Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, has criticised Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), a military public sector undertaking (PSU), for not resolving the delays in delivering and upgrading the Tejas light combat aircraft.

“You have to alleviate (our) worries and make us more confident. At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very wrong thing to happen,” Singh stated this in a video recorded on Monday, which coincided with the inauguration of Aero India 2025 in Bangalore. “I can tell you (HAL) what our requirements and worries are,” he was reportedly heard saying this, seemingly referring to the PSU.

His remarks about the efficiency of PSUs have created controversy.

While this is not the first instance of the IAF chief criticising HAL for missing deadlines, his remarks on the defence PSU’s efficiency have triggered strong reactions.

HAL has attributed the delays to the sanctions imposed on India after the 1998 nuclear tests. CMD D.K. Sunil assured that the PSU will adhere to the project timelines set since its inception in 1984 and the additional orders it expects to receive.

HAL, which former IAF chiefs have previously criticised, asserted on Tuesday that it is confident about “delivering at least 11 Tejas-Mk1A aircraft to IAF by March-end.”

This agreement is part of a larger deal for 83 aircraft. According to several individuals associated with the project, HAL views the aircraft as primarily the responsibility of the Aeronautical Development Agency. They argue that while the agency designed and developed the fighter, HAL only became actively involved after the Make-in-India initiative gained momentum in 2014.

Sunil described how the HAL leadership interpreted the air chief’s repeated criticism, stating, “I have to put it in context. You know that we (India) faced sanctions after our nuclear test in 1998, so we had to build things from the ground up. A lot of work has gone into it. The delays are not simply attributable to, you know, laziness.”

He mentioned that the technological issues had been resolved.

As per the CMD, “The concern of the air chief is understandable as his squadron strength is reducing. We have promised that we will have all these structures ready. And we have conveyed this during multiple meetings at different levels”.

He mentioned that HAL is pushing the American company GE to agree to an 80% transfer of technology (ToT) deal for the GE-414 engine. This engine is set to power advanced variants of the Tejas fighter jet. It could also be used in India's upcoming fifth-generation fighter, the AMCA, which is currently under development.

Sunil also highlighted that HAL's order book has expanded significantly, surpassing ₹1.3 lakh crore as of December 2024. This growth is attributed to several major contracts secured over the past year, including 12 Su-30MKI fighter jets for the IAF, 240 AL31FP engines and multiple helicopter orders for different defence forces.