After February grounding, Tejas fleet set to fly again today | India News
New Delhi: In good news for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the indigenously developed LCA Tejas fleet may resume flight operations on Wednesday after a nearly two-month long grounding. The fleet was grounded in early February after a Tejas aircraft ran into trouble during landing.Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) CMD DK Sunil recently said that all 36 Tejas jets will resume flying from April 8 after fixing a software-related issue identified in the aircraft. “There was a technical issue, which has been discussed and the committees are working on it. It was discussed in a Local Change Committee (LMC). Good news is Tejas, LMC is done. So, we expect the fleet to start flying by Wednesday.“Immediately after the February incident, HAL said it was “not an accident” but a “minor technical incident on the ground”.Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia and repeated threats from Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, it is important for India to keep the Tejas squadron combat-ready. The IAF is already facing a shortage of squadrons, whose numbers have dropped to 29 against the 42 required for a two-front war with Pakistan and China.The February incident is the third incident involving a Tejas aircraft in 2016. In March 2024, the fighter suffered its first accident near Jaisalmer, when an aircraft crashed while returning from a firepower demonstration. The pilot was able to eject successfully. The second accident occurred in November 2025 during an aerobatic display at the Dubai Airshow. Pilot Wing Commander Namansh Sheal was killed in the tragic accident.
