Tejas: The Rise of India’s Indigenous Fighter Jet – Triumphs, Setbacks & the Tragic Dubai Crash (2025)
In the high-stakes world of modern aerial warfare, few aircraft carry the weight of national ambition like the HAL Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). Named after the Sanskrit word meaning “radiance,” the Tejas is India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured 4th-generation fighter jet — a symbol of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
As of November 2025, the Indian Air Force operates two full squadrons of Tejas Mk1 and Mk1A variants, with over 220 more on order. Yet, on November 21, 2025, the program suffered a heartbreaking setback when a Tejas crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow, claiming the life of Wing Commander Namansh Syal.
A 40-Year Journey: From Dream to Reality
The Tejas story began in 1983 when India decided it could no longer depend on ageing Soviet MiG-21s. The Light Combat Aircraft program aimed to replace them with a lightweight, multi-role, supersonic fighter built almost entirely in India.
Development was anything but smooth:
- First flight: 2001 (18 years late)
- Initial Operational Clearance: 2011 January 2011
- Final Operational Clearance: February 2019
- First squadron (No. 45 “Flying Daggers”) raised: July 2016
Despite the delays, the Tejas today boasts impressive credentials:
- Delta-wing, fly-by-wire design
- Top speed: Mach 1.6
- Combat radius: ~500 km
- Weapons: Astra BVR missile, Derby, Python-5, BrahMos-NG (future)
- Indigenous content: 59.7% (Mk1) → 70%+ (Mk1A)
2025: The Year of Acceleration
This year marked major milestones:
- ₹1.35 lakh crore worth orders for 220 Tejas Mk1A
- GE F414 engine deal signed for Tejas Mk2
- Production rate increased to 16–24 aircraft per year
- First three Mk1A aircraft rolled out in Bengaluru
“The Tejas program has now stabilised. From 2025–26, we will deliver 16–24 aircraft annually.”
— Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane, Aero India 2025
The Tragic Dubai Airshow Crash (21 Nov 2025)
During a high-energy aerobatic display at Al Maktoum International Airport, a Tejas Mk1 trainer suffered a catastrophic failure during a low-altitude maneuver. Video footage shows the jet completing a barrel roll before entering a steep dive from which it could not recover.
Wing Commander Namansh Syal, an experienced test pilot from Himachal Pradesh, tragically lost his life. Despite the aircraft being fitted with a Martin-Baker zero-zero ejection seat, the extremely low altitude left no margin for escape.
This was only the second crash in Tejas history (the first occurred in March 2024 in Rajasthan — pilot ejected safely).
What Happens Next?
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered. Possible causes under investigation:
- Engine flameout
- Fly-by-wire glitch during negative-G maneuver
- Spatial disorientation at low altitude
- Structural overload
Despite the tragedy, experts urge caution against declaring the program unsafe. With only ~2,000 total flight hours across the fleet, statistical comparison with mature platforms like F-16 (millions of hours) is premature.
Looking Ahead: Tejas Mk2 & AMCA
The crash has not derailed long-term plans:
- Tejas Mk2 (2028–29) – larger, 98 kN GE F414 engine, canards, supercruise
- Twin-engine deck-based fighter (TEDBF) and 5th-gen AMCA in development
- Goal: 300+ Tejas family aircraft by 2040
India’s journey from importing 100% of its fighters to building world-class jets at home is painful, expensive, and occasionally tragic — but irreversible.
Wing Commander Namansh Syal’s sacrifice reminds us that every nation that reached the skies paid in blood and steel. India will learn, improve, and fly higher.