraft from abroad. This move not only directly undermined the Tejas but also openly challenged the Modi government's "Make in India" policy, further weakening the export prospects of the Tejas. If the Indian Air Force does not trust the Tejas, potential foreign customers naturally have no confidence either.

Pakistan's JF-17 "Thunder" Fighter Jet Exposed in Dubai

Interestingly, after the Tejas crash, Pakistan's JF-17 "Thunder" fighter jet displayed in Dubai gained more attention due to the stark contrast. Pakistan showcased various airborne weapons, including the PL-15E air-to-air missile that shot down an Indian "Rafale" during the May India-Pakistan air battle. Therefore, it attracted a large number of visitors. Pakistan also revealed that it has signed a temporary procurement agreement for the third batch of JF-17s with friendly countries, including upgraded models equipped with active electronically scanned array radar capable of using the PL-15E.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7577353468092875306/

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