Tejas Fighter Jet: Indian fighter plane Tejas Mk-1A supersonic fighter jet fell victim to an accident during an airshow at Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai. Due to this, the pilot of the plane died due to serious injuries. After this incident of plane crash, the Armenian government has stopped its talks about purchasing Tejas fighter jet from India.
According to Israeli media Jerusalem Post, this decision was taken after the plane crash incident on November 21, 2025. However, at present no official statement has come from the Government of Armenia on this.
The deal was close to being finalized!
Let us tell you that Armenia was in talks with India and aircraft manufacturing company HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) to buy 12 Tejas aircraft for 1.2 billion dollars (10 thousand crores). This deal was last. Once finalized, this would have been the first export order for Tejas.
The journey of Tejas started in 1982, when the Government of India started the Light Combat Aircraft Project to replace the MiG-21 aircraft. Its official name was ‘Tejas’ in 1990. Since the first phase of production, the Indian Air Force has received only 40 Tejas.
What makes Tejas special?
Tejas stands out among India’s fighter fleet, which also includes Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Rafale, Mirage and MiG-29. It would not be wrong if it is called the backbone of the Indian Air Force. This agile fighter jet takes India’s defense capabilities to new heights. It is much lighter in weight than all other jets, which is only 6,500 kg. About 50 percent of its parts are made in India.
Symbol of ‘Made in India’, Tejas has many features such as electronic warfare system, glass cockpit, digital map generator, advanced radio altimeter, smart multi-function display etc., due to which it can attack the enemy with greater range and greater accuracy.
One of its specialties is that it can take off from a short runway of only 460 meters. The range of Tejas is approximately 3,000 kilometers and the speed limit is 2205 km/hour. Its width is 8.20 meters and height is 4.40 meters, which makes it extremely agile in the air.
Big order to HAL for Tejas
The Government of India has given a big order to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in September this year. Under this, HAL has to supply the order of 97 aircraft of MK-1A type. Under this deal worth Rs 623.70 billion ($7.03 billion), the company has to complete this order in 6 years from 2027-28. It is being told that the production of 97 units of A1 variant has started.
These changes have been made to make it similar to Western fighter jets because mostly Israeli systems have been used to make it. There are many foreign parts and systems installed in Tejas, in which Israel has a big role. For example, the AESA radar used in Tejas Mk1A was made by Israeli company Elta Systems and the company itself had also made an electronic warfare system. In such a situation, if this deal stops, it will also cause loss to Israel because it is expected to earn a good amount from the deal.
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