At 17k cr, Tejas cost zooms 3000%

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At 17k cr, Tejas cost zooms 3000%​

Project Was Approved In ’83 For 560Cr, Final Rollout Only By ’18


Rajat Pandit | TNN



New Delhi: India will spend Rs 17,269 crore in the overall developmental programme of Tejas light combat aircraft, which was first approved in 1983 at a cost of Rs 560 crore to replace aging MiG-21s. This represents an almost 3000% jump, as per revised “sanctioned costs” of the entire Tejas programme, including the fighter’s naval variant, which will run till December 2018. IAF pilots are, of course, still forced to fly virtually obsolete MiGs since Tejas is yet to be inducted. Latest figures also show each of the first 40 Tejas fighters will cost around Rs 150 crore, over and above the huge developmental cost.

This comes even as defence minister A K Antony this week assured parliamentary consultative committee on defence that long-delayed Tejas will finally get its “initial operational clearance” in December. The “final operational clearance” is slated for December 2012. While Tejas’ per unit cost compares favourably with similar fighters like Gripen (Sweden), its developmental cost — coupled with the fact that it has already been 27 years in the making — is way too high.

Tejas, incidentally, has clocked around 1,420 flights with 10 prototypes till date. Its FSED (full-scale engineering development) Phase-I till March 2004 cost Rs 2,188 crore. The Phase-II, to be completed by December 2012, will cost another Rs 5,778 crore. To add to that, there is fabrication of two Tejas Mark-II, with alternate engines, to be completed by Dec 2018 for Rs 2,432 crore, along with development of indigenous technologies for Rs 396 crore. Naval Tejas FSED Phase-I, in turn, is to be completed by Dec 2014 for Rs 1,715 crore, with Phase-II slated for completion by December 2018 for another Rs 1,921 crore.

Tejas will, of course, also be powered by American GE engines, with its indigenous Kaveri engine floundering despite Rs 2,839 crore being spent on its development since 1989. Towards this, India recently finalised a $822-million deal for 99 GE F-414 engines. While the first 20 Tejas for IAF will be powered by GE-404 engines, next six Mark-II squadrons will have the more powerful GE F-414 engines.


ToI feed dated 21st Nov, 2010.


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