Tejas Mark 2 / Tejas Mark-2 will roar in the sky from next year, know what are its specialties

Tejas Mark 2: India's indigenous fighter jet program has now taken a decisive turn. According to defense sources, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will prepare the first prototype of Tejas MK-2 by the end of this year. This fighter aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art technologies is considered a big leap in the Self-reliant India campaign. Mass production of this fighter jet will start from the year 2029 and the target is to hand over 120 Tejas MK-2 aircraft to the Indian Air Force by 2034.

What is Tejas Mark-2?

Tejas MK-2 is a modern and more powerful version of Tejas MK-1. It is a 4.5+ generation medium weight fighter (MWF), designed for multi-role missions. It is being fitted with the American F414 engine, which is more powerful and capable of carrying heavy weapon systems over long distances. Apart from this, it uses state-of-the-art indigenous AESA radar, infrared search and track system (IRST) and stealth technology, which makes it adept at attacking by evading enemy radar.

Tejas MK-2 will replace old aircraft

Tejas Mark-2 will be included in place of old fighter jets like Jaguar, Mirage-2000 and MiG-29 of the Indian Air Force. In the first phase, 110 to 120 aircraft have been ordered, which will strengthen six squadrons. In future, this number can go up to 210 and the total production can be more than 300 fighter jets.

Progress and future plans of Tejas MK-2

HAL's Bengaluru center is the main construction site of this project, where the first prototype of Tejas MK-2 has reached the advanced assembly phase. Important structures like fuselage and wings have already been added. The first flight of this fighter jet is proposed in mid-2026. Before this, it will be displayed for the first time in November-December 2025 and the process of ground testing will begin.

Production strategy

HAL has formulated a stepwise production strategy.

16-18 aircraft will be manufactured every year from 2029.

Gradually the production capacity will be increased to 24 aircraft per year.

For this, the existing Tejas Mark-1A production lines in Bengaluru and Nashik will be converted for Tejas MK-2.

More than 82% indigenous technology is being used in this project, in which private companies like L&T, Tata Advanced Systems are also involved.

Why is Tejas Mark-2 special?

Tejas MK-2 is not only technologically advanced, but its design features low observability. This makes it a semi-stealth fighter jet, which can play a decisive role in cutting-edge war scenarios.